Catalog 157, N-R
167. (Native American). KENNY, Maurice. Blackrobe: Isaac Jogues. (Saranac Lake): North Country Community College Press (1982). The uncommon hardcover issue of this collection of related poems, revolving around the life of a martyred 17th century French missionary (Blackrobe) whose disdain for the Iroquois led to his death. With illustrations throughout by Rokwaho, an introduction by a Mohawk writer, and an afterword by Brother Benet Tvedten, Benedictine monk from the Blue Cloud Abbey. Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Warmly inscribed by the author in Seattle in 1984: "Joe -- For all your beauty, spirit, encouragement, labors, & friendship which is not last." Fine, without dust jacket, as issued.
168. (Native American). McNICKLE, D'Arcy. The Surrounded. NY: Dodd Mead (1936). The first book by McNickle, a writer of Flathead Indian descent, and a landmark Native American novel, one of the early books to address questions of assimilation and alienation from both the white way of life and traditional tribal culture. It began the process in American Indian literature of looking for value in traditional Native American beliefs even in the face of such alienation. As such, Charles Larson's seminal study of Native American literature (American Indian Fiction, Albuquerque, 1978) links McNickle with N. Scott Momaday -- thirty years McNickle's junior -- as the two writers who predate the later wave of politically aware Native American writers such as James Welch and Leslie Marmon Silko. McNickle was a lifelong activist for Native American rights: in 1934, he joined the staff of John Collier, the reformist Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and later was a co-founder of the Congress of American Indians, among many other accomplishments. The Newberry Library's Center for the History of the American Indian was renamed for McNickle after his death. Trace foxing to the edges of the text block, otherwise a fine copy in a very good, mildly spine-sunned dust jacket with shallow chipping at the crown and the lower edge of the front panel. Although this book dates from the modern era, this is only the second copy we have ever seen or heard of with the dust jacket intact. A keystone book for any collection of Native American literature.
169. (Native American). NEIHARDT, John G. Black Elk Speaks. NY: Morrow, 1932. The autobiography of Black Elk, an Oglala Sioux holy man, as told to Neihardt, a poet with a long knowledge of, and strong sympathy for, the Plains Indian cultures. Inscribed by Neihardt: "For Paul Kriser with all kind thoughts, John G. Neihardt - Chicago, March 27. '44." A seminal book: the paperback edition, circulating on college campuses in the 1960s, helped re-ignite interest in Native American cultures among non-Natives. The accessibility of the text, as recounted by Neihardt, helped the book become an underground classic at a time when an alternative religious paradigm was being sought in the 1960s, as countercultural upheavals called into question the premises of the Western world view. Light foxing to the front joint; a near fine copy a very good, price-clipped dust jacket with chipping to the spine ends; professionally strengthened along the verso of the edges and folds. Illustrations by Standing Bear, a Minneconjou Sioux and longtime friend of Black Elk. An important book, and uncommon in dust jacket, especially signed.
170. (Native American). NIATUM, Duane. Stories from the Land of Red Cedar. (n.p.): (n.p.)(1999). Three stories, two of them identified as having been adapted from Klallam sacred narratives. One of 150 numbered copies. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication. Shallow scratch to front cover; near fine in saddle-stitched wrappers, with bead ornamentation.
171. (Native American). OSKISON, John M. Brothers Three. NY: Macmillan, 1935. Third printing (same month as the first printing) of this novel of a white family settled in Oklahoma, spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Oskison was one of the earliest novelists of Native American descent, and pointedly opted not to write Indian tales. This was his most successful novel and the only one to go into multiple printings. Warmly inscribed by the author in October, 1935. Wear to the spine ends and rubbing to the boards; a very good copy, lacking the dust jacket.
172. (Native American). PAYTIAMO, James. Flaming Arrow's People. NY: Duffield and Green (1932). A novel in the form of a combination of autobiography and tribal history, written by an Acoma writer who attended Haskell Institute, and illustrated by him with several color plates. Owner name front pastedown; small label removal rear pastedown; minor discoloration to cloth. A very good copy of one of the key books by an Indian writer, from the period that also saw publication of McNickle's The Surrounded, Osage writer John Joseph Mathews' Sundown, and John Oskison's novels. Lacking the dust jacket.
173. (Native American). ROBERTSON, Kirk. Shooting at Shadows, Killing Crows. (Marvin): Blue Cloud Quarterly, 1976. Issued as Blue Cloud Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 1. Poems derived from various Plains Indian Winter Counts, illustrated with images from the Winter Counts. Addressed for mailing; near fine in stapled wrappers.
