Catalog 164, M
127. MASEFIELD, John. Odtaa. London: Heinemann, 1926. The limited edition of this novel, number 157 of 295 copies signed by the author. Bookplate front pastedown ex libris Henry Andrews Ingraham, noted angler and author of an important book on trout fishing; front hinge visible but solid. Vellum spine, blue boards. Mild darkening to boards; very good, lacking the dust jacket, but with the folding map laid in, signed by E. Perman, the artist; the map is often missing from this volume. "Odtaa" is an acronym for one damn thing after another.
128. MATHESON, Richard. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. NY: TOR/Doherty (2002). Horror stories by Matheson, including the classic title story, filmed for The Twilight Zone, both the television series and the movie. The book is dedicated to and introduced by Stephen King. Inscribed by Matheson. Matheson, who died in 2013, was a Grand Master of Horror and winner of a Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement, as well as Edgar, Hugo, Spur and Writer's Guild awards. His writing for The Twilight Zone -- he was one of the regular writers for the series after Rod Serling -- helped that television show become the standard for quality for a generation and a model for later shows. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
129. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Under the Mountain Wall. London: Heinemann (1963). Matthiessen's own uncorrected proof copy of the first British edition of his third book of nonfiction, a chronicle of two seasons spent in New Guinea with a Harvard-Peabody expedition that encountered a previously unknown Stone Age tribe in the interior of the island. Small stain to foredge; minor insect damage near spine. From the author's library; letter of provenance available. A very scarce proof: we've never seen another copy of it.
130. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse. NY: Viking (1983). An author's copy of his controversial and suppressed book about the confrontation between American Indian activists and the FBI in the early Seventies at Pine Ridge Reservation near Wounded Knee that left two federal agents and one Indian dead, and resulted in AIM activist Leonard Peltier being imprisoned for life, convicted of the agents' murder in a case that Matthiessen describes as rife with government malfeasance. Matthiessen, his publisher, and even some bookstores who had stocked the book were the targets of lawsuits brought by two government officials who claimed they were slandered by the hard-hitting book, which made no bones about its advocacy of the Indians' case. Until a landmark Supreme Court decision upholding Matthiessen's (and Viking's) First Amendment rights, the book was shelved with remaining copies of it being pulped; paperback publication, as well as foreign publication, were blocked for nearly a decade. A significant volume, both for the incendiary nature of its content, as well as the First Amendment battle surrounding its publication and suppression. This copy is from Matthiessen's own library. A little Long Island foxing in evidence; near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Letter of provenance available.
131. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Nine-Headed Dragon River. Boston: Shambala, 1986. The uncorrected proof copy of these Zen journals spanning the years 1969-1982. From the author's own library. With two corrections in text and notes on the last page, apparently by Matthiessen's wife, who has also been a student and practitioner of Zen; the two were married in 1980 in a Zen ceremony. Handled, read, some sunning; a very good copy. Letter of provenance available.
132. McCARTHY, Cormac. The Crossing. NY: Knopf, 1994. The uncorrected proof copy of the second novel in The Border Trilogy. This copy belonged to author Peter Matthiessen and has several passages marked in the text, one of which he has notated on the rear blank: "171-cranes." The passage mentions two sandhill cranes. The other marked passages are more metaphysical -- "All men are one man and there is no other tale to tell"; "To God every man is a heretic"; etc. Obviously read; spine cocked and sunned, with light rubbing and scuffing. About very good in wrappers.
133. McCARTHY, Cormac. Cities of the Plain. NY: Knopf, 1994. The uncorrected proof copy of the final volume of The Border Trilogy. This copy belonged to author Peter Matthiessen and has more than a dozen passages marked, mostly in the Epilogue. Three notations on the rear cover indicating a few of the marked passages, one of them pointing to "Zen quotes - p. 265." Obviously read and with reddish stain to spine; very good in wrappers.
134. McCARTHY, Cormac. The Counselor. NY: Vintage (2013). The uncorrected proof copy of McCarthy's first produced screenplay, published as a paperback original. The film was directed by Ridley Scott and stars Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbener, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Cameron Diaz. An uncommon proof. Fine in wrappers.
135. McPHEE, John. A Roomful of Hovings. NY: FSG (1968). McPhee's fifth book, and his first collection of shorter pieces on a variety of subjects, a form for which he became well-known and which helped define the new literary journalism that first become pervasive in the 1960s. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket.
136. McPHEE, John. The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed. NY: FSG (1973). McPhee's account of a serious, but flawed, attempt to create a new kind of aircraft -- a combination airplane and lighter-than-air airship. Inscribed by the author, "For ___ ___ -- a Princeton story/ regards -- John McPhee/ Princeton NJ." A fine copy in a very near fine dust jacket with just a little edge toning.
137. MELOY, Maile. Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It. NY: Riverhead (2009). The uncorrected proof copy of the author's fourth book, second collection of stories, which was selected by the New York Times as one of the ten best books of the year, in all categories. Meloy's first collection won a PEN/Malamud Award, and Granta named her one of the 21 "Best Young American Novelists" in 2007.
