Catalog 94, M
213. MAILER, Norman. The Naked and the Dead. NY: Rinehart (1948). The author's landmark first book, one of the great novels of World War II, which put Mailer on the literary map immediately. Boards bumped and rubbed at edges and folds, as is common with this title, and hinge exposed at title page; still, about very good in a very good, price-clipped dust jacket with a few small edge chips. Inscribed by the author. A nicer-than-usual copy of a postwar classic.
214. MAILER, Norman. An American Dream. NY: Dial, 1965. A novel. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a near fine, slightly rubbed dust jacket.
215. MAILER, Norman. Oswald's Tale. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1995. Limited edition of Mailer's massive nonfiction study of Lee Harvey Oswald, the true first edition, preceding the trade edition. Leatherbound, all edges gilt, silk ribbon marker bound in, and with a special introduction by Mailer for this edition, in which he discusses his gaining access to the Russian KGB files on Oswald. Fine, and signed by the author.
216. MALAMUD, Bernard. Dubin's Lives. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1979. A limited edition, this being by contractual arrangement the true first edition (there was also a limited edition issued by the trade publisher). Leatherbound, all edges gilt, with a silk ribbon marker bound in. With a special introduction by Malamud for this edition, which consists of sentences taken from the notebook he kept while writing the book. Although not a signed limited edition, this copy is inscribed by the author. The title page and the pages of the introduction bear soiled fingerprints; thus only a near fine copy.
217. MASON, Bobbie Ann. Nabokov's Garden. A Guide to Ada. Ann Arbor: Ardis (1974). The scarce hardcover issue of her first book, a book of criticism, which precedes her first book of fiction by six years. A fine copy in a very good, price-clipped, rubbed and spine-faded dust jacket. Increasingly uncommon, especially in the hardcover edition.
218. MASON, Bobbie Ann. The Girl Sleuth. A Feminist Guide. (Old Westbury): Feminist Press, 1975. Her second book, an introduction to, overview of, and criticism of the "girl-sleuth" mystery genre characterized by the Nancy Drew mysteries that a generation of girls grew up reading and looking to for role models. Owner name on half-title; near fine in wrappers. Again, quite scarce now.
219. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Race Rock. NY: Harper & Brothers (1954). The author's first novel, published just after he returned from Paris, where he helped found the Paris Review. This is the issue in blue cloth and black boards; the priority has not been determined so far. Spotting to top edge; a near fine copy in a very good dust jacket with modest edge wear.
220. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. At Play in the Fields of the Lord. New York: Random House (1965). Matthiessen's fourth novel, nominated for the National Book Award and the basis, more than 20 years later, for a successful film by Hector Babenco, after several earlier efforts by others to adapt this to the screen were abandoned. A novel that weaves together a number of the themes that have recurred throughout Matthiessen's career as a writer--the rights of indigenous peoples and the value of their cultures; concern for the environment; exploration of altered states of consciousness; and the deleterious effect, whether intended or not, of the arrogance of white Westerners in imposing their views and their lives on others. This is a fine copy in a fine dust jacket with two tiny, closed edge tears on the rear panel. Probably the nicest copy we've ever seen of this book, which is notoriously difficult to find in fine condition.
221. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Men's Lives. London: Collins Harvill, 1988. The first British edition of Matthiessen's volume about the fishermen of eastern Long Island. Prints the text but not the photographs of the original. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
222. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Baikal. Sacred Sea of Siberia. (London): Thames & Hudson (1992). The first British edition. Stunning photographs by Boyd Norton, with text by Matthiessen. Small oblong quarto. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
223. MATTHIESSEN, Peter and FRANK, Mary. Shadows of Africa. New York: Harry N. Abrams (1992). Oblong quarto of paintings by Frank with text by Matthiessen. Attractively illustrated in black and white and color. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
224. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Lost Man's River. NY: Random House (1997). The second novel in the trilogy that began with Killing Mr. Watson, based on a series of events in Florida at the turn of the century and using the novel form to explore the settling and development of that frontier, with an awareness of the ecological implications of that development. Matthiessen's awareness of the larger issues elevates the story far beyond the immediate concerns of those originally involved. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
225. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers.
226. (MATTHIESSEN, Peter). Mischianza 1945 together with Mischianza 1944. Lakeville: The Hotchkiss School (1944-45). The high school yearbooks for Matthiessen's junior and senior years in prep school. Matthiessen participated in numerous sports and activities so he appears repeatedly throughout, but most importantly he was the Chairman of the yearbook board and thus, in effect, the editor of the 1945 volume--his "first book appearance," one could venture to guess. There were only 88 students in Matthiessen's graduating class, suggesting that perhaps as few as 100 copies would have been printed of this volume. Near fine copies of these rare, early appearances by one of the important writers of our time, who has made his mark in a number of fields, from fiction to natural history to social history and criticism.
