Catalog 163, N-O
119. NABOKOV, Vladimir. Lolita [Russian]. NY: Phaedra Press (1967). The hardcover issue of the first Russian-language edition of Nabokov's masterwork, which was first published in Paris in English in 1955. This translation was done by Nabokov himself and includes a postscript by him that appears only in this edition. This is Juliar's "issue b" in pink cloth, with three cancels; "issue a" was in wrappers. Fine in a very good, mildly rubbed dust jacket with one edge tear at the upper rear spine fold.
120. (Native American). The American Indian: Aspects of His Culture and An Indication of His Present Status in the Society of His Dispossesors. (n.p.): (Pithekos Press/Bowdoin College)(1965). Unbound, folded and gathered sheets for a fine press limited edition with unattributed text on the "Historical Perspective," "The Indian Portrait," and "The Economic Aspect." With nine full-page unattributed woodcut portrait illustrations, most retaining their tissue guards. According to the colophon, 50 copies were produced, or were to be produced, in May of 1965 and this was the third work of this now-elusive press. 22 leaves. 10 1/2" x 13". Oddly, although not obviously misbound, two of the text pages repeat; else fine. The leaves were laid into a plain brown folder, which is present, but split at the fold and losing its edges. An attractive production, very possibly the prototype for a student fine press edition that was never completed. We can find no record of this title in OCLC nor in the specific catalog of Bowdoin College; nor can we find any listing for any other volume issued by this press. That being said, it is an attractive production: the woodcuts were apparently done by different artists and some are quite striking; the text, which is highly critical of U.S. historical treatment of Native Americans, is an early example of the kind of social criticism that the 1960s became famous for: the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley was taking place in the same academic year this was produced, and it wasn't for another two or three years that widespread criticism of the Vietnam War spilled over into widespread critical reevaluation of the national myths and official histories of the United States. This Bowdoin production is evidence of these ideas simmering on college campuses prior to their exploding into the national consciousness. A powerful piece and a notable historical document.
121. (Native American). ALEXIE, Sherman. The Business Of Fancydancing. NY: Hanging Loose (1992). The uncorrected proof copy of the first book of stories and prose poems by this writer of Spokane/Coeur d'Alene descent. This collection received high praise in a New York Times Book Review article presenting an overview of contemporary American Indian literature, presaging a literary career that has continued to live up to the advance billing: Alexie won a National Book Award in 2007, and he wrote and directed an independent film in 2002 with the same title as this collection which won a number of film festival awards around the country. His stories were also the basis for the award-winning film Smoke Signals. Signed by Alexie on the front cover and signed by the editor, Robert Hershon on the title page. Faint edge-sunning; very near fine in wrappers. The hardcover of this title was limited to 100 copies and is exceedingly scarce; the proof was issued in even smaller quantities 20 were done, according to the publisher. Faint edge-sunning; very near fine in wrappers. A high spot of modern Native American literature.
122. -. Another copy. Signed by Alexie on the half title. Faint edge-sunning; tiny tap evident at upper rear spine fold. Very near fine in wrappers.
123. (Native American). ALEXIE, Sherman. First Indian On The Moon. NY: (Hanging Loose Press)(1993). The uncorrected proof copy of his fourth collection of stories, poems and prose poems. The hardcover issue was done in an edition of 500 copies; there were only 20 copies of the proof. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
124. (Native American). ALEXIE, Sherman. Radioactive Love Song. (n.p.): (Little Brown), 2009. An advance excerpt from an as-yet-unpublished young adult novel that was at one time slated to follow his 2007 National Book Award winning The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. In fact, the 2009 paperback edition of Absolutely True Diary included these five chapters as a preview. This is the first, thus far only, and likely the only-ever separate appearance. In a 2009 interview, Alexie said this book was tabled so he could work on the sequel to Absolutely True Diary and so that he could re-work the narrative voice in Radioactive Love Song to be less like that of Arnold Spirit Jr., and perhaps make the narrator an iPod. 30 pages. Evidence of small label removal at upper outer corner and at spine base; small "2" written inside the front cover; still near fine in wrappers. Scarce; this is only the second copy we've ever seen.
