Catalog 157, A
1. ABBEY, Edward. Desert Solitaire. New York: McGraw-Hill (1968). His first book of nonfiction, a classic of nature writing in the company of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring or Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac. Inscribed by the author. Slight spine lean; else fine in a very near fine dust jacket with several small edge nicks. An attractive copy of this landmark work, increasingly scarce in fine condition, and especially so signed.
2. ABBEY, Edward. The Monkey Wrench Gang. Salt Lake City: Dream Garden Press, 1985. The limited issue of the Tenth Anniversary Edition of his most famous novel, a combination roman à clef and "how-to" manual for direct-action environmentalists. This edition includes a chapter not in the original edition. Illustrated by noted cartoonist R. Crumb, famous for his underground comix of the 1960s. One of 250 numbered copies signed by Abbey. Laid in is a signed limited print by R. Crumb: "You can't never go wrong cutting fence." Fine in a very near fine slipcase with a small corner bump.
3. ACOSTA, Oscar Zeta. Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo. (San Francisco): (Straight Arrow)(1972). The uncorrected proof copy of the first book by the iconoclastic Chicano lawyer who was characterized so vividly in Hunter Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. A legendary and elusive figure who later disappeared, Acosta remains a quintessential character of the Sixties -- a gonzo lawyer plying his trade out on the edge of political unrest, social turmoil, and the personal weirdness induced by overindulgence in drugs of all types, psychedelics in particular. Tall wrappers; a few spots on the front cover and some pencil erasures there; about near fine. Straight Arrow proofs are extremely scarce: Straight Arrow Press was the publishing arm of Rolling Stone magazine, which at the time was still a small, cash-strapped counterculture publication. We've only seen a small handful of Straight Arrow proofs over the years, and we have only handled one other copy of this proof, and seen a listing for one more. A significant book of its time, by a larger-than-life character who embodied many of the era's aspirations and excesses.
4. ADAMS, Douglas. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. NY: Simon & Schuster (1988). The second of his comic fantasy mystery novels featuring Dirk Gently, a "holistic detective" who uses the "interconnectedness of things" to solve the whole crime. By the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Inscribed by the author: "To ____/ Another funny guy!" Two page corners turned; very near fine in a fine dust jacket.
5. (Altamira). BREUIL, Henri and OBERMAIER, Hugo. The Cave at Altamira at Santillana del Mar, Spain. Madrid: Tipografia de Archivos, 1935. An elaborate volume on the prehistoric cave paintings of Altamira, updating a 1906 edition by Breuil and Emile Cartailhac. Large quarto with 52 plates, both black & white photographs and full color plates reproducing Breuil's original drawings of the animals in the Altamira frescoes. A number of the color plates are double pages; all are protected with tissue guards. The caves at Altamira were discovered in the 1870s and were the first caves to be found that contained prehistoric artworks. Their Spanish discoverers were ridiculed for claiming that the paintings belonged to people of the Upper Paleolithic era, and it wasn't until decades later, after numerous other such caves had been found around Europe, that this became a generally recognized truth. Breuil, a French archeologist, visited the site and made drawings of a number of the animals depicted on the cave walls for the 1906 monograph -- notably in particular a species of bison that had been extinct in Spain for thousands of years; three decades later he updated and expanded his work, taking advantage of increased access to the cave and newly available lighting. The present volume has more plates than the earlier one, and all of the earlier images have been updated and improved. The discovery of the caves at Altamira was one of the most significant archeological discoveries of the 19th century, changing forever our understanding of our human forebears. This volume was produced during the Spanish Second Republic, the relatively brief period of liberal democracy preceding the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent forty years of fascist rule. A beautiful book, three quarter bound in leather and attractively and elaborately printed.
6. (Anthology). The Pushcart Prize XIV. (Wainscott): Pushcart Press (1989). The uncorrected proof copy of this anthology of selections from the previous year's small press publications. Introduced by Tess Gallagher and dedicated to the memory of Raymond Carver, who had died the previous year. With stories by Paul Bowles, Julian Barnes, Charles Baxter, Lydia Davis, Kristina McGrath, Joyce Carol Oates, Sigrid Nunez, Edward Hoagland, and many others. Reproduced holograph corrections to the "People Who Helped" page and also to the Table of Contents, with a few pencil check marks there. Light foxing to top edge; near fine in wrappers. A scarce proof.
7. (Artist Book). X-Ray Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 3. San Francisco: Pneumatic Press, 1994. The third issue of this artist book/magazine, produced by Johnny Brewton. Limited to an edition of 200 copies. Found photo on front cover (so every copy is different). Contributors include Mail Art legend Ray Johnson, Charles Bukowski, Geof Huth, John M.Bennett, Hardbound Ed, Michael Montfort, and John Brewton Sr. One of 200 numbered copies. Hand-assembled and velobound; many of the contributions comprise signed, numbered editions by their respective artists. Fine, with the x-ray viewer (still packaged) laid in. An extravagant production; the entire run consisted of ten issues.
8. (Artist Book). X-Ray No. 8. Ventura: X-Ray Book Co., 2001. An assortment of small, individual pieces (broadsides, photos, booklets, etc.), laid into the publisher's box and cardstock sleeve. Work by Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautigan, Hunter Thompson, Michael Montfort, Bern Porter, Johnny and Giselle Brewton, and many others. Letterpress sleeve, and many letterpress broadsides; a number of the pieces are signed and/or numbered by the artists. Published in a total edition of 126 copies, this is one of 100 numbered copies. This was the first issue of the magazine to be housed in a box. Fine.
9. (Artist Book). X-Ray No. 9. Ventura: X-Ray Book Co., 2003. An assortment of small, individual pieces (broadsides, photos, booklets, stamps, record, etc.), laid into the publisher's box folding box. Work by Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautigan, Michael Montfort, Thurston Moore, and many others. Again, a number of signed and/or numbered, letterpress productions, original photographic prints (including a Montfort photo of Hunter Thompson aiming his .45 revolver). Published in a total edition of 126 copies, this is one of 100 numbered copies, and was a contributor's copy. This issue was dedicated to Gypsy Lou Webb, whose LouJon Press in the mid-1960s was a predecessor to this kind of artistic production, publishing such writers as Charles Bukowski and Henry Miller in elaborately designed and produced hand-bound volumes, signed and limited. Fine, with wraparound band.
10. (Artist Book). X-Ray No. 10. Pasadena: X-Ray Book Co., 2004. An assortment of small, individual pieces enclosed by a wraparound band and laid into the publisher's box. Work by Charles Bukowski, Jason Davis, Lyn Lifshin, Thurston Moore, End War, and many others. Again, this was a contributor's copy. Fine. Elaborate and fragile; the tissue wrapper enclosed by the wraparound band makes this production highly vulnerable to careless handling.