Catalog 150, R-S
120. RICE, Anne. Interview with the Vampire. NY: Knopf, 1976. The author's first book, and the first entry in her Vampire Chronicles, with a particularly fresh example of the easily-worn gold-foil jacket. Basis for the Neil Jordan film with Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, Stephen Rea, Christian Slater and Kirsten Dunst. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
121. ROBINSON, Marilynne. Housekeeping. NY: FSG (1980). Her first book and her only novel until Gilead, which won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize. Housekeeping won the Ernest Hemingway Foundation Award, a Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Award, and was the basis for a well-received movie; it was also named one of the best works of American fiction of the last quarter century in a survey by The New York Times Book Review. This copy is signed by Robinson. Fine in a very near fine jacket with the slightest degree of fading to the spine.
122. -. Same title. The uncorrected proof copy. Top corner a trifle bumped, still fine in wrappers. Laid in is a letter from an editor to John Fowles asking for his comments.
123. ROTH, Philip. Goodbye, Columbus. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1959. A review copy of his first book, a collection of short fiction including the title novella -- which was the basis for a well-received movie in the Sixties -- and five short stories. Winner of the Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship Award and the National Book Award. This copy is fine in a fine dust jacket, with no blemishes, no fading, no wear; even the yellow topstain on the top page edges is bright and new-looking. Review slip laid in. A beautiful, unparalleled copy of a landmark first book, and especially scarce thus as the book is rather cheaply produced: the jacket is unlaminated and prone to fading and wear. Since the 1990s, Philip Roth has been the most decorated author in American letters, winning every major award, some of them more than once. The Library of America has included him among its offerings, effectively making him a part of "the canon" of American literature. His first book has been scarce in fine condition for a long time; there is probably not another copy of it as attractive as this one.
124. ROTH, Philip. Letting Go. NY: Random House (1962). The author's second book, and his first full-length novel. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with just a touch of shelf wear. A very nice copy; seldom found in this condition, and especially uncommon signed.
125. ROTH, Philip. Typed Note Signed. January 4, 1968[1969]. A note addressed "Dear Bert [Krantz]," thanking him for a card and then quickly adding that he has found two errors in the text of "PC" (Portnoy's Complaint), despite not having read the book through yet. He describes the errors and asks if they can be corrected in then second printing and whether Bantam will print from the second printing. Signed: "Make love, not typos,/ Yrs, Philip." Roth's dating of this letter is itself likely a typo: the book's official publication was in February of 1969; the letter was likely written in January of 1969. A bibliographically significant letter, pertaining to what may still be Roth's best-known work. Folded for mailing; recipient's marginal mark; author's name on verso; near fine.
126. ROTH, Philip. Portnoy's Complaint. NY: Random House (1969). His landmark fourth book, a comic novel and one of the defining volumes of its time. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with the barest hint of sunning to the spine. A beautiful copy of a classic.
127. ROTH, Philip. The Great American Novel. NY: HRW (1973). Probably Roth's most ambitious comic novel to this point in his career. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket with a corner crease on the front flap.
128. RUSHDIE, Salman. Midnight's Children. NY: Knopf, 1981. The first American edition of the author's second book, winner of Britain's Booker Prize and the first book in his ambitious sequence of novels of the Muslim world, which culminated in The Satanic Verses and the death sentence that was imposed on him by Islamic fundamentalists. The American edition is the true first, preceding the British (they were both printed in the U.S.). An important book that launched Rushdie's literary career as it represented a quantum leap from the subject matter and accomplishment of his first novel. This title was later named as the outstanding title among all the Booker Prize winners -- the so-called "Booker of Bookers." Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
129. -. Same title, the first British edition. London: Jonathan Cape (1981). Although the American edition is the true first, the British edition is the more desirable edition for "following the flag," and it is also considerably scarcer than the U.S. edition, with 2500 copies printed. In addition to winning the Booker Prize and being named the "Booker of Bookers," this book was voted again in 2008 as the Best of the Bookers, and the most outstanding novel published in the past 40 years. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with just a modicum of fading to the spine and top edge.
