skip to main content

Catalog 143, M

NOTE: This page is from our catalog archives. The listings are from an older catalog and are on our website for reference purposes only. If you see something you're interested in, please check our inventory via the search box at upper right or our search page.
190. MAILER, Norman. Barbary Shore. NY: Rinehart (1951). Mailer's second book. Like his first book, The Naked and the Dead, this title was published in black pseudo-cloth boards that rub remarkably easily, with a coarse paper dust jacket printed in black, which also tends to show wear. This is a very near fine copy, with trace wear only at the corners, in a near fine, mildly spine-faded dust jacket with a small gutter nick. The jacket is printed in black and red; there was also a black and green jacket, with no priority known. An especially nice copy of this title.

191. MAILER, Norman. Deaths for the Ladies (and Other Disasters). NY: Putnam (1962). Mailer's only full-length collection of poetry. This, the hardcover issue, is generally considered his scarcest trade publication. Sunning to spine crown, else fine in a near fine dust jacket with a chip at the crown and much less of the rubbing that typically afflicts this title.

192. MAILER, Norman. Norman Mailer's The Deer Park. A Play. NY: Dial, 1967. A play based on Mailer's 1954 novel, and one of his scarcer trade publications. Slight foxing to top edge; else fine in a near fine, lightly rubbed dust jacket.

193. MAILER, Norman. Ancient Evenings. Boston: Little Brown (1983). Mailer's saga of ancient Egypt, which was selected by Anthony Burgess as one of the 99 best novels in English since 1939. Signed by the author. Light spotting to top edge; near fine in a fine dust jacket.

194. MAILER, Norman. Tough Guys Don't Dance. NY: Random House (1984). Mailer's foray into the hard-boiled mystery genre. Signed by the author. Near fine in a fine dust jacket.

195. MAILER, Norman. The Last Night. NY: Targ Editions, 1984. A story by Mailer, published in an attractive limited edition by noted bibliophile William Targ. One of 250 copies signed by the author. Foxing to top edge, else fine in a plain white dust wrapper. The story was originally published in Esquire in 1962.

196. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. The Snow Leopard. NY: Viking (1978). His National Book Award-winning volume, recounting a trip to the Himalayas with naturalist George Schaller in the hopes both of encountering a snow leopard in the wild and of coming to terms with his wife's recent death from cancer. Matthiessen combines natural history, personal reflection and an exploration of the Buddhist religion native to the area. His study, and practice, of Buddhism later resulted in his becoming an ordained Zen priest. Trace foxing to top edge; still fine in a near fine, mildly spine-faded dust jacket.

197. -. Another copy. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with slight wear to the crown.

198. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Midnight Turning Gray. Bristol: Ampersand (1984). Matthiessen's first book of short fiction, a collection of stories that date from the Fifties and early Sixties. This was printed by a small press at a college in Rhode Island and there is no indication of there having been a hardcover done (we have heard of a few special copies being bound in hard covers for people involved with the project; but for the trade, this title was only issued in wrappers). Pencilled numbers on table of contents; else fine.

199. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Men's Lives. NY: Random House (1986). A volume about the fishermen of eastern Long Island and a way of life that, in the late stages of the 20th century, appeared to be irretrievably dying away. Matthiessen has spent much of his life on eastern Long Island and once ran a charter fishing boat off the island, in addition to having worked for three years with commercial fishermen, so this sympathetic portrait is written from the perspective of one who, at least for a period of a time, shared the life described. Quarto, heavily illustrated with photographs, both historical and contemporary. Faint top edge foxing, still fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket.

200. MAXWELL, William. They Came Like Swallows. NY: Harper & Brothers, 1937. The second printing of his second novel, lacking the "First Edition" indication on the copyright page and "1213" on the lower edge of the rear panel of the dust jacket. Inscribed by the author, with a transcribed quote from the last page of the book. Very near fine in a near fine, slightly edgeworn dust jacket. An attractive copy; uncommon in jacket, and especially so signed or inscribed.

201. McCANN, Colum. Fishing the Sloe-Black River. NY: Holt/Metropolitan (1996). The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of the highly praised first book by this young Irish writer, winner of the 1994 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. Fine in wrappers with publicity info stapled inside cover.