227. (MATTHIESSEN, Peter). "Traveling Man" in Harper's Magazine, Vol. 214, No. 1281. (NY): (Harper & Brothers) (1957). The short story that later became The Young Ones, the film directed by Luis Buñuel, which won a "Special Hommage" citation at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. Large notation ("Orginal story of The Young One") written across front cover; very good.
228. (MATTHIESSEN, Peter). This Good Earth. NY: Crown (1974). A collection of articles from Audubon magazine. Matthiessen's article, "Kipahulu - Cinders to Sea," is reprinted, but it has not appeared elsewhere in book form. Fine in a fine dust jacket slightly foxed on verso.
229. McCARTHY, Cormac. Suttree. NY: Random House (1979). His fourth book, which many have considered his best, at least until the Border Trilogy (and some even still). A very scarce book, which sold fewer than 3000 copies in the original edition. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
230. McCARTHY, Cormac. The Crossing. NY: Knopf, 1994. Advance sheets of the sequel to his award-winning All the Pretty Horses, and the second novel in the "The Border Trilogy." Unbound photocopies of galley sheets sent out for review by McCarthy's editor, this set having been sent to author/ reviewer Michael Mewshaw and signed by Mewshaw with a note indicating the source of the sheets. An uncommon, early issue of this book, with the signature attesting to both the authenticity of the sheets and their provenance. 8 1/2" x 11". Fine.
231. -. Same title. This is one of 1000 copies of the trade edition signed by the author on a tipped-in leaf, although reportedly he failed to sign all 1000 of them, making this issue scarcer in actuality than the stated limitation. Fine in a fine dust jacket. McCarthy's signature is uncommon.
232. McCARTHY, Cormac. The Stonemason. (Hopewell): Ecco (1994). The limited edition of his play, published to excellent reviews. McCarthy's first signed, limited edition, one of 350 copies, signed by the author on a tipped-in leaf. Fine in slipcase. Oversubscribed before publication, with the publisher reporting over 1000 orders for the 350 copies.
233. (McCARTHY, Cormac). SEPICH, John. Notes on Blood Meridian. Louisville: Bellarmine College Press (1993). Only issued in wrappers; this copy imperfectly bound as the pages preceding the preface seem never to have been glued in; they are laid in. Would otherwise be considered near fine.
234. McCARTHY, Mary. On the Contrary. NY: Farrar Straus & Cudahy (1961). A collection of essays and criticism by the author of The Group and The Company She Keeps, among others. McCarthy was one of the leading women of letters in America in the postwar period. Tiny spot to foredge; near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Signed by the author. McCarthy's signature is relatively uncommon.
235. McCARTHY, Mary. Mary McCarthy's Theatre Chronicles 1937-1962. NY: Farrar Straus (1963). A collection of essays and reviews on the theater. Acidic paper browning with age, otherwise this is a fine copy in a very near fine dust jacket and is signed by the author.
236. McCRACKEN, Elizabeth. Here's Your Hat, What's Your Hurry. NY: Turtle Bay Books (1993). The first book, a collection of stories, by the author of the The Giant's House, which was nominated for the National Book Award. McCracken was also selected as one of Granta's top 20 young American authors. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
237. McCULLERS, Carson. The Member of the Wedding. (NY): New Directions (1951). The play version, adapted by McCullers from her own novel. Winner of the New York Drama Critics' Prize as the best play of the 1950 season. With an introduction by Tennessee Williams. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket. An uncommon title.
238. -. Same title, a later edition of the novel (Cambridge/Boston: Riverside Press/Houghton Mifflin, n.d.). Inscribed by the author. Laid in is what appears to be an errata sheet in McCullers' handwriting. Tiny splits to cloth at crown; near fine in a good dust jacket with a long tear on the rear panel. Books signed by McCullers, the author of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, are uncommon.
239. McPHEE, John. Annals of the Former World. NY: FSG (1983). Two-volume limited edition, reprinting McPhee's two books on geology in a uniform binding and pictorial slipcase, each volume being numbered and signed by the author. 450 copies of this limited edition were done, but it appears scarcer than that, and copies turn up less frequently than the limitation alone would seem to warrant. Fine in publisher's original shipping box.
240. McPHERSON, James Alan. Hue and Cry. Boston: Little Brown (1969). The advance review copy of the author's first book, a collection of stories and one of the most highly praised debuts of the Sixties. This is a fine copy in a fine dust jacket, with none of the rubbing typical for this title. Laid in are the publisher's complimentary slip, a review photograph of the book itself, and a photograph of McPherson. Also laid in is the business card of the Director of the Press, with a note in his hand written on it. Signed by McPherson--a very scarce signature. An important first book--a high spot of postwar black literature and also the literature of the Sixties--this being probably the nicest copy it is possible to find, and certainly the nicest we have ever seen.
