Catalog 155, H-K
71. (HALEY, Alex). VAN SERTIMA, Ivan. They Came Before Columbus. NY: Random House (1976). Haley's copy of the uncorrected proof copy of Van Sertima's book, a controversial bestseller published the year after Haley's Roots, and arguing that Africans had visited and even colonized the Americas long before Columbus. An interesting copy, in that the tremendous and surprising success of Haley's book may have influenced Van Sertima's publisher to think that there would be a strong mainstream market for a book positing this thesis, which might otherwise have been the province of a small press or academic publisher. A read copy, with penciled marginal marks and spine creasing; very good in tall wrappers. Stamped with Haley's name on the title page.
72. HANLEY, James. Men in Darkness. NY: Knopf, 1932. An advance copy of Men in Darkness bound in flexible boards and consisting of "Narrative," the collection's first story, running 117 pages, and the first eight pages of "Feud," the second story, which ran to nearly 80 pages in the finished book. The paper covering the boards is split at the joints; else near fine without dust jacket, as issued. An interesting example of a publishing phenomenon particular to the era.
73. HANNAH, Barry. Never Die. Boston: Houghton Mifflin/Seymour Lawrence, 1991. The uncorrected proof copy, this being a dedication copy, inscribed by the author to Seymour Lawrence, his publisher and one of the dedicatees of the book: "For the Inimitable and Gallant Sam L,/ From a friend who owes him/ for heart, patience and bright/ events in the lit world. May/ you prosper and receive/ the best joys and illumination./ Yours,/ Barry H." Light corner creases; else fine in wrappers. Laid in is a Houghton Mifflin envelope, on which is written: "Looks delightful!/ Thanks,/ Barry."
74. HARRIS, Thomas. The Silence of the Lambs. NY: St. Martin's (1988). The uncorrected proof copy of his highly acclaimed third novel, the first to have Hannibal Lecter as the central character, a figure that has become a cultural touchstone. Basis for the Jonathan Demme film with Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, winner of five Academy Awards and one of the American Film Institute's top 100 Films of the Century. Upper outer corner crease to front cover; thus near fine in wrappers. The advance reading copy is fairly common; the proof is scarce.
75. HENLEY, Beth. Crimes of the Heart. NY: Viking (1982). The uncorrected proof copy of her Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Fine in wrappers. Uncommon.
76. HESSE, Hermann. Klingsor's Last Summer. NY: FSG (1970). The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of this novel originally published in Germany in 1920. Hesse, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, received a literary reincarnation of sorts when his books became underground classics of the counterculture in the 1960s: such novels as Steppenwolf, The Journey to the East, Siddhartha and The Glass Bead Game had been long out of print, but were reissued in the Sixties, sometimes in new translations, followed by the first publications in English of a number of his books that had not been issued in the U.S. at all previously, including this title. Near fine in tall, comb bound wrappers.
77. HILLENBRAND, Laura. Seabiscuit. NY: Random House (2001). The uncorrected proof copy of the award-winning bestseller, basis for the Academy Award nominated movie. The moving story of the famous racehorse was one of the surprise bestsellers of the season, and for a time even the hardcover first editions were both highly sought after and extremely elusive. Since then demand has tapered off some, but it is still a highly collected title. This proof copy precedes the much more common advance reader's edition, and is much scarcer than that issue, let alone the hardcover first. Fine in wrappers.
78. HOAGLAND, Edward. Red Wolves and Black Bears. NY: Random House (1976). The uncorrected proof copy of his third collection of essays. Two names (one crossed out) on front cover, presumably the names of the writers who were to be assigned to review the book; else fine in tall wrappers. John Updike called Hoagland the best essayist of his generation.
79. HOUSTON, Pam. Cowboys Are My Weakness. NY: Norton (1992). The advance reading copy of her highly praised first book, a collection of stories and a surprise bestseller. One of the stories was selected for The Best American Short Stories 1990. A fine copy in pictorial wrappers.
80. HUNTER, Stephen. The Master Sniper. NY: Morrow, 1980. The uncorrected proof copy of the first novel by the bestselling thriller writer, who is also a film critic for the Washington Post. Several of Hunter's titles involve snipers, including a trilogy about a Vietnam War-era U.S. sniper. This title focuses on a German SS sniper in World War II, and the OSS agent assigned to thwart him. Originally titled The Anger of the Sniper, which title is printed here on the cover and prelims and changed by hand; this is an earlier version of the proof than the issue that had an adhesive label pasted over the original title, with the new title printed on it. Large number in pencil on front cover and slight corner crease; very near fine in wrappers.
