Catalog 148, C-D
30. CAPOTE, Truman. In Cold Blood. NY: Random House (1965). Ringbound uncorrected proof copy of Capote's famous "nonfiction novel," about the brutal killings of a Kansas family and the subsequent arrest, trials and executions of the killers. A landmark book of its time for the literary barriers that it broke down. Capote, who by that time was a highly regarded literary figure, had said that he intended to pick a subject that was of absolutely no personal importance to him, and write a strictly factual book that would nevertheless be a literary work of art -- bridging the gap between literature and nonfiction or, rather, obliterating it. His success at turning his reporting into a work of art -- and the similar efforts of such writers as Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe and later Hunter Thompson -- defined a new genre that has been one of the lasting literary legacies of the Sixties. This proof is printed from galleys, on rectos only, in tall, ringbound wrappers. Covers and page edges foxed; covers and several back pages separating from binding; corners incidentally turned on rear pages; edge tear to title page; dampening to lower front cover. A good copy of a scarce proof. Only a tiny handful of copies of this proof have ever been known to have surfaced, perhaps as few as four or five copies total.
31. CARSON, Rachel. Food from the Sea: Fish and Shellfish of New England. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, 1943. A 74-page booklet written by Carson in her position as aquatic biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The first of four such Conservation Bulletins Carson wrote, each focusing on a different geographic region. Three words written on rear cover; a few spots in text; booklet slightly wavy. Very good in stapled wrappers.
32. CARSON, Rachel. Mattamuskeet: A National Wildlife Refuge. Washington, D.C.: Fish and Wildlife Service, 1947. Issued as Conservation in Action No. 4, a 10-page illustrated booklet written by Carson. Front cover bears a small owner stamp; otherwise fine in stapled wrappers. Rare: this is the first copy we've handled, although we've had multiple copies of several of her other early publications done by the Department of the Interior, as this one was.
33. CARSON, Rachel. Guarding Our Wildlife Resources. Washington, D.C.: Fish and Wildlife Service, 1948. Issued as Conservation in Action No. 5, a 46-page illustrated booklet written by Carson. Front cover bears a small owner stamp; otherwise fine in stapled wrappers.
34. (CARSON, Rachel). "A Battle in the Clouds" in St. Nicholas. (NY): (Century Co.) (1918). A story about the adventure of a Canadian flying instructor in World War I, which had been told to her by her brother. Carson was 10 years old at the time of publication. Approximately 220 words. Front and rear covers splitting at the top half of the spine; very good. A nicely preserved example of a fragile World War I-vintage magazine, which is uncommon these days outside of bound sets, and Carson's first appearance in print, 23 years before her first book was published.
35. (CARSON, Rachel). "Undersea" in The Atlantic, Vol. 160, No. 3. (Concord/Boston): (Atlantic Monthly), 1937. Carson's first publication in a national magazine, which earned her the notice of Simon and Schuster, who published her first book, Under the Sea-Wind, in 1941, unfortunately just weeks prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. As a result of the war, the book did not sell well and Carson's next book wasn't published for another decade. After the success of The Sea Around Us in 1951, Oxford University Press reissued her first book and it became a bestseller and a Book of the Month Club selection, paving the way for her to have enough clout within the publishing world to bring her classic, Silent Spring, into print a decade later. Minor wear to the yapped edges and at the extremities of the spine; near fine in wrappers.
36. CARVER, Raymond. Winter Insomnia. (Santa Cruz): (Kayak) (1970). The rare white issue of Carver's first regularly published book, a collection of poems, issued in an attractive edition of 1000 copies designed and printed by George Hitchcock and illustrated with prints by Robert McChesney. The majority of the edition was bound in yellow wrappers printed in green. A few copies were bound in white wrappers printed in green: William Stull's Carver checklist said that three copies were known in the white wrappers. Since that checklist was published, we have seen two more copies in white wrappers, including this one, bringing the total number of known copies to five. Without knowing exactly how many white copies there were, we can say with assurance that this issue is exceedingly scarce. At the time of this writing, there are no copies listed online, nor have there been in recent memory. At the same time, there are 20 copies in yellow wrappers listed in one of the online databases. This copy is signed by the author in pencil on the title page. Provenance available. A tiny bit of aging to the white wrappers, but still a fine copy.
