Catalog 135, J-L
199. JONES, LeRoi. The System of Dante's Hell. NY: Grove (1965). A review copy of this autobiographical novel by the noted African-American poet/playwright, who later changed his name to Amiri Baraka. Jones was closely associated with the Beat movement and has written insightfully on jazz; he was also one of the first, and most important, black authors to gain prominence in the 1960s in the wake of the civil rights movement, and he became one of the principal exponents of a newly emerging Black consciousness and literary ethos. Cloth mottled; near fine in a fine dust jacket.
200. KENEALLY, Thomas. The Place at Whitton. London: Cassell (1964). The uncorrected proof copy of the first novel by the Australian author of Schindler's List. Publication date and price changed on cover; mild creasing, including a spine creased from binder's glue. Near fine in wrappers. An uncommon and important first book, and especially scarce in proof form.
201. KEROUAC, Jack. Excerpts From Visions of Cody. (NY): (New Directions) (1959). A limited edition, one of 750 numbered copies signed by the author. A portion of Kerouac's work-in-progress, which was only published in its entirety after he died. Faint foxing to covers; else fine. The publisher's original acetate dust jacket (rubbed and slightly cloudy, with small chips at the extremities) is retained. A very attractive copy of a book that soils easily and has become increasingly scarce as the years go by -- and yet is probably still the most accessible, least expensive way to get a signed Jack Kerouac first edition.
202. KESEY, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. NY: Viking (1962). Second printing of Kesey's landmark first book, a pivotal novel of the literature of the Sixties, which helped to shape a generation's attitudes on issues of authority, power, madness and, finally, individuality. The early printings of the U.S. edition contain text that was later excised and changed after a lawsuit was brought against Kesey and his publisher by a woman who was a nurse at the institution which Kesey used as a model for the novel; she charged him with portraying a character that was based on her (and had the same first name) in a disparaging manner. The character was rewritten after the third hardcover printing, and later editions, including the mass market paperback and the "definitive" text in the Viking Critical Library Series, have an alternate character in her place. Cup ring rear cloth; near fine in a very good, mildly edgeworn dust jacket with a vertical crease to the spine.
203. KINCAID, Jamaica. At the Bottom of the River. NY: FSG (1983). The highly praised first book by this Caribbean writer, a collection of stories that won an award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Kincaid was born in Antigua and moved to the U.S. to become an au pair. She changed her name when her family disapproved of her writing, and she began writing for The New Yorker, which she did for almost twenty years. Signed by the author. One page with minor marginal stains; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
204. KINCAID, Jamaica. Annie John. NY: FSG (1985). Her second book, first novel, which expands on themes she touched on in her collection of stories, notably the plight of young, strong-willed girls born into a life of poverty. Signed by the author. Fine in a spine-faded, else fine dust jacket.
205. KINCAID, Jamaica. A Small Place. NY: FSG (1988). Her third book, nonfiction, a reflective personal essay on her native Antigua, and the side of it that remains invisible to the tourists who visit. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
206. KINCAID, Jamaica and FISCHL, Eric. Annie, Gwen, Lilly, Pam and Tulip. NY: Knopf/Whitney, 1989. The first trade edition of this attractively illustrated story that was first published in a deluxe limited edition by the Whitney Museum in its Artists and Writers Series of fine press books. This is a fine copy in slipcase.
207. KINCAID, Jamaica. Lucy. NY: FSG (1990). A semi-autobiographical novel of a young girl from Antigua who moves to North America to become an au pair for a wealthy couple. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
208. KINCAID, Jamaica. The Autobiography of My Mother. NY: FSG (1996). Her third novel, fifth book. Signed by the author and dated January 15 in the year of publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
209. KINCAID, Jamaica. My Brother. NY: FSG (1997). A memoir about her younger brother, who died of AIDS. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
210. KINCAID, Jamaica. My Garden (Book):. NY: FSG (1999). Nonfiction, an account of her own gardening experiences and a meditation on gardening. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
211. KING, Stephen. The Gunslinger. (NY): (New Audio Library) (n.d.). The first volume of King's "Dark Tower" epic, read by King on four audiocassettes. One of 800 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine in a cardstock slipcase with the bookplate of author Stanley Wiater, a three-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, tipped to the inside.
212. KING, Stephen and STRAUB, Peter. The Talisman. West Kingston: Donald M. Grant, 1984. The two-volume trade edition of this novel co-written by the two horror masters, clothbound in slipcase. There was also a signed limited edition of it issued. Bookplate of horror writer Stanley Wiater on the front pastedowns; fine. Quite uncommon now.