81. HUXLEY, Aldous. Island. London: Chatto & Windus (1962). The uncorrected proof copy of the last novel by Huxley, the counterpoint to his classic, Brave New World. Huxley began exploring Eastern religions and mysticism in the 1930s, after he had written Brave New World; in the early 1950s he experimented with mescaline and other psychedelic drugs, finding a strong parallel between the drug-induced state and the mystical experiences he had previously only read about. He wrote two short books on his drug experiences -- The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell -- describing the psychedelic experience in terms borrowed from oriental mystical traditions, and attempted in this, his final work of fiction, to use the novel form to articulate a vision of the society that could emerge from a shared experience of spiritual ecstasy. Publication date rubber-stamped on front cover. Spine slanted, lightened and lightly creased; overall near fine in wrappers. Not a particularly uncommon book, but scarce in proof form.
82. IRVING, John. The World According to Garp. NY: Dutton (1978). The advance reading copy of his fourth novel and breakthrough book, which went into numerous printings, became a multi-million copy bestseller and a National Book Award winner in its paperback release. The first printing of Garp was reported at 35,000 copies; none of Irving's previous books had sold even 5,000 copies, with one of them having had sales under 2000. Irving switched publishers for this book, and his new publisher decided to promote the novel heavily. After issuing two sets of proofs in small numbers for early readers and reviewers, Dutton printed this advance reading copy for wide distribution to the book trade. It worked in bringing attention to Irving's novel, which became a bestseller; since then, Irving's books have had six-figure first printings and his reputation as a major American novelist is secure. The publisher's risk, in producing such a large first printing, and their marketing efforts -- including creating this advance copy -- played no small part in this transformation. This copy is signed by the author. Spine cocked and creased, with staining to covers; about very good in wrappers.
83. IRVING, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany. (London): Bloomsbury (1989). The advance reading copy of the British edition of what may be Irving's best-loved book -- a substantial claim for a book by the author of the also much-loved The World According to Garp. Fine in wrappers. Laid in is a photographic postcard of Irving taken by Marion Ettlinger, whose (slightly different) photo of Irving was on the jacket of the U.S. trade edition and is also on this advance reading copy. The postcard (NY: Fotofolio, 1988) is signed by Irving.
84. IRVING, John. A Son of the Circus. NY: Random House (1994). The uncorrected proof copy of this novel, complete with the first page, which contains the publisher's text describing the book and, very briefly, the author. This page was excised from most copies, reportedly at the author's request. Copies with the page intact are extremely uncommon; we have only occasionally seen them over the years. Fine in wrappers. Laid into this copy is the sales data (U.S. and Canada) of all of Irving's previous books, as well as a copy of a review of this book from Publisher's Weekly.
85. JOHNSON, Denis. Angels. London: Chatto & Windus [1984]. The uncorrected proof copy of the first British edition of his first novel, a tale of drifters that is reminiscent of the noir fiction of Robert Stone. Johnson has gone on to become one of the most highly acclaimed contemporary American novelists, winning the National Book Award for his novel Tree of Smoke, among numerous other awards. Signed by the author. Near fine in wrappers.
86. JONG, Erica. Half-Lives. NY: HRW (1973). The uncorrected proof copy of her second collection of poetry. Jong's breakthrough novel, Fear of Flying, published the same year as this collection, redefined the parameters for acceptable commercial fiction in the wake of the newfound freedoms of the Sixties and the women's movement, so much so that its title became a byword, and a part of the vernacular of contemporary political discussion. Inscribed by the author. Fine in tall wrappers with review slip laid in.
87. JONG, Erica. Loveroot. [NY]: [HRW], 1975. A personalized advance copy of her third collection of poetry. Photocopied pages shot from an uncorrected proof copy, warmly inscribed by the author, and with one poem, "Advice to Myself After Losing My Wallet," crossed out, apparently by Jong. Together with an autograph note signed, on personal stationery, transmitting the sheets and thanking the recipient for some Nabokov books. All items fine in a torn, hand-addressed, postage due envelope. An interesting item from the author of the landmark novel Fear of Flying.
88. KAEL, Pauline. I Lost It at the Movies. London: Jonathan Cape (1966). The uncorrected proof copy of the first British edition of her first book. Kael revolutionized film criticism with her opinionated, colloquial reviews, her wit, her enjoyment of popular culture, and her impatience with pretentiousness. A generation of admirers and imitators has never quite succeeded in matching the engaging informality and authority of Kael's reviewing voice. A bit of white out inside front cover and penciled name on flyleaf; light foxing; near fine in a very good, proof dust jacket with tape-mended chips at the spine ends. An uncommon book, and an even more uncommon proof.
