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Catalog 136, A-B

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1. ADAMS, Richard. Watership Down. NY: Macmillan [1974]. The first American edition of Adams' classic first novel, published two years after the British edition. Winner of the Guardian award for children's fiction and the Library Association's Carnegie Medal for outstanding work by a children's author. Very slight pull to text block, owing to its weight and the perfectbound construction; still very near fine in a near fine, lightly creased dust jacket with a couple tiny tears and a small spot on the rear panel.

2. (Anthology). TQ20. (Wainscott): Pushcart (1985). A huge anthology which was also published as the Twentieth Anniversary issue of TriQuarterly magazine. This is the scarce hardcover issue, published by the Pushcart Press; there was a much more widely distributed softcover issue as well. Contributors include Saul Bellow, Richard Brautigan, Gabriel García Márquez, Stanley Elkin, Jack Kerouac, Leslie Marmon Silko, Vladimir Nabokov, Raymond Carver, Robert Stone, Thomas McGuane, Joyce Carol Oates, Cynthia Ozick, John Sayles, Richard Ford, Tobias Wolff and many, many others -- a virtual who's who of American literary writing over the course of two decades. Foxing to top edge; else fine in a fine dust jacket.

3. -. Same title. The uncorrected proof copy. Spine creased; near fine in wrappers. An uncommon proof.

4. (Anthology). Alive and Writing. Interviews with American Authors of the 1980's. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press (1987). Conducted and edited by Larry McCaffery and Sinda Gregory. Interviewees include Raymond Carver, Ann Beattie, Tom Robbins, Ursula LeGuin, Thomas McGuane, William Kennedy, Edmund White, Barry Hannah, Russell Hoban, Samuel Delany, and others. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

5. (Anthology). Paths Less Travelled. NY: Atheneum, 1988. An anthology of nature tourism. Approximately thirty authors were solicited to take the adventure of their choice with Sobek Expeditions; this book collects the stories of twelve who went, including Barry Lopez, Tom Robbins, James Salter, Tim Cahill, Bobbie Ann Mason, Edward Hoagland, Jay McInerny, Tim Cahill and David Roberts. Also included, in the introduction, are the reasons many writers gave for declining: Ann Beattie had dry cleaning; John Irving's response is quoted at length. Quarto, heavily illustrated with photographs. Coffee stains to the lower boards and outer page edges; thus only very good in a near fine dust jacket.

6. (Anthology). Edge Walking on the Western Rim. (Seattle): One Reel/Sasquatch Books (1994). Original works by twelve Northwest writers including Sherman Alexie, David James Duncan, Tom Robbins and William Stafford. Quarto. Edge-sunned pages; near fine in self-wrappers.

7. (Anthology). Writers on Directors. NY: Watson-Guptill (1999). Forty writers on forty directors. Contributions by Michael Cunningham, Walter Mosley, Edwidge Danticat, Tom Robbins, William Goldman, Katherine Dunn, Russell Banks, and others. Fine without dust jacket, as issued.

8. ATWOOD, Margaret. Cat's Eye. NY: Doubleday (1989). The first American edition. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with lamination creasing on the spine and rear panel.

9. AUEL, Jean M. The Clan of the Cave Bear. NY: Crown (1980). The first volume in the author's bestselling "Earth's Children" series. Although the movie that was made from this book bombed, the book itself -- along with the other volumes in the series -- was widely praised for the thoroughness of its historical research. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a slight crease at the crown.

10. BAMBARA, Toni Cade. The Sea Birds Are Still Alive. NY: Random House (1977). The fourth book, and second collection of short stories, by this important African-American author. Inscribed by the author in 1981. Book lightly sunned and slanted; near fine in a near fine dust jacket with one edge tear.

11. BAMBARA, Toni Cade. The Salt Eaters. NY: Random House (1980). Her first novel, after two volumes of short stories and two collections that she edited. Inscribed by the author in 1981. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket.

12. BARR, Nevada. Track of the Cat. NY: Putnam (1993). The first book in her acclaimed Anna Pigeon mystery series, with a female Park Ranger as the protagonist. Winner of an Anthony Award for Best First Novel. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

13. BARR, Nevada. A Superior Death. NY: Putnam (1994). Her third book, and the second in her mystery series featuring Anna Pigeon. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

14. BARR, Nevada. Ill Wind. NY: Putnam (1995). The third Anna Pigeon mystery, in which the author again uses the mystery form to explore some of the issues -- from archaeological to ecological -- confronting a park ranger in the Southwest. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

15. BARTHELME, Donald. Paradise. NY: Putnam (1986). A novel, his third, and the last published in his lifetime. Barthelme died in 1989, and his fourth novel was published posthumously. During the 1960s and 70s, his fiction broke new ground and was enormously influential, in particular his short stories. Signed by the author. Printed on cheap paper that is acidifying slightly; else fine in a very near fine dust jacket with two tiny edge tears. Uncommon signed.