174. (Native American). SILKO, Leslie Marmon and James Welch. Laguna Woman. Greenfield Center: Greenfield Review (1974). Her first book, a collection of poems published by Abenaki writer and publisher Joseph Bruchac's press. This copy belonged to fellow Native American writer James Welch and bears his stamp, "WELCH," on the title page. Silko's first exposure to wide readership came in The Man to Send Rain Clouds, a 1974 anthology of fiction. She had several stories in the collection, one of which was selected for Martha Foley's Bicentennial anthology, 200 Years of American Short Stories, a remarkable honor for a writer who had not even had a book of fiction published at that point. In 1974, James Welch published Winter in the Blood, his first novel, following up on his first book, the poetry collection Riding the Earthboy 40. A nice association copy. Very near fine in stapled wrappers.
175. (Native American). TAPAHANSO, Luci. Seasonal Woman. (Santa Fe): Tooth of Time Books, 1982. A collection of poetry by this Navajo writer. With an introduction by New Mexico novelist John Nichols and illustrations by Navajo artist R.C. Gorman. One of 750 copies printed. Fine in wrappers.
176. OATES, Joyce Carol. With Shuddering Fall. NY: Vanguard (1964). Her second book, first novel, published a year after her first book, the collection of stories By the North Gate. Oates has since published more than fifty novels and a nearly equal number of volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. She is consistently in the discussions about the next possible American Nobel Prize winner. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with trace rubbing to the edges and spine. A very nice copy of an early book by one of the most important, and prolific, American writers of the 20th century (and beyond). Surprisingly uncommon, especially in nice condition and signed.
177. OATES, Joyce Carol. The Wheel of Love and Other Stories. NY: Vanguard (1970). Her third collection of stories, published the year she won the National Book Award for her 1969 novel, them. Signed by the author in the year of publication. A fine copy in a very good, rubbed, black dust jacket with slight edge wear.
178. OATES, Joyce Carol. Night-Side. NY: Vanguard (1977). Inscribed by Oates to novelist Nicholas Delbanco and his wife in 1985, "with thanks for your warm hospitality." A paragraph written in pencil (by the recipient?), and also with notes, mostly copy-editing, in the text. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with wear at the spine ends. A nice association copy.
179. OATES, Joyce Carol. American Appetites. NY: Dutton (1989). Inscribed by Oates to Nicholas Delbanco and his wife in the year of publication, "with warm regards, and very best wishes." Corner tap, reading crease to spine; near fine in a fine dust jacket. Again, a nice association copy.
180. OATES, Joyce Carol. We Were the Mulvaneys. (NY): Dutton (1996). Inscribed by Oates to Nicholas Delbanco and his wife, "much affection." Fine in a fine dust jacket.
181. OATES, Joyce Carol. First Love. (Hopewell): Ecco Press (1996). "A Gothic Tale," with illustrations by Barry Moser. Inscribed by Oates to Nicholas Delbanco and his wife. Fine in a near fine, spine-sunned dust jacket.
182. OATES, Joyce Carol. Broke Heart Blues. (NY): Dutton (1999). The advance reading copy of this novel. Fine in wrappers with publicity information laid in. Oddly uncommon.
183. O'BRIEN, Tim. Northern Lights. NY: Delacorte (1975). His second novel, a tale of two brothers in the wilderness of northern Minnesota, one of them a war veteran, the other a veteran of the protests against that war. A cheaply-made, "perfectbound" book, it is difficult to find in nice condition. This copy has some slight wear and sunning to the edges of the cloth, but is still a tight copy; near fine in a fine dust jacket with a speck of wear to the corners.
184. O'BRIEN, Tim. The Nuclear Age. NY: Knopf, 1985. O'Brien's fourth novel, about a man compelled to dig a bomb shelter in his back yard to protect his family even if it means losing them in the process. Inscribed by O'Brien to the author Nicholas Delbanco: "To Nick, with admiration, Tim O'Brien." Very small spot to the upper rear joint, else fine in a very good, spine and edge-faded dust jacket, also with a small, dark spot at the upper rear spine fold.
185. O'BRIEN, Tim. In the Lake of the Woods. (London): Flamingo (1995). The advance reading copy ("uncorrected book proof") of the first British edition of this novel involving a Vietnam vet who rises to a position of public prominence but carries a secret that threatens to undo his accomplishment. The Flamingo trade edition, which was only published in wrappers, was revised from the 1994 American edition; therefore, this proof is the first publication anywhere of this state of the text. Very near fine in mildly rubbed, black wrappers, with a photo of the author on the front cover. Published to universal critical acclaim; named best novel of the year by Time magazine; made into a movie for television. An important book, with several variant texts having been issued.
