skip to main content
Somewhat Seasonal Subscribe

E-list # 127

Somewhat Seasonal

Hanover, Granite, (1974). His second book, a single long poem in five parts. Shallow crease along lower edge; near fine in stapled wrappers. An uncommon book by a writer who is these days most acclaimed for his powerful works of fiction, which have been compared to the works of Raymond Carver, Richard Ford and Andre Dubus. [#029282] SOLD
Huntington Beach, Cahill, 1992. The first separate edition of this short story, which was also included in Prize Stories 1993: The O. Henry Awards. Of a total edition of 326 copies, this is number 20 of 300 numbered copies signed by the author and illustrator. Fine. [#912967] SOLD
Concord, Ewert, 1988. A limited edition that was in preparation for private distribution as a 1988 holiday greeting when Carver died, on August 2, 1988. The edition was completed but, unlike the earlier projects, there was no signed issued of it. Of a total edition of 136 copies, this is one of 36 specially bound in red wrappers. Pages uncut; fine. [#912348] SOLD
click for a larger image of item #914635, The Window Concord, Ewert, 1985. A small broadside poem on heavy, textured card stock, measuring 8-1/2" x 5-1/2". Like My Crow a year earlier, these were printed "for private distribution" as a holiday greeting. Of a total edition of 136 copies, this is number 33 of 36 numbered copies signed by Carver and issued as part of a set of seven cards by seven different poets: Carver, Donald Hall, Galway Kinnell, William Heyen, W.D. Snodgrass, William Bronk and May Sarton. Each card is signed by its author, and fine. In the original envelope, printed with the title "Seven Holiday Greetings for 1985." Very uncommon to find the set intact at this point. [#914635] SOLD
click for a larger image of item #912350, The Window Concord, Ewert, 1985. A small broadside poem on heavy, textured card stock, measuring 8-1/2" x 5-1/2". Like My Crow a year earlier, these were printed "for private distribution" as a holiday greeting. Of a total edition of 136 copies, this is copy 32 of 36 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine. [#912350] SOLD
click for a larger image of item #912353, Two Poems Concord, Ewert, 1986. A holiday greeting issued by Ewert. There were 100 copies consisting of a single sheet, folded once; there were 26 lettered copies that were bound in brown wrappers, lettered, and signed by the author. This is letter M of 26 lettered copies signed by Carver. Fine. [#912353] SOLD
click for a larger image of item #912361, Winter Insomnia (Santa Cruz), (Kayak), (1970). Carver's first regularly published book, a collection of poems, issued in an attractive edition of 1000 copies designed and printed by George Hitchcock and illustrated with prints by Robert McChesney. Bound in yellow wrappers printed in green. (A few copies were bound in white wrappers printed in green.) Signed by the author. Fine. [#912361] SOLD
click for a larger image of item #914629, Winter Insomnia (Santa Cruz), (Kayak Books), (1970). The rare white issue of Carver's first regularly published book (after Near Klamath, published by the English Club of Sacramento State College). Kayak Books was a small but established publisher, which produced a literary magazine as well as issuing books of poetry. Winter Insomnia is a collection of poems, designed and printed by George Hitchcock and illustrated with prints by Robert McChesney. Issued in an attractive edition of 1000 copies, the overwhelming majority (perhaps more than 99%) were issued in yellow wrappers. William Stull's Carver checklist said that three copies were known in the white wrappers. Since that checklist was published, we have seen three more copies in white wrappers, including this one, bringing the total number of known copies to six. Without knowing exactly how many white copies there were, we can say with assurance that this issue is exceedingly scarce; we've seen dozens, if not hundreds, of the issue in yellow wrappers. This copy is inscribed by Carver: "For Rush - with good wishes. Ray Carver. 3-3-83." Spine and edge sunning to covers; near fine. [#914629] $3,000
(Santa Claus)
