Catalog 125, L-M
233. -. Same title. The advance reading copy. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
234. LATEEF, Yusef A. Night in the Garden of Love. NY: Vantage Press (1988). Scarce self-published (vanity press) novella by the famed jazz musician. Fine in a rubbed, very good dust jacket.
235. LAWTON, John. Old Flames. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson (1996). The hardcover issue of the author's third book, a well-received Cold War spy novel set in 1956 featuring Inspector Troy, the protagonist of Black Out. Slight upper corner bumps; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
236. (LEE, Harper). "Romance and High Adventure" in Clearings in the Thicket. (Macon): Mercer University Press (1985). A collection of essays and stories from the 1983 Alabama History and Heritage Festival. Includes a photo of Lee signing copies of To Kill A Mockingbird. Lee's piece was printed separately in a limited edition in 1993. Owner blindstamp; else fine in a near fine, spine-faded dust jacket. An uncommon appearance in print by Lee.
237. -. Another copy. Inscribed by the editor, Jerry Elijah Brown. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
238. LESSER, Ellen. The Shoplifter's Apprentice. NY: Simon & Schuster (1989). The author's second book, a well-received collection of stories. Inscribed by the author to two fellow writers in the month of publication: "For ___ & ___, with gratitude for your support, & luminous spirits. Yours, Ellen Lesser." A nice association copy. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
239. LESSING, Doris. African Laughter. (NY): HarperCollins (1992). Nonfiction by the author of The Golden Notebook, about her return to Zimbabwe, where she grew up, after 25 years of exile for her political views. One of 125 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine in a fine slipcase.
240. LESSING, Doris. Under My Skin. (NY): HarperCollins (1994). The limited edition of the first volume of Lessing's autobiography, taking her up to the year 1949. One of 150 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine in a fine slipcase.
241. LESSING, Doris. Love, Again. (NY): HarperCollins (1995). The uncorrected proof copy of this novel. Near fine in wrappers.
242. LOPEZ, Barry. About This Life. Journeys on the Threshold of Memory. NY: Knopf, 1998. A collection of personal essays and reflections by the National Book Award-winning author of Arctic Dreams and Of Wolves and Men, among others. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
243. (MACLEAN, Norman). The Bitter Root. Missoula County: Missoula County High School, 1920. His senior high school yearbook, featuring two Maclean poems, "Flowers: In Memory of Miss Mallory" and "Waves." Nearly a dozen other mentions of Maclean, including three photographs: his senior portrait, in his role as business manager of The Bitter Root, and on the football team (where in a 19 yard run he scored the winning touchdown in an away game at Butte). Additionally, Maclean is mentioned in the class will, the class prophecy, as vice-president of the "M" Club, as appearing on the "permit" list, and in the November calendar where "Norman and Earl get lost in the wilds of Gregson Springs." This copy belonged to the Editor-in-Chief of The Bitter Root, Custer Keim, and is several times inscribed to him as well as annotated by him, including having recorded Maclean's dates of birth and death. Hinges cracked; leather a bit edgeworn; a good copy. Together with the programs for both the Carnival Night play and commencement, and two commencement tickets. Probably the first "book publication" of any of Maclean's writings.
244. MACLEISH, Archibald. Land of the Free. NY: Harcourt Brace (1938). MacLeish's words illustrate the photographs of Dorothea Lange, Margaret Bourke-White and Walker Evans, among others, and question the meaning of liberty in the land of the free. An eloquent and important social document. Some foxing to outer pages; near fine in a very good, mildly spine-sunned dust jacket with modest edge wear.
245. MARLOWE, Derek. A Dandy in Aspic. London: Gollancz, 1966. His first book, a spy novel, in the Le Carré mold, about a double agent who is assigned to assassinate himself. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a couple tiny edge tears. A very nice copy of this book, in the standard yellow Gollancz dust jacket of the era, which is extremely fragile and notoriously prone to wear.
