Catalog 129, M
330. MAILER, Norman. The Executioner's Song. Boston: Little Brown (1979). The uncorrected proof copy. Mailer's massive Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, based on the life and death of convicted killer Gary Gilmore. Spine slightly slanted and mildly sunned; summary taped inside front cover (which reflects price change); very good in wrappers. A massive proof, probably done in relatively small numbers simply because of the bulk of it (and the expense of producing, even cheaply, such a large book) and few copies are likely to have survived. Scarce.
331. -. Another copy. Spine cocked and sunned; water ring front cover; small gouge rear cover; summary stapled inside front cover (reflects price change); a good copy in wrappers.
332. MALLON, Thomas. Arts and Sciences. NY: Ticknor & Fields, 1988. The uncorrected proof copy of his first novel, a comic coming-of-age story that also charts the transition from the Sixties to the post-Sixties era. Slightly sunned, else fine in wrappers.
333. MALLON, Thomas. Aurora 7. NY: Ticknor & Fields, 1991. The uncorrected proof copy of his second novel, which fictionalizes May 24, 1962 and Scott Carpenter's space flight. Faint spotting; else fine in wrappers.
334. MARTEL, Yann. Life of Pi. (Toronto): Knopf (2001). The advance reading copy of the true first edition of his surprise Booker Prize winning novel. Spine-creased; read; near fine in wrappers. Scarce.
335. MARTIN, Valerie. The Consolation of Nature. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988. The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of stories by the author of Mary Reilly, among others. One of the stories is laid in in the form of stapled, photocopied tearsheets. Fine in wrappers, and signed by the author.
336. MASON, Bobbie Ann. Feather Crowns. (NY): HarperCollilns (1993). The advance reading copy of her massive fourth book, second novel. By the author of In Country, which was made into a well-received TV movie, and Shiloh and Other Stories, which helped define the genre of "K-Mart fiction." Fine in wrappers, and signed by the author.
337. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Raditzer. London: Heinemann (1962). The uncorrected proof copy of the first British edition of his third novel. Signed by the author. Matthiessen is one of the very few authors who has been nominated for the National Book Award for both fiction and nonfiction. Of his early novels, Matthiessen has said that is not happy with them, and would just as soon they not be reprinted or read, although he hasn't gone so far as to prevent his publisher from bringing them back into print. His next novel after this one, At Play in the Fields of the Lord, a National Book Award nominee, represented a significant jump from this book in terms of literary accomplishment. The book prior to this, Wildlife in America, started him on the path toward becoming one of our most highly regarded writers of natural history. This short novel, a tale of the sea that is reminiscent of Conrad, dates from an early period in Matthiessen's career and is scarce even in the U.S. trade edition. This is the first copy of the British proof we have handled. An extremely scarce proof by one of the most important writers of our time. Near fine in wrappers.
338. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. At Play in the Fields of the Lord. NY: Random House (1965). The advance reading 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. A couple small stains and some binding-based spine creasing; very good in wrappers.
339. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Lost Man's River. NY: Random House (1997). The uncorrected proof copy of the second novel in the trilogy that began with Killing Mr. Watson, based on a series of events in Florida at the turn of the last century and using the novel form to explore the settling and development of that frontier, with an awareness of the ecological implications of its development. This proof contains textual differences from the published version. Signed by the author on the front cover. The rear cover has a long, nearly imperceptible vertical crease; else fine in wrappers.
340. MAXWELL, William. All the Days and Nights. NY: Knopf, 1995. The uncorrected proof copy of a collection of short fiction that spans his entire writing career -- over 50 years. In addition to his writing career, Maxwell was the fiction editor at The New Yorker for many years. Considerably scarcer than the advance reading copy that was issued of this title/ Fine in wrappers.
341. McCABE, Patrick. The Dead School. (NY): Dial Press (1995). The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of this novel by the Irish author of The Butcher Boy, among others. Fine in wrappers.