130. RUSHDIE, Salman. The Satanic Verses. (London): Viking (1988). The limited edition of this controversial book, published simultaneously with the British trade edition and bound in goatskin and buckram cloth. An ambitious novel and an imaginative tour de force, the book seems destined to become part of literary history by virtue of its notoriety -- it prompted a death sentence on Rushdie by Islamic fundamentalists, causing him to go into hiding for years -- rather than its considerable literary accomplishment. Winner of the Whitbread Prize. One of 100 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine.
131. RUSHDIE, Salman. Two Stories. (Great Britain): Privately Printed, 1989. A limited edition of two stories ("The Free Radio" and "The Prophet's Hair") by Rushdie, illustrated with five woodcuts and three linocuts by Bhupen Khakhar. Of a total edition of 72 copies, this is one of 60 numbered clothbound copies signed by the author. Fine in a fine slipcase.
132. SALINGER, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Salinger's classic first book, a coming-of-age novel that has influenced successive generations of young people with its adolescent hero's rejection of the "phoniness" of the adult world around him combined with the authenticity of his voice. Salinger's book retains the freshness it had when first published, and it stands as one of the great fictional accomplishments of 20th century American literature, included on every list of the 100 best novels of the century, and listed as number 2 on the Radcliffe list and number 6 on the Waterstone's list. This is a fine copy in a fine, unrestored dust jacket with one tiny spot on the front panel. A beautiful copy: the pages are whiter than usual; the corners square; the spine gilt bright; and the jacket is clean with the colors bright and unfaded. A very attractive copy of this book, which seldom turns up in such condition. Housed in a custom full leather clamshell case with gilt stamping and raised bands, and a cloth chemise.
133. SALINGER, J.D. Nine Stories. Boston: Little, Brown (1953). His second book and first collection of short fiction, which some consider even more accomplished than his landmark novel, The Catcher in the Rye, and which was issued in an edition only half as large (5000 copies vs. 10,000 for Catcher). These stories helped establish Salinger permanently in the pantheon of American postwar writers, and his continued publication of short stories in The New Yorker over the next decade cemented his reputation. This copy shows evidence of the text paper aging at two different rates, as all copies do; it seems two slightly different paper stocks were used in the production of this book. Otherwise this is a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, with no fading, fraying or other wear to the jacket. Enormously scarce thus.
134. SALINGER, J.D. Franny and Zooey. Boston: Little, Brown (1961). His important third book, two novellas of the Glass family that first appeared in The New Yorker. Fine in a fine dust jacket. A beautiful, fresh copy.
135. SALINGER, J.D. Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour an Introduction. NY: Little, Brown (1963). The first issue, which lacks a dedication page. An exceptionally scarce issue -- some knowledgeable sources have speculated that as few as 20 to 30 copies of this issue were released before they were reissued with a tipped-in dedication page. Fine in a dust jacket with a tiny and barely noticeable tear at the spine, else fine.
136. SALINGER, J.D. The Complete Uncollected Short Stories of J.D. Salinger. (n.p.): (n.p) [1974]. Two volumes. The first issue, in text only wrappers. Salinger successfully suppressed publication of both the first and second issues of this unauthorized collection. Fine. Scarce.
137. SEBALD, W.G. The Emigrants. London: Harvill Press (1996). The unaccountably scarce hardcover issue of the first English-language edition of his second book. This copy is fine in a fine dust jacket.
138. SHAARA, Michael. The Killer Angels. NY: David McKay (1974). His second novel, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and, according to many, the best novel about the Civil War battle of Gettysburg, and, with Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage, one of the best Civil War novels ever written. This copy is fine in a fine dust jacket, and exceptionally scarce thus: the cheap "perfect binding" often results in the text block coming loose in the hinges, but this copy is tight and without flaws.
139. STEINBECK, John. Tortilla Flat. NY: Covici Friede (1935). The fourth novel by the Nobel Prize winner, preceding his Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork, The Grapes of Wrath, by four years. A scarce book, printed during the Depression in an edition of only 4000 copies, this was the first of Steinbeck's books to receive significant popular attention, because of its sympathetic portrayal of Monterey paisanos. This is a fine copy in a very nearly fine dust jacket. Exceptionally scarce thus: the blue topstain is rich and unfaded; the binding is clean and tight; the dust jacket is unfaded and with the exception of two tiny edge tears virtually perfect. A rarity in this condition. In a custom quarter leather clamshell case.
