Catalog 131, I-L
141. IRVING, John. Setting Free the Bears. NY: Random House (1968). The first book by the author of such bestsellers as The World According to Garp and A Prayer for Owen Meany, among others. Unlike his later books which, after Garp, sold literally hundreds of thousand of copies -- millions, if one includes the paperback sales -- this book sold slightly over 6000 copies in two printings. Inscribed by the author: "For Rob/ Hansen,/ The brother/ of a very promising/ young writer -- / John Irving." Rob Hansen is the twin brother of novelist Ron Hansen, author of several highly praised novels, including Desperadoes and Atticus, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. Ron Hansen studied with Irving at the Iowa Writers Workshop and Irving provided a blurb for Desperadoes, Hansen's first novel. The two became close friends and Hansen became a live-in babysitter for Irving's two sons. Irving inscribed this book and others to Rob, as a gesture of the friendship with his brother. Top edge a bit faded and corners tapped; else fine in a fine dust jacket. A very nice copy of a book that is uncommon signed, and a nice personal association copy.
142. IRVING, John. The Water-Method Man. NY: Random House (1972). His second book, which, like his first, sold about 6000 copies. Small sticker shadow front pastedown; a spot of dampstaining to crown; near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Time magazine review of the novel laid in; from the library of Rob Hansen.
143. IRVING, John. The 158-Pound Marriage. NY: Random House (1974). His third novel. Inscribed by the author: "Congratulations./ You are the proud/ owner of my least/ successful and/ best-made novel -- / in its first and/ only edition./ John Irving." Mild staining to inscription page, not affecting inscription; else fine in a very near fine dust jacket with slight wear at the spine. Given by Irving for a 1981 benefit at the Jefferson Market Library (the Greenwich Village branch of the New York Public Library). Laid in is a typed postcard signed by Irving to poet Carol Muske, musing on possible donations and speculating on whether he'll be able to attend. He adds, "I am taking your poems with me for beach reading." Usual postal markings on the card; else fine. A unique copy.
144. -. Another copy. Trace sunning to spine cloth, else fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with minor shelf wear.
145. IRVING, John. The Hotel New Hampshire. NY: Dutton (1981). His fifth book, and the first following the success of The World According to Garp. Like Garp, the basis for a movie. Inscribed by the author to Rob Hansen, twin brother of his close friend, the novelist Ron Hansen: "For/ Rob, how's/ tricks? and/ welcome to [The Hotel New Hampshire], John Irving." Fine in a fine dust jacket with a slight crimp at the crown.
146. IRVING, John. The Cider House Rules. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1985. The correct first edition of his sixth novel, bound in full leather stamped in gilt, with gilt page edges and silk ribbon marker. With a special introduction by the author in which he explains the value of having "bad things" happen in a novel. A fine copy. Signed by the author. Basis for the highly praised movie, for which Irving wrote the Academy Award-winning screenplay.
147. -. Same title. NY: Morrow (1985). The publisher's limited edition of this title, issued in beige and brown cloth, in a brown slipcase, in an edition of 250 numbered copies signed by the author. There was also a Book-of-the-Month Club limited edition of this title, in a similar format but with a different binding and a larger stated limitation. Fine in a fine slipcase.
148. IRVING, John. The Fourth Hand. NY: Random House (2001). His most recent novel. Inscribed by the author. Irving, who has been reluctant to sign books in recent years, did a very small number of readings from this book at which he signed copies. Perhaps his scarcest trade edition signed. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with two tiny sticker removal scrapes on the front panel.
149. -. Same title, the first British edition. (London): Bloomsbury (2001). Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
150. JIN, Ha. Waiting. NY: Pantheon (1999). The author's second novel, after two award-winning collections of short stories and two volumes of poetry. Surprise winner of the National Book Award. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
151. JONES, James. From Here to Eternity. NY: Scribner, 1951. His first book and one of the great novels of World War II, winner of the National Book Award and made into a film that won eight Academy Awards and was named one of the American Film Institute's top 100 Films of the Century. Inscribed by the author: "To Ray Jaynes -- / Who loves guns as much/ as I do -- / But who knows a helluvalot/ more about them!/ To a Kentuckian!/ From an Illinois Sucker/ Best/ Jim Jones." Read, and with a little flaking to the spine gilt; near fine in a very good dust jacket with a couple long, but closed, edge tears at the folds. While not an exceptionally scarce book signed -- there was a signed presentation issue of the book done -- lengthy personal inscriptions such as this one are decidedly uncommon.