342. McCARTHY, Cormac. Child of God. NY: Random House (1973). Uncorrected proof copy of the third book by the author of All the Pretty Horses, The Orchard Keeper, and others. A very scarce, early McCarthy proof: this is the only copy we have seen and, other than the advance reading copy of The Orchard Keeper that turns up with some frequency , the earliest McCarthy proof we have seen. A very near fine copy.
343. McCARTHY, Cormac. All the Pretty Horses. NY: Knopf, 1992. The uncorrected proof copy of the first volume of the Border Trilogy, a landmark novel that won both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award and propelled its author to literary celebrity after nearly three decades of writing well-received literary novels in relative obscurity. All the Pretty Horses sold ten times as many copies in hardcover as all five of his previous novels combined. This is the first state of the proof, which reads "A Border Trilogy." Later this was changed to read "The Border Trilogy." Fine in wrappers.
344. -. Same title. This is the second state proof, with the printed subtitle "Volume One of A Border Trilogy" changed by hand to "Volume One of The Border Trilogy" and a "4" added to the publication date of May 1992. A later state made these changes in print. Fine in wrappers.
345. -. Same title. This is the third state proof, with "The" set in type. A fine copy.
346. McCARTHY, Cormac. The Crossing. NY: Knopf, 1994. The uncorrected proof copy of his seventh novel, the sequel to his award-winning All the Pretty Horses and the second novel in The Border Trilogy. Fine in wrappers.
347. McCARTHY, Cormac. Cities of the Plain. NY: Knopf, 1998. The uncorrected proof copy of the third volume in The Border Trilogy. Rumor has it that at the author's request, fewer proofs (less than 100) were produced for this volume than for the earlier books in the series. Fine in wrappers.
348. -. Another copy. Fine in wrappers, laid into a near fine dust jacket.
349. -. Same title. (London): Picador (1998). An advance reading copy of the British edition, with a photograph of the author on the front cover that differs from the dust jacket art used for the published book. Fine in wrappers.
350. McCLANAHAN, Ed. The Natural Man. NY: FSG (1983). The uncorrected proof copy of the author's long-awaited first novel. McClanahan attended Wallace Stegner's Stanford Writing Workshop in the early 1960s, when such writers as Robert Stone, Ken Kesey and Larry McMurtry were there, and portions of his novel-in-progress were printed in the annual Stanford Short Story anthologies that came out of the workshop. However, unlike the other writers mentioned, whose books came out in the early or mid-Sixties, fully two decades passed before McClanahan's novel was finally completed and published. It received excellent reviews as a coming-of-age story with a distinctive earthiness and humor. This is the first issue proof, in tan wrappers. A near fine copy, with the author's name written on the bottom page edges and notes on the endpapers that look like they may be an attempt at providing a "blurb" for the published book.
351. McCLANAHAN, Ed. My Vita, If You Will. Washington, D.C.: Counterpoint (1998). The uncorrected proof copy. Signed by the author. With a foreword by Robert Stone, a longtime friend dating from the early 1960s at Stanford, where McClanahan introduced Stone to Ken Kesey and the other members of the Perry Lane crowd. Fine in wrappers.
352. McCLURE, Michael. Gargoyle Cartoons. NY: Delacorte (1971). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of short plays. Fine in ringbound wrappers and signed by the author.
353. McELROY, Joseph. A Smuggler's Bible. NY: Harcourt Brace World (1966). The uncorrected proof copy of his uncommon first book. Title on spine in marker; very good in wrappers.
354. -. Another copy. According to the author, about 200 copies of this advance copy were produced (although we have seen enough copies that we would have suspected the number was higher). Signed by the author. Spine-darkened; cover creased; very good in wrappers. Uncommon signed.
