Catalog 148, T-U
191. THOMPSON, Hunter S. Kingdom of Fear. NY: Simon & Schuster (2003). Nonfiction; essays and memoirs. Subtitled "Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century." Signed by Thompson. Faint coffee stain to edge of front flyleaf; fingerprint on signature page: very near fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a tiny bit of adhesive on the front panel. An uncommon book to find signed; Thompson was volatile at best, seldom made himself available for large-scale signings, and signed copies rarely appear on the market.
192. THOMPSON, Hunter S. and STEADMAN, Ralph. Fire in the Nuts. Woody Creek/Loose Valley/Blue Grass/High Desert: Gonzo International/Steam Press/Petro III Graphics/Sylph Publications (2004). The advance uncorrected proof of this early, but previously unpublished, story by Thompson, with 13 illustrations by Steadman. Published in a limited edition of 176 copies, this is an advance copy, in stiff wraps with a cloth spine, in linen slipcase. Signed by Steadman, with a drawing of a face. Fine.
193. (THOMPSON, Hunter). "Burial at Sea" in Rogue, Vol. 6, No. 12. (Evanston): (Greenleaf Publishing), 1961. Short fiction by Thompson, preceding his first book by six years, in this magazine "designed for men." An extremely early appearance in print for Thompson. Other contributors to this Playboy-wannabe include Alfred Bester and Robert Bloch, and there is an article about the making of Roger Corman's movie adaptation of Charles Beaumont's novel The Intruder, about racial hatred in the deep South in the 1950s. Fine in stapled wrappers.
194. (THOMPSON, Hunter). "Life Styles: The Cyclist" in Esquire, Vol. 67, No. 1. (NY): Esquire, 1967. An article on the Hell's Angels: a prepublication excerpt from Thompson's first book, illustrated with photographs. Perfectbound, with chipping to the spine ends; near fine.
195. (THOMPSON, Hunter). STEADMAN, Ralph and VONNEGUT, Kurt. The Joke's Over. Memories of Hunter S. Thompson. London: Heinemann and Orlando: Harcourt (2006). Two volumes: the first British edition and the first American edition of this memoir of the nearly four-decade Thompson/Steadman collaboration. Each volume is signed by Steadman and dated 2006 and signed by Vonnegut with a self-caricature. Vonnegut provides the foreword. Fine copies in fine dust jackets, housed together in a custom clamshell case made by the artist Joe Petro, who makes several appearances in the text.
196. -. Same title, the British edition only. London: Heinemann (2006). Signed by Steadman and dated 2006 and signed by Vonnegut with a self-caricature. In this self-caricature, Vonnegut's pen ran out in the hair, so he's added a comb-over with another stroke. Fine in a fine dust jacket, in custom slipcase.
197. TRILLIN, Calvin. Typescript of "Newer Politics." 1975. Seven pages of typescript humorously taking to task our motivations for selecting our elected officials, and nowhere near as outdated as it ought to be more than a quarter century later: "The real reason Ford has my vote is the way he can toss out the ball on opening day of the baseball season -- that natural, flowing motion, and a follow-through that looks instinctive. I just don't think this country can afford to be led by someone who throws like a girl." Folded, with editorial marks. Together with the galley sheets with a few corrections by the author, and a typed note signed as "Bud Trillin," transmitting the galleys and explaining his resistance to a couple of the suggested changes. The lot is near fine.
198. TWAIN, Mark. The Writings of Mark Twain, Vols. I-XXII. Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1899-1900. The "Autograph Edition," one of 512 numbered sets, this being set No. 359. Signed by Twain, "S.L. Clemens (Mark Twain)" in Volume I. Also signed by Brander Matthews, who contributes "Biographical Criticism" in the first volume, and signed by Charles Dudley Warner, who co-authored The Gilded Age, in Volume X. Twenty-two volumes in three-quarter morocco over marbled boards, with engraved frontispieces and photogravures throughout. Six of the frontispiece illustrations are signed by their respective artists as well.
The American Publishing Company published a number of Twain's individual volumes and sold them by subscription. This set, also sold be subscription, was issued in 22 volumes in 1899-1900 with a signature page on which Twain signed his name both as "Mark Twain" and as "Samuel Clemens." Some of the sets were issued with a manuscript sheet from The Gilded Age tipped into one of the volumes, since the company still had Twain's original manuscript in house. Reportedly only a few dozen were issued thus, and some others had a letter by Twain tipped in. Presumably the rest were issued with just the signature page, as this set has.