140. STEINBECK, John. In Dubious Battle. NY: Covici Friede (1936). A powerful novel of migrant farm workers rising up against landowners. Written at a time when much contemporary fiction was geared toward proletarian aspirations, Steinbeck's novel could have been a mere propaganda piece; instead, it is an exploration of ideals, social protest and social justice, and the relationship of mob behavior to individual values and, as such, still resonates with relevance decades later. This is a fine copy in a fine dust jacket. A beautiful copy, and nearly impossible to find in this condition. In a custom clamshell box.
141. STEINBECK, John. Of Mice and Men. NY: Covici Friede (1937). Steinbeck's classic short novel of a couple of hobos drifting during the Depression, which has twice been translated to the screen. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper. This is the first issue, with "pendula" on page 9 and a bullet between the "8's" on page 88. A fine copy in a very near fine dust jacket with a hint of sunning to the spine but otherwise perfect. An important book, uncommon signed, and rare in this condition. In a custom quarter leather slipcase and chemise.
142. STEINBECK, John. The Long Valley. NY: Viking, 1938. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with slight soiling. A nice copy.
143. STEINBECK, John. The Grapes of Wrath. NY: Viking (1939). The greatest novel by this Nobel Prize winner, one of the greatest American novels ever, and the great American novel of the Depression era. Steinbeck fused social consciousness with literary artistry, refusing to allow his writing to become doctrinaire the way so many novelists of the Thirties did. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and the basis for an Academy Award-winning film in 1940. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket: no wear to the binding or the book; the yellow topstain is rich and bright; the jacket is unfaded and unfrayed. An exceptionally nice copy of a book that shows wear readily. One of the nicest copies we've ever seen of this book. In a custom slipcase and chemise.
144. STEINBECK, John. Cannery Row. NY: Viking, 1945. The first issue, in buff cloth, of Steinbeck's homage to the people of Monterey county, where he was born. A slight novel, but one of the more lasting testaments of his body of work. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket. Rare thus.
145. STEINBECK, John. East of Eden. NY: Viking, 1952. Basis for the splendid Elia Kazan film, scripted by Paul Osborn, with James Dean in his first starring role. Jo Van Fleet, in her film debut, won an Oscar and Julie Harris deserved one as well. Fine in a fine dust jacket. A beautiful copy.
146. STONE, Robert. Children of Light (aka A Hall of Mirrors). Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1967. The uncorrected proof copy of Stone's first book, originally entitled Children of Light but which had the title changed after these proofs were set as a result of the publisher learning that another novel with that title was to be published that year. The title was taken from a Robert Lowell poem and the new title, A Hall of Mirrors, was also taken from one of the lines of that poem -- ironically, a line that was edited out of later versions of the poem by Lowell. Stone's book was awarded the prestigious Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship Award -- an award previously given to such first novels or first books as Robert Penn Warren's Night Rider, Philip Roth's Goodbye, Columbus and Margaret Walker's Jubilee. It also won the Faulkner Foundation Award for best first novel of the year. The proof copy differs from the published text in two respects (that we have noted): the epigraph, the verse from the Lowell poem, is not present; and minor changes in the text have been made in two places, which resulted in two cancel leaves being inserted in the published first editions. 57 copies of the proof were printed in late 1966, with publication scheduled for "2/67," according to a label pasted inside the proof. What with the title change and the change to the text, publication was ultimately held up until August, 1967. When shown this copy of the proof of his first book, the author at first did not recognize it and then, after realizing what he was holding, inscribed the book on the half-title "For ____/ uncoverer of wonders!/ Robert Stone." He claimed he had never seen one before, including at the time of the book's publication. In over 25 years of handling Stone's books, and being on the lookout for this proof, we have never seen another copy, let alone seen one offered for sale. Our co-writer of the Robert Stone bibliography, Bev Chaney -- who worked at Houghton Mifflin at the time this was published -- had a copy that he kept in a bank vault, and we only ever saw a photograph of it. That copy went to an institution when Chaney's Robert Stone collection was sold in its entirety. Slight edge wear to the wrappers, and a little bit of dampstaining to the edges of them; still very good in tall ringbound wrappers. An elusive proof of an important first book.