213. (KING, Stephen). "The Old Dude's Ticker" in Necon XX. (n.p.): (Necon Committee) (2000). A commemorative volume celebrating the 20th year of Necon, which includes King's "The Old Dude's Ticker," written in the early Seventies and published here for the first time with a brief introduction by the author. "The Old Dude's Ticker" was a story King based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Telltale Heart," and the story here is credited to both King and Poe. One of the scarcest Stephen King appearances in print: only 333 copies of the book were printed; Necon attendance was limited to 200, and each attendee received a copy; each of the 50 contributors to this volume received 2 copies, leaving 33 copies for all other purposes, including libraries, major donors, etc. It seldom comes on the market and is a "stopper" for most Stephen King collections. Other notable contributors include Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, Jonathan Carroll, Ramsey Campbell, Stanley Wiater, and others. Fine in wrappers, with Necon 2000 bookmark laid in.
214. (KING, Stephen). The Stephen King Universe. Baltimore: Cemetery Dance Publications, 2001. "A guide to the worlds of Stephen King," written by Stanley Wiater, Christopher Golden, and Hank Wagner. Of 1000 numbered copies, this copy is labeled "PC" (Publisher's Copy) and is signed by Wiater, Golden and Wagner. Fine in a fine dust jacket and slipcase. From the library of Stanley Wiater.
215. KINSELLA, W.P. Shoeless Joe. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1982. His highly praised, much-loved first novel, winner of a Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship Award and basis for the award-winning movie Field of Dreams. A North American magical realist baseball novel, with J.D. Salinger as a character. Foxing to top edge; near fine in a very good dust jacket with a little spine fading and wear to extremities and a little foxing to edges and folds.
216. LE CARRÉ, John. The Looking-Glass War. London: Heinemann (1965). His fourth book, published a year after his success with The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, which redefined the spy genre. This grim novel, though not as successful, began the series in which Le Carré pushed authenticity to new levels in espionage fiction, and at the same time elevated the literary level of the genre. Signed by the author. Boards a bit rubbed; else fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with some creasing and one tear to the lower front edge.
217. LE CARRÉ, John. Typescript. Undated. c. 1968. Four pages of ribbon copy typescript with extensive holograph corrections. Reportedly early draft pages of A Small Town in Germany (takes place in Bonn), but it could also be from Naive and Sentimental Lover (shares a character name, "Hugo"). Folded in fourths; near fine. With a letter of provenance. We have seldom seen Le Carré manuscript material offered on the market and an early piece like this, with extensive corrections visible and earlier versions of the text (now excised) still present is quite rare.
218. LE CARRÉ, John. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. London: Hodder & Stoughton (1974). Considered by many the greatest spy novel ever written, and the first in Le Carré's three book sequence collectively called The Quest for Karla. Le Carré, who worked in Britain's secret service, established the spy novel as a vehicle for looking at the other kinds of mysteries and secrecies which infuse our lives; the profession of spy became a metaphor for the way an individual must conduct his life in a dangerous world that is often not what it seems. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a lamination crease on the front panel.
219. -. Another copy. Signed by the author. Top stain faded; else fine in a near fine, spine-sunned dust jacket with a tear at the lower rear spine fold.
220. LE CARRÉ, John. The Honourable Schoolboy. London: Hodder & Stoughton (1977). The advance reading copy of the second book in LeCarré's celebrated Karla trilogy, which takes place partly in Southeast Asia during the period of the Vietnam war. Near fine in plain white wrappers and near fine printed dust jacket with promotional sticker on front cover. Uncommon in this advance format.
221. -. Same title. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1977. A limited edition, with a special introduction for this edition written by Le Carré which has not, to our knowledge, appeared elsewhere. Leatherbound, all edges gilt, and with a silk ribbon marker laid in. Auction stamp front pastedown and short abrasion to cover; near fine.
222. -. Same title. NY: Knopf, 1977. The first American trade edition. Faint stain rear flyleaf; else fine in a near fine dust jacket with a tear at the upper front flap fold.
223. -. Same title. (n.p.): (n.p.) (n.d.). A piracy. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a little edge wear and spine rubbing.
224. LE CARRÉ, John. Smiley's People. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1979. The final book in the Karla trilogy. This is a limited edition, with a special introduction written by Le Carré. Leatherbound, all edges gilt, and with a silk ribbon marker laid in. Fine.
225. -. Same title. London: Hodder & Stoughton (1980). The first British edition. Signed by the author. Fine in a dust jacket with slight rubbing at the front flap fold; else fine.
