Catalog 140, C-G
40. CAMUS, Albert. Discours de Suède. Paris: Gallimard (1957). Inscribed by the author to the Swedish translator Carl Gustaf Bjurstrom. Together with a later French edition that contains a "postface" by Bjurnstrom, recounting his trip to Sweden with Camus. Of a total edition of 866 copies, this is one of 50 Roman numeraled copies offered hors commerce. Spine-tanned; else fine in wrappers.
41. 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. 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.
42. CARSON, Rachel. The Sea Around Us. NY: Oxford University Press, 1951. The third printing of her second book, winner of the National Book Award and the John Burroughs Medal, and the book that would have served as more than adequate legacy had she not surpassed herself by writing Silent Spring. Signed by the author. Some tanning to page edges and rubbing to boards; near fine in a very good, sunned dust jacket with chipping to the edges.
43. CARVER, Raymond. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. NY: Knopf, 1981. Carver's second major story collection, and his first significant commercial success. Inscribed by the author in 1984 to the President of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, at the Writers' Workshop. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a tiny edge tear at the upper rear spine fold.
44. CARVER, Raymond. Two Poems. (Concord): (Ewert) (1986). A single sheet folded once; this copy is inscribed by Carver to his daughter: "For Chris,/ For the holidays./ with love./ Dad." Of 130 copies, this is one of 100 copies issued unnumbered, unbound, and initially unsigned. Edge-sunned, slightly creased with a few surface markings; overall about very good, without the issued envelope.
45. (CASTRO, Fidel). BAYO, Alberto. Fidel te Espera en la Sierra. Havana: Lex, 1959. The second edition of this book of poetry by one of the Generals in Castro's revolutionary army. The title poem ("Fidel Awaits You in the Mountains") alludes to the pre-revolution struggle. One of the earliest books of the Castro era, published in April, 1959; Batista, the former leader of Cuba, fled in January of 1959. This copy is signed by Fidel Castro on the title page. Pages foxed; a few check marks to text; some staining to covers; about very good in wrappers.
46. CATHER, Willa. Death Comes for the Archbishop. NY: Knopf, 1927. One of Cather's most important novels; a Modern Library and Radcliffe book of the century. This copy is inscribed by the author on a tipped-in leaf and dated 1930. Tanning to the spine cloth, otherwise a fine copy in a restored dust jacket, with paper supplied along the edges and spine, up to and including the author's name. Also spine-tanned and with a tear at the lower front flap fold; very good. Much scarcer in dust jacket than most of her other titles from around the same period.
47. CATHER, Willa. Sapphira and the Slave Girl. NY: Knopf, 1940. Cather's final novel, set in Virginia, where Cather spent her childhood. This is the limited edition, one of 520 numbered copies signed by the author. Top edge gilt; silk ribbon marker bound in. Bookplate front pastedown; a fine copy in a mildly spine-sunned dust wrapper and slipcase. An exceptionally crisp, attractive copy of this handsomely made book.
48. CHATWIN, Bruce. The Songlines. Viking: Sifton (1987). The first American trade edition of Chatwin's fourth, and by general consensus, best, book. Signed by the author. Fine in a spine-sunned, else fine dust jacket. Books signed by Chatwin, who died at an early age and was not especially accessible while he was alive, are uncommon.
49. CHATWIN, Bruce. The Attractions of France. (London): Colophon Press, 1993. A posthumously published limited edition of a story by Chatwin found in his papers after his death. Reproduces one page of corrected manuscript in facsimile. Of a total edition of 211 copies, 176 were bound in wrappers, 26 were lettered hardcovers, and this is one of only ten Roman-numeraled hardcover copies signed by Chatwin's widow, Elizabeth. Fine.
50. COETZEE, J.M. Dusklands. Johannesburg: Ravan, 1974. The first book by this noted South African writer and two-time winner of the Booker Prize. This is the true first edition, preceding British publication by seven years and American by eleven. Signed by the author. Light spine tap; still fine in a slightly dusty, else fine dust jacket.
51. COETZEE, J.M. Waiting for the Barbarians. London: Secker & Warburg (1980). The first British edition and the true first edition of his second book. Signed by the author, who has also transcribed the first line of the book. Very slight upper corner tap; still fine in a fine dust jacket, which is completely unfaded on the spine. An extremely scarce book in any condition, and rare in fine condition, let alone signed.
52. CREWS, Harry. The Gospel Singer. NY: Morrow, 1968. His first novel, which had a first printing of only 4000 copies. 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.
53. CROWLEY, John. Antiquities. Seattle: Incunabula, 1993. The limited edition of this collection of stories, one of only 77 numbered copies in Japanese cloth and Egyptian papyrus signed by the author. Fine.
54. CUMMINGS, E.E. EIMI. NY: Covici Friede, 1933. An experimental prose account of Cummings' trip to Soviet Russia. Issued as a limited edition, this is one of 1381 numbered copies signed by the author -- the number of the limitation apparently being determined by the prepublication orders the publisher had received. Fine in a very good dust jacket with a stain on the lower portion of the spine extending to the rear panel and a small stain on the rear flap fold. An attractive copy of one of Cummings' prose works, seldom found in dust jacket.
