Catalog 137, C-D
46. CAREY, Peter. True History of the Kelly Gang. (Queensland): University of Queensland Press (2000). The true first edition of Carey's second Booker Prize winner, a fictional re-imagining of the life of Australia's most famous outlaw, a 19th century legend and something of a 20th century cultural hero. This is the hardcover issue, which had a small first printing and was attractively bound in quarter leather and printed paper boards. Signed by the author. A fine copy in a fine unprinted glassine dust jacket, as issued.
47. CARRINGTON, Leonora. The House of Fear. NY: Dutton (1988). The first American edition of this collection of loosely related, semi-autobiographical stories by the Surrealist painter and writer, who lived with Max Ernst in the 1930s and later fled to Spain after Ernst was sent to a concentration camp. Most of these writings date from the 1930s and 1940s, and these are their first appearances in the U.S. and in English. Illustrated with a number of Carrington's surrealist drawings, as well as photographs of her, Ernst, and others from the 1930s, affirming the thin line between fiction and autobiography in what amounts to a "surrealist memoir." Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Books signed by Carrington are quite scarce.
48. CHABON, Michael. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. NY: Random House (2000). A novel by the author of Mysteries of Pittsburgh and Wonder Boys, among others. This story focuses on an artist who escapes from Nazi-occupied Prague and becomes involved in the Golden Age of comic books as World War II unfolds in the background. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
With Two Original Chagall Lithographs
49. CHAGALL, Marc. The Lithographs of Chagall 1962-1968. Boston: Boston Book and Art Shop (1969). The third volume in the sequence collecting Chagall's lithographs, reproducing 180 of them created by Chagall from 1962 to 1968 and including two original lithographs as cover and frontispiece. Text and catalogue by Fernand Mourlot and Charles Sourier; preface by Julien Cain. The reproductions in the book were printed by master printer Draeger Frères, and the two original lithographs were printed at the press of Mourlot Frères. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with sunning to the spine crown (not affecting print) and also in an acetate dust jacket chipped across the lower rear edge (chip laid in). An attractive and important book by one of the preeminent 20th century artists, and perhaps the most inexpensive way to acquire an original Chagall lithograph.
50. CHEEVER, John. The Way Some People Live. NY: Random House (1943). His very scarce first book, printed during wartime in an edition of only 2750 copies. A collection of stories, almost none of which were ever reprinted in Cheever's lifetime (or since); Cheever pointedly did not include them in his later collections, and his family blocked publication of a posthumous collection that would have included them. Very slight dampstaining to an upper corner; near fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with a few tears at the spine extremities. Uncommon in dust jacket: the pulpy wartime paper tends to get brittle and chip into pieces, and most copies lose the jacket altogether eventually. An attractive copy of an uncommon and important first book.
Scarce First Book, Signed
51. COBEN, Harlan. Play Dead. (Latham): British American Publishing (1990). The author's first book, a mystery novel set around the death of a professional basketball player. Coben went on to write an award-winning series of novels featuring sports agent Myron Bolitar (different volumes won an Edgar and an Anthony Award) and in recent years has been writing stand-alone thrillers that have gotten rave reviews, are considered among the very best being written today, and have been huge bestsellers. This copy is signed by the author. A few small spots to the foredges of the pages, otherwise fine in a near fine dust jacket with rubbing to the corners and spine ends. A very uncommon first book, published by a small publisher, and especially scarce signed.
Booker Prize Winner, Signed
52. COETZEE, J.M. Life & Times of Michael K. Johannesberg: Ravan Press (1983). The true first edition of the first Booker Prize-winning novel by the South African Nobel Prize-winning author. Signed by Coetzee. One light corner tap; still fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a small strip of dampstaining on verso. A very attractive copy of this uncommon edition, especially scarce signed: Coetzee is apparently fairly reclusive and does not often make himself available for signing books.
53. COETZEE, J.M. Disgrace. London: Secker & Warburg (1999). His second Booker Prize-winning novel. This is the first issue, printed by Biddles, in a first issue dust jacket (without the Booker Prize notation). Signed by the author and dated on the day he received the prize. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
54. CONRAD, Joseph. Typhoon and Other Stories. London: Heinemann, 1903. First edition, first issue of this collection of four long stories. One of 1500 copies with the domestic title page and half-title. Owner name in pencil on flyleaf; mild offsetting to endpages; thin black strip lower edges; a very attractive, crisp, near fine copy.
