Catalog 96, P-T
310. PARKER, Robert B. Sudden Mischief. NY: Putnam (1998). The advance reading copy of his new Spenser novel. Fine in wrappers.
311. PEARS, Iain. An Instance of the Fingerpost. NY: Riverhead (1998). The advance reading copy of the first American edition of this highly praised historical mystery set at Oxford in the 1600s. Fine in wrappers.
312. PEERY, Janet. The River Beyond the World. NY: Picador (1996). Her second book, first novel, a National Book Award finalist. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
313. PORTIS, Charles. True Grit. NY: Simon & Schuster (1968). His second book, memorably filmed with John Wayne as "Rooster Cogburn." Small bookstore label front pastedown; near fine in a near fine dust jacket with foxing along the folds. With glowing blurbs by a number of literary figures, including Walker Percy, Roald Dahl, William Eastlake and others.
314. PORTIS, Charles. The Dog of the South. NY: Knopf, 1979. His third novel, frequently acclaimed as his best. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
315. PORTIS, Charles. Masters of Atlantis. NY: Knopf, 1985. Fine in a dust jacket with some minor abrasions and residue to the front panel; otherwise near fine.
Inscribed by Richard Powers
316. POWERS, Richard. Operation Wandering Soul. NY: Morrow (1993). The advance reading copy of his fourth novel, a technically brilliant and highly moving story of wounded children in an age that can barely recognize them, let alone heal them. A finalist for the National Book Award. This copy is inscribed by the author in the month after publication: "To ____/ Richard 6-29-93." The recipient appears to have been a reviewer: one sentence is highlighted in the text and the last few (blank) pages of the book are filled with notes on the text and comparisons to other authors and other works. Powers is noted for his reluctance to sign books. The recipient in this case, we are told, was a freelance book reviewer who had reviewed his first book, Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance, and developed an acquaintanceship with the author afterwards. Near fine in wrappers.
317. POWERS, Richard. Gain. NY: FSG (1998). An uncorrected proof copy of his new novel, his sixth, due to be published in June. Fine in white glossy wrappers.
318. PRICE, Reynolds. Roxanna Slade. (NY): Scribner (1998). The advance reading copy of his new novel which, like the award-winning Kate Vaiden, tells the story from the point of view of an elderly southern woman looking back on her life. Fine in wrappers.
319. PROULX, E. Annie. Accordion Crimes. (NY): Scribner (1996). The publisher's limited edition of the most recent novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Shipping News. One of 2500 copies signed by the author on a sheet tipped into the trade edition. Light corner bumping; else fine in a fine dust jacket, which states "Limited Signed Edition. Not for Sale." Laid into this copy is an autograph note from Nan Graham to Joel Cowlan transmitting the copy and thanking him for his help. A card signed by Cowlan is also laid in. Cowlan is thanked in Proulx's acknowledgements: "Thanks to Joel Cowlan, witty and peripatetic editor of Concertina and Squeezebox." Graham is also listed in the book's acknowledgements. A nice association.
320. PYNCHON, Thomas. Gravity's Rainbow. NY: Viking (1973). An advance review copy of Pynchon's magnum opus, winner of the National Book Award and the William Dean Howells Medal, for the best work of fiction to appear in the U.S. over a five year period -- the book that confirmed its reclusive author's stature as the preeminent American postmodern fiction writer. An impressive book for the breadth of its references and allusions, it is widely considered the culminating novel of the American fiction of the 1960s, embracing the decade's experimentation with form and its breakthroughs in content. Top stain faded and very slight foxing to foredge; still a near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with trace edgewear. Publicity photo (of the book, not the author) laid in.
321. QUAMMEN, David. Wild Thoughts from Wild Places. (NY): Scribner (1998). The uncorrected proof copy of this new collection of essays on natural history and the environment. One very slight edge crease; still fine in wrappers.
322. RENDELL, Ruth. Road Rage. NY: Crown (1997). The advance reading copy of the first American edition of her new Inspector Wexford mystery. Fine in wrappers.
323. REZNIKOFF, Charles. Nine Plays. NY: (Self-Published), 1927. One of 400 numbered copies of this self-published play in verse, by one of the foremost of the Objectivist poets. Inscribed by the author in 1975. Light mottling to cloth; near fine in a very good, spine-darkened dust jacket with a small chip at the upper rear spine fold. Reznikoff was so little-known during his lifetime that he published much of his work himself, although he has come to be considered one of the leading poets of the school defined by William Carlos Williams and epitomized by Louis Zukofsky, among others. A very nice copy of this fragile early volume.
