Catalog 151

NY, Macmillan, [1974]. The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of Adams' classic first novel, published two years after the British edition. Winner of the Guardian award for children's fiction and the Library Association's Carnegie Medal for outstanding work by a children's author. Signed by Adams. Small horizontal crease to spine; else fine in wrappers. Very uncommon signed.   [#027521] SOLD

NY, Random House, (1992). Inscribed by Alvarez to a well-known writer "with great admiration" in the month of publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket.   [#027522] $65

(NY), Viking, (2003). The author's second novel, about two World War II veterans, one black and one white. The author is African-American. Inscribed by Baker to another writer, whom Baker refers to as a "great American writer," in the year of publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket.   [#027523] $75

London, Michael Joseph, (1994). The first British edition of this biography of Baldwin by a longtime friend who worked for him for a time. Fine in a fine dust jacket.   [#027524] $50

NY, Harper & Row, 1989. One of two of Banks's novels to be filmed, along with The Sweet Hereafter. Spine slant, and tiny spot to foredge; else fine in a fine dust jacket.   [#027525] $25

NY, Linden Press/Simon & Schuster, 1987. Inscribed by Bausch to George Garrett and his wife: "For George & Susan Garrett in deep admiration & with love from their old pal/ Dick/ April 27, 1987." Also signed in full, "Richard Bausch." With the signature of George Garrett on the front flyleaf. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with a prominent, lengthy promotional blurb by Garrett on the rear panel. A very nice association copy.   [#027526] SOLD

NY, Linden Press, (1989). Inscribed by Bausch to a well-known writer, "who is in my opinion the best of us, a true master, whose books will be around ever, with admiration and affection." A bit of sunning to the spine ends, else fine in a near fine dust jacket with a chip threatening at the crown. A wonderful association copy, and testament.   [#027527] SOLD

(NY), HarperFlamingo, (1998). Inscribed by Bausch to George Garrett and his wife: "For the beloved George Garrett, & Susan -- such wonderful friends, with gratitude and such great memories, Love, Dick." Then signed in full, "Richard Bausch/ 1998." Fine in a fine dust jacket.   [#027528] SOLD

(NY), HarperCollins, (2002). Inscribed by Bausch to another writer, whose blurb appears on the jacket, "with affection and gratitude." Fine in a fine dust jacket.   [#027529] SOLD

(NY), HarperCollins, (2006). Inscribed by Bausch to another writer and his wife in the year of publication, "with love, & admiration, & gratitude for the work & the laughs." Text block bound in upside down; else fine in a fine dust jacket.   [#027530] SOLD

NY, Viking, (1968). A modern classic of fantasy, one of Pringle's hundred best fantasy novels, and the basis for a well-received animated film in 1982 for which Beagle wrote the screenplay. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket, and very uncommon thus: the spine lettering is prone to flaking, and the unlaminated black dust jacket prone to rubbing and fraying. Especially uncommon signed; the nicest copy we've seen in a long time, possibly ever.   [#027531] SOLD

London, Proscenium Films, (n.d.). Owen's screenplay for A Hard Day's Night, the Beatles' first movie, still simply titled The Beatles: the film did not get its actual title until filming was almost done. Photocopy, duplicating the initials "W.S." on the title page, likely Walter Shenson, the producer. This is an early draft, containing much material that was edited out of the final movie, and as such a significant document pertaining to one of the classic movies of the 1960s -- an influential movie for any number of reasons, not least of which is that it is credited with introducing any number of film techniques that have simply become part of the grammar and vocabulary of modern filmmaking: hand-held cameras for authenticity; quick cuts timed to the musical score; and much more. It is also widely credited with being the precursor to the modern music video. Owen got an Oscar nomination for this script. A clean copy, perhaps too clean to be contemporary, although circumstantial evidence does date it to the '60s or '70s. Claspbound in mildly rubbed plain cardstock covers and laid into a sunned plastic file folder.   [#027532] SOLD