125. (Native American). BRUCHAC, Joseph. Correspondence File. 1989-2001. Three typed letters signed; two typed postcards signed; one holiday card and roughly forty pieces of promotional material, tearsheets, press releases, article photocopies, etc., pertaining to Bruchac's roles as writer, speaker, activist, story-teller, father, and the drummer for the Dawn Land Singers. In the correspondence, Bruchac is encouraging of the recipient's writing and generous with family updates and updates on his own projects; the longest letter concerns his decision to turn down a co-editing project with his correspondent, apparently involving a collection of Native American writing and art. In part: "It takes a long time to put a special issue of any magazine together--trust me on this after more than three decades of editing. It takes, on average, twice as long to get work from Native American writers." All items near fine or better.
126. (Native American). BRUCHAC, Joseph; PEDLEY, Robert E., et al. Alaska. Thoughts and Images: Native Voices Speak. (Gaithersburg): (Signature Book) (2012). Apparently a self-published anthology by Pedley (printed at Signature Book) of Native American writings on Alaska, with contributions by Fred Bigjim, Mary TallMountain, Nora Dauenhauer, Jim Schoppert, Edward Jackson Anawrok, and Glen Simpson. Quarto, featuring color photographs of Alaska by Pedley and commentary by him on the individual poets and their writings, and an introduction by Bruchac. This copy is signed by Pedley on the title page and inscribed by Pedley to Bruchac on the front flyleaf: "Joseph Many thanks for giving the book such a distinguished beginning! Bob/ 4-18-12." Fine in a fine dust jacket but for a corner crease to the front flap. A beautiful and little-known production: we could find no copies listed online or offered for sale anywhere, and suspect the book was privately printed and received little or no distribution.
127. (Native American). CONLEY, Robert J. The Rattlesnake Band and Other Poems. Muskogee: Indian University Press, 1984. A bilingual (Cherokee/English) collection, with illustrations by the author. An uncommon early book by this writer who has since published numerous books of fiction, including two that won the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. Number 459 of 500 numbered copies, apparently only issued in wrappers. Although not called for, this copy is signed by the author in both English and Cherokee. Spine sunned; light general wear; near fine.
128. (Native American). COOK-LYNN, Elizabeth. Then Badger Said This. NY: Vantage Press (1977). The first book by this Crow Creek Sioux author. A collection of stories and poems published by a so-called "vanity press." Illustrations by two Native American artists, Sam Leader Charge and his wife, Sonny Tuttle. Cook-Lynn is the author of The Power of Horses and From the River's Edge, among others, and is one of the most highly praised and frequently anthologized Native American writers working today. She has written a novel, Aurelia: A Crow Creek Trilogy, and co-authored The Politics of Hallowed Ground: Wounded Knee and the Struggle for Indian Sovereignty. Small owner name on front flyleaf, otherwise a fine copy in a very near fine dust jacket with trace rubbing at the corners. Scarce: vanity press books from this era often received no distribution from their publishers at all, and were eventually pulped; often the only copies that circulated were the ones the author distributed. Vantage Press, which published this book, was one of the oldest vanity presses in the U.S.; it lost a class action lawsuit filed by its authors when a judge determined that its claim to be an actual publisher was fraudulent, and the press did not promote or distribute copies of the authors' books. The firm had to pay $3.5 million in punitive damages.
