Catalog 130, W-Z
305. WALTERS, Minette. The Dark Room. NY: Putnam (1996). The first American edition of the fourth book by the award-winning mystery novelist. One of an unspecified number of copies signed by the author on a tipped-in leaf. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
306. WATTS, Alan. The Art of Contemplation: A Facsimile Manuscript with Doodles. Sausalito: Society for Comparative Philosophy (1972). A volume by the foremost exponent of Zen Buddhism in the West, reproducing the author's manuscript and drawings. One of 1000 numbered copies, illustrated and signed by Watts. Quarto. Spine and edge-sunned; very good in stapled wrappers. Watts was one of the key figures of the 1960s counterculture, although he had been writing on Zen since the 1930s. His experiments with psychedelic drugs -- and his comparison of their effects with the descriptions of "cosmic consciousness" in the ancient texts of the East -- helped usher in what is now known as the New Age movement, and the cultural sea change that has entailed. Books signed by Watts are uncommon, and even though the limitation on this volume is quite large, few copies turn up these days.
307. WAUGH, Evelyn. Helena. London: Chapman & Hall, 1950. The first edition of this novel, which was reportedly Waugh's favorite of his own works and followed up on the success of The Loved One, published two years earlier. Inscribed by the author: "For Hedley Lucas/ with deep gratitude for/ the pleasures of 'Homage/ & Cheshire'/ from/ Evelyn Waugh." A very nice inscription and a nice association: Lucas was known as "The Cheshire Poet." After his death, a scholarship fund in his name was instituted at Oxford University. Spine slightly cocked, otherwise near fine in a dust jacket that is internally strengthened but still near fine.
308. WAUGH, Evelyn. The Holy Places. London: Queen Anne Press, 1952. One of a total edition of 950 numbered copies. This copy has been inscribed by the author to Anne Ford, the publicity director of Little Brown who was Waugh's publisher in the U.S. Written in pencil on the front flyleaf is Ford's note to return the book to her, and her address in Boston. Laid in is a 3" x 4" black and white photograph of Waugh taken in his private residential garden, circa 1952. Very near fine in a darkened, very good jacket with several small chips and edge tears.
309. WELCH, James. The Death of Jim Loney. NY: Harper & Row (1979). The second and perhaps scarcest novel by this award-winning Native American author. This copy is touchingly inscribed by Welch to Raymond Carver in the month after publication. Welch was the author of Winter in the Blood, Killing Custer, The Heartsong of Charging Elk and the award-winning Fools Crow, among others. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with trace wear at the spine extremities.
310. WELTY, Eudora and PERCY, Walker. Firing Line. (Columbia): Southern Educational Communications Association (1972). The transcript of the 1972 Firing Line program on the subject of "The Southern Imagination." Hosted by William F. Buckley, Jr. with guests Eudora Welty and Walker Percy. Twelve pages of small print, double-columned text, in stapled wrappers labeled for mailing. Near fine. A nice linking of two of the most important Southern writers of the second half of the twentieth century, seldom found together in print.
311. WHITE, E.B. Letters of E.B. White. NY: Harper & Row (1976). 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 Groucho Marx and John Updike, who had made White the dedicatee of his volume of poems Telephone Poles. Inscribed by White to his neighbor in 1977: "For my good neighbor/ Helen Waldron/ with love from/ Andy." White was given the nickname "Andy" by his classmates when he was at Cornell University and Andrew White was the first President of the University. He retained it as an affectionate nickname throughout his life. Also initialed by White ("EBW") and dated two months after publication. Offsetting to the pastedowns; bowing to the boards; very good in a very good dust jacket.
312. (WILLIAMS, Tennessee). Women. NY: Samuel M. Koontz (1948). Eleven writers wrote 11 pieces to accompany works by 11 painters shown at a 1947 exhibition. Tennessee Williams contributes "An Appreciation" of Hans Hofmann. Among the other authors are Jean-Paul Sartre, William Carlos Williams, Weldon Kees, Harold Rosenberg, Clement Greenberg and Paul Goodman. Large folio, with 12 folio sheets loosely laid in and illustrated with photographs of the artwork pasted onto the sheets. The whole is laid into near fine, edge-sunned boards in a very good printed dust jacket with tape repairs to verso. Inscribed by Williams to Jordan Massee: "For Jordan and Paul/ with love at Xmas/ Tenn and Frank." A Christmas gift to Jordan Massee and Paul Bigelow from Williams and Frank Merlo, with whom Williams had just started living, in October 1948; Williams has signed both names. Jordan Massee was Carson McCullers' cousin, and Massee's father provided the model for the character of Big Daddy in Williams' play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Massee and Paul Bigelow had a stable, long-term relationship of the sort that eluded Williams through much of his life, although the fifteen years he spent with Merlo, until Merlo died in 1963, came closest to that, at least in longevity if not in stability. A wonderful association, and one of the very few times that Williams signed on behalf of Merlo. Laid in is a photograph of Williams and Merlo in Venice.
