Catalog 151, C-E
42. CAPOTE, Truman. In Cold Blood. NY: Random House (1965). His most famous book, a bestseller that redefined the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction and helped define the New Journalism of the 1960s. A story of the cold-blooded killing of a Kansas family that was shocking in its day for its portrayal of the lives and thoughts of the killers, as well as its graphic violence. Inscribed by the author: "For Irene/ from an admiring friend/ Truman." Unsigned, the book is not especially scarce in the first printing -- it had caused a sensation when portions appeared in The New Yorker, and therefore it had a large first printing; however, because of its soft paper dust jacket, it is a book that shows wear readily. This copy has very slight bowing to the front board, and is otherwise fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a thin mark to the cover and a hint of sunning to the title block on the spine. A nice copy with a warm inscription.
43. -. Same title, the limited edition. One of 500 copies signed by the author. Fine in the original acetate, in a fine slipcase.
44. -. Same title, the advance reading copy. Trace rubbing to the folds, else fine in self-wrappers.
45. CAPUTO, Philip. The Voyage. NY: Knopf, 1999. A novel by the author of A Rumor of War, one of the great books of the Vietnam war. Inscribed by Caputo to another writer and his wife: "Avast! Look lively there! And all best wishes, too." Tiny dent to lower rear board edge; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
46. CAPUTO, Philip. Acts of Faith. NY: Knopf, 2005. The advance reading copy. Laid in is a letter from the publisher to another author, soliciting comments. Rear cover creasing; near fine in wrappers.
47. (CARSON, Rachel). "A Message to the Front" in St. Nicholas. (NY): (Century Co.) (1919). A brief story about the effect America's entry into WWI has on a group of French soldiers. This story, Carson's third appearance in print, won the magazine's Gold Badge. Carson was 11 years old at the time. Her first appearance, the previous year, had won the Silver Badge. St. Nicholas magazine made a point of publishing work by children, and between 1907 and 1917 winners of the magazine's badges included William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, E.E. Cummings, Samuel Eliot Morrison, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and E.B. White -- all of them under 18 at the time (White was 11). Carson had a fourth story published in the magazine later that year, which apparently convinced her that she could be a writer. Approximately 200 words. Splitting to the spine ends; near fine. A nicely preserved example of a fragile World War I-vintage magazine, which is uncommon these days outside of bound sets.
48. (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; very good in wrappers.
49. -. Same title. All of Volume 160, running more than 800 pages and including the Carson issue, hardbound, without original covers, in green cloth-covered boards. Not its original presentation, but a less expensive way to own the text. Near fine.
50. CARSON, Rachel. "How About Citizenship for the Starlings?" in Nature Magazine, Vol. 32, No. 6. (Washington, D.C.): (American Nature Association), 1939. A 3-page article in which Carson argues that starlings, introduced to the U.S. nearly 50 years prior, are more than earning their keep. A bit of toning to the spine; near fine in stapled wrappers. A nice copy of a scarce and fragile item.
51. CARVER, Raymond. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. NY: Knopf, 1981. Carver's second major story collection, and his first significant commercial success. Inscribed by the author to the President of the University of Iowa, at the Writers' Workshop: "For James O. Freedman, with good wishes. Ray Carver, 7/23/84. Iowa City!" Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a tiny edge tear at the upper rear spine fold.
52. CARVER, Raymond. Cathedral. NY: Knopf, 1983. A review copy of his third collection of stories to be published by a major trade publisher, and a major literary event that confirmed Carver's preeminent place among American short story writers of the day, and signaled a full-fledged resuscitation of the short story in American literature. Inscribed by Carver at Christmas in the year of publication. A few spots to foredge and front flyleaf; else fine in a fine dust jacket with the publisher's promotional postcard laid in. Uncommon inscribed, especially being an advance copy and with a contemporary inscription.
53. CASEY, Tom. Strangers' Gate. NY: Doherty (2006). The author's second book, a literary thriller of the neo-noir variety. Inscribed by the author to another writer, whose blurb appears on the front cover, "with gratitude and joy." Fine in a fine dust jacket.
54. CATHER, Willa. Death Comes for the Archbishop. NY: Knopf, 1927. One of Cather's most important novels; a highspot of 20th century literature. This copy is inscribed by Cather on a tipped-in leaf and dated 1930. Tanning to the spine cloth, a near fine copy in a dust jacket professionally restored to near fine condition, with paper supplied along the edges and spine, including some of the lettering. Much scarcer in dust jacket than most of her other titles from around the same period.