click for a larger image of item #32276, Small Archive Related to Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus (various), (various), (1956, 1968). In 1897, eight year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Sun, asking, in part, "Papa says, 'If you see it in The Sun it's so.' Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?" The reply of Editor Francis P. Church read, in small part, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias...." Church's response became the most reprinted English language newspaper editorial in history. When Virginia O'Hanlon died, in 1971, friends formed a press to publish the editorial and its back story as a children's book; in 1974, the book became an Emmy Award-winning animated television special; and, in 2009, it became a CGI animated television special entitled simply, "Yes Virginia." The items offered here all predate the story's book and animation fame, and include the typescript of a 1956 television appearance by O'Hanlon, a Sun broadside of the editorial, and Two Christmas Classics, which is likely the editorial's first appearance in book form, in 1968. The lot is as follows: 1. The 3-page typescript of a 1956 segment of the television show The Children's Hour, hosted by Ed Herlihy, with guest appearances in this episode by Santa Claus and by Virginia O'Hanlon, who would have been in her late 60s. In it, Santa asks Herlihy if there really is a Virginia, and Herlihy introduces "Dr. Laura Virginia O'Hanlon Douglas," using her married name (kept after her divorce), acknowledging her doctorate (from her career as an educator), and revealing that "Virginia" was actually her middle name. Herlihy then recounts the story of the editorial, and O'Hanlon is given unscripted time to talk about events since, followed by her own reading of Francis P. Church's famous response to her younger self. These pages are stapled to: 2. An undated New York World Telegram/The Sun broadside of the full editorial, entitled "Is There a Santa Claus?," and adding a paragraph at the bottom on "How Editorial Happened to Be Written." 3. A cover letter is included, written on New York World Telegram letterhead and dated October 21, 1956, from a former employee of the paper to "Miss Clements" (Alice Clements, producer of The Children's Hour), saying that he is acquainted with O'Hanlon and feels he can convince her to appear on the show, adding, "Each and every year during the month of December I was shocked by the nation-wide demand for reprints of the Virginia O'Hanlon story." These three items are folded in half, and the corner staple is rusted; they are otherwise near fine. 4. Together with the chapbook Two Christmas Classics, issued by Columbia University Press, ca. 1968, and printing both Church's editorial and Clement Clarke Moore's A Visit from Saint Nicholas ("Twas the night before Christmas") as a holiday keepsake, as both Church and Moore were graduates of Columbia College. (Coincidentally, O'Hanlon received her Masters Degree from Columbia.) The chapbook also prints brief, anonymous, introductions to each. Approximately 4-3/4" x 6-1/2", edge-sunning to the front cover; near fine in stapled wrappers, with a holiday greeting laid in that is signed by Carl B. Hansen, of Columbia University Press. A relatively early grouping of items in the enduring legacy of one child's curiosity and Church's timeless response embodying the meaning of Christmas. [#032276] $2,000
Camden, Down East Books, (2004). A tale by Cole of bringing in a Christmas tree; illustrated by Owens. Inscribed by Owens to Peter [Matthiessen] and his wife. Cole at one time ran a charter fishing boat business with Matthiessen. Fine, without dust jacket, as issued. [#031856] SOLD
click for a larger image of item #14969, Christmas Tree 1947. Oil on composition board. 32" x 25". Dated December 25, 1947. Inscribed by Cummings on the rear of the painting: "For Marion/ love!/ Xmas/ 1947." This image was later used as a Christmas card that Cummings and Marion Morehouse had made. Corners abraded. Unframed. [#014969] $12,500
click for a larger image of item #31589, Mt. Chocorua In The Snow Mt. Chocorua. Watercolor. 14" x 10". No date. [#031589] SOLD
NY, Pantheon, (2004). Subtitled "A Journey into Cold," this book collects Ehrlich's thoughts as she travels from Tierra del Fuego, to Wyoming, to the Spitsbergen archipelago in search of winter and in search of answers to what will happen to us if we are "deseasoned" by climate change and winter ends. Signed by the author. A powerful and poetic take on global warming, grounded in science but with an eye to the human, cultural and other costs that are easily overlooked in the scientific debate. Fine in a fine dust jacket. [#023781] SOLD
