Catalog 140, B
10. BALDWIN, James. Giovanni's Room. NY: Dial, 1956. The editorial file copy of his second novel. In part based on Baldwin's experiences as a black American expatriate in Paris, it also explores the themes of sexual identity and sexual awakening that recurred throughout his writings. Signed by the author. "File copy" stamp to flyleaf; a bit of dampstaining to lower edge; near fine in a very good dust jacket with faint dampstaining to lower edge and a couple small chips.
11. BALDWIN, James. The Price of the Ticket. NY: St. Martin's/Marek (1985). A massive collection of nonfiction spanning nearly forty years. Inscribed by Baldwin to David Leeming, his biographer. With a note laid in in Leeming's hand stating that the book was given to him in St. Paul de Vence in 1985. Some play in the binding from the weight of the text block; near fine in a near fine dust jacket with a chip at the spine crown in place of the first "e" in the title.
12. BECKETT, Samuel. Poems in English. NY: Grove Press (1963). The first American edition of this collection of Beckett's poems, spanning the years 1930-1948. Signed by the author. Light upper corner bumps; near fine in two near fine dust jackets. From the library of Beckett's editor at Grove Press, Richard Seaver.
13. BELLOW, Saul. Dangling Man. NY: Vanguard (1944). The first book by the Nobel Prize winner, Pulitzer Prize winner, and three-time winner of the National Book Award for fiction. Signed by the author, "Cordially, Saul Bellow" on the front free endpaper. Faint sunning to boards and a tiny bit of glue offsetting to the joints; very near fine in a very good, spine-faded dust jacket with shallow chipping to the spine ends and a few short edge tears. This is a wartime production, seldom encountered in collectible condition, and even less common signed.
14. BERRY, Wendell. Nathan Coulter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1960. The first book, a novel, by this poet, novelist, essayist and activist; one of the defining voices of our era as a critic of the excesses of our technology-infused lives. Inscribed by the author to poet David Ignatow in 1965. Fine in a very good, spine-tanned dust jacket with one stain to the spine and several on the rear panel.
15. BORGES, Jorge Luis. El Jardin de Senderos Que Se Bifurcan. Buenos Aires: Sur (1942). Borges' first important work of fiction, "The Garden of the Forking Paths;" this is the first publication of these stories that were later published in his acclaimed volume Ficciones, in 1944. Inscribed by Borges to his sister, Norah, and her son: "Para Norah y Miguel, con el cari o y la simpatía de/ Jorge Luis Borges." Norah Borges illustrated her brother's first book of poems, Luna de Enfrente, in 1923. 1995 ownership signature of Miguel; wrappers slightly darkened, particularly along the spine; folds rubbed; a near fine copy of this extremely fragile volume, in the pale blue wrappers typical of Sur publications of the time. Rubbing and wear at the joints, but still a well-preserved and attractive copy and scarce thus, let alone as an association copy.
16. BORGES, Jorge Luis. "El doctor Francisco Laprista..." (n.p.): (n.p.), 1954. A manuscript poem by Borges -- "Poema Conjetural," originally published in his 1943 collection Poemas -- illustrated with an original pencil drawing by prominent Argentine artist Santiago Cogorno. 9-1/4" x 13-1/4". Signed by Borges and Cogorno. Borges was famous by the early 1950s, but his literary success did not translate into economic well-being. He conceived the plan to capitalize on his fame, and that of his friends and fellow artists, by creating small manuscripts which could be sold for extra money. A rare collaboration between two of the great Argentine artists of their time. Fine.
17. BORGES, Jorge Luis and BIOY-CASARES, Adolfo. Los Orilleros and El Paraíso de los Creyentes. Buenos Aires: Editorial Losada (1955). Two filmscripts by Borges and his longtime friend and collaborator, Bioy-Casares. Inscribed by Borges to Mandie (Molina Vedia), Argentine author and one of Borges greatest loves: "Para Mandie, con los mejores deseos para estas fiestas/ Jorge Luis Borges." Borges dedicated one of his stories in Ficciones to Mandie, "La Muerte y la Brújula" ("Death and the Compass"), and she also provided a vignette for one of Borges' books, Nueva refutación del tiempo, in 1947. Underlinings in text; owner signature on recto of flyleaf; small bookplate on verso of Federico Vogelius, the prominent Argentine collector. Some rubbing to the folds and minor darkening to covers; very good in self-wrappers.