55. CHACE, Susan. Intimacy. NY: Random House (1989). Her first novel. Inscribed by the author to another writer, in part: "I was glad to almost meet you the other night..." Fine in a fine dust jacket.
56. CHEEVER, John. The Way Some People Live. NY: Random House (1943). His first book, printed during wartime in an edition of only 2750 copies. A collection of stories, almost none of which were ever reprinted in Cheever's lifetime (or since); Cheever pointedly did not include them in his later collections, and his family blocked publication of a posthumous collection that would have included them. Mild bowing to boards, else a fine copy in a very near fine dust jacket with trace rubbing to the edges and folds. One of the nicest copies we have seen of this title.
57. COETZEE, J.M. Age of Iron. NY: Random House (1990). The first American edition of this novel by the two-time Booker Prize winner and Nobel laureate. Signed by the author. The foredge folds on this jacket were heavily scored by the publisher and could split if not treated carefully, but thus far this copy is fine in a fine dust jacket. Uncommon signed.
58. COETZEE, J.M. The Master of Petersburg. (n.p.): Viking (1994). The advance reading copy of the first American edition of this novel based on the life of Fyodor Dostoevsky. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
59. COETZEE, J.M. Boyhood. (London): Secker & Warburg (1997). A memoir of his childhood growing up in South Africa. Signed by the author on the title page. Gift inscription on the front flyleaf; else fine in a fine dust jacket. Uncommon signed.
60. COETZEE, J.M. The Lives of Animals. Princeton: Princeton University Press (1999). Coetzee's Tanner Lecture, for which he told a fictional story about an animal rights activist giving a lecture. This work became the first piece of fiction published by the press. With an introduction by Amy Gutmann and commentaries by Marjorie Garber, Peter Singer, Wendy Doniger and Barbara Smuts. Signed by Coetzee. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
61. COETZEE, J.M. The Novel in Africa. (Berkeley): (Townsend Center for the Humanities)(1999). The text of a lecture Coetzee delivered in November, 1988. Printed as Occasional Paper 17. No edition stated: we have had this title once before and seem to remember the covers being light green; the covers here tend more toward taupe. Small area of rubbing to the front cover; near fine in wrappers.
62. COETZEE, J.M. Disgrace. London: Secker & Warburg (1999). His second Booker Prize-winning novel. Coetzee also won the Booker Prize in 1982 for The Life and Times of Michael K. This is the second issue, printed by Clays, in a second issue dust jacket (with the Booker Prize notation). Signed by Coetzee. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
63. -. Same title, the first American edition. (NY): Viking (1999). Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket with a Booker Prize sticker on the front panel.
64. -. Same title. The advance reading copy of the first American edition. (n.p.): Viking (2000). Oddly, the advance copy has a 2000 copyright date; the trade edition, 1999. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
65. COHEN, Leonard. Beautiful Losers. London: Jonathan Cape (1970). The first British edition of the landmark second novel by the Canadian poet-folksinger, first published in 1966 in the U.S. and one of the key books of the Sixties. In its paperback reprint edition, it was ubiquitous on college campuses and passed hand-to-hand by a generation that was finding itself increasingly alienated from the mainstream, dominant culture. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with one short edge crease and one closed edge tear. An attractive copy of an uncommon edition of an important book.
66. COHEN, Leonard. Book of Longing. (NY): HarperCollinsEcco (2006). Second printing of the first American edition. A collection of poems, prose poems and drawings, his first such collection in over 20 years. Inscribed by the author: "For David Cohen/ fraternal greetings/ Leonard Cohen/ Washington/ May 2006." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Books signed by Cohen are uncommon; inscribed copies even more so.
67. CONROY, Pat. The Lords of Discipline. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1980. His second novel, set in a military school very similar to The Citadel, which Conroy attended. Signed by the author. Like The Great Santini and later The Prince of Tides, this was made into a well-received film. Light rubbing to boards; else fine in a fine dust jacket with minuscule wear to the upper edge of the front panel. A very nice copy.
