Holiday List, P-T
171. -. Same title. Grey cloth with the same design as that in yellow cloth listed above, in a blue dust jacket with gold and black lettering, a price of $1 and the words "THE ARCHIVE of Duke University" in place of "Louis Untermeyer" on the dust jacket copy. Fine in a mildly sunned; else fine dust jacket. An unrecorded variant of this uncommon title.
172. PATCHEN, Kenneth. Orchards, Thrones and Caravans. (San Francisco): Print Workshop (1952). First edition, vellum issue: one of 120 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine in a dust jacket with a faint spot near the crown; else fine. In custom clamshell box.
173. PERCY, Walker. Love in the Ruins. (n.p.: n.p., n.d.) [NY: FSG, 1971]. Partial photocopied typescript of his third book, reproducing substantial holograph changes and corrections, some of them quite significant: words and phrases have been changed, sentences have been deleted (but remain visible) and, in some places, whole sentences have been added to the text. An early state of the text, prior to the author's final changes. Copy editor's marks are also reproduced on a number of pages. Inscribed by Percy on the title page: "For --/ with gratitude & affection/ for saving this -- I/ could have sent you the original/ instead of burning it --/ Walker Percy." 234 pages, representing almost exactly half the finished text; modest edgewear to pages; near fine. The title page, however, has been ripped so that a corner of the inscription, although present, is detached. Together with the first edition of the book; very near fine in like dust jacket. An extraordinary view of an important book by one of the most highly regarded American novelists of the postwar era and, if his inscription is taken at face value, the sole surviving manuscript copy.
174. PLATH, Sylvia. Sculptor. (n.p.): Grecourt Review (1959). Her first separate publication, an offprint of her one poem in the Grecourt Review; one of 25 copies produced for the private use of the author. Precedes A Winter Ship by one year. Slight offsetting to front cover, otherwise fine in stapled wrappers. Easily the rarest of her separate publications.
175. PLATH, Sylvia. The Colossus. London: Heinemann (1960). Uncorrected proof copy of the first edition of the author's first regularly published book. The only collection of poetry published in her lifetime--an amazing fact considering that Plath is universally considered among the most important poets, especially women poets, of the postwar era. Only one other of her books was published before she committed suicide--the autobiographical novel The Bell Jar. The Colossus is extremely scarce even in the published first edition: proof copies are practically unheard of. The first edition of this collection established Plath as a poet of considerable accomplishment and sensitivity. This was a working proof copy, which formerly belonged to the production manager at Heinemann, with his name on the front cover and a number of annotations and figures in his hand throughout. The leaf comprising pages 29 & 30 is missing and is here supplied in facsimile. Covers moderately worn; very good, in a custom chemise and slipcase. An extremely scarce item: we have only seen one other proof copy of it.
176. PYNCHON, Thomas. V. Phil: Lippincott (1963). His first book, winner of the Faulkner Foundation Award for best first novel of the year. With elaborate inventiveness, labyrinthine plots and a sometimes paranoid comic sense, Pynchon became the "postmodern" standard against whom all writers since have been measured. Each of his first three novels won one or more of the major literary awards given out in this country. This is a fine copy with a rich top stain and none of the usual fading to the cloth edges, in a very good dust jacket with modest edgewear, including one tear and moderate, mostly internal, foxing; again, unfaded. One of the nicest copies of this book we have seen in recent years.
177. -. Same title, the advance reading copy. Faded front cover and spine; else a solid, near fine copy, with the spine still square and the binding tight.
178. PYNCHON, Thomas. The Crying of Lot 49. Philadelphia: Lippincott (1966). Advance review copy of Pynchon's second novel, winner of the Richard and Hilda Rosenthal Award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, for a novel that although not a commercial success was nonetheless a "significant literary achievement." Chosen by David Pringle as one of the hundred best novels of Modern Fantasy. Mild darkening to cloth edges, else fine in a fine dust jacket with trace rubbing at corners. With publisher's review slip laid in, showing the date of publication changed from March 14 to April 27, 1966. An uncommon book in fine condition, and exceptionally scarce in an advance issue.
179. PYNCHON, Thomas. Gravity's Rainbow. NY: Viking (1973). Review copy of Pynchon's magnum opus, winner of the National Book Award and the William Dean Howells Medal, given out for the best work of fiction to appear in the U.S. over a five-year period (an award that Pynchon attempted to decline). Gravity's Rainbow has become a latter-day, American Ulysses--a highly influential book that serves as a cultural milestone. Awe-inspiring for the breadth of its references and allusions, as well as for the facility of its language and the grandness of its themes, it is also deliberately ambiguous; the author had no wish to spoonfeed his readers. Dust soiling to the extreme outer lower page corners, otherwise this is a fine copy of this massive book, in a fine dust jacket with one tiny spot of rubbing at the upper rear spine fold. The first printing in hardcover was only 4000 copies (there was a simultaneous paperback printing of 15,000 copies) and advance copies of any sort are extremely scarce.
