Catalog 124, F-G
157. FITZGERALD, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. NY: Scribner, 1925. Fitzgerald's third novel and, by consensus, his masterpiece -- one of the great American novels of the twentieth century. This is the first issue, with "sick in tired" on page 205. Faint foxing to cloth and top page edges; very near fine with spine gilt bright, lacking the dust jacket.
158. FORD, G.M. Who in Hell is Wanda Fuca? NY: Walker (1995). A highly praised, humorous first mystery, introducing Leo Waterman. Nominated for an Edgar Award for Best First Mystery of the year. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
159. FORD, Richard. My Mother, In Memory. Elmwood: Raven Editions, 1988. A limited edition of this essay, a shorter version of which had appeared in Harper's. Issued in a total edition of 140 copies, this is one of 100 numbered copies in Japanese dyed wrappers. Signed by the author and the artist, Russell Chatham, who provided an original linecut as illustration. Faint spine sunning; else fine, with the publisher's prospectus laid in.
160. FOWLES, John. The Collector. Boston: Little Brown (1963). The first American edition of his first book, which remains one of the small handful of successful fictional treatments of the passion for collecting taken to the extreme. Fine in a dust jacket with light rubbing at the crown; else fine.
161. FOWLES, John. The French Lieutenant's Woman. Boston: Little Brown (1969). The first American edition of what many consider to be Fowles' best and most important book, a landmark novel that uses an unconventional love story to explore the decline of Victorian England and the advent of the modern age and modern notions of freedom and self. Owner name on first blank; near fine in a near fine dust jacket with numbers on verso.
162. -. Same title. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1979. A limited edition signed by the author, with a special introduction by him for this edition. Leatherbound, all edges gilt, with a silk ribbon marker bound in. Fine. Includes the 22-page pamphlet of "Notes from the Editors," discussing Fowles and his work.
163. FOWLES, John. Daniel Martin. London: Cape (1977). A large, ambitious novel that spans three decades and self-consciously sets out to explore "what it is to be English." Signed by the author. Fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
164. FOWLES, John. Mantissa. London: Cape (1982). His sixth novel. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
165. -. Same title, the first American edition. Boston: Little Brown (1982). Signed by the author. Fine in a slightly spine-tanned, else fine dust jacket.
166. -. Same title, the limited edition. One of 500 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine in a fine slipcase.
167. FOWLES, John. A Maggot. London: Cape (1985). His seventh novel. Fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
168. -. Same title. Boston: Little Brown (1985). The American limited edition. One of 350 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine in a fine slipcase.
169. FOWLES, John. Behind The Magus. (London): Colophon Press, 1994. Of a total edition of 232 copies, this is one of 200 numbered copies signed by the author. Seventeen pages of autobiographical text, covering the circumstances behind The Magus. Fine in saddle-stitched wrappers.
170. FOWLES, John and GODWIN, Fay. Islands. London: Cape (1978). Text by Fowles and striking black and white photographs by Godwin. Signed by Fowles. Small quarto. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
171. (FOWLES, John). DE DURFORT, Claire. Ourika. Austin: W. Thomas Taylor, 1977. A short novel originally published in France in the early 1800s, translated and with an introduction and epilogue by Fowles, who cites its influence on his novel The French Lieutenant's Woman. One of 500 copies, printed letterpress on handmade paper at the Bird and Bull Press and bound by Grey Parrot. Signed by Fowles at the end of his epilogue. Slight fading to the blue morocco spine, otherwise fine, without dust jacket, as issued.
172. (FOWLES, John). "I Could Hardly Ignore It" in Dorset West, Vol. 1, No. 7. (Somerset): (Smart Print Publications), 1980. Fowles as interviewed by Madeleine Harvey. Fine in stapled wrappers.
173. FRANZEN, Jonathan. How to Be Alone. NY: FSG (2002). The advance reading copy of this recently published collection of essays by the author of the National Book Award-winning The Corrections. Fine in wrappers.
174. FRAZIER, Charles. Cold Mountain. NY: Atlantic Monthly (1997). A Civil War novel, the author's first book, and a publishing phenomenon: after a modest 25,000 copy first printing, the book went into dozens of additional printings, eventually selling more than a million copies in hardcover and winning the National Book Award -- a rare combination of literary and commercial success for any work of fiction, let alone a first novel. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with the John Berendt blurb attached on a label to the front panel (not exactly an issue point, as some copies had this affixed on publication day, while others didn't).
