Catalog 177

NY, Richard R. Smith, 1941. Jernberg, a reserve U.S. Army Air Corps officer, reports on his four years commanding several Civilian Conservation Corps companies, including a camp for Black enrollees. Inscribed by the author in 1946: "With best wishes to Dr. Ralph E. Smith who, literaly [sic] looked inside this author's head." Near fine, lacking the dust jacket. [#036533] $375

(Minneapolis), (Federal Cartridge Corporation), (1952). Kaupanger was a "self-styled conservation watchdog for more than 40 years," according to his obituary, and secretary of the Minnesota Emergency Conservation Committee. This primer on conservation, covering such topics as soil, water, flora, fauna, education, and administration, was published by his employer, the Federal Cartridge Corporation, and carries a foreword by the company's founder. Federal is still in business, selling guns and ammunition, and touts on its website "a century of commitment to conservation." Inscribed by Kaupanger in 1957. Slight shelf wear; near fine, without dust jacket, likely as issued. [#036534] $300

NY, John Wiley & Sons, 1917. A thorough, state-by-state survey of enactments of the legislatures of the 48 states and by the Federal Congress regarding the conservation and administration of forest resources. Tipped in at the front hinge is the cover of a Cornell University bulletin on the topic of forest legislation, and this bulletin has been inscribed by Kinney to William Heritage. For three decades, Kinney was engaged in forestry and conservation activities for the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Heritage worked for the Department of the Interior's Indian Service. Heritage's ownership signature appears in the book, which is near fine, without dust jacket, likely as issued. [#036535] $500

(NY), Villard Books, (1996). The second solo book (after Eiger Dreams) by the author of Into Thin Air. Like his more famous title, this one also recounts a tragedy in the wilderness, albeit not one he was witness to. Made into a film by Sean Penn. This copy is inscribed by the author. A bit of softening to the corners, else fine in a fine dust jacket. Reprinted many times, signed first printings are uncommon. [#035873] $500

NY, Morrow, (1993). A wide-ranging compilation of small and large battles fought since the first Earth Day: chlorofluorocarbons, malathion, Exxon, ozone, Glen Canyon, Love Canal, redwoods, plastics, offshore drilling, greenhouse gases, etc. Signed by both authors. One page corner creased; else fine in a fine dust jacket. Blurb by Jerry Brown. [#036537] $350

(NY), Norton, (2021). Conservation history over the centuries, as seen through the lens of species protection. Inscribed by the author. Small nick to foredge and upper front board; else fine in a fine dust jacket. [#036645] $150

NY, Pantheon Books, (2022). The story of the 20,000 tons of toxic waste dumped into upstate New York's Love Canal; of the school, playground and homes subsequently built there; and of the women who rose to the defense of their children and community. Signed by the author. The definitive account of one of the key environmental disasters of the 1970s, which helped confirm the need for environmental protection and rehabilitation: Love Canal became the first site on the newly created Superfund list. Fine in a fine dust jacket. [#036556] $200

Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1941. The autobiography of the naturalist, botanist, and writer, author of An Almanac for Moderns and Green Laurels: the Lives and Achievements of the Great Naturalists, among many others. Signed by the author. Family library bookplate on front pastedown; foxing to page edges. Very good in a very good, edgeworn and price-clipped dust jacket. This is one of four titles we could find in Houghton Mifflin's apparently short-lived "Life in America Prize Book" series, the fourth being Wallace Stegner's One Nation in 1945. Uncommon signed, as well as in dust jacket. [#036646] $450

Washington, DC, Island Press, (2001). A biography of Gifford Pinchot: conservationist, first chief of the U.S. Forest Service, and Governor of Pennsylvania. Signed by Miller. Mild foxing to the edges of the text block, else fine in a fine dust jacket. [#036557] $200

NY, Norton, (2016). Rich attempts to reclaim the early days of conservation, when there was conservative, right-wing support, and asks the Green movement to return to a viable environmental center. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. [#036558] $200

Charlotte, East Woods Press, 1982. Her first book: a journal of her thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, over two summers, partly alone, and partly with two separate female hiking partners. With 120 illustrations by the author. Warmly inscribed by Ross to a close friend, and with a blurb by Annie Dillard. Extrapolating from the Appalachian Trail's website for data from the 1980s, there were likely fewer than two dozen successful female thru-hikers on the trail with Ross in those two years. An oblong softcover, with text in cursive. Partly sunned; near fine. [#036594] $250

NY, Oxford University Press, 2002. A sweeping and illuminating recounting of the environmental factors that shaped American history along side the social, political, and economic forces. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. [#036539] $225