355. McELROY, Joseph. Hind's Kidnap. NY: Harper & Row (1969). The uncorrected proof copy of the author's second book. Fine in wrappers and inscribed by the author in 1974. An extremely scarce proof; we have never seen another copy of it and McElroy's inscription suggests that he may not have ever seen it either: "To ____ ____/ On first touching/ this green book/ Joe McElroy/ April 26, 1974."
356. McELROY, Joseph. Ancient History: A Paraphase. NY: Knopf, 1971. The uncorrected proof copy of his third book. Inscribed by the author. Near fine in tall, padbound wrappers. A fragile format; it is unlikely that more than a handful can have survived.
357. McELROY, Joseph. Lookout Cartridge. NY: Knopf, 1974. The uncorrected proof copy of his fourth book. Fine in wrappers and inscribed by the author. Very scarce signed, especially as a proof.
358. McELROY, Joseph. Plus. NY: Knopf, 1977. The uncorrected proof copy of his fifth book, an intellectual science fiction novel of a disembodied brain circling the earth as part of a solar energy experiment. Fine in tall wrappers. The book was issued as a simultaneous paperback and hardcover, and proofs of it are consequently quite scarce.
359. McELROY, Joseph. Women and Men. NY: Knopf, 1987. The uncorrected proof copy of his magnum opus, a highly praised novel so massive the proof is published in two volumes. Fine in wrappers with publicity information laid in.
360. McGAHERN, John. Dark. London: Faber and Faber (1965). The uncorrected proof copy of this Irish author's uncommon second novel. Spine slanted and creased; near fine in wrappers. An uncommon book, and especially so as a proof.
361. McGUANE, Thomas. Keep the Change. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (1989). The advance reading copy of his ninth book, a novel. Inscribed by the author in 1992. One small corner crease, else fine in wrappers.
362. McINERNEY, Jay. Bright Lights, Big City. NY: Vintage Contemporaries (1984). The uncorrected proof copy of his first book, published as a paperback original in the fledgling Vintage Contemporaries series of literary reprints and originals. This proof reproduces compositor's notes and a few final (mostly typographical) changes to the text. In our experience, proof copies from the Vintage Contemporaries series are quite scarce: few seem to have been done. This novel launched the "Brat Pack" writers of the 1980s. Very near fine in wrappers.
363. McMURTRY, Larry. Cadillac Jack. NY: Simon & Schuster (1982). The uncorrected proof copy of this novel about an antique dealer, reportedly based on a legendary book scout. "McMurtry" written on the lower page edges; else fine in wrappers.
364. McMURTRY, Larry. The Desert Rose. NY: Simon & Schuster (1983). The uncorrected proof copy the novel just prior to McMurtry's great success with Lonesome Dove. Light bump to spine base; else fine in wrappers. Considerably scarcer than the proofs of his more recent novels.
365. McMURTRY, Larry. Film Flam. NY: Simon & Schuster (1987). The uncorrected proof copy of his book of essays on Hollywood, adapted in part from his columns in American Film magazine. Spotting to foredge; else fine in wrappers.
366. McMURTRY, Larry. Texasville. NY: Simon & Schuster (1987). The uncorrected proof copy of the sequel to his novel The Last Picture Show, returning to the same locale some twenty years later. Fine in wrappers.
367. McMURTRY, Larry. Some Can Whistle. NY: Simon & Schuster (1989). The uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers.
368. -. Another copy. Pink spots along bottom edge; else fine in wrappers.
369. McMURTRY, Larry. Buffalo Girls. NY: Simon & Schuster (1990). The uncorrected proof copy. Another of his novels to re-envision the Old West, and re-instill life into some of its mythologized characters: "Calamity Jane" is the heroine of this novel, and Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Cody are among the supporting cast. A fine copy in wrappers.
370. -. Same title, advance reading copy of the first U.K. edition. One of 500 numbered copies. Fine in wrappers.
371. McMURTRY, Larry. Streets of Laredo. NY: Simon & Schuster (1993). The long-awaited sequel to his bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning Lonesome Dove. This is the uncorrected proof copy; fine in wrappers.
