Catalog 101, N-Q
270. NEUGEBOREN, Jay. Listen Ruben Fontanez. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1968. A review copy of his second book which, like his first, is set in the urban ghettos of New York City. Inscribed by the author in 1976. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light wear at the crown.
271. NEUGEBOREN, Jay. Corky's Brother. NY: FSG (1969). A review copy of his third book, a collection of stories and a novella, again set in the ghettos of New York City. The title novella won the Transatlantic Review Novella Award and is the story of a baseball player, continuing the author's propensity for using sports as a metaphor for, and a window onto, the problems of the larger society. Inscribed by the author in 1976. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
272. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. Inscribed by the author in 1976. One corner crease, slight dust soiling; still near fine in tall, ringbound wrappers.
273. NEUGEBOREN, Jay. Parentheses. An Autobiographical Journey. NY: Dutton, 1970. A review copy of the author's fourth book and first of nonfiction, a memoir of his political awakening in the late 1950s and early 1960s, which led to an active involvement in the Civil Rights movement and the movement against the war in Vietnam. Inscribed by the author in 1976. Fine in a dust jacket with slight rubbing to the spine extremities but otherwise fine. With review slip, photo and promotional sheet laid in excerpting early reviews and a blurb by Jonathan Kozol.
274. -. Same title, the folded & gathered sheets. Also inscribed by the author. Fine, stapled into a very good dust jacket.
275. NEUGEBOREN, Jay. Sam's Legacy. NY: HRW (1974). His fifth book, again a novel of inner city life. Inscribed by the author in 1976. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
276. NEUGEBOREN, Jay. An Orphan's Tale. NY: HRW (1976). A review copy of his sixth novel, which focuses on the coming-of-age of a 12 year-old Jewish boy. Inscribed by the author in 1977. Fine in a dusty, else fine jacket.
277. NIN, Anaïs. On Writing. Yonkers: Alicat Bookshop (1947). Outcast Chapbook No. 11. A short essay on writing by Nin in the Alicat Chapbook series. One of 1000 copies. With an essay on Nin's writing style by poet William Burford. Nin's first book was a study of D. H. Lawrence, one of her important influences, which was published in 1932, and her first novel was published in Paris in 1939. However, her writing fell well outside what was considered acceptable and publishable in the U.S., and her first book in this country was not published until 1946. Nin's diary, to which she refers at length in this essay, was considered a masterpiece of 20th century literature by Henry Miller long before any of it was ever published. When volumes of it began to appear in print in the 1960s, Nin quickly became a heroine not only of the literary avant garde but also of the Sixties counterculture and the emerging women's movement. Very good in stapled wrappers. A fragile and now uncommon item.
278. NIN, Anaïs. A Spy in the House of Love. NY: British Book Centre (1954). Variant issue of the first American edition. Light blue binding, with title and author only (no publisher imprint). A bit of rubbing to spine extremities; else near fine in plain dust jacket, also with title and author only--no price, imprint or other information. An unusual edition of one of the more well-known works of fiction by an author whose writings redefined the parameters of women's literature. An attractive copy of an uncommon variant, not noted in the bibliography.
279. NIN, Anaïs. The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vols. 1-5. NY: HBW/HBJ, 1966-1974. Together with A Photographic Supplement to the Diary of Anaïs Nin (NY: HBJ/Harvest, 1974). Five volumes of Nin's diaries, covering the years 1931-1955, and including the photographic supplement. Each book is inscribed by the author. Volume 3, Volume 4, and the supplement are advance review copies, with review slips laid in. An enormously influential series of books which, despite some recent, retrospective questioning of their factuality, nonetheless became a benchmark for women's autobiographical writings just as the feminist movement was coming into being and old definitions of femininity were being called into question. Nin, or at least the persona Nin presented in these somewhat carefully rendered diary excerpts, became a new paradigm for women's sexuality, creativity and independence. An important set of books; we have seen very few signed copies of individual volumes in recent years, let alone a set such as this. Volumes 1-3 are fine in near fine dust jackets (v. 2 is price-clipped); Volumes 4-5 are fine in fine dust jackets; the supplement is fine in wrappers. For the set:
280. NIN, Anaïs. Delta of Venus: Erotica. NY: HBJ (1977). The uncorrected proof copy of the first publication of Nin's erotica, written for pay for a private collector in the 1940s, and never intended for publication. Fine in tall wrappers.