Signed by Conrad
55. CONRAD, Joseph. An Outcast of the Islands. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1907. A later edition of his second novel, first published in 1896 as a prequel to his first book, Almayer's Folly. Signed by the author. Mild foxing to endpages; one foredge tear; a couple tiny scuffs to cloth; near fine, without dust jacket, in custom clamshell box. A very attractive copy, with the gilt on the spine and front cover still bright. Signed copies of Conrad's early books, pre-1910, are quite scarce.
56. CREWS, Harry. The Gospel Singer. NY: Morrow, 1968. The uncommon first novel by the contemporary master of what has been called "Southern grotesque" or, sometimes, "theological grotesque" -- the heir to Flannery O'Connor with an added element of 1960s, over-the-top humor. Signed by the author in 1969 at Bread Loaf Writer's Conference. Fading to pastedowns, as usual; small label partially removed from front flyleaf; else fine in a fine dust jacket. The Gospel Singer had a first printing of only 4000 copies, the smallest printing of any of Crews's trade editions.
57. CRICHTON, Michael. "DOUGLAS, Michael." Dealing, or The Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues. NY: Knopf, 1971. A pseudonymously published book by Crichton, written with his brother, Douglas, about a pair of Harvard students who become pot dealers on the side. Made into a 1972 movie that featured Barbara Hershey and introduced John Lithgow. Inscribed by Michael Crichton. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. A comic novel that captures some of the zeitgeist of the Sixties, and uncommon signed.
58. CRUMLEY, James. The Last Good Kiss. NY: Random House (1978). His third book, second mystery, written in a hardboiled style with a comic edge. Signed by the author, with an additional cryptic inscription on the front flyleaf, apparently in Crumley's hand: "Phil [Mel?]/ Someday soon this will all be yours. Take care/ Pa [Pat?]." Page edge foxing; near fine in a near fine, spine-faded dust jacket with one closed edge tear. An intriguing copy of one of the legendary books of the modern hardboiled genre.
59. DEIGHTON, Len. Ou Est Le Garlic. London: Penguin (1965). Deighton's first cookbook, only issued in wrappers. Owner gift inscription. Light rubbing; near fine in oblong wrappers. $65
60. -. Same title, the first American edition. NY: Harper & Row (1977). This is also the first hardcover edition. The contents are identical to the Penguin edition, with the exception of one page added giving conversions from English to American measures. Foxing to top page edge; near fine in oblong pictorial boards, without dust jacket as issued.
61. DEIGHTON, Len. Len Deighton's Action Cook Book. (Middlesex): Penguin (1967). The first Penguin edition of Deighton's first book on cooking, originally published by Jonathan Cape in 1965. Minor creasing and rubbing; near fine in oblong wrappers.
62. DEIGHTON, Len. Close-Up. London: Jonathan Cape (1972). A Hollywood novel by the master of the spy thriller, author of The Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin, among others. Four of Deighton's first five novels, including the aforementioned two, were made into Hollywood films, presumably providing the raw material and experience that forms the basis of this book. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with slight shelf wear.
63. DEIGHTON, Len. Yesterday's Spy. NY: HBJ (1975). The advance reading copy of the first American edition of this spy thriller. Spine-faded; near fine in wrappers.
64. DEIGHTON, Len. Catch a Falling Spy. NY: HBJ (1976). A review copy of the first American edition of this Cold War spy thriller, first published in England as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Spy. Spine slightly slanted, which is not uncommon for this cheaply made perfectbound book; near fine in a near fine dust jacket, with review slip laid in.
65. DEIGHTON, Len. Game, Set & Match. NY: Knopf, 1989. A review copy of the first American edition of this omnibus volume, collecting Berlin Game, Mexico Set and London Match, the first of his two trilogies featuring Bernard Samson. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with review slip laid in.
66. DEIGHTON, Len. City of Gold. (NY): HarperCollins (1992). A suspense novel of World War II, set in Egypt. Signed by the author two months prior to publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
67. (DEIGHTON, Len). Milward-Oliver, Edward. The Len Deighton Companion. London: Grafton Books (1987). Alphabetized entries covering the world of Deighton's fiction and nonfiction, with a bibliographical checklist and an interview with Deighton. By the author of the Deighton bibliography. Perfectbound, with splitting at the hinge prior to the title page; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
68. DELILLO, Don. White Noise. (NY): Viking (1985). Winner of the National Book Award, an award for which DeLillo has been nominated for twice since. Remainder stamping lower page edges; near fine in a near fine, slightly edgeworn dust jacket with a crease to the front flap.