68. COOVER, Robert. Typescript of "In Bed One Night." c. 1983. Photocopied typescript of the title story of Coover's 1983 collection, with Coover's address, c/o his agent, at the top. 8 1/4" x 11 3/4", folded in fourths. Staple in upper corner, trace sunning; else fine. Presumably a copy submitted for publication in a magazine or journal.
69. CORMAN, Cid. And the Word. Saint Paul: Coffee House Press, 1987. Ringbound galley sheets of this small press production, a book of poetry by the founding editor of the influential literary magazine Origin. Long sheets printed on rectos only, laid into a labeled folder along with promotional material. Fine. Uncommon.
70. CROWLEY, John. Conversation Hearts. (Burton): Subterranean Press, 2008. The advance reading copy of these two intertwined stories, one that takes place on Earth, the other a children's story that takes place on another planet. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
71. CRUMB, R. Housewarming Party Flyer/Map. (Cleveland): (self-published) (n.d.) [c. 1966]. 8 1/2" x 11" flyer created by R. Crumb as an invitation/map to a housewarming party at his new apartment in Cleveland. Predates Crumb's move west to San Francisco and any of his published comics, and foreshadows them in several ways. Crumb moved to Cleveland in 1964 and began working at American Greetings, a greeting card company, first as a color separator and later drawing greeting cards. In 1965 he began taking LSD and the combination of learning to draw "cute but neutral" characters for the card company and having his mind blown by his acid trips helped shape Crumb's unique style: this flyer shows two cheery, cute kids effusively extending the invitation to the party ("Hey Kids! Wow!") and the small print advises "There will be some booze, but not much so some people will have to bring their own. (Also pot, hash, LSD, "A," and other stimulants)." On the verso of the flyer is a handwritten note from Dagmar Ferek, underground poet d.a. levy's common law wife, to a friend: "Sher - thought you might like this -- a friend of ours, Robert Crumb, works for American Greetings and made this invitation for a party. Dagmar." An early Crumb piece, and an interesting and important documentation of the association between the most famous underground artist of the Sixties, Crumb, and one of the most famous underground poets of the era, levy. Crumb left for San Francisco the following year, 1967; levy committed suicide in 1968.
72. 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 in the month of publication: "To ____/ I'm eternally grateful for your super efforts, your pal forever. Clive Cussler/ 10-76." A more personal and meaningful inscription than one usually finds on this title. Light sunning to the tip of the spine, else a fine copy in a very near fine dust jacket with very shallow edge creasing.
73. DELBANCO, Nicholas. News. NY: Morrow, 1970. His fourth novel. Inscribed by Delbanco to George [Garrett]: "with admiration, in friendship, fear & laughter," and with a small self-caricature. A nice association copy, and a revealing inscription that reflects the esteem in which Garrett was held by a generation of writers. Slight fading to edges of endpages, else fine in a near fine dust jacket with a crease to the rear flap.
74. DICK, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Garden City: Doubleday, 1968. One of Dick's most sought-after books, a nightmarish satire that was the basis for the movie Blade Runner and was included in David Pringle's selection of the 100 best science fiction novels (Dick's fifth title listed, the most of any author). Doubleday, which owns several book clubs, was notorious in the Sixties and early Seventies for the cheapness of their bindings: their trade editions often resemble inexpensive book club editions and this title is no exception. This copy has mild offsetting at the hinges from binder's glue and a few spots of foxing to the foredge; it is otherwise fine in a near fine dust jacket with slight rubbing to the spine extremities. In recent years copies of this title have become increasingly elusive, with those appearing on the market frequently having been through the library system. Correspondence from Dick's publisher at the time indicated that the book had sold slightly under 1900 copies in the first few months after publication -- almost all of which would have been accounted for by libraries; a few months later the publisher reported disappointingly few new sales, in effect confirming what collectors and dealers have long inferred -- that most copies of this book went to libraries, and few were sold in the trade. This is the nicest copy we have seen in years.
75. DIDION, Joan. Run River. NY: Obolensky (1963). The first book, a novel, by this writer whose astringent fiction and essays comprise one of the defining voices of our time. A fine copy in a very near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with trace rubbing to the edges and folds.
76. DIDION, Joan. Slouching Towards Bethlehem. NY: FSG (1968). The second book by this author who has chronicled the postwar American dream with a biting accuracy and a dry but fierce humor that is unsurpassed in her generation. The title essay is an early report on the hippies of Haight-Ashbury that looked at the dark side of that particular take on the American dream. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Very uncommon signed, especially in fine condition.
