Catalog 155, E-G
48. EGGERS, Dave. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. NY: Simon & Schuster (2000). The advance reading copy (marked "Advance Uncorrected Reader's Proof") of his first book, if not a heartbreaking work of staggering genius, 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. In pictorial wrappers. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
49. EGGERS, Dave. What is the What. The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng. (San Francisco): (McSweeney's)(2006). The advance reading copy of this highly praised "nonfiction novel" based on the life story of Deng, one of the Sudanese "Lost Boys," as told to Eggers, the author of the acclaimed memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and creator of McSweeney's, the highly regarded literary journal and publisher. With different cover art from the published book and with blurbs by Khaled Hosseini, Philip Gourevitch and John Prendergast on the rear panel. Slight splaying to covers; else fine in wrappers. Uncommon in the proof form: McSweeney's is a decidedly small press, with little in the way of marketing dollars: its best advertising tends to be the "buzz" created by its publications, and this book exemplified the process, reaching #25 on The New York Times bestseller list without the benefit of much in the way of advertising or promotional clout. A powerful novelization of a Sudanese survivor's story, which Eggers later followed with Zeitoun, an account of a post-Katrina family in a New Orleans lacking civil liberties.
50. ELKIN, Stanley. A Bad Man. NY: Random House (1967). The advance reading copy of Elkin's third book, second novel. Elkin was an enormously influential writer, and one who didn't fall easily into any of the "camps" of 20th century literature: while associated with the avant garde and postmodern writers like William Gaddis and William Gass, he was also cited by John Gardner as an example of a writer of "moral fiction" -- a category usually associated with the realistic school of writing in 20th century American literature. Elkin taught at Washington University in St. Louis for many years, and influenced a generation of writers as a teacher as well. He won the National Book Award in 1982, and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1995, the year he died. Signed by the author. A somewhat uncommon advance issue from the 1960s, but especially scarce signed: Elkin suffered from multiple sclerosis most of his adult life, and did not sign books often. Near fine in wrappers.
51. ELMAN, Richard M. An Education in Blood. NY: Scribner (1971). The uncorrected proof copy of what may be his most well-known novel. Signed by the author in 1974, with a footnote referencing a poem in the text. Several page corners turned; spine creased from reading; about near fine in wrappers.
52. ELMAN, Richard. Uptight with the Stones. NY: Scribner (1973). The uncorrected proof copy of what may be Elman's least-known book: Elman, a literary novelist and social commentator who, in 1972, was well into his 30's, traveled with the Rolling Stones on their tour of the U.S., and reported on the experience in this short book. Inscribed by Elman in 1974, in part: "I wrote this book for money..." Quarto sheets; tapebound in cardstock covers with a typed label on the front cover giving the title and nothing else: clearly, a proof that would have been produced in tiny quantities. Numerous typesetter's and copy editor's notations throughout; grease pencil date on the front cover. Very good in wrappers.
53. FIELDING, Helen. Cause Celeb. (London): Picador (1994). The uncorrected proof copy of the uncommon first book by the author of Bridget Jones's Diary. The latter was the British Book of the Year in 1998. This title was not published in the U.S. until 2001. Near fine in wrappers and jacket; uncommon.
54. (Film). SARRIS, Andrew. Confessions of a Cultist: On the Cinema, 1955/1969. NY: Simon & Schuster (1970). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of reviews by the film critic known for developing the auteur theory. Inscribed by Sarris. A fragile, padbound proof; the cover is detached, the title page is following. Good, in tall wrappers. Scarce.
55. FORD, Richard. The Sportswriter. NY: Vintage (1986). The uncorrected proof copy of his third novel, a paperback original, and his breakthrough book. Signed by the author. Proofs in the Vintage Contemporaries series seem to have been done in much smaller quantities than those of their counterparts slated for hardcover publication, and seem to have received much more limited distribution: many review venues -- including newspapers and magazines -- have policies precluding the reviewing of paperback publications. Creasing to front spine fold, possibly from binding; very near fine in wrappers.
56. -. Another copy. Signed by the author. Just a bit dusty and with shallow label removal marks where publication information was likely once affixed to the front cover; near fine in wrappers.
57. FORD, Richard. My Mother, In Memory. Elmwood: Raven Editions, 1988. The corrected galley proofs of the limited edition of this essay, a shorter version of which had appeared in Harper's. Marked copy "3/3," signed by the publisher, and marked as "Carol's copy" -- referring to Carol Blinn, who printed the book at Warwick Press. Also inscribed by Richard Ford to a collector, "with the pleasure of meeting you." The galleys are corrected in multiple hands. 12 sheets, 24" x 8," folded in half; fine. Unique.
58. 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.