324. REZNIKOFF, Charles. Testimony. NY: The Objectivist Press (1934). A selection of short prose pieces inspired by the testimonies Reznikoff, who was a lawyer, found in a number of volumes of law reports. Inscribed by the author in 1975. With an introduction by Kenneth Burke. Many pages uncut. Spine cloth sunned; else fine in a near fine dust jacket.
325. REZNIKOFF, Charles. Jerusalem the Golden. NY: Objectivist Press (1934). Two words underlined in text; cloth lightly soiled; spine label flaking; very good, without dust jacket. Inscribed by the author in 1975.
326. REZNIKOFF, Charles. In Memoriam: 1933. NY: Objectivist Press (1934). A poem in seven parts. Inscribed by the author in 1975. Most pages uncut. Very near fine in like dust jacket. A very attractive copy.
327. REZNIKOFF, Charles. Separate Way. NY: Objectivist Press (1936). A small, attractive volume from this press. Inscribed by the author in 1975. Most pages uncut. Minor foxing to cloth; near fine in a dusty, else fine dust jacket. Quite a nice copy of a fragile book.
328. REZNIKOFF, Charles. Going To and Fro and Walking Up and Down. NY: (Self-published) (1941). Poetry, again published by the author. Inscribed by the author in 1975. Minor spotting to cloth; near fine in a dusty, else fine dust jacket.
329. REZNIKOFF, Charles. Inscriptions: 1944-1956. NY: (Self-published), 1959. Poetry. Inscribed by the author in 1975. Near fine in a slightly edge-sunned but still near fine dust jacket.
330. REZNIKOFF, Charles. By the Waters of Manhattan. (NY): New Directions/San Francisco Review (1962). A volume of poems selected from his earlier, long out-of-print collections. Inscribed by the author in 1975. With an introduction by C.P. Snow. Fine in wrappers.
331. REZNIKOFF, Charles. Family Chronicle. NY: Self-Published (1963). Prose. Contains "Early History of a Seamstress" by Sarah Reznikoff and "Early History of a Sewing-Machine Operator" by Nathan Reznikoff, each previously published and at least partially attributed to Charles Reznikoff. Also includes Charles' own "Needle Trade," parts of which had been previously published. Inscribed by the author in 1975. Dusty top edge; else fine in a near fine dust jacket.
332. REZNIKOFF, Charles. Testimony: The United States 1885-1890. (NY): New Directions/San Francisco Review (1965). A review copy of the hardcover issue of the first book of a projected sequence of five, comprising poems derived from court testimony during the years specified, much as his earlier, similarly titled book had. Inscribed by the author in 1975. Fine in a spine-tanned, else fine dust jacket.
333. -. Same title, the issue in wrappers. Inscribed by the author in 1975. Edge-sunned; spine base bumped; near fine.
334. REZNIKOFF, Charles. By the Well of Living & Seeing. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow, 1974. A selection of poems from his books published between the years 1921 and 1969, as well as a number of previously uncollected and previously unpublished poems. This is a review copy of the issue in wrappers. Inscribed by the author in 1975. Fine.
335. REZNIKOFF, Charles. Holocaust. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1975. A long poem on the Holocaust. This is a review copy of the issue in wrappers. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication. Fine in wrappers.
336. REZNIKOFF, Charles. Testimony: The United States (1885-1915), Volume I. Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow, 1978. Posthumously assembled collection to finish the project that the author had begun with Testimony: The United States, 1885-1890. One of 750 hardcover trade copies. Fine in an acetate dust jacket.
337. REZNIKOFF, Charles. Testimony: The United States (1885-1915), Volume II. Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow, 1979. The second, and concluding volume of this project. One of 750 hardcover trade copies. Fine in an acetate dust jacket.
338. RICE, Anne. Interview with the Vampire. NY: Knopf, 1992. The limited reissue of her acclaimed first book, initially published in 1976. One of 1000 numbered copies signed by the author on a tipped in leaf. Although the colophon states that the first one thousand copies of the reissue (of which this is one) have been prepared and numbered for the ABA Convention in May 1992, the copyright page states "Second printing, October 31, 1992." A fine copy, in a taller format than the original book, in a fine dust jacket, with a wraparound band announcing the publication of The Tale of the Body Thief.
339. -. Same title, the limited reissue "Twentieth Anniversary Edition" (NY: Knopf, 1996). Fine in a fine dust jacket and publisher's slipcase, still shrink-wrapped. For this edition, the original height has been restored, although the book is thinner. Signed by the author.