37. CARVER, Raymond. This Water. Concord: William B. Ewert, 1985. An advance copy of this collection of poems that was issued in a limited edition of 136 copies. This is one of eight prepublication copies prepared by the publisher, consisting of 13 loose sheets, 9" x 12", in double flat gatherings printed on rectos only. Numbered, dated and signed by the publisher on the top sheet. Signed by Raymond Carver on the title page. Of the eight copies so prepared, this is one of six with a blue and white label on the folding card-stock case. One of the scarcest issues of the Ewert productions of Carver's work. Fine.
38. CARVER, Raymond. A New Path to the Waterfall. London: Collins Harvill, 1989. The uncorrected proof copy of the first British edition of these posthumously published poems, many of them quite moving, and addressing his impending death quite straightforwardly, even bluntly, in his characteristic, plain-spoken manner. With an introduction by Tess Gallagher. Corner crease to front cover; near fine in wrappers.
39. (CARVER, Raymond). Remembering Ray. Santa Barbara: Capra Press, 1993. Apparently a family copy of this posthumously published composite biography, with pieces by Tess Gallagher, Joyce Carol Oates, William Kittredge, Stephen Dobyns, Tobias Wolff, and many others. This is the trade edition, issued in wrappers; there was also a limited edition. A well-read, worn copy, with page corners turned and a few checkmarks in the index. On the inside front cover are computations on dispensations from the Carver estate: "1/3 of Short Cuts 300,000...1/3 of 1/2 of Short Cut books...1/3 of Will You Please...Plus attorney fees...plus future subsequent royalties at each 27 year mark...a trust for the will." Pragmatic. Depressing. Good, in wrappers.
40. CHEEVER, John. The Stories of John Cheever. NY: Knopf, 1978. A massive volume, which includes all the stories from five of his six previous collections (The Way Some People Live -- his first book, which he declined to reprint during his lifetime -- being the exception) as well as four stories that had never previously appeared in book form. Its publication was the literary event of the season, and the collection won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Inscribed by Cheever two months after publication: "To Anne with my best wishes/ John Cheever/ December 4/ 1978." The occasion for the signing was probably Cheever's appearance at the First Congregational Church in Chappaqua, NY. Recipient's last name (Corper) written on front flyleaf; fine in a near fine dust jacket with a light degree of spine fading.
41. (CODRESCU, Andrei). The Day Book. (San Francisco): (Momo's Press) (1975). Issue #5 of Shocks Magazine. Written by Stephen Vincent, Jessica Hagedorn, Susan Griffin, Beverly Dahlen, Roberto Vargas and Andrei Codrescu. This copy is inscribed by Codrescu in 1977. Also includes a one sentence reply to the editor by Gary Snyder. Faintly spine-tanned; near fine in wrappers.
42. (COETZEE, J.M.). Landscape with Rowers. Princeton: Princeton University Press (2005). A review copy of the first paperback edition of this bilingual (Dutch/English) collection of poetry from the Netherlands, first published in hardcover in 2003. Translated and introduced by Coetzee. Fine in wrappers, with publicity sheet laid in.