372. McMURTRY, Larry and OSSANA, Diana. Zeke and Ned. (NY): Simon & Schuster (1997). The uncorrected proof copy of this novel, their second collaboration. Slight wrinkling to spine; else fine in wrappers.
373. -. Another copy. Slight crease to rear cover and back pages; else fine in wrappers.
374. (McMURTRY, Larry). Still Wild. NY: Simon & Schuster (2000). The uncorrected proof copy of a collection of short fiction of the American West from 1950-2000, edited and with an introduction by Larry McMurtry. With work by Richard Ford, Rick Bass, Raymond Carver, Leslie Marmon Silko, Wallace Stegner, Annie Proulx, Tom McGuane, Jack Kerouac, and others. Fine in wrappers.
375. McPHEE, John. Basin and Range. NY: FSG (1981). The uncorrected proof copy of the first of his books on geology, which eventually led to his winning the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for his compilation Annals of the Former World, which included the text of this book. This volume focuses on the geology of the Great Basin. Light corner bump; near fine in tall wrappers.
376. McPHERSON, James Alan. Hue and Cry. Boston: Atlantic-Little Brown (1969). The uncorrected proof copy of this African-American author's first book, a collection of stories that defied the mold of late 1960s black writing by refusing to yield to the easy temptation to substitute political diatribe for literary accomplishment and postured anger for real, human feelings. A lengthy blurb on the dust jacket from Ralph Ellison author of Invisible Man, perhaps the most acclaimed African-American novel of the 20th century, lionizes McPherson for precisely this literary accomplishment, on its own terms, unaided by the winds of political correctness. McPherson's second collection, Elbow Room, won the Pulitzer Prize and together these two volumes stand as high spots of African-American writing of the postwar era. Label residue to lower wrappers; else a fine copy. An extremely scarce proof: the only copy we've ever seen.
377. McPHERSON, James Alan. Elbow Room. Boston: Little Brown (1977). The uncorrected proof copy of the author's second book, a collection of stories that won the Pulitzer Prize. Publisher's rubber stamp on front cover, otherwise fine in wrappers. Again, a very scarce proof: books of short stories have generally been considered less saleable by publishers than novels are, with a much lower "upside," and consequently proofs of these volumes have usually not received the kind of distribution that other fiction might get. We have seen copies of this proof only very, very occasionally.
378. -. Another copy. Publication date written on front cover; label removal mark at bottom edges. Still fine.
379. McPHERSON, James Alan. A Region Not Home. (NY): Simon & Schuster (1999). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of autobiographical essays; his second book in recent years, after a 20 year hiatus from publishing. Fine in wrappers. An important writer who, during the lengthy period he was not publishing, was teaching at the prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop.
380. (McPHERSON, James Alan and WILLIAMS, Miller, eds.). Railroad. NY: Random House (1976). The uncorrected proof copy of this compendium of pieces on railroads, a number of them written by McPherson, who had originally contracted to write a whole book on the subject, a project which evolved into this one, not altogether to the author's liking, according to his later comments. A small quarto, heavily illustrated, somewhat uncommon now even in the trade edition and scarce in proof form. Fine in wrappers. Published the year before Elbow Room.
381. MERWIN, W.S. The Vixen. NY: Knopf, 1995. The uncorrected proof copy of the award-winning poet's collection. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
382. MICHENER, James. Space. NY: Random House (1982). The uncorrected proof copy of this massive novel of the history of NASA and the space industry. Water spots to front cover; scratches to rear cover; very good in wrappers.
383. MICHENER, James. Ventures in Editing. Huntington Beach: Cahill, 1995. Four essays on writing and editing, two of which appear here for the first time, along with an introduction by Michener about the process of writing and of preparing this book. There were 300 copies: this is a proof copy bound in maroon cloth and with the colophon of the lettered edition, which was bound in lavender cloth. Small spots on the endpages, else a fine copy in a fine slipcase. Signed by the author.