129. (Native American). GROVER, Frank R. and OUILMETTE, Antoine (Family of), Correspondence Archive. 1905. In 1905, amateur historian Frank Grover undertook correspondence with surviving members of the Ouilmette family for information for the "Ouilmette Reservation and Family" section of an address published as Some Indian Land Marks of the North Shore [Chicago: Chicago Historical Society, 1905]. This archive includes much of that correspondence as well as a copy of Some Indian Land Marks that is signed by Grover and annotated both by Grover and by J.J. Martell, a grandson of Ouilmette. Martell has read through the pages of the booklet, adding, when appropriate "This is correct," along with other relevant information. Grover, for his part, has written a summary of his process over the entire back cover of the booklet, and dated that in 1908. This copy has been tack-bound together with the correspondence archive. The correspondence includes four (presumably retained copies of) letters from Grover and ten letters plus a completed questionnaire with incoming information for Grover from Ouilmette's descendants (who, despite Ouilmette's now confirmed non-Native heritage, are themselves Native American on their mother's side). Also included is a reading copy of Some Indian Land Marks, as the version bound to the letters is not easily accessible. Two of the pieces of correspondence are merely laid in to the file; the edges of the larger pages show some wear, particularly to the covers, which are on printed "Grover & Graves" stationery. Otherwise the archive is near fine. An interesting archive, inquiring into the ethnicity of Antoine Ouilmette, one of the early fur traders and settlers of the Chicago area, and an important figure in the history of the region: he was involved in the signing of two treaties that ceded land to the United States, for which he or his family received substantial compensation. After the signing of the Treaty of Chicago, the Potowatomi tribe was relocated west of the Mississippi River, and Ouilmette and his family moved with them.
130. (Native American). MOURNING DOVE. Coyote Stories. Caldwell: Caxton Printers, 1933. A scarce collection, edited and illustrated by Heister Dean Guie, with a foreword by Chief Standing Bear, and notes by L.V. McWhorter. McWhorter had collaborated with Mourning Dove on her first book, Co-Ge-We-A The Half-Blood, the first novel published by a Native American woman, and helped to get this collection published. This copy is inscribed by McWhorter to Spokane historian, author, and bookseller Jerome Peltier: "For/ Jerome Peltier/ Lucullus V. McWhorter/ Hunting Moon 29 Suns/ 1943 Snows [?]. For reasons unknown to us, it was initially inscribed to someone else, whose name has been rather seamlessly removed, with Peltier' now in its place either in McWhorter's hand or another's (Peltier's?) mimicking McWhorter's. Regardless, inscribed by McWhorter, a significant and somewhat controversial figure in the history of Native American literature, as a result of his association with Mourning Dove. Fine in a very good, spine-faded dust jacket with a bit of tape strengthening, and areas of former tape strengthening, on the verso. The book is scarce, and copies in dust jacket especially so. Copies signed by any of the principals involved with the creation of the book are exceptionally uncommon.
131. (Native American). PIERCE, William Henry. From Potlatch to Pulpit. Vancouver: Vancouver Bindery Limited, 1933. Autobiography of a half-Indian missionary in British Columbia during the last half of the 19th century and first part of the 20th. Illustrated with photographs. This was the first book to be published by a member of the Tsimshian tribe. This copy is signed by Pierce in blue pen under the frontispiece. A very near fine copy in a very good dust jacket with faint spine tanning and minor edge wear. A beautiful copy, and an uncommon book, especially in dust jacket and even more so signed by the author.
132. (Native American). STARR, Emmet. Early History of the Cherokees Embracing Aboriginal Customs, Religion, Laws, Folk Lore, and Civilization. [Claremore, OK]: (n.p.), 1917. A tribal history by this Cherokee author, apparently privately printed, and preceding by four years his History of the Cherokee Indians and Their Legends and Folk Lore. Starr was born in Oklahoma, in the Cherokee Nation, attended Cherokee public schools and graduated from the Cherokee Male Seminary in Tahleqhah. He went to medical school and practiced as a doctor for several years before turning to the study of Cherokee history. He served a two-year term on the Cherokee National Council. Signed by the author: "With regards of Emmet Starr." Hinges cracked; moderate spotting to boards; only a good copy, but very scarce in the market, and virtually unknown signed. This is the only copy we have had or heard of, and we can find no record of it having appeared at auction.