180. -. Another copy, also a review copy. Top stain faded and very mild foxing to foredge; still a near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with very minor edgewear. Publicity photo (of the book, not the author) laid in.
181. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. Name on first sheet. Covers are mildly soiled and creased, and the spine is faded. A very good copy in blue wrappers and custom clamshell box. A scarce proof: for a time, there was question as to whether this proof ever existed, with a representative of the publisher reportedly claiming that no proof of it had been done.
182. RAND, Ayn. Atlas Shrugged. NY: Random House (1957). Her last novel, a massive book written as a testament to and explication of her Objectivist philosophy. A fine copy in a bright, near fine dust jacket with modest rubbing at the spine and one short, internally-mended tear at the crown. A bulky, heavy book, which is uncommon in nice condition.
183. ROBBINS, Tom. Another Roadside Attraction. Garden City: Doubleday, 1971. The uncorrected proof copy of the author's first novel, one of a handful of contemporary novels--among them Gabriel García MÁrquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude--that became bestsellers slowly, by word of mouth, primarily on college campuses, long after the paperback editions came out. Never reprinted in hardcover, but never out of print in paperback. Robbins gained a cult following that mushroomed when his second book, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, was published, and he is now one of the most popular novelists of his generation. Mild sunning to the cardstock covers; else fine in tall, ringbound wrappers.
184. ROY, Arundhati. The God of Small Things. NY: Random House (1997). The earliest advance copy of the American edition of this Booker Prize-winning first novel, in the form of bound 8 1/2" x 11" sheets. After the considerable success of this book in England, where it was reprinted numerous times, there was considerable word-of-mouth "buzz" in this country and Random House decided to do a glossy advance reading copy in pictorial wrappers. Consequently, few copies of the standard proof were done, and this "in-house" state is earlier and scarcer still. Interestingly, after being informed of her winning the Booker, the author stated publicly that she did not see herself as a writer, that writing this novel was about her past and was now behind her, and that she had no particular intention of writing another. An uncommon state of one of the most highly praised novels of the year. Tapebound pages; slight general wear; still about fine.
185. RUSHDIE, Salman. Midnight's Children. NY: Knopf, 1981. The author's second book, winner of the Booker Prize, Britain's most prestigious literary prize. The first book in Rushdie's ambitious sequence of novels of the Muslim world, which culminated in The Satanic Verses and the death sentence imposed on him by Moslem fundamentalists. The American edition is the true first, preceding the British (they were both printed in this country). An important book that launched Rushdie's literary career as it represented a quantum leap from the subject matter and accomplishment of his first novel. This title was later named as the outstanding title among all the Booker Prize winners--the so-called "Booker of Bookers." A major novel that has become quite uncommon in recent years. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with creasing to the flap folds and a small, slight wrinkle at the crown, but without the spine-fading so common to this title.
186. 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 was issued in an edition only half as large. These stories helped establish Salinger permanently in the pantheon of American postwar writers. Offsetting to the front endpages; half the signatures edge-darkened, as is common with this title; else a near fine copy in a price-clipped dust jacket with one edge tear and some light rubbing, misguidedly "touched up" on the spine and the corners.
187. SMITH, Patti. Ha! Ha! Houdini! NY: Gotham Book Mart, 1977. The limited edition of this collection of poems by one of the key figures of the New York underground, now most well-known as a rock star. One of 26 lettered copies signed by the author, this being copy "A." Fine in wrappers and sealed with a padlock (key included). The scarcest edition of any of her writings.
188. SNYDER, Gary. Riprap. (Ashland): Origin Press, 1959. His first book, a collection of poems printed in Japan and published in an edition of 500 copies in paste papers, sewn Japanese style. Snyder's poetry has spanned the era from the Beat generation, when his references to Japanese and Chinese culture and poets were esoteric, to the present day, when there has been such a cross-fertilization of cultures that references to haiku or the game of Go are completely accessible to the mainstream. Snyder himself was instrumental in creating the links to bridge that cultural gap, which is one of the lasting contributions of the cultural upheavals of the 1960's. A fine copy, signed by the author.
189. STEGNER, Wallace. Remembering Laughter. Boston: Little Brown, 1937. Stegner's first regularly published book, a novella that won a literary competition from a field of 1340 entries. Bookplate front pastedown. Cloth edges and spine are sunned, as is usual for this title. The pages of the final two signatures are darkened on the outer edges, apparently from a change of paper during the print run. Still, all told, a near fine copy in an about near fine dust jacket with light chipping at the crown, a little rubbing to the front spine fold, and one small edge tear at the lower front panel. Signed by the author. An important debut, and quite scarce signed.
