Catalog 95, O-S
245. O'BRIEN, Tim. Northern Lights. (NY): Delacorte/Lawrence (1975). The uncorrected proof copy of his second novel, a tale of two brothers in the wilderness of northern Minnesota, one of them a war veteran, the other a veteran of the protests against that war. Approximately 5 1/4" x 10 1/2", with holograph page numbers. This copy has the publication date and price handwritten on the front cover, along with a note of transmittal, in part, "...this is the guy who has all the friends in Mpls..." O'Brien is a relentless reviser and re-writer, and this proof varies from the publish text in at least one substantial degree--a two-page section in the proof (two long pages, as the proof is in a tall format) has been deleted from the final book. Minor corner stain, light edge-sunning and a bit of surface soiling; very good in wrappers. A very scarce proof: we have only seen two other copies of it in 20+ years.
246. O'BRIEN, Tim. From How to Tell a True War Story. (n.p.): Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 1987. A broadside excerpt from The Things They Carried, beginning: "You can tell a true war story by the questions you ask." (There was another broadside done in 1992 called "A True War Story" with different text.) One of 150 numbered copies, signed by the author. 10 1/2" x 11". Fine. Because some of the copies were issued as part of a portfolio containing broadsides by several authors, this is even scarcer than its small limitation would suggest.
247. -. Same title, the complete portfolio of five broadsides issued by the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. In addition to the O'Brien broadside, there are also broadsides by Toni Cade Bambara, Maxine Kumin, Donald Justice and Etheridge Knight. Each is fine and signed by its author. In cardstock portfolio.
248. O'HANLON, Redmond. No Mercy. A Journey to the Heart of the Congo. NY: Knopf, 1997. Another travel account by the peerless British writer, author of Into the Heart of Borneo and In Trouble Again, among others. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
249. O'HARA, John. Butterfield 8. NY: Harcourt Brace (1935). Third book, second novel, by the author of Appointment in Samarra, Pal Joey, and others. One of O'Hara's most famous books, in part because of the 1960 movie for which Elizabeth Taylor won the Best Actress Academy Award. Near fine in a very good, edgeworn dust jacket, faded on the spine and with several small edge chips, particularly at the spine extremities, which are internally tape-strengthened. Laid in is an autograph card signed by O'Hara, presenting the book to a friend in 1951. Autograph material by O'Hara is quite scarce. The note is 4 3/8" x 2 1/2"; sunned; near fine.
250. O'HARA, John. A Rage to Live. NY: Random House (1949). String-bound galley sheets. 428 pages, approximately 6" x 12", printed on rectos only, with plain blue wrappers stamped as a Random House "File Copy." This copy differs from the one described by O'Hara's bibliographer, and appears to be an earlier issue, bearing no publication date. Covers a bit creased and edgeworn; near fine. Proofs from this era are exceptionally scarce, having been used primarily in-house, as opposed to being produced for distribution to the book trade.
251. O'HARA, John. A Cub Tells His Story. Iowa City: Windhover Pres/Bruccoli Clark, 1974. An early piece of journalism by O'Hara, produced as a limited edition. The piece originally appeared in 1925, nine years before his first novel, Appointment in Samarra. One of 150 copies in saddle-stitched wrappers, with an introduction by Matthew Bruccoli, O'Hara's bibliographer. Fine in printed envelope as issued.
252. (O'HARA, John). Dialogue Part of [Joey] in Pal Joey. NY: Tams-Witmark Music Library (n.d.) [c. 1940]. The script for the lines of the lead for O'Hara's play Pal Joey, the highly successful musical based on O'Hara's novel, which won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical in 1952. Ownership signature of Mike Garrigan on the front cover. Mimeographed; some wear to covers, but otherwise very good in stapled wrappers. Extremely scarce.
253. OZICK, Cynthia. The Puttermesser Papers. NY: Knopf, 1997. The uncorrected proof copy of her most recent novel, which was nominated for the National Book Award. Fine in wrappers and signed by the author.
254. PARKER, Robert B. Taming a Seahorse. (NY): Delacorte/Lawrence (1986). The thirteenth novel featuring Parker's detective, Spenser. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author in pencil on the front free endpaper.
255. PARKER, Robert. Thin Air. NY: Putnam's (1995). A special advance reading copy in pictorial wrappers of another novel in Parker's Spenser series. Signed by the author. A fine copy.
256. PETRY, Ann. The Narrows. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1953. Second novel by this African-American writer whose first, The Street, won a Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship Award. Near fine in a very good, spine-tanned dust jacket with modest edgewear, particularly at the corners. An attractive copy of an uncommon and important African-American novel.