43. COLLINS, Billy. Questions About Angels and Typed Plea Signed. NY: Morrow (1991). One of Collins' own copies of the scarce hardcover issue of the first edition of his fourth book of poetry, together with a typed letter signed, dated June 10, 1997, to Gerald Costanzo, in which Collins makes his case for bringing the book back into print. Several paragraphs, in part: "I believe the book still has some legs. Edward Hirsch selected the book for the National Poetry Series in 1990, and it was published by William Morrow & Co. in 1991. It went through four print runs and sold over 6,000 copies, which, I don't have to tell you, is a large figure for a book of poems..." Collins closes by saying he is sending along one of the last of the hard-bound copies, which is included here. The letter is folded in half, with a little loss of crispness where it overhangs the book it was laid into; else fine. The book has some dampstaining to the boards and endpages; very good in a near fine dust jacket with dampening to verso. The title was brought back into print by the University of Pittsburgh Press in 1999; Collins was named U.S. Poet Laureate in 2001.
44. COLLINS, Billy. Good Dog Bad Dog. NY: Center for Book Arts, 2001. Two poems published in a limited edition of 200 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine in saddle-stitched wrappers. An uncommon edition by the two-term Poet Laureate of the U.S., who was subsequently named New York State Poet as well.
45. CONROY, Frank. Autograph Letters Signed, to Jay Neugeboren. Two letters signed by Conroy to fellow author Jay Neugeboren. Conroy was the author of Stop-Time, a memoir that was one of the defining books of the 1960s. In the first letter (c. 1970s), Conroy thanks Neugeboren for sending him his book (Sam's Legacy) and comments, "You were a damn good writer to begin with, and its exciting to watch you get better and better." He also invites him up to Nantucket. Folded in thirds for mailing; else fine. In the second letter, (c. 1980s), Conroy first comments on his own health and a recent hospital stay, and then lets into D.M. Thomas's The White Hotel: "Yes its [sic] odd how many people were fooled by the clever surface of White Hotel. I guess it shows how eager we all are for good stuff, stuff that seems fresh and daring. We all wanted it to be good, so much so that we didn't really see what it was. A scam!" He then adds a sarcastic comment on Thomas' handling of the publicity. Fine. For both:
46. COOVER, Robert. Gerald's Party. NY: Linden/Simon & Schuster, 1986. The uncorrected proof copy of this novel by the author of The Origin of the Brunists and The Public Burning, among others. Fine in wrappers. Much scarcer than the advance reading copy.
47. CORTÁZAR, Julio. Casa Tomada. (Buenos Aires): (Ediciones Minotauro) (1969). The first separate edition of this imaginative work by the author of Hopscotch and 62: A Model Kit, one of Argentina's foremost experimental writers and the author of the short story on which Antonioni's acclaimed film Blow-Up was based. This story was included in the collection Bestiario, published in 1951 after a magazine appearance illustrated by Norah Borges, sister of Jorge Luis Borges, in 1946. This edition superimposes the story of a brother and sister shut in their expansive familial home on a floor plan of the house. Spine-rubbed; near fine in oblong wrappers, with original wrap-around band (torn) laid in.
48. CUNNINGHAM, Michael. A Home at the End of the World. NY: FSG (1990). The second book by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
49. CUSSLER, Clive. Raise the Titanic! NY: Viking (1976). His third book and second to be published in hardcover; it was his first bestseller and the book that established the Dirk Pitt series as one of the most popular and successful in contemporary adventure fiction. Pitt is a marine engineer and as such Cussler, who is himself an underwater explorer, is able to bring an extraordinary amount of information and realism to the series. Inscribed by the author on the title page, with a drawing and the added exhortation "Get it up!" -- a somewhat standard inscription he has used on this title over the years. Inscribed a second time, in 1996, on the half title, with the same drawing and sentiment, this time adding a name and "your pal." Together with an inscribed page of the original manuscript, with the author's holograph corrections. The manuscript page corresponds to parts of pages 285-286 in the book, with changes between even this corrected version and the published text. The manuscript page is folded in half with slight marginal discoloration; the book has a bit of top edge foxing and is otherwise fine in a fine dust jacket.
