Catalog 137, S
First Issue
213. SALINGER, J.D. Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour, An Introduction. Boston: Little Brown (1963). Salinger's fourth and last book, two long stories of the Glass family. This is the first issue, without the dedication page, one of reportedly 20-30 copies thus, although estimates these days range somewhat higher. Still, one of the scarcest items in the Salinger canon. Slight sunning to top edge, else fine in a fine dust jacket with a hint of sunning to spine. A very fresh, crisp copy.
214. SEBALD, W.G. On the Natural History of Destruction. NY: Random House (2003). The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of Sebald's final book, published posthumously. Fine in wrappers.
215. SHIELDS, Carol. The Stone Diaries. Toronto: Random House (1993). Her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which also won Canada's Governor General's Award -- the highest literary prize given in that country -- as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Orange Prize. Also shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Signed by the author on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Laid in is a square of paper on which Shields has written her name and address.
216. SMITH, Alexander McCall. The Girl Who Married a Lion. NY: Pantheon (2004). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of African tales by the author of the highly acclaimed series featuring the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, located in Botswana, Africa. Many of these stories were previously published in the collection Children of Wax. Fine in wrappers.
217. SMITH, Alexander McCall. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies. NY: Pantheon (2005). The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of the sixth book in Ladies' Detective Agency series. Fine in wrappers.
218. SNYDER, Gary, WELCH, Lew and WHALEN, Philip. Three Poem Broadsides. (San Francisco): (Four Seasons Foundation) (1963-1964). Three broadsides: Gary Snyder's Nanao Knows, Lew Welch's Step Out Onto the Planet, and Philip Whalen's Three Mornings. Each reproduced by photo-offset from the author's own calligraphy and printed in an edition of 300 copies on the occasion of a reading by the three poets at Longshoreman's Hall, San Francisco, June 12, 1964. [McNeil A7.] 9 1/2" x 12 1/2"; each signed by its author. Snyder, Welch and Whalen first met when they attended Reed College, a progressive school in Oregon; the friends later became three of the most influential poets of the Beat generation. With the publisher's printed card offering the set. Each of the broadsides is stamped "much happiness" in the upper right corner. Fine. For all:
219. SONTAG, Susan. Illness as Metaphor. NY: FSG (1978). A breakthrough book by the novelist/essayist/philosopher: Sontag had a reputation as one of the most formidably cerebral of contemporary writers prior to this book, but this small volume achieved a greater degree of popular success than anything she had written before, and became a touchstone in discussing social issues during the decade that saw the spread of the AIDS epidemic. Signed by the author in the year of publication. Mild foxing to top edge; else fine in a very near fine, slightly edge-sunned dust jacket with a crease on the front flap.
220. SONTAG, Susan. The Volcano Lover. NY: FSG (1992). A novel of ideas couched in the form of a historical romance. Inscribed by the author: "For Robert [Jones] -- / in friendship;/ with love -- / Susan/ 21 July 1992." The recipient, former Editor-in-Chief of HarperCollins publishers, was a longtime friend of Sontag's and reportedly helped her in the writing of this novel by reading the manuscript in progress, even though he wasn't publishing it. A nice association copy. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
221. STEADMAN, Ralph. The Little Red Computer. London: Dobson (1969). The first British edition of this story by Steadman, written before the author had ever seen a computer. Illustrated by the author and signed by Steadman in 2004, with a drawing of the computer. Slight upper corner taps; else fine in a fine slipcase. This title was reissued as a limited edition in 2004.
222. STEADMAN, Ralph. Book Fair Promotion. (n.p.): Abelard-Schumann (1973). Eight Steadman drawings in an accordion-style fold-out brochure, depicting a day at a publishers' book fair. This copy is signed by Steadman. A scarce, ephemeral piece. Fine.
223. STEADMAN, Ralph. America. (San Francisco): Straight Arrow Books (1974). Portraits of America by Steadman, with an introduction by Hunter S. Thompson. Widely considered Steadman's masterpiece; Thompson's introduction is, in fact, an interview with Thompson about Steadman, talking about his artwork and how Steadman "has a way of becoming part of the story," rather than getting in the way of it, as a photographer would. Signed by Steadman with a drawing. Near fine in a near fine, rubbed dust jacket with wear at the corners and an edge tear at the upper rear spine fold.
224. STEADMAN, Ralph. Sigmund Freud. NY: Paddington Press (1979). A speculative biography of Freud by Steadman, replete with illustrations. Signed by Steadman with a drawing of Freud smoking a cigar. Quarto; upper corners slightly tapped; else fine in a near fine dust jacket with chipping at the crown.
With Original Artwork
225. STEADMAN, Ralph. The Devil in Texas. (London): Robert Royce (1984). Original dust jacket layout by Steadman for the novel by Wolf Mankowitz, which also contains Steadman illustrations. Ink sketch by Steadman, approximately 22" x 17" with pencil and one-color tissue overlay. Rolled; else fine. Together with a copy of the first edition, which is fine in a fine dust jacket. Both the book and the artwork are signed by Steadman. Unique.
226. STEADMAN, Ralph. Near the Bone. (London): Arrow Books (1990). Humorous dog advice, written and illustrated by Steadman. Signed and with a drawing by Steadman. Small quarto, only issued in wrappers. Fine.