257. PIERCY, Marge. Living in the Open. NY: Knopf, 1976. The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of poems, her fourth. Inscribed by the author in the month of publication. Small tear at the spine base and light bump to the crown; still near fine in tall wrappers.
258. PLATH, Sylvia. Ariel. London: Faber & Faber (1965). The uncorrected proof copy of the true first edition of what is widely considered her greatest poetic achievement, a series of poems written during the months leading up to her suicide. Plath's Collected Poems won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize, nearly two decades after her death. Her frank, confessional poetry helped give voice to a later generation of women writers, and she became an artistic icon for the fledgling women's movement a decade after her death. A thin tear at the lower front fold; staple holes at the top of the front cover; still near fine in wrappers. Rare; we have only seen this proof twice before.
259. POLITE, Carlene Hatcher. Sister X and the Victims of Foul Play. NY: FSG (1975). The uncorrected proof copy of this novel by the expatriate African-American writer, author of The Flagellants. Effusively inscribed by the author. A bit creased; very good in tall wrappers.
260. PRICE, Richard. Three Screenplays. Boston/NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. An advance reading copy, collecting The Color of Money, Sea of Love, and Night and the City, together with an introductory interview with Price. Price, the author of Clockers, Blood Brothers, and The Wanderers--all of which have been made into films--has probably enjoyed more commercial success as a screenwriter than as a novelist, although his novels have been universally well-received by critics. Near fine in wrappers.
261. PROSE, Francine. The Glorious Ones. NY: Atheneum, 1974. The uncorrected proof copy of her second book. Inscribed by the author. Quarto; edge-sunned; near fine in wrappers. An unusual format for a proof, suggesting that very few copies would likely have been done. With publisher's promotional sheets laid in.
262. PUIG, Manuel. The Buenos Aires Affair. NY: Dutton, 1976. The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of the third book by this Argentine writer whose work was banned in Argentina after the publication of this novel. An important novel, following the conventions of the mystery genre, by the author of Kiss of the Spider Woman, among others. Inscribed by the author. Near fine in wrappers.
263. PURDY, James. Jeremy's Version. Garden City: Doubleday, 1970. The uncorrected proof copy of this novel by the author of Malcolm, which was a National Book Award finalist in 1960. Purdy writes in the tradition of Southern Gothic, infused with homosexuality and violence, and has been compared to such writers as Carson McCullers and Truman Capote, although his vision is bleaker and more extreme than theirs. Inscribed by the author. An oversized proof, approximately 6" x 11 1/2", printed on rectos only. "Purdy" written on lower page edges; very good.
264. PURDY, James. The House of the Solitary Maggot. Garden City: Doubleday, 1974. The uncorrected proof copy of his eleventh book. Inscribed by the author. An oversized proof, approximately 6" x 11 1/2", printed on rectos only. Sunned; very good.
265. PURDY, James. In a Shallow Grave. NY: Arbor House (1975). The uncorrected proof copy of this novel, which is generally considered one of his best--a tale of the courtship of a Virginia widow by a grossly injured Vietnam veteran. Inscribed by the author. Fine in tall padbound wrappers, wrapped in a proof dust jacket.
266. REXROTH, Kenneth. Autograph Letter Signed. February 7, 1951. "I was in NYC in 1949 and tried to find you without success. I have always bitterly regretted not having managed to get you into bed, and was anxious to try again." And other, tamer, words. Folded for mailing, one small edge tear; near fine.
267. RICE, Anne. Interview with the Vampire. NY: Knopf, 1976. Her acclaimed first book, the first in the Vampire Lestat series, and the first book of a literary career that can only be described as remarkable: Rice's vampire novels are unprecedented bestsellers as well as being critically acclaimed, and even her erotic novels of sado-masochism have achieved a kind of mainstream success that defies prediction. This is the scarcest of the books, particularly in nice condition, as the gold foil dust jacket is notoriously prone to wear. This is a fine copy in a very near fine dust jacket with a slight bit of wear at the crown.
268. RICE, Anne. Violin. NY: Knopf, 1997. The uncorrected proof copy of this novel. Fine in wrappers. A relatively scarce proof, as there was a more widely distributed advance reading copy also done (see below).
269. -. Same title, the advance reading copy. Fine in wrappers.
