Catalog 104, V-Z
367. VIDAL, Gore. The Smithsonian Institution. NY: Random House (1998). The uncorrected proof copy of this novel, part of his ongoing series of historical novels that attempt to recapture, and illuminate, the American democratic experience through the use of fiction to personalize the various eras and institutions. Fine in wrappers.
368. (Vietnam War Literature). BRASS, Alister. Bleeding Earth. A Doctor Looks at Vietnam. Melbourne: Heinemann (1968). Personal account of an Australian-born doctor who visited South Vietnam at the height of the war and wrote a series of articles for an Australian medical journal. The Australian presence and experience in Vietnam has been little-known in this country, and few of the books published there about it have migrated here. Foreword by Harrison Salisbury. Owner name front flyleaf. Light corner bump; else fine in a very good, price-clipped dust jacket with internal tape repairs at the extremities and corners. Uncommon.
369. (Vietnam War Literature). BIDERMAN, Bob. Letters to Nanette. San Francisco: Early Stages Press (1982). Epistolary novel of a young man drafted into the peacetime Army just before the Vietnam war begins in earnest. This is the hardcover edition, reportedly one of only 400 copies (there were 4600 copies bound in softcover). Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
Proof Copy of a Pulitzer Prize Winner
370. (Vietnam War Literature). FITZGERALD, Frances. Fire in the Lake. The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam. Boston: Little Brown (1972). The uncorrected proof copy of her massive and controversial book, the first book from a general trade publisher to give voice to the Vietnamese sides of the story of the war. A bestseller, a Book-of-the-Month club selection, winner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. "$12.50 July" and "July list" written on front cover. Near fine in wrappers.
371. -. Same title, the second state of the proof, with the publisher's label indicating an August publication affixed to the front cover. Near fine in wrappers.
372. (Vietnam War Literature). HALBERSTAM, David. The Making of a Quagmire. NY: Random House (1965). The first book of reporting by the New York Times journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Vietnam in 1964, as well as several other journalism awards. An early, critical, controversial piece of reporting on the war. This is a fine copy in a very good, price-clipped dust jacket with tears at the corners and extremities and a small chip at the base of the front spine fold. An important book, and relatively uncommon in the first printing these days.
373. (Vietnam War Literature). MILLER, Kenn. Tiger the Lurp Dog. Boston: Little Brown (1983). The author's first book, a well-received novel about a LRRP team and their mascot. Fine in a fine dust jacket. One of the few treatments of the Lurp experience in Vietnam, in fiction or nonfiction. The author served with a LRRP team in Vietnam.
374. (Vietnam War Literature). POLLOCK, Capt. Lawrence, M.C. Xin Loi (Sorry About That) Doc! NY: Vantage (1971). Vanity press "novel" of a doctor's year in Vietnam, based closely on the author's own experiences as a surgeon there, but written in the third person and apparently with liberties taken with events and plot in order to make points that direct experience would not necessarily so clearly convey. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Uncommon.
375. (Vietnam War Literature). RABE, David. The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and Sticks and Bones. NY: Viking (1972). The uncorrected proof copy. Two plays and an introduction by Rabe. Fine in wrappers.
376. (Vietnam War Literature). RABE, David. Streamers. NY: Knopf, 1977. A play set in an Army barracks in the early days of the Vietnam war. Winner of the N.Y. Drama Critics' Award for Best American Play of 1976. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
377. -. Another copy. This is a review copy. Sunning to board edges; near fine in a near fine dust jacket.
378. (Vietnam War Literature). RISNER, Colonel Robinson. The Passing of the Night. My Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese. NY: Random House (1974). Classic Vietnam war P.O.W. account of seven years in the "Hanoi Hilton" by one of the P.O.W.'s released in 1973. Spine slant; near fine in a fine dust jacket.
379. (Vietnam War Literature). ROWE, Major James N. Five Years to Freedom. Boston: Little Brown (1971). One of the early and important P.O.W. accounts, written by a Special Forces Major who was captured by the Viet Cong in 1963 and escaped five years later. Previous owner name stamp (of a retired U.S. Colonel); a penciled definition on the dedication page; near fine in a near fine dust jacket. A nice copy of a scarce book.
