Catalog 162, C-G
26. CAREY, Peter. The Tax Inspector. (St. Lucia): University of Queensland Press (1991). The true first edition of this novel, affectionately inscribed by Carey twice, apparently to a couple: once on the title page, "For ____/ while he was in the lav. Best wishes, Peter (1991 - 19 years after ___ [?])," and then inscribed again on the dedication page: "For ___, who deserves two pages of her own. Best wishes for him, love to you, Peter." Carey won the Booker Prize for both Oscar and Lucinda and The True History of the Kelly Gang, becoming only the second writer, along with J.M. Coetzee, to win the prize twice. Small spots to foredge; near fine in a very near fine dust jacket with mild sunning.
27. CLAREMON, Neil. East by Southwest and Typed Letter Signed to James Welch. NY: Simon & Schuster (1970). The first book of poetry by the later director of the National Endowment for the Arts' Southwest Poetry Program. Inscribed by Claremon to Native American poet and novelist James Welch: "For Jim Welch, Amigo -- Neil Claremon." This is the simultaneous issue in wrappers. 1 1/2" triangular corner chip to lower rear cover; else near fine. Laid in is a typed letter signed telling Welch of a trip to Round Rock (photo enclosed) in the company of Simon Ortiz and also of a new book Claremon is working on (likely West of the American Dream). Also laid in is a photocopy of the "final draft" of his poem "At Canyon de Chelly." The letter and poem are folded; near fine. A nice association with the author of the poetry collection Riding the Earthboy 40 and the novels Winter in the Blood and Fools Crow, among others.
28. COHEN, Leonard. Skjonne tapere [Beautiful Losers]. Oslo: Tiden (1973). The hardcover issue of the first Norwegian edition of the landmark second novel by the Canadian poet-folksinger, first published in 1966 in the U.S. and one of the key books of the Sixties. Inscribed by Cohen to Greg Gatenby, director of Toronto's annual International Festival of Authors and thus a nice association of Canadian literary figures. With Gatenby's signature dated 1996. Fine in a very good dust jacket with shallow edge wear. Signed copies of Beautiful Losers, in any language, are uncommon.
29. CONNELL, Evan S. Son of the Morning Star. San Francisco: North Point Press, 1984. Bound galley sheets of Connell's bestselling and controversial reconstruction of Custer's personality and his actions prior to and during his final battle. 6 1/4" x 13 3/4", printed on rectos only, bound in plain cream wrappers. Signed by the author. Heavily edited in at least three hands, with readers' comments and questions in two different colors and copy-editor's marks in red pencil; near fine. The readers' comments often seek to clarify the writing but at times challenge it, pointing out instances in which the author has taken liberties or made judgments that are not supported by his text. In other cases, phrases are replaced or rewritten in the margins. In all, hundreds of queries, corrections and changes throughout the book. This title is notable on several counts: it was a breakthrough book for both its author and publisher -- the first time either had reached the bestseller lists. And it provoked an outcry from historians and Custer scholars, who took issue with a number of Connell's interpretations but also seem to have resented the incursion onto their "turf" by a literary type with no previous experience in the field. By most accounts, Connell's research was quite thorough, and his interpretations were within the range of historical debate on ambiguous points. The editors' notes and challenges seem to be aimed at making the book more solid and unassailable, as though they anticipated the outcry it might incite. In most cases, it seems, the author's interpretations have since become the accepted versions of events. A rare look at a major book as a work-in-progress, a book that helped cement the author's reputation and also helped a young literary publishing company achieve a level of credibility and commercial success it had previously lacked.
30. CREWS, Harry. Typed Letters Signed to James Leo Herlihy. 1972, 1973. Two typed letters signed, six months apart, from Harry Crews to James Leo Herlihy, the author of Midnight Cowboy, among others, exhibiting an escalation of affection between the two writers. The first letter is written in Crews's capacity as co-director of the University of Florida Writers Conference, giving Herlihy the 1973 conference dates and asking for a photo and a biographical sketch. Despite the professional purpose, the tone is still casual, with Crews beginning, "I know you thought I had died, but no." And Crews concludes: "We will have a great time. Look forward to seeing you. All best, Harry." The second letter, written the month after the conference, is purely personal and obviously responds to a letter Crews had received from Herlihy. "Well, Jesus Christ, what a good right fine straight-on letter to have pop into your life. I mean, I'm all right, but my head's been turned around more than usual lately, and I have to take support where I can get it. I'm glad when ANYBODY likes a thing I write, but when a man whom I admire as much as I admire you says that a book's O.K., then goddammit that's just an extra scoop of ice cream that God never promised." Crews then goes on to relate the story of taking five weeks to drive to Florida the previous summer after leaving Bread Loaf in Vermont "in a totally fucked up state" and being tempted to stop and see Herlihy in Hop Bottom, PA, but resisting as "you never know when a writer is in the middle of something and besides, I didn't know you then and it would have been presumptious [sic]." This letter is signed, "Love, Harry." Florida address and "Crews" written in bottom margin in unknown hand(s). The letters have been folded for mailing; the first one has a paper clip mark in the lower margin; they are otherwise fine. A nice bit of correspondence between two writers known for their gritty fiction dealing with characters on the margins of society.