270. ROBBINS, Tom. Still Life With Woodpecker. NY: Bantam (1980). The hardcover issue of his third novel (there was a simultaneous softcover). Contemporary reports in trade journals indicated the first printing of this as 2500 copies in hardcover, as compared to 25,000 softcovers. Our experience suggests that it's not that scarce, but it has become harder to find in recent years, particularly in fine condition. This copy is signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket with only the barest hint of the rubbing to the gold spine extremities that is common to this title.
271. ROIPHE, Anne Richardson. Long Division. NY: Simon & Schuster (1972). The uncorrected proof copy of the second novel by the author of Up the Sandbox. Roiphe is the mother of novelist/essayist Kate Roiphe, author of some of the more controversial commentaries in recent years on contemporary feminist issues. Signed by the author. Tall, padbound proofs; the rear cover is detached and missing; the front cover is half detached, (or half attached, depending). Fair.
272. ROPER, Robert. Cuervo Tales. NY: Ticknor & Fields, 1993. The advance reading copy of this collection of ten interlinked stories set in California in the 1960s, by the author of Royo County, On Spider Creek, and others. Fine in wrappers.
273. ROTH, Philip. American Pastoral. Boston/NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. The uncorrected proof copy of his most recent novel. Fine in wrappers. Roth's previous three books have collectively won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Pen/Faulkner Award, and the National Book Award, an unprecedented accomplishment in contemporary American literature.
274. RUIZ de BURTON, Maria Amparo. "LOYAL, C." The Squatter and the Don. San Francisco: Privately Printed, 1885. The correct first edition of this book, which may be the first Chicano novel: Ruiz de Burton was a Mexican citizen living in California when the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo was signed. The novel describes the land grabbing of the Anglo settlers and the efforts of the newly naturalized Mexican-American citizens to maintain their culture and way of life, issues that continue to be relevant in contemporary Chicano literature. Foxing to endpages and spotting to boards; otherwise a near fine copy with the spine cloth professionally restored. A very scarce edition: Samuel Carson reprinted this later, and Arte Publico Press--an important contemporary publisher of Chicano literature--recently reprinted the novel, but using the variant text of the later Carson edition.
275. SALINGER, J.D. Nine Stories. Boston: Little Brown (1953). Salinger's second book and first collection of short fiction, which some consider even more accomplished than his landmark novel, The Catcher in the Rye, and which was issued in an edition only half as large (5000 copies vs. 10,000 for Catcher). These stories helped establish Salinger permanently in the pantheon of American postwar writers, and his continued publication of short stories in The New Yorker over the next decade cemented his reputation. This is a pre-publication copy, with a Compliments of the Publisher slip laid in, giving the publication date as April 6, 1953. Half the signatures edge-darkened, as is common with this title; a near fine copy in a near fine, price-clipped dust jacket with modest foxing and minor rubbing. A much-nicer-than-usual copy of this book, and very scarce in any sort of advance issue.
276. SALTER, James. Burning the Days. NY: Random House (1997). The uncorrected proof copy of Salter's memoir, published last year to extraordinary critical praise. Salter has been praised as a "writer's writer"; various authors have credited him with being the single most accomplished prose stylist in contemporary American literature. His collection of stories, Dusk, won the PEN/Faulkner Award. Fine in wrappers.
277. SAYLES, John. Pride of the Bimbos. Boston: Little Brown (1975). The scarce first book, a baseball novel, by this author who is more well-known as a filmmaker than as a writer, although his books have received substantial critical praise. Sayles directed the film Eight Men Out about the Chicago "Black Sox" scandal. Very near fine in a very good, price-clipped dust jacket with one edge tear.
278. SAYLES, John. Union Dues. Boston: Little Brown (1977). Sayles's second novel, a coming-of-age book set in the late Sixties during the Vietnam War protests. Nominated for the National Book Award. A fine copy of this cheaply made, perfectbound book, in a near fine dust jacket with some rubbing, as usual.
279. SAYLES, John. The Anarchists' Convention. Boston: Little Brown (1979). His third book, a collection of stories, several of which are related and comprise, in effect, a novella. A fine copy in a very good, price-clipped dust jacket with both a small gutter tear and a small tear mid-spine.
280. SCHINE, Cathleen. Rameau's Niece. NY: Ticknor & Fields, 1993. The advance reading copy of this well-received novel by the author of Alice in Bed, among others. Fine in wrappers.
281. SIMPSON, Louis. Searching for the Ox. NY: Morrow, 1976. Poetry. Fine in a near fine dust jacket and inscribed by the author in 1979. Three of Simpson's collections have been National Book Award finalists and one, At the End of the Open Road, won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.