380. (Vietnam War Literature). TREGASKIS, Richard. Vietnam Diary. NY: HRW (1963). Tregaskis, the author of Guadalcanal Diary in World War II, a classic of war reporting, wrote one of the earliest firsthand accounts of U.S. troops in Vietnam during the period when American "advisors" were first engaging in combat in Vietnam. Fine in a very good, internally tape-repaired, price-clipped dust jacket.
381. -. Same title. The uncorrected proof copy. Two volumes, spiralbound, in blue wrappers. An extremely scarce state of an important title. Both volumes a trifle edge-sunned, else fine. The only copy we've ever seen.
382. (Vietnam War Literature). WEISS, Peter. Two Plays. NY: Atheneum, 1970. A review copy of the first American and first combined edition of the two plays "Discourse on the Progress of the Prolonged War of Liberation in Viet Nam" and "Song of the Lusitanian Bogey." By the author of "Marat/Sade," an avant-garde playwright who visited Vietnam in the '60s and wrote an account of his trip as well. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
383. (Vietnam War Literature). WOLFE, Michael. Man on a String. NY: Harper & Row (1973). A review copy of the author's first book, a suspense novel centered on a journalist in Vietnam. Fine in a near fine dust jacket worn at the spine crown with one tear at upper rear spine fold.
384. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. Quarto; tapebound. Small tear at crown; else fine. An unusual format, used by Harper during the early 1970s and suggestive of very few copies having been done.
385. (Vietnam War Literature). WOLFE, Michael. The Chinese Fire Drill. NY: Harper & Row (1975). His third suspense novel set in Vietnam, and by far the scarcest of the author's novels. Cloth split at rear joint; near fine in a near fine dust jacket.
386. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers.
387. VOLLMANN, William T. Whores for Gloria. NY: Pantheon (1992). The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of his fourth book, third novel. Fine in wrappers. Uncommon.
388. (VOLLMANN, William T.). MILLER, Ken. Open All Night. Woodstock: Overlook Press (1995). The hardcover issue of this collection of photographs by Miller, with text by Vollmann taken primarily from his published works, although he does provide an original introduction. Miller and Vollmann have collaborated extensively, and many of the illustrations for Vollmann's dust jackets have been shot by Miller, as have many of the published photographs of the author. Quarto; fine in a fine dust jacket.
389. VONNEGUT, Kurt. Bagombo Snuff Box. NY: Putnam (1999). The uncorrected proof copy of Vonnegut's uncollected short fiction from the early part of his career. Three stories have been revised from their original publication, and Vonnegut provides an introduction, which may turn out to be his last published piece of original writing, as he claims that Timequake was his final novel. Fine in wrappers.
390. VONNEGUT, Kurt and STRINGER, Lee. Like Shaking Hands with God. NY: Seven Stories Press (1999). The uncorrected proof copy of what could be Vonnegut's last published title, following Bagombo Snuff Box by a month. In 1998, Seven Stories Press issued Grand Central Winter by Caverly Stringer, a memoir of life on the street, for which Vonnegut provided a foreword. This title presents two conversations between Vonnegut and Stringer that took place in New York in 1998 and 1999, with Ross Klavan as moderator. Dan Simon provides the foreword and Art Shay provides photographs for the trade edition that are not included here. One light corner bump; else fine in wrappers.
391. (VONNEGUT, Kurt). Waterscapes, Landscapes. (East Hampton): (Glenn Horowitz) (1999). A limited edition, one of 100 unnumbered copies, showcasing the paintings of April Gornik and published to coincide with an exhibit of her work. Vonnegut provides the introduction. Clothbound; fine in slipcase. Signed by the author and the artist.