31. CUMMINGS, E.E. Anatomical Sketchbook. Undated. A compilation of Cummings' anatomical sketches, showing the artist/poet at work perfecting the rendering of the human form, beginning with a basic seven-segment stick figure and proceeding through the bones of the face and the bones and muscles of the upper and lower limbs (sometimes modeled from cut-out magazine pictures) and often with the body parts labeled and his intention stated on the page ("1 shoulder higher, arm on hip"). 35 pages of pencil sketches; a half dozen or so with images on both sides of the page; approximately a third of them with Cummings' annotations. Roughly two-thirds of the works are studies of women, in keeping with Cummings' predominantly female output (when rendering humans; otherwise landscapes may prevail). Most are upper torso sketches, with an emphasis on shoulders, but there are several full-body drawings, both male and female.
Cummings considered writing and art his "twin obsessions" and early in his career he was as well known for his artwork as for his poetry. He exhibited in a number of international shows; was art director for the modernist journal The Dial, to which he also contributed his own drawings; and he published a signed limited edition of some of his artwork in 1933 entitled CIOPW, the initials of his chosen media for art: charcoal, ink, oil, pencil and watercolors. In the 1930s, Cummings dropped out of the New York art scene and, although he continued to draw and paint until he died, his artwork was primarily private, and his career as an artist was largely forgotten by the public. When he died, he left some 1600 pieces of art to his estate. These drawings show Cummings working on the craft of one of his two "obsessions," meticulously and systematically learning human anatomy as an underpinning for his paintings. A nice example of a group of related works that shed light on the artist's seriousness of purpose, and his mastery of the subject. All are on 8 1/2" x 11" sketchbook paper. Some have been cut out and assembled together on a page (presumably by Cummings). One corner cut out is absent; a couple of pages have small chips or tears; but in all the lot is near fine or better.
32. CUNNINGHAM, Michael. The Hours. NY: FSG (1998). The uncorrected proof copy of his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, derived from Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs Dalloway. Inscribed by the author in October 2008, a month prior to the book's publication: "To ___ and ___, on the brink of a new era. Peace on us." (That era perhaps being the election of Obama the following month.) Laid in is a letter from the publicity director to an editor at the women's magazine Mirabella calling The Hours intriguing and stressing the Woolf and women-centered themes. Basis for the award-winning film with Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep. Publication date changed from September to November on rear cover. A scarce proof: there was an advance reading copy in pictorial wrappers that is more common; the proof, in plain, light green printed wrappers, is much less so. Fine.
33. DAVIS, Lydia. Sketches for a Life of Wassilly. (Barrytown): Station Hill Press (1981). A small chapbook printing a single story; her second book, following a 1976 collection also published by Station Hill, which also published the early work by her then-husband, Paul Auster, and published translations by both of them. Signed by Davis. This is the issue in wrappers; apparently there was a (presumably very small) hardcover edition as well, which we have never seen. Davis, a MacArthur Fellow and one of the mainstay writers of McSweeney's, won the 2013 Man International Booker Prize. Station Hill has been one of the leading small presses for experimental fiction and literature in translation for a quarter century, and Davis -- whose novels and short fiction have received much praise -- has also been acclaimed for her translations of the poetry of Maurice Blanchot and of Proust's Swann's Way. Fine. Scarce, especially signed.
34. DIAZ, Junot. "The Cheater's Guide to Love" from This Is How You Lose Her. (n.p.): Riverhead (2012). An advance reading excerpt printing the story "The Cheater's Guide to Love" from the Pulitzer Prize winner's third book, second story collection. Fine in stapled wrappers. Presumably created as a promotional giveaway, it is surprisingly uncommon.
35. DILLARD, Annie. The Annie Dillard Reader. (NY): HarperCollins (1994). Excerpts from her earlier books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and a revised version of her third book, Holy the Firm, in its entirety, plus selected new work. Inscribed by the author to another writer -- who, like Dillard, has written natural history, essays, and novels -- "with admiration" and signed "Annie." Mild foxing to top edge, else fine in a fine dust jacket. A nice copy, and a good literary association.