59. FOWLES, John. The Ebony Tower. London: Jonathan Cape (1974). The uncorrected proof copy of the British edition of this collection of novellas. Spine-creased; still about near fine in a very good proof dust jacket.
60. FRAZIER, Charles. Cold Mountain. NY: Atlantic Monthly (1997). The advance reading copy (identified by the publisher as an "uncorrected manuscript"). His first book, a Civil War novel and a publishing phenomenon: after a modest 25,000 copy first printing, the book went into dozens of additional printings, eventually selling more than a million copies in hardcover and winning the National Book Award -- a rare combination of literary and commercial success for any work of fiction, let alone a first novel. The first printing of the trade edition was 25,000 copies; the advance copy is considerably scarcer. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
61. GADDIS, William. Carpenter's Gothic. (NY): Viking (1985). The uncorrected proof copy of his third novel. Inscribed by Gaddis in the year of publication. A few tiny spots to covers; still fine in wrappers. Two of Gaddis' four novels won the National Book Award. Books signed by him are somewhat uncommon, proofs especially so.
62. GAINES, Ernest J. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. NY: Dial, 1971. The uncorrected proof copy of his fourth and perhaps best-known book, a fictional autobiography of a former slave that was made into a well-received movie. Warmly inscribed by the author ("thanks for taking such an interest in my work") in 1988. Foxing to spine; near fine in tall, padbound wrappers. The proof is uncommon due to its fragile format; scarce signed. Gaines's 1993 novel A Lesson Before Dying won the National Book Critics Circle Award, was chosen for Oprah's book club, and was made into an Emmy award-winning HBO movie. He has been the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius" award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and numerous other awards.
63. GARCIA MARQUEZ, Gabriel. One Hundred Years of Solitude. NY: Harper & Row (1970). The uncorrected proof copy of the Colombian Nobel Prize winner's masterwork, his second book published here and first novel. This proof copy is in the very fragile "pad-bound" format, which presumably accounts for its extreme scarcity: pad-bound proofs, because of the way they're constructed, tend to lose their front or rear covers over time; what was undoubtedly a scarce proof to begin with is now exceptionally rare. This proof differs from the published edition by the inclusion of a review of the Spanish language edition of the book. A near fine copy.
64. GARCIA MARQUEZ, Gabriel. The Autumn of the Patriarch. London: Cape (1977). The uncorrected proof copy of the first British edition of Garcia Marquez's first novel after the worldwide success of One Hundred Years of Solitude. An ambitious, experimental novel: 269 pages in six chapters, each of which is a single paragraph, and each paragraph is only a handful of sentences. This copy is inscribed by the author on the half-title: "Para ____ Con todo mi afecto, Gabriel, 2001." An uncommon proof and especially so signed.
65. GARDNER, John. Grendel. NY: Knopf (1971). The uncorrected proof copy of Gardner's third novel, which many think his best. A retelling of the Beowulf legend from the perspective of the monster, this novel allowed Gardner to incorporate his knowledge as a scholar of old English literature into his contemporary fiction in a way no other of his books did. This proof is in tall wrappers, reproducing page numbers in holograph, and with the title page and cover reproduced from typescript. Fine in tall wrappers with an enthusiastic note from Gardner's editor at Knopf written across the front cover.
66. GASS, William H. Omensetter's Luck. (NY): New American Library (1966). The uncorrected proof copy of his first book, one of the several extraordinary literary debuts published in the mid-1960s by NAL, normally a mass-market paperback house, under the editorial direction of David Segal. The firm published John Gardner's first book, The Resurrection, as well as Cynthia Ozick's first book, Trust. Penciled notes on first page and in a few scattered places throughout the text: clearly a reviewer's copy. A few pages corner-turned; name and address on rear cover; price, page count, and author name handwritten on front cover. Lower 2" of front cover absent, thus only good in tall, ringbound wrappers. Rare: only the second copy we have ever encountered.
67. GIDE, Andre. The Immoralist. NY: Knopf (1970). The uncorrected proof copy of this classic novel, originally published at the turn of the century in France (1902) and first published in English in 1930, here translated by poet Richard Howard. Edge-sunning and a few spots to cover; about near fine in tall, comb bound wrappers.
68. GOLDING, William. Free Fall. London: Faber & Faber (1959). The uncorrected proof copy of the fourth novel by the Nobel Prize winner, author of Lord of the Flies. Bound in light gray wrappers, as opposed to green, and perhaps thus a second state although we don't have any conclusive indication of priority. Near fine.
69. GRAU, Shirley Ann. The Wind Shifting West. NY: Knopf, 1973. The uncorrected proof copy. Grau's second collection of stories. Her novel The Keepers of the House won the 1965 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Inscribed by the author. Fine in wrappers.