138. MERTON, Thomas. For a Renewal of Eremitism in the Monastic State. [Kentucky]: Abbey of Gethsemani, 1965. Approximately 40-page photocopied typescript essay arguing the values of eremitism (the state of being a hermit). Not directly attributed to Merton here, but with the Christogram "jhs" in the upper left corner of the first page as Merton tended to do, and collected in Collectanea Cisterciencia in 1965 [Dell'Isola C246] and later in Contemplation in a World of Action in 1971 [Dell'Isola A59]. Dated February, 1965, and thus the earliest appearance of this essay we can find. OCLC doesn't seem to list any standalone copies of it; the Thomas Merton Center lists several versions but none with exactly the same pagination and none with an explicit month identified in 1965. Mildly foxed; comb-bound in gold cardstock covers; near fine.
139. MERTON, Thomas. The Cross Fighters. Notes on a Race War. (n.p.): (n.p.), 1967. Sixteen page photocopied typescript, dated November, 1967. Merton compares a possible race war between Black Power advocates and white society in the late 1960s to an actual historical race war, the so-called Caste War between Mayan Indians and Ladinos in the Yucatan territory in 1847. Small burn holes and singe marks to upper left corner, seemingly from paper clips (?). A very good copy, on the early, coated photosensitive copy paper. Published in The Unicorn Journal 1, edited by Teo Savory, in the spring of 1968.
140. MERTON, Thomas. Blessed Are the Meek. (Nyack): (Catholic Peace Fellowship)(1967). The first separate appearance of this essay, printed here as a Catholic Peace Fellowship pamphlet. OCLC locates 12 copies. Minor foxing; very good in stapled wrappers.
141. (MERTON, Thomas). "Conversatio Morum" in Cistercian Studies. (Belgium): (Collectanea Cisterciencia)[1966]. A 15-page offprint. Attributed to Merton as "Louis Merton." Stapled into printed cardstock covers. Staples rusted; near fine. [Dell'Isola C277]. Uncommon.
142. (MERTON, Thomas). "Franciscan Eremitism" in The Lord, December, 1966. (Bonaventure): (Franciscan Institute), 1966. Very good in stapled wrappers. [Dell'Isola C297]
143. (MERTON, Thomas). "An Interview with Thomas Merton" in Motive, October, 1967. (NY): (Board of Education of the Methodist Church), 1967. Ten-page interview with Merton by Thomas P. McDonnell. Also includes a Methodist minister's take on The Beatles' "perfect combination of sophistication and ecstacy." Among the other Sixties-specific topics: "The Draft and the Generation Gap"; "The Limits of Flower Power"; and more. Near fine in wrappers.
144. (MERTON, Thomas). "The Church in World Crisis" in Katallagete, Summer 1967. (Nashville): (Committee of Southern Churchmen, Inc.), 1967. An eight-page essay on the role of Christians facing modern warfare. Penultimate page of issue excised, not affecting Merton piece. Foxing; very good in stapled wrappers.
145. (MERTON, Thomas). "Into This World This Demented Inn Christ Comes Uninvited." (Spring Valley): (Diego Designs)(n.d.). A greeting card featuring an attributed, abridged version of the Merton quote ["Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for Him at all, Christ has come uninvited."] Foxing to back cover; near fine.
146. MICHENER, James. Iberia. NY: Random House (1968). A massive book in the author's style of covering a subject exhaustively. Illustrated with hundreds of photos by Robert Vavra. Fine in a fine dust jacket, and because of the book's bulk, uncommon thus.
147. (Microbooks). Unknown. Dallas: Micro Information (c. 1985). In the mid 1980s, Micro Information Concepts launched "Unknown Worlds," a publishing venture dedicated to issuing difficult-to-find science fiction periodicals on microfiche, for home use. Astounding Stories, Analog Science Fiction, Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Unknown were offered on microfiche, "the paperback of the future." "What can beat 641 issues, 54 years, of Astounding/Analog, that can be held in one hand, last for more than 100 years and cost less than $1.42 each with the reader included?" The "reader" described here is a 12-pound "475" model for home viewing of the books of the future; although another flyer included here offers the compact 2 lb. "Fichette" for $140. Enclosed with the promotional material is a sample copy (microfiche numbers 1 and 2 of 78 total) of the first issue of Unknown magazine, March 1939. Original envelope included, which is sunned; all other items (promotional materials, microfiche) fine. A glimpse of the imagined future of publishing from 30 years ago. Quirky technological ephemera.
148. MOODY, Rick. The Black Veil. Boston: Little Brown (2002). The bound typescript of this memoir by the novelist, which won the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for the Art of the Memoir. Velobound photocopy; nearly 500 pages; double-spaced, printed on rectos only, with several corrections evident. Velobinding beginning to pull away from the large text block; thus near fine. Scarce state of a well-received memoir.