152. JOYCE, James. Finnegans Wake. NY: Viking Press, 1939. The first American edition of Joyce's final novel, considered by many to be his best work, a culmination of the experimentation with language and structure that he had begun with Ulysses. Together, the two volumes decisively influenced all subsequent fiction, by their use of language, interior monologue, stream-of-consciousness and, most importantly, by their intent to broaden the subject of the novel to encompass the widest range of human activity and knowledge. A little foxing and page edge-darkening; minor cloth mottling; about near fine, lacking the dust jacket.
153. KAEL, Pauline. Going Steady. Boston: Atlantic/Little Brown (1970). The third collection of Kael's film criticisms, as published in The New Yorker. Signed by the author and dated April, 1970. Fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket. Books signed by Kael -- the preeminent film critic of her time -- are uncommon.
154. (KAEL, Pauline). FITZGERALD, F. Scott. The Last Tycoon. NY: Scribner (1970). A later printing of a paperback reprint. From the library of film critic Pauline Kael and bearing Kael's extensive annotations throughout. Cocked; else near fine in wrappers.
155. (KAEL, Pauline). SPENCER, Scott. Endless Love. NY: Knopf, 1979. Spencer's well-received third novel, the basis for the not-so-well received film that starred Brooke Shields and debuted Tom Cruise. From the library of Pauline Kael, with Kael's extensive comments on the front flyleaf. Cocked; near fine in a fine dust jacket. Kael was known and admired for a style of criticism that was lyrical yet blunt: she could articulate the value she saw in a film eloquently, sometimes more so than the filmmakers themselves, but pulled no punches when she thought a film deserved criticism. Her comments in Spencer's novel reflect the same ethos -- e.g., "It isn't really good but it's fun to read -- it has a trashy pull to it..." Kael did not review books for The New Yorker, but in 1979 she left the magazine to become an "Executive Consultant" for Paramount Pictures in Hollywood. It's likely this novel came to her attention in her capacity as a consultant for Paramount.
156. (KAEL, Pauline). PUZO, Mario. Fools Die. NY: Putnam (1978). The uncorrected proof copy of the first novel Puzo wrote after the huge success of The Godfather. From the library of Pauline Kael, and bearing Kael's (mostly scathing) commentary. Spine-cocked; title handwritten on spine; very good in wrappers.
157. KAUFMAN, Shirley. Looking at Henry Moore's Elephant Skull Etchings in Jerusalem During the War. Greensboro: Unicorn Press, 1977. One of 250 numbered copies in wrappers, of a total edition of 326 copies. Poetry by Kaufman; etchings by Moore. With the handmade bookplate of another poet. Faint sunning; else fine in self-wrappers.
158. KAVAN, Anna. Asylum Piece. Garden City: Doubleday, 1946. A review copy of the first American edition of the first book she published under this name; her earlier books had been published under her married name, Helen Ferguson. She changed her name to Anna Kavan in 1939 and this collection of short stories, mostly focusing on depression and schizophrenia, was published in England in 1940. Kavan, because of a painful spinal condition, was a heroin addict for much of her adult life and used amphetamines extensively when she was writing. Her books as Anna Kavan chronicled the dark side of a troubled mind -- a style of writing completely distinct from her earlier novels, and the work for which she is most well-known and remembered. Anaïs Nin, in her book The Novel of the Future, called Asylum Piece "a classic equal to the work of Kafka." Fine in a near fine dust jacket, with publisher's review slip laid in.
159. KENT, Rockwell. This is My Own. NY: Duell Sloane Pearce (1940). Autobiography by the noted artist and illustrator. This is a "Special Edition Prepared for FRIDAY, Inc." Signed by the author. Lower corners bumped, spot to foredge; near fine in a fair, spine-sunned dust jacket split along the front spine fold and with several internally tape-repaired edge tears and chips.