With Original Artwork
227. STEADMAN, Ralph. Jones of Colorado. London: Ebury Press (1995). Original dust jacket art by Steadman for his own book about the life and death of Hunter S. Thompson's cat, Jones, whom Steadman met during a two-week stay at Thompson's house while working on The Curse of Lono. The artwork consists of the final title lettering and author signature; the face of Jones is not present. Approximately 17" x 23", with the final author signature tipped over an earlier draft. Rolled; else fine. Together with a copy of the first edition, which is fine in a fine dust jacket and also signed by Steadman. Unique.
228. STEADMAN, Ralph. Doodaaa. (London): Bloomsbury (2002). A "triography" by Steadman -- i.e., the life of his alter-ego, Gavin Twinge, as told to Ralphael Steed; in other words, a comic novel in the form of autobiography, heavily illustrated by Steadman in color and black-and-white. Signed by the author at Woody Creek in 2004, with a drawing that crosses the hinge. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Invitation to the opening reception laid in.
229. -. Same title. (NY): Bloomsbury (2002). The first American edition. Signed by the author with the annotation, "This is No. 271." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Invitation to the opening reception laid in.
230. (STEADMAN, Ralph). CARROLL, Lewis. Alice in Wonderland. London: Dobson (1967). Alice as illustrated by Steadman, with appropriately extravagant, phantasmagorical drawings. Signed by Steadman with a drawing of Alice at Woody Creek in 2004. Quarto; fine in a very near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with a couple tiny nicks on the rear panel. An early publication for Steadman and one of his masterpieces.
231. (STEADMAN, Ralph). CARRICKFORD, Richard. This is Television. (London): Frederick Mueller (1967). The third, revised edition of this look behind the cameras, first published in 1958 when television was a relatively new and mysterious phenomenon for most people. Illustrated and signed by Steadman. Foxing to top edge; else fine in a very good, price-clipped dust jacket with minor foxing to the rear panel and two small areas of abrasion on the front. A very scarce book in any edition, and a particularly early work by Steadman, whose illustrations show the beginnings of the flair for which he has become well-known but are in general much more realistic and/or subdued than his later artwork.
232. (STEADMAN, Ralph). CARROLL, Lewis. Alice Through the Looking Glass. London: MacGibbon & Kee (1972). The follow-up volume to his Alice in Wonderland. Signed by Steadman in 1986 with a drawing of a bird. Quarto; fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
233. -. Another copy. Signed by Steadman at Woody Creek in 2004 with a mirror-image signature and the inscription "Sunshine and yellow leaves falling in profusion." Fine in a near fine dust jacket with dampstaining across the upper (black) rear panel.
234. -. Same title, the first American edition. NY: Clarkson N. Potter (1973). Signed by Steadman with a drawing of Alice. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with trace wear at the crown.
235. (STEADMAN, Ralph). STOW, Randolph. Midnite. London: Bodley Head (1984). Third edition of this book first published in 1967. Illustrated by and signed by Steadman with a drawing. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
236. (STEADMAN, Ralph). PERRY, Paul. Fear and Loathing: the Strange and Terrible Saga of Hunter S. Thompson. NY: Thunder's Mouth Press (1992). An unauthorized biography of Thompson by Perry, who served as Thompson's editor at Running magazine. Cover art by Steadman and signed and numbered by Steadman in a limited edition of 20 numbered copies. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
237. (STEGNER, Wallace). The Great Lakes Review, Vol. 2, No. 1. (Chicago): (Northeastern Illinois University) (1975). An interview with Stegner, running more than 20 pages. Also includes a Jim Harrison excerpt from Letters to Yesenin and bibliographies of black literature of the Midwest and of Midwest personal narratives. Foxed; very good in wrappers.
Signed by John Steinbeck; Harpo Marx's Copy
238. STEINBECK, John. The Red Pony. NY: Covici Friede, 1937. A collection of three related stories about a young boy growing up in the Salinas/Monterey area of California where most of Steinbeck's writings were set. One of 699 numbered copies of this limited edition, which Steinbeck proclaimed, on seeing it for the first time, the finest typographic presentation of his work ever. A handsome edition, this being a fine copy, lacking the original tissue dust jacket but in the publisher's slipcase, also fine. Signed by Steinbeck and with the bookplate of Harpo Marx. Steinbeck later wrote a screenplay based on these stories (and one other), which was filmed in 1949.
239. STOPPARD, Tom. Is It True What They Say About Shakespeare? Oxford: International Shakespeare Association, 1982. The International Shakespeare Association's Occasional Paper No. 2, printing a lecture delivered by Stoppard at the annual meeting of the Deutsche Shakespeare-Gesellschaft West, in Hamburg, in April, 1980. Gentle cover creases; near fine in stapled wrappers. With the Association's newsletter laid in. Uncommon.
240. STRALEY, John. The Woman Who Married a Bear. (NY): Soho (1992). The uncorrected proof copy of his well-received first mystery, set in Alaska. Winner of the 1993 Shamus Award for best first novel. Signed by the author. A couple small creases and a bit of tanning to the spine; very near fine in wrappers.
241. STRALEY, John. Cold Water Burning. NY: Bantam Books (2001). The uncorrected proof copy; a Cecil Younger novel, set in Alaska. One tiny edge tear at the lower rear cover; else fine in wrappers.