Catalog 127, W-Z
438. WALCOTT, Derek. Dream on Monkey Mountain. NY: FSG (1970). A collection of plays, with an introductory essay by Walcott, who had been the director of the Trinidad Theater Workshop for nine years at the time the book was published. Inscribed by the author in 1982. Blended dampstaining to lower boards; near fine in a very good dust jacket dampstained across the lower edge and with wear at the crown.
439. WALCOTT, Derek. The Gulf. NY: FSG (1970). A collection of poems. Inscribed by the author in 1994. With the 1973 ownership signature of poet Jeff Daniel Marion. Fine in a near fine, very slightly spine-faded dust jacket with in internally tape-mended edge tear at the crown.
440. WALCOTT, Derek. Another Life. NY: FSG (1973). Inscribed by the author in 1994. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with one short corner tear.
441. WALCOTT, Derek. Sea Grapes. NY: FSG (1976). Inscribed by the author in 1994. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
442. WALCOTT, Derek. The Joker of Seville & O Babylon! NY: FSG (1978). Two plays in verse. Inscribed by the author in 1995. Dusty top edge; else fine in a near fine dust jacket sunned along the front spine fold.
443. WALCOTT, Derek. The Star-Apple Kingdom. NY: FSG (1979). Signed by the author. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
444. WALCOTT, Derek. Remembrance & Pantomime. NY: FSG (1980). Two plays. Inscribed by the author in 1994. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
445. WALCOTT, Derek. The Fortunate Traveller. NY: FSG (1981). Inscribed by the author in 1994. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a small sticker shadow on the rear panel and a short, internally tape-mended edge tear at the crown.
446. WALCOTT, Derek. Midsummer. NY: FSG (1984). Inscribed by the author in 1995. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
447. WALCOTT, Derek. Three Plays. NY: FSG (1986). Collects "The Last Carnival," "Beef, No Chicken" and "A Branch of the Blue Nile." Inscribed by the author in 1998. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
448. WALCOTT, Derek. Collected Poems, 1948-1984. NY: FSG (1986). Inscribed by the author in 1994. Dampstaining to lower page corners, not affecting text; near fine in a near fine dust jacket with blended dampstaining across the lower edge.
449. WALCOTT, Derek. The Arkansas Testament. NY: FSG (1987). Inscribed by the author in 1995. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a shallow crease at the lower edge.
450. WALCOTT, Derek. Omeros. NY: FSG (1990). An epic poem, and by consensus one of his greatest books, and the one that led to his winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992. Inscribed by the author in 1995. Mild crease to spine cloth; still fine in a fine dust jacket.
451. WALCOTT, Derek. The Antilles. NY: FSG (1993). Walcott's Nobel lecture. Inscribed by the author in 1994. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
452. WALCOTT, Derek. The Odyssey. NY: FSG (1993). A stage version. Inscribed by Walcott in 1994. Dampstaining to lower boards; near fine in a near fine dust jacket with dampstaining visible only on verso.
453. WELSH, Irvine. Trainspotting. London: Secker & Warburg (1993). The uncorrected proof copy of his first novel, highly acclaimed upon publication and later the basis for the phenomenally successful movie that became a cultural milestone of the 1990s. The hardcover first edition is extremely scarce; the proof even more so. We've only seen a handful of copies of it, despite the book's becoming collectible almost immediately after publication. Signed by the author. Author and title written on spine; small stain upper rear panel; near fine.
454. WELTY, Eudora. The Optimist's Daughter. NY: Random House (1972). Her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Mild foxing to cloth; near fine in a mildly foxed, near fine dust jacket.
455. WELTY, Eudora. One Writer's Beginnings. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1984. Her memoir, and the first book by Harvard University Press to make it to the bestseller list. Signed by the author. Fine in a near fine, spine-faded dust jacket. Illustrated with photographs.
456. WIESEL, Elie. Souls on Fire. NY: Summit Books (1982). Second printing of the paperback issue of the American edition. Inscribed by the Nobel Prize-winning author in 1985. Faint spine crease; still fine.
