Catalog 150, O-Q
92. OATES, Joyce Carol. Them. NY: Vanguard Press, 1969. Her fourth book and breakthrough novel, published in a small print run when the publisher had given up on the author as a commercially successful proposition. Briefly inscribed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket with just a touch of rubbing. A very nice copy of this National Book Award-winning novel.
93. O'BRIEN, Tim. Fire in the Hole. War Stories of a Part-time Pacifist. (NY): Delacorte/Seymour Lawrence (1972). The uncorrected proof copy of O'Brien's first book, printed using the title and subtitle that preceded its published title -- If I Die in a Combat Zone. Laid in is a letter from the publisher, Seymour Lawrence, to Peter Braestrup, a former war correspondent for The New York Times and The Washington Post, soliciting comments for the dust jacket. The proof is dated August 12, 1972; Lawrence's letter is dated October 12, 1972. The book was published in March, 1973. One of the scarcest proofs of this era: we have only seen one other copy of it, and that was in Tim O'Brien's own collection.
94. O'BRIEN, Tim. If I Die in a Combat Zone. (NY): Delacorte/Seymour Lawrence (1973). His first book, a highly praised memoir of the Vietnam war in which O'Brien uses some of the techniques of fiction to convey the experience of Vietnam from the grunt's perspective with immediacy and power. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. The book has none of the fading to the extremities of the boards that is typical of this title. One of the nicest copies we've seen, if not the nicest.
95. O'BRIEN, Tim. Northern Lights. (NY): Delacorte/Lawrence (1975). The uncorrected proof copy of his second novel, a tale of two brothers in the wilderness of northern Minnesota, one of them a war veteran, the other a veteran of the protests against that war. Approximately 5 1/4" x 10 1/2", with holograph page numbers. This copy has the publication date and price handwritten on the front cover, along with a note of transmittal, in part, "...this is the guy who has all the friends in Mpls..." O'Brien is a relentless reviser and re-writer, and this proof varies from the published text in at least one substantial degree -- a two-page section in the proof has been deleted from the final book. Minor corner stain, light edge-sunning and a bit of surface soiling; very good in tall wrappers. Scarce: we've only seen a couple of copies in the last two decades or more.
96. O'BRIEN, Tim. Going After Cacciato. (NY): Delacorte (1978). His third book, a magical realist novel about an American soldier in Vietnam who decides to walk away from the war and go to Paris overland. Winner of the National Book Award. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket with none of the usual spine fading and increasingly scarce in nice condition. A beautiful copy.
97. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. The proof is of considerable interest bibliographically, as the author changed the book substantially between the time the proof was prepared and the publication of the finished book, especially near the end of the text. This was the author's own copy, with his final changes in his hand, together with a letter dated April 1980 attesting to that fact. In addition, the proof itself is signed by the author and dated April, 1980. Spine cocked; covers somewhat creased and used; very good in tall wrappers. A bibliographically significant proof and a uniquely important copy of one of the literary classics of the Vietnam war.
98. O'BRIEN, Tim. Speaking of Courage. Santa Barbara: Neville, 1980. His first limited edition, a chapter that was excised from Going After Cacciato and later appeared, in a much reworked version, in The Things They Carried. Of a total edition of 326 copies, this is one of 26 lettered copies, bound in full leather and signed by the author. Fine.
99. -. Same title, the dedication copy. The printed dedication page reads, "For Greg O'Brien, my brother." The printed colophon page, which is signed by the author, reads, "This is Greg O'Brien's copy." Additionally, the copy is inscribed by the author: "To Greg, Love, Tim." Bound in full leather. Fine. Unique.
100. -. Same title, O'Brien's own copy. The printed colophon page reads, "This is the author's copy." Signed by O'Brien on the colophon and on the title page. The text bears numerous corrections, additions and deletions in the author's hand. Bound in full leather. Fine. Unique.
101. O'CONNOR, Flannery. Wise Blood. NY: Harcourt Brace (1952). Her first novel. Inscribed by the author: "For Mrs. King regards from Flannery O'Connor May 1952." Modest stain at the bottom of the spine, thus near fine in a beautiful, fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell case with leather spine label. A lovely copy of the author's first book, memorably filmed by John Huston in 1979. Burgess 99.