392. WALKER, Alice. Meridian. NY: HBJ (1976). The uncorrected proof copy of her second novel. A very scarce format: proof sheets bound in cardstock covers with a black tape spine. It is likely that very few copies were prepared thus. Several pieces of text tipped in, including a revision to the table of contents. Fine in wrappers and signed by the author. Precedes by six years her award-winning novel, The Color Purple. Rare.
393. WATSON, Larry. Montana 1948. (Minneapolis): Milkweed Editions (1993). A review copy of his highly praised, award-winning novel. Inscribed by the author. The front flyleaf bears the impression of a crease; otherwise a fine copy in a fine dust jacket.
394. -. Another copy. Signed by the author. This one has the creasing on the pastedown; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
395. WELTY, Eudora. In Black and White. Northridge: Lord John, 1985. Photographs by Welty, with an introduction by Anne Tyler. One of 100 deluxe copies of a total edition of 500 copies. Quarto, quarterbound in leather and marbled paper boards, in a cloth slipcase. Signed by Eudora Welty and Anne Tyler. A fine copy in fine slipcase.
396. WEST, Paul. Byron and the Spoiler's Art. NY: St. Martin's, 1960. An early book by West -- a volume of criticism and analysis of Byron's poetry. Inscribed by the author: "____:/ Glad you have this/ fugitive one; it was wonderful/ to immerse my brain cells in/ B. beforehand, but all I read/ of him now is letters and journals./ Paul." Near fine in a very good, unlaminated dust jacket which bears some surface soiling and one 1" edge tear. A very scarce title.
397. WHARTON, Edith. The Valley of Decision. NY: Scribner (1902). The first full-length novel by the author of The House of Mirth, The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome, among others. This novel was set in 18th century Italy; later books focused on the morals on contemporary society -- especially upper class New York society -- and displayed a frankness in sexual matters that was controversial in its time. Two volumes. Owner bookplate on the front pastedown of each; cloth a bit rubbed; near fine copies, lacking the dust jackets.
398. WHITE, E.B. Here is New York. NY: Harper & Brothers (1949). A short essay on Manhattan, by the longtime writer for the New Yorker, whose limpid style of writing helped that magazine earn the reputation for fine prose that it enjoys even today. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication: "Merry Christmas & love/ to ____ and ____/ Andy." Near fine in a very good dust jacket with a long, closed, internally tape-mended tear to the lower front spine fold. Books signed by White are not common; most were inscribed to close friends, and are signed with his affectionate nickname, as this one is.
399. WHITE, E.B. and STRUNK, William, Jr. The Elements of Style. NY: Macmillan (1959). The classic handbook of writing style, first published in the 1930s by Strunk alone and here revised by White with an introduction and a new chapter on writing by him. White's advice (although I ignore it here by offering personal opinion gratuitously) is full of charm and common sense, and says volumes about clear writing in a very few well-chosen, light-hearted words. Spotting to top edge of pages, and edges of jacket flaps there, but still near fine in a near fine dust jacket.
400. WHITE, E.B. Letters of E.B. White. NY: Harper & Row (1976). The first publication of the letters of one of the finest American essayists of the century, the author of such children's classics as Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. Inscribed by the author in 1977: "For my good neighbor/ ___/ with love from/ Andy./" Also initialed by him ("EBW") and dated two months after publication. Offsetting to the pastedowns; bowing to the boards; very good in a very good dust jacket.
401. -. Same title. One of an unspecified number of copies signed by the author on a tipped-in leaf. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. White's signature is uncommon, this edition (and a couple of similar limited editions) being the most common way it turns up.
402. WHITE, E.B. Essays of E.B. White. NY: H&R (1977). A collection of essays spanning his career, with a foreword written expressly for this volume. Inscribed by the author to a neighbor in Maine: "For ____/ with love from/ Andy." Boards mildly splayed and light foxing to page edges; near fine in a very good dust jacket that is torn and externally tape-repaired at the lower outer corner of the rear panel.
403. WIDEMAN, John Edgar. Brothers & Keepers. NY: HRW (1984). Nonfiction account of the author's relationship with his brother, and his brother's run-ins with the law. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award; nominated for a PEN Faulkner Award. Inscribed by the author: "For ____, / We're all brothers/ and keepers." Large owner name front flyleaf; else fine in a near fine dust jacket with one tiny corner chip.