160. KIPLING, Rudyard. The Seven Seas. NY: D. Appleton (1896). An early collection of poetry by the Nobel Prize winning author of The Jungle Books and Kim, among others. The U.S. edition precedes the U.K. edition. Owner name first blank; minor foxing; light rubbing to joints; a near fine copy of an attractive book, elaborately gilt-stamped on the front cover and spine, lacking the extremely rare dust jacket.
161. KIPLING, Rudyard. Captains Courageous. NY: Century, 1897. A novel of a young man coming of age working on a fishing boat off the New England coast, written while Kipling was living in Brattleboro, Vermont, from where he visited Gloucester, Massachusetts and familiarized himself with the New England fishing fleet. Captains Courageous is considered one of the great sea adventures of the 19th century, and it established Kipling as a serious author beyond the tales of India he had published earlier in his writing career, which were written primarily for children. The American edition contains a number of textual differences from the English edition that was published several months earlier. This novel was Kipling's only book set entirely in the U.S. Bookplate front pastedown; bookplate removal rear pastedown; front hinge starting; modest foxing. A very good copy of an attractive book, with the front cover stamped in red and gilt and the spine gilt still bright, lacking the rare dust jacket.
162. KITTREDGE, William. Hole in the Sky. NY: Knopf, 1992. A review copy of Kittredge's highly praised memoir, which traces his family's history as wealthy landowners in southeastern Oregon, a mixed blessing for the author, as he describes it. Kittredge's memoir is in part an elegy for the Great Basin and the large ranch that was his family legacy and, as such, it reflects on the myths of the Old West and was a key work in defining the literature of the "New West." Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with publisher's promotional material laid in.
163. -. Same title. The uncorrected proof copy. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
164. KOSINSKI, Jerzy. The Art of the Self. Essays à propos STEPS. NY: Scientia-Factum, 1968. A pamphlet containing short pieces relating to Kosinski's National Book Award-winning novel. Inscribed by the author. Edge-sunned; near fine in stapled wrappers. Together with the first edition of Steps [NY: Random House (1968)], which is fine in a fine dust jacket. And also together with a copy of Kosinski's resumé from 1970 amended in the author's hand, and with the facts roughly corresponding to the biographical sketch at the rear of The Art of the Self, with the omission of his 1965 work Notes of the Author. Folded in thirds; edge-sunned with a small edge chip; near fine. A unique combination of items pertaining to Kosinski's writing career after the success of The Painted Bird and before the scandals that later plagued him after his celebrity, culminating in his suicide. For all:
165. KRAKAUER, Jon. Into Thin Air. (NY): Villard Books (1997). His fourth book and an unlikely bestseller, selected as one of The New York Times' eleven best books of the year. Krakauer was sent to Everest by Outside magazine to report on the growing commercialization of the mountain and was party to the May 10, 1996 summit bid that cost nine climbers their lives, in a season that claimed twelve. Not signed by Krakauer, but bearing a very personal gift inscription from another nature writer. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
166. -. Same title. An advance copy, in the form of bound 8 1/2" x 11" sheets shot from typescript and reproducing holograph corrections. The earliest version of this important and controversial book that we have seen. Tapebound in cardstock covers with one corner crease on the rear cover; else fine.
167. LANE, Anthony. Nobody's Perfect. NY: Knopf, 2002. "Page Proofs." Unbound photocopied sheets of this collection of Lane's reviews and criticism from The New Yorker. More than 700 pages; printed on rectos only. Trifle edge-ruffling; else fine.
168. LEE, Chang-rae. A Gesture Life. NY: Riverhead Books, 1999. One of the most highly praised novels of the year. His first book, Native Speaker, won the PEN/Hemingway Award, among numerous other honors. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
169. LEE, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott (1960). Her only book, a huge bestseller that was reprinted dozens of times upon publication, won the Pulitzer Prize, was selected for two different book clubs, and was made into an Academy Award-winning movie. It has sold several million copies in the decades since, never going out of print. While hardcover copies abound because of the numerous printings and book club editions, the first edition (i.e., first printing, which has been estimated at having been 5000 copies) is not only very scarce, it is virtually impossible to find in collectable condition due to a number of factors: a large percentage of copies of the first printing went to libraries; the dust jacket is unlaminated and printed in dark ink, which tends to rub and show the white paper through the ink; and, because it is one of the best-loved books in American literature, copies tend to have been read, handled, passed around, and re-read -- and show the wear and tear of such use. This copy has a small owner name on the flyleaf and is cocked from reading, with minor foxing to the spine cloth and a small tear at the upper joint; still about very good in a very good dust jacket with tiny corner chips, modest rubbing to the edges and folds, a label removal shadow near the spine base, and a bit of internal dampstaining. An unrestored copy of one of the high spots of postwar American literature and as such -- i.e., unrestored -- one of the scarcest modern first editions.