50. DAHLBERG, Edward. Bottom Dogs. London: Putnam (1929). The first edition of his first book, an autobiographical novel that was published in an edition of 520 copies. With an introduction by D.H. Lawrence. This copy is inscribed by Dahlberg: "For ____ ____/ Aristotle says a poet/ is an enthusiastic nature/ and you are without doubt/ an exuberant reader. May 11, '74. NYC." Concave crease to spine; rear hinge cracked; very good, lacking the dust jacket. Rare signed.
51. DELILLO, Don. White Noise. (London): Picador (1985). The first British edition of his National Book Award-winning novel. Usual edge darkening/foxing to pages, thus near fine in a near fine dust jacket foxed only on verso. With the wraparound band stating "Winner of the American Book Award for Fiction, 1985," and uncommon thus. (The National Book Award was renamed the American Book Award for a period in the 1980s.)
52. DELILLO, Don. "Silhouette City: Hitler, Manson and the Millennium." 1989. Twenty page typescript of an article that appeared in Dimensions: A Journal of Holocaust Studies and was also collected in the 1998 Viking Critical Library edition of White Noise. Photocopied typescript, but bearing the stamp of the Wallace Literary Agency. With textual variations (half a dozen changes of word or phrase) between this typescript version and the published version. Shallow coffee stain to the bottom margin of half the pages; not affecting text. Near fine, with a fine copy of the Dimensions magazine in which the article appeared. DeLillo manuscript material seldom turns up on the market.
53. DIAZ, Junot. Autograph Note Signed. c. 1997. In the note, Diaz agrees to sign a copy of his first book, Drown, a collection of stories published in 1996. He thanks the recipient for kind words and apologizes for his delay in responding: "...I am trying to [word crossed out, replaced with] get into this new novel. NY is too distracting for me right now." Signed, Junot. Diaz's "new novel," The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, wouldn't be published until 2007; it won the Pulitzer Prize. Folded in asymmetric eighths for mailing, and slit along two folds when the envelope (hand-addressed, included) was opened with a letter opener; otherwise near fine. Mailed from Brooklyn sometime between 1996 and 1999 (date stamp illegible, but from the time of the 32 cent stamp).
54. DOCTOROW, E.L. "Ever since this day I have dreamt sometimes..." Berkeley: Black Oak Books/Okeanos Press, 1994. A broadside excerpt from The Waterworks, printed on the occasion of a reading by Doctorow. This copy is inscribed by the author. 9 1/2" x 6 1/2". Oddly uncommon, even unsigned.
55. DONOSO, José. El Charleston. Santiago: Nascimento, 1960. An early collection of short stories, the fourth book by this Chilean writer, which was not translated into English or published in the U.S. for 17 years. This book precedes any publication of Donoso's work in the U.S. by five years. Pages browning with age but still near fine in self-wraps. A scarce volume, given the Chilean imprint, the fragile binding and the cheap, acidic paper used in production.
56. DOYLE, A. Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles. London: George Newnes, 1902. One of the most famous of the Sherlock Holmes books, written as a prequel to the earlier stories in which Holmes had ultimately died. An immensely popular book: Sherlock Holmes was one of the most popular characters in British fiction at that time, and his "death" in an earlier volume had left a hungry and anxious fan base clamoring for more. The book was serialized in The Strand, beginning in 1901, and was published as a novel in 1902, with a large first printing of 25,000 copies. The front endpages of this copy have been excised and replaced with very similar endpages, now bearing the bookplate of Doyle's son -- Denis P.S. Conan Doyle on the front pastedown, which incorporates the Conan Doyle family crest: "fortitudine vincit" (he conquers by fortitude). Owner name from 1906 on first blank, written over a previously erased name and address. Some foxing to the page edges and endpages (including, mildly, the bookplate); cloth a bit worn; a very good copy, without dust jacket. Laid in is a photograph of A. Conan Doyle from the Belsize Park Studio in London. A notable copy of a landmark book, an iconic tale that has been adapted for the movies at least 24 times since its publication.
57. 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. Invisible structural restoration to folds and hinges; now near fine in wrappers. An uncommon book, and especially scarce signed.