313. WILLIAMS, Terry Tempest. Pieces of White Shell. NY: Scribner (1984). Her first solo book, subtitled "A Journey to Navajoland," with illustrations by Navajo artist Clifford Brycelea. Winner of the 1984 Southwestern Book Award. Inscribed by the author in 1989: "For ____/ We are told a story/ and then we tell our/ own./ Bless you & these/ sacred lands." Three pages bear a small puncture wound, not affecting text; near fine in a very good dust jacket with two long, but closed edge tears. A very nice inscription in an uncommon book.
314. (WINTERSON, Jeanette). LANGHAM, Linda. A Bibliography of Jeanette Winterson. Volume I: First Editions in English. Langhorne: L.J. Langham, 2002. The limited edition. One of 26 lettered copies signed by the bibliographer. The first descriptive bibliography of Jeanette Winterson's primary works in English issued by publisher's in the U.K., Canada, Australia and the United States, including information on advance issues, promotional materials, limited editions, later printings with revised dedications and a plethora of in-depth, informative and entertaining commentary. Leather hard cover with expandable European-style post binding and printed paper title. Hand-bound, with ephemera and commissioned photographs. Annual addenda mailed to the purchaser. Introduction by Langham and a preface by Malcolm Fawcett. Fine without dust jacket, as issued. An elaborate production, and clearly a labor of love, not to mention an exhaustive reference book.
315. WODEHOUSE, P.G. Psmith Journalist. London: A. & C. Black, 1915. A comic novel by the creator of Jeeves and Bertie Wooster, as well as Psmith, and probably the most popular British comic novelist of all time. Inscribed by the author, "all the best from Plum" and also signed in full. "Plum" (also "Doctor Sir Plum") was one of Wodehouse's several nicknames, suggesting the recipient ("Don") was someone with whom he was familiar. This is the issue with "Black" imprinted on the spine. The full spine is smoke-darkened (though legible), as are the page edges and the edges of the rear cover; several spots to front cover; hinges cracked. A good copy only, lacking the very rare dust jacket.
316. WOLFF, Tobias. The Liar. (Vineburg): (Engdahl Typography), 1989. A limited edition of this story. The entire edition consisted of 200 numbered copies, of which the first 50 were signed by the author. Although this is one of the later 150 copies, it is inscribed by Wolff. Slight foxing to pastedowns; else fine in a fine dust jacket. An attractive production.
317. (Zap). Zap Comix, No. 1. (n.p.): (Apex) (1967). The first issue of the archetypal underground comic magazine of the Sixties, which featured the most noted comic artists -- R. Crumb, S. Clay Wilson, Rick Griffin, and a host of others -- and some of the most memorable characters: Mr. Natural, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Wonder Wart Hog, etc. The first issue of Zap was done completely by Crumb. This is the rare first printing, printed by Charles Plymell, the Beat poet and collagist. The print run for the first printing has been stated at 5000, in a comic reference guide, and at 1500 by Pam Plymell, Charles's wife. Mild acidification to pages as is inevitable for all copies of this comic; else fine in stapled wrappers. According to the standards of comic grading, this copy would be at the very least "NM" (i.e., "near mint") and possibly even better. There has been no NM copy of Zap #1 offered on the market for years. Significantly inferior copies have sold for over $5000, and projections based on comparable comic book values in recent years have suggested that a NM copy of Zap #1 would, in 2003, bring somewhere between $14,000 and $35,000. Zap #1 belongs to that rarified group of comics that ushered in a new era: Action Comics #1, which introduced Superman, is currently valued at over $400,000. Amazing Fantasy #15, a Holy Grail for comics collectors as the first appearance of Spider-Man, has been valued at $49,000 and is more comparable to the Zap comic by virtue of having been done in 1962, whereas Action #1 dates from the 1930s. A beautiful copy of the key underground comic of the 1960s, one of the nicest copies extant, if not the nicest.