Catalog 139, O-Y
126. OATES, Joyce Carol. A Garden of Earthly Delights. NY: Vanguard (1967). Her fourth book, second novel. Inscribed by the author to writer Daniel Curzon: "For my dearest friend Dan with the usual best wishes -- luv luv luv/ Joyce." Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a very slight degree of spine fading, much less than usual, and modest edge wear. Again, an excellent association copy.
127. OATES, Joyce Carol. Expensive People. NY: Vanguard (1968). Her fifth book, a novel. Inscribed by the author: "For Dan/ with very best wishes" and signed "Love, Joyce." Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light corner wear. A nice copy and a good association.
128. OATES, Joyce Carol. Them. NY: Vanguard (1969). Her sixth book, fourth novel. Winner of the National Book Award. Inscribed by the author to Daniel Curzon: "For my dear friend Dan - without whom this book would never have been imagined!/ Love always, Joyce." Fine in a very good, lightly rubbed dust jacket with foxing to the spine and minor wear to corners and spine ends. Perhaps one of the finest association copies there could be of her first major award-winning book.
129. O'HARA, John. Appointment in Samarra. NY: Harcourt Brace (1934). His first book, with erratum slip tipped in. Page edge foxing and handling to boards; a very good copy in a heavily, but fully, restored, second issue dust jacket, which has reviews of the novel on the back panel. Appointment in Samarra was a critically and commercially successful debut novel for O'Hara, going into five printings within a year. O'Hara became one of the bestselling literary novelists of his era, and at least five of his books were made into Hollywood films. An attractive, modestly priced copy of an important first book.
130. ORLEAN, Susan. The Orchid Thief. NY: Random House (1998). The advance reading copy of the author's third book, an unusual nonfiction look at the "exotic subculture of orchid fanatics." Basis for the quirky, acclaimed and award-winning Spike Jonze film, "Adaptation," with Nicholas Cage and Meryl Streep (as the author). Orlean is a staff writer for The New Yorker, heir to John McPhee in her interesting, well-written portraits of unusual and interesting people. Signed by the author in 2003. Fine in wrappers.
131. PRICE, Reynolds. A Chain of Love. Tokyo: Nan'un-do's (1973). First edition thus, printing two stories, "A Chain of Love" and "The Anniversary." Published as an English language textbook with Japanese annotations. Signed by Reynolds Price. Fine in wrappers. Very uncommon, especially signed.
132. PROULX, Annie. Close Range. (NY): Scribner (1999). A collection of "Wyoming Stories," one of which, "The Half-Skinned Steer," was selected for inclusion in The Best American Short Stories of the Century, and another, "Brokeback Mountain" was recently released as a film with a Larry McMurtry screenplay and a performance by Heath Ledger that is being spoken of as Oscar-worthy. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
133. -. Another copy. Signed by the author and by the illustrator, William Matthews, who contributes a color frontispiece and several other color illustrations for the stories. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
134. -. Same title. The advance reading copy. Fine in wrappers.
135. (PROULX, E. Annie). MODICA, Andrea. Treadwell. San Francisco: Chronicle Books (1996). Modica's first major published collection of photographs, with a four-page introduction, a "reliquary," by Proulx. Oblong quarto; fine in a fine dust jacket. This copy is signed by Proulx.
136. (PYNCHON, Thomas). WOODHAM-SMITH, Cecil. The Reason Why. NY: McGraw-Hill (1954). With the ownership signature of "Thomas R. Pynchon" on the front pastedown. The middle initial is for the family name "Ruggles," which Pynchon has seldom used in recent years. This is, according to Pynchon bibliographer Clifford Mead, the earliest known autograph ownership signature of Pynchon's to be offered on the market: the autograph dates from Pynchon's time in the Navy; it came on the market at the time Pynchon left Seattle and his then-wife sold his books to a local bookstore. Mead also noted that the book is not without interest for Pynchon scholars: its title comes from Tennyson's poem and it is a history of the fatal charge of the Light Brigade; Pynchon makes reference to the Tennyson poem in Gravity's Rainbow. "Property of U.S. Navy" stamped on top edge; fraying to cloth edges; very good, lacking the dust jacket. Pynchon has been exceedingly reclusive over the years, and his signature is among the rarest of any living author.
137. (PYNCHON, Thomas). "Hallowe'en? Over Already?" in The Cathedral School Newsletter. (NY): (Cathedral School) (1999). A write-up by Pynchon on the his son's school's Halloween picnic. Approximately 500 words and the one-line bio, "Tom is a writer." Fine in stapled wrappers. A little-known Pynchon appearance in print, written with humor and with the flair for which he is known in his fiction writing. Presumably this got little distribution outside the community of the school's students and their families.
