Catalog 108, P
278. PALEY, Grace. Enormous Changes at the Last Minute. London: Deutsch (1975). The first British edition of the second collection of stories by one of the most highly acclaimed contemporary masters of the short story. Nominated for the National Book Award. Paley's literary output over forty years includes three collections of stories, an essay collection, several volumes of poetry, and the editorship of several anthologies. Her stories were collected in an omnibus volume that received critical acclaim and was a finalist for the National Book Award. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
279. PALEY, Grace. Later the Same Day. NY: FSG (1985). Her third collection of stories, which was a finalist for the PEN Faulkner Award. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
280. PATCHEN, Kenneth. Wonderings. (NY): New Directions (1971). The hardcover issue of this collection of picture poems. According to Morgan, one of only 100 hardcover copies printed. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication. Trace bump to crown; else fine in a very near fine dust jacket.
281. PELECANOS, George. Down by the River Where the Dead Men Go. NY: St. Martin's (1995). Fourth novel by this highly praised mystery writer, featuring Nick Stefanos. The first printing was reported as 4000 copies. Fine in dust jacket.
282. PELECANOS, George. Shame the Devil. Boston: Little Brown (2000). The uncorrected proof copy of his highly praised new novel in the hard-boiled genre, just published in January. Fine in wrappers.
283. PHILLIPS, Jayne Anne. Late July, 1963, Shelter County, West Virginia. Berkeley: Okeanos Press, 1994. A broadside excerpt from Shelter, printed in an edition of 1000 copies. This copy is signed by the author. 8 1/8" x 11 3/4". Fine.
284. PLATH, Sylvia. Self-Portrait. Undated. A 19" x 25" self-portrait in pastels. A large self-portrait by Plath, executed in pastels. Undated, but apparently from her college years (early 1950s), based on her hair style, comparison with photographs from the period, etc. The portrait was presumably done from a photograph, as the subject is looking away from the artist. Plath is known to have done at least one other self-portrait on this scale, now located in the collection of the Lilly Library at Indiana University. A remarkable image by the woman whose writings came to be emblematic of the soul-searching and self examination of an entire generation of women writers and artists. Plath's struggles with the twin demons of her literary talent and her self-doubt created an ineradicable record of the woman-as-artist contending not only with her own questions but with those thrust upon her by the prejudices of society. For this, she became, after her suicide within weeks of the publication of her first (autobiographical) novel, an icon of the fledgling women's movement, which questioned not only the boundaries and limitations of the self but, more importantly perhaps, the social structures that set those boundaries. Plath's mastery of the craft of portraiture is limited: her anatomy is far from perfect; but her intent to capture the essence of her subject -- herself -- is boldly realized not only in the outer depiction of her 1950s hairstyle and nondescript clothing, but more importantly in the intensity of the gaze captured by the artist/subject. Plath's self-portrait would be remarkable if it contained only her eyes, which look askance with a combination of intensity and vulnerability that perhaps could only have been wrought by the artist herself or, alternately, a master of portraiture. We have never seen such an artwork by this author offered on the market in the past, all of Plath's significant works having been long institutionalized. Once creased near the lower edge; small red stamp lower left corner; else fine. Matted and framed to 23 1/4" x 30". A stunning view of the literary artist as revealed by herself as a visual artist. Unique. (See illustration on rear cover.)
285. PRICE, Reynolds. A Long and Happy Life. NY: Atheneum, 1962. His first book. Signed by the author. A patch of discoloration to rear board and droplets to top stain. Near fine in a near fine, mildly sunned and price-clipped, second issue dust jacket, with the names of the authors who contributed blurbs on the back panel printed in dark, rather than light, green.
286. PRICE, Reynolds. Blue Calhoun. NY: Atheneum, 1992. A highly praised novel, written during the period after Price discovered he suffered from spinal cancer and began treatments for it, a process he then chronicled in his memoir. Signed by the author in 1992. Covers very slightly splayed and a small spot of discoloration to the foredge, thus near fine in a fine dust jacket.
287. PRICE, Reynolds. "And way in the night when I had lain in the dark awake..." Berkeley: Black Oak Books, 1992. A broadside excerpt from Blue Calhoun, printed on the occasion of a reading by the author. 6 1/2" x 13 1/4". Signed by the author. Fine.
288. PRICE, Richard. The Wanderers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974. The author's first book, the basis for the well-received Philip Kaufman film. Signed by the author. Near fine in a fine dust jacket with a small corner crease on the front flap. A nice copy of an important debut.
289. PROULX, E. Annie. "This place, she thought, this rock..." Berkeley: Black Oak Books/Okeanos Press, 1994. An attractively printed broadside excerpt from The Shipping News, issued on the occasion of a reading by the author. 6 1/2" x 11 1/2". Signed by the author. Fine.
290. PYNCHON, Thomas. The Crying of Lot 49. London: Cape (1967). The first British edition of his second novel, winner of the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and the most overtly political, and paranoid, of Pynchon's novels. Chosen by David Pringle as one of the hundred best novels of Modern Fantasy. For some reason, this seems to be the scarcest of the British editions of Pynchon's books. Foxing to foredge and a couple tiny spots to spine cloth; near fine in a fine dust jacket with trace foxing on verso.