Catalog 145, M-Q
148. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. At Play in the Fields of the Lord. NY: Random House (1965). The advance reading copy of his fourth novel, which was nominated for the National Book Award and filmed nearly thirty years later. A tale of various Americans with widely divergent aims whose actions all have unintended effects on a tribe of Stone Age Amazonian Indians. This was the first fictional treatment of one of the themes that has dominated Matthiessen's writings, both fiction and nonfiction, over the last 40 years -- the impact of Europeans on the environment and the indigenous cultures living in relative harmony with it, from a perspective that combines the political, cultural and spiritual. Page edge foxing, a lower edge stain and some binding-based spine creasing; very good in wrappers.
149. 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. Signed by the author. Faint foxing to top edge, slight splaying to boards; near fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with light wear to the crown.
150. 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. Signed by the author. Quarto, heavily illustrated with photographs, both historical and contemporary. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
151. McEWAN, Ian. Disguises. (Utrecht): De Roos, 1984. A limited edition printing one story from McEwan's first book, First Love, Last Rites. Printed in an edition of 175 numbered copies, this is copy #6. Illustrated by Tom Eyzenbach. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with two small spots: one at the upper front spine fold; one at the upper rear spine fold. An uncommon edition, done when McEwan was still a relatively young and little-known writer; he has since become one of the most celebrated British novelists of our time, and winner of virtually every major literary award.
152. 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. Inscribed by the author to Cynthia Farah, the photographer behind the award-winning book Literature and Landscape: Writers of the Southwest. A nice association copy. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a corner crease on the front flap.
153. McPHEE, John. The Curve of Binding Energy. NY: FSG (1974). A lengthy profile of Theodore Taylor, a nuclear physicist who spent years working on an eventually-aborted project to develop a spaceship powered by exploding atomic bombs. In later years he became an expert in preventing the "diversion" of nuclear materials to help limit nuclear proliferation. McPhee's explication of the concepts of nuclear physics necessary to tell this story is remarkable. Trace foxing to endpages; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
154. McPHEE, John. The John McPhee Reader. NY: FSG (1976). Collects sections from McPhee's first dozen books, along with an introduction by William Howarth and a checklist of McPhee's writings, which includes a number of unattributed "Talk of the Town" pieces from The New Yorker. Near fine in a near fine, price clipped dust jacket. A surprisingly uncommon McPhee title, and an important title for McPhee collectors because of the bibliographic information that it contains.
155. McPHEE, John. Original Typescript of The Fair of San Gennaro. [Portland: Press-22 (1981)]. Twenty page typescript of this short story, a rare work of fiction by McPhee, which was published as a limited edition. Original typescript, with numerous holograph corrections by the author. Together with: a photocopy of the story as originally published in Transatlantic Review, with a page noting the differences and identifying the preferred version; the original typescript of the two-page "Author's Note" with McPhee's holograph corrections; the galley proofs with McPhee's holograph corrections; page proofs; 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. Manuscript material by McPhee, one of the most highly regarded writers of our time, is rare.
156. McPHEE, John. Uncommon Carriers. NY: FSG (2006). The advance reading copy of his most recent book, a look inside the transportation industry, done in McPhee's inimitable style -- riding thousands of miles in the engine of a coal train; hanging out with long haul truckers; etc. McPhee explicates and demystifies his subjects; his essays reveal whole worlds that have gone unnoticed, and under-appreciated, by those of us not involved in the pursuits he writes about. Fine in wrappers with publicity sheet laid in.
157. (McPHEE, John). The Creative Arts at Princeton. (Princeton): Princeton University, 1996. A publication celebrating the 250th anniversary of the university, consisting of vignettes by students, edited and with a foreword by McPhee. Label removal shadow front cover; a little handling apparent on rear cover; near fine in wrappers. A little-known McPhee publication and by all appearances quite scarce: we have not seen it before.
158. MILLHAUSER, Steven. The Knife Thrower and Other Stories. (n.p.): Crown, 1998. An advance copy, in the form of bound 8 1/2" x 11" photocopied sheets. Some of the stories are reproduced from typeset pages, some from typescript. There are a few instances of reproduced holograph corrections. Also bound in are three pages of promotional material that say, among other things, that although Millhauser won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel Martin Dressler, he is most comfortable working in this, the short story, form. Tapebound in cardstock covers; fine. Considerably earlier, and scarcer, than the advance reading copy of this title that was issued in pictorial wrappers.
159. MURAKAMI, Haruki. Aeroplane. (Oundle): Oundle Festival of Literature Press (2007). A limited edition of a story that first appeared in The New Yorker and was collected in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. One of 120 numbered copies signed by the author on an Aeroplane bookplate attached to the front pastedown. Fine in acetate dust wrapper, as issued. With publisher's prospectus laid in. An unusual limited edition by one of the most highly praised writers of recent years.
160. (Native American). (ALEXIE, Sherman). Seattle Poets and Photographers: A Millennium Reflection. (Seattle): Seattle Arts Commission (1999). Alexie contributes "The Summer of Black Widows" to this collection, which also includes pieces by Richard Hugo, Denise Levertov, Colleen J. McElroy, Stanley Plumly, Theodore Roethke, James Welch, and others. Signed by Alexie at his contribution. Clothbound quarto with photographic print onlay. Fine without dust jacket, as issued.