55. DAVIES, Robertson. "The Revolt Against the Commonplace." (n.p.): (n.p.)(n.p.)[c. 1939-40]. Three page holograph manuscript, signed by Davies, on the topic of the incipient decline of naturalism in the English theater. Additionally authenticated by a photocopy of a 1995 fax from Davies, claiming the piece as one of several pieces he wrote while working as a "sort of literary chore-boy at the Old Vic." Three sheets; 8" x 13"; dampstaining to the lower edge of the second sheet, affecting but not obscuring the two lowest lines of text; one edge fold; one center fold; overall near fine, the thin paper protected by a custom clamshell box. An early manuscript by the author of the celebrated Deptford Trilogy. Manuscript material by Davies is extremely scarce.
56. DELILLO, Don. End Zone. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1972. His second novel and, because of the black dust jacket, probably the toughest DeLillo book to find in nice shape. This copy is fine in a very near fine dust jacket touched up slightly at the spine extremities and with fading to the blue and red of the black spine. Signed by the author, with the signature slightly smudged, most likely also by the author.
57. DIDION, Joan. A Book of Common Prayer. NY: Simon & Schuster (1977). A review copy of her fourth book, a novel of the intrigue at the heart of a fictional Central American country, in some ways presaging her later essay Salvador. Inscribed by Didion five days prior to publication: "For Burt/ who is the last & best extant reader -- / Thank you/ Joan Didion/ March 26 '77." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Laid in is the review slip, giving the date of publication as March 31, and an invitation to a private publication party on March 28.
58. (DOCTOROW, E.L.). STOPPARD, Tom. Billy Bathgate. (n.p.): (n.p.), 1990. Stoppard's screenplay for the 1991 film based on Doctorow's novel. This is the third draft: photocopied, bradbound sheets, with hand-drawn schematics of two jump scenes bound in. Signed by Doctorow on the title page. Also bearing the ownership declaration of Leonard Brook ("trainer of animals for the film"). Front cover missing; thus only very good. A unique, working copy of a script by one of the most highly regarded playwrights of his time, with the signature of the author who wrote the award-winning novel on which the script was based.
59. DOOLITTLE, Hilda. "H.D." The Walls Do Not Fall. London: Oxford University Press, 1944. A collection of poems by the Imagist poet, written in England during World War II. This copy is inscribed by the author to her friend and former lover: "Silvia Dobson/ from/ H.D./ for/ all the flowering of the wood/ Spring/ 1944." Laid in is Dobson's pictorial bookplate. The book has traces of foxing throughout; near fine in stiff wrappers.
60. DUNCAN, Robert. Caesar's Gate. (Palma de Mallorca): Divers Press, 1955. His fifth book, published by Robert Creeley's Divers Press. One of 200 copies of the trade edition, of a total edition of 213. Although not called for, this copy is signed by Duncan and Jess Collins, who provided the collages, and who was Duncan's longtime partner. Splitting to the front hinge; else near fine in wrappers. An uncommon book, and especially scarce signed.
61. DURRELL, Lawrence. The Alexandria Quartet. London: Faber and Faber (1962). The first one-volume edition of Durrell's Alexandria Quartet: Justine, Balthazar, Mount Olive and Clea, published here with some small revisions to the text and a preface by Durrell. One of 500 numbered copies signed by the author. The Alexandria Quartet, which combines a love story with the shifting perspectives of a conflicting world views in pre-World War II Egypt, is Durrell's masterwork. A hint of spine-fading; else fine in acetate and near fine slipcase.
62. ELLISON, Ralph. Shadow and Act. NY: Random House (1964). The second book by the author of the classic Invisible Man. This is a collection of essays, and is inscribed by Ellison to the author Nicholas Delbanco: "For Nick Delbanco/ with pleasure at Bennington/ Sincerely/ Ralph Ellison." Delbanco was the head of the Writing Program at Bennington College. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with trace wear to spine ends.
63. EXLEY, Frederick. A Fan's Notes. NY: Harper & Row (1968). His first book, "a fictional memoir" and one of the defining books of the Sixties. Winner of both the William Faulkner Foundation Award for best first novel and the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with one short tear at the crown.
64. FAULKNER, William. These 13. NY: Cape & Smith (1931). The limited edition of this collection of stories, issued in an edition of 299 copies, this being one of ten presentation copies reserved for Faulkner's use. Signed by Faulkner and additionally inscribed to Ben Wasson "with love" and signed "Bill." Wasson was a longtime friend of Faulkner. In the years leading up to the publication of this book Wasson was also Faulkner's agent: he placed most of these stories for publication and in 1928 he had single-handedly reworked Faulkner's rejected novel, Flags in the Dust, into publishable form as Sartoris, a key event in Faulkner's then-faltering writing career. William Faulkner seldom inscribed books, often adamantly refusing to do so. The brief, understated inscription here reflects one of the most important relationships in Faulkner's life and career. Slight sunning to the edges of the covers and a bit of tanning to the spine, but still a near fine copy without dust jacket, as issued. In a custom quarter leather clamshell box.