Three years after this set was issued, an additional volume was added to the set (sold separately, one presumes, as was the normal case) and then four years later, in 1907, two more volumes were added, also presumably sold separately. This set is complete as first issued: the later additional volumes are not present.
Because of the large demand for leather by publishing companies at the turn of the 20th century, suppliers cut corners in the production process and much of the leather of that era was of inferior quality and has not withstood the test of time well. As a result, most copies of the Autograph Edition of Twain's writings have been rebound, as the leather tends to dry and crack over time. While this set shows some wear, it is still in the original binding, which is extremely rare.
Several of the volumes have been re-tooled; volume IV has had several pages inserted, which had inadvertently not been bound in originally; spines faded on all but two volumes; the drying of the leather has resulted in tiny spine chips on several volumes and some rubbing to the joints on most. In all, a very good set, complete as issued, of the writings of perhaps the most important American author ever.
199. TWAIN, Mark. Mark Twain's Autobiography. NY/London: Harper and Brothers, 1924. Twain's autobiography, issued posthumously, in two volumes. Top edges gilt. Internally fine, some handling evident to boards; thus near fine copies, without dust jackets. Each volume is stamped in gilt on the front board "To/ Colonel Carl F. Rosecrans/ Christmas, 1924" above Twain's embossed signature. Carl Rosecrans was the son of William Rosecrans, a decorated General in the Civil War, and was important in the history of Gardena, California, which was largely built on what had been the Rosecrans ranch. An envelope addressed to Mrs. Carl Rosecrans, postmarked in January 1925, is laid in. A very nice set.
200. TYLER, Anne. If Morning Ever Comes. NY: Knopf, 1964. The first novel by the author of The Accidental Tourist and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Breathing Lessons. Written when she was just 22 years old, and published with a small first printing of only 4000 copies. Signed by the author. Rich top stain and spine gilt; slight pull to text block; very near fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with a touch of wear to the corners. In custom clamshell case. A difficult book to find signed.
201. UPDIKE, John. Autograph Note Signed. Undated. A fan has written: "Mr. Updike, Your signature alone on this page is more than enough!!/ [Initials]." To which Mr. Updike has replied: "OK - enough for a while/ J.U." 4" x 6" notepaper; fine.
202. UPDIKE, John. Odd Jobs. (London): Andre Deutsch (1992). The first British edition of this massive collection of his essays, criticism and reviews; his fourth collection of nonfiction. Updike is not only one of the finest contemporary American writers, he is a careful and sympathetic reader, and his reviews are typically both generous and insightful. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with just a hint of fading to the spine.
203. UPDIKE, John. English Train Compartment. London: Turret Bookshop, 1993. A broadside, the first separate appearance of a 1955 Updike poem that was collected in Verse in 1982. 8 1/4" x 11 3/4". Slight, unobtrusive creasing. Very near fine. Uncommon.
204. UPDIKE, John. Bech at Bay. (London): Hamish Hamilton (1998). The uncorrected proof copy of the British edition of his 49th book, subtitled "A Quasi-Novel," and a sequel to Bech: A Book and Bech is Back. Sunning to top edges and spine; near fine in wrappers. An uncommon proof.
205. UPDIKE, John. Villages. (London): Hamish Hamilton (2004). The first British edition. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
206. UPDIKE, John. Terrorist. NY: Knopf, 2006. Inscribed by the author. Dampstaining to lower boards and bottom edge of text block; thus very good in a near fine dust jacket with dampstain visible on verso.
207. (UPDIKE, John). George Nick. A Retrospective. (n.p.): Massachusetts College of Art, 1993. An exhibition catalog for a month-long showing of the artist's work, with an introduction by Updike, "In Praise of George Nick." Fine in wrappers. Uncommon.
208. (UPDIKE, John). The Song of Solomon. (Oxford): Lion (1997). Updike provides a forward to this Biblical work. Only issued in wrappers in the first edition (which has a number line extending down to "0"). Fine. Remarkably scarce: the last copy we had was nearly 10 years ago.
209. (UPDIKE, John). Telling Tales. NY: Picador (2004). World-renowned writers donated previously-published stories to this anthology that was published in twelve countries to benefit HIV/AIDS education and treatment. Edited by Nadine Gordimer. Updike contributes "The Journey to the Dead" from The Afterlife and Other Stories. Signed by Updike and Gordimer and also by Salman Rushdie. Other contributors include Chinua Achebe, Woody Allen, Margaret Atwood, Gabriel García Márquez, Kenzaburo Oe, José Saramago, Susan Sontag, among others. Mild foxing to page edges; near fine in wrappers.