Catalog 117, S-V
320. SAGAN, Françoise. Un Certain Sourire. Paris: René Julliard (1956). Her second book, published a little over a year after the astonishing success of Bonjour Tristesse. Of a total edition of 875 numbered copies, this is one of an unspecified number of unnumbered review copies, specified "S.P." This copy is inscribed by the author. Pages faintly acidified; else fine in wrappers.
321. SALINGER, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. [Boston: Little Brown, 1951]. The Book of the Month club edition of Salinger's classic first book, a coming-of-age novel that has influenced successive generations of young people with its adolescent hero's rejection of the "phoniness" of the adult world around him combined with the authenticity of his voice. Signed by the author on the half title. Some handling apparent on black boards; near fine in a very good dust jacket with several edge tears and a small chip that have been internally tape-repaired. An extremely scarce signature: Salinger's reclusiveness is legendary, and any signed copy of Catcher in the Rye is one of the most elusive of all 20th century books, perhaps the most elusive. The last copy we saw offered for sale was the one inscribed to Howard Moss, Salinger's editor at The New Yorker, over 15 years ago.
322. SASSOON, Siegfried. Memoirs of an Infantry Officer. London: Faber & Faber (1931). The first illustrated edition of this classic memoir of World War I, by one of the leading British poets of his time, and one of the few who survived the war. This is copy No. 5 of 320 numbered copies signed by the author and the artist, Barnett Freedman. Fifteen plates by Freedman in addition to the endpages and other illustrations. Joints tender; mild splaying to front board; near fine, without dust jacket. An attractive edition of one of the classics of war literature.
323. SCHICKLER, David. Kissing in Manhattan. (NY): Dial Press (2001). The advance reading copy of this well-received first book. Fine in wrappers.
324. SCHUYLER, James. Alfred & Guinevere. NY: Harcourt Brace (1958). The racy, comic first novel by one of the foremost poets of the New York School. This copy is inscribed by the author to poet Gerard Malanga, "with love," an excellent association between two prominent New York poets. Near fine in a very good, mildly spine-sunned dust jacket with two edge tears and light wear to the spine extremities.
325. SCHUYLER, James. The Morning of the Poem. NY: FSG (1980). His Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of poems. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication. Fine in a fine, slightly dusty dust jacket.
326. SIMON, Neil. Three from the Stage. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1995. Three plays by the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. This is the first publication of "Laughter on the 23rd Floor," and republishes one of the Tony Award winners, "Lost in Yonkers." Also includes "Jake's Women," and a previously unpublished introduction by Simon about the plays and their background. Signed by the author. Leatherbound, all edges gilt, with a silk ribbon marker bound in. Fine.
327. SOUTHERN, Terry. Now Dig This. NY: Grove Press (2001). The advance reading copy of this collection of Southern's writings, 1950-1995. Edited by Nile Southern and Josh Alan Friedman. Fine in wrappers.
328. STONE, Robert. Dog Soldiers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (1974). His second novel, winner of the National Book Award and one of the best novels to link the impact of the Vietnam war on American society in the Sixties to the dark side of that era -- the official corruption and the underside of the drug experiences of a generation. Inscribed by the author. Faint foredge foxing, else fine in a near fine dust jacket with one gutter nick and offsetting to the flaps. Small flaws notwithstanding, a beautiful copy, with a nice inscription.
329. STONE, Robert. Damascus Gate. (London): Picador (1998). The advance reading copy of the first British edition of this novel, a densely plotted political and metaphysical thriller set in contemporary Jerusalem. Fine in wrappers.
330. SURI, Manil. The Death of Vishnu. NY: Norton (2001). The advance reading copy of the first American edition of this first novel, which was one of the most highly praised books of the season when it was published earlier this year. Fine in wrappers.
331. SWIFT, Graham. Waterland. London: Heinemann (1983). His fourth book, nominated for the Booker Prize, and basis for a 1992 movie with Jeremy Irons and Ethan Hawke. Swift won the Booker for Last Orders. Fine in dust jacket.
332. THOMPSON, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. NY: Random House (1971). Thompson's hilarious, drug-soaked memoir of a trip to Vegas -- the book that defined "gonzo journalism." Illustrated by Ralph Steadman, with his bizarre and unforgettable ink drawings, the perfect complement to Thompson's bizarre and unforgettable prose. Small notation on front pastedown under flap, boards a bit edge-sunned; near fine in a very near fine dust jacket.
