Catalog 129, W-Z
580. WAKEFIELD, Dan. All Her Children. Garden City: Doubleday, 1976. The uncorrected proof copy of an account of the making of the popular TV soap opera, All My Children, and because of the popularity of the show one of Wakefield's best-loved books, albeit not one of his most well-known in the literary community. Inscribed by the author. Glue shadows on the front cover from a removed label (laid in); near fine in tall wrappers.
581. WALCOTT, Derek. The Joker of Seville & O Babylon! NY: FSG (1978). The uncorrected proof copy of these two plays. Signed by the author in 1979. Near fine in tall wrappers.
582. WALCOTT, Derek. The Fortunate Traveller. NY: FSG (1981). Long galley sheets of this collection of poems by the Nobel Prize-winning West Indian author. 24" x 7 1/2". Printed on rectos only. Mild edge-sunning; else fine. Scarce.
583. WALKER, Alice. Revolutionary Petunias. NY: HBJ (1973). The second collection of poems by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple. 8-1/2" x 11" bound galleys printed on rectos only. Short shallow horizontal creases to spine; else fine in wrappers. An uncommon format; the trade edition itself is scarce, the proof considerably more so.
584. WALKER, Alice. Meridian. NY: HBJ (1976). Her second novel, about a young black woman coming of age during the Civil Rights movement, as Walker herself did. The uncorrected proof copy, in which the final three sections follow a different order from the published version. A scarce format: proof sheets bound in cardstock covers with a black tape spine. It is likely that very few copies were prepared thus. Fine.
585. WALKER, Alice. Good Night Willie Lee, I'll See You in the Morning. NY: Dial (1978). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of poems, preceding her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple, and printed in small quantities. The proof is bound with a black tape spine, a format that suggests few were created and distributed since it is an inefficient and not very cost-effective method of binding large numbers of copies. Slightly dusty with a small corner crease; else fine.
586. WALKER, Alice. The Color Purple. NY: HBJ (1982). The uncorrected proof copy of her Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning novel, a surprise bestseller that was made into a film by Steven Spielberg. Front cover detached and re-glued; restored to near fine in wrappers.
587. WALKER, Alice. Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful. NY: HBJ (1984). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of poems. Fine in wrappers.
588. WALKER, Alice. Living by the Word. NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (1988). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of short prose pieces. Two states of this proof, both in blue wrappers, which differ only in a slightly different typeface used on the spine of the book, for author and title, and by virtue of a publisher's label affixed to the front cover of what one would conclude is the later state (with clearer, crisper type on the spine). Both copies near fine.
589. -. Same title. Signed by the author on the title page, with "Dear Joanna!" inscribed on the front cover. This is the first state proof, with thicker, less crisp lettering on the spine. Fine in wrappers.
590. WALKER, Alice. To Hell With Dying. NY: HBJ (1988). Advance copy of this uncommon children's book, written by Walker and illustrated by Catherine Deeter. Unbound signatures, fine, laid into a near fine dust jacket. Scarce format.
591. WALKER, Alice. Finding the Green Stone. NY: HBJ (1991). An advance copy of this children's book, illustrated by Catherine Deeter. Unbound signatures, fine, laid into a near fine dust jacket. Scarce.
592. WALKER, Alice. Her Blue Body Everything We Know. NY: HBJ (1991). The uncorrected proof copy of Walker's collected poems, from 1965-1990. Fine in wrappers.
593. -. Same title. The uncorrected proof copy. Near fine in wrappers. Together with a photocopy of 49 copyedited pages from the final section. Scarce.
594. WALLACE, David Foster. Infinite Jest. Boston: Little Brown (1996). The advance reading copy of this huge book (nearly 1100 pages), which impressed many critics and readers with its scope and its satirical critique of popular culture as well as with the author's erudition. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers. There were reportedly 1000 copies of this issue sent out for promotional purposes.