69. DICKEY, James. Deliverance. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1970. His first novel, after a number of collections of poetry. Basis for the classic movie, one of the signature films of the 1970s. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with trace rubbing at the edges. One of the most attractive copies we've seen: the mostly black dust jacket is notoriously prone to rubbing and wear; this copy isn't immaculate but it's about as close to that as we've seen.
Inscribed to John Gardner
70. DICKEY, James. The Enemy from Eden. Northridge: Lord John Press, 1978. A limited edition, this being the Author's Copy, as designated on the colophon and signed by James Dickey. Additionally, inscribed by Dickey to the writer John Gardner: "this book about killing with breath in the wilderness of Heaven." Fine without dust jacket, as issued. A nice association copy.
71. DIDION, Joan. Democracy. NY: Simon & Schuster (1984). The fourth novel by the author of Play It As It Lays and the classic essay collections Slouching Toward Bethlehem and The White Album. Signed by Didion. Fine in a near fine, spine-sunned brown-gold dust jacket.
72. DILLARD, Annie. Tickets for a Prayer Wheel. (Columbia): University of Missouri Press (1974). Her first book, a collection of poetry. Inscribed by the author in February, 1975: "For ___ & ___/ with all gratitude and respect/ Annie Dillard." Fine in a fine dust jacket. A nice copy of a scarce and fragile book, bound in thin, flexible cloth boards that are susceptible to wear.
73. DILLARD, Annie. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. NY: Harper's Magazine Press (1974). Her second book and first book of prose. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction, a Book of the Month Club selection, reprinted many times in hardcover, and a bestseller in paperback -- the book became a contemporary classic on college campuses in the Seventies for its combination of eco-sensitive nature writing and the fact that it was written by a woman, a rarity at that time in this field. This is the correct first edition, with a number line in the rear that ends in "1." Small ding at lower page edges; else fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
74. DILLARD, Annie. Teaching a Stone to Talk. NY: Harper & Row (1982). A review copy of this collection of essays. This copy was sent to author Mary Lee Settle for comment and has a letter laid in from the publisher to that effect. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket.
75. DONOSO, José. The Obscene Bird of Night. NY: Knopf, 1973. The first American edition of the most famous book by this expatriate Chilean novelist. Signed by the author. Donoso moved from Chile to Spain, where he wrote the novella that Spanish avant garde filmmaker Luis Buñuel made into the classic film The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Donoso's first novel to be translated into English won the William Faulkner Foundation Prize. He was a visiting lecturer at the Iowa Writers' Workshop from 1965-67. Foredge foxing; spot to top stain; else fine in a near fine dust jacket with trace shelf wear. An important book by one of the leading voices of the Latin American boom that began in the 1960s.
With Doyle's Son's Bookplate
76. DOYLE, A. Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles. London: George Newnes, 1902. One of the most famous of the Sherlock Holmes novels, written as a prequel to the earlier stories in which Holmes had ultimately died. An immensely popular book: Sherlock Holmes was one of the most popular characters in British fiction at that time, and his "death" in an earlier volume had left a hungry and anxious fan base clamoring for more. The book was serialized in The Strand, beginning in 1901 and was published as a novel in 1902, with a large first printing of 25,000 copies. This copy has the bookplate of Doyle's son -- Denis P.S. Conan Doyle on the front pastedown, which incorporates the Conan Doyle family crest: "fortitudine vincit" (he conquers by fortitude). Owner name from 1906 on first blank, written over a previously erased name and address. Some foxing to the page edges and endpages (including, mildly, the bookplate); cloth a bit worn; a very good copy, without dust jacket. Laid in is a photograph of A. Conan Doyle from the Belsize Park Studio in London. A notable copy of one of the great Sherlock Holmes novels.
77. DRABBLE, Margaret. The Garrick Year. NY: Morrow, 1965. The first American edition. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication: "With all best wishes/ Margaret Drabble/ September 2, '65." Foxing to page edges; mottling to spine; near fine in a very good, rubbed dust jacket with light edge wear. Together with an autograph note signed by Drabble on the same date, transmitting the book: "Dear __ _____/ Thank you so much for your very kind letter. I am so glad you liked the book. Here is a copy of my last - the American edition, I fear - and my next is due out next week, called The Millstone. I do apologize for my erratic grammar - many more examples have been produced against me, and my only defence is that a) I was trying to write allegorically [?] rather than correctly and b) if I could make such errors (having a First in English) so would my heroine! I hope you enjoy this one as much as the last - it is better, I think, though sadder./ Yours with thanks/ Margaret Drabble." Written on two sides of notepaper; folded in half; else fine.