Catalog 152, F-G
59. FARIÑA, Richard. Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me. New York: Random House (1966). Fariña's first and only novel, one of the key novels of the 1960s counterculture, and the only book of Fariña's to be published while he was alive. This copy is inscribed by the author to Bruce Langhorne, his longtime friend, session musician on all three of his albums, and the inspiration for Bob Dylan's song "Mr. Tambourine Man": "For Bruce,/ In gratitude for various/ steak finger & tambourine trips / March 1966."
Fariña died in a motorcycle accident shortly after his novel was published in April 1966, and signed copies are thus extremely scarce. The date of this inscription is the month prior to publication, meaning this was probably one of the author's copies. A superb association copy, which embodies in its association of individuals a history of its era.
Bruce Langhorne was a highly regarded musician in the folk scene in New York in the early 1960s. He played with many artists and his various gigs show how small and close-knit the folk music community was then. Langhorne played guitar on a 1961 album by folk singer Carolyn Hester, who was Richard Fariña's first wife. Bob Dylan's first recording gig was on that album, playing harmonica as a session musician. Langhorne and Dylan became friends and Langhorne later characterized their musical relationship as "telepathic": they each understood the other, without explanation.
Langhorne played on a single Dylan recorded in 1962, and they worked so well together he later played guitar on all of the major songs on Dylan's breakthrough album "Freewheelin'" in 1963. He also played guitar, both acoustic and electric, on "Bringin' It All Back Home," Dylan's landmark album which marked his transition from folk to rock, and the album on which he recorded "Mr. Tambourine Man." In later years Dylan recounted being inspired by seeing Langhorne playing a large Turkish frame drum -- as large as a wagon wheel, with Langhorne playing it like a tambourine -- an image Dylan said he never forgot. Langhorne's drum was included in the Dylan exhibition "Bob Dylan's American Journey, 1956-1966" in 2004-5.
Dylan and Fariña were both friends and rivals, each trying to make it as a folk singer, each hooked up with one of the Baez sisters, both trying to make their mark. Dylan's song "Positively Fourth Street," which famously begins "You've got a lot of nerve to say you are my friend; when I was down you just stood their grinning," is supposed to have been written about Fariña; yet at the same time, the two played a gig together at London's Troubadour club in 1963.
Fariña's other close artistic friendship/competition at the time was with Thomas Pynchon, a friend from his days at Cornell and, like Fariña, an aspiring writer. Pynchon's first novel was published in 1963, thus beating Fariña, and Pynchon became Fariña's literary mentor -- someone who had succeeded in getting his writing published. Pynchon advised Fariña on the manuscript while it was in progress, and he has a blurb on the dust jacket of the published book. At around this time, according to Carolyn Hester, Fariña was helping Dylan get a book of poems published. The closeness of these relationships -- with Fariña at the center -- raises the question of whether Pynchon and Dylan had any influence on each other's writings. Each made a dramatic breakthrough in 1963, changing their respective fields dramatically, in ways that others would be emulating for decades. At the center of this triptych is Fariña; and weaving through Fariña's life as a folksinger until just before his death, was Bruce Langhorne -- Fariña's friend and musical mentor, Dylan's telepathic accompanist and inspiration. We know of no such association copy of this book ever turning up before: only Dylan's or Pynchon's copies would be more evocative. A spectacular association copy, indicative of the closeness of the two, and a key artifact of its era. With a letter of provenance from Bruce Langhorne.
60. FFORDE, Jasper. Fforde Ffestival. Swindon: Fforde Ffestival, 2005. One of 500 numbered copies of the program for the first Fforde Ffestival, which includes the first appearance of "Hammerfall," a 10-page Professor Mycroft story by Fforde, as well as a program of events ("World Cup Croquet," "Literary Karaoke") and much information about Swindon, the site of Fforde's Thursday Next novels. Fforde has gained a significant following combining parody, fantasy, and metafiction, as well as by engaging his readership in unanticipated, sometimes unprecedented, ways. Fine in stapled wrappers.