340. RICE, Anne. Violin. NY: Knopf, 1997. The uncorrected proof copy of this novel, published last year with what was announced as a 750,000 copy first printing. This copy is signed by the author. Tiny faint blue marks to one corner; else fine in wrappers.
341. RICE, Anne. Pandora. Ny: Knopf, 1998. The uncorrected proof copy of her latest book, a collection of vampire tales. Fine in wrappers.
342. -. Another copy. Fine in wrappers with additional publication information written on the front cover and the dust jacket art stapled inside.
343. ROTH, Henry. Requiem for Harlem. NY: St. Martin's (1998). The advance reading copy of the posthumously published concluding volume of the four-volume sequence, "Mercy of a Rude Stream," by the author of the classic Call it Sleep. Roth went almost sixty years between novels, and then published the first book in this series just two years before he died, and the other three have been published since then. Fine in wrappers.
344. RUSHDIE, Salman. Grimus. London: Gollancz, 1975. First edition of the first novel by the author of Midnight's Children and The Satanic Verses, a fantasy that is by all accounts not in the same class as his later works but is quite scarce and, by virtue of his later career, an important first book. One page corner turned, light foredge foxing; near fine in a near fine dust jacket foxed on the verso.
345. RUSHDIE, Salman. The Moor's Last Sigh. London: Cape (1995). Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
346. SAYLES, John. Union Dues. Boston: Little Brown (1977). Sayles's second novel, a coming-of-age book set in the late Sixties during the Vietnam War protests. Signed by the author. Light foxing to page edges and very slight splaying to boards; a near fine copy of this cheaply made, perfectbound book, in a near fine dust jacket with some rubbing, as usual, and one edge tear. Nominated for the National Book Award. Books signed by Sayles are somewhat uncommon.
347. SEXTON, Anne. All My Pretty Ones. Boston/Cambridge: Houghton Mifflin/Riverside Press, 1962. Second book by this writer who later won the Pulizter Prize. This title, like her first book, To Bedlam and Part Way Back, was nominated for the National Book Award. Fine in a near fine dust jacket rubbed at the edges and folds. With a Compliments of the Publisher card laid in.
348. SEXTON, Anne. Live or Die. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1960. The Pulitzer Prize-winning third collection of poems by a woman whose intimate, autobiographical writing opened up new possibilities of self-examination and self-expression for a generation of women -- both writers and readers -- coming of age in the Sixties. Her suicide in 1974 came to be viewed in retrospect, like Sylvia Plath's, as both a political act and a reflection of the urgency and authenticity of her artistic impulse. This copy is fine in a near fine dust jacket.
349. SEXTON, Anne. Love Poems. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1969. Her fourth collection of poems. Fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
350. SEXTON, Anne. Transformations. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1971. A review copy. Fine in a lightly rubbed, else fine dust jacket with review slip and promotional sheet laid in. With a preface by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
351. SEXTON, Anne. The Death Notebooks. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974. A review copy of the last book published in her lifetime. Sexton was divorced the year this book was published and later that year committed suicide. Fine in a very near fine, slightly edge-sunned dust jacket with one tiny edge tear.
352. (SEXTON, Anne). Poems. London/NY: Oxford U. Press, 1968. A review copy of this paperback original featuring work by Anne Sexton, Thomas Kinsella and Douglas Livingstone. Sexton's poems are from the collections Selected Poems and Live or Die. Covers edge-sunned; else fine.
353. SHAMES, Laurence. Mangrove Squeeze. NY: Hyperion (1998). The advance reading copy of the latest of this author's highly praised south Florida mysteries. Fine in wrappers.
354. SILKO, Leslie Marmon. Laguna Woman. Tucson: Flood Plain Press, 1994. The reissue of her elusive first book, a collection of poems first published by Joseph Bruchac's Greenfield Review press in 1974. The new edition was issued with added illustrations by the author, a few textual corrections, and a lengthy afterword which did not appear earlier. It was published by the author's own press, with a color painting of hers adorning the front cover. Fine in wrappers and signed by the author in 1995.
355. SIMPSON, Thomas William. This Way Madness Lies. (NY): Warner (1992). The author's well-received first novel. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
356. SIMPSON, Thomas William. The Gypsy Storyteller. (NY): Warner Books (1993). His second book, also published to substantial critical praise. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
357. SLOUKA, Mark. Lost Lake. NY: Knopf, 1998. The uncorrected proof copy of the author's second book, a collection of stories. Fine in wrappers.