77. DUBUS, Andre. The Lieutenant. NY: Dial, 1967. His first book, and his only novel, a story of the peacetime military and the challenges to manhood and honor that its rigid code of morals creates. Dubus was once quoted as saying that after he wrote this novel someone introduced him to Chekhov's short stories, and he threw away the manuscript of what was to be his next novel and began writing short fiction -- to become one of our most acclaimed and accomplished practitioners. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with very mild shelf wear.
78. DUBUS, Andre. Blessings. Elmwood: Raven Editions, 1987. The first separate edition of this story by Dubus, expanded from its magazine publication back to its original length. An attractive limited edition, designed and printed by Carol Blinn of Warwick Press. Of a total edition of 70 copies, this is one of 60 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine, with publisher's prospectus laid in.
79. DUNNE, John Gregory. True Confessions. NY: Dutton (1977). The uncorrected proof copy of his fourth book, first novel, the basis for a movie with Robert Duvall. Spine lean, and handling apparent to covers; very good in tall wrappers.
80. (DYLAN, Bob). SHEPARD, Sam. Rolling Thunder Logbook. NY: Viking (1977). A review copy of this journal/logbook kept by the playwright Shepard of a tour Dylan put on with his Rolling Thunder Revue, which traveled through New England for several months playing music mostly in out-of-the-way small venues in the dead of winter. Dylan was accompanied at various times by such friends as Phil Ochs, Allen Ginsberg, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliot and others. T-Bone Burnett was part of his band. Shepard originally was to have acted as scriptwriter for a movie documentary of the tour -- he was to write the lines, as needed, for the principals to utter to make the production a viable effort, a sort of updated Woodstock, done in cinema verité style; the movie, however, never happened, and Shepard's journal is the primary documentation of the trip in all its various aspects, for better and for worse, and as candid a view of Dylan and the entourage that has inevitably accompanied him since the early Sixties as we are likely to get. A fine copy in a very good dust jacket with several edge tears and an abrasion on the rear panel. Review slip laid in.
81. (DYLAN, Bob). DIDDLE, Gavin. Images and Assorted Facts. A Peek Behind the Picture Frame. (Manchester): (Print Centre)(1983). According to the author, this is the first attempt to document all the occasions on which footage was shot of Bob Dylan for film, video or television. A significant reference work, not only detailing the appearances but reproducing various listings, articles and photographs from them. Scarce; no copies currently online. Dampstain around upper spine; very good in stapled wrappers.
82. EDGERTON, Clyde. Typescript of Killer Diller. (n.p.): (n.p.)(n.d.)[c. 1990]. Two typescript drafts of Edgerton's fourth novel. One draft is warmly inscribed by Edgerton to Dudley Jahnke "with greatest appreciation for your help in the book business -- and music [movie?] business -- and all else" and dated "28 March 90." Ringbound in cardstock covers and titled in Edgerton's hand. This draft reproduces a number of the author's changes, which are especially heavy at the beginning of the book. A note in Edgerton's hand on the first page states that "The copy gets cleaner in a few pages." Near fine. The other draft, approximately 250 loose photocopied sheets from a dot matrix printer original, reproduces heavy editing by "SR," with SR's title page. This draft differs substantially from the bound draft, and the opening of the book [at least] is entirely different. Fine. Together with an envelope, hand-addressed by Edgerton to Dudley Jahnke, the recipient of both drafts. The novel, in a form that varies from both drafts above, was published by Algonquin Books in 1991.
83. EGGERS, Dave. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. NY: Simon & Schuster (2000). His first book, at the very least an affecting work of uncommon brilliance, about raising his younger brother after his parents died in unrelated events a month apart. With an early (initials only) signature. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
84. -. Same title, the advance reading copy (marked "Advance Uncorrected Reader's Proof") in pictorial wrappers. Signed by the author, "D. Eggers." Fine in wrappers.
85. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy, in plain yellow wrappers. Uncommon. Mildly dusty; near fine.
86. ENGLANDER, Nathan. For the Relief of Unbearable Urges. NY: Knopf, 1999. A review copy of his first book, a collection of stories that earned extraordinary praise. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with review slip and promotional sheet laid in.