246. MASTERS, Hilary. Hammertown Tales. Winston-Salem: Stuart Wright, 1986. Short stories revolving around the inhabitants of the fictional upstate New York town of Hammertown. By the son of Edgar Lee Masters, author of the classic Spoon River Anthology. Signed by the author. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
247. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Wildlife in America. NY: Viking, 1959. Matthiessen's first book of nonfiction, a survey of the effect of the Europeans on the fauna of North America and a classic in the field of conservation literature. Shortly after publication, the publisher reported that President John F. Kennedy had added the book to the White House's permanent library. Matthiessen was one of the first primarily "literary" authors to devote his energy to writing about ecological issues, eventually incorporating them and the political questions that they raise into his fiction in a way that set the stage for the generation of socially conscious writers to come. His interest in non-Western ways of perception and knowing -- drawn from tribal traditions as well as from the mystical heritage of the East -- combined with his social concerns to raise the standard for serious, environmentally conscious writers of fiction and other literature. Fading to top stain; else a fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing to edges and rear spine fold. A very nice copy of a book that is notoriously prone to wear.
248. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Lost Man's River. NY: Random House (1997). The second novel in the trilogy that began with Killing Mr. Watson, based on a series of events in Florida at the turn of the last century and using the novel form to explore the settling and development of that frontier, with an awareness of the ecological implications of its development. Signed by the author on a tipped-in leaf. Fine in a fine dust jacket. The Watson trilogy has been called Peter Matthiessen's magnum opus, and despite poor editing for a couple of the volumes, it will probably stand as a landmark in American historical fiction and political literature for the way it incorporates social, political and ecological issues into a work of fiction, pushing the boundaries of the novel's ability to raise consciousness on issues of social importance.
249. MAXWELL, William. So Long, See You Tomorrow. NY: Vintage (1996). A promotional issue of the Vintage paperback reissue of this short novel, first published by Knopf in 1980 and winner of the National Book Award when it was reissued in paperback the following year. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers and publisher's cardstock slipcase, which also serves as a mailing envelope (unused, but Vintage seal broken at opening).
250. MAXWELL, William. All the Days and Nights. NY: Knopf, 1995. The uncorrected proof copy of a collection of short fiction that spans his entire writing career -- over 50 years. In addition to his writing career, Maxwell was the fiction editor at The New Yorker for many years. Fine in wrappers.
251. -. Same title, the advance reading copy. Issued for promotional purposes, with a leaf bound in signed by the author. Fine in decorated wrappers and publisher's cardstock slipcase.
252. McEWAN, Ian. Soursweet. London: Faber & Faber (1988). Screenplay by Booker Prize-winning author McEwan, based on the Booker-nominated novel by Timothy Mo. Paperback original. Several short scratches to front cover; near fine in wrappers. No comparable U.S. edition.
253. McGAHERN, John. Dark. London: Faber and Faber (1965). The uncorrected proof copy of this Irish author's uncommon second novel. Spine slanted and creased; near fine in wrappers. An uncommon book, and especially so as a proof.
254. McGAHERN, John. That They May Face the Rising Sun. (London): Faber and Faber (2002). His most recent novel, long-awaited after the publication of the award-winning Amongst Women (shortlisted for the Booker Prize and winner of the Aer Lingus Literature Prize and the Hughes Irish Fiction Award). Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
255. -. Same title. The advance reading copy, with textual differences from the final, published text. Fine in wrappers.
256. McGUANE, Thomas. Ninety-Two in the Shade. London: Collins, 1974. The first British edition of McGuane's third novel, a National Book Award nominee which was made into a movie, directed by McGuane and with a screenplay by him, and is widely considered the book that secured his reputation as a major American author (as opposed to a "promising" young writer). Signed by the author. Fine in a very good, spine-faded and price-clipped dust jacket with internally tape-mended edge tears.
257. McINERNEY, Jay. Bright Lights, Big City. NY: Vintage Contemporaries (1984). His first book, published as a paperback original in the then-new Vintage Contemporaries series of literary reprints and originals. Corner crease rear cover; near fine in wrappers. Together with the Vintage Contemporaries Reader, which prints an excerpt from the first eight books in the series, including this one. McInerney's contribution is shot from typescript and bears textual differences from the published book. Fine in wrappers. McInerney's novel was one of the first original publications in the fledgling Vintage Contemporaries series, and its success helped both establish him as a shrewd and knowledgeable commentator on contemporary American society and establish the new paperback series as a cutting-edge literary publishing house.
258. McINERNEY, Jay. Ransom. NY: Vintage Contemporaries (1985). His second book, and the first hardcover offering in the Vintage Contemporaries series. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication: "For ___/ With thanks for all of/ your help -- tonight and/ through the long haul./ Hoping to see you soon/ Best/ Jay McInerney/ Boston/ 10/2/85." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Together with the advance reading copy; fine in wrappers.