161. (Native American). BURNS, Diane. Riding the One-Eyed Ford. NY: Contact II, 1981. Poetry by a writer of Chemehuevi/Anishinabe descent, her first book. Scarce: we've only seen it once before.
162. (Native American). CONLEY, Robert J. The Rattlesnake Band and Other Poems. Muskogee: Indian University Press, 1984. A bilingual (Cherokee/English) collection, with illustrations by the author. An uncommon early book by this writer who has since published numerous books of fiction. One of 500 numbered copies, apparently only issued in wrappers. Near fine, but for lower half of dedication page excised, for unknown reasons. Publisher's prospectus laid in.
163. (Native American). KELLOGG, Laura Cornelius. Our Democracy and The American Indian. Kansas City: Burton (1920). Apparently the fifth book by Kellogg, an Oneida also known as Wynnogene. She was an important advocate for native rights and culture; according to Indian Country, a native news service, "in 1913 [Kellogg] was already writing in defense of indigenous traditional knowledge and directly criticizing the government's system of education for Indians." Scarce: we have never had this title before, nor seen any of her other books. Endpapers missing; bookplate on front pastedown; otherwise very good. Virtually unobtainable in any condition, in our experience.
164. (Native American). (NIATUM, Duane). McGINNISS, Duane. After the Death of an Elder Klallam. Phoenix: Baleen (1970). His first book, a collection of poems, and the only one of his books to be published under his given name. Niatum edited two of the most important anthologies of Native American poetry, and he has published numerous books in the years since this one. This copy is warmly inscribed by the author in May, 1970 and signed, simply, "Duane." Fading to spine; else a fine copy of the issue in wrappers. There was also a small hardcover issue. Scarce, especially with a contemporary inscription.
165. OATES, Joyce Carol. The Bingo Master. (Eugene): (Pulphouse Publishing) (1992). The first separate appearance of this story and apparently the first book publication of it: Tales of the Grotesque, the story collection in which this appeared, is listed as forthcoming in this volume. Fine in wrappers.
166. OLSON, Charles. The Special View of History. Berkeley: Oyez, 1970. A review copy of the hardcover issue of this prose work, based on lectures the author gave at Black Mountain College in the 1950s. Edited and with an introduction by Ann Charters. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with review slip and prospectus laid in.
167. PARKER, Robert B. Ceremony. (NY): Delacorte (1982). A novel in the author's popular, and critically well-received, Spenser private eye series. Signed by the author. Slight page edge foxing; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
168. PARKER, Robert B. All Our Yesterdays. (NY): Delacorte Press (1994). The advance reading copy of this historical novel of an Irish family in Boston, spanning more than five decades. Warmly inscribed by the author. Near fine in wrappers.
169. PARKER, Robert B. Family Honor. NY: Putnam (1999). His first novel to feature a female private investigator, reportedly written specifically for Helen Hunt to star in a screen version, although that apparently didn't happen. Warmly inscribed by the author. Slight spine lean, otherwise fine in a fine dust jacket.
170. PYNCHON, Thomas. The Crying of Lot 49. Philadelphia: Lippincott (1966). Winner of the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and the most overtly political, and paranoid, of Pynchon's novels. Chosen by David Pringle as one of the hundred best novels of Modern Fantasy. Tanning to upper board edges; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
171. PYNCHON, Thomas. Gravity's Rainbow. NY: Viking (1973). Pynchon's landmark third novel, winner of the National Book Award as well as the William Dean Howells Medal for the best work of fiction by an American over a five-year span. Gravity's Rainbow became the benchmark for postmodern American fiction upon publication and secured its mysterious and reclusive author's place in the postwar American literary pantheon. Faint top edge foxing, else fine in a very near fine dust jacket with one spot of rubbing at an upper spine corner. Small hardcover first printing of 4000 copies; the balance of the first edition was issued in softcover.
172. PYNCHON, Thomas. Mortality and Mercy in Vienna. London: Aloes (1976). A piracy of an early story, originally published in 1959. One of the most complex bibliographically of the Pynchon piracies, this copy corresponds to Mead C1a(2), with no cross next to the man's hips on the cover. Fine in stapled wrappers.
173. PYNCHON, Thomas. The Secret Integration. (London): (Aloes Books) (1980). The first printing of this piracy, which was limited to 2500 copies and later reprinted. This is the first separate appearance of a piece that Pynchon originally published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1964. Fine in stapled wrappers.
174. PYNCHON, Thomas. The Small Rain. London: Aloes Books (1982). The fourth and last of the Aloes piracies and, according to Michaud, the only one which may not have been reprinted. No statement of the limitation. Fine in stapled wrappers.
175. PYNCHON, Thomas. A Journey into the Mind of Watts. (Westminster): (Mouldwarp) (1983). The first printing of this piracy, which reprints an article Pynchon originally wrote for The New York Times Magazine, shortly after the riots in Watts. Fine in red stapled wrappers. This title is considerably scarcer than the Aloes Press piracies.