202. McCARTHY, Cormac. The Road. NY: Knopf, 2006. The uncorrected proof copy of McCarthy's latest novel, published to enormous critical acclaim. Advance copies of this book have turned out to be extremely scarce; it appears that far fewer of them were distributed than one would expect for a writer of McCarthy's stature. Slightest bump to spine base; still fine in wrappers.

203. -. Same title, bound advance sheets, 8 1/2" x 11", tapebound in clear plastic covers; an early issue of the book. Like the proof, a very scarce issue; only a handful of these have turned up, to the best of our knowledge.

204. McMURTRY, Larry. The Last Picture Show. NY: Dial, 1966. His third novel, which fully realized the promise shown by his first two books and firmly established his literary reputation. Basis for the Academy Award-winning movie, which launched the careers of several Hollywood notables, including Peter Bogdanovich and Cybill Shepherd, not to mention McMurtry himself, who went on to win an Oscar last year with Diana Ossana for the screenplay of Brokeback Mountain. Foxing to top page edges and small stain to bottom page edges; near fine in a near fine dust jacket. A nice copy of a book that shows wear easily.

205. McMURTRY, Larry. In a Narrow Grave. Austin: Encino Press, 1968. His first book of nonfiction, a collection of essays on Texas. Done by a small press in Austin, the first printing was so rife with typographical errors that it was destroyed; reportedly only 15 copies survived. This is the second, corrected printing. Signed by the author. Trace top edge foxing; still fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket.

206. McMURTRY, Larry. Moving On. NY: Simon & Schuster (1970). His fourth novel, a massive (nearly 800 pages) novel of Texas in the 1960s, in which the place itself is an integral part of the story. Upper corners tapped; very near fine in a near fine dust jacket.

207. McMURTRY, Larry. All My Friends Are Going to be Strangers. NY: Simon & Schuster (1972). A novel loosely based on McMurtry's time at Stanford and involving, among others, a group of characters that resembles Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters. Slightly dusty top edge; sunning to upper boards; near fine in a fine dust jacket.

208. McMURTRY, Larry. Terms of Endearment. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1975. The basis for the film that won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture; Best Director and Screenplay (both James L. Brooks); Actress and Supporting Actor (Shirley Maclaine and Jack Nicholson) and was nominated for six others. Pages browned with age, although much less than is usual for this title; foxing to top edge and one small spot to upper board; near fine in a fine dust jacket.

209. McMURTRY, Larry. Somebody's Darling. NY: Simon & Schuster (1978). A review copy of this Hollywood novel. Slightly dusty top edge; else fine in a fine dust jacket, with review slip laid in.

210. McMURTRY, Larry. Cadillac Jack. NY: Simon & Schuster (1982). The limited edition of this novel about an antique dealer, reportedly based on a legendary book scout. One of 250 numbered copies, signed by the author. Fine in slipcase.

211. McMURTRY, Larry. Lonesome Dove. NY: Simon & Schuster (1985). His breakthrough book -- an unusual term to apply to a novelist who had had the kind of critical and commercial success that McMurtry had had by this time (his books had won a number of awards and four of his novels had been made into films), but the success of this book, which was a huge bestseller and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, elevated McMurtry to a new level. Basis for the acclaimed television miniseries, which was nominated for 19 Emmy Awards and won 7. Remainder stripe, slight spotting to spine cloth and foxing to top page edges; very good in a near fine dust jacket with a rear gutter nick. A landmark American novel.

212. McMURTRY, Larry. Some Can Whistle. NY: Simon & Schuster (1989). A novel that reprises Danny Deck, the hero of McMurtry's novel All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers, written some twenty years earlier. Signed by the author. Fine in a dust jacket creased at the spine, else fine. With an announcement of a 1994 reading laid in.

213. (McMURTRY, Larry). NIN, Anaïs. Under a Glass Bell. (NY): (Anaïs Nin Press) (1959). Second printing of the paperback reissue of this collection of stories, done by Nin's own press. This copy has the ownership signature of Larry (and Jo) McMurtry and is dated "Houston, 1959." Near fine.

214. (McMURTRY, Larry). RAY, Ophelia. Daughter of the Tejas. Greenwich: NY Graphic Society (1965). A novel for young adults. Reportedly, this was ghostwritten by McMurtry for Ophelia Ray, although there has been some question raised about whether McMurtry's version of this book is the one that was finally published. This is a fine copy in a fine, second issue (white) dust jacket, in custom slipcase.