175. GARDNER, John. The Resurrection. NY: New American Library (1966). His first work of fiction, one of the handful of significant literary first novels that were published by NAL under the editorship of David Segal. NAL was primarily a paperback publisher, with an emphasis on mass market paperbacks and a strong commercial focus. Publishing such writers as Gardner, William Gass, Cynthia Ozick and Michael Shaara was a fairly daring step; given the scarcity of all of their first novels, it would seem that such publishing daring was at least in part counterbalanced with caution in the form of short print runs: this novel, for example, had a 2500 copy first printing. Signed by the author. Tiny bump to top page edges; still fine in a very near fine dust jacket with one short, closed edge tear and slight fading to the color encircling the author's name on the spine. A beautiful copy of this important first book, seldom found in this condition.
176. GARDNER, John. The Wreckage of Agathon. NY: Harper & Row (1970). Gardner's second novel, after The Resurrection and preceding his more well-known Grendel. Dust jacket blurbs by Stanley Elkin and, notably, William Gass, with whom Gardner had a prominent and public dispute in later years over Gardner's concept of "moral fiction" and the responsibilities that entailed for contemporary authors. Gass became the spokesman for the other side of the issue -- arguing that constraining fiction to the requirements of a particular morality was a counterproductive throwback to earlier days when Art was supposed to serve a recognized higher authority and became thereby little more than official propaganda. However, Gass and Gardner had a long relationship and were quite good friends, notwithstanding the public split over this issue. Inscribed by the author: "To ____ and ____/ Best wishes for a/ long happy/ married life/ John Gardner." Some fading to top stain; else fine in a near fine dust jacket with a tear at the upper front spine fold. An uncommon book signed these days, let alone with a nicely personalized inscription like this.
177. GARDNER, John. Grendel. NY: Knopf, 1971. Probably Gardner's best-known novel, a retelling of the Beowulf saga from the point of view of the monster, Grendel. Chosen by Pringle as one of the hundred best fantasy novels of the postwar era and the book that assured Gardner's literary reputation even before his nomination for the National Book Award for Nickel Mountain and his winning the National Book Critics Circle Award for October Light. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine, unfaded dust jacket and extremely scarce thus, especially signed.
178. GARDNER, John. The Sunlight Dialogues. NY: Knopf, 1972. Gardner's fourth novel and the one which is considered by many his magnum opus. Inscribed by the author. Illustrated by John Napper; Gardner believed strongly in the importance of illustrations in his novels -- an uncommon practice these days which harkens back to an earlier era of publishing -- and he was able to persuade his publishers to allow him to indulge this preference. Half-title through page xiv cut short at the foredge, a binding error; this is otherwise a fine copy in a fine dust jacket of a title that was printed on paper that is slightly too heavy for the binding, such that the signatures tend to sag. Overall a very attractive copy of a book that is seldom found this way and even less often found signed.
179. -. Another copy. Fourth printing. Signed by the author in 1975. Front hinge cracked; very good in a very good dust jacket with internally tape-repaired tears along the bottom edge. Photocopied reviews laid in including several from newspapers in the vicinity of Batavia, New York, where the book takes place and where Gardner's family lived.
180. GARDNER, John. Dragon, Dragon. NY: Knopf (1975). His first children's book, a collection of tales based on a group of stories he wrote over a decade earlier for his children and "published" in a privately printed, home-made book. Illustrated by Charles Shields. Fine in the library binding, without dust jacket, as issued.
181. GARDNER, John. Paperbacks. [various places: various publishers, various dates]. First printing paperbacks of ten of Gardner's works, as follows: the first Ballantine editions of The Resurrection (1974), Nickel Mountain (1975), Jason & Medeia (1975), The King's Indian (1976) and October Light (1978). Apart from edge-toning of the pages, each of these is fine with the exception of a spine crease on Jason & Medeia. Also together with the first Bantam edition of Dragon, Dragon (1976), Gudgekin the Thistle Girl (1978) and The King of the Hummingbirds (1979), which has a creased summary page; otherwise these are fine. Also together with the first Arcturus Books edition of The Alliterative Morte Arthure (1973), fine; and the first Vintage edition of The Life and Times of Chaucer (1978), also fine. All of these are the first paperback editions of these titles. The paperback edition of The Resurrection, Gardner's first novel, was published eight years after the hardcover and, according to the bibliographer, incorporates at least 554 textual changes from the earlier edition, made by Gardner. For the ten:
182. GARLAND, Alex. The Beach. (London): Viking (1996). The true first edition of the author's first book, basis for the film with Leonardo DiCaprio. "Damaged" stamp to top edge over a small bump to several page edges; a near fine copy in self-wrappers (not issued in hardcover).