384. MILLER, Sue. The Good Mother. NY: Harper & Row (1986). The advance reading copy of her first novel, later made into a well-received, if controversial, movie. Fine in wrappers and inscribed by the author.
385. MILLER, Sue. Inventing the Abbotts and Other Stories. NY: Harper & Row (1987). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection. Near fine in wrappers.
386. MILLHAUSER, Steven. Portrait of a Romantic. NY: Knopf, 1977. The uncorrected proof copy of the second novel by the author of Edwin Mullhouse and Martin Dressler. Small crack in wrapper at the lower spine; light overall dust soiling; near fine in tall wrappers.
387. MILLHAUSER, Steven. The Knife Thrower and Other Stories. (n.p.): Crown, 1998. An advance copy, in the form of bound 8 1/2" x 11" photocopied sheets. Some of the stories are reproduced from typeset pages, some from typescript. There are a few instances of reproduced holograph corrections. Also bound in are three pages of promotional material which say, among other things, that although Millhauser won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel Martin Dressler, he is most comfortable working in this, the short story, form. Tapebound in cardstock covers; fine. Considerably earlier, and scarcer, than the advance reading copy of this title that was issued in pictorial wrappers.
388. MISTRY, Rohinton. Such a Long Journey. NY: Knopf, 1991. The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of the author's second book, first novel, which won the Canadian Governor General's Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Mistry is a Canadian author of Indian descent, having spent the first 23 years of his life in Bombay before emigrating to Canada. Very near fine in wrappers.
389. MOJTABAI, A.G. Mundome. NY: Simon & Schuster (1974). The uncorrected proof copy of the first book, a novel, by this writer who has won the Lillian Smith Award for the best book about the South, and an award from the American Institute of Arts and Letters. Warmly inscribed by the author on the front cover: "____ -/ Wise little book to fall/ into such good hands/ From/ Grace." Near fine in tall, padbound wrappers; a scarce and fragile format.
390. MOODY, Rick. The Ring of Brightest Angels Around Heaven. Boston: Little Brown (1995). The uncorrected proof copy of his third book and his first collection of short fiction. Literary agency stamp on summary page. Near fine in spine-faded wrappers. Moody was selected by The New Yorker magazine as one the 20 best young American writers. His novel, The Ice Storm, was made into an award-winning film.
391. MOODY, Rick. Surplus Value Books: Catalog Number 13. Santa Monica: Danger Books (1999). Virtually a novella in the form of a book dealer's catalog. Moody has created a hilarious and touching self-contained world where the values accorded to the items for sale (dollars) and the values inherent in them (significance, artistry, passion) are in running comic contrast. Moody has his tongue in his cheek but also his heart on his sleeve; many of the entries embody a sensitivity and tenderness surprising in such a send-up. An effective, even haunting riff on rare book catalogs. (Don't bother trying to order item #22; it's gone.) This is the uncorrected proof copy. Apparently identical to the trade edition but with "Uncorrected Proof" printed on the front cover. Given the sophistication of the production and producers, probably a cleverly marketed print overrun rather than a true proof. As such, even more expensive. Fine in wrappers.
392. MOORE, Lorrie. Birds of America. NY: Knopf, 1998. The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of short fiction by the author of Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? and Self-Help, among others. One of these stories was the O. Henry Award winner; the author was selected as one of Granta's 20 best young American authors. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
393. -. Same title. The advance reading copy in pictorial wrappers. Signed by the author. Fine.
394. MORGAN, Seth. Homeboy. NY: Random House (1990). The uncorrected proof copy of his award-winning first novel. The original title, Dead Man Walkin', is inked out on the front cover (but not on the rear or the title page), with the later published title, Homeboy, written in. A well-received novel which had already earned something of a cult following when its author was killed in a violent incident characteristic of the seedy street culture he chronicled in his novel. A few light spots to rear wrapper, else fine.