333. THOMPSON, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in America. NY: Simon & Schuster (2000). The uncorrected proof copy of the second of three volumes of his letters, following The Proud Highway. With an "Author's Note" by Thompson. A bulky proof with trace edge creasing; still about fine in wrappers.
334. THOMPSON, Jim. Nothing More than Murder. NY: Harper & Brothers (1949). His scarce third novel, and the last hardcover he published before moving on to a career of writing pulp paperbacks, some of which, like The Killer Inside Me, have 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 a fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with very light edge wear, including a few tiny chips at the crown. A very attractive copy of an uncommon book.
335. THURBER, James. People Have More Fun Than Anybody. NY: Harcourt, Brace (1994). The uncorrected proof copy of a collection issued on the 100th anniversary of Thurber's birth. Quarto. One small corner crease; else fine in wrappers.
336. TOSCHES, Nick. Where Dead Voices Gather. Boston: Little Brown (2001). The uncorrected proof copy of this well-received book on music, focusing on the life of an early jazz singer. Fine in wrappers.
337. TROCCHI, Alexander. Cain's Book. NY: Grove Press (1960). The first book by this Scottish writer, a landmark of drug literature and a book linking the fiction of the Beat era with the literature of the Sixties. Trocchi was imprisoned in the U.S. shortly after this book was published for trafficking in heroin, which became a cause célèbre in avant garde circles and prompted a resolution demanding his release at the Fourth Conference of the Situationist International. He was friends with such figures as Burroughs, Ginsberg, Genet, Timothy Leary and R. D. Laing. This is the simultaneous softcover issue of this autobiographical novel, and is signed by the author. Trace wear to spine; else fine in wrappers. Trocchi's signature is quite scarce, especially on copies of his important first book.
338. TWAIN, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. NY: Charles L. Webster, 1885. The first American edition of Twain's masterpiece, with the earliest issue points recorded for cloth copies (some copies in leather bindings and the prospectus have earlier points that do not show up elsewhere): pages 13 and 57 are uncorrected; page 283 and the title page are cancels; page 9 reads "Decided"; page 143 reads "Co. Grangerford." Also page 155 has the last "5" in a larger font (no priority); and the frontispiece has the Heliotype imprint and the visible tablecloth (again, no priority). Very slight rubbing to the spine ends and tips; near fine, in green cloth. Huck Finn is universally acknowledged to be one of the world's great books -- ostensibly an adventure story of a twelve year-old boy on a raft trip with an escaped Negro slave in the days before the Civil War, it is a complex and deeply moral coming-of-age story full of ironies, satire, and wit that is as fresh and barbed today as it was a hundred years ago. Hemingway once said that all American literature derived from Huck Finn. A very attractive copy of one of the key American novels.
339. TYLER, Anne. If Morning Ever Comes. NY: Knopf, 1964. Her first novel, written when she was just 22, and which had a first printing of only 4000 copies. This copy has soiled covers and the spine gilt has flaked some, a not unusual occurrence with this title. Overall, about very good in a near fine dust jacket with slight wear at the crown and small shadows on the flaps from an earlier jacket protector. A presentable copy of an important first book.
340. TYLER, Anne. Searching for Caleb. NY: Knopf, 1976. The uncorrected proof copy of her sixth novel, which was published at a time when Tyler was critically respected but had still not reached the level of popular and commercial success that she has since attained. Author and title written on spine; month on bottom page edges; "good" written in pencil on publisher's label on front cover. A bit of creasing at the corners of the front cover; light fading overall, but still near fine in tall wrappers. A very scarce proof.
341. TYLER, Anne. Breathing Lessons. NY: Knopf, 1988. The uncorrected proof copy of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. This is the second issue proof, with the first leaf corrected so that Tyler's previous publications are listed on the verso rather than the recto. Fine in wrappers.
342. TYLER, Anne. Ladder of Years. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1995. The true first edition, a limited edition with a special introduction by Tyler relating the genesis of the book. Leatherbound, all edges gilt, and with a ribbon marker bound in. Signed by the author. This is the issue in the medium blue binding. Fine.
343. -. Same title, this being the issue in the black/deep navy binding. Given the Franklin Library's penchant for having the color of the ribbon marker either match the leather or be of a neutral yellow-gold shade to match the stamping, it's possible that the black binding is the later issue, as the ribbon is blue; in any case, it is quite unusual for there to be different colored bindings for a Franklin Library publication. Fine.