61. (Film Source). VENDITTI, Robert and WELDELE, Brett. The Surrogates. (Marietta): Top Shelf (2005-2006). The five issue comic book series about a future in which lives are lived remotely, through "Surrogates," ostensibly without risk to their human operators. Basis for the Bruce Willis film. Published as a graphic novel in 2006, this five volume set precedes that edition. First printing of each issue; each is fine in stapled wrappers. With a sheet laid in announcing the paperback edition. The full set is extremely uncommon.
62. FITZGERALD, F. Scott. All The Sad Young Men. NY: Scribner's, 1926. Fitzgerald's seventh book, a collection of stories, and his first book to be published after the success of The Great Gatsby in 1925. There were three printings, not distinguishable by any printer's mark or device, only by the type being battered in certain places in the later printings. This copy has no battered type, meaning it is the first printing. 10,100 copies were printed, about half the size of the print run of Gatsby. A near fine copy, with the spine gilt still bright, laid into a facsimile dust jacket.
63. FOER, Jonathan Safran. Everything is Illuminated. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. His first novel, one of the most highly praised literary debuts of the year -- named Book of the Year by the Los Angeles Times and winner of the Guardian First Book Prize, among other literary awards. A film adaptation, done by Liev Schreiber, won the Laterna Magica Prize at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. Signed by the author in the month of publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with a sheet listing the event at which the book was signed laid in.
64. FOOTE, Horton. Tomorrow. (n.p.): Filmgroup [1972]. Poster for the film Tomorrow, based on a William Faulkner short story, and with a screenplay by Foote. Signed by Foote. Faulkner's story first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post in 1940 and was collected in Knight's Gambit in 1949. It was adapted for television in 1960, with Horton Foote being the writer, before being brought to the big screen by Foote and director Joseph Anthony in what many critics believe is the best screen adaptation ever of a Faulkner work. Foote received an Oscar for his screenplay of To Kill a Mockingbird and a Pulitzer Prize for The Young Man from Atlanta. 27" x 41". Folded in eighths with tiny holes at the intersections of the folds; else fine.
65. FORD, Richard. Rock Springs. NY: Atlantic Monthly (1987). His fourth book, first collection of stories. Inscribed by the author to another Montana writer: "For Steve [Krauzer], with affection for you, and joy in the pleasure of knowing you. Richard/ October 10, 1987. Missoula." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket.
66. FORD, Richard. Bright Angel. (n.p.):(n.p.) 1988. A 120-page screenplay by Ford for a 1991 film adaptation he did from stories in his collection Rock Springs. The film was directed by Michael Fields and starred Dermot Mulroney, Lili Taylor, Sam Shepard and Valerie Perrine. Photoreproduced sheets on 3-hole paper. This copy is signed by Ford. An unknown number of copies were produced, and Ford signed seven of them at a reading in 1990. In this copy, page 120 was typed on a different typewriter than the first 119 pages. A fine copy, bound in a flexible blue binder. Quite uncommon, especially signed.
67. -. Another copy. Apparently a later generation photocopy than the above, as the text is less sharp; also the rectos of the pages tend to stick to the versos of the pages preceding. However, the final page was typed on the same typewriter as the other pages. This copy is also signed by the author. Near fine, in maroon binder.
68. FORD, Richard. Independence Day. London: Harvill (1995). An advance copy of the first British edition, consisting of tapebound sheets in printed cardstock covers, of the second book in Ford's three-book Frank Bascombe sequence. Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Signed by the author. Printed text on the front cover indicates that the "text is not the final version," and, in fact, this text does seem to be an earlier state than that of not only the British trade edition but the U.S. edition as well. The text does seem to match that of the British advance reading copy. Approximately 8 3/8" x 11 3/4". Photoreproduced name on front cover; dusty rear cover; else fine. An uncommon view of an earlier state of the text of a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
69. FORD, Richard. Signed Caricature. 1997. A print of a caricature by Ford done by Zach Trenholm for salon.com, to accompany a 1996 interview with Ford by Sophie Majeski. 3" x 7 1/8" image of Ford, printed on 8 1/2" x 11" paper. Signed by Ford and by Trenholm. Dated 1997 and accompanied by a printout of the interview (illustrated by the caricature), which has a print date of 1997, but as best we can tell the interview was in 1996, timed with the launch of the Vintage paperback edition of Independence Day. Fine. Uncommon.