18. BORGES, Jorge Luis and LEVINSON, Luisa Mercedes. La Hermana de Eloisa. Buenos Aires: Ene Editorial (1955). An uncommon collaboration by Borges, who wrote two of the stories in this volume with Levinson writing the other two. This copy is inscribed by Borges to Mandie (Molina Vedia): "Para Mandie con el afecto de/ Jorge Luis Borges." Some rubbing to the folds and a bit of creasing to the rear cover; near fine in self-wrappers.
19. (BORGES, Jorge Luis). MICHAUX, Henri. Un Barbaro en Asia. Buenos Aires: Sur (1941). A translation by Borges of a travel account by the French painter and writer. Inscribed by Borges to author Eduardo Mallea, "colega y amigo/ Jorge Luis Borges/ Buenos Aires - 1942." An exceptional association copy: Mallea was one of the most important Argentine authors of the 20th century and a longtime friend of Borges. The two were closely allied from early their careers: both were part of the small group of friends who began the literary movement that revolved first around the magazine and publishing house Proa and, later, around the magazine Sur and its associated publishing house, which published this volume as well as several of Borges' own books. Owner name on half title; edge-darkened pages; spine darkened; rubbing to the folds and a small abrasion on the rear cover. Very good in self-wrappers.
20. BOWLES, Paul. The Sheltering Sky. London: John Lehmann (1949). The first edition of Bowles's landmark first novel, a tale of Westerners abroad in North Africa, one of the seminal novels of the Beat generation and an influential book in the decades since. Signed by the author. Only 4000 copies of the British edition were printed; the first printing has become quite scarce in recent years. Near fine, with sunning on the spine, minor foxing to page edges and a small bookstore label on the lower pastedown, in a very good, lightly spine-tanned, price-clipped dust jacket with shallow chipping to the spine ends and a little edge creasing. Trade editions signed by Bowles are uncommon; signed copies of his first novel are particularly scarce.
21. BOWLES, Paul. The Spider's House. NY: Random House (1955). His third novel, about a group of Westerners adrift in the alien culture of Morocco. Inscribed by the author: "For Bob Sharrard./ Next time stay longer./ Paul Bowles/ Tangier/ I/VI/86." A nice association: Sharrard was the editor of City Lights books, publisher of Bowles' A Hundred Camels in the Courtyard as well as a number of his translations of North African and Central American writers. Fine in a very good dust jacket with very light wear but for a closed, internally tape-repaired jagged tear at the lower front corner.
22. BOWLES, Paul. Without Stopping: An Autobiography. NY: Putnam (1972). The first book of the author's memoirs. Inscribed by Bowles to Jordan Massee in Atlanta in 1994: "For Jordan Massee/ with thanks for the/ Norman Douglas." Massee was a mutual friend of Bowles and Tennessee Williams, themselves longtime friends and collaborators on a number of Williams' plays. White cloth a bit dusty; near fine in a near fine, lightly edgeworn dust jacket.
23. BOWLES, Paul. Next to Nothing. Kathmandu: Starstreams, 1976. One of 500 numbered copies of this fragile production on homemade Nepalese paper, with tipped-in photographic frontispiece. Inscribed by Bowles to his biographer, Virginia Spencer Carr, in 1994. Fine.
24. BOWLES, Paul. The Time of Friendship. Zurich: Memory/Cage, 1995. The first separate edition of one of Bowles's most famous stories, this being one of 1500 copies, with a preface by Bowles for this edition and photographs by Vittorio Santoro. Inscribed by Bowles "with much love" to Virginia Spencer Carr. Quarto; trace corner rubbing; still fine without dust jacket, as issued.
25. BOWLES, Paul. Sonata for Oboe and Clarinet. Cologne: UBM Records (1996). Sheet music for a 1931 Bowles composition. Bowles began writing poetry in the late 1920s and then, discouraged by Gertrude Stein, gave up writing for the better part of two decades, concentrating on musical composition. Inscribed by Bowles to his biographer, "music for Virginia/ with love from Paul/ Tangier -22/xii/1998." Fine in stapled wrappers. Uncommon, especially signed.
