Catalog 107, M
229. MAILER, Norman. The Faith of Graffiti. (NY): (Praeger/Alskog) (1974). A review copy of the hardcover issue of this exploration of urban graffiti, published as a "coffee table" book. Large quarto, heavily illustrated with photographs, both color and black-and-white; Mailer provides the text and context. Fine in a fine dust jacket with a few small edge nicks. Signed by Mailer. Uncommon, especially as an advance copy and signed.
230. -. Same title, the issue in wrappers. Signed by Mailer. Fine.
231. MALAMUD, Bernard. The Natural. NY: Harcourt Brace (1952). His first book, one of the great baseball novels of all time and the basis, decades later, for a well-received movie. Boards a bit edge-sunned, thus a near fine copy of the issue in gray boards, in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with light wear at the spine extremities and trace rubbing to the front flap fold. A very nice copy of this book, which has become increasingly difficult to find in collectible condition in recent years, the unlaminated dust jacket being prone to rubbing, chipping and overall wear.
232. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Race Rock. NY: Harper & Brothers (1954). The author's first novel, published just after he returned from Paris, where he helped found the Paris Review. This is the issue in blue cloth and black boards; the priority has not been determined. Minuscule rubbing to the cloth at the crown; still a fine copy in a near fine, mildly spine-tanned dust jacket, with a bit of corresponding wear to the crown. A remarkably attractive copy.
233. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. At Play in the Fields of the Lord. NY: Random House (1965). A review copy of his fourth novel, which was nominated for the National Book Award and filmed nearly thirty years later. A tale of various Americans with widely divergent aims whose actions all have unintended effects on a tribe of Stone Age Amazonian Indians. This was the first fictional treatment of one of the themes that has dominated Matthiessen's writings, both fiction and nonfiction, over the last 30 years -- the impact of Europeans on the environment and the indigenous cultures living in relative harmony with it, from a perspective that combines the political, cultural and spiritual. Very slight foredge foxing; else a fine copy in a near fine, spine-tanned dust jacket. With review slip, author photo, and the retained carbon of the Virginia Quarterly review laid in.
Proof Copy of a Suppressed Book
234. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse. New York: Viking (1983). Matthiessen's controversial and suppressed book on the conflict between agents of the federal government and members of the radical American Indian Movement in the 1970s, which culminated in a gun battle that left two FBI agents and one Indian dead. Matthiessen argues that the conviction of Leonard Peltier for the agents' death was a miscarriage of justice. His book was the subject of two lawsuits -- by one of the FBI agents involved in the case and by the former governor of South Dakota -- which effectively suppressed it for nearly a decade. A Supreme Court ruling declining to hear the case after an appeals court had thrown out the suits on the basis of First Amendment considerations finally allowed the book to be reprinted after nine years of litigation and untold millions of dollars in legal expenses -- a harrowing experience for the author, his publishers and (one assumes) their insurers; and a sobering example of how a legal case can effectively suppress a publication even if the case is finally deemed to be without merit: Matthiessen's book was effectively removed from its target audience for the crucial window of time during which it was most relevant (and agitation on Peltier's behalf might have had the best chance for success). A landmark of recent literary history and First Amendment tests. Peltier's case remains a cause célèbre for political activists today. Fine in a fine dust jacket with one tiny, closed tear at the crown.
235. (MATTHIESSEN, Peter). Prize Stories 1958: The O. Henry Awards. Garden City: Doubleday, 1958. Includes "Travelin Man" by Matthiessen -- which was made into an award-winning Luis Buñuel film -- and "The Stone Boy" by Gina Berriault, later made into a powerful movie with Robert Duvall. Spine cocked; near fine in a near fine dust jacket with minor edgewear, particularly at the spine crown. A nice copy.
236. MAXWELL, William. Time Will Darken It. NY: Harper & Brothers, 1948. His fourth novel. Owner name and date front flyleaf; shelf wear to lower board edges; near fine in a good, somewhat faded and rubbed dust jacket that is chipped at the edges and rubbed along the folds.
237. McCULLERS, Carson. The Member of the Wedding. (NY): New Directions (1951). The play version, adapted by McCullers from her own novel. Winner of the New York Drama Critics' Prize as the best play of the 1950 season. Fine in a very good dust jacket. An uncommon title.