(Ann Arbor), Pierian Press, 1980. "The Complete Lyrics and a Concordance to The Beatles' Songs, 1962-1970." The definitive guide to all of the Beatles' original songs, from Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You in 1962 to Let It Be in 1970. Quarto; beige cloth stamped in black. Illustrated with several photographs of Beatles' song manuscripts. Minor handling to boards; near fine, without dust jacket, apparently as issued. An uncommon reference book.   [#027533] $250

NY, Harcourt Brace, (1993). Inscribed by the author to another writer and his wife: "a little picaresque adventuring....you could almost call it a beach book! Happy summer fun. Madison Smart Bell [with added face drawing]." Rear hinge starting; near fine, lacking the dust jacket. One might almost think the recipient took the author's advice, and brought it to the beach and read it there. A nice association.   [#027534] SOLD

NY, Pantheon, (2002). Inscribed by Bell to George Garrett: "For George, who did so much to make it possible for me." With the signature of George Garrett on the title page. A notable association copy: Bell studied with Garrett at Princeton University, where he was an undergraduate and Garrett had a writing workshop, and he became, in Bell's words, "one of the hundreds of people whose careers he [Garrett] has started and fostered." Bell, who won four awards for his fiction at Princeton and graduated summa cum laude, was doubtless one of Garrett's most successful students. A couple of tiny stains at bottom of the text block; else fine in a fine dust jacket.   [#027535] SOLD

NY, Vanguard, (1944). The first book by the Nobel Prize winner, Pulitzer Prize winner, and three-time winner of the National Book Award for fiction. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a couple minuscule edge nicks and mild sunning at the heel. A wartime production, seldom encountered in this kind of condition. From the collection of Bruce Kahn.   [#911155] SOLD

NY, Viking, 1953. The first edition, first issue of his third novel, and the first of his three National Book Award winners -- an unprecedented accomplishment in American literature. A nearly immaculate copy in a fine dust jacket, and exceedingly scarce thus: the cloth is unmarred; the binding tight; the top edge stain a rich, unfaded peach; and the jacket is clean and bright, with no hint of fading and virtually no wear. Almost certainly the nicest copy we've ever handled or seen. From the collection of Bruce Kahn.   [#911156] SOLD

Washington, D.C., Library of Congress, 1963. The text of a lecture presented under the auspices of the Gertrude Clarke Whittall Poetry and Literature Fund. Signed by Bellow. Fine in stapled wrappers. Uncommon signed.   [#911157] $450

NY, Viking, (1964). His second National Book Award winner. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket with the slightest hint of toning to the spine. This book was signed as a part of the "First Edition Circle" at Kroch's and Brentano's in Chicago, and the original bookmark indicating this is laid in. Unlike later books in the First Edition Circle, which were signed on leaves that were then tipped into the book, this was signed by Bellow on the front free endpaper.   [#911158] $2,500

NY, Viking, (1964). His second National Book Award winner. An advance copy, in the form of bound galleys. Signed by Bellow in 1968, with the comment "long time, no see" -- presumably an indication that, even at that early date, the proof was already extremely scarce. The text of this book was changed while the book was still in galleys, and approximately two dozen pages have new text pasted over the originals. There are also several hand corrections to both new and old pages, and a couple of marginal comments (e.g. "Moses Herzog as demented artist"). Even with the added pages of text and the corrections, variations still exist between this version and the final published text. 10" x 5-1/4" galleys, ringbound in printed yellow cardstock covers; a bit handled and creased; very good. We know of only two other copies of this proof surfacing over the years. Very scarce; a bibliographically significant copy of an important work by an American Nobel Prize winner.   [#027540] $9,500

NY, Viking Press, (1968). Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. In custom chemise and slipcase. Scarce in fine condition because of the black, soft paper dust jacket, and especially scarce fine and signed.   [#911159] $1,500

NY, Viking, (1975). His eighth novel, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the title published just before he received the Nobel Prize. Also nominated for the National Book Award. One of an unspecified number of copies signed by the author on a tipped-in leaf, done for Kroch's and Brentano's First Edition Circle. Fine in a fine dust jacket -- bright, unworn and unfaded. A poorly manufactured volume, which is perfectbound and uses cheap paper, making attractive copies of this title much scarcer than one would expect.   [#911160] $1,500