404. WINSLOW, Don. The Trail to Buddha's Mirror. NY: St. Martin's (1992). The second Neil Carey mystery, by the author of A Cool Breeze on the Underground, which was nominated for both an Edgar Award and a Shamus Award. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
405. WINSLOW, Don. Way Down on the High Lonely. NY: St. Martin's (1993). The third Neil Carey mystery. Signed by the author. Extremely slight corner bump; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
406. WINSLOW, Don. A Long Walk Up the Water Slide. NY: St. Martin's (1994). The fourth in his series of Neil Carey mysteries. Fine in a fine dust jacket, and signed by the author.
407. WINSLOW, Don. While Drowning in the Desert. NY: St. Martin's (1996). And the fifth in the series. Signed by the author in the year of publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
408. WINSLOW, Don. California Fire and Life. NY: Knopf, 1999. The uncorrected proof copy of his latest novel, the second to break away from the Neil Carey series. Fine in wrappers with the cover art stapled inside the front cover.
409. WINTERSON, Jeanette. Boating for Beginners. (London): Methuen (1985). Her scarce second novel. A retelling, or reimagining, of the story of Noah and the Flood. For a period of years this book, like her nonfiction book Fit for the Future, was omitted from her lists of previous publications. This title has since been partially reclaimed, appearing under the heading "Comic Book." Fine in a typically spine-faded, else fine dust jacket.
410. WOLFE, Tom. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (1968). Wolfe's landmark account of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and their bus trip across the country. The epitome of the "New Journalism" that Wolfe helped to bring about in the Sixties, it was called at the time "the most penetrating piece of writing yet done on the ethos and dynamics of the hippie" and it remains a classic of the time. Fading to top stain and some soiling to the boards; about near fine in a better, apparently supplied dust jacket.
411. WOLFE, Tom. A Man in Full. NY/Toronto: FSG/Bantam (1998). Bound galley sheets, 8 1/2" x 11", with the title page and the copyright page of both the first American trade edition and the Canadian limited edition. A very early state of this novel. Ringbound in acetate covers; fine.
412. -. Same title. Franklin Center: Franklin Library (1998). The true first edition. Leatherbound, all edges gilt, with a silk ribbon marker bound in. Signed by the author on a tipped-in leaf. With a five page introduction by Wolfe for this edition. Fine.
413. WOLFF, Tobias. In the Garden of North American Martyrs. NY: Ecco (1981). The scarce first issue of the author's first collection of short fiction, with the dust jacket with a "$14.95" price. The price was lowered to $10.95 prior to publication and the jacket reprinted with the lower price. This is only the third copy we have seen with the early jacket: the first was a review copy and the second was apparently one of the author's copies. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. An exceedingly scarce variant of one of the most highly praised first collections of stories in recent years.
414. WOOLF, Virginia. Women & Fiction. (Oxford): Blackwell Publishers/ Shakespeare Head Press (1992). The transcription of the heavily edited manuscripts that became her classic, A Room of One's Own. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket, with one nick at spine crown.
415. YATES, Richard. Eleven Kinds of Loneliness. Boston: Little Brown (1962). His second book, generally considered his scarcest, a highly regarded collection of short stories. Signed by the author. Yates was widely considered a "writer's writer," and was admired by, and mentor to, a number of young writers through the 1960s and 70s. Books signed by him are relatively uncommon. Fine in a very good, spine-tanned dust jacket with minor edgewear.
416. YOUNG, Al. Dancing. NY: Corinth Books, 1969. First book by this African-American poet-playwright. One of 3000 copies. Owner signature of another poet inside front cover. Near fine in wrappers with a cover illustration by "Ronald Dahl."
417. ZIMMERMAN, R.D. Deadfall in Berlin. NY: Donald Fine (1990). The author's first novel, nominated for an Edgar Award. Inscribed by the author and additionally signed by him on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket.