Catalog 159, D-G
53. DELILLO, Don. White Noise. (NY): Viking (1985). His National Book Award-winning novel, an award for which DeLillo has been nominated twice since. Inscribed by the author in Toronto in 1991. Recipient's signature on front flyleaf; fine in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket, probably clipped by the publisher to accommodate sale in Canada at a time when the exchange rate dictated different prices in Canada and the U.S. As nice a copy as we have seen of this book, whose white dust jacket is easily prone to wear.
54. DOCTOROW, E.L. Ragtime. [Taiwan]: [Piracy](1975). A Taiwanese piracy of his fourth book, a highly praised historical novel of New York in the early part of the 20th century, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the basis for a successful film that received eight Oscar nominations. Inscribed by the author: "Dear ___, I don't sign pirated editions of my work. Sorry. E.L. Doctorow." Recipient's signature on front flyleaf with the inscription. A cheaply made book, as one might expect; near fine in a near fine dust jacket. A humorous inscription and, as best we can tell, largely true: we haven't seen other piracies signed by Doctorow. Scarce.
55. DOCTOROW, E.L. Drinks Before Dinner. NY: Random House (1979). His fifth book, first play, and his first book after the success of Ragtime. Inscribed by the author: "To Ray Carver/ all the best/ E.L. Doctorow." Fine in a fine dust jacket. An excellent association copy.
56. DOCTOROW, E.L. World's Fair. NY: Random House (1985). A title in his New York City sequence, this one focusing on the World's Fair of 1939. Winner of the National Book Award. This is the advance reading copy, shot from word-processed typescript and reproducing holograph corrections and changes to the text. Inscribed by Doctorow in the year of publication: "For ___/ This edition lacks an important monologue which you will find in the finished book - after Chapter XXI, I think./ E.L. Doctorow." Recipient's name and date on front flyleaf; stray pen mark to foredge; near fine in wrappers. Together with the first trade edition. Signed by the author. Again, recipient's name and date on front flyleaf; slight splaying to boards and a bit of color fading near spine; a near fine copy in a fine dust jacket with a shallow crease to the crown. A notable inscription: Doctorow got the placement of the missing monologue wrong, but we are not aware of this significant difference having been documented elsewhere, particularly by the book's author. For the two:
57. ECO, Umberto. The Name of the Rose. NY: HBJ (1983). The advance reading copy of the first American edition of this medieval mystery -- an unlikely bestseller by a postmodern scholar and semiotician that was made into a successful Hollywood film. The book is essentially a bibliomystery set in 14th-century Italy, which sold over 400,000 copies in Italy and became a bestseller throughout Europe before being translated into English and published in the U.S. and U.K. Inscribed by the author on the title page. Recipient's name and an address on the half title; the copy appears read; very good in wrappers. The first printing of the U.S. trade edition is moderately scarce; the advance reading copy is very scarce, and signed copies of it are virtually unobtainable.
58. EGGERS, Dave. A Hologram for the King. San Francisco: McSweeney's, 2011. An advance copy of Eggers' 2012 novel, in the form of a bound typescript, prepared well in advance of its publication "especially for judges from the National Book Awards." Significant re-writes prior to publication. 339 pages; velobound with acetate cover; fine. Scarce.
59. FAULKNER, William. The Hamlet. NY: Random House, 1940. A fine copy of the first issue, in a very near fine, price-clipped, first issue dust jacket with a hint of rubbing to the front spine fold and a short, closed tear on the rear panel. A beautiful copy of the first volume of the Snopes trilogy, and one that has grown exceptionally uncommon in collectable condition. Provenance: the Bruce Kahn collection.
60. (FAULKNER, William). "The Education of Lucius Priest" in Esquire, May 1962. NY: Esquire, 1962. A 6-page excerpt from the then-forthcoming Reivers, billed here as a combination of Catcher in the Rye and Huck Finn. Stamp of the library of Pine Manor Junior College, which Faulkner's daughter attended. Labeled with the story information on the front cover, which is partly detached. A very good copy.
61. (Film). RIGBY, Jonathan. English Gothic: A Century of Horror. (n.p.): (n.p.), 1998. Rigby's hand-corrected typescript of his book on horror cinema in Britain, later published, in 2002, by Reynolds & Hearn. A massive typescript, more than 300 small-type pages, with approximately another 100 pages of appendices. A working copy, heavily revised, and with taped-in sections (which are now separating and so some are laid in). Comb-bound; near fine. A unique copy of this book on British cinema.
62. FLANNER, Janet. Paris Journal 1944-1965 and Paris Journal Volume Two, 1965-1971 NY: Atheneum, 1965, 1971. Flanner's letters from Paris for The New Yorker, beginning after she returned there when the Vichy regime collapsed near the end of World War II. Flanner had been a prominent figure in the expatriate American community in Paris in the 1920s and had written her first "Letter from Paris" for The New Yorker in 1925. These journals were published in that magazine under the nom de plume "Genêt." The first volume won the National Book Award. Both volumes were edited by William Shawn, the longtime editor of The New Yorker. Inscribed by Flanner in the first volume in 1974: "For ___ ___, with thanks for her interest in a volume of my period." The second volume is a review copy, with review slip, author photo, and promotional page laid in. But for some faint sunning to the jacket of the second volume, each volume is fine in a fine dust jacket. A nice set of an important collection, which documented for American readers the postwar resurgence of French social, political and cultural life. For both:
63. FLYNN, Gillian. Gone Girl. NY: Crown (2012). Her third book, a dark thriller that became a #1 bestseller on The New York Times list. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
64. FORD, Richard. A Piece of My Heart. London: Collins Harvill, 1987. The first British edition of his first book, published over a decade after the American edition, following the success of The Sportswriter in both the U.S. and U.K. Inscribed by Ford to the Irish memoirist Nuala O'Faolain and her partner, John Low-Beer: "For Nuala and for John - from your friend/ Richard." Not dated, but O'Faolain lived in Brooklyn with Low-Beer from 2002 until her death in 2008. A couple of small, stray marks to the edge of the text block; still fine in a fine dust jacket. A good literary association copy; while Ford has been generous with his signature, association copies of his books seldom appear on the market.
65. FORD, Richard. Women with Men. (New Orleans): (B.E. Trice)(1997). A limited edition and the true first edition of this collection of three novellas by the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Independence Day. This copy has printed on the colophon "Gary Fisketjon's Copy" and shares its design with the lettered issue. Quarterbound in leather; signed by Ford. Fisketjon published Ford at Vintage (The Sportswriter) and Atlantic Monthly Press (Rock Springs, Wildlife) before bringing Ford with him to Knopf for Independence Day and the trade edition of Women with Men, among others. Ford thanks Fisketjon in print in Rock Springs and Independence Day. A fine copy in a fine slipcase, and a notable association copy and presentation issue of this book.
66. FRANZEN, Jonathan. How to Be Alone. NY: FSG (2002). His first book of essays, published the year The Corrections won the National Book Award. Signed by the author. Fine in a mildly rubbed, else fine dust jacket. Uncommon signed.
67. FRANZEN, Jonathan and EUGENIDES, Jeffrey. Broadside. [NY]: [92nd Street Y][2002]. Back-to-back facsimile manuscript pages, showing the authors' corrections, handed out at a joint reading by Franzen and Eugenides at New York City's 92nd Street Y in 2002. Eugenides' page is from Middlesex, his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel; Franzen's is from How to Be Alone, his collection of essays published the year that The Corrections won the National Book Award. An interesting ephemeral piece linking two award-winning writers. Signed by both authors. Fine.
68. GERSHE, Leonard. Butterflies Are Free. NY: Random House (1970). A review copy of this play, which was filmed in 1972, with Gershe writing the screenplay. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with review slip laid in. The film version won an Oscar and a Golden Globe, and was nominated for several others. Although not indicated explicitly, this copy is from the library of noted film critic Pauline Kael.
69. GILCHRIST, Ellen. In the Land of Dreamy Dreams. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 1981. A review copy of her second book, first book of fiction, a collection of stories. This is the hardcover issue; there were 1000 copies issued in wrappers, but the hardcover is considerably scarcer than that. Inscribed by the author: "When the nights are long I remember my unimportance and I sleep/ Gracias/ Ellen Gilchrist." This copy belonged to Ray Roberts, Gilchrist's editor at Little, Brown, and her inscription and her "thanks" are presumably addressed to him. Beginning with the book after this and continuing for the next two decades, Little, Brown published approximately a dozen books by Gilchrist, including her National Book Award-winning Victory Over Japan. Fine in a fine dust jacket with review slip laid in. An excellent association copy of her uncommon first book.