282. SPARK, Muriel. Reality and Dreams. Boston/NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1996. The advance reading copy of the first American edition of the twentieth novel by the author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, among others. Fine in wrappers.
283. SPENCER, Scott. The Rich Man's Table. NY: Knopf, 1998. The uncorrected proof copy of his seventh book. Spencer's novel, Endless Love, was a National Book Award nominee (twice) and was later made into a movie--albeit a not particularly well-received one. Fine in wrappers; scheduled for publication in April, 1998.
284. (STEGNER, Wallace). GREEN, Hannah. The Dead of the House. NY: Doubleday (1972). The uncorrected proof copy of this novel. This copy is inscribed by Green in 1974. An oversized proof; very good in tall wrappers. Laid in, on Doubleday stationery, is a long Stegner blurb praising the book. Approximately 300 words. Folded in thirds, with the type rubbed at the folds and a few smudges. Near fine. An extensive piece of writing by Stegner which, to our knowledge, does not appear elsewhere.
285. STEIN, Eugene. Straitjacket and Tie. NY: Ticknor & Fields, 1994. The advance reading copy of his first novel. Fine in wrappers.
286. STEPHENSON, Neal. Zodiac. NY: Atlantic Monthly Press (1988). The second novel by the author of Snow Crash and The Diamond Age, both of them powerful science fiction novels depicting a dark cyber-future, which have earned the author a large and passionate following, as well as substantial critical acclaim. This book, which was only issued in softcover, is a humorous ecological thriller, the author's first venture into technological issues. Small indentation to rear cover; else fine in wrappers. This copy is signed by the author.
287. STEPHENSON, Neal. The Diamond Age. NY: Bantam (1995). A highly praised novel that is a combination Victorian fantasy and futuristic sci-fi. Fine in a fine dust jacket, and signed by the author.
288. STEPHENSON, Neal. "BURY, Stephen." The Cobweb. NY: Bantam (1996). Pseudonymously published ecological mystery thriller, the author's second book under this name. Fine in wrappers, and signed by the author as "Neal Stephenson."
289. STONE, Robert. Children of Light. London: Deutsch (1986). The true first edition of his fourth novel, preceding the American edition by one week, and printed in an edition of only 4500 copies, vs. 40,000 (announced) for the American edition. Stone had originally intended to use the title Children of Light--named after a Robert Lowell poem--for his first novel. However, another book was slated for publication with that title the same year, and at the publisher's request the title was changed to A Hall of Mirrors, from a line in the same Lowell poem. Ironically, another book entitled Hall of Mirrors was published at almost the same time--the change not having avoided the conflict that the publisher anticipated. This book, a dark novel of Hollywood--presumably fueled in part by Stone's own less-than-satisfactory experiences working on the screen adaptations of A Hall of Mirrors ("WUSA") and Dog Soldiers ("Who'll Stop the Rain"), was the only one of Stone's novels not nominated for one of the major book awards the year it was published. A novel that combines elements of the King Lear story with allusions to Kate Chopin's landmark The Awakening, it is nonetheless by critical consensus one of the most ambitious and memorable in Stone's small but highly regarded body of work. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
290. STONE, Robert. Bear and His Daughter. Boston/NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. Highly praised first collection of stories, spanning the years 1969 to the present. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Signed by the author.
291. -. Same title. Bound galley sheets; 8 1/2" x 11"; tapebound in cardstock covers. Precedes the bound proofs that were issued and presumably produced for in-house use only; we have not seen any other copies offered elsewhere on the market. Fine.
292. -. Same title, the first British edition (London: Bloomsbury, 1998). Fine in a fine dust jacket, with silk ribbon marker bound in.
293. (STONE, Robert). "We Are Not Excused" in Paths of Resistance. The Art and Craft of the Political Novel. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (1989). With contributions also by Isabel Allende, Charles McCarry, Marge Piercy and Gore Vidal. This is the hardcover issue: fine in a fine dust jacket. A surprisingly scarce book: there was a paperback issue for the regular book trade, and there was a Book of the Month Club edition which accounts for most of the hardcover copies that do show up on the market.
294. STYRON, William. Lie Down in Darkness. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill (1951). The author's first book, a well-received autobiographical novel, which was nominated for the National Book Award. Styron's controversial novel, The Confessions of Nat Turner, was also a National Book Award nominee, and it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1968. His novel Sophie's Choice won the National Book Award in 1980. Boards sunned; a near fine copy in a very good, modestly edgeworn dust jacket. Signed by the author on the half-title page. An important debut.