138. RIDING, Laura. Laura and Francisca. Majorca: Seizin Press, 1931. Poetry by Riding, the seventh book published by the press that she and Robert Graves started in 1927 and continued operating until the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Cover design by noted artist, filmmaker and sculptor Len Lye -- an early work in his career. One of 200 numbered copies signed by the author. Small spot of internal dampstaining near crown; the pictorial boards have faded irregularly, primarily near the spine, probably from the interaction of binder's glue with the ink used in the Len Lye design. Still, a very good copy of a notable collaboration by an interesting small press, established in the tradition of Leonard and Virginia Woolf's Hogarth Press.
139. ROGERS, Will. Letters of a Self-made Diplomat to His President. NY: Albert & Charles Boni, 1926. A collection by the preeminent American humorist of his time. "Volume 1" indicated, although this was the only volume Rogers published. Bookstore stamp rear pastedown; small spot to front cloth; near fine in a good dust jacket with one chip mid-spine and several edge chips, particularly to the top edge, which has been externally mended with tape on the front panel and spine and with 1926 Christmas stamps on the rear panel.
140. ROWLING, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. (NY): Scholastic Press (1998). The advance reading copy of the first American edition of the first volume in the unprecedentedly successful Harry Potter series. The American edition underwent a title change from the U.K. edition, reportedly because the U.S. publisher didn't think Americans would be familiar with the concept of the "philosopher's stone." Rowling has recently published the sixth volume in the proposed seven book series, and the fourth movie has just been issued. Both the books and the films have had remarkable, and initially unexpected, success and the latest book in the series had a first printing of over 11 million copies in the U.S. alone. By contrast, the first book in the series had a tiny printing in the U.K., a larger one in the U.S., and a very small number of advance prepublication copies such as this done. Fine in wrappers.
141. RUSHDIE, Salman. The Satanic Verses. (NY): Viking (1988). The first American edition of this controversial book. An ambitious novel and an imaginative tour de force, the book seems destined to become part of literary history by virtue of its notoriety -- it prompted a death sentence on Rushdie by Islamic fundamentalists, causing him to go into hiding for years -- rather than its considerable literary accomplishment. Winner of the Whitbread Prize. Signed by the author. Owner blindstamp to flyleaf; boards edge-sunned; near fine in a fine dust jacket.
142. SARAMAGO, José. All the Names. NY: Harcourt (2000). The first American edition of this novel by the Portuguese Nobel prize-winning author. Inscribed by Saramago. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
143. SHAW, Bernard. The Apple Cart: A Political Extravaganza. (Great Britain): (n.p.), 1929. The uncorrected proof copy of Shaw's satirical two act play about the confluence between big business, monarchy, and democracy. Stamped "Rough Proof - Unpublished" on front cover, along with "Rehearsed for Mavern Festival: 1929." Reportedly, one of 25 copies produced (Laurence AA15c). Faint edge-darkening and page edge foxing; small sticker shadow front cover; very good in wrappers. Formally published in London by Constable the following year. A scarce and fragile edition of a play that has aged admirably, withstanding the test of time and retaining its relevance over generations.
144. SMITH, Patti. Strange Messenger. (Pittsburgh): Andy Warhol Museum (2002). Catalog of an exhibition of Smith's artwork, including drawings, paintings, and collages, a number of them focused on images from September 11, 2001. Text by David Greenberg, John W. Smith, and Patti Smith, the latter contributing a poem and a series of journal entries from September 11 and the days following. Signed by Smith. Fine in wrappers.
145. SNYDER, Gary. Riprap. (Ashland): Origin Press, 1959. His first book, a collection of poems printed in Japan and published in an edition of 500 copies in paste papers, sewn Japanese style. Snyder's poetry has spanned the era from the Beat generation, when his references to Japanese and Chinese culture and poets were esoteric, to the present day, when there has been such a cross-fertilization of cultures that references to haiku or the game of Go are completely accessible to the mainstream. Snyder himself, long a practicing Buddhist, was instrumental in creating the links to bridge that cultural gap, which is one of the lasting contributions of the cultural upheavals of the 1960's. A very near fine copy, signed by the author.
146. STEINBECK, John. East of Eden. NY: Viking, 1952. Perhaps his most famous novel after The Grapes of Wrath, an ambitious family saga that was the basis for a Hollywood movie starring James Dean. This is the first issue, with "bite" for "bight" on page 281. Fine in a near fine, mildly spine-tanned dust jacket. A very attractive copy of this book.
147. STEINKE, René. The Fires. NY: Morrow (1999). The first book by this author whose second, Holy Skirts, was nominated for the National Book Award. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a surface scratch on the rear panel, and signed by Steinke.