26. BOYLE, T. Coraghessan. Descent of Man. Boston: Little Brown (1979). His first book, a highly praised collection of stories. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket with minuscule rubbing at the corners.
27. BRADBURY, Ray. Dark Carnival. Sauk City: Arkham House, 1947. Bradbury's first book, a collection of stories published by the specialty publishing house named after H.P. Lovecraft's fictional New England town. Inscribed by the author: "For ____ ____/ Bravo!/ Ray Bradbury/ 12/23/90." Bookplate of Arkham House co-founder Donald Wandrei on front pastedown. Tiny nick to upper board; else a fine copy in a very good dust jacket with a creased edge tear to the lower front flap, a short edge tear to the rear joint and a very small blended spot to the spine.
28. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. Four New Poets. (San Francisco): Inferno Press (1957). Brautigan's first book appearance, preceding his first solely-authored book by a year. Signed by Brautigan in 1971. Very near fine in glossy wrappers. Scarce, and especially so signed.
29. BRAUTIGAN, Richard. The Galilee Hitch-Hiker. (San Francisco): [O'ar] (1966). The second edition of his second book, one of 700 copies printed. Inscribed by the author to Don [Allen], of the Four Seasons Foundation, which published Brautigan's Trout Fishing in America in 1967, and other titles thereafter. Allen picked up Trout Fishing and published it after Grove Press dumped Brautigan when A Confederate General from Big Sur bombed. With virtually no advertising or promotion, Trout Fishing went through multiple printings and sold 25,000 copies and made Brautigan one of the key writers of his generation. Fine in saddle-stitched wrappers.
30. BURKE, James Lee. Lay Down My Sword and Shield. NY: Crowell (1971). The third of Burke's early novels and the scarcest of the three, Crowell not being well-established as a publisher of fiction. Signed by the author. Fine in a near fine, slightly spine-faded dust jacket with an off-center fold.
31. BURROUGHS, John. Wake-Robin. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1871. The second book by the prominent American literary naturalist and his first book in the field, his previous book being a self-published study of Walt Whitman. Inscribed by the author in 1899: "One must have the bird in his heart before he can find it in the bush." Tipped-in (in one case formerly tipped-in) are two autograph letters signed by Burroughs to the recipient. The first transmits a photo and includes money for a subscription to the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club. The second agrees to inscribe a book and mentions seeing the recipient's sister. Both letters are splitting along the folds. There is evidence of a photograph having been tipped into the book, before the title page, where an obituary of Burroughs' wife is now tipped in facing. List of Burroughs titles tipped to the rear pastedown; recipient's bookplate on the front pastedown. The front flyleaf, which bears the inscription and the owner's signature, is starting at the top edge; the cloth is very slightly rubbed at the corner and the folds; near fine, without dust jacket, presumably as issued. Blanck's binding B (no priority).
32. BURROUGHS, William S. "LEE, William." Junkie. Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict. NY: Ace (1953). Burroughs' pseudonymous first book, a paperback original bound back-to-back with Maurice Helbrant's Narcotic Agent. Signed by Burroughs. Junkie was a straightforward narrative of Burroughs' experiences with drugs; the publisher chose to release it couched in an anti-drug context, as a first person example of the horrors of drug use, and bound with a narcotic agent's memoir. Small ink date (2/6) inside front cover; spine and cover creasing; very good in wrappers.
33. BURROUGHS, William S. The Naked Lunch. Paris: Olympia (1959). The first issue of the first edition of his second book, a high spot of postwar American literature and one of the three key volumes of the Beat movement, along with Kerouac's On the Road and Ginsberg's Howl. Published only in paperback in Paris by Maurice Girodias' small press, in an edition of 5000 copies, three years before it could be published in the U.S. Signed by Burroughs in 1996. Uneven sunning and a bit of creasing to covers; rubbing to the folds. A very good copy in a supplied, very good dust jacket with a small chip at the crown and some smoke-darkening to the spine.
