Catalog 113, B
39. BANVILLE, John. The Untouchable. (London): Picador (1997). Signed by the author in the year of publication. A bit of rubbing to the rear panel; else fine in a fine dust jacket, with a blurb by Don DeLillo.
40. BARNES, Julian. Flaubert's Parrot. London: Jonathan Cape (1984). Barnes's breakthrough book, a combination of fiction, literary history, criticism and biography, and one of the most highly praised books of the decade. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with faint sunning to the top edge.
41. -. Same title. NY: Knopf, 1985. The first American edition. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
42. BARRE, Richard. Bearing Secrets. NY: Walker (1996). His second Wil Hardesty mystery. Signed by the author. Bumped at the spine base; near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Laid in are three autograph notes signed by the author: the first is on a publicity postcard for Bearing Secrets; the second is on a publicity postcard for The Ghosts of Morning; and the third is on a sheet of personal stationery thanking the reader for his support and saying "Will do my best to make The Ghosts of Morning live up to your expectations." The first of these notes is near fine; the other two are fine. Barre's first novel, The Innocents, won a Shamus Award for best first mystery.
43. BELLOW, Saul. Dangling Man. NY: Vanguard (1944). The scarce first book by the Nobel Prize winner and three-time winner of the National Book Award for fiction -- an unprecedented accomplishment in American letters -- as well as a Pulitzer Prize winner for Humboldt's Gift. This is a wartime production printed on the cheap paper typical of the day and therefore seldom encountered in collectible condition. This copy has a previous owner label on the front pastedown and some waterstaining to the top edges of the boards; a very good copy in a good, spine-faded dust jacket with several small chips to the edges and the folds, most of which have been internally tape-mended.
44. BELLOW, Saul. To Jerusalem and Back. NY: Viking (1976). Bellow's first book of nonfiction, a personal account of the author's visit to Israel in 1975, published the year he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. This is the uncorrected proof copy, which shows the change in subtitle from "A Personal Syllabus" to "A Personal Account." Spine- and edge-sunned; very good in wrappers. Together with a copy of the first edition. Fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with one edge tear and a gutter nick.
45. BENEDICT, Pinckney. The Wrecking Yard. NY: Doubleday/Talese (1992). The second collection of stories by the author of Town Smokes, and his first hardcover publication. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
46. BENEDICT, Pinckney. Dogs of God. NY: Doubleday/Talese (1994). His third book, first novel. Touted as "a cross between Barry Hannah and Cormac McCarthy." Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Laid in is an autograph postcard signed agreeing to sign the book.
47. BERG, Elizabeth. The Pull of the Moon. NY: Random House (1996). Her fourth book, a novel, with blurbs by Jill McCorkle and Andre Dubus, among others. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
48. BESTON, Henry. Herbs and the Earth. Garden City: Doubleday Doran, 1935. The second book by the author of the classic, The Outermost House, one of the defining books of the "literature of place" in the U.S. in the 20th century and as such a key text in the development of an environmental consciousness. Inscribed by the author: "For Anne Wogan from a/ Maine farmer with/ permanent sand in his shoes/ Henry/ 1935." Offsetting to an inner page from clippings about Beston laid in; a near fine copy, lacking the dust jacket.
49. BLEVINS, Winfred. Give Your Heart to the Hawks. Los Angeles: Nash Publishing (1973). Nonfiction, a tribute to the mountain men of the 19th century, whose free spirits helped define the Western character. Inscribed by the author to Pauline Kael, former film critic for The New Yorker, with a short thank-you note from the author also laid in. Fine in a fine dust jacket with a crease on the front flap.
50. BLOCK, Lawrence. A Dance at the Slaughterhouse. NY: Morrow (1991). The tenth Matt Scudder novel by this award-winning mystery writer. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
51. BORGES, Jorge Luis. Antología Personal. Buenos Aires: Sur (1961). Borges' own selection from among his writings, issued by a publisher that he and his literary circle had helped found some 30 years earlier and by this time was one of the leading publishers of literary work in Latin America. Signed by the author. Light sunning and foredge foxing; a near fine copy in wrappers, in a near fine dust jacket with several small edge tears.
52. BORGES, Jorge Luis. Prólogos. Buenos Aires: Torres Agüero (1975). A collection of Borges' introductions to other writers' works, with an added introduction to this collection. Signed by the author. Small bookstore stamp on first blank; spine cocked and creased; very good in wrappers. Uncommon: the first printing was only 5000 copies, a very small number for Borges at that point in his career, and doubtless very few of them would ever have been signed.