190. STEINBECK, John. To a God Unknown. NY: Ballou (1933). First edition, first issue of Steinbeck's third novel--only 598 copies of this issue were bound and sold. Fine in a near fine dust jacket, internally strengthened in two spots with archival tape, and with light rubbing at the front spinefold. A very attractive copy of an extremely scarce book. In custom folding chemise and quarter leather slipcase.
191. STEINBECK, John and RICKETTS, E.F. Sea of Cortez. NY: Viking, 1941. An advance issue of this lengthy account of an expedition to the Gulf of California by Steinbeck and Ricketts, a marine biologist. This is a salesman's promotional dummy copy. The top edge is stained green rather than the orange of the published book. The dust jacket is blank on the flaps and rear panel. Prints two pages from the Introduction, 4 pages from Chapter Two (later incorporated into Chapter 4 in the finished book), and minor extracts from the Appendix, which were altered prior to publication. All the other pages are blank. Near fine in darkened dust jacket. Salesman's dummies were done in very small quantities, and dummies of books by major 20th century authors very seldom turn up on the market. In a custom quarter leather slipcase and chemise.
192. STEINBECK, John. East of Eden. NY: Viking (1952). An ambitious family saga which was the basis for the Hollywood movie with James Dean. Trace wear to cloth at spine crown; else a fine copy in a very near fine dust jacket with miniscule chipping at the crown. A very crisp, attractive copy of this large book, seldom found thus.
193. STONE, Robert. A Hall of Mirrors. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1967. His first book, a novel of drifters in New Orleans in the early Sixties caught up in the web of a quasi-religious political machine. Winner of the William Faulkner Award for best first novel of the year as well as a Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship Award. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Rare thus.
194. STONE, Robert. Dog Soldiers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974. The uncorrected proof copy of the author's second book, co-winner of the National Book Award and basis for the movie Who'll Stop the Rain? A powerful, darkly comic novel that is one of the best explorations of the dark side of American culture in the aftermath of the 1960's and the Vietnam war. This is the second issue proof, in brown wrappers with a publisher's letter to booksellers reproduced on the front cover. Detached first blank, otherwise near fine in wrappers with the publisher's original reply postcard laid in. Signed by the author.
195. STYRON, William. Lie Down in Darkness. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill (1951). His first book, inscribed by the author to writer Jonathan Carroll, six years before Carroll's first published book: "with best wishes/ William Styron/ 27 September 1971/ (Twenty years to the/ month, after/ publication)." Laid into the book is a typed note signed by Styron in which he agrees to sign the book if it is sent to him. The note is folded in thirds; else fine, with a mailing envelope that is chipped from opening. The book is unevenly sunned on the cloth and bears a few small stains; very good in a jacket with moderate edgewear including one edge tear, and a heavy vertical crease from folding down the spine; still very good. A nice association copy of an important first novel.
196. STYRON, William. Sophie's Choice. NY: Random House (1979). The uncorrected proof copy of the fifth novel by the author of Lie Down in Darkness and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Confessions of Nat Turner. A powerful book that won the National Book Award and was made into a well-received movie with Meryl Streep. A fine copy, inscribed by the author, "with thanks."
197. TAYLOR, Peter. A Long Fourth and Other Stories. NY: Harcourt Brace (1948). A review copy of the author's uncommon first book, with an introduction by Robert Penn Warren. Taylor's stories were a relatively well-kept secret to the general reading public outside of the South until he won the PEN Faulkner Award for The Old Forest and Other Stories and followed that immediately with his second novel, A Summons to Memphis, which won the Pulitzer Prize. Fine in a very good, mildly spine-faded dust jacket with a few closed edge tears. An attractive copy of an important first book, and very scarce as a review copy.
198. THEROUX, Paul. Fong and the Indians. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1968. His second book, a novel set in a mythical east African country. This copy is inscribed by Theroux to writer V.S. Naipaul: "For Vidia/ & Pat/ with love/ Paul." Near fine in a very good dust jacket torn at the upper front spine fold and internally tape-repaired there. Laid in is an autograph note on British Broadcasting Company stationery, addressed to "Vidia" apologizing for taking "eighteen years to return this copy of Paul's novel." Theroux and Naipaul met in east Africa in 1966, presumably about the time and place that consitute the setting for this novel, and their friendship extends over three decades, dating from a time when both were relatively young writers, and neither had achieved the degree of literary renown that both enjoy today. Theroux wrote the first full length critical study of Naipaul's work. An excellent association copy.