183. GAVIN, Thomas. The Last Film of Emile Vico. (NY): Viking (1986). The author's second book, a well-received Hollywood novel set in 1938. Inscribed by the author in 1997. In the inscription, Gavin provides the last line he wishes he had written for the novel. Fine in a fine dust jacket. An interesting and revealing inscription.
184. -. Same title. The uncorrected proof copy. Inscribed by the author "with friendship" in 1997. Spine-tanned; else fine in wrappers.
185. GEARINO, G.D. Counting Coup. (NY): Simon & Schuster (1997). The author's well-received second book. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
186. GOLDMAN, William. The Temple of Gold. NY: Knopf, 1957. The first book by the author of The Princess Bride, Marathon Man, and many others, as well as many screenplays (All the President's Men, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, etc.). Small bookstore label front pastedown; no top stain; sunning to extreme top edge of board; a very near fine copy in a near fine, spine-tanned dust jacket.
187. GOLDSBOROUGH, Robert. Death on Deadline. NY: Bantam (1987). The author's second Nero Wolfe mystery, reviving one of the key characters in detective fiction over a decade after the death of Rex Stout, the original creator of the character. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication. Several small spots to foredge; else fine in a fine dust jacket, with erratum slip laid in.
188. GOYEN, William. Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. NY: American R.D.M. Corporation (1966). The Study Master Notes to Ellison's book, with text by Goyen. Notes and underlinings in text; near fine in stapled wrappers. Signed by Goyen. An uncommon "A" item by the author of The House of Breath, among others.
189. (Grateful Dead). MOUSE, Stanley. Ice Cream Boy. (n.p.: n.p., n.d.)[1972]. Original sketch for the cover of the Grateful Dead's album "Europe '72," first titled "Overthere." 8 1/2" x 11". Shows an early version of "Ice Cream Boy" -- who became an iconic figure after the album came out -- and the original title, which is written above the figure as "OVERTHERE" (one word) and below him as "OverThere." In this pencil sketch, "Ice Cream Boy" has spiky hair, which was changed in the final version. An early and significant sketch of a key icon of one of the most enduring rock bands of the 1960s, by an artist who was at the forefront of the renaissance of graphic poster art that took place in San Francisco in the 1960s and early 1970s. In addition to numerous posters, Mouse also designed and drew the cover for Workingman's Dead, the first Grateful Dead album to achieve significant commercial success. Several light (coffee?) stains, one corner torn; very good. Signed by Mouse.
190. (Grateful Dead). KELLEY, Alton. Artwork. 1984. Original art for the 1984 Grateful Dead tour shirt, a variation on the "skull and roses" image that Kelley and his then-partner, Stanley Mouse, developed for a Grateful Dead concert at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco in 1966, which became known by the band as "Skullfuck" and is one of the most iconic images associated with the Grateful Dead, and with the San Francisco counterculture. The image was derived from an illustration for The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam done by Edmund Sullivan, which first appeared in 1913. Kelley's and Mouse's images helped define the psychedelic era of the 1960s and original artwork associated with their most famous subject, the Grateful Dead, is rare. On 14 1/4" x 16 1/8" matte board. Fine.
191. GREEN, Henry. Concluding. NY: Viking, 1950. The first American edition of this novel by the author of Loving and Nothing, among others. Foxing to joints and page edges; near fine in a price-clipped dust jacket that is slightly spotted and faded on the spine but still very good.
192. GRIMES, Martha. The Five Bells and Bladebone. Boston: Little Brown (1987). The author's ninth mystery featuring Richard Jury, in a highly praised series. Inscribed by the author in the month of publication. Fine in a fine, mildly edge-toned dust jacket.