Chapel Hill, Algonquin Books, 1994. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. [#914040] $21
(Rock Handbill)
click for a larger image of item #10390, QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE San Francisco, Bindweed Press, [1966]. "The Xmas Show" at Winterland, with Big Brother and the Holding Company and The Loving Impulse, on Friday and Saturday, December 16-17, 1966. 8-1/2" x 11". Created by Gut, the Hell's Angel poster artist who also managed Blue Cheer. Red, green, yellow and black on white. Art of Rock, #2.2 07, although AR identifies it incorrectly as 1967. Fine. [#010390] SOLD
click for a larger image of item #15193, Ravens in Winter. A Zoological Detective Story NY, Summit, (1989). The uncorrected proof copy of this study of ravens -- their social structures, communication, etc. Heinrich is also the author of Bumblebee Economics, which was nominated for a National Book Award and was the first study to popularize the notion of bees communicating the location of sources of nectar to other bees by means of an elaborate "dance." Blurbs by Peter Matthiessen and E.O. Wilson, who calls this book "one of the most interesting discoveries I've seen in animal sociobiology in years." Small spot on cover; else fine in wrappers. [#015193] SOLD
(NY), Viking, (1996). Signed by Helprin. Fine in a fine dust jacket. [#917050] $35
click for a larger image of item #11888, Mr. Ives' Christmas (NY), HarperCollins, (1995). An advance preview edition of the fourth book by this Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a novel of a man coming to terms with the death of his son. The copyright page would lead one to believe this issue was bound from sheets of the second printing; reportedly this is an error and the text does indeed precede the first printing and includes textual differences from the final published version. Clothbound, in a decorative cardboard slipcase resembling a gift-wrapped box. A fine copy, signed by the author on a tipped-in bookplate. [#011888] SOLD
click for a larger image of item #15237, Winter Count NY, Scribner's, (1981). A review copy of this collection of stories that take on the aspect of personal essays or philosophical reflection, tinged with a reverence for life that is as much the subject of the writing as any particular character or tale. Signed by the author. Staining to rear blanks, otherwise near fine in a near fine, slightly spine-faded jacket. [#015237] SOLD
click for a larger image of item #6735, Christmas Card [c.1940's]. 5-3/4" x 4-3/4". A Christmas card from the noted black activist, written long before he converted to Islam and became the most outspoken and militant agitator for black civil rights in the early 1960s. Malcolm X's incendiary rhetoric in the early years of the Civil Rights Movement helped polarize the country around issues of race and also helped open the way for civil and legal reforms on an unprecedented scale. This card has a sleigh scene on the front and a standard Christmas and New Year's greeting inside. Signed in full as "Malcolm Little," with the additional sentiment, in holograph: "I hope you haven't forgotten me." Folded once, apparently to fit into a square envelope (not present). Very slight general wear; still near fine. Autograph material by Malcolm X is extremely scarce, particularly such an early example as this, preceding as it does his notoriety. [#006735] SOLD
Chapel Hill, Algonquin Books, 1996. Fine in a fine dust jacket. [#913714] $21
NY, Random House, (2003). A holiday collection from The New Yorker, with a five-page introduction by Updike. This copy is inscribed by Updike: "For ___ ___/ Christmas cheer, John Updike." Laid in is a mailing label addressed to the recipient and her husband, in Updike's hand. Fine in a near fine, mildly finger print-smudged dust jacket. [#030294] $200
(n.p.), (Ewert), (1997). A poem by Updike from A Child's Calendar, here issued as a holiday card. Printed in an edition of 150 copies, this is one of 100 copies issued unsigned, but this copy has been inscribed by the author: "A small item for [your] enormous collection. Sent to both of you with my warm regards of the season. Cheers, John." Fine. [#030255] $150