170. LEHANE, Dennis. Gone Baby Gone. NY: Morrow (1998). The advance reading copy of his fourth mystery featuring Boston detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. Winner of the Dilys Award. Lehane's novel Mystic River, which featured Kenzie and Gennaro, was recently made into a well-received movie that received Oscar consideration in a number of categories. Inscribed by the author: "To Nicholas Raftopoulos,/ Thanks for the use/ of a great name./ I hope you enjoy it./ All my best,/ Dennis Lehane/ 4/27/98." Lehane has named one of the book's characters (Nicholas "Poole" Raftopoulos) after the recipient. The character's full-name appearances in the text are marked with bookmarks inserted by the recipient. Fine in wrappers.
171. LEONARD, Elmore. Get Shorty. (NY): Delacorte (1990). A mystery that was the basis for the well-received film starring Danny DeVito. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with the lamination lifting at the front spine fold.
172. LEONARD, Elmore. Tishomingo Blues. (NY): Morrow (2002). Another thriller by Leonard, whose books have been translated into a number of movies, and who has redefined the mystery genre, combining noir fiction with humor and virtually creating a new field -- the humorous noir novel -- now characterized by such writers as Carl Hiaasen and others. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
173. LEVERTOV, Denise. Life in the Forest. (NY): New Directions (1978). Second printing of the softcover edition of this collection of poems. Inscribed by the author to another poet and with the recipient's ownership signature. Near fine in wrappers. A nice literary association copy.
174. LEVERTOV, Denise. Collected Earlier Poems, 1940-1960. (NY): New Directions (1979). Second printing, again inscribed by the author to another poet. With the recipient's handmade bookplate. Near fine in wrappers.
175. LEWIS, C.S. The Screwtape Letters. NY: Macmillan, 1943. A novel written from the perspective of a devil telling another devil how to tempt a Christian to abandon his faith. Lewis, a contemporary and friend of J.R.R. Tolkien, integrated his Christian faith into his novels -- most notably the Chronicles of Narnia, a seven-book series of a mythical kingdom that tried to define the meaning of Christian faith in a secular age. Word has it that in the wake of the success of the "Lord of the Rings" movie sequence, a Hollywood production of Lewis' Narnia books has gotten the go-ahead -- a huge step beyond the British television miniseries of the 1980s, the only film adaptation so far of Lewis' work. Owner gift inscription; offsetting to endpages; handling to boards; a very good copy in a good, spine-tanned dust jacket with chips at the edges and mid-spine.
176. LEWIS, C.S. Prince Caspian. NY: Macmillan, 1951. The first American edition of the second book in the Narnia series. General overall use; a near fine copy, lacking the dust jacket. Tolkien and Lewis, friends from their youth at Cambridge, redefined the fantasy genre to incorporate the largest metaphysical questions that contemporary religion faced.
177. LONDON, Jack. The Star Rover. NY: Macmillan, 1915. His last novel, published just a year before he died, and a departure from his classic adventure stories, being a novel of astral projection and reincarnation, as well as an indictment of the violence and corruption of the penal system -- based on the experiences of a friend who had spent five years in San Quentin. It is said that this novel, with its "supernatural" elements, was one of the first modern novels to be influenced by the recent, groundbreaking writings of Freud and Jung in the field of human psychology. Owner name front flyleaf; a read copy, cocked and rubbed; about very good, lacking the dust jacket.
178. LOPEZ, Barry. Looking in a Deeper Lair: A Tribute to Wallace Stegner. Eugene: Lone Goose (1996). A limited edition of this Pushcart Prize-winning essay about Stegner, based on a talk given in 1995. One of 150 numbered copies, of a total edition of 179. Signed by Lopez. Attractively designed, printed and bound by Sandy Tilcock of Lone Goose Press. Fine in wrappers.