Catalog 133, D-F
55. DALTON, Roque. Taberna y Otros Lugares. (Havana): (Casa de Las Américas) (1969). His most famous book, written while he was in Prague working for a Communist Party publication. Winner of the Casa de las Americas prize. Glue dried on front joint; a near fine copy in printed self-wrappers, in a very good, matching dust jacket with an abraded front joint and one internal tape mend.
56. DE BERNIÈRES, Louis. Corelli's Mandolin. NY: Pantheon (1994). The advance reading copy of the first American edition of his highly praised novel, which was made into a well-received film with Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers and the publisher's cardstock slipcase.
57. (Disney). Stories from Walt Disney's Fantasia. (NY): Random House (1940). Six stories from Walt Disney's landmark movie, with illustrations from the motion picture. Pencilled gift inscription; slight foxing; near fine in pictorial boards and a very good, spine-sunned dust jacket with several edge chips. A fragile book, uncommon in dust jacket.
58. DIXON, Stephen. Fall & Rise. San Francisco: North Point Press (1985). A novel, the author's third. Inscribed by Dixon to another writer in the year of publication, "with much admiration." Foxing to top edge and small spot to foredge; near fine in a very near fine dust jacket. A nice association.
59. DIXON, Stephen. Garbage. (NY): Cane Hill Press (1988). His fourth novel. Inscribed by Dixon to another writer and his wife prior to publication. Only issued in wrappers. A few spots to half-title; a few page corners turned; near fine.
60. (DOCTOROW, E.L.). STOPPARD, Tom. Billy Bathgate. (n.p.): (n.p.), 1990. Stoppard's screenplay for the 1991 film based on Doctorow's novel. This is the third draft: photocopied, bradbound sheets, with hand-drawn schematics of two jump scenes bound in. Signed by Doctorow on the title page. Also bearing the ownership declaration of Leonard Brook ("trainer of animals for the film"). Front cover missing; thus only very good. A unique, working copy of a script by one of the most highly regarded playwrights of his time, with the signature of the author who wrote the award-winning novel on which the script was based.
61. DUNNING, John. Booked to Die. NY: Scribner (1992). The highly praised first Cliff Janeway bibliomystery by this writer who was also the longtime proprietor of the Old Algonquin Bookstore in Denver, Colorado. Dunning uses his knowledge of the book trade in general, and the Denver book scene in particular, to make this a highly authentic tale that can be read on several levels at once -- a murder mystery, a roman a clef and a treatise on the collecting, buying and selling of rare books. The first printing was a modest 6000 copies and good reviews and excellent word-of-mouth caused the book to be reprinted numerous times, making firsts hard to come by almost immediately after publication. Signed by the author. Front flyleaf pulled a bit at top edge, a production flaw; still fine in a fine dust jacket.
62. DUNNING, John. The Bookman's Wake. NY: Scribner (1995). The second Cliff Janeway bibliomystery. Signed by the author in the month of publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
63. DUNNING, John. The Bookman's Promise. NY: Scribner (2004). The third book in the popular, and critically well-received, Cliff Janeway series of bibliomysteries. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
64. DURRELL, Lawrence. The Alexandria Quartet. London: Faber and Faber (1957-1960). The first editions of the four volumes in Durrell's Alexandria Quartet: Justine, Balthazar, Mount Olive and Clea. The Alexandria Quartet, which combines a love story with the shifting perspectives of a conflicting world views in pre-World War II Egypt, is Durrell's masterwork, and one of the acknowledged landmarks of 20th century literature. Critically acclaimed and also bestselling, the quartet guaranteed Durrell, previously known to a relatively small avant garde audience for his experimental poetry and prose, a place in the literary pantheon and a degree of literary immortality. Justine has a touch of loss to the spine gilt: near fine in a very good, spine-sunned dust jacket with internal tape-strengthening to the crown. Balthazar has a couple tape shadows to the endpages and is otherwise fine in a very near fine dust jacket. This volume is signed by Durrell on a visiting card tipped to the title page. Mount Olive has tape shadows to the endpapers and is otherwise fine in a very near fine dust jacket with slight wear to the crown. Clea has tape shadows to the endpages and lower corners tapped; near fine in a near fine dust jacket with a couple edge nicks. Laid in to the first volume is a typed note from Durrell (unsigned) offering two signed visiting cards, one of which is laid in; the other is presumably the one that is tipped into Balthazar. With hand-addressed mailing envelope. A very attractive set; scarce in such condition, especially with the signed cards and note from the author. For the set:
65. -. Same title. London: Faber and Faber (1962). The first one-volume edition, with some small revisions to the text and a preface by Durrell. One of 500 numbered copies signed by the author. A hint of spine-fading; else fine in acetate and near fine slipcase.
66. EHRLICH, Gretel. The Solace of Open Spaces. (NY): Viking (1985). Her first book of prose, a collection of related essays on the contemporary West and the natural world, in particular the author's adopted home state of Wyoming. Blurbs by Edward Abbey, Ivan Doig, Annie Dillard, Edward Hoagland and Tracy Kidder. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
67. EXLEY, Frederick. A Fan's Notes. NY: Harper & Row (1968). His first book, "a fictional memoir" and one of the defining books of the Sixties, which helped blur the line between fiction and nonfiction much the way the New Journalism of that era did. A finalist for the National Book Award, winner of both the William Faulkner Foundation Award for best first novel and the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, for a work that, while not a commercial success, was nonetheless "a considerable literary achievement." Made into a movie in 1972, which was a finalist for the Golden Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival. While Exley's book was not a bestseller at the time, over the years it has remained in print, been brought out in a number of different editions, and is widely viewed as a classic of the 1960s. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with one short tear at the crown.
68. -. Another copy. Signed by the author. Very slight spine slant; near fine in a near fine dust jacket with a couple short tears at the crown.
69. FAULKNER, William. Pylon. NY: Smith and Haas, 1935. A novel of aviators that was made into the movie The Tarnished Angels nearly 20 years later -- which Faulkner considered the best film adaptation of any of his books. Modest sunning to spine; a near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with shallow edge-chipping at the crown and two internal tape mends.
70. FAULKNER, William. The Wild Palms. NY: Random House, 1939. An elaborately structured novel, which consists of two distinct stories presented in alternating chapters. This is the first state, with the front and spine stamped in gold and green. A little fading to top stain and faint spine sunning; very near fine in a near fine, spine-tanned dust jacket with a couple very tiny chips and internal tape mends.
71. FORD, Richard. "I am somebody's wife..." (n.p.): Ruminator Books, 2002. "Midnight Ruminator One," a broadside excerpt from Ford's story "Charity," which first appeared in A Multitude of Sins. Printed on the occasion of a reading by Ford. Illustrated with a 1992 image by Gaylord Schanilec, which he engraved on the occasion of his own wedding. One of 110 copies, signed by both Ford and Schanilec. 15" x 10 3/4". An uncommon Ford broadside, which was not distributed widely and had a small limitation. Fine.