199. THEROUX, Paul. The Old Patagonian Express. London: Hamish Hamilton (1979). The uncorrected proof copy of the first British edition of the author's second travel book, after his acclaimed The Great Railway Bazaar. This copy is near fine in wrappers and signed by the author. Laid into the proof is a full page sheet, written in the author's hand, detailing corrections and changes to be made to the text of this book. The sheet apparently refers to manuscript pages, as it cites page numbers beyond the length of this edition. The proof itself, however, also includes penciled holograph changes to the text. A remarkable glimpse of the author at work on one of his acclaimed travel accounts.
200. THOMAS, D.M. Birthstone. London: Gollancz, 1980. Uncorrected proof copy of the second novel by the author of The White Hotel. This was the author's own copy, with his holograph corrections throughout. A number of sentences are deleted, changed or, in some cases, added in the author's own hand. A revealing look at the author at work on the final stages of revision of a major piece of writing. Unique.
201. THOMPSON, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. NY: Random House (1971). Thompson's second book, epitomizing the "Gonzo journalism" that the author invented and which he has elevated to an art. A classic of the freewheeling, drug-ingesting Sixties era, illustrated with hilarious and scary pen-and-ink drawings by Ralph Steadman. Boards edges slightly sunned (as usual), tiny spots to top edge; else fine in a near fine dust jacket with very light edge wear and a small abrasion on the front panel. Signed (initialed) by Thompson and also signed and dated by Steadman. Thompson's signature is extremely scarce and on this, his most famous and by consensus his best book, it is especially uncommon.
202. TOLKIEN, J.R.R. Sagan Om Ringen. (Uppsala): Gebers (1959). The first Swedish edition of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of Tolkien's trilogy, by consensus the greatest work of fantasy of the 20th century. This copy is inscribed by the author on the half-title: "ESM from JRRT" in the author's neat, calligraphic hand. Spine-creasing and moderate edgewear; very good in wrappers. Books signed by Tolkien are very scarce.
203. TOOMER, Jean. Essentials. Chicago: Private Edition, 1931. A collection of aphorisms by this African-American writer, author of the classic, Cane, one of the high spots of the Harlem Renaissance. This is a very fine copy in near fine dust jacket with a small spot at the top of the rear spine fold--a nearly pristine copy.
204. TYLER, Anne. If Morning Ever Comes. NY: Knopf, 1964. The first edition of the first novel by the author of The Accidental Tourist and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Breathing Lessons. Written when she was just 22 years old. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a tiny chip from the upper edge of the front panel. Inscribed by the author on the half-title in 1985.
205. TYLER, Anne. The Tin Can Tree. NY: Knopf, 1965. Her second novel, a sensitively told story of a young boy coming to terms with his little sister's death. A powerful and moving story, heartfelt and well-written. Like her first book, this is very scarce as well, having received good critical reviews but not much in the way of commercial success. It is an open question which of her books is the scarcest--this one, her first book, or her fourth, The Clock Winder. The conventional wisdom seems to be that it is either her first or fourth but our experience suggests that this one is every bit as scarce as those. Fine in a fine, price-clipped jacket with a white spine, unsunned save for the extreme tip of the crown. A very nice copy of one of her scarcest books, seldom found in fine condition.
206. TYLER, Anne. The Clock Winder. NY: Knopf, 1972. Her fourth book, which some think is her scarcest and is, in any case, very scarce. Slight spine slant; else fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a hint of tanning to the spine, rubbing to the folds, and a small, light spot on the front spine fold. A much-nicer-than-usual copy of this title that, because of its light-colored, unlaminated dust jacket, is particularly prone to showing wear.
207. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers with the title and date (11-16-71) written on the spine. Scarce: the only copy we've ever seen offered for sale, and the earliest Tyler proof we have seen on the market. An exceptional copy.
208. TYLER, Anne. Morgan's Passing. London: Chatto & Windus, 1980. The first British edition of this quirky novel that was the first of her books to be reprinted numerous times right after publication, although not quite a bestseller as her later books have become. Inscribed by the author to W.P. (Bill) Kinsella, author of Shoeless Joe, in 1990. Small, light stain to bottom page edges and rear flap; else fine in a fine dust jacket. A wonderful literary association, and very scarce thus: very few Tyler association copies have come on the market.
209. TYLER, Anne. The Accidental Tourist. NY: Knopf, 1985. A novel made into an award-winning movie that solidified Tyler's place as one of the foremost writers of her generation. This is the first issue of the uncorrected proof copy, in cream wrappers. Inscribed by the author to W.P. (Bill) Kinsella in 1990. An excellent literary association. Some surface soiling, a read copy. Very good in wrappers, laid into a custom clamshell box.