34. -. Same title. NY: Grove Press (1959)[c.1962]. The first American edition. Signed by the author. Naked Lunch was censored in this country and was not published here until three years after its original publication in Paris, and then only after a number of high-profile literary figures argued its case as a novel of great literary merit and import. It was published by the maverick publisher Barney Rosset, of Grove Press, in a tiny edition of 3500 copies -- a smaller number than was done of the scarce French edition in 1959. This copy has a very slight bump to the spine crown and a small faint spot on the foredge; otherwise fine in a near fine dust jacket with trace rubbing at the corners.
35. BURROUGHS, William S. The Ticket That Exploded. Paris: Olympia (1962). The correct first edition, published in paperback in Paris, five years prior to the U.S. edition. Issued in Maurice Girodias' "Traveller's Companion" series -- a line of paperbacks that was largely dominated by softcore and hardcore pornography that could not be sold at all in the U.S. at that time -- few copies migrated to the U.S. until well after Burroughs' popularity here was established and the landmark censorship cases of the early 1960s (including that of Naked Lunch) had been settled in favor of increased permissiveness in printed matter. Inscribed by the author "with friendship and best wishes" on the title page. Bookstore stamp of a Spanish bookshop on flyleaf; covers a bit wrinkled; small abrasion to spine; very good in a very good dust jacket.
36. BURROUGHS, William S. and WILSON, S. Clay. Archive. 1979-1991. In 1980, S. Clay Wilson created the cover art, endpapers and illustrations for Die Wilden Boys (Frankfurt: Zweitausendeins, 1980), the first German edition of Burroughs' The Wild Boys. This archive includes this edition, signed by Burroughs and Wilson; a trial edition, rejected by Wilson, who was displeased with the endpapers, signed by Wilson; and Wilson's own copy, bound in Niger goat and snakeskin, signed by Wilson and inscribed by Burroughs to Wilson. The first two copies have a bit of edge-rubbing and are otherwise fine in the publisher's slipcases; the third copy is fine in a custom folding chemise. Also included is Die Stadte der Roten Nacht (Frankfurt: Zweitausendeins, 1982), the German edition of Cities of the Red Night, also illustrated by Wilson and signed by Burroughs and Wilson. Fine in slipcase. Together with correspondence related to this and other collaborations between Burroughs and Wilson, as follows: from 1979 to 1982, six items from the publisher to Wilson; from 1979 to 1985, three items from Burroughs' associate James Grauerholz to Wilson; and from 1985 to 1995, eleven items from Burroughs to Wilson. The earlier items, from the publisher and from Grauerholz, generally solicit drawings, convey approval for ideas, and give progress updates. The later items, from Burroughs himself (one typed note signed; four autograph postcards signed; six autograph cards signed), tend to be more personal, frequently conveying gratitude for a gift or appreciation of Wilson's work. In one, Burroughs (according to a pencil note by Wilson, he is referring to The Chequered Demon) says "vintage Clay Wilson hilarious, horrible disgusting as life itself...Its fine its swell itsa gawdy taste of Hell." In another, in a card picturing a unicorn, Burroughs asks, "Did you see the Barnum & Bailey unicorn? I suspect it to be a goat." Several of the cards are holiday cards, and in one Burroughs wishes "All the best for 1986 and the time remaining to us all." In the last two items, Burroughs thanks Wilson for, respectively, the Graham Greene stories and for a cat book. He also complains about the heat: "Over 100 now for a week. Can't do anything but sit in my air conditioned house." This last card is signed "Bill Burroughs." All of the Burroughs' correspondence items (excepting the postcards) have envelopes; one of the postcards is near fine; the others are fine; many depict Burroughs' artwork.
37. BUTLER, Robert Olen. The Alleys of Eden. NY: Horizon (1981). The first book by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain. This copy 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." Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
38. BUTLER, Robert Olen. Countrymen of Bones. NY: Horizon (1983). His third novel, set in New Mexico during the development of the atomic bomb. Inscribed by Butler in 1983 to another writer, himself a National Book Award winner: "72000 words from/ one of your biggest fans./ Robert Olen Butler." Trace foxing to top edge; else fine in a near fine, spine-sunned dust jacket.