259. McPHEE, John. Oranges. NY: FSG (1967). McPhee's third book, a fascinating and entertaining study of oranges in history, biology and culture. McPhee has been credited with being one of the foremost "literary journalists" practicing today -- indeed, with helping to create the genre -- and his subjects are often rooted firmly in the natural world. With a reporting style in which the narrator is seldom visible, and almost never a "participant" in the story, McPhee differs markedly from many of the literary naturalists writing today -- opting to let his choice of topics, and the individuals whom he chooses to interview for their perspectives, define the political, social and moral implications of the subject. In plain but nonetheless elegant prose, McPhee consistently reveals wonders of the world that would otherwise remain completely unknown to the general reader. A bit of staining to top board edges; very near fine in dust jacket.
260. -. Another copy. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
261. McPHEE, John. Levels of the Game. NY: FSG (1969). An account of a landmark tennis match between Arthur Ashe, the first world-class African-American tennis player, and Clark Graebner, "a middle-class white conservative dentist's son from Cleveland." A detailed, point-by-point account of the match, and an exploration of their different tennis styles that sheds light on their different backgrounds and lives and, by extension, the larger cultural differences to be found within American society. Inscribed by the author on behalf of a third party and himself. Fine in a fine dust jacket with a corner crease on the front flap.
262. -. Same title, the first British edition. London: Macdonald (1970). Inscribed by the author. Fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
263. McPHEE, John. Wimbledon. A Celebration. NY: Viking (1972). Large quarto, illustrated with photographs by Alfred Eisenstadt. The text consists of two pieces by McPhee relating to Wimbledon, one of which appeared in A Roomful of Hovings; one of which appeared only in Playboy. Inscribed by McPhee to Sarah Palfrey Danzig, twice winner of the Wimbledon Doubles championship, as well as the U.S. Open Singles championship (twice) and Doubles championship. A wonderful association copy. Boards a bit bowed and dampstaining to edges of endpages; near fine in a very near fine dust jacket with one closed edge tear.
264. -. Another copy. Signed by the author. Foxing to pages and boards, which are a bit splayed; about a near fine copy in a pickle green cloth (a bit more yellow than the cloth of the above copy) in a near fine dust jacket foxed on verso.
265. McPHEE, John. The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed. NY: FSG (1973). A nonfiction account of a serious, but flawed, attempt to create a new kind of aircraft -- a combination airplane and lighter-than-air airship. An intriguing subject elucidated by McPhee's crystal-clear prose. Signed by the author. Upper outer corners bumped; near fine in a fine dust jacket.
266. -. Another copy. Inscribed by the author: "For ___ ___ -/ a story of some unusual characters/ around Princeton -/ of course, unusual characters around/ Princeton are nothing unusual to you./ Merry Christmas 1973/ John McPhee." Dampening to top stain with a little bleeding to the rear flyleaf; near fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
267. McPHEE, John. Coming Into the Country. NY: FSG (1977). His breakthrough book -- three pieces on Alaska from The New Yorker -- which was chosen as a Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and became a modest bestseller, immediately being reprinted a number of times. This is the book by which McPhee went from being a relatively unknown staff writer for The New Yorker -- in general someone less famous than the subjects he profiled -- to being a household name among literary cognoscenti. McPhee's lucid, transparent style has come to define a particular era for The New Yorker much as Thurber's and E.B. White's did for an earlier time. After this book, Farrar Straus brought all his earlier books back into print, even reprinting hardcover editions in some cases. Signed by the author. Foxing to foredge; else fine in a very near fine dust jacket. A lovely copy.
268. -. Another copy. Signed by the author. Top stain foxed and board edges faded; near fine in a faded, very good, price-clipped dust jacket with a small chip at the crown (taking the "J"), and a couple short edge tears.
269. McPHEE, John. Basin and Range. NY: FSG (1981). The first of his books on geology, which eventually led to his winning the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for his compilation Annals of the Former World, which included the text of this book. This volume focuses on the geology of the Great Basin. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Laid in is an autograph note initialed by McPhee thanking the recipient, along with the New York Times review of the book.
270. -. Another copy. Signed by the author. Also signed by Karen Kleinspehn and Kenneth Deffeyes, two geology professors who appear in the book. Fine in a near fine, mildly spine-faded dust jacket creased on the front flap.