281. -. Another copy. Light spine creasing; Nin's name written on the bottom pages edges; else fine.
282. (NIN, Anaïs). Revelations. Diaries of Women. NY: Random House (1974). A review copy of this collection of excerpts from the diaries of thirty-three women of all ages and backgrounds. Inscribed by Nin at her contribution "with love" and with the remark that theirs is "a friendship built on a pyramid of books." It is likely that the critical and commercial success of Nin's published diaries helped make the publication of a collection such as this commercially feasible. Other writers excerpted include Virginia Woolf, George Eliot, George Sand, Louisa May Alcott and Katherine Mansfield. Edited by Mary Jane Moffat and Charlotte Painter. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
283. O'BRIEN, Edna. Mother Ireland. NY: HBJ (1976). The first book of nonfiction by the Irish author of The Country Girls and Girls in Their Married Bliss, among others. Inscribed by the author with "my best Irish wishes." Fine in a dust jacket with a couple tiny edge nicks; else fine.
284. O'BRIEN, Tim. The Things They Carried. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1990. The limited edition and the correct first edition of his fifth book, chosen by The New York Times Book Review as one of the dozen best books of the year, in all categories. By broad consensus one of the best works of fiction to come out of the Vietnam war, and a book that straddles, or blurs, several usually distinct categories: it resembles a novel--with characters that recur throughout the individual episodes; a memoir (the main character is named "Tim O'Brien" and bears many similarities to the author); and a collection of short stories, related but essentially independent. Whatever its category, it is a candidate to be considered the Vietnam war's equivalent to The Red Badge of Courage--a straightforward story told from the perspective of one participant in the fighting, which rings with an authenticity that is made all the more powerful by the book's appearing not to pretend to much beyond a simple recounting. The sequence of episodes, however, is couched in a series of reflections on storytelling, the nature of stories and their relation to truth, which gives the book its own context: while O'Brien writes for a contemporary audience, which shares his knowledge of Vietnam, he is also writing for the ages-- for all those who will have only the story to go by, not the experience. The collection won the Heartland Award from the Chicago Tribune and the title story won a National Magazine Award, among numerous other honors that have been heaped on this volume. Like Michael Herr's Dispatches, this is one title that seems to be included in virtually every survey course of the field of Vietnam War literature. This edition has a special introduction written by the author which gives some insight into his vision of the line between fact and fiction, and it is signed by O'Brien. Leatherbound; all edges gilt; with a silk ribbon marker. Fine.
285. O'BRIEN, Tim. Tomcat in Love. NY: Broadway Books (1998). The uncorrected proof copy in plain white wrappers of his most recent novel. Considerably scarcer than the advance reading copy in green wrappers. Fine.
286. O'CONNOR, Robert. Buffalo Soldiers. NY: Knopf, 1993. One of the most highly praised first novels of the year, a black comedy of the peacetime army that was compared to Catch-22 and "Sergeant Bilko on scag." Fine in a fine dust jacket. O'Connor was chosen, on the strength of this volume, as one of the "Granta 20" best young American novelists.
287. O'HARA, John. Butterfield 8. NY: Harcourt Brace (1935). Third book, second novel, by the author of Appointment in Samarra, Pal Joey, and others. One of O'Hara's most famous books, in part because of the 1960 movie for which Elizabeth Taylor won the Best Actress Academy Award. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication. Faded discoloration to the black boards; otherwise near fine in a very good dust jacket with fading to the spine lettering, modest edgewear, and a small chip at the middle of the rear spine fold. O'Hara was noted for his social realism, and one historian said about this book that no one could hope to understand the America of the 1930s without reading it. Presentation copies by O'Hara, who won the National Book Award in 1957 and was a finalist again in 1959, are quite uncommon, especially of his early titles.