133. (Native American). WATERS, Frank. Book of the Hopi. NY: Viking (1963). A landmark volume relating the worldview of the Hopis, as compiled by Waters from the tales of thirty Hopi elders. A matter of some controversy in later years some people questioned the authenticity of the material or the qualifications of those who provided it this book nonetheless was profoundly influential in the Sixties, as another of the seminal volumes bringing some version of a Native American perspective and ethos to the mainstream society: this was a counterculture classic and a staple on college campuses in the late Sixties and early Seventies, thus contributing to the general push toward a more multicultural society. Waters' father was reportedly part Cheyenne, and Waters was an ardent admirer of, and advocate for, the values of Native American culture. Fine in a fine dust jacket. A beautiful copy, as close to "new" as we have ever seen, with no fading to the spine of the jacket and virtually no noticeable wear.
134. -. Same title. The uncorrected proof copy in comb-bound printed cardstock covers. A bit of corner creasing and dust soiling to covers; near fine.
135. NEARING, Helen and Scott. Living the Good Life. Harborside: Social Science Institute (1954). An account of the authors' homestead in Vermont, which they described as a 20-year project in self-subsistent living and subtitled this volume (in part) "How to Live Sanely and Simply in a Troubled World." The Nearings were radical pacifists who essentially "dropped out" of most aspects of contemporary American society after World War II, and set about making their Vermont farm self-sustaining. In the Vietnam War era this book became the Bible of the back-to-the-land movement, and that, in turn, led to the movement toward revitalizing small farms, the "slow food" movement, and the "locavore" phenomenon which are pervasive cultural influences in the U.S. and western Europe today. Inscribed by the authors in the year of publication: "To Eva & Hans & their good life in Yonkers/ Helen & Scott/ Oct 12 1954." All written in Helen's hand but for Scott's name, which Scott has written. From what we've been able to discern, Hans [Simons] was Dean of the School of Politics of the New School for Social Research. Foxing to the spine cloth; a very good copy in patterned boards, lacking the dust jacket.
136. (OBAMA, Barack). "Pop" and "Underground" in Feast, Spring 1981. (Los Angeles)(Occidental College), 1981. Two poems by now President Obama, published when he was 19 years old, included in this short-lived semi-annual college literary journal. The poems have made the internet rounds since 2008 and although most commentators first opined that Obama wrote "Pop" about his maternal grandfather, Stan Dunham, later interpretations pointed to the poet Frank Marshall Davis. On the fringes, the content and cadence of the poem have also been used to raise questions of the poem's actual authorship as well as Obama's citizenship and his father's identity. Although the text of both poems are readily available, the journal itself is rare. According to David Maraniss' book Barack Obama: The Story (a copy of which will be included), "the name Barack Obama premiered in public" here in Feast (Barack being formerly known as "Barry"); Obama also submitted a piece of short fiction, which was rejected; and all of this played out in an environment where Obama was in competition with the managing editor for the affections of the editor, affections Obama reportedly won a year later. Fine in stapled wrappers. We can find no evidence of another copy appearing on the market. Oberlin is a small private college (enrollment ~2900), and a short-lived trial literary journal would have had a limited printing, probably on the order of a couple of hundred copies at most: the college already had a longstanding semi-annual journal of poetry and politics, Field; and Feast was created in part as a critique of and counterpoint to that magazine. That few copies would have survived nearly 35 years later should not be surprising. A Presidential rarity.
137. O'BRIEN, Tim. Speaking of Courage. [Santa Barbara]: Neville [1980]. The galley sheets of O'Brien's first limited edition, which contains an introduction and a chapter that was excised from Going After Cacciato and later appeared, in a much reworked version, in The Things They Carried. O'Brien won the National Book Award for Going After Cacciato, a magical-realist novel of the Vietnam war, and The Things They Carried an award-winning collection of related short fictions of the war is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, of the literary works to have come out of that war and has become part of the canon, by virtue of its inclusion in both high school and college literary reading lists. Eight long galley sheets, plus one duplicate. 7 1/2" x 19". Signed by O'Brien. Fine. Bibliographically interesting in that the galleys contain the typesetting for all the versions of the colophon, thus indicating all those for whom special copies of the publication were created.