NY, Knopf, 1988. Inscribed by Benedict to another writer, in the month prior to publication, "with thanks for the pleasure of your work." Fine in a fine dust jacket.   [#027543] $75

NY, Simon & Schuster, 1959. His most famous book, basis for the classic Hitchcock film, the most thrilling film of all time (American Film Institute: "100 Years, 100 Thrills," #1), and one of the top 100 horror novels according to Jones and Newman (Horror: 100 Best Books, #57). Signed by the author. Pages browning as is usual with this title. Fine in a fine dust jacket and scarce thus, especially signed. From the collection of Bruce Kahn.   [#911161] SOLD

1982. Original photograph of Borges taken in the Trustees Room of the New York Public Library, September 30, 1982. Borges' visit to New York was sponsored by NYU's New York Institute for the Humanities, directed that year by Edmund White. Approximately 7" x 10"; tiny corner crease to one margin; else fine. Together with two sets of contact sheets with nearly 50 images of Borges (many in conversation with others) from the same evening. Photographed by Layle Silbert and with Silbert's stamps on verso. Photographer's marks on four of the images; else fine. Silbert is a prominent photographer of literary figures, as well as a writer himself. Four of his literary portraits are in the National Portrait Gallery.   [#027545] $400

NY, Knopf, 1991. A novel about growing up in the South by the author of Mourning the Death of Magic and The Redneck Way of Knowledge. Inscribed by the author to another writer in the month prior to publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket.   [#027546] $75

NY, Donald I. Fine, (1989). A novel by the sometime film critic and the author of Father of Frankenstein, which was made into the Academy Award-winning film Gods and Monsters. Bill Condon, who directed the film, won the award for his screenplay adapted from Bram's novel. This copy is inscribed by the author to legendary film critic Pauline Kael, "with warm gratitude for years of pleasure, and special thanks for one Saturday afternoon." Fine in a fine dust jacket. A wonderful association.   [#027547] $150

(n.p.), Inferno Press, [1957]. Brautigan's first book, a single poem published in a tiny edition of unknown size: one of the two universities that has a copy reports theirs to be "one of 15 extant copies of the author's first book," although their source for that information is unknown. John Barber, Brautigan's bibliographer, reports the edition to have been 100 copies and indicates that it was printed "as a favor for Brautigan by Lesley Woolf Hedley, the owner/publisher of Inferno Press," suggesting that the poem may not have ever been offered for sale, at least not by the press. Signed by Brautigan on the front label, as all copies seem to have been. A single sheet, glued into wrappers. There is a bit of bleed-through from the glue used (one daub per sheet); else fine. Rare; this copy reportedly came from the collection of Brautigan's first wife; we have not seen another copy of this since the 1980s and no copy has appeared at auction since (at least) the 1970s. A true rarity by one of the key poets of the 1960s, closely associated with the San Francisco renaissance and the Sixties counterculture.   [#027548] SOLD

San Francisco, Carp Press, 1960. Brautigan's uncommon fourth book, and his third collection of poems. Although there is no indication of the size of the edition either in the book itself, in Lepper, or in the bibliography published in 1990, all of Brautigan's books that precede Confederate General from Big Sur are scarce and seem to have either been done in very small quantities or to have disappeared over the years as such slight, fragile volumes are wont to do. Cover photograph by Gui de Angulo, daughter of folklorist Jaime de Angulo. Fine in stapled wrappers.   [#024820] SOLD

NY, Atheneum, 1967. The author's first novel. Inscribed by Brower to George and Susan [Garrett]: "such good friends, for so long, this late thanks for helping keep me afloat, amidst the debris." A nice inscription, indicative once again of the influence Garrett had on a range of writers, and the supportiveness he showed them over the years. A little edge sunning to boards; near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Laid in is a poem by Brower, "To the Moirai Down the Table." Dot matrix printout, with title page; folded in fourths to fit in the book.   [#027549] $125