271. McPHEE, John. Table of Contents. NY: FSG (1985). A collection of pieces from The New Yorker, including articles on the arrival of telephones in a remote Alaskan village and on the appearance of wild bears in sizable numbers in suburban New Jersey. Signed by the author. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
272. -. Another copy. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication to a James Bowdoin Scholar. Bowdoin College book plate front pastedown; faint trace spotting to upper page edges; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
273. McPHEE, John. Outcroppings. Salt Lake: Peregrine/Gibbs Smith (1988). Photographs of the West and Southwest by Tom Till, one of the premier nature photographers working in the U.S. today, accompanied by selections of McPhee's writings. With a five page introduction by McPhee for this volume, explaining why he writes about the West. Signed by McPhee and Till. Quarto. A strip of sunning to the lower board edges; else fine in a very near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with one short, closed edge tear. An attractive book.
274. McPHEE, John. The Founding Fish. NY: FSG (2002). The advance reading copy of his latest book. Signed by the author. Shallow diagonal crease to the front cover; else fine in wrappers.
275. (McPHEE, John). McGLYNN, Robert. 10 Trial Street. (Deerfield/Dublin): (Deerfield Press)/Gallery Press (1979). Introduction by McPhee. One of 600 copies signed by McGlynn, of which this is one of 100 copies reserved for distribution in Ireland by the Gallery Press. Splaying to boards; else fine in a slightly dusty dust jacket.
276. MERWIN, W.S. The Vixen. NY: Knopf, 1995. The uncorrected proof copy of the award-winning poet's collection. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
277. MILNE. A.A. Winnie-the-Pooh, Now We Are Six and The House at Pooh Corner. NY: Dutton (1926, 1927, 1928). The American limited editions of the classic children's books. Winnie-the-Pooh was published in October 1926 and has never been out of print since, with books in the series estimated as having sold over 20 million copies in England alone since then, and presumably many more than that in the U.S. and Canada, as well as having been translated into more than 25 languages. These limited editions, published just after the U.K. editions, were done in limitations of 200 numbered copies for the first two titles and 250 numbered copies for Pooh Corner. Each title is signed by the author and also by E.H. Shepard, the illustrious illustrator. Winnie-the-Pooh is fine in a fine dust jacket and near fine glassine dustwrapper and publisher's box, also near fine. Now We Are Six, pages uncut, is fine in an acetate dust jacket and near fine publisher's box. The House at Pooh Corner, pages uncut, is fine in a fine pictorial dust jacket and near fine publisher's box. The boxes are slightly dusty, with occasional slight abrasions, but overall solid and attractive. The books inside are preserved in near-immaculate condition: the glassine jacket on the first book is almost never intact and here is very near fine, over a fine paper jacket; the acetate jacket of the second volume is likewise seldom found in good condition and here is near fine, with the exception that is has over time shrunk slightly and the rear flap has cleanly separated (easily repaired at the discretion of the purchaser). Probably the nicest set extant of these modern classics. For the three:
278. MITCHELL, Joseph. Old Mr. Flood. NY: Duell Sloan Pearce (1948). Three stories of New York and New Yorkers that originally appeared in The New Yorker magazine during the war. Signed by the author. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with several small edge tears. A nice copy of a not very well made book, which bears the markings of the postwar era in its use of thin, acidic, cheap paper for both the dust jacket and the text block. Together with A Profile, [(n.p.): (F-R Publishing), 1944], an offprint from The New Yorker of January 1, 1944 of the title essay of the above book, constituting both the first separate appearance and an early draft, as Mitchell revised the piece prior to the 1948 publication. Dampstain to rear corner; small chip to front corner; some separation to stapled spine; about very good. For both:
279. MOODY, Rick. The Ring of Brightest Angels Around Heaven. Boston: Little, Brown (1995). The uncorrected proof copy of his third book and his first collection of short fiction. Literary agency stamp on summary page. Near fine in spine-faded wrappers.
280. MOORE, Lorrie. Birds of America. NY: Knopf, 1998. The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of short fiction by the author of Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? and Self-Help, among others. One of these stories was the O. Henry Award winner; the author was selected as one of Granta's 20 best young American authors. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
281. -. Same title, the advance reading copy in pictorial wrappers. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
282. MORRIS, Willie. My Dog Skip. NY: Random House (1995). A special edition for friends of the author and publisher, one of 500 numbered copies signed by the author. Basis for the much-loved film, and the last book Morris published before he died. Fine in a fine slipcase.