358. SMILEY, Jane. The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton. NY: Knopf, 1998. The uncorrected proof copy of the latest book by the author of the award-winning A Thousand Acres, among others. Fine in wrappers.
359. -. Another copy. One tear to foredge of rear cover, thus near fine in wrappers with dust jacket art stapled inside the front cover.
360. SMITH, Lee. The Devil's Dream. NY: Putnam (1992). A novel of country music by this southern author, with a glowing blurb from Pat Conroy. One very slight bump to an upper board edge; fine in a fine dust jacket, and signed by the author.
361. SMITH, Lee. Saving Grace. NY: Putnam (1995). A novel of a young girl traveling around the country with her father, a serpent-handling preacher. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
362. SMITH, Lee. News of the Spirit. NY: Putnam (1997). An advance reading copy of her most recent book, a collection of stories. Fine in wrappers, with (folded) proof dust jacket laid in.
363. SNYDER, Gary. Mountains and Rivers Without End. Washington, D.C.: Counterpoint (1996). An epic poem, on which Snyder has been working for four decades -- the first excerpts from it having appeared in print in the Fifties. Inscribed by the author in 1997. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
364. STEGNER, Wallace. Crossing to Safety. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1987. The limited first edition, preceding the trade edition. Leatherbound, all edges gilt, with a silk ribbon marker bound in. Signed by the author. With a special introduction by Stegner for this edition. Fine.
365. STONE, Robert. Damascus Gate. Boston/NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Latest novel by the author of the National Book Award-winning Dog Soldiers, among others, just published to substantial critical acclaim. A densely plotted political and metaphysical thriller set in contemporary Jerusalem. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
366. (STONE, Robert). "Walk, Don't Run" and "Geraldine" in Stanford Short Stories 1964. Stanford: Stanford U. Press, 1964. Stone's first book appearance, two excerpts from his first novel, in progress at the time, published as A Hall of Mirrors three years later. Fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket. Other contributors to this volume include Ed McClanahan, Hugh Nissenson, and Merrill Joan Gerber.
367. (STONE, Robert). "We Are Not Excused" in Paths of Resistance. The Art and Craft of the Political Novel. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (1989). The uncorrected proof copy. With additional contributions by Isabel Allende, Charles McCarry, Marge Piercy and Gore Vidal. Fading to the spine and edges; near fine in wrappers.
368. SWIFT, Graham. Last Orders. (London): Picador (1996). His most recent novel, winner of the Booker Prize. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author. A very nice copy of this book by the author of Waterland and Learning to Swim, among others.
369. THEROUX, Paul. The Consul's File. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1977. The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition. A collection of related stories putatively taken from the files of a consul in post-colonial Malaysia. Near fine in wrappers.
370. THEROUX, Paul. The Mosquito Coast. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1982. The first American edition of this novel of an iconoclastic individualist who moves his family to Central America to start anew, unencumbered by the trappings of civilization. A funny and sad satire of the Western values of self-reliance and the Protestant work ethic, which was made into a moderately well-received movie. Signed by the author. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing near the crown.
371. THEROUX, Paul. Chicago Loop. NY: Random House (1991). The first American edition of this controversial novel about a serial killer, which was published while the controversy surrounding Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho was still current. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a very slight bump to the spine base.
372. THEROUX, Paul. Millroy the Magician. NY: Random House (1994). The first American edition of this tale of a fourteen year-old girl and a magician traveling across the country. Fine in a fine dust jacket, and signed by the author.
373. THOMPSON, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. NY: Random House (1971). Thompson's second book, epitomizing the "Gonzo journalism" that the author invented and which, by a surprisingly universal consensus, he has elevated to the status of art. A classic of the freewheeling, drug-ingesting Sixties era, illustrated with hilarious and scary pen-and-ink drawings by Ralph Steadman. Boards lightly edge-sunned, as usual, and a slight spine slant; near fine in a near fine dust jacket.
374. THOMPSON, Hunter S. and STEADMAN, Ralph. Road Dog Ale. Denver: Broadway Brewing (n.d.). A beer label collaboration between Thompson and Steadman (the first collaboration of a projected series). Steadman provides the label art; Thompson provides a blurb for the rear label and a motto for the front. Four pieces, matted together with a sheet of the brewery's promotional material. 18" x 12" total. Fine, with one label signed by Steadman.