Inscribed by Carson McCullers to Tennessee Williams
238. McCULLERS, Carson. Collected Short Stories and the novel The Ballad of the Sad Café. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (1955)[actually 1961]. The first printing of the fourth American edition (Shapiro, Bryer & Field A5.6). This is a remarkable association copy, inscribed by the author to playwright Tennessee Williams: "For my heart child Tom/ on the occasion of/ one of your greatest triumphs/ Carson/ December 29, 1961/ [drawing of two hearts pierced by an arrow]." A fine copy in a very good, spine-tanned dust jacket with spots of rubbing at the edges and folds. McCullers met Williams in 1946, after reading her novel The Member of the Wedding, and it was at his suggestion that she began the dramatization of the novel which, with his help at rewriting and at having his agent locate producers for the play, was ultimately a great critical success. Their friendship grew over the years, and this book was presented by McCullers to Williams after the opening of his play The Night of the Iguana, which was a critical and commercial success and which won the New York Drama Critics' Prize as the best play of the year. McCullers' inscriptions are uncommon and association copies are rare. We are not aware of any other presentation copies from McCullers to Williams ever having been offered on the market. A superb association copy between two of the most important figures of 20th century American literature.
239. McGAUGHEY, Neil. Otherwise Known as Murder. NY: Scribner (1994). The author's first book, a well-received bibliomystery set in New Orleans. Fine in a fine dust jacket, and signed by the author.
240. McKENNA, Richard. The Sand Pebbles. NY: Harper & Row (1962)[1963]. The author's first and only novel, winner of the 1963 Harper Novel Prize, as judged by Philip Roth, Louis Auchincloss and Elizabeth Janeway, and later made into one of the most acclaimed Hollywood movies of the time by Robert Wise, starring Steve McQueen and Richard Crenna. McKenna's book was semi-autobiographical, and described the experiences of a group of U.S. sailors on a Navy gunboat, caught up in the turmoil of the 1926 Bolshevik revolution in China. Wise's film version, done in 1966, managed to use the film's Southeast Asian setting to reflect on issues confronting American society at the height of the Vietnam War. The book was critically acclaimed as well as being a bestseller; it won the $10,000 Harper Prize and the movie rights sold for $200,000; it was also picked up by Book of the Month Club. This copy is inscribed by the author in February, 1963, the month after publication; McKenna died in 1964, less than two years after the book was published, at the age of 51 and, as a result, copies of the book signed by him are quite scarce. A couple small dings to the boards and some fading to the spine cloth; about near fine in a near fine dust jacket worn at the spine crown and with a few internally tape-mended edge tears.
241. McMURTRY, Larry. Horseman, Pass By. NY: Harper (1961). McMurtry's first book, one of A.C. Greene's "50 best books on Texas," and the basis for the movie Hud. Inscribed by the author in 1970 to the man who married his ex-wife. Recipient's owner signature and date, tiny corner bump; else fine in a near fine dust jacket rubbed at the spine extremities and folds, beginning to split along two. A nice inscription, in a clearly legible hand, and a good association copy.
242. McMURTRY, Larry. Hud. NY: Popular Library (1961). The paperback edition of Horseman, Pass By, issued after the success of the movie Hud, one of the defining films of the Sixties. Spine-tanned, with one small abrasion; near fine in wrappers, with a photograph of Paul Newman and Patricia Neal on the cover.
243. -. Same title, the later Popular Library paperback, issued after The Last Picture Show. Several creases to the front cover; about near fine in wrappers.
244. McMURTRY, Larry. Leaving Cheyenne. NY: Popular Library (1963). The first paperback edition of his second novel, which, like his first, is one of A.C. Greene's "50 best books on Texas." Near fine in wrappers.
245. McMURTRY, Larry. The Last Picture Show. NY: Dial, 1966. His third novel, basis for the Academy Award-winning movie. Slight spine slant; else fine in a near fine, lightly edgeworn dust jacket with a bit of dust soiling to the spine.
246. (McMURTRY, Larry). "The Old Soldier's Joy" in Texas Quarterly, Vol. VI, No. 3. Austin: U. of Texas, 1963. Nonfiction by McMurtry -- an essay on an annual fiddlers' reunion in Texas. Also, fiction by B. Traven, poetry by Borges. Worn at the spine extremities; else near fine in wrappers.
247. (McMURTRY, Larry). "There Will Be Peace in Korea" in Texas Quarterly, Vol. VII, No. 4. Austin: U. of Texas, 1964. Fiction by McMurtry -- an early version of what became part of the penultimate chapter of The Last Picture Show. There are substantial differences from the final version, including dialogue, descriptions and one of the main character's names. An interesting look at the evolution of a work. Spine worn; very good in wrappers.