16. BASS, Rick. The Deer Pasture. College Station: Texas A&M (1985). His first book, a collection of essays on hunting and the Texas Hill Country, where he was born and grew up. In recent years, Bass has lived in Montana, and his books on the remote valleys of northwestern Montana have been highly acclaimed and have established him as one of the leading voices of the younger generation of nature writers, whose engagement with the land is marked by a full consciousness of the political questions that surround it, as well as a deep respect for the moral and spiritual questions that are so easily overlooked in political, and even environmental, discussions. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

17. BASS, Rick. Wild to the Heart. (Harrisburg): Stackpole (1987). His second book, a collection of essays on the natural world. Signed by the author in Yaak, in 1992. Bass has been both a petroleum geologist and an environmental activist, and his work embodies a combination of scientific rigor and poetic wonder. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

18. BELLOW, Saul. Seize the Day. NY: Viking, 1956. The fourth book by the Nobel Prize winner, three short stories and a one-act play, and his first book after winning the National Book Award for The Adventures of Augie March. A tiny bit of foxing to the upper edge of the cloth; near fine in a dust jacket that has some light foxing around the edges and a bit of dust soiling but is still near fine. An especially nice copy of a book that is uncommon in good condition, and particularly scarce with no fading to the yellow spine.

19. BERENDT, John. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. NY: Random House (1995). A limited edition of the highly praised literary nonfiction portrait of Savannah, Georgia, a surprise bestseller for over two years, going through dozens of printings, and later the basis for a movie. This edition was published one year after the trade edition. One of 2500 numbered copies signed by the author. Clothbound; fine in slipcase.

20. BERRYMAN, John. Two Poems. 1970. Two Berryman poems, "In Memoriam (1914-1953)" and "Another New Year's Eve," issued as a holiday greeting from the Berrymans (Martha, Kate and John) and Bob Giroux. Inscribed at some length by John Berryman across the front cover. The recipient, unnamed on the greeting, is another author. Staples rusted; else fine in wrappers. Also included is another card from Kate, Martha and Sarah Berryman only, and a photocopy of Berryman's 1970 poem "A Prayer After All." Autograph material by Berryman is uncommon.

21. BOYLE, T. Coraghessan. The Road to Wellville. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1993. The limited edition of this elaborate, satirical historical novel based on the life of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, a turn-of-the century health crusader and inventor of Kellogg's Corn Flakes (along with "peanut butter...[and] some seventy-five other gastrically correct foods"). Also the basis for a film. Leatherbound, all edges gilt, with a silk ribbon marker bound in. Signed by Boyle and with a special introduction by him for this edition, tracing his literary obsession with food, drink and waste. Fine.

22. BRADBURY, Ray. The Martian Chronicles. Garden City: Doubleday, 1950. The author's second book, a collection of related stories that became a science fiction classic and simultaneously established the author as a serious literary writer; earlier stories of his had been collected in the O. Henry Prize volumes of 1947 and 1948. Inscribed by Bradbury to author Stanley Wiater, a three-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association: "For Stan!/ Good wishes from a Martian named Ray Bradbury/ Aug. 7, 1974." A nice literary association: Bradbury was Wiater's first interviewee when he began his career as a writer and journalist. Wiater's Gahan Wilson-designed bookplate front pastedown; faint bowing and browning to boards; a near fine copy in a very good dust jacket with mild rubbing and edge wear.

23. BRADBURY, Ray. The Illustrated Man. Garden City: Doubleday, 1951. One of the classics that established Bradbury as the preeminent literary science fiction writer of his generation. A collection of short stories, each related to a tattoo on the "illustrated man" of the title. Bookplate (partially abraded) of horror writer Stanley Wiater on front flyleaf; a strip of dampstaining to rear joint; still near fine in a price-clipped dust jacket with dampstaining to the spine and chips to the spine ends; about very good.

24. BRADBURY, Ray. The Golden Apples of the Sun. Garden City: Doubleday, 1953. Another collection of stories. Bookplate of Stanley Wiater front flyleaf; a very near fine copy in a very good, slightly rubbed dust jacket with some dampstaining to the spine.

25. BRADBURY, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. NY: Ballantine (1953). Bradbury's most famous book, a collection of two stories and the title novella. The book's title is the temperature at which paper ignites, and posits a society in which all books are banned and those that are discovered are burned. As such, it has become a science fiction classic and also a classic of the literature of oppression and redemption, with repercussions and impact far outside the field of science fiction. Francois Truffaut directed the film version in 1966, his first film in English. One of the early Ballantine hardcovers -- meaning, among other things, that it was issued simultaneously (and primarily) in mass market paperback format and this, the hardcover issue, is scarce. This copy is signed by Bradbury. Bookplate (partially abraded) of horror writer Stanley Wiater on flyleaf. Slight rubbing to the board edges; near fine in a very good dust jacket with short tears near the folds, a small chip at the crown and the red "451" faded on the spine. One of David Pringle's 100 Best Science Fiction Novels.

