Catalog 149, M
143. MACLEISH, Archibald. New Found Land. Boston/NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1930. The first American edition of this collection of fourteen poems, originally published by Harry and Caresse Crosby at the Black Sun Press in Paris, in an edition of 100 copies. This edition was 500 copies, also printed at the Black Sun Press for Houghton Mifflin. This copy is inscribed by Macleish, "with my love." Tiny bookstore label to flyleaf, trace corner wear; a very near fine copy in a slipcase broken at the spine. An attractive production: one of the few books printed at the Black Sun Press for a trade publisher.
144. MAILER, Norman. The Executioner's Song. NY: Modern Library (1993). Second printing of the Modern Library reissue of his 1979 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, based on the life and death of convicted killer Gary Gilmore. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
145. MAILER, Norman. The Time of Our Time. NY: Random House (1998). The uncorrected proof copy of this omnibus collection, published on the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Naked and the Dead. "Selections by Mailer of his best work, ingeniously arranged as a literary retrospective." Signed by Mailer and with a foreword by him. Massive, over 1200 pages. Publication date written on spine; slight rubbing to the front spine fold; still fine in wrappers. An uncommon proof, and especially so signed.
146. MALAMUD, Bernard. The Natural. NY: Harcourt Brace (1952). His first book, one of the great baseball novels of all time and the basis, decades later, for a well-received movie. Inscribed by the author: "To Richard L. Neuberger/ for daring to lead/ With sincere best wishes/ Bernard Malamud/ Corvallis, Oregon/ November 1954." Neuberger was an author and New York Times correspondent before entering politics. In 1954 he was elected to the U.S. Senate from the state of Oregon; it's a pretty safe guess that this book was given to Neuberger as a congratulatory gift after his successful election. This is the issue in blue boards. No priority has been established but copies in both the blue and the red boards appear to be considerably scarcer than copies in gray boards, although not necessarily earlier. With Neuberger's bookplate on the front pastedown. Two corners tapped; a near fine copy in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with a bit of rubbing to the top edge and a couple small corner chips. In a custom clamshell box embossed with a detail of the cover design. A notable association copy of an important novel, seldom found signed.
147. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Raditzer. London: Heinemann (1962). The uncorrected proof copy of the first British edition of his third novel. Signed by the author. Matthiessen is one of the very few authors who has been nominated for the National Book Award for both fiction and nonfiction. Of his early novels, Matthiessen has said that is not happy with them, and would just as soon they not be reprinted or read, although he hasn't gone so far as to prevent his publisher from bringing them back into print. His novel after this one, At Play in the Fields of the Lord, a National Book Award nominee, represented a significant jump from this book in terms of literary accomplishment. The book prior to this, Wildlife in America, started him on the path toward becoming one of our most highly regarded writers of natural history. This short novel, a tale of the sea that is reminiscent of Conrad, dates from an early period in Matthiessen's career and is scarce even in the U.S. trade edition. This is the only copy of the British proof we have handled. Spine-sunned, else fine in wrappers.
148. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse. (NY): Viking (1991). The 1991 re-issue of Matthiessen's controversial and suppressed 1983 book on the conflict between agents of the federal government and members of the radical American Indian Movement in the 1970s, which culminated in a gun battle that left two FBI agents and one Indian dead. Matthiessen argues that the conviction of Leonard Peltier for the agents' death was a miscarriage of justice. His book was the subject of two lawsuits -- by one of the FBI agents involved in the case and by the former governor of South Dakota -- which effectively suppressed it for nearly a decade. A Supreme Court ruling declining to hear the case after an appeals court had thrown out the suits on the basis of First Amendment considerations finally allowed the book to be reprinted after nine years of litigation and untold millions of dollars in legal expenses -- a harrowing experience for the author, his publishers and (one assumes) their insurers, and a sobering example of how a legal case can effectively suppress a publication even if the case is, as this one turned out to be, finally deemed to be without merit: Matthiessen's book was effectively removed from its target audience for the crucial window of time during which it was most relevant (and agitation on Peltier's behalf might have had the best chance for success). A landmark of literary history and First Amendment tests. This edition has an epilogue that does not appear in the original edition, documenting the legal battles surrounding the book, and an afterword by Martin Garbus. This copy is inscribed by Matthiessen to his former brother-in-law, Kennett Love. With Love's ownership signature and a paragraph describing the day he got the book. Fine in a fine dust jacket with the ephemeral wraparound band. Laid in is a "Spirit of Crazy Horse" postcard (drawing by Leonard Peltier) postmarked May 28, 1991 and handwritten from Matthiessen to Love. Fine.
149. McCARTHY, Cormac. The Orchard Keeper. NY: Random House (1965). McCarthy's first book, which won a Faulkner Foundation Award for best first novel of the year. Although the book was successful enough to go into a second printing, fewer than 3000 copies were sold in total, and it was a quarter century before McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses won the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award and brought him recognition beyond the small, passionate circle of devotees who had been aware of him over the years. This book is notorious for several flaws: the front flap tends to detach at the fold from excessive scoring in the bindery, and the white jacket is susceptible to yellowing and soiling. This is a very near fine copy (slight splaying to boards) in a near fine dust jacket with a couple tiny edge tears and subtle, white edge strips that suggest a previous dust jacket protector. Professionally strengthened along the sensitive front fold.
150. McCARTHY, Cormac. Child of God. NY: Random House (1973). His third book. Tiny indent to front board; still fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with two short edge tears, one of which is internally tape-mended, and with a fleck of black missing from the upper front spine fold. Without the remainder mark so often found on copies of this title.
151. McCARTHY, Cormac. Blood Meridian. NY: Random House (1985). The uncorrected proof copy of his fifth book, a novel of the Old West, based on an actual series of events in 1849-1850 in Texas and Mexico, and rendered with an eye to bringing to life the surreal violence of the time and place. Voted one of the five best works of American fiction of the last quarter century in a survey conducted by The New York Times Book Review, and with a film version currently in production. McCarthy's first five books sold fewer than 15,000 copies total -- this title selling only 1883 copies before it was remaindered. Very small coffee splot on the rear cover near the spine; still near fine in wrappers. A scarce proof, in our experience; we've only had it once before.
152. McCARTHY, Cormac. All the Pretty Horses. NY: Knopf, 1992. The advance reading copy of the first volume of the Border Trilogy, a landmark novel that won both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award and propelled its author to "instant" literary celebrity -- after nearly three decades of writing well-received literary novels in relative obscurity. Issued in wrappers and publisher's folding box, signed by the author, it was sent out in advance of publication to promote the book. Rumor has it that approximately 400 were to be done but the author quit after about 200, and declined to do any more. Fine in a very near fine folding box with just trace wear at the corners.
153. -. Another copy. Fine in a near fine folding box with an open tear at the spine crown. Signed by the author.
154. McCARTHY, Cormac. No Country for Old Men. NY: Knopf, 2005. A novel of drugs and violence set in the contemporary Southwest, basis for the Academy Award winning film. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
155. McCARTHY, Cormac. The Road. NY: Knopf, 2006. His latest novel, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and now in the process of being filmed. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
156. -. Same title. The uncorrected proof copy. Advance copies of this book have turned out to be extremely scarce; it appears that far fewer of them were distributed than one would expect for a writer of McCarthy's stature. The text block is fine; the covers have several wrinkles and faint spots; a near fine copy in wrappers.
157. McCULLERS, Carson. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1940. Her first book, which was a runner-up for the Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship Award, and which earned its young writer -- she was 23 at the time it was published -- immediate critical acclaim and literary recognition. Offsetting to endpages and foxing to page edges; a near fine copy in a very good, lightly spine-sunned dust jacket with modest edge wear. A nice copy of a bulky book that rarely turns up in collectible condition.
158. McCULLERS, Carson. Clock Without Hands. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1961. A short novel that deals with the theme of racial tensions in the South, and her last novel published in her lifetime. This is a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, crisp around all the edges and around the cut-out in the center of the front panel. One of the nicest copies we have seen of this title, which is notoriously prone to wear.
159. McINERNEY, Jay. Story of My Life. NY: Atlantic Monthly Press (1988). The uncorrected proof copy of his third novel, whose main character, Alison Poole, was based on McInerney's ex-girlfriend, Lisa Druck, who later changed her name to Rielle Hunter before beginning an affair with former Presidential candidate John Edwards. A fine copy of the proof, in a very near fine proof dust jacket.
160. McINERNEY, Jay. Brightness Falls. NY: Knopf, 1992. Inscribed by the author in the month of publication: "For ___, with my thanks and many good wishes. Jay McInerney." Fine in a very near fine, slightly spine-faded dust jacket.
161. (McINERNEY, Jay). Cowboys and Cadillacs. (Munich): Goldmann (1995). The first German edition (text in German) of Cowboys, Indians and Commuters, with stories by Sherman Alexie, Donna Tartt, William Vollmann, David Foster Wallace, Jeffrey Eugenides and others. Edited, introduced and signed by Jay McInerney. Fine in wrappers.
162. McMURTRY, Larry. Leaving Cheyenne. NY: Harper & Row (1963). His second novel, one of the "50 best books on Texas," according to A.C. Greene. McMurtry's first novel, Horseman, Pass By, also made Greene's list. This book was filmed as "Lovin' Molly" in 1974. Inscribed by the author. Offsetting to endpages, slight foxing to foredge; a near fine copy in a near fine, spine-sunned dust jacket with the original $4.50 price unclipped. Laid in is a sentimental notecard written by McMurtry's sister to the recipient of the book.
163. McMURTRY, Larry. Moving On. NY: Simon & Schuster (1970). His fourth novel, a massive (nearly 800 pages) novel of Texas in the 1960s. Inscribed by McMurtry, self-deprecatingly, in 1972: "For ___ & ___/ only a deep interest in domesticity will get you through this, I fear. Larry McMurtry." A couple spots to the lower text block; else fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with one edge tear and some minor sunning to the edges. A nice inscription: while McMurtry has been generous about signing books over the years, one seldom sees this kind of personal engagement in his book signings.
164. McMURTRY, Larry. All My Friends Are Going to be Strangers. NY: Simon & Schuster (1972). A novel loosely based on McMurtry's time at Stanford and involving, among others, a group of characters that resembles Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters. This is a second printing, and is inscribed by McMurtry in the year of publication: "For ___ & ___/ This simple Tale of a Boy with a simple heart. In friendship. Larry." Fine in a near fine, mildly edge-sunned dust jacket. A nice contemporary inscription.
165. McMURTRY, Larry. Terms of Endearment. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1975. Inscribed by McMurtry: "For ___/ This is the last of a trilogy -- I insist it's a trilogy -- which may oblige you to read the other two -- with affection -- Larry." The film version of this novel won five Academy Awards: Best Picture; Best Director and Screenplay (both James L. Brooks); Best Actress and Supporting Actor (Shirley Maclaine and Jack Nicholson). Pages browned with age, as is usual for this title; spine rolled; near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Again, an excellent inscription, and an informative one; until seeing this inscription, I hadn't heard of him considering these three volumes (Moving On, All My Friends, Terms) to be a trilogy.
166. McPHEE, John. The John McPhee Reader. NY: FSG (1976). Collects sections from McPhee's first dozen books, along with an introduction by William Howarth and a checklist of McPhee's writings, which includes a number of unattributed "Talk of the Town" pieces from The New Yorker. Attractive bookplate front pastedown; very near fine in a very near fine dust jacket. A surprisingly uncommon McPhee title, and an important title for McPhee collectors because of the bibliographic information that it contains.
167. McPHEE, John. Riding the Boom Extension. Worcester: Metacom, 1983. The first book publication of this piece, which first appeared in The New Yorker and was eventually reprinted in Table of Contents. Of a total edition of 176 copies, this is one of 150 numbered copies in saddle-stitched marbled paper self-wrappers. Signed by the author. Fine.
168. MILLER, Henry. Money and How It Gets That Way. Paris: Booster Publications [1938]. A fragile volume in wrappers, published in an edition of 495 copies. Inscribed by the author: "To Roslyn and Bill [Targ] from Henry, Henry Miller of Brooklyn!" William Targ was a noted author, publisher, and bibliophile; his wife, "Roz," was a literary agent for many years. Pages slow slight acidification to edges; spine glue has a tenuous hold on the pages, but so far a near fine copy. A nice association copy of a scarce, early Miller piece, produced during his expatriate years in Paris.
169. MILLER, Henry. Maurizius Forever. Waco: Motive, 1946. The second edition, printed the same month as the Grabhorn Press limited edition, and in an edition equally small: both were issued with printings of 500 copies. Inscribed by Miller to his second wife, June Mansfield, on the half-title page: "June -/ Here's one/ you may/ not know./ HM." June was Henry's wife and his muse: it was she who inspired him to give up his previous life, move to Paris, and pursue his art and writing. New prices stamped on flap folds. Text block laid into wrappers which are chipped at the lower spine and with a restored split to the rest of the spine. A good copy. Laid in is a typewritten paragraph that begins to mimic text from page 21 and cuts off when a sentence is inadvertently repeated (typist unknown). An association copy of the first order.
170. MILLER, Henry. The Henry Miller to Lowenfels Letters. [New Orleans]: [Loujon Press] [1963]. Seven unbound leaves from The Outsider magazine, Vols. 1 and 2, published in a set of 200 in 1963, although the bibliographers, Shifreen & Jackson, describe the sets as 13 unbound leaves printed on rectos only, and this set is printed on both sides, with the final leaf blank. Mild acidification, else fine. An uncommon and ephemeral Miller item.
171. MILLER, Henry. The Nightmare Notebook. (NY): New Directions (1975). A limited edition reproducing in facsimile a journal that Miller kept in 1939 on the trip to the U.S. that resulted in his books The Air-Conditioned Nightmare and Remember to Remember. One of 700 copies signed by the author. A fine copy, in the original tissue dust jacket.
172. MILLER, Henry. Signed Postcards. Alhambra: Museum Reproductions (n.d.). Eight postcards featuring reproductions of Miller watercolors from the 40s and 50s. Each one is signed by Miller on the back. The artworks included are: "Val's Birthday Gift," "Deux Jeunes Filles," "Marine Fantasy," "Banjo Self-Portrait," "A Bridge Somewhere," "Girl with Bird," "The Ancestor," and "The Hat and the Man." Previously framed, the frames darkened the back of the cards, but in each case the signature was protected. The lot is near fine.
173. (MILLER, Henry). Death, Vol. 1, No. 1. NY: Harry Herschkowitz, 1946. Includes the four-page "Letter from Henry Miller to Stefan Schimanski." Pages acidifying; chipping to corners; extremely fragile, especially along the spine, but good in wrappers, and remarkable for having been preserved this well.
174. (MILLER, Henry). Art & Outrage. London/NY: Putnam/Dutton, 1959/1961. A review copy of the American edition, consisting of the true first (British) edition, copyedited on the title page and front flap to reflect changes to be made in the American edition, with a pencil note on the front flyleaf about the projected change in size. With review slip laid in. Correspondence about Miller between Lawrence Durrell and Alfred Perlès, with interjections by Miller. Miller met both Durrell and Perlès in Paris in the Thirties. Dusty top edge; fine in a very near fine dust jacket. Together with a copy of the American edition, as issued. Fine in a fine dust jacket. For both:
175. (MOODY, Rick). 5 x 5 Singles Club, Primal Primer 1. Allston: Primal Publishing (1997). A small booklet collecting stories by four writers: Moody, Eileen Myles, Michael McInnis and Laurie Weeks, plus one photographer, Suara Welitoff. Moody's contribution, "Wilkie Ridgeway Fahnstock, the Boxed Set," was later collected in Demonology. An uncommon item by a group of interesting artists. 4" x 5 1/4." Near fine.
176. MUNRO, Alice. The Moons of Jupiter. Toronto: Macmillan (1982). The correct first edition (i.e., Canadian) of her fifth book, a collection of stories that was chosen as one of the best books of the year by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. Inscribed by the author to a Canadian actress: "For -___ ___/ From one artist to another/ good luck!/ Alice Munro." Date stamp to flyleaf; place stamp (crossed out) to top edge; still near fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a rear gutter nick.