248. (McMURTRY, Larry). A Part of Space: Ten Texas Writers. Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press (1969). Includes "Take My Saddle From the Wall: A Valediction," an early essay by McMurtry that appeared in his collection In a Narrow Grave. Other writers contributing include John Howard Griffin, John Graves and William Burford. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
249. (McMURTRY, Larry). Booked Up, Catalog 1. Washington, D.C., 1971. The first book catalog issued by McMurtry's rare book store. An offering of first editions, from James Agee to Arnold Zweig, along with a handful of collections, including an extraordinary Stone & Kimball collection. McMurtry, in addition to being a novelist, essayist and screenwriter, has been a bookseller since the late 1950s, and his Washington, D.C., store has been a landmark in the rare book community. He has since embarked on turning his boyhood home of Archer City, Texas, into a book town, with hundreds of thousands of used and rare books for sale throughout the small town. An interesting look at one of his early professional efforts as a rare book dealer. Quarto. Fine in stapled wrappers.
250. (McMURTRY, Larry). PHILLIPS, Raymond C., Jr. "The Ranch as Place and Symbol in the Novels of Larry McMurtry" in South Dakota Review, Vol. 13, No. 2. (Vermillion): (U of South Dakota) (1975). Near fine in wrappers.
251. (McMURTRY, Larry). NEINSTEIN, Raymond L. The Ghost Country. Berkeley: Creative Arts, 1976. A short critical study of McMurtry's first five novels in the "Modern Authors Monographs Series." Fine in wrappers.
252. (McMURTRY, Larry). REYNOLDS, Clay, ed. Taking Stock. A Larry McMurtry Casebook. Dallas: Southern Methodist U. Press (1989). Includes reprints of articles on McMurtry by Donald Barthelme, Louise Erdrich, and Pauline Kael, among many others. This is the simultaneous softcover issue. One faint spine crease, else fine in wrappers. Includes a comprehensive secondary bibliography of works about McMurtry's writings.
253. McNAIR, Wesley. 12 Journeys in Maine. Portland: Romulus, 1992. One of 120 numbered copies, quarterbound in goatskin, and signed by the author and the artist, Marjorie Moore. An attractive fine press production, with twelve poems by McNair, each illustrated with a screen print by Moore.
254. McNAMEE, Eoin. Resurrection Man. (London): Picador (1994). The first novel by this young Irish writer, which has been compared favorably to Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Scarce in the hardcover edition.
255. McPHEE, John. A Sense of Where You Are. NY: FSG (1965). The first book by this Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a profile of current Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Bradley from the time when he was a Princeton basketball player and Rhodes scholar. A portion of this book first appeared as a "Profile" in The New Yorker, where McPhee's prose in the 1960s and 1970s helped elevate nonfiction writing to the realm of literary art. Minor offsetting to front endpapers; else fine in a near fine, slightly spine-faded dust jacket. A very nice copy of this book, which often shows up with one or more of the signatures loose, etc.
256. McPHEE, John. The Headmaster. NY: FSG (1966). McPhee's second book, a portrait of Frank L. Boyden, the longtime Headmaster of Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, where McPhee was a student during Boyden's tenure. Just a touch of shelfwear and top edge foxing; very near fine in a near fine, lightly rubbed and price-clipped dust jacket.
257. MILLER, Arthur. The Crucible. NY: Viking, 1953. His first play after winning the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Death of A Salesman in 1949. This tale of the Salem witch trials in 1692 was written at the height of the anti-Communist fever of the McCarthy era and drew clear parallels between the witch hunts of Salem and the "witch hunts" of McCarthyism, both equally inspired by irrational fear. Miller himself was one of the many artists and public figures who, when summoned before McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee because of his left-wing leanings, refused to give names to the committee. Fine in a spine-faded dust jacket with an internally tape-mended edge tear; otherwise near fine.
258. MOODY, Rick. The Ice Storm. Boston: Little Brown (1994). His second book, made into a film by Ang Lee that won an award at Cannes, for best screenplay adaptation from a novel, and was the only American film to be honored at Cannes that year. Moody was selected by the New Yorker for its list of the "20 Best Young Writers" in America. Fine in a fine dust jacket, and signed by the author.
259. MOODY, Rick. Purple America. Boston: Little Brown (1997). His fourth book, second novel. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
260. MOORE, Brian. The Great Victorian Collection. (n.p.): (n.p.)(n.d.). [1975]. The photocopied typescript of this novel. 266 pages, reproducing the author's holograph corrections. With the pencilled annotation on the cover sheet "Farrar Straus - ??" Farrar did end up publishing the book. This is by all appearances a contemporary photocopy, to judge from the quality of the reproduction as well as the minor wear to the edges of the pages, and apparently dates from a time before the book had been accepted for publication. Inscribed by the author. Near fine.