70. GINSBERG, Allen. Autograph Letter Signed to Richard Seaver. Undated. A full page on 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" paper. "Dick = I think this would make a very great magazine cover - for you - Especially if you had a great and dead serious issue to go with it - perhaps Rosset's idea of The Fall of America (dead hard) - I don't mean this as a joke - you'd really get sensational attention, once anybody noticed what it was." Signed, Allen Ginsberg. Folded once into notecard shape and addressed by Ginsberg on verso to Dick Seaver and Barney Rosset [of Grove Press and Evergreen Review]. Richard Seaver was one of the most important figures in American publishing in the second half of the 20th century; he "discovered" Samuel Beckett and helped him get published in the U.S. -- by Barney Rosset's Grove Press, for which Seaver later worked, eventually becoming Editor-in-Chief. He helped Grove defy the censorship laws of the time by publishing such writers as Henry Miller, Hubert Selby and William Burroughs. He later had his own publishing imprint at Viking Press, where he also published Burroughs as well as such writers as Octavio Paz and Robert Coover. This letter probably dates from the late 1950s or early 1960s, and represents a nexus of modern American publishing of no small significance: Ginsberg's groundbreaking Howl has been called the most important American poem since Leaves of Grass, and the two individuals addressed in the letter redefined modern American publishing in the postwar era. Near fine.
71. GINSBERG, Allen. Typed Postcard Signed. 1961. Written to Dick Seaver at Grove Press, telling him that he sent 19 "pix" of Burroughs to John Fles for an Esquire article. Signed in type by Ginsberg ("Allen"), after which he adds suggestions for obtaining images of a Tibetan Ghost Trap and an elephant mandala from Stanford professor Frederick Spiegelberg to go with his "LSD poem" that Barney [Rosset] has accepted. In a 1966 Paris Review interview, Ginsberg expounded at some length on the mandala imagery referred to in this card, including the Tibetan mandalas of Professor Spiegelberg. Postal marks across top half of text, not affecting legibility; near fine.
72. GOLDING, William. The Pyramid. London: Faber & Faber (1967). The sixth novel, eighth book, by the Nobel Prize-winning author of Lord of the Flies. Signed by the author on the title page. Owner signature and date on front flyleaf; mildly cocked; near fine in a very good dust jacket with some minor staining to rear panel and verso. An uncommon book signed.
73. -. Same title, the first American edition. NY: Harcourt Brace World (1967). Signed by the author. Owner signature on front flyleaf; a near fine copy in a very good dust jacket internally tape-mended at the crown. Again, scarce signed.
74. GOLDMAN, William. Soldier in the Rain. NY: Atheneum, 1960. His third book, set during the Korean War. Inscribed by the author "with many thanks" on the verso of the half-title. The recipient was the organizer of a literary festival in which the author participated. Small mark (remainder mark?) lower edge of text block; a near fine copy in a very good, rubbed and price-clipped dust jacket with a couple internally tape-mended edge tears.
75. GREENE, Graham. It's a Battlefield. London: Heinemann (1934). An early book by Greene, his fifth, and the one he considered to be his "first overtly political novel." Notably, he considered it to be a "novel" rather than an "entertainment," as he characterized a good many of his books. In 1948, Greene extensively revised this title for its third edition, meaning that a relatively small number of copies exist with the original text as first published. Tape shadows to endpages, cracked at rear hinge, text block shaken; a very good copy in a very good, second issue dust jacket (3/6 price) with rubbing and minor wear to the edges and folds, a short tear to the front flap fold, and tape strengthening to the edges on the verso. An early, important book and extremely scarce in any dust jacket at all.
76. GROENING, Matt. Life in Hell. Bonus Fun-Fest Holiday Treat #3. (Los Angeles): (Self-published)(1983). A limited edition identified as a 1984 edition, copyrighted in 1983, with holiday and new year greetings on the copyright page. Created and compiled by Groening, it includes comics from his "Life in Hell" strip as well as a number of his fictional "Sound Mix" columns of music reviews, a "Letters" section that may or may not be invented by the author (it probably is) and various other comic inventions, including ads, etc. A very early production by the creator of The Simpsons, preceding his first book by a year. One of 100 numbered copies signed by the author on the front cover. A rare edition by the groundbreaking comic artist; we have never seen another offered for sale. Slight edge sunning; still fine in stapled wrappers.