65. FAULKNER, William. Pylon. NY: Smith and Haas, 1935. The limited edition, one of 310 numbered copies signed by the author. Mild fading to the blue spine cloth; else fine in a fine slipcase. The fragile publisher's case is extremely prone to wear, and copies seldom turn up these days in the case at all, let alone in a fine one.
66. FAULKNER, William. The Hamlet. NY: Random House, 1940. The limited edition of the first book in the Snopes trilogy. One of 250 numbered copies signed by the author. The later volumes of the Snopes Trilogy had much larger limitations, but because of the size of the print run of The Hamlet, there can be no more than 250 sets of the trilogy that could be assembled in the signed limited issue. Hints of foxing to the endpages and spine; still a fine copy, with the top gilt still bright and the gilt stamping on the spine still clear and unworn. Lacking the (rare) original glassine dust jacket.
67. FAULKNER, William. Go Down, Moses and Other Stories. NY: Random House (1942). The limited edition, and the smallest limitation of any of Faulkner's signed limited editions: one of only 100 numbered copies signed by the author. Faulkner intended this as a novel, or sequence of related stories, and later, trade editions removed the phrase "and other stories" from the title. A bit of foxing at the hinges; still fine. A "stopper" in most serious Faulkner collections and rare in any condition, let alone fine. In a custom quarter leather clamshell box.
68. GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ, Gabriel. La Mala Hora. Madrid: Premio Literario Esso, 1962. His fourth book, winner of the "Esso Literary Prize" and thus published by Esso Colombiana, S.A. -- i.e., Standard Oil Company of Colombia. One of 5000 copies printed but reportedly fewer than 700 copies sold. Inscribed by the author in 1993. Wrappers rubbed, with vertical creasing near the spine fold; some restoration to the spine; otherwise very good. One of the nicest copies we have seen of this title.
69. GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ, Gabriel. Cien Años de Soledad. Buenos Aires: Sudamericana, 1967. The first edition of the Nobel Prize winner's masterwork, which introduced magical realism to a wide audience and helped bring the boom in Latin American literature to this country when it was published in the U.S. in 1970. At the end of the 1970s this book was voted by the editors of The New York Times Book Review to be not only the best book published in the last ten years but the one most likely to still be read and important one hundred years hence. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication: "Para Luis Haro[?], con todo cari o, GABO. 1967." Creasing to spine, spine fold and rear cover; small stain to rear cover and bottom page edges; the rear cover and several of the rear pages were once sliced very nearly through and have been mended but are still tender: with the repairs a very good copy in original wrappers of a true high spot of world literature, exceedingly uncommon signed.
70. GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ, Gabriel. Crónica de una Muerte Anunciada. (Havana): (Casa de la Américas) (n.d.)[1981]. The first Cuban edition of Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Lengthily and humorously inscribed by the author in 1982, covering most of the front blank: [roughly translated] "For Arquimedes, who submerged in a liquid displaces an amount equal to his volume, with a hug, Gabriel." Exportation stamp on verso of last page; pages acidifying; spine-sunned; about very good in wrappers.
71. GARDNER, John. The Resurrection. NY: New American Library (1966). Gardner's first work of fiction, printed in an edition of only 2500 copies. Signed by the author on the dedication page. Slight wear at the spine extremities, and bowing to the boards; about near fine in a dust jacket with mild spine fading; foxing on verso; a narrow, shallow crease to the front panel; and both flaps corner clipped (but not price-clipped).
72. GINSBERG, Allen. Mind Breaths. San Francisco: City Lights (1977)[1978]. The hardcover issue of this collection of poems, published in an edition of only 300 copies. Signed by the author in the year of publication, the book having been published in January of 1978 (despite the 1977 copyright date). Corners rubbed, still fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket. Scarce in the hardcover issue, and especially so signed.
73. GINSBERG, Allen. Like Other Guys. [Great Barrington: The Figures, 1995]. A broadside poem, printed as part of an edition of 26 copies of a portfolio of writings in honor of poet Bernadette Mayer. There were four extra copies printed, otherwise none were available outside of the portfolio, copies of which went only to the contributors. This is one of the four. A touching poem, and easily one of the scarcest Ginsberg items of the last decade or more. Quarto sheet, 8 1/2" x 11", fine, and signed by the author.
74. GORDIMER, Nadine. The Soft Voice of the Serpent. NY: Simon & Schuster (1952). The first American edition of the South African Nobel Prize winner's first book to be published outside of her native country, a collection of stories. Inscribed by the author. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with a bit of rubbing to the spine, a tear to the front flap fold, and a tiny chip to the rear flap fold.
75. GREENE, Graham. Doctor Fischer of Geneva or The Bomb Party. London: Bodley Head (1980). A short "entertainment," as Greene called his lighter novels. Inscribed by the author to John and Gillian [Sutro], dedicatees of Greene's A Sense of Reality. A nice association copy: John Sutro was friends with Henry Green and Evelyn Waugh at Oxford; he later became a film producer, which is how he met Greene. Sutro and Greene established their friendship in the early 1950s and remained close friends until Greene's death. Fine in a fine dust jacket.