36. DUBUS, Andre. Dancing After Hours. NY: Knopf, 1996. The uncorrected proof copy (in plain printed wrappers) of his final collection of stories, nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Signed by the author. Faint cover smudge; near fine in wrappers. Far more scarce than the advance reading copy in pictorial wrappers that is sometimes identified as a proof and was issued by the publisher as a signed edition.
37. DUBUS, Andre. Meditations from a Movable Chair. NY: Knopf, 1998. The uncorrected proof copy of his last book, his second collection of essays. Dubus was best known as a short story writer, and his last collection of stories was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1996. He won the Rea Award for the Short Story in 1991 and a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" in 1988. He is the father of the acclaimed novelist and memoirist Andre Dubus III. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
38. (DUBUS, Andre). Into the Silence. Cambridge: Green Street Press, 1988. A collection of stories edited by and introduced by Dubus, one of the most acclaimed writers of short fiction of his time. Contributors include Gina Berriault, Mark Costello, Susan Dodd, Pam Durban, Tobias Wolff, Thomas Williams, Don Hendrie Jr., and others, most of whose writings in this volume are the first book appearances of their respective pieces. "[Short story writers] can not rest because they are human, and all of us need to speak into the silence of mortality..." [From Dubus' introduction.] Fine in wrappers. No indication of a hardcover edition. Quite an uncommon book, with a roster of writers ranging from the well-known to the little-known, but all of them selected by Dubus for the quality of their short fiction: one writer, Nancy Zafris, received a fiction prize for her first story, which is included in this volume; two years later her first book won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction.
39. DUBUS, Andre, III. Townie. NY: Norton (2011). The advance reading copy of Dubus' bestselling and critically well-received memoir of growing up in Haverhill, MA, after his parents' divorce. Selected as one of the best non-fiction books of the year by The New York Times. Dubus is an acclaimed novelist, author of House of Sand and Fog and The Garden of Last Days, the former a finalist for the National Book Award and the basis for an Oscar-nominated film adaptation. Signed by the author on March 1, 2011 (the publication date is given as February, 2011. Fine in wrappers. Uncommon in an advance issue, especially signed.
40. DYLAN, Bob. Signed Photograph. Undated. An 8" x 10" black-and-white glossy of Dylan, with Allen Ginsberg in the foreground, taken during the Rolling Thunder Revue tour in late 1975 or early 1976. Ginsberg was on the tour for most of the 1975 dates but seldom performed his readings or recitations; he did typically join Dylan and others for the finale of Dylan's set, a performance of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land." Signed by Dylan. Signature in blue ink across the dark shadows on his face, not readily apparent. Fine. A nice memento of a legendary musical odyssey.
41. ELKIN, Stanley. Typed Note Signed. July 14, 1990. In full: "Dear Mr. or Ms. Hill, "I have no plans to retire and I'll promise not to die if you will too. For Gass I can make no such undertakings." Signed by Elkin. A short note, revealing his characteristic sense of humor. Folded for mailing; else fine. With hand-addressed envelope.
42. ELLISON, Harlan. Rumble. NY: Pyramid Books (1958). The author's first book, a paperback original about teenage street gangs in Brooklyn in the early 1950s. Bookstore stamp on summary page and ownership stamp of writer Stanley Wiater inside the front cover. Very mild general wear and spine creasing; about very good in wrappers.
43. (FARIÑA, Richard). O'Casey, Sean. Collected Plays. London: Macmillan (1958-1963). Richard Fariña's copies of O'Casey's collected plays, reprint editions, in four volumes, all but volume one signed by Fariña: "Fariña, Carmel, 1963." Fariña had married Joan Baez's sister Mimi in April, 1963, and the two moved to Carmel, where they began to work on writing songs and playing music. They had their musical debut at the Big Sur Folk Festival in 1964. Fariña had been an English major at Cornell, where he was good friends with Thomas Pynchon, who was a year behind him in school. Pynchon was Fariña's Best Man at his wedding to Mimi. These books seem to belong to Fariña's literary past more than his musical future, but he did return to writing, and he published his first novel, Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me, in April 1966. Fariña died in a motorcycle accident days after his novel was published, and as a result very little that is signed by him turns up on the market. These books from his library give a glimpse of a moment in the life of one of the most interesting figures of the 1960s -- friend and mentor to Thomas Pynchon; friend and rival to Bob Dylan; musician, writer, and ultimately an icon. Hardbound; volume 3 has a short scuff at midspine; else all are very near fine, lacking dust jackets.