186. O'BRIEN, Tim. Friends and Enemies. Arizona: Synaesthesia Press, 2001. One of 26 lettered copies of this limited edition of two stories from The Things They Carried, bound back-to-back and printed by Jim Camp. The lettered edition is clothbound, in black cloth with paper labels and rice paper endpapers, and with the text printed on a brighter and heavier stock than the wrappered, numbered issue. Signed by O'Brien and by the artist Fritz Scholder, who provided the illustrations for each story. Housed in an engraved and welded metal slipcase. Fine. A remarkable production.
187. OFFUTT, Chris. Out of the Woods. (NY): Simon & Schuster (1999). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of stories. Reportedly there were many changes between this state and the published text, including one story, "Darla," that was apparently deleted after the advance copies were issued. Fine in wrappers.
188. OLSON, Charles. The Maximus Poems. NY: Jargon/Corinth Books, 1960. The lettered limited issue of the first combined edition of these poems, originally published in 1953 and 1956 in a pair of oversized limited editions. One of 26 lettered copies signed by the author. Olson was influential on an entire generation of poets by virtue of his presence at Black Mountain College in the Fifties, and The Maximus Poems are one of the most important achievements of American poetry in the postwar era, on a par with Pound's Cantos and Williams' Paterson. Spine and edge-sunning; near fine, without dust jacket, as issued.
189. ORWELL, George. Down and Out in Paris and London. NY: Harper & Brothers, 1933. The first American edition of Orwell's first book, an account of life among the poor in Paris and London, with whom he lived for a number of months in order to experience their plight first-hand. As such, it set the stage for his further nonfiction, which was marked by clear writing, sympathy for the underdog, and a disdain for dogma and rhetorical excess -- the exact elements that informed his best fiction as well. Mild bowing to the boards, with some foxing to the text and a few tiny spots to the rear cloth; a very good copy in a very good dust jacket with multiple short edge tears, a thumb-sized spot to the front panel, and a few very small chips to the edges and folds. Rare in jacket.
190. PALEY, Grace. The Little Disturbances of Man. Garden City: Doubleday, 1959. The first book, a collection of stories, by a writer who has helped define the role of women and politics in contemporary literature: engaged without being didactic, Paley focuses on both the ordinariness and the wonder of everyday life. Inscribed by Paley to Jean Stafford and A.J. Liebling: "To Jean & Joe -- Grace Paley." A wonderful association copy: Stafford was a Pulitzer Prize-winning author; Liebling, her third husband, was a journalist and sports writer who wrote for The New Yorker. His book on boxing, The Sweet Science, was named by Sports Illustrated in 2002 as the best book on any sport ever written. Offsetting to the endpages; near fine in a very good dust jacket with spotting to the rear panel and rubbing to the folds.
191. (Photography). PETERKIN, Julia and ULMANN, Doris. Roll, Jordan, Roll. NY: Robert O. Ballou, 1933. A presentation copy of the limited edition of this classic, with text by Peterkin and photographs by Ulmann. According to the colophon, 350 copies were numbered and signed, of which 327 were for sale. This is one of the 23 copies hors commerce, inscribed "For H.L.B." where the limitation number would have been, and signed by Peterkin and Ulmann. With 90 full-page stunningly produced copperplate hand-pulled photogravure plates, with tissue guards; the trade edition was not only a lower quality production, it only had 72 plates in total. The copies of the limited edition that were offered for sale came with a separate print of one of the photos and a slipcase. Neither is present here, and it is unknown if the hors commerce copies would have included such items, or if they were selling points intended to help market the commercial deluxe edition. Bound in brown textured paper over boards with white cloth spine and tips. Spine cloth slightly dusty, a hint of offsetting to the title page as the opposing photo lacks tissue; still a fine copy. We have never seen one of the hors commerce copies offered for sale, and none appear in the auction records. An extremely scarce issue of one of the high spots of 20th century photography books, a Roth 101 title.
192. PROULX, E. Annie. Heart Songs and Other Stories. NY: Scribner (1988). A review copy of her first book of fiction, after a number of nonfiction books, mostly of the "how-to" variety. Signed by the author on the title page. "Not for Resale" stamped to top edge of text block, an indicator of its having been a complimentary copy, for review or some similar purpose. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Laid in is a note from Proulx on apparently self-made personal stationery (bearing an image of a saddle): "Thanks for writing. A."
193. PYNCHON, Thomas. V. Philadelphia: Lippincott (1963). His first book, winner of the Faulkner Foundation Award for best first novel of the year and the debut of one of the towering American writers of the postwar era. Slight edge-sunning and a small spot to top stain; a near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with minor edge wear and some fading to the gold on the lower spine, as is usual with this jacket.