344. UPDIKE, John. The Same Door. NY: Knopf, 1959. His third book and first collection of stories. Inscribed by the author. A fine copy in a near fine, lightly rubbed dust jacket with slight edge wear, internally tape-strengthened at the crown. One of his scarcest books in collectible condition.
345. UPDIKE, John. Pigeon Feathers. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1981. A limited edition of this collection of stories. Leatherbound, all edges gilt, silk ribbon marker bound in. An unusual volume, which has no title on the spine, or anywhere on the covers, and doesn't fit into the Franklin Library's usual format of being either signed, or an award winner, with a new introduction by the author. Fine.
346. UPDIKE, John. Trust Me. NY: Knopf, 1987. The limited edition of this collection of stories. One of 350 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine in the publisher's acetate dust jacket and a fine slipcase. This limited edition has an entirely different binding from the trade edition.
347. UPDIKE, John. S. NY: Knopf, 1988. An epistolary novel based on an ashram similar to that operated by the popular guru Rajneesh during the 70's and 80's. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
348. -. Same title, the limited edition. One of 350 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine in a fine slipcase.
349. UPDIKE, John. Just Looking. NY: Knopf, 1989. The uncorrected proof copy of this heavily illustrated collection of essays on art. Quarto. Covers scuffed; about near fine in wrappers. Generally, proofs in this format are done in smaller quantities than the standard octavo bound proofs.
350. UPDIKE, John. In the Beauty of the Lilies. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1996. The true first edition. Leatherbound, page edges gilt, with a silk ribbon marker bound in. Fine, and signed by the author, with a special introduction by him for this edition. In all likelihood, printed in an edition of about 3000-3500 copies, i.e., a small fraction of the trade first printing, announced as 75,000 copies.
351. UPDIKE, John. Bech at Bay. NY: Knopf, 1998. A sequel to Bech: A Book and Bech is Back. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
352. UPDIKE, John. More Matter. NY: Knopf, 1999. The uncorrected proof copy of his 50th book, a collection of essays and criticism from the previous eight years, with a preface by the author. A massive proof, nearly 900 pages; trace bump; else fine in wrappers with the cover art bound in. Proof number (the number "9") written on spine, suggesting that a only a small number of these were done and that, at one point, the publisher was attempting to keep track of each copy.
353. UPDIKE, John. Gertrude and Claudius. NY: Knopf, 2000. A departure from Updike's usual contemporary suburban milieu and a venture into the realm of the historical novel, with Updike writing about the king and queen of Denmark in the years before the action of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
354. UPDIKE, John. Licks of Love. NY: Knopf, 2000. A collection of short stories and a novella, "Rabbit Remembered," a sequel to the Rabbit Angstrom sequence. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
355. UPDIKE, John. Americana and Other Poems. NY: Knopf, 2001. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
356. -. Another copy, signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
357. (UPDIKE, John). WILDE, Oscar. The Young King. NY: Macmillan, 1962. Updike provides the foreword to Wilde's three illustrated fairy tales. This is the "Master Library Edition" in printed, not pictorial, boards. Large quarto. A near fine copy (small foredge bump) in a fine dust jacket with the library edition label at the lower spine. An early Updike "B" item, and one of his scarcest.
358. VALLEJO, César. Twenty Poems of César Vallejo. (Madison): Sixties House, 1962. Twenty poems by the Peruvian poet, chosen and translated by John Knoepfle, James Wright and Robert Bly, with introductory remarks about Vallejo by Knoepfle and Wright. From the library of poet Barbara Howes, with a couple of her pencilled marginal marks; near fine in wrappers and very good, sunned dust jacket with tears at the spine extremities.
359. (VOLLMANN, William T.). MILLER, Ken. The Green Dress "13 Stories." 1988. A photograph of Vollmann by Miller, who has provided author photos for several of Vollmann's books. This one shows Vollmann in a slip and stocking feet, holding a beer and a gun. No. 2 of 40 numbered copies signed by Miller. Black & white; approximately 13" x 19". Matted and framed to 20" x 25". Fine.
360. VONNEGUT, Kurt. Unpublished Interview. (n.p.: n.p., n.d.) [c.1973]. Galley sheets of an unpublished interview with Vonnegut by Loree Rackstraw and Jerome Klinkowitz, who later compiled the Vonnegut bibliography. Seven galleys, each 4" x 24", folded in half. Signed by Vonnegut in 1996. A lengthy interview with Vonnegut, which never saw print, this being presumably one of the very few copies of this printed text in existence, possibly the only copy. Fine.