102. O'CONNOR, Flannery. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. NY: Harcourt Brace (1955). The author's masterpiece, her second book and first of short stories. A breathtaking collection of horror tales that probe the darkest heart of the South through the use of traditional "Southern Gothic" writing mixed with a nightmare vision seemingly derivative of German expressionism. A trifle rubbed at the bottom of the spine as always, still easily fine in a flawless and completely unfaded fine dust jacket. A stunning copy.
103. O'CONNOR, Flannery. The Violent Bear It Away. NY: Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, 1960. The author's second novel and the last of her three books that were published during her lifetime. Inscribed by the author: "For Jarvin from Flannery. Milledgeville February 1960" on the half-title. Signed copies of The Violent Bear It Away are of almost legendary rarity, as the author was quite ill and housebound by the time it achieved publication (as would be indicated by the "Milledgeville" in the inscription). One of only two or three signed copies of this title we've seen. A trifle sunned at the crown, else fine in a fine dust jacket with a touch of rubbing, housed in a custom cloth clamshell case with leather spine label.
104. O'HARA, John. Appointment in Samarra. NY: Harcourt Brace (1934). O'Hara's famous first book, realistically detailing the three-day disintegration of Julian English in O'Hara's invented city of Gibbsville, PA. Errata slip. Fine in a fine, first issue dust jacket. The nicest copy that we have seen, and probably the nicest copy there is. Although O'Hara's literary reputation has slipped over time, Appointment in Samarra nonetheless was named to the Modern Library list of the best 100 novels of the 20th century. An important debut, and a stunning copy.
105. O'HARA, John. Ten North Frederick. NY: Random House (1955). Winner of the National Book Award and the basis for the film, written and directed by Philip Dunne and featuring Gary Cooper and Diane Varsi. Fine in a fine dust jacket. A beautiful copy.
106. ONDAATJE, Michael. The Dainty Monsters. (Toronto): (Coach House) (1967). His first book, a volume of poetry. One of 500 numbered copies. This copy is inscribed by Ondaatje, "with best wishes," in 1968. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with just a bit of creasing to the upper edge.
107. ONDAATJE, Michael. The Man With Seven Toes. (Toronto: Coach House 1969). The hardcover issue. Nicely inscribed by the author "with best wishes & love" in 1970. One of 300 numbered copies of the true first edition of this very uncommon title. Fine in a dust jacket with a touch of foxing, else fine.
108. ONDAATJE, Michael. The Collected Works of Billy the Kid. (Toronto): Anansi, 1970. The hardcover issue of this book, his first to win the Governor General's Award. Signed by the author. Fine in a second state dust jacket with the announcement of the award printed on the front cover; trace edge rubbing, near fine. The hardcover issue of this title is easily his scarcest trade edition, with estimates of the print run tending to be in the range of 250 copies.
109. ONDAATJE, Michael. Rat Jelly. (Toronto): Coach House 1973. The hardcover issue. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Only a small number were issued in hardcover.
110. ONDAATJE, Michael. The English Patient. London: Bloomsbury (1992). The true first edition, preceding the Canadian, American and all other editions. Signed by the author. A Booker Prize winner, and the basis for the excellent Anthony Minghella film with Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
111. -. Same title, the advance reading copy (marked "uncorrected proof"). Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
112. PERCY, Walker. The Moviegoer. NY: Knopf, 1961. His first book, winner of the National Book Award and a novel that helped establish Percy as both an important Southern writer and as a chronicler of the spiritual malaise of modern America. The Linda Hobson bibliography gives the first printing as 1500 copies although other sources indicate perhaps 3000; in either case, a very small first printing and a very scarce first book. This copy is fine in a fine dust jacket with just a hint of wear at the extremities: a beautiful copy of this book which, because of its dark, unlaminated dust jacket, readily shows wear and tear. This copy is inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper and additionally signed by the author on the title page. A beautiful, near-immaculate copy of an award-winning first book.
113. POWERS, Richard. Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance. NY: Beech Tree Books (1985). The uncorrected proof copy of one of the most highly praised first novels of recent years -- a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and winner of the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters for a book of "considerable literary achievement." Publication date written on front cover; near fine in wrappers. An uncommon proof, and an important debut.
114. PROULX, E. Annie. Heart Songs and Other Stories. NY: Scribner (1988). A review copy of her first book of fiction, after a number of nonfiction books, mostly of the "how-to" variety. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket with review slip, author photo and promotional sheet laid in.
115. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. Publication date changed by hand on front cover; fine in wrappers.
116. PROULX, E. Annie. The Shipping News. NY: Scribner (1993). Her second novel and third work of fiction, which won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize -- a rare literary double. Signed by the author with the added sentiment, "long may your big jib draw." Fine in a fine dust jacket.
117. PUZO, Mario. The Godfather. NY: Putnam (1969). A bestseller that was made into the acclaimed blockbuster Francis Ford Coppola movie with Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duval. Fine with unblemished white boards, in a very near fine dust jacket with two short tears at the crown, and just a touch of the usual rubbing. Exceptionally uncommon in this condition, without any amateur or professional restoration.
118. PYNCHON, Thomas. Autograph Letter Signed. January 21, 1974. Two tightly printed pages, on both sides of one sheet of graph paper, written to his friends, authors David [Shetzline] and his wife Mary [M.F. Beal]. Last paragraph written in pencil, including the signature "Love, Tom." A lengthy letter, over 1000 words, to two friends who date back to his college days 15 years earlier. Both Shetzline and Beal were students at Cornell, and a part of the group that came to be known as the "Cornell School" of writers, including Pynchon, Richard Farina, Shetzline and Beal. Shetzline published two novels in the late 1960s -- Heckletooth 3 and DeFord, which is dedicated to the memory of Farina -- and Pynchon wrote blurbs for both of them. Pynchon also wrote a blurb for M.F. Beal's novel, Amazon One, about a group of radical activists of the 1960s. She also wrote what many consider to be the first lesbian/feminist detective novel, Angel Dance.
All of these elements come into play in this remarkable letter, which deals with literary matters, political matters, and the correspondents' longtime friendship. Written four months after Gravity's Rainbow was published, the letter sheds light on Pynchon's state of mind in the aftermath of the work of writing that novel. The letter starts out apologizing for writing to them together instead of "one by one but haven't been able to write anything to anybody for a couple years, and will be lucky even to get through this one letter here..." He goes on to tell them that his agent, the legendary Candida Donadio, "turns out to be a closet MF Beal freek [sic] and would really dig to establish contact..." He advises Mary to write to Candida but says "don't ask me what about, though, I can't understand any of this literary stuff" -- a remarkable comment from someone who has just finished writing Gravity's Rainbow.
A long paragraph details events in New York City, where he is living, including an "Impeachment Rally" in Greenwich Village. Pynchon is self-consciously disdainful of this round of political activism: "Maybe I am wrong not to show up, after all think of all that great neurotic pussy that always shows up at things like -- oh, aww, gee Mary, I'm sorry! I meant 'vagina,' of course! -- like that, and all the biggies who'll be there..." He goes on to describe that he is having "what the CIA calls a 'mid-life crisis,' looking for another hustle, cannot dig to live a 'literary' life no more..." A "lump of hash I lost somewhere in Humboldt County 3 years ago" figures into what becomes an increasingly textured, complicated narrative, much the way his fiction does, at the same time that it represents his side of an obviously ongoing dialogue, and elicits further contact from the recipients: in referring to stories of bad LSD circulating, he asks "You might as well tell me. How many times'd you end up sucking on the rug?"
A dissection of the general state of mind among the self-proclaimed hip in New York City follows, and he waxes nostalgic for the West a couple of times: "Last fall I rode around on the 'Hound for a while. Would've dropped by [their place in northern California] except by the time I got in your neighborhood I was bummed out..." Future "master plan" was "to go across the sea, but now I don't know. I've sort of been keying my plans on Geraldine, part of general resolution not to impose shit on her, also cz I'm lazy and can't make decisions... so maybe we will head west, and then again maybe not, but if we do we'll be by your place, OK?" A remarkable letter, exhibiting all of the characteristics for which Pynchon's writing is known, and many of the concerns that he raises in his writings, and addressed to two of his closest and oldest friends. Pynchon even used Shetzline's name in Gravity's Rainbow: Shetzline was credited with having written the "classic study" of "the property of time-modulation peculiar to Oneidine." Folded in twelfths for mailing, else fine in hand-addressed envelope folded in fourths. Housed in an attractive custom quarter leather clamshell box. In content and style, probably the best Pynchon letter we have ever seen.