288. OATES, Joyce Carol. By the North Gate. NY: Vanguard (1963). Her first book, a collection of stories. This is a fine copy in a very near fine dust jacket with very slight wear at the spine extremities and a mere touch of the spine-fading that routinely shows up on this book. Signed by the author. A nice copy of this prolific and important author's first book. Oates is frequently mentioned these days as a candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature.
289. OATES, Joyce Carol. Do With Me What You Will. NY: Vanguard (1973). The uncorrected proof copy. This proof had a sheet taped over the last few paragraphs of text instructing the reader to "See attached next page." A new, revised ending is taped in on the following blank pages. This revised ending approximates the one that appears in the published book, but there were minor editorial changes in between. Thus, this proof together with a copy of the trade edition would reveal three different versions of the ending: the original; the first version of the revised ending; and the final version of the revision. The small instructional sheet has detached but is present, and the original text beneath it bears offsetting but is still quite legible. This is otherwise a fine copy in wrappers and is signed by the author. A textually interesting proof.
290. OATES, Joyce Carol. The Hungry Ghosts. LA: Black Sparrow, 1974. Although this issue is not explicitly identified on the colophon, this is one of 50 deluxe numbered copies in a special binding, signed by the author. Fine in acetate dust jacket and publisher's slipcase.
291. OATES, Joyce Carol. The Goddess and Other Women. NY: Vanguard (1974). Her fifth collection of short stories. Oates was nominated for the National Book Award in 1968, 1969, 1972 and 1990, and she won the Award in 1970, for her novel, them. Fine in a near fine, mildly spine- and edge-tanned dust jacket.
292. OATES, Joyce Carol. Childwold. NY: Vanguard (1976). The uncorrected proof copy of this novel. Inscribed by the author in the year after publication, and signed "Joyce." Fine in tall wrappers. A scarce and fragile issue.
293. ONDAATJE, Michael. Coming Through Slaughter. (NY): Avon/Bard (1979). The first Bard printing. Inscribed by the author to another writer: "with best wishes and respect to a terrific poet." Small tear to foredge of rear cover, but still near fine in wrappers. A nice association copy.
294. ONDAATJE, Michael. There's a Trick With a Knife I'm Learning to Do. NY: Norton (1979). The first American edition of this collection of poems, this being the issue in wrappers. Inscribed by the author to a well-known poet "with best wishes." Wrappers neatly detached (unglued) from text block; very good.
295. ONDAATJE, Michael. In the Skin of a Lion. (NY): Penguin (1988). The first Penguin edition and first paperback edition of this highly praised novel. Inscribed by Ondaatje to another well-known poet. Fine in wrappers. Again, a nice association copy.
296. ONDAATJE, Michael. The English Patient. (Toronto): McClelland & Stewart (1992). The first Canadian edition of this book which won Britain's Booker Prize and was the basis for an Academy Award-winning film. "Following the flag," this would be the preferred edition, although the British edition is the true first printing. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
297. -. Another copy. Fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
298. ONDAATJE, Michael. Handwriting. (Toronto): McClelland & Stewart (1998). His most recent book, a collection of poems. Fine in a fine dust jacket, and signed by the author. Not published in the U.S. so far.
299. PANCAKE, BREECE D'J. The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake. Boston: Little Brown (1983). A collection of stories by a promising young writer who was, at one time, a student of Pulitzer Prize winner James Alan McPherson (Elbow Room) and who committed suicide before this book was published. A strong collection of stories, set in the author's native Appalachia. McPherson provides a foreword to the collection; the afterword is by National Book Award-winning author John Casey (Spartina), who was also the author's teacher at one time. Fine in a fine dust jacket, completely free of the spine-fading endemic to this title.