241. -. Another copy, not a review copy, and unsigned. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with just a slight amount of rubbing.
242. MICHENER, James. Recessional. Franklin Center: Franklin Library, 1994. The true first edition of this novel, a limited edition with a special introduction by the author. Leatherbound, page edges gilt, with a silk ribbon marker bound in. Fine, and signed by the author.
243. MILLER, Henry. Greece. NY: Viking (1964). Small quarto, with text by Miller and drawings and watercolors by Anne Poor. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
244. MILLHAUSER, Steven. Portrait of a Romantic. NY: Knopf, 1977. The second novel by the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Martin Dressler. Cloth edge-sunned at crown, a few small spots to top stain; very near fine in a fine dust jacket.
245. MILLHAUSER, Steven. In the Penny Arcade. NY: Knopf, 1986. A collection of stories, several of them with a fantastic or magical bent. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
246. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers.
247. MILLHAUSER, Steven. The Barnum Museum. NY: Poseidon Press (1990). His fifth book, also a collection of stories. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with very slight spine-fading. Signed by the author.
248. MILLHAUSER, Steven. Martin Dressler. NY: Crown (1996). The author's latest novel, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Fine in a fine dust jacket, and signed by the author.
249. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers.
250. MISTRY, Rohinton. A Fine Balance. London/(Toronto): Faber & Faber/(McLelland & Stewart) (1995). The uncorrected proof copy of his highly praised latest book--a moving novel of contemporary India--which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. British wrappers and title page; Canadian copyright information; handwritten information for Australian publication on a label on the rear cover. Near fine in wrappers. A massive novel--over 700 pages--suggesting that few proofs would have been done, and those that were used would very readily show wear.
251. MOORE, Marianne. Collected Poems. London: Faber and Faber (1951). The true first edition. Light offsetting to endpages; else fine in a fine dust jacket with a hint of tanning to the spine.
252. MOORE, Marianne. O To Be a Dragon. NY: Viking, 1959. Spine very slightly sunned but still a beautiful copy of this collection of poems; fine, in a very nearly perfect dust jacket.
253. (MOORE, Marianne). "A Face" in The New Colophon, Vol. II, Part 7. NY: New Colophon, 1949. A broadside poem by Moore, printed at the Cummington Press and bound in. The poem first appeared in Horizon in London in 1947. The book is fine in a slightly age-darkened but still near fine, glassine dust jacket. Also includes a 13 page eulogy of Willa Cather, by George Seibel. Very uncommon in the fragile glassine jacket.
254. MORRISON, Toni. Paradise. NY: Knopf, 1998. Uncorrected proof copy of the latest novel by the Nobel Prize-winning author, just published to near-universal praise, with a first printing announced as 400,000 copies. Fine in wrappers.
255. (MORRISON, Toni). Race-ing Justice, En-Gendering Power. NY: Pantheon Books (1992). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of essays on "Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas and the Construction of Social Reality." Edited and introduced by Morrison. An uncommon proof. Fine in wrappers.
256. MOSELY, Walter. The Walter Mosley Omnibus. (London): Picador (1995). First thus, collecting the first three Easy Rawlins mysteries--Devil in a Blue Dress, A Red Death, and White Butterfly--in one volume. No comparable U.S. edition. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
257. MUNRO, Alice. The Progress of Love. (Toronto): McClelland & Stewart (1986). First edition of this collection of stories, the third of her books to win the Governor General's Award, Canada's most prestigious literary award. Trace shelfwear to spine base; else fine in a price-clipped, first state dust jacket, without the award emblem on the front cover.
258. -. Another copy; very lightly shelfworn at spine extremities; near fine in a near fine dust jacket.
259. MUNRO, Alice. Friend of My Youth. (Toronto): McClelland and Stewart (1990). First edition of this story collection. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
260. MUNRO, Alice. Open Secrets. (Toronto): McClelland & Stewart (1994). True first edition, i.e., Canadian, of her eighth book. Again, a collection of stories. Very slight splaying to front board; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
261. MUNRO, Alice. Selected Stories. NY: Knopf, 1996. A hardcover advance edition of this collection of stories, spanning a quarter century. Limitation not stated. Fine in slipcase and signed by the author. These copies were prepared by her U.S. publisher as promotional giveaways and were not offered for sale.
262. (MUNRO, Alice). "A Better Place Than Home" in The Newcomers. (Toronto): McClelland and Stewart (1979). A collection of pieces about Canada's immigrant populations, not published in the U.S., with a contribution by Munro as well as two pieces by Timothy Findley, among others. Quarto, heavily illustrated with photographs. Fine in a very good dust jacket with a touch of wear at spine crown and a small open tear at the lower edge of rear panel. Uncommon.