click for a larger image of item #11637, Query (n.p.), Albondocani, (1974). A card with a poem by Updike, used as a holiday greeting. One of 75 copies of the suppressed first issue, with the front cover drawing printed upside down. Fine in stapled wrappers. Uncommon. [#011637] $100
(n.p.), Albondocani, (1974). A card with a poem by Updike, used as a holiday greeting. One of 400 copies, of which this is one of 160 copies for the publisher's use, with the publisher's name printed on the page with the greeting. Fine in stapled wrappers. [#030176] $95
(n.p.), Albondocani, (1974). A card with a poem by Updike, used as a holiday greeting. One of 400 (stated) copies, of which this is one of 260 copies for the author's and artist's use, without the publisher's name printed on the page with the greeting. According to the De Bellis and Broomfield bibliography, 20 more copies were printed than stated in the colophon. Fine in stapled wrappers. [#030175] $40
(n.p.), (William B. Ewert), (1998). The first separate edition of this poem, issued as a holiday card. Of a total edition of 185 copies, this is one of 130 copies issued unsigned, but this copy has been signed by Updike and dated 1988 and additionally inscribed by Updike in three different colored pens: "Merry Christmas/ a card to warm yourselves by/ Cheers, John." Fine, in hand-addressed envelope, apparently meant to be hand-delivered as Updike has added, "Sorry to miss you - Happy Holidays!/ John." [#030257] $185
(n.p.), William B. Ewert, 1999. The first separate appearance of a poem that first appeared in The New Republic. Two issues produced: 65 signed copies printed as broadsides and 130 unsigned copies issued folded, as cards. This is one of the latter but has been inscribed by the author to two, married friends: "___ - An item for your collection./ ___ - whatever happened to our golf foursome?/ Happy Holidays to you both./ John." 8-3/4" x 11-1/2". Folded, by design; fine. [#030264] $185
click for a larger image of item #31524, The Lovelorn Astronomer (Boston), G.K. Hall and Marquis Who's Who, Inc., (1978). A poem by Updike, published as a holiday greeting card. Signed by the author. Fine, with original (unused) mailing envelope. Together with a presumed proof copy, with the copyright notice handwritten (in an unknown hand) rather than printed on the rear cover. Also fine. Both housed together in a G.K. Hall envelope. An ephemeral piece, uncommon signed, and rare in the variant with the handwritten copyright notice. [#031524] $1,250
1998. A holiday card, with a note inside typed by Updike on Christmas day: "Dear ___: Thank you for the swift check; I hope this mishap didn't cramp your holiday spirit. Our insurance company has moved rapidly, and they didn't answer the phone yesterday, but we will call them off the case as soon as we can, on Monday, so your company will not bother you or your company. A happy 1999 to you and ___." Signed, "John." Fine, with near fine mailing envelope. [#030261] SOLD
click for a larger image of item #25012, You've Never Been to Barnstable? Barnstable, Crane Duplicating Service, (1966). The first separate appearance of this essay, which first appeared in Venture Magazine in 1964 and was later collected under a different title in Welcome to the Monkey House in 1968. Here printed as a Christmas greeting for friends of Crane Duplicating Service, located in Barnstable, a town where Vonnegut lived while raising a family and managing a Saab dealership. Two sheets folded to make eight pages; slight upper corner crease; else fine. Rare. [#025012] SOLD
click for a larger image of item #13043, Autograph Card Signed [1983]. A holiday card, bearing the news that "we sold Red Baker to Dial Press. Hosanna to the Highest!... Now I can get on with a new [book] and more lovely agony." Red Baker was the breakthrough book for Ward, who until then was best-known for the film made of his earlier novel, Cattle Annie and Little Britches. Fine. [#013043] $20
For notifications of our sale lists, new arrivals, new catalogs, or other e-lists, subscribe to our email list:
*:
:
:

Note: Your email will not be shared and will only be used for Lopezbooks.com announcements.

Catalog 174 Spring List