148. STONE, Robert. Dog Soldiers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (1974). His second novel, winner of the National Book Award and one of the best novels to link the impact of the Vietnam war on American society in the Sixties to the dark side of that era -- the official corruption and the underside of the drug experiences of a generation. Signed by Robert Stone. Basis for the Karel Reisz film, Who'll Stop the Rain, which was nominated for the Golden Palm at Cannes. This copy belonged to film writer, director, and producer Richard Brooks and is heavily annotated for filming on the first 238 of the 342 pages. Presumably Brooks was preparing to be involved in a film production of the novel, which later was done by others; the comments are interesting, as are the differences from the actual film version. Handling apparent to boards; a little marginal dampstaining; a very good copy in a very good dust jacket with an edge crease to the front panel and an abrasion on the lower spine that has been colored in. An interesting, unique copy.
149. SWOFFORD, Anthony. Jarhead. NY: Scribner (2003). The author's first book, a highly praised memoir of the first Gulf War, which was immediately hailed as a classic of contemporary war literature, compared with Michael Herr's Dispatches, and became a surprise bestseller and a film. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
150. TUTUOLA, Amos. The Brave African Huntress. NY: Grove (1958). The first American edition of the second book by the Nigerian author of The Palm-Wine Drinkard. Vertical indentation to rear board; near fine in a very near fine dust jacket with just a bit of edge-darkening.
151. TYLER, Anne. Saint Maybe. NY: Knopf, 1991. The first trade edition. Inscribed by the author "with best wishes" on the title page. Tyler has been signing books less and less in recent years. Corner crease to prelims; else fine in a dust jacket creased on the front flap.
152. VONNEGUT, Kurt and STEADMAN, Ralph. Vonnegut-Steadman Portfolio. Lexington: Petro III Graphics, 2001. Two original color silkscreens, "Messenger" by Kurt Vonnegut and "Red Shark" by Ralph Steadman, each hand printed by Joe Petro III in an edition of 50 numbered copies; 12" x 16 3/4"; signed by Vonnegut and Steadman, respectively. The Steadman print is an adaptation of the artwork that was used on the cover of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, with additional color. Together with a signed limited edition of the catalog Modern Fiction and Art: Prints by Contemporary Authors (Lexington: University of Kentucky Art Museum, 1999), which reproduces an original piece by each of the artists. The prints are fine; the catalog is fine in stapled wrappers; all are enclosed in a string-tied portfolio. At the list price:
153. WHITE, E.B. Song of the Queen Bee. Victoria and Pender Island, B.C.: Alcuin Society, 1969. A broadside poem, reprinted from The New Yorker and issued as a keepsake for the Alcuin Society. 13" x 20". Near fine. An attractive and uncommon item by the longtime New Yorker essayist and author of Charlotte's Web, among others.
154. (WINTERSON, Jeanette). LANGHAM, Linda. A Bibliography of Jeanette Winterson. Volume I: First Editions in English. Langhorne: L.J. Langham, 2002. The limited edition. One of 26 lettered copies signed by the bibliographer. The first descriptive bibliography of Jeanette Winterson's primary works in English issued by publisher's in the U.K., Canada, Australia and the United States, including information on advance issues, promotional materials, limited editions, later printings with revised dedications and a plethora of in-depth, informative and entertaining commentary. Introduction by Langham and a preface by Malcolm Fawcett. Cloth hard cover with expandable European-style post binding and printed paper title. Hand-bound, 220 pages; fine without dust jacket, as issued. An elaborate production, and clearly a labor of love, not to mention an exhaustive reference book.
155. (WINTERSON, Jeanette). LANGHAM, Linda. The First Supplement to A Bibliography of Jeanette Winterson, Volume 1. First Editions in English: 1983-2006. Langhorne: L.J. Langham, 2006. An update to the bibliography of Winterson's primary works in English. Cloth hard cover with expandable European-style post binding and printed paper title. Volume 1 was issued in 2002, and this supplement includes five new "A" items from 2003 through 2005 as well as essential corrections and expansions to the period 1983-2002. Also included are 20 contemporary color photographs of Winterson's hometown of Accrington and a literary history, including a chronology of Winterson's books. 175 pages; fine without dust jacket, as issued.
156. -. Same title. The limited edition of the supplement. One of 26 lettered copies signed by the bibliographer. Fine without dust jacket, as issued.
157. WOLFE, Tom. From Bauhaus to Our House. NY: FSG (1981). A critique of modern architecture, in the same vein as the author's assault on Modern Art in The Painted Word. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with tiny corner nicks at the crown.
158. (YATES, Richard). Richard Yates. An American Writer. NY: Seymour Lawrence, 1993. A collection of memorial essays, with contributions by Kurt Vonnegut, Gina Berriault, Frank Conroy, Andre Dubus, Brian Moore, Jayne Anne Phillips, Mary Robison, Dan Wakefield, and others. Clothbound; fine without dust jacket, as issued. A scarce volume, never issued for sale, and containing pieces by a number of important writers that have not been published elsewhere. Laid in is a note on Houghton Mifflin stationery suggesting that contributions in Yates's memory be made to help students in financial need at the Iowa Writers Workshop.