89. KAEL, Pauline. Going Steady. Boston: Little Brown [1970]. The uncorrected proof copy of the third collection of film reviews by the longtime film critic for The New Yorker; this proof has the working title of The Great Bastard Cross-fertilized Super-art. Kael invigorated film criticism unlike any previous reviewer, skewering pretension, extolling the value of entertainment, and praising popular culture. Self-consciously controversial, she delighted and infuriated, sometimes simultaneously, filmgoers, readers, and other critics. Her reviews were characterized by an informal but pull-no-punches vernacular writing style. The proof differs from the published version in the title and all the places the title is listed, including in the "Introduction" which became the "Foreword" in the book; also an untitled section in the proof became "Intentions" in the book. Light spine fade; label shadow lower edge; near fine in wrappers. A scarce advance state, with a different title, of one of her important collections of film criticism.
90. KANTOR, MacKinlay. Andersonville. NY: World Publishing, 1955. Uncorrected proofs of the author's best known book, a novel of the notorious Confederate prison camp in the Civil War, and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1956. Kantor wrote numerous other novels, historical and otherwise, and at least one screenplay (with Dalton Trumbo), but Andersonville is by far his most famous book, and most successful: it was a bestseller and a selection of the Book of the Month Club, and there was a signed limited edition produced of it as well, numbering 1000 copies. This proof is in the form of long, claspbound galleys. Two volumes, totaling more than 700 pages, in the publisher's plain tan cardstock wrappers with a printed label on the front of each volume giving author, title, publication date and price. 5-7/8" x 11-1/2", and 3" thick, total. With "Ben Burke/ Maurice Hotel/ S.F." written on the front covers, presumably the recipient of this set. Minor creasing to the cover of Volume 1; modest tanning to all covers; still near fine. Extremely scarce: bound proofs were not routinely done by publishers in the 1950s -- they were more the exception than the rule -- and this is the first copy of the proof of this Pulitzer-winning novel that we have ever seen or heard of.
91. KEROUAC, Jack. Doctor Sax. NY: Grove (1959). The uncorrected proof copy of one of Kerouac's scarcest trade publications. Plain white wrappers with handwritten title and publication information, and author's name typed on a brown label affixed to the front cover. Stamped in red "Uncorrected Page Proof" on cover and first three leaves. Casual inspection reveals typographic differences between this proof and the published book on the half-title, title page, and second half-title as well as its being gathered into a different number of (smaller) signatures. An extremely uncommon item: we know of only one other proof copy of this title having appeared on the market over the years, and no copy appeared in the Walter Reuben collection catalogued by Bradford Morrow. A bit of sunning to the spine and minor spotting to the covers and foredge; otherwise near fine in wrappers and housed in a custom quarter leather clamshell box. A Kerouac rarity.
92. KIDDER, Tracy. The Road to Yuba City. Garden City: Doubleday, 1974. The uncorrected proof copy of Kidder's first book, an investigative report on the Juan Corona murders of a number of migrant fruit workers in northern California in the early 1970s. Kidder, unhappy with the book in retrospect, has declined to allow it to be republished, despite the fame and acclaim that followed on the heels of the Pulitzer Prize he won for his second book, The Soul of a New Machine. A spot of dampstaining to the rear cover, otherwise near fine in tall, ringbound wrappers.
93. KILLENS, John Oliver. The Cotillion. NY: Trident Press (1971). The uncorrected proof copy of this novel by the African-American author who was, among other things, a co-founder of the Harlem Writers Guild. This title was one of his two novels nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Inscribed by the author in 1972. Tall, fragile, padbound proofs, with covers very near detaching; but holding out at very good.
94. KINGSOLVER, Barbara. Small Wonder. (NY): HarperCollins (2002). Two advance issues of this collection of essays: the uncorrected proof copy and the spiral-bound photocopied typescript. Many of the previously-published essays here were revised for inclusion. Both states are fine.
95. (KLEIN, Joe.) "Anonymous." Primary Colors. NY: Random House (1996). The uncorrected proof copy of the anonymous novel closely based on Bill Clinton's Presidential campaign. The question of the identity of the book's author became the hot issue among Washington insiders as soon as the book was published and continued unabated until a sleuthing reporter from the Washington Post identified Klein by the handwriting on a marked set of galleys. Signed by the author: "Best wishes/ Anonymous/ JK." The only signed copy of the proof that we have seen. Fine in wrappers.