261. MOORE, Robin. The French Connection. Boston: Little Brown (1969). Nonfiction, about a famous drug case, written in the style of a novel. Moore wrote several books in this style in the 1960s and early 1970s, notably The Green Berets. Like Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, his books helped blur the line between fiction and nonfiction, helping lead to both the New Journalism and the so-called "nonfiction novel." The 1971 movie adaptation won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (William Friedkin), Best Actor (Gene Hackman), Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Medium and Best Editing. Fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket. A surprisingly uncommon book in collectible condition.
262. MORRIS, Wright. My Uncle Dudley. NY: Harcourt, Brace (1942). The very scarce first novel by the two-time National Book Award-winning author of Field of Vision and Plain Song, among others. This is a very near fine copy in a near fine, spine-sunned and mildly dusty jacket. An attractive copy of a surprisingly elusive first book.
263. MORRIS, Wright. The Inhabitants. NY: Scribner, 1946. The author's first book of photographs, for which he also wrote the text. Quarto; fine in a very good, rubbed and price-clipped dust jacket.
264. -. Another copy. Fine in a very good, internally tape-repaired dust jacket. Difficult to find in collectible condition as a result of its being printed on paper left from cheap wartime stocks.
265. MORRIS, Wright. The Huge Season. NY: Viking (1954). His ninth book in 12 years, this one a finalist for the National Book Award. Near fine in a very good, spine-faded dust jacket with a few edge tears.
266. MORRIS, Wright. Love Among the Cannibals. NY: Harcourt Brace (1957). His eleventh book. Morris's previous novel, The Field of Vision, won the 1957 National Book Award. This book was a finalist for the 1958 National Book Award -- an unprecedented accomplishment for an American novelist: three consecutive books, in the span of three years, that were finalists for the NBA, with one of them winning. Small spot to lower edge of text block; else fine in a very good dust jacket with a few small holes along the folds.
267. MORRIS, Wright. Ceremony in Lone Tree. NY: Atheneum, 1960. Another National Book Award finalist for Morris. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light wear to the spine extremities.
268. MORRIS, Wright. What a Way to Go. NY: Atheneum, 1962. A novel. Fine in a dusty, near fine dust jacket.
269. MORRIS, Wright. Cause for Wonder. NY: Atheneum, 1963. The third state, with all the transposed pages of the first two states corrected. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with one closed tear at the bottom of the front spine fold.
270. MORRIS, Wright. One Day. NY: Atheneum, 1965. A fine copy in a very good, black dust jacket rubbed at the edges and folds.
271. MORRIS, Wright. In Orbit. (NY): New American Library (1967). Fine in a near fine, unlaminated dust jacket with some trace rubbing.
272. MORRIS, Wright. A Reader. New York: Harper & Row (1970). A selection from his work, including two complete novels, excerpts from seven other novels, two short stories and two essays. Introduction by Granville Hicks. Fine in a very near fine, mildly spine-tanned dust jacket.
273. MORRIS, Wright. Fire Sermon. NY: Harper & Row (1971). Inscribed by the author in the year of publication to noted author Carlos Baker, Hemingway's biographer: "For Dorothy & Carlos Baker/ who have witnessed/ the Fire/ and now heard/ the Sermon/ Wright Morris/ Princeton 10-13-71." Carlos Baker's ownership signature appears on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine jacket a bit worn at spine crown.
274. -. Another copy. Fine in a very slightly spine-tanned jacket.
275. -. Another copy. Fine in a near fine, spine-faded dust jacket.
276. -. Same title. Long galley sheets of this novel, with copyediting/proofreading marks throughout. Folded once, otherwise fine. Scarce.
277. MORRIS, Wright. War Games. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow, 1972. A review copy of the wrappered issue of this novel written, but not published, in the early 1950s. One of 1500 copies. Near fine.
278. MORRIS, Wright. A Life. NY: Harper & Row (1973). A novel. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
279. MORRIS, Wright. About Fiction. NY: Harper & Row (1975). A collection of essays on writing and reading. Morris' own copy, from his library, with his ownership signature. Fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
280. MORRIS, Wright. Real Losses, Imaginary Gains. NY: Harper & Row (1976). A collection of short stories. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
281. MORRIS, Wright. The Fork River Space Project. NY: Harper & Row (1977). Tiny bump to lower board edge; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
282. MORRIS, Wright. Collected Stories, 1948-1986. NY: Harper & Row (1986). The uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers.
283. MUNRO, Alice. Lives of Girls and Women. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson (1971). The second book, first novel, by this multiple winner of Canada's Governor General's Award. This title won an award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for best novel of the year. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with slight edgewear.
284. MUNRO, Alice. Who Do You Think You Are? Toronto: Macmillan of Canada (1978). The first edition of the second of her books to win Canada's Governor General's Award; published in the U.S. a year later under the title The Beggar Maid. A collection of stories. Near fine in a near fine, moderately edgeworn dust jacket.