395. MORRIS, Mary. Vanishing Animals & Other Stories. Boston: Godine (1979). The uncorrected proof copy of her first book, a collection of stories that won an award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Spine and lower rear panel abraded from label removal; still about near fine in wrappers. Signed by the author.
396. MORRIS, Mary. Nothing to Declare. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988. The uncorrected proof copy of her highly praised first book of nonfiction, an account of traveling alone as a woman through Latin America. The success of the book was such that the author later published another memoir of traveling and was called on to edit two anthologies of writings about women travelers. Fine in wrappers, and signed by the author.
397. MORRIS, Wright. About Fiction. NY: Harper & Row (1975). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of essays on writing and reading by the National Book Award-winning author. Text block separating; else near fine in tapebound wrappers. An unusual format a small nearly square octavo which suggests that very few copies were done. We have never had another proof copy of this title.
398. MORRISON, Toni. Song of Solomon. NY: Knopf, 1977. The uncorrected proof copy of her third book and the first to go into multiple printings immediately after publication. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. Staple holes front cover from publicity sheet, now laid in; else fine in wrappers.
399. MORRISON, Toni. Tar Baby. NY: Knopf, 1981. The uncorrected proof copy of the fourth novel by the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize. Tiny spots to rear cover; still fine in wrappers.
400. MORRISON, Toni. Beloved. NY: Knopf, 1987. Two states of the uncorrected proof copy of the Nobel Prize-winning author's fifth novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize. The two states are differentiated by the size and by the spine lettering: on the smaller proof (5-3/16" x 8-3/16"), "Morrison" is in all caps and "Beloved" takes less than 1-1/4" on the spine; on the larger proof (5-3/8" x 8-3/8"), the type style and scale correspond to that of the title page, with "Beloved" taking up 2-1/4" of the spine. The latter copy has a touch of staining at the spine base; otherwise both copies are fine in wrappers. For both:
401. -. Same title. London: Chatto & Windus (1987). The advance reading copy (marked "uncorrected proof") of the first British edition. Fine in wrappers. Scarce.
402. MORRISON, Toni. Paradise. NY: Knopf, 1998. The uncorrected proof copy of this novel by the Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize-winning author of Beloved, among others. Published to near-universal praise, with the first printing of the trade edition announced as 400,000 copies. Fine in wrappers.
403. MORTIMER, Penelope. Long Distance. Garden City: Doubleday, 1974. The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of this novel by the author of The Pumpkin Eater a novel, and later an award-winning movie, based in part on her life with John Mortimer, the author of the "Rumpole" series of mysteries. She was a longtime writer for both The New Yorker and the London Sunday Times. Oversized; shot from galleys and printed on rectos only. Signed by the author. Near fine in tall wrappers.
404. MUKHERJEE, Bharati. The Holder of the World. NY: Knopf, 1993. The advance reading copy of this novel by the author of the award-winning collection The Middleman and Other Stories. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers and publisher's pictorial slipcase.
405. MUNRO, Alice. Friend of My Youth. NY: Knopf, 1990. The advance reading copy of this well-received collection of stories. Near fine in wrappers and publisher's folding cardstock box. Signed by the author.
406. MUNRO, Alice. The Love of a Good Woman. NY: Knopf, 1998. The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of this collection of stories. Munro has won Canada's Governor General's Award, the highest literary honor in Canada, three times. Fine in wrappers.
407. -. Another copy. Dust jacket art and publicity sheet stapled inside the front cover, slight scuff to crown; else fine in wrappers.
408. MURDOCH, Iris. An Unofficial Rose. London: Chatto & Windus, 1962. The uncorrected proof copy of this novel, her sixth book of fiction. Spine slanted and worn at extremities; wrappers moderately soiled. Overall very good. With publisher's typed label indicating this to be an "uncorrected copy" on the front cover. Scarce, early proof.