226. LE CARRÉ, John. A Murder of Quality. London: Hodder & Stoughton (1991). First thus, printing the novel, the screenplay, and an introduction by Le Carré. Le Carré wrote the screenplay for the television adaptation of his second novel, almost thirty years after the novel was first published. Like his first novel, and later the Karla trilogy, this story features George Smiley. The TV movie was nominated for an Edgar Award. Signed by the author. Illustrated with color stills from the film. Fine in wrappers. No hardcover edition was done, apparently. Uncommon.
227. LEE, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. (NY): HarperCollins (1999). A later printing of the 35th anniversary edition of Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, first published in 1960. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
228. (LEE, Harper). The Corolla. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama, 1947. The yearbook of the University of Alabama, where Harper Lee studied law between 1945 and 1949. Lee is shown as the editor of the humor magazine Rammer Jammer, sitting on the Board of Publications, voted one of the "campus personalities," pictured as a student of law, and mentioned as a member of Chi Omega and of Triangle, an honor society of seniors who provide guidance to freshmen. In all, at least a half dozen pictures of Lee. A near fine copy. Before completing her degree requirements, Lee left law school for New York City, where she worked as an airline reservations clerk and wrote fiction.
229. -. Another copy. Small paint spots on spine; still about near fine.
230. (LEE, Harper). FOOTE, Horton. The Screenplay of To Kill a Mockingbird. NY: Harvest/Harcourt, Brace & World (1964). A paperback, printing the text of Foote's 1962 Academy Award-winning screenplay of Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. With a full-page "Word from Harper Lee" commending Foote's adaptation of her novel, in part: "If the integrity of a film adaptation can be measured by the degree to which the novelist's intent is preserved, Mr. Foote's screenplay should be studied as a classic." Mild rubbing; near fine in wrappers. Uncommon.
231. LEONARD, Elmore. The Moonshine War. Garden City: Doubleday, 1969. An early Leonard hardcover, his first after the three Westerns he published in the Fifties. Inscribed by the author on the half title. Additional gift inscription on flyleaf. This is a fine copy of a cheaply made Doubleday book, in a near fine dust jacket with a short tear at the rear upper spine fold.
232. LOPEZ, Barry. Crow and Weasel. San Francisco: North Point, 1990. A fable in the style of North American Indian tales, beautifully illustrated with water colors by Tom Pohrt. This book was released at Christmas, 1990, marketed as a children's book, and immediately went into later printings. This is the first state, with the gold-stamping on the front cover, which the book's designer had removed while the print run was in progress. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
233. LORDE, Audre. Cables to Rage. London: Paul Breman, 1970. Poetry by this African-American writer. Fine in stapled wrappers.
234. LOWRY, Malcolm. Untitled Holograph Poem/Notes. Undated, but probably circa 1954-57. A single page, approximately 200 words, with several changes and corrections. The first line of holograph reads: "Story or poem combining:" and Lowry goes on to jot down a number of images, which read as though they may hang together poetically, as a deliberate work, or may just be the jottings, connected in the author's mind, of images and ideas to use in future writing. The first image is "The windmill, sails ever motionless, transfixed over Polegate." He goes on to write: "Polegate a Railway 'Graveyard.'/ Polegate Station is becoming a 'graveyard'/ for old railway wagons. Work began last month/ On breaking up a large number of wagons/ -- Some over 50 years old -- , and, says the Stationmaster,/ Mrs. Roberts, it will continue for years." There is poetic rumination on the after-effects of the breaking up of the wagons, and the choice of Polegate as the site; and on the twenty-four local men who have been hired to do the work, and then the point of view shifts to that of a passenger on a train passing through Polegate: "For some weeks passengers fr [sic]/ from Bewick on the Eastbourne line [?] have watched the/ swan with delight, as she/ sat, unblinking, believing herself/ hidden on her nest./ To-day she was seen for/ the first time with her/ young cygnet." Polegate Windmill is a well-known landmark in Eastbourne, Sussex, England, which was built in 1817. Polegate Station is a stop on the Eastbourne line from London. When Lowry left Canada in 1954, he returned to England where he had been born in 1909, and lived in Ripe, Sussex, not far from Polegate. He was working on a number of different manuscripts at the time of his death from an overdose of sleeping pills, and this sheet seems to fall somewhere between being an attempt at a formal poem and being notes for a scene from a larger work. Edge-creased with one short edge tear, not affecting text. Near fine; housed in custom folder, chemise and slipcase. Manuscript material by Lowry is very scarce: much was destroyed in a fire in Canada, and much since has been institutionalized. While his letters turn up occasionally, this is the first fragment we have had of a piece that has obvious literary intent.