457. WILBUR, Richard. Ceremony and Other Poems. NY: Harcourt Brace (1950). A review copy of the second book by the Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning poet. Inscribed by the author, generically (All the best") at Hollins College, in 1964. Offsetting to endpages; near fine in a very good, rubbed and spine-faded dust jacket.
458. WILBUR, Richard. Phaedra. San Diego: HBJ (1986). Wilbur's translation of Racine's 17th century tragedy. Inscribed by Wilbur in 1990. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
459. WILLIAMS, William Carlos. The Great American Novel. Paris: Three Mountains Press, 1923. A limited edition in a series edited by Ezra Pound. An essay, or reflection, on the impossibility of writing "the great American novel," by the poet whose "Paterson" represents one of the great American poetic achievements. One of 300 numbered copies: this copy with the Contact Editions label tipped over the publisher's name on the title page. Offsetting to free endpapers; pages uncut; corner chipping to spine label; light handling to boards. A very good copy, without dust jacket, apparently as issued. In custom clamshell case.
460. WILLIAMS, William Carlos. In the American Grain. NY: Albert & Charles Boni, 1925. A collection of essays. The Donnelly copy, with their bookplate on the front pastedown. Near fine in a good, spine-tanned and creased first issue dust jacket chipped at the heel and with multiple internally tape-mended edge and fold tears and a small stain on the rear panel. Very uncommon in dust jacket. In a custom clamshell case.
461. WILLIAMS, William Carlos. The Desert Music and Other Poems. NY: Random House (1954). The trade edition, one of only 2532 copies printed. Offsetting to front endpapers; near fine in a near fine, spine-tanned dust jacket with offsetting on the front flap and a closed tear at the front flap fold.
462. WILLIAMS, William Carlos. Journey to Love. NY: Random House (1955). A couple spots of foxing to cloth; else fine in a very good, spine-tanned dust jacket with a little red color and a near-slice on the front panel. 3000 copies printed.
463. WILLIAMS, William Carlos. I Wanted to Write a Poem. Boston: Beacon Press (1958). A memoir in the form of commentary on his own poetry and publications. Slight corner bump; else fine in a very good, mildly spine-sunned dust jacket with a couple tiny chips and a thin strip of dampstaining to the upper rear spine fold.
464. WINTERSON, Jeanette. The Psychometry of Books. NY: Knopf, 1996. A prepublication excerpt from Art Objects, preceding the American trade edition. This particular essay concerns her own passion for book collecting: "That is the way with books. You regret only the ones you did not buy." One of 2000 copies, signed by the author on a label mounted to the title page. Fine in stapled wrappers and a very near fine string-tied cardstock chemise.
465. WOOLF, Virginia. Flush. A Biography. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1933. The first American edition. A fine copy, with Vanessa Bell endpages, in a very good dust jacket with a few internally tape-mended edge tears, including a small but open tear near the lower front spine fold.
466. WOOLF, Virginia. Three Guineas. NY: Harcourt Brace (1938). The first American edition of Woolf's considered responses to being asked for a guinea from three separate sources: a society for the preservation of peace; a women's college; and a society for obtaining employment for women. Fine in a very good, slightly spine-tanned Vanessa Bell dust jacket with a bit of surface soiling to the rear panel and some short tears at the folds. A nice copy, and a fragile jacket.
467. YATES, Richard and STYRON, William. Lie Down in Darkness. Watertown: Ploughshares Books, 1985. Yates's screenplay of Styron's novel, this being the clothbound issue; there was also a simultaneous paperback. Although not called for, this copy is signed by both authors. An uncommon collaboration between two of the most highly respected writers of their generation. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Books signed by Yates are uncommon.
468. (YATES, Richard). Richard Yates. An American Writer. NY: Seymour Lawrence, 1993. A collection of memorial essays, with contributions by Kurt Vonnegut, Gina Berriault, Frank Conroy, Andre Dubus, Brian Moore, Jayne Anne Phillips, Mary Robison, Dan Wakefield, and others. Clothbound; fine without dust jacket, as issued. A scarce volume, never issued for sale, and containing pieces by a number of important writers that have not been published elsewhere.