70. FORD, Richard. Privacy. (n.p.): (Grenfell Press)(1999). The first separate appearance of this story that first appeared in the New Yorker. Printed in an edition of 35 numbered copies (plus fifteen artist's proofs), with etchings by noted artist Jane Kent. This is one of 35 numbered copies signed by Ford and Kent. An artist's book, and an elaborate and elegant production, as usual by this press. Unbound folios, 10 1/4" x 15 1/2", laid into the publisher's clamshell case with tissue guard protecting each of the etchings. Fine.
71. (FORD, Richard). "A Girl's Feelings" in Edge. Christchurch, NZ: The Edge Press (1971). The first issue of this literary magazine, and Ford's second appearance in print, preceding his first novel by five years and preceded only by his appearance in the anthology Intro #3 when he was a college student. Foredge foxing, mild rubbing; near fine in stapled wrappers. It's easy to imagine that this short-lived literary periodical, published in New Zealand, may be one of the most elusive of Ford's appearances.
72. GADDIS, William. Carpenter's Gothic. (NY): Viking (1985). The uncorrected proof copy of his third novel. Inscribed by Gaddis in the year of publication. Three tiny spots to covers; still fine in wrappers. Two of Gaddis' four novels won the National Book Award.
73. GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ, Gabriel. Faulkner, A Caribbean Writer. (n.p.): (n.p.), 1997. A broadside prose paragraph about the influence Faulkner had on García Márquez, and the effort it took him to learn how not to simply imitate him. A little known piece by the Nobel Prize winner. No source, nor publisher, given. 6 3/4" x 10 3/4". Fine.
74. GARRETT, George. To Recollect a Cloud of Ghosts. (n.p.): Palaemon Press (1979). One of 250 copies signed by the author. This copy is additionally inscribed by Garrett to Annie Dillard, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who was a student of his at Hollins College. Very good, with the title label from the front cover unglued and laid in. An excellent literary association copy between Garrett, an accomplished novelist, and Dillard, perhaps his most famous student.
75. GARRETT, George. An Evening Performance. Garden City: Doubleday, 1985. A collection of new and selected stories. Inscribed by Garrett to his former student, Annie Dillard: "For Annie & Gary/ with all the best/ there is and can be -- ." Fine in a near fine dust jacket. A nice copy of a not particularly well-made book, and an excellent literary association.
76. GILCHRIST, Ellen. The Land Surveyor's Daughter. (Fayetteville): Lost Roads, 1979. Her first book, a collection of poems issued as Lost Roads No. 14. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers, with publisher's erratum slip laid in. Scarce, especially signed and with the slip.
77. GILCHRIST, Ellen. In the Land of Dreamy Dreams. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 1981. Her second book, first book of fiction, a collection of stories. This is the scarce hardcover issue; there were 1000 copies issued in wrappers, but the hardcover is considerably scarcer than that. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
78. GILCHRIST, Ellen. Riding Out the Tropical Depression. New Orleans: Faust Publishing, 1986. Selected poems, published in an attractive limited edition. Thin quarto. One of 300 numbered copies, of a total edition of 350. Signed by the author. A fine copy in full cloth, without dust jacket, as issued.
79. -. Same title. One of 50 numbered deluxe copies, quarterbound in leather. Signed by the author. Fine without dust jacket, as issued.
80. GINSBERG, Allen. "Have had experience with Mescaline, LSD 25, and Psilocybin..." (n.p.): [Timothy Leary], 1961. Ginsberg's written feedback as a test subject in Timothy Leary's psychedelic drug research, during the time Leary was conducting experiments under the auspices of Harvard University. In part: "Psilocybin seems to me to be some sort of psychic godsend--it offers unparalleled opportunity to catalyze awareness of otherwise unconscious psychic processes--to widen the area of human consciousness--to deepen reification of ideas and idetification [sic] of real objects--to enter the significance and aesthetic organization of music, painting, poetry [emphasis added], architecture; it seems to make philosophy make sense...I think it will help Mankind grow." Approximately 175 words total, mimeograph, with Ginsberg's printed name and the date January, 1961. Printed by Leary for private distribution and from his personal archive. Fine.