44. (FLAUBERT, Gustave). STARKIE, Enid. Flaubert and Madame Bovary. (Oxford): (University Press)[c. 1964-1965]. An offprint of the text of Starkie's Tredegar Memorial Lecture delivered on March 19, 1964, as reprinted from Essays by Divers Hands, Volume 33. Starkie later published a two-volume biographical and critical study of Flaubert that is considered a standard reference and one of the most ambitious works on the author and his most famous character. Inscribed by the author: "For/ Evangeline Olmsted/ with love from the author/ Enid Starkie/ 30 July 1965." Evangeline Olmsted, a longtime friend, was the dedicatee of Starkie's book on Andre Gide in the 1950s. Stapled pages in near fine, sunned and mildly spotted wrappers. A nice association copy of a notable text on Flaubert.
45. (FOER, Jonathan Safran). MALAMUD, Bernard. The Fixer. NY: FSG (2004). First edition thus, of Malamud's Pulitzer and National Book Award winning novel, here with a new introduction by Jonathan Safran Foer: his subject being the difference between a good book and a great one. Signed by Foer on the title page, where he has added "Introduced by" between the title and his signature, presumably to clarify the purpose of his signature on another writer's book. Only issued in wrappers, this copy has a tiny indent and slight splaying to the front cover; very near fine. From the collection of Greg Gatenby, the director of an annual Toronto literary festival, with Gatenby's signature as well. Scarce in the first printing and signed.
46. FRANZEN, Jonathan. "The Corrections" in The World of FSG. NY: FSG (2001). An advance audio excerpt from his then forth-coming novel The Corrections, along with excerpts of ten other books in FSG's Fall 2001 line-up. Cassette tape, signed by Franzen on a small label affixed to the printed cardstock sleeve. Fine. The Corrections is consistently cited as one of the top books of the 21st century's "new canon." An unusual advance issue for a literary novel, and particularly uncommon signed.
47. GALCHEN, Rivka. Atmospheric Disturbances. (Toronto): HarperCollins (2008). The first Canadian edition of the Canadian-American's first novel, one of the most highly praised of the year, with comparisons to Murakami and Borges, among others. Inscribed by the author: "For ___, May your Leo maintain a steadier course than this one, x, Rivka Galchen." ("Leo" being the protagonist's name.) Publisher's label in support of the Writers' Trust of Canada on a tipped-in leaf (but author signature is on the title page). Fine in pictorial boards, without dust jacket, as issued. Winner of the William J. Saroyan International Prize for Fiction. Galchen was selected by The New Yorker as one of their "20 under 40" writers. Signed copies of this title are scarce, especially with an inscription such as this, alluding to the book's content.
48. GARDNER, John. Jason & Medeia. NY: Knopf, 1973. An epic poem based on the Greek myth. Inscribed by the author: "To ____ + ____/ In hopes that you can stand/ Wagnerian opera without/ music!/ Best/ John Gardner." A novel-length experiment, part adaptation of the Greek myth and part a reinvention of it, in the form of a story retold after the fact. Notably, Gardner gives credit to William Gass "for permission to borrow and twist passages" from Gass's Fiction and the Figures of Life. Two years later Gass and Gardner were engaged in antagonistic literary combat over the ideas Gardner put forth in his book On Moral Fiction. Text block shaken, top edge dusty, upper corner bumped; very good in a very good dust jacket.
49. GLASER, Milton. Typed Letter Signed. 1991. A one-page typed letter signed on 6" x 9" Glaser-designed (one assumes) stationery, agreeing to write a piece on Piero Della Francesca for Art & Antiques magazine. Glaser, founder of Push Pin Studios and New York Magazine, creator of the I [Heart] NY logo and the Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits poster, was awarded the National Medal of the Arts in 2009. Near fine.
50. GOLD, Ivan. Nickel Miseries. NY: Viking (1963). Gold's first book, a well-received collection of stories; the entire rear panel of the dust jacket is a blurb by Lionel Trilling, recounting having first read one of Gold's stories ten years earlier when the author was still an undergraduate, and going on to praise the rest of this collection. Inscribed by Gold. Slight edge sunning to rear board; still fine in a near fine dust jacket with a bit of rubbing and a couple small edge tears. Uncommon signed.
51. GRASS, Günter. On Writing and Politics, 1967-1983. NY: HBJ (1985). The first American edition of this collection of essays on literature and politics. Inscribed by the author to the former President of the University of Iowa. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
52. GRUMBACH, Doris. The Magician's Girl. NY: Macmillan (1987). A novel by one of the great American "women of letters" -- novelist, biographer, critic, essayist, memoirist -- and a proto-feminist author, who wrote about women's issues and perspectives before the term "feminist" had even come into use. Inscribed by Grumbach to the former President of the University of Iowa and later Dartmouth College and his wife "in true friendship" in November, 1986 -- i.e., two months prior to publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Long blurb by Cynthia Ozick on the rear panel.