53. BOSWELL, Thomas. Why Time Begins on Opening Day. Garden City: Doubleday, 1984. The second book by the author of How Life Imitates the World Series and longtime sports columnist for the Washington Post, whose baseball writings are universally considered among the best, and most transcendent, in the annals of American sportswriting. Paper clip marks on prelims; near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Laid in is an autograph postcard signed by the author.
54. BOWEN, Peter. Specimen Song. NY: St. Martin's (1995). A Montana mystery featuring Gabriel du Pré, the Métis protagonist of a number of Bowen's novels, and a figure who embodies the heritage and ethos of the old West -- self-reliance, an appreciation of the beauty and the harshness of the natural world, and a distrust of outsiders and do-gooders. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with trace edge rubbing.
55. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. Lay the Marble Tea. San Francisco: Carp Press, 1959. His third book, and first collection of poems (his earlier two books were each a single poem). A small pamphlet, printing twenty-four poems and with a cover illustration by Kenn Davis. A couple of very small, lightly abraded spots on the front cover; else fine in stapled wrappers. A very nice copy of a scarce early book by a writer who later came to epitomize the sensibility of the new West -- whimsy, generosity, a sensitivity to the natural world, and a predilection for mind-altering substances.
56. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. The Octopus Frontier. San Francisco: Carp Press, 1960. Brautigan's uncommon fourth book, and his third collection of poems. Although there is no indication of the size of the edition either in the book itself, in Lepper, or in the bibliography published in 1990, all of Brautigan's books that precede Confederate General from Big Sur are exceptionally scarce and seem to have either been done in very small quantities or to have disappeared over the years as such slight, fragile volumes are wont to do. This copy has a couple of small, light spots on the front cover and is otherwise fine in stapled wrappers.
57. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. A Confederate General from Big Sur. NY: Grove (1964). His first novel. Brautigan's writings influenced an entire generation and, although he fell out of literary favor for a time -- culminating in his suicide in 1984 -- there has been a resurgence of interest in his writings as he has come to be seen as an American original whose sense of humor epitomized the innocence and aspirations of his time. Fine in a fine dust jacket. An exceptional copy of a book that seldom shows up in fine condition.
58. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. September California. [San Francisco]: [San Francisco Arts Festival Commission] [1964]. An attractive broadside illustrated by Richard Correll. Limited to 300 copies signed by Brautigan and Correll. According to Lepper, "most" copies were signed. This was issued as part of a portfolio of broadsides by various poets but here is offered separately. A fine copy of a scarce, early Brautigan item, only the second signed edition to be issued of his work (there were 167 signed copies of Galilee Hitch-Hiker six years earlier). Attractively matted.
59. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. The Galilee Hitch-Hiker. (San Francisco): (Cranium) (1966). The second edition of Brautigan's scarce second book, originally published in 1958 in an edition of 200 copies. This edition was limited to 700 copies. Fine in saddle-stitched wrappers.
60. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace. (San Francisco): Communication Company (1967). A classic collection of poetry, printed by the Communication Company to be given away free. The title poem in the collection was also Brautigan's contribution to the "Digger Papers." One of 1500 copies total, although many of them were mis-bound, resulting in duplicate poems, missing poems, etc. This copy has all of the 33 poems it should have. Fine in stapled wrappers.
61. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. Please Plant This Book. (San Francisco): (Mackintosh) (1968). Cardstock folder illustrated with photographs and containing eight seed packets, each printed with a poem by Brautigan. A near fine copy with the seed packets intact and the seeds still present, but with mild acidification to the packets and the inside of the folder. An artifact of the Sixties: it was given away free, with copyright also freely given on the condition that the book not be sold.
62. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. The San Francisco Weather Report. Goleta: Unicorn Books, 1969. The second printing of this broadside poem, first issued in a slightly smaller size by G. Mackintosh in 1968. 9" x 12". Mildly edge-sunned as though previously framed. Near fine.
63. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. Trout Fishing in America, The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster, and In Watermelon Sugar. NY: Delacorte Press (1969). The first combined edition and, other than the scarce signed limited editions of the latter two titles, the first hardcover appearances of all three. Signed by the author in April, 1970, six months after publication. Owner notation on flyleaf; rubbing to boards; about near fine in a very good, rubbed and spotted dust jacket.
64. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. Five Poems. (n.p.): Serendipity Books, 1971. A broadside (actually a "free wideside") published for the International Antiquarian Book Fair in New York. 17" x 11". Fine.
65. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. Loading Mercury with a Pitchfork. NY: Simon & Schuster (1976). The hardcover issue of a collection of poems that has proven over the years to be much scarcer than one would expect. There was a simultaneous issue in wrappers, which is what mainly circulated to the book trade. Remainder stripe lower page edges; near fine in a rubbed, very good dust jacket.
66. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. June 30th, June 30th. (NY): Delacorte/Seymour Lawrence (1978). A collection of poems, and one of the scarcer titles from the late period of Brautigan's career. After his enormous popularity with the counterculture of the 1960s, which continued into the early 1970s, Brautigan fell out of critical favor: his writing was viewed as too whimsical and lightweight, not political enough, etc. Whereas his novels of the early Seventies -- such as The Hawkline Monster, Willard and His Bowling Trophies and Sombrero Fallout -- had sizable first printings, his poetry collections of the late Seventies had comparatively smaller printings and were issued simultaneously in both hardcover and paperback, meaning the hardcover editions were quite scarce, as most of the demand for Brautigan titles was in the youth market, where price was more a consideration than binding. This is the hardcover issue and is signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with a Jim Harrison blurb on the front flap.
67. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. The Tokyo-Montana Express. NY: Targ Editions (1979). An attractive limited edition of a portion of the novel of the same name, which was published the following year. One of 350 copies signed by the author. Fine in a fine, glassine dust jacket.
68. (BRAUTIGAN, Richard). The Overland Journey of Joseph Francl. San Francisco: Wreden, 1968. Brautigan provides the introduction to this attractively printed volume excerpting the journals of "the first Bohemian to enter Nebraska." Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Patricia Oberhaus. One of 540 copies. Fine in a plain white dust jacket, as issued.
69. BROOK, Peter. The Empty Space. NY: Atheneum, 1968. The first American edition of this influential book on theater by the noted director. Fine in a near fine dust jacket, with a number of articles about Brook laid in. From the library of noted film critic Pauline Kael.
70. (BROWER, David). Only a Little Planet. San Francisco: Friends of the Earth (n.d.) [1972]. Photographs by Lawrence Collins; text by Martin Schweitzer; edited and with a foreword by David Brower and signed by Brower. Brower, who died last year, is widely considered the most important American environmentalist of the 20th century. He began working for the Sierra Club in 1933 and became its first Executive Director, a position he held from 1952 to 1969, overseeing its transformation from a small climbing club to a national environmental and conservation organization. When he left the Sierra Club (he was asked to leave because he was now too "radical" for the organization), he founded Friends of the Earth, another radical environmental organization, and when that organization became increasingly mainstream and asked Brower to leave, he founded Earth Island Institute. Throughout it all, Brower's uncompromising vision helped guide the environmental movement toward an increasingly clear recognition of the earth as a "whole system" and an irreplaceable resource and gift. Quarto. Covers slightly splayed; spots page 31; near fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
71. BROWN, Alan. Audrey Hepburn's Neck. NY: Pocket Books (1996). The advance reading copy of this well-received first novel. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
72. BROWN, Rita Mae. Six of One. NY: Harper & Row (1978). A novel by the author of Rubyfruit Jungle. Laid in is an autograph note signed to film critic Pauline Kael: "Hurrah for your review of [Woody Allen's] Interiors. That took courage. As usual, I am informed and enlightened by your insights." The note is folded once; the book is fine in a fine dust jacket.
73. BURGESS, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. London: Heinemann (1962). The uncorrected proof copy of the true first edition of his alarming and controversial view of a future beset by violence, technological excess and authoritarianism, made into the classic film by Stanley Kubrick in 1971. Modest spine and corner creasing; mild edge-sunning. Small edge tear on first blank. A very good copy of a scarce and fragile state of this novel of societal breakdown that was influential even before Kubrick made his film. One of the few copies of this proof we have seen, and probably the best copy we have seen offered.
74. (BURROUGHS, William). Gnaoua, No. 1. (Tangier): (Ira Cohen), 1964. The first issue of this literary magazine/anthology, with work by Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Brion Gysin, Michael McClure, and others. Cohen lived in Tangier for four years, and Burroughs was already living there, having gone there after running into legal problems in the U.S. and Mexico, and after reading about it in Paul Bowles' and Jane Bowles' books. Brion Gysin also lived there at the time, and Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac visited; it was in Tangier that Kerouac reportedly suggested to Burroughs that he collect his various writings and publish them as Naked Lunch. Cohen, himself a poet, photographer and filmmaker, later moved to Nepal, where he founded the Bardo Matrix imprint, which published Bowles, Charles Henri Ford and Gregory Corso, among others. This copy is signed by Burroughs, with a much later (1987) autograph postcard signed from Ira Cohen laid in. Near fine in spine-faded wrappers. Scarce.