Uncorrected Proofs/Advance Copies, M
Rare Proof of a Modern Classic
364. MACLEAN, Norman. A River Runs Through It. Chicago: U. of Chicago (1976). The uncorrected page proofs of this landmark title, which was the first volume of fiction ever published by the University of Chicago Press. With only 1577 copies of the book printed, it is unlikely that more than a tiny handful of these were produced. Quarto sheets in blue, illustrated card stock covers with a blue tape spine. A rare issue of a much-loved collection that is also one of the extraordinary publishing phenomena of the past couple decades. Fine, in custom quarter leather clamshell box.
365. MAILER, Norman. The Long Patrol. NY: World (1971). Uncorrected proof copy. Minor bump to upper front cover near spine; near fine in wrappers and signed by the author. A scarce proof, in part because the publisher ceased operations shortly after this book was published.
366. MAILER, Norman. Some Honorable Men. Boston: Little Brown (1976). Uncorrected proof copy. A few small ink marks along the top edge of the pages, otherwise fine in wrappers. Signed by the author.
367. MALOUF, David. Remembering Babylon. NY: Pantheon (1993). Uncorrected proof copy. A major novel by this Australian author about the conflicting myths that underlie Australian history--the Western and Aboriginal views of the land. Fine in wrappers.
368. MAMET, David. The Village. Boston: Little Brown (1994). Uncorrected proof copy of the first novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Glengarry Glen Ross. Fine in wrappers.
369. MARCUS, J.S. The Captain's Fire. NY: Knopf, 1996. Uncorrected proof copy of his second book, first novel, which reproduces a small number of holograph changes to the text. Fine in wrappers.
370. MARKHAM, Beryl. West With the Night. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1942. Advance reading copy in pictorial wrappers, reproducing the dust jacket art--a fairly typical approach to issuing softbound advance copies in the Thirties and Forties. Modest wear along folds; small chip at base of spine; very good in wrappers. The first edition of this landmark autobiography of the pioneering female aviator is itself scarce; the advance copy much more so.
371. MARKUS, Julia. Dared and Done. NY: Knopf, 1995. Uncorrected proof copy of the author's fifth book, and first of nonfiction, a dual biography of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, and their marriage. Fine in wrappers.
372. MARTIN, David. The Crying Heart Tattoo. NY: Holt, Rinehart Winston (1982). Advance reading copy of the second novel by this writer who has since become a well-respected thriller writer. Near fine in wrappers.
373. MASO, Carole. Ava. (Normal): Dalkey Archive Press (1993). Uncorrected proof copy of her third book, the first in a projected trilogy. Textual differences from the first edition. Fine in wrappers.
374. (MASO, Carole). Slow Hand. Women Writing Erotica. (NY): HarperCollins (1992). Uncorrected proof copy of this anthology, which includes an excerpt from Maso's fourth book The American Woman in the Chinese Hat, a novel in which the forces of language and sex are summoned to compensate for the main character's "catastrophic loss of feeling." Fine in wrappers.
Award-Winning First Book
375. MASON, Bobbie Ann. Shiloh and Other Stories. NY: Harper & Row (1982). Uncorrected proof copy of her acclaimed first book, winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award and a finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Faint damp marks on front panel but still close to fine. A very scarce proof.
376. MASON, Bobbie Ann. In Country. NY: Harper & Row (1985). Advance reading copy of her second book, first novel, which was made into a well-received novel. A bibliographically significant edition, in that substantial differences exist between the text of this volume and the final published book. Near fine.
377. -. Another copy, signed by the author.
378. MASON, Bobbie Ann. Feather Crowns. (NY): HarperCollins (1993). Uncorrected proof copy of the long-awaited second novel by the author of Shiloh and Other Stories and In Country. Near fine in wrappers.
379. -. Same title, this being the advance reading copy. Fine in wrappers, and signed by the author.
380. MATTHEWS, Greg. The Wisdom of Stones. (NY): HarperCollins (1994). Uncorrected proof copy of this new novel by the Australian author of Power in the Blood and The Heart of the Country. Fine in wrappers.
381. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Partisans. NY: Viking, 1955. Long galley proofs of his second novel. Tall sheets printed on rectos only, string-tied at the top, with plain card-stock covers with publisher's info sheets and label on front cover. This copy was given to a writer friend of Matthiessen, who appears to have been an informal copy editor, and has marked a number of spots in the text with pencil, pointing out misspellings, correcting foreign syntax and vocabulary, etc. Casual inspection shows that these changes were all incorporated into the final book. Page edges slightly rough; top cover sheet is browned with age and worn. An exceedingly scarce state of this book, unlikely to have been done in quantities greater than a mere handful. This is the only copy of the proof that we have heard of, and it is a significant copy, in that it is in all likelihood the one responsible for these numerous small, but not insignificant, changes throughout. Signed by the author. In a custom clamshell box.
382. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. At Play in the Fields of the Lord. NY: Random House (1965). Advance reading copy of his fourth novel, which was nominated for the National Book Award and, nearly thirty years later, made into a fine film by Hector Babenco. A cautionary tale of number of Americans--with widely different aims-- having unintended effects on a tribe of stone age Amazonian Indians. Small ink price on half-title; near fine in wrappers and signed by the author.
383. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Blue Meridian. The Search for the Great White Shark. NY: RH (1971). Uncorrected proof copy. Nonfiction account of an expedition in search of the Great White Shark, for a television documentary. This is an extremely tall, pad- bound proof. The front cover and title page reproduce a rough, hand- drawn version of the artwork and design actually used in the published edition. Covers lightly soiled but still a very good copy of an extremely scarce and fragile state of the book. Signed by the author on the publisher's label on the front cover.
384. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. The Snow Leopard. NY: Viking (n.d.). Uncorrected proof copy of his National Book Award- winning account of a journey to the Himalayas with naturalist George Schaller. The first third of this book changed markedly between the proof and the final published text, and there were other minor changes throughout. An important state, bibliographically. Some notes on rear cover and some rippling to the covers. About very good, and signed by the author.
Contents Differ From Published Book
385. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. On the River Styx. NY: Random House (1988). Uncorrected proof copy. This is the first issue proof, which prints a story that was dropped from the final book--"A Replacement"--and lacks one story that did finally appear--"Horse Latitudes." Fine in wrappers and signed by the author. Very scarce: a second set of proofs, with the correct final story selection, was issued to supersede this version, and is much more common than this.
386. MATTHIESSEN, Peter. Killing Mr. Watson. NY: Random House (1990). Uncorrected proof copy of this highly acclaimed novel, set in south Florida at the turn of the century, and based on