595. WALLACE, David Foster. A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. Boston: Little Brown (1997). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of essays and other short pieces. Textual changes exist between this and the published version. Signed by the author. Author and title written on top page edges; faint corner crease front cover; otherwise fine in wrappers.
596. WALLACE, David Rains. The Klamath Knot. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books (1983). The uncorrected proof copy. The author's third book; winner of the 1984 John Burroughs Medal for the best work of natural history written the previous year. Small sticker shadow front cover; else fine in wrappers.
597. WALLACE, Michele. Black Macho and the Myth of the Super Woman. NY: Dial (1979). The uncorrected proof copy of this notable book on the relations between black men and black women, written by a young African American author. Inscribed by the author in 1978. Fine in wrappers.
598. WALLER, Robert James. The Bridges of Madison County. (NY): Warner Books (1992). The advance reading copy, and the early stages of a publishing phenomenon a first novel by an unknown writer that, despite a modest first printing, gained a word-of-mouth following until it became a runaway bestseller, staying on the bestseller lists for several years and becoming the basis for a well-received movie. Fine in wrappers.
599. WELSH, Irvine. Marabou Stork Nightmares. London: Jonathan Cape (1995). The uncorrected proof copy in printed wrappers of the third book by the author of Trainspotting, this being Welsh's own copy with his holograph corrections to the text. Laid in is an autograph note signed to Robin [Robertson, the publisher]: "These are my proof corrections. (Hope yours are similar!)" Also laid in is an HM Customs slip explaining that the packet has been opened "as part of our selective checks for drugs or other prohibited goods which are sometimes concealed in letter mail." Slant from use; near fine in wrappers. A unique copy of this novel by one of the most acclaimed of the young British novelists.
600. WELSH, Irvine. Filth. London: Jonathan Cape (1998). The advance reading copy (marked "uncorrected proof"). Fine in wrappers.
601. WELTY, Eudora. Women!! Make Turban in Own Home! (n.p.): Palaemon Press (1979). The galley proofs for this short piece issued as a limited edition, which describes Welty's foray into the creation of a tangible object and her deft retreat into creating words about the object instead. Printed on proofing paper, on rectos only. Fine. Scarce; presumably only a small handful would have been done.
602. WESTLAKE, Donald. What's the Worst that Could Happen? (NY): Mysterious Press (1996). The advance reading copy of this Dortmunder novel, one of the several series this prolific author has written over the years, comprising a variety of takes on the mystery genre, from hard-boiled and noir to caper novels. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers. Laid in is a typed note (unsigned) by Westlake, on his personal stationery and with typed mailing envelope.
603. WHARTON, William. Birdy. London: Cape (1979). The uncorrected proof copy of the British edition of the author's pseudonymous first book, which won the National Book Award for best first novel, and was later made into a movie that won the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival. Fine in a near fine proof dust jacket.
604. WHARTON, William. Dad. NY: Knopf, 1981. The uncorrected proof copy of his second novel, a moving story of a man coming to grips with the death of his father. In-house opinion written across front ("Probable best seller...") along with print run. Life his first book, this was made into a successful movie, which garnered awards for Jack Lemmon and a young Ethan Hawke. Near fine in tall wrappers.
605. WHITE, E.B. Letters of E.B. White. NY: Harper & Row (1976). The uncorrected proof copy of the first and only collection of his letters, so far. Includes many letters to his wife, other family members, his editors and publishers (including one to Paul Brooks, who published The Wild Flag and also published Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, a book White said he awaited "with impatience and general gloom"). Other correspondents include John Updike, who had made White the dedicatee of his volume of poems, Telephone Poles, and Groucho Marx. Near fine in tall wrappers. A thick proof (660 pages) that was probably issued in small numbers.
606. WHITE, E.B. Poems and Sketches of E.B. White. NY: Harper & Row (1981). The uncorrected proof of this compilation of pieces, many of them never collected before. White was a longtime writer for The New Yorker, and his intelligent, humane and understated essays helped define that magazine's literary style over more than three decades, setting it apart from the other mass-circulation journals of its time. Fine in wrappers.