26. BRADBURY, Ray. Dandelion Wine. Garden City: Doubleday, 1957. Another of Bradbury's several classics, this one chosen by Pringle as one of the hundred best fantasy novels. Bookplate of Stanley Wiater front flyleaf; small tear to board at upper rear joint; near fine in a near fine dust jacket with slight rubbing at the edges. A nice copy of one of Bradbury's most acclaimed novels, with distinguished provenance.

27. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. A Legend of Horses. (n.p.): (n.p.) (n.d). A piracy, printing the story "What Are You Going to Do with 390 Photographs of Christmas Trees?" and ten poems from early in his career. Fine in stapled wrappers.

28. BRUCE, Lenny. Stamp Help Out! (n.p.): (Privately Published) [c. 1961]. The comedian's first book, which he self-published to sell at his concerts and performances, starting in 1961. A collection of humorous and irreverent stories, skits and photographs, including a long self-parodying satire called "The Pot Smokers," in which Bruce combines photographs -- many of them of himself -- with wild captions that play off the ignorance and fear surrounding pot smokers in that era. In addition to offering the book for sale at his concerts, Bruce also gave a number of copies to Lawrence Ferlinghetti to sell at his City Lights Bookstore. When he became embroiled in obscenity trials and drug busts Bruce first responded by crossing out some of the profanity in copies of Stamp Help Out!, fearing that the book could be used against him at trial, and later wrote to Ferlinghetti telling him to destroy all remaining copies. This is the second issue of the book, with several words x'd out. Inscribed by the author on the inside front cover: "To my pal Artie/ Good drummer and friend/ Lenny Bruce." Blended stain upper inner corner; tape strengthened spine: a well-worn copy that has seen plenty of use, overall about very good in stapled wrappers. A very uncommon item, never formally published and, because it was on the market for so short a time and because Bruce died in 1966, signed copies of it are especially unusual and rare.

29. BURROUGHS, William S. Nova Express. NY: Grove (1964). His first novel published in the U.S. after his controversial and ground-breaking Naked Lunch. Owner initials front flyleaf; boards a bit splayed; small, faint stain to top stain. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket creased on the front flap.

30. (BURROUGHS, William). MAYNARD, Joe and MILES, Barry. William S. Burroughs. A Bibliography, 1953-73. Charlottesville: U. of Virginia (1978). An exhaustively researched, thorough bibliography covering the first twenty years of Burroughs' career. The total edition was 2000 copies. This is an ex-library copy with a stamp and small label removal strip on the rear free endpaper; no other markings. Near fine without dust jacket, as issued. An excellent reference guide.

31. BUTLER, Robert Olen. The Alleys of Eden. NY: Horizon (1981). The Pulitzer Prize winner's first book, a highly praised novel of the ending and aftermath of the Vietnam war -- themes that have continued to run through his writings since, including his Pulitzer Prize-winning story collection, A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain. Although Butler's early books were universally praised by reviewers, they enjoyed little commercial success in part because the first three were published by a small publisher on the brink of bankruptcy. This copy is fine in a near fine jacket, and belonged to poet and book reviewer Tom Clark. Laid in is the holograph manuscript of Clark's review along with a copy of the published review, from The Los Angeles Times. Also laid in is a warm typed letter signed from Butler to Tom Clark, profusely thanking him for the review; in part: "I have received twenty major reviews of the book but none of them was more sensitive or insightful than yours. The best literary criticism actually explains an author to himself. That's what your review did. I understand my own book better after reading your review and I want to thank you for that." An extraordinary association copy of an important first novel, and a warm and revealing letter.

32. BUTLER, Robert Olen. Sun Dogs. NY: Horizon (1982). His second novel, a thriller set in the northern Alaskan wilderness that is both a highly readable page-turner and a powerful novel of ideas. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket without the usual rubbing.

33. BUTLER, Robert Olen. Countrymen of Bones. NY: Horizon (1983). His third novel, set in New Mexico during the development of the atomic bomb. Like the above, a fast-paced story and an intellectual adventure of high order. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with just a touch of rubbing at the crown.

34. -. Another copy. Signed by the author. Fine in a near fine, mildly rubbed dust jacket.

35. BUTLER, Robert Olen. A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain. NY: Henry Holt (1992). His first collection of stories after six highly-praised novels. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a finalist for the PEN Faulkner Award. A scarce book in the first printing, issued originally in small numbers (reportedly 6000 copies) and reprinted many times after the announcement of the prize. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

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