300. PARKER, Robert. The Godwulf Manuscript. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974. The author's first book, a bibliomystery that introduced his detective Spenser, one of the most successful fictional creations of recent years. Parker's books are instant bestsellers upon publication these days, with print runs ranging up into six figures, but his first several books had small print runs and were already scarce by the time of his commercial "breakthrough," over a decade ago. Spenser was one of the first "tough guy" detectives to show a sensitive and vulnerable side, a characteristic that has been widely emulated in detective series over the past two decades. Very slight foxing to foredge; else a fine copy in a jacket with trace shelfwear to the spine crown; else fine. A virtually flawless copy of one of the important mystery genre debuts of the last quarter century.
301. PASTERNAK, Boris. Autograph Note Signed. February 6, 1936. Text in Russian. Written in purple ink on an 11 5/8" x 8 1/4" sheet, folded in half so that all text appears on a 5 7/8" x 8 1/4" page. Folded again to fit into a hand addressed envelope, which is also present. The note is addressed to Alexander Sherbakov, a secretary of the Soviet writers' organization, and it implores Sherbakov to intervene in the case of E.N. Chebotarevskay, among others--writers who were being purged by Stalin in an effort to ensure Soviet orthodoxy in the arts. Pasternak, in the face of this pressure, stopped writing poetry altogether for nine years, beginning in 1934, but his willingness to speak up on behalf of his fellow writers did not abate--a remarkable display of courage in a time when one could be sentenced to internal exile to the Gulag, or even death, for the slightest deviation from the Party line. Among the writers who lost their lives in the purge were Osip Mandelstam and Isaak Babel, two of the greatest Russian writers of the 20th century. Pasternak wrote little poetry over the last quarter century of his life, instead focusing on his great novel, Doctor Zhivago, which earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature--an award he did not accept, presumably due to pressure from the Soviet government. Doctor Zhivago was banned in Russia because it reflected a Christian perspective on life and death, and because its depiction of the Russian revolution and the administrators of the Soviet state did not shy away from criticizing the corruption and inhumanity of the Soviet system. Tiny abrasion to page, not affecting legibility. Fine.
302. PELECANOS, George P. A Firing Offense. NY: St. Martin's (1992). His first book, a mystery novel featuring Nick Stefanos. Signed by the author. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a small closed edge tear on the lower front panel and some associated creasing there. One of the most sought after first mysteries of recent years.
303. PHARR, Robert Deane. The Book of Numbers. Garden City: Doubleday, 1969. First book by this African-American writer, a novel of Black life in a Southern city in the 1930s. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with modest edgewear.
304. PHARR, Robert Deane. S.R.O. Garden City: Doubleday, 1971. His second novel, which focuses on a "single room occupancy" hotel in Harlem in the 1960s. Fine in a fine dust jacket with a slight line of rubbing at the rear spine fold.
305. PRICE, Reynolds. Roxanna Slade. (NY): Scribner (1998). The advance reading copy (marked "uncorrected proofs" by the publisher) of his new novel which, like the award-winning Kate Vaiden, tells the story from the point of view of an elderly southern woman looking back on her life. Fine in wrappers.
306. PYNCHON, Thomas. V. Phil: Lippincott (1963). His first book, winner of the Faulkner Foundation Award for best first novel of the year. With elaborate inventiveness, labyrinthine plots and a sometimes paranoid comic sense, Pynchon became the "postmodern" standard against whom all writers since have been measured. Each of his first three novels won one or more of the major literary awards given out in this country. This title was a National Book Award finalist, in addition to winning the Faulkner Foundation Award. His third book, the landmark Gravity's Rainbow, won both the National Book Award (which Pynchon declined) and the William Dean Howells Medal for the best work of fiction to appear in America over a five-year span. A thin strip of fading to the top edges of the cloth, as is common with this title, otherwise a fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with modest rubbing, a small abrasion to the front cover, but no spine fading.