215. (McMURTRY, Larry). ERICKSON, John R. Panhandle Cowboy. Lincoln: University of Nebraska (1980). Nonfiction; stories about contemporary cowboys in Texas and Oklahoma. Photographs by Bill Ellzey. Signed by McMurtry, who provides a foreword. Remainder stripe bottom pages edges; else fine in a near fine dust jacket worn at the crown.

216. McPHEE, John. In a Foreign City. NY: Robert Montgomery Presents The Johnson's Wax Program, 1955. A television play by McPhee, based on a story by Robert M. Coates, which aired on October 31, 1955. This is a handbound mimeograph, inscribed by McPhee in 1990: "Dear ____/ I spent a year writing television plays not long after I finished college. This is one of two that were produced on NBC. Bear in mind, it is an adaptation and expansion of a short story by Robert M. Coates, whose words are everywhere with mine in this script. Regards, John McPhee." The second production mentioned by McPhee was also based on a story by Coates, and it aired the following year. A bit of foxing to the page edges and the front board; creasing to the inscription page; near fine. A very early piece of writing by McPhee, preceding his first book by 10 years, and very scarce: this is the only copy of either one of his teleplays that we have ever seen.

217. McPHEE, John. A Sense of Where You Are. NY: FSG (1965). The first book by this Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a profile of former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley done at the time when Bradley was a Princeton basketball player and Rhodes scholar. A portion of this book first appeared as a "Profile" in The New Yorker, where McPhee's prose in the 1960s and 1970s helped elevate nonfiction writing to the realm of literary art. Spine cocked; a very good copy in a very good, spine-faded dust jacket with slight edge wear. Signed by the author on the title page.

218. -. Another copy. Owner name and date (1965) front flyleaf; near fine in a spine-faded, else near fine dust jacket with a small chip threatening at the upper front edge. Signed by the author on the title page.

219. McPHEE, John. Oranges. London: Heinemann (1967). The first British edition of McPhee's third book, his first to be published in the U.K. A fascinating and entertaining study of oranges in history, biology and culture. Two page corners turned; else fine in a rubbed, near fine dust jacket. Signed by the author on the title page. Very uncommon signed.

220. McPHEE, John. Levels of the Game. London: Macdonald (1970). The first British edition of this account of a landmark tennis match between Arthur Ashe, the first world-class African-American tennis player, and Clark Graebner, "a middle-class white conservative dentist's son from Cleveland." A detailed, point-by-point account of the match, and an exploration of their different tennis styles that sheds light on their different backgrounds and lives and, by extension, the larger cultural differences to be found within American society. Signed by the author on the title page. Fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket. Again, uncommon signed.

221. McPHEE, John. The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed. NY: FSG (1973). McPhee's account of a serious, but flawed, attempt to create a new kind of aircraft -- a combination airplane and lighter-than-air airship. Inscribed by the author to his stepmother-in-law at Christmas in 1987. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with shallow sunning to the top edge. A nice family association copy.

222. McPHEE, John. The Survival of the Bark Canoe. NY: FSG (1975). Another exploration of an obscure but fascinating subject -- the art of building bark canoes -- which McPhee examines via Henri Vaillancourt, a canoe builder in Maine, with whom he takes a 150-mile canoe trip. Signed by McPhee and additionally inscribed by him on behalf of himself and his wife to his in-laws at Christmas, 1975, with "love and some memories of Maine." Spot to front board; else fine in a near fine, evenly spine-sunned dust jacket. A nice association, and an uncommon book signed.

223. McPHEE, John. Coming Into the Country. NY: FSG (1977). His breakthrough book -- three pieces on Alaska from The New Yorker -- which was chosen as a Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and became a modest bestseller, immediately going into a number of printings. Signed in full by McPhee and additionally inscribed by him to his in-laws at Christmas, 1977. Laid in is a small gift card from McPhee's wife. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with shallow sunning to the top edge.

224. -. Same title. The uncorrected proof copy. Signed by the author on the title page. One slight spine crease; else fine in wrappers.