607. WHITEHEAD, Colson. The Intuitionist. NY: Anchor Books (1999). The advance reading copy of this well-received first novel. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
608. WIDEMAN, John Edgar. The Cattle Killing. [Boston/NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1996]. Photocopied typescript of a novel by this African American writer who has won the PEN Faulkner Award twice, among many other honors. Inscribed by the author, who describes it in the inscription as "an early version." Fine in spiralbound cardstock covers. Scarce.
609. WILLIAMS, John A. Sissie. NY: Farrar Straus Cudahy (1963). The advance reading copy of the third book by this African-American author, one of the key writers of the renaissance in black literature that took place simultaneously with the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Spine a bit darkened, possibly from the binder's glue, and with a few creases; very good in printed white wrappers.
610. WILLIAMS, Joy. State of Grace. Garden City: Doubleday, 1973. The advance reading copy of her first book, a novel, which was nominated for the National Book Award. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
611. WILLIAMS, Joy. The Changeling. Garden City: Doubleday, 1978. The uncorrected proof copy of her second novel. Glue residue on most of front panel where publisher's info sheet was pasted (now laid in); near fine in tall wrappers. Scarce.
612. WILLIAMS, Miller. Halfway from Hoxie. NY: Dutton, 1973. The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of new and selected poems, by a writer who was named Poet Laureate. Signed by the author. Fine in tall, ringbound wrappers.
613. WILLIAMS, Terry Tempest. An Unspoken Hunger. NY: Pantheon (1994). The uncorrected proof copy. A collection of essays on "the unharnessed mysteries and meanings of the natural world." Williams is both a highly respected literary author and an outspoken political and environmental activist, a rare combination even in this age when the overlap between ecology and social responsibility is becoming a mainstream concern rather than the province exclusively of fringe radicals. Signed by the author. Very slightly dusty; fine in wrappers.
614. WILSON, Edmund. Memoirs of Hecate County. Garden City: Doubleday Doran, 1945. The uncorrected proof copy of this novel, his first. A very fragile production: tall sheets from galleys, bound in plain brown wrappers. Spine cocked and wrappers edgeworn; overall, only good but an exceptionally scarce state of this book, the only copy we have ever seen or heard of, and dating from an era when the production of bound proofs was still a novelty, and not something that publishers did routinely..
615. WILSON, Lanford. The Hot L Baltimore. NY: Hill & Wang (1973). The uncorrected proof copy of this play, which was one of the most talked-about of the year and helped establish Wilson as a major voice in the theater. He later won the Pulitzer Prize (1980) for his play Talley's Folly. Near fine in very tall wrappers. This copy is inscribed by the author with the somewhat astonished remark: "I don't know where you found this - but I want one!" a testament, if one were needed, to the scarcity of such proofs.
616. WILSON, William S. Why I Don't Write Like Franz Kafka. NY: Ecco (1977). The uncorrected proof copy of the author's first book, a collection of stories that was published to rave reviews and granted the author instant literary celebrity. Inscribed by the author in 1979. Fine in wrappers.
617. WINTERSON, Jeanette. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. NY: Atlantic Monthly (1985). The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of the author's highly praised first novel, winner of the Whitbread Prize. Only issued in softcover, and proofs of original softcovers tend to be considerably scarcer than their counterparts with hardcover publication. Fine in wrappers.
618. WOLFE, Tom. Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers. NY: FSG (1970). Bound galley sheets of Wolfe's hilarious send-up of wealthy New York liberals attempting to salve their social consciences by throwing parties for radical black militants and trying ever-so-hard to be hip enough to pull it off. 7" x 11"; printed on rectos only; stringbound in cardstock covers. Fine. A highly unusual format, which suggests only a handful of copies would have been done.