375. THOMPSON, Hunter S. The Proud Highway. NY: Villard (1997). The advance reading copy of Volume One of "The Fear and Loathing Letters," printing Thompson's letters from 1955-1967. Signed (initialed) by the author, with the added sentiment: "Take boat + whiskey to Pali[?]." Fine in wrappers.
376. THOMPSON, Hunter S. and STEADMAN, Ralph. Erawan Hotel. (n.p.: n.p., n.d.). A Hunter Thompson broadside/Christmas card designed and signed by Steadman. 18" x 4". Fine. A scarce, ephemeral item, not to mention weird, as might be expected.
377. (THOMPSON, Hunter S.). GILLIAM, Terry and GRISONI, Tony. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. [Los Angeles]: [Rhino Films], 1997. The screenplay for the long-awaited film adaptation of Thompson's book, the earliest reviews of which suggest it is as over-the-top as the book itself was. This is Ralph Steadman's copy and is signed and dated by Steadman, who has also splattered it with ink droplets, reminiscent of his artwork for the book. The script revision is from 5/27/97; the mailing label from 6/16/97; Steadman's signature from 6/24/97. Presumably this version will turn out to differ from the final, filmed version, as filming went on considerably beyond the revision date on this copy -- i.e., an interesting artifact as well as a glimpse at the work-in-progress. Laid in is the mailing label transmitting the script to Steadman. 8 1/2" x 11" claspbound sheets. Fine. An excellent association and unique item.
378. THOMPSON, Jim. Nothing More than Murder. NY: Harper & Brothers (1949). His scarce third novel, and the last hardcover he published before moving onto a career of writing pulp paperbacks, some of which have since become classics of the hardboiled noir genre. Thompson has enjoyed a renaissance of popularity in the years since his death, and a number of his books have been made into movies, including The Grifters, The Getaway, and the French film Coup de Torchon. This is an ex-library copy and has a large library stamp on the front free endpaper; circulation dates stamped on the rear free endpaper; glue residue on the pastedowns; evidence of handling to pages; and the residual strips of a jacket protector to the edges of the boards; a good copy only in a good dust jacket with little edgewear but some dampstaining, tape shadows on the flaps, and an X'd tear at mid-spine. An outwardly attractive copy and very scarce in any hardcover edition; an unblemished first edition might sell for triple the price of this.
379. TOLKIEN, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (1954-56). The first American editions of this landmark trilogy, consisting of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Volume One has a price-clipped jacket; Volume Two has initials written under the front flap; Volume Three has an owner name; otherwise this is a near fine set in very good, lightly sunned dust jackets with modest edgewear including a couple of small edge chips. Each volume has the fold-out map in the rear intact. While not perfect, still a nice set of this fantasy classic, which has since been reissued in a multitude of editions.
380. TYLER, Anne. The Tin Can Tree. NY: Knopf, 1965. Her second novel, a sensitively told story of a young boy coming to terms with his little sister's death. A powerful and moving story, heartfelt and well-written. Like her first book, this is very scarce, having received good critical reviews but not having much in the way of commercial success. It is an open question which of her books is the scarcest -- this one, her first book, or her fourth, The Clock Winder. The conventional wisdom seems to be that it is either her first or fourth but our experience suggests that this one is every bit as scarce as those. Small address label front flyleaf; otherwise a fine copy in a near fine, spine-tanned dust jacket with shallow chipping at the spine extremities.
381. TYLER, Anne. Searching for Caleb. NY: Knopf, 1976. Her sixth novel. Fine in a fine dust jacket. A lovely copy.
382. TYLER, Anne. Breathing Lessons. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1988. The true first edition of this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Bound in leather, stamped in gold and silver, with gilt page edges and a silk ribbon marker bound in. Signed by the author. With a special introduction by Tyler for this edition in which she draws parallels between disaster movies and family life. Despite the fact that Franklin Library editions are generally done in fairly large numbers, at least compared to other limited editions, certain titles have proven remarkably elusive in recent years, this being one such example. The Franklin Library does not readily give out numbers regarding the size of print runs, but based on numbers that we have been able to find out about other recent titles (e.g., 3300 copies for Robert Stone's Outerbridge Reach), it is likely that around 3000-3500 copies of this title were prepared for subscribers, and few have made it into the rare book market so far. A fine copy.
383. TYLER, Anne. A Patchwork Planet. NY: Knopf, 1998. The uncorrected proof copy of her new novel, just published. Fine in wrappers.
384. -. Another copy. Near fine in wrappers with publication date changed on the front cover and dust jacket art stapled inside.