225. McPHEE, John. The Fair of San Gennaro. Portland: Press-22 (1981). The publisher's archive for this short story. Includes:

  • the 20-page original typescript with numerous holograph corrections by McPhee;
  • a photocopy of the story as originally published in Transatlantic Review; and a page noting the differences and identifying the preferred version;
  • the original typescript of the 2-page "Author's Note" with McPhee's holograph corrections;
  • uncorrected galley proofs with McPhee's holograph corrections;
  • page proofs;
  • a copy of the finished book, one of 200 numbered copies signed by McPhee;
  • the correspondence relating to the project: three autograph notes signed, two typed letters signed, one autograph postcard signed, a typed note unsigned, and an autograph note unsigned, with five original mailing envelopes.
This was McPhee's first signed limited edition and it remains his only "book" of fiction, a story that was originally published in magazine form in 1961, four years before his first book. A rare chance to examine the entire process of publishing a work by one of the most highly regarded writers of our time. Unique.

226. McPHEE, John. In Suspect Terrain. NY: FSG (1983). The second of his geology books, following Basin and Range. The two books were later combined in a collection entitled Annals of the Former World, which won the Pulitzer Prize. This copy is inscribed by McPhee to his father-in-law, "whose grandfather is a hidden participant on page 191." Laid is an letter from McPhee's wife to her father and stepmother referencing the same section. New York Times Book Review "Notable Books of the Year" clip mounted to title page; slight foxing to pages edges; very near fine in a fine dust jacket. An excellent association copy.

227. McPHEE, John. The Control of Nature. NY: FSG (1989). Three long essays linked by their each reflecting some aspect of man's struggle to control nature. Winner of the John Burroughs Medal. Inscribed by the author to his stepmother-in-law in 1989, with five happy faces representing the rest of his family. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

228. McPHEE, John. Looking for a Ship. NY: FSG (1990). A long piece on the Merchant Marine which, like most of his writings, first appeared in The New Yorker. Signed in full by McPhee and additionally inscribed by him to his stepmother-in-law in 1990. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

229. MILLER, Arthur. Timebends. Franklin Center: Franklin Library (1987). The limited edition of Miller's autobiography and the true first edition, with a special introduction by the author for this edition. Signed by Miller. Leatherbound, all edges gilt, with a silk ribbon marker bound in. Fine.

230. (MILLER, Arthur). "The Man Who Had All the Luck" in Cross-Section. NY: L.B. Fischer (1944). A play by Miller, and a very early work by him, published in the same year as his first book. This play has never been reprinted. Inscribed by the author. A near fine copy of a book produced to wartime standards, in a very good, spine-faded dust jacket rubbed at the folds and with shallow chipping to the crown. An important collection, which includes such writers as Norman Mailer (five years before The Naked and the Dead), Jane Bowles, Langston Hughes, Ralph Ellison (eight years before Invisible Man), and an important Miller item, seldom found in good condition, and rare signed.

231. MILNE, A.A. The Hums of Pooh. London: Methuen & Co., (1929). Words by A.A. Milne (and Pooh); drawings by E.H. Shepard; music by H. Fraser-Simson; additional lyric by Eeyore. This is the limited edition, one of 100 numbered copies signed by Milne, Shepard and Fraser-Simson. An extremely scarce, early Winnie-the-Pooh limited edition, with the smallest limitation of any of the Pooh books (tied with the rare When We Were Very Young limited). The auction records show only one copy of this title appearing at auction in the past 30 years, in 1987. Some offsetting to endpages; light wear to corners and a bit of fore edge sunning. Near fine in boards and cloth spine, with paper label and without jacket, apparently as issued. A Winnie-the-Pooh "stopper."

232. MORRIS, Willie. The Ghosts of Medgar Evers. NY: Random House (1998). Nonfiction, about the making of the film Ghosts of Mississippi, and also about the historical events that it portrayed. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with sunning to the edges of the flaps.

233. MORRIS, Willie. My Dog Skip. NY: Random House (1995). A memoir, and a short tribute to the author's closest companion during his childhood. Basis for the much-loved film, and the last book Morris published before he died. Signed by the author. Signed trade editions are much scarcer than the signed limited edition that was done for friends of the author and publisher. Fine in a near fine, spine-faded dust jacket.

234. MOSLEY, Walter. Bad Boy Brawly Brown. Boston: Little Brown (2002). The advance reading copy of this Easy Rawlins mystery. Signed by the author. A hint of rubbing to front cover; still fine in wrappers.

<< Back to Catalog Index