(Toronto), McClelland & Stewart, (1978). The success stories (as of 1978) of 25 North American species that had been endangered. Covers the whooping crane; Florida manatee; eastern timber wolf; polar bear; peregrine falcon; bison; trumpeter swan; etc. Signed by the author. Fine in a very good, price-clipped dust jacket, with minor edge wear that has been "touched up" with black marker. [#036540] $350

Post Mills, Chelsea Green Publishing, (1992). An elegy to the dusky seaside sparrow, which fell victim to, among other things, the needs of the Kennedy Space Center; duck hunters, "snowbirds," and Disney. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a wrinkled tear on the front flap. [#036559] $150

Washington, DC, Island Press, (1992). Wilkinson examines the effects of the 19th century mindset and policies causing conflict with land use and resource allocation in the 20th century. Inscribed by the author on the half-title in 1993: "For Karen Green - with my thanks for your work for Oregon's lands." Additionally signed by Wilkinson on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket, with a blurb by Wallace Stegner. [#036560] $150

Hanover, University Press of New England, (2012). A call to action for bringing economic and political practices in line with the realities of the planet's finite resources, including a chapter on bringing an end to the "culture wars." Inscribed by the author: "For Kevin & Rosemary -- with great thanks for your help." Fine in a fine dust jacket. [#036649] $150

NY, Holt Rinehart Winston, (1981). The third book in his New Mexico trilogy. Signed by the author. Slight edge sunning; near fine in a near fine dust jacket. [#036595] $75

Salt Lake City, Peregrine Smith, (1986). "An autobiographical celebration of life in a fragile and marginal place," the Taos Mesa. Signed by the author. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a 1" stain at the upper front corner and a bit of discoloration at the bottom edge of the rear panel. [#036596] $45

(Aquora), (Pad Library), (1967). One of about 80 pulp novels written by the legendary director. A biopic based on Woods' life and work won two Oscars, and he was awarded the Golden Turkey Award as Worst Director of all time, with his movie Plan 9 From Outer Space being awarded the Golden Turkey for Worst Film of All Time. Ownership stamp of a horror writer inside the front cover, with his inscription, "Stole this from my father!" Pages age-toned; covers rubbed; splitting at the upper spine folds. A good copy. Scarce. [#036598] $750

(n.p.), (n.p.), ca. 1989. A photocopied typescript of an early draft of Pynchon's first novel after Gravity's Rainbow: a span of seventeen years had passed by the time Vineland was finally published. 519 double-spaced pages, with textual variations from the published version. This version of the manuscript reportedly dates from a period about a year before the book was published in February, 1990. It represents a version of the text that is markedly different from that which was published and is an exceptional rarity in that regard. Pynchon reportedly insisted that no proofs or advance reading copies be done of this title, and the only printed pre-publication states that exist are a handful of f&g's (folded and gathered sheets) of the first edition and copies of the published edition that had a promotional sheet inserted. This version of the manuscript, which Pynchon apparently rewrote considerably, was never produced in printed form. From the very first sentence to the very last sentence, there are major, substantive differences between this draft and the text of the published volume. Reportedly, five copies of this draft were photocopied, double-sided, and bound with a cardstock cover; we know of two copies of these loose sheets, printed on rectos only, which presumably would have preceded the double-sided bound copies. This set shows signs of having been read: the top sheet is slightly creased and worn, and the edges of the pages are a bit dust-soiled and slightly rough. Overall, the condition is near fine. We sold this set in 1999 and bought it back this year: no copies have been made of it, by our buyer or ourselves. While only a photocopy, this is doubtless the most textually significant Pynchon item we have ever seen offered on the market, and copies of this draft are likely to be scarcer than any of the proofs of any of Pynchon's other books. Basis for the acclaimed 2025 Paul Thomas Anderson film One Battle After Another, by consensus the most successful film adaptation to date of a Pynchon novel. [#036650] $10,000

(n.p.), Paramount, 1971. Paramount pressbook and merchandise manual for the 1971 film made from Farina's only novel, which was a high spot of the literature of the Sixties. Barry Primus stars as its protagonist, the pot-smoking rebel Gnossos Pappadopoulis, who was the embodiment of hip, bridging the gap from the Beat movement of the 1950s to the 1960s counterculture. 12" x 15", 4 pages, with the inner pages being specs for advertising; the rear page being write-ups of the film's stars, and the front page featuring the movie poster, the cast and credits, and a 20+ paragraph synopsis of "The Story (Not for Publication)." One heavy horizontal crease; wear to the top edge; and rolled. A good copy. [#036651] $150

NY, Scribner's, 1886. Early later printing ("Sixteenth Thousand") of the 1886 Authorized Edition. A classic of Victorian and horror literature, first published by Scribner in January 1886 in an edition of 4200, of which 3000 were in wrappers. Rear cover and much of the spine missing; front cover detached; Several small ownership stamps to the front cover and prelims. A fair copy. [#036599] $500