619. WOLFE, Tom. From Bauhaus to Our House. NY: FSG (1981). The uncorrected proof copy of this critique of modern architecture, in the same vein as the author's assault on Modern Art in The Painted Word. Publicity information stapled inside the front cover; else fine in wrappers.
620. -. Another copy. Tiny horizontal crease to spine; else fine in wrappers.
621. WOLFE, Tom. The Purple Decades. NY: FSG (1982). The uncorrected proof copy of this Tom Wolfe "reader" a collection of essays with selections from his previous books, including The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test and The Right Stuff. Fine in wrappers.
622. WOLFF, Tobias. Ugly Rumours. London: Allen & Unwin (1975). The uncorrected proof copy of the author's first novel, set in Vietnam, about a Special Forces lieutenant and a sergeant serving as advisor to a Vietnamese Infantry Division. Not published in this country, and the author has pointedly refused to list it among his "previous publications" on his later books or allowed it to be reprinted. His memoir, In Pharaoh's Army, alludes somewhat disparagingly to the novel he was writing while he was serving in Vietnam, presumably Ugly Rumours. Wolff is one of the most highly regarded short story writers in America, winner of the PEN Faulkner Award, and his memoir This Boy's Life was made into a memorable movie. A novel by him on the pivotal event of his generation -- the Vietnam war -- is a notable contribution to contemporary literature, regardless of the author's opinion of its quality. Exceedingly scarce even in the trade edition: the first printing was reported to be only 1000 copies, most of which will have gone to libraries; the proof is presumably considerably scarcer still. Very good in wrappers.
623. WOLFF, Tobias. In the Garden of North American Martyrs. NY: Ecco (1981). The uncorrected proof copy of the book that immediately established Wolff as a master of the short story form. Fine in wrappers and exhibiting, on the summary page, the $14.95 price that was printed on the earliest dust jackets, although the book was never sold at that price. Scarce: we have seen only one other copy offered since the book was first published.
624. WOLFF, Tobias. This Boy's Life. NY: Atlantic Monthly (1989). The uncorrected proof copy of the first book of memoirs by this acclaimed and award-winning fiction writer. Near fine in wrappers.
625. -. Another copy. Fine in wrappers.
626. WOLFF, Tobias. In Pharaoh's Army. NY: Knopf, 1994. The uncorrected proof copy of the second volume of the author's memoirs, picking up where This Boy's Life left off and following the author to Vietnam, and chronicling his experiences there. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
627. -. Same title. The advance reading copy. Signed by the author. Tiny corner crease front cover; else fine in wrappers and card-stock slipcase.
628. WOLFF, Tobias. The Night in Question. NY: Knopf, 1996. The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of short fiction. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
629. WOOLF, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway's Party. London: Hogarth, 1973. The uncorrected proof copy of seven stories Woolf wrote between 1922 and 1927, contemporaneously with the Mrs. Dalloway (1925) years. Edited and introduced by Stella McNichol and including two previously unpublished stories. Owner inscription and a few (editorial?) corrections to text; handling apparent to covers; very good in wrappers. Scarce in proof form.
630. YATES, Richard and STYRON, William. Lie Down in Darkness. Watertown: Ploughshares Books, 1985. Yates's screenplay of Styron's novel. This is an advance copy consisting of bound 8 1/2" x 11" sheets. Velobound; fine. With two letters from the publisher laid in, one announcing the book, the second correcting the ISBN number given in the first letter. An extremely scarce item; probably only a small handful were produced.
631. YEATS, W.B. Explorations. London: Macmillan, 1962. The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of Yeats's prose, much of it previously uncollected. Very good in wrappers worn at the base of the spine.
632. YOUNG, Al. Who is Angelina? NY: HRW (1974). The uncorrected proof copy of the second novel by this important African-American author. Inscribed by the author in 1976, asking "How'd you ever get ahold of this ancient crane?" "Crane" was an early word for proof copies, named after the company Crane Duplicating Service that produced them and promoted their use in the 1950s and 1960s. Creasing to first page; light dust-soiling; near fine in tall wrappers.