194. PYNCHON, Thomas. Gravity's Rainbow. NY: Viking (1973). His landmark third novel, winner of the National Book Award as well as the William Dean Howells Medal for the best work of fiction by an American over a five-year span. Gravity's Rainbow became the benchmark for postmodern American fiction upon publication and secured its mysterious and reclusive author's place in the postwar American literary pantheon. A fine copy in a very near fine dust jacket with two tiny spots of rubbing to the rear spine fold. The hardcover first printing of this title was only 4000 copies.
195. (PYNCHON, Thomas). SPEICHER, John. Looking for Baby Paradise. NY: Harcourt Brace (1967). The uncorrected proof copy of Speicher's first novel, with a 75-word blurb by Thomas Pynchon on the front cover and a Joseph Heller blurb on the rear cover. Spine-faded; near fine in wrappers. Pynchon blurbs are decidedly uncommon, and this is one from fairly early in his career: Pynchon's second novel, The Crying of Lot 49, was published later in the same month that Speicher's book came out, April 1967.
196. REAGE, Pauline. Histoire d'O. Sceaux: Jean-Jacques Pauvert, 1954. The first edition of the pseudonymously published Story of O, a controversial novel of sadomasochistic love that became a multimillion-copy bestseller and won a major literary award in France in 1955, despite a French government prohibition of any publicity for the book. For 40 years its authorship was unknown, and a matter of speculation, until the author, a well-known French writer, admitted to writing it in an interview with The New Yorker 50 years after the book's publication. The author, Anne Desclose, also wrote for many years under the pseudonym Dominique Aury, and was a highly respected, and somewhat conservative, figure in French literature. Published in a total edition of 600 copies of which 480 were for sale, this is copy #280. Tiny nick to rear spine, slight creasing; very near fine in wrappers. In custom clamshell case.
197. ROBBINS, Tom. Guy Anderson. (Seattle): (Gear Works)(1965). Robbins applies his very visual writing style and highly developed sense of joy to an evaluation of the work of Seattle painter Guy Anderson. Precedes his first novel by six years. Signed by Robbins. Reproduces a number of Anderson's works, including a color print tipped inside the rear cover. Quarto; a thin line of rubbing at the spine; else fine in stapled wrappers.
198. ROBBINS, Tom. Still Life With Woodpecker. NY: Bantam (1980). The hardcover issue of his third novel (there was a simultaneous softcover). Contemporary reports indicated the first printing as 2500 copies, compared with 25,000 for the softcover. Although we are skeptical that the hardcover printing was that small, this title was one of the very first hardcovers published by Bantam, which had previously been exclusively a mass market paperback publisher, and a conservative first printing of a hardcover edition of a book aimed at the "youth market" would have been in order. Inscribed by the author with the catchphrase of the book: "To ___, yum! Tom Robbins." Inside clean but boards stained and a bit splayed; very good in a very good, edgeworn dust jacket.
199. ROBBINS, Tom. Typed Letter Signed and a Letter to the Next Generation. November 1, 2000. Robbins writes to James Harmon, editor of Take My Advice: Letters to the Next Generation from People Who Know a Thing or Two, which was published in 2002 by Simon and Schuster after a decade of publishing negotiations over the advisors and advice to be included in the book. By 2000, Robbins had already submitted advice "a million years ago" and here includes a revision. The typed letter signed submitting the revisions is on Villa de Jungle Girl, La Conner WA pictorial stationery. His advice is typed on Sidi-Tomtom, Louisiana pictorial stationery and begins: "At least once a day, stand before a mirror and repeat after me: 'I'm not a Buick, I'm a buddha!"' (Advice Robbins had apparently been following himself for more than a decade, as the same phrase is attributed to him in a 1990 interview.) Three more paragraphs follow (approximately 90 words total), and even these were revised prior to publication, by which time Robbins also advised limiting consumption, restricting procreation, and liberating the spirit. Paperclip mark on advice page; else fine. The letter of transmission, approximately 75 words, is also fine. An earlier letter of transmission (1989, with envelope) is also included, in which Robbins says, "You're entirely welcome to this -- on the condition that it be printed exactly as I've written it. Good luck." Signed, "Tom R." Paperclip mark; else fine. All told, three separate pieces (plus envelope), two signed.
200. ROTH, Philip. The Ghost Writer. NY: FSG (1979). A review copy of the first novel in his Zuckerman sequence. Nominated for the National Book Award. Fine in a near fine, spine-sunned dust jacket with light edge wear. Review slip, author photo and two legal-sized pages of promotional material laid in.
201. ROTH, Philip. American Pastoral. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1997. The Franklin Library limited edition. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and one of the series of award-winning novels Roth published in the 1990s that, by general critical consensus, surpassed anything he had done before and elevated him to the front rank of American novelists. Signed by the author. With a special introduction by Roth for this edition. Leatherbound, all edges gilt, with a silk ribbon marker bound in. Fine.