(Oxford), Arete, (2003). The full text of Stoppard's previously unpublished 1970 screenplay, published here as the entire Issue 11 of Arete, with a contemporary introduction by Stoppard. Although known primarily as a playwright, Stoppard was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay of Brazil in 1985, and he won the Academy Award for the screenplay of Shakespeare in Love, in 1998. Fine in self-wrappers. [#036600] $250

Haydenville, Mirage Studios, (1988). The first hardcover book of the Ninja Turtles, copy No. 64 of 1000 copies. This copy is specially signed by Eastman and inscribed by Laird -- "For my pal Stan... Another first in a year of firsts!" -- in the year of publication, with a drawing by each of them of a Ninja Turtle. The book comprises reprints of the first 11 Ninja Turtles comics, with four new pieces, one about each of the turtles, and introductory and historical information. Bookplate and ownership stamps of the recipient, author Stanley Wiater. Wiater worked at Mirage Studios for several years, and wrote The Official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Treasury in 1991. Faint scent to book; near fine in a very good dust jacket. Far scarcer than the limitation would suggest; we could only find a record of one copy offered for sale, and no copies showed up in OCLC. A landmark volume on a cultural phenomenon and a nice association copy. [#036601] $3,500

NY, Simon & Schuster, (1994). His first book, a nonfiction account of being a physician caring for an unexpectedly large AIDS outbreak in eastern Tennessee. Inscribed by Verghese in 2002 to the medical historian Howard Markel, who taught at the University of Michigan. Laid in is a typed note signed (2010) and a typed letter signed (2002) from Verghese to Markel--the former offering congratulations; the latter a thank you for hospitality during a visit to Ann Arbor. Additionally laid in is a 3-page copy of the remarks Markel made introducing Verghese for a speaking engagement. The letters and remarks are folded, else fine; the book is fine but for lower corner bumps, in a very near fine dust jacket with slight shelf wear. Verghese is the author of the highly praised novels Cutting for Stone and The Covenant of Water. [#036603] $750

NY, Morrow, 1981. An epistolary novel of a gay medic in Vietnam, by a Marine Corps veteran of the war. Inscribed by the author: "To ___ ___, This may not be the true story of Vietnam that you're looking for, and I certainly hope it's not the Vietnam your brother served in, but I tried. Thank you very much for picking up my boy./ Relentlessly/ Charles Nelson. Mild foxing to prelims and text block; very good in a near fine dust jacket with modest foxing to verso. Jacket blurb by Richard Hooker, author of MASH. A landmark novel, uncommon signed. [#036652] $200

(n.p.), The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Companies, 1965. The case for and against U.S. involvement in Vietnam, authored by a Jesuit priest "at the request of The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Companies for the private information of some of their employees" -- an early publication on the war, done during the first year of the U.S. "escalation" and the shift from an advisory role to direct combat with the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. 113 pages of analysis, with the prescient conclusion that a long-range, consistent U.S. policy needs to be bipartisan so that international commitments don't waver with the Presidency. Near fine in wrappers, with some wrinkling to the rear cover, apparently caused by the glue holding the pocket on the inside rear cover, which holds a map. No copies listed in OCLC. [#036565] $350

(NY), Rolling Stone, (2001). A special 9/11 issue of Rolling Stone. Wallace's contribution is a highly self-conscious report of watching coverage from a living room in Bloomington, IL, alongside ladies from his church. Other contributors to this issue include Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, Yoko Ono, Ken Kesey, Robert Stone, Jonathan Lethem, and others. Fine. A remarkably well-preserved copy. [#036566] $100

NY, New York University, (2018). An examination of why the most forward-facing sector of the economy is the most backward in its relationship to women, and how to achieve "gender diversity," i.e. inclusion and equity. From the decade before the vilification of DEI. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket. [#036606] $200

NY, Institute of Life Insurance, 1975. An essay resulting from a grant by the Institute of Life Insurance's Social Research Grant Program. This was Epstein's second such grant -- her first, awarded to her while she was a graduate student at Columbia, became the basis of her 1971 book, Women's Place: Option and Limits on Professional Careers. An autograph note signed laid into this title presents it as "an example of what I've been doing -- I'm a full professor now! [at CUNY]/ Love, Cynthia." Epstein has also added the name "Fuchs" to the title page. Edge-sunned; near fine in stapled wrappers. Together with a photocopy of an offprint of Epstein's 1973 article from the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, entitled "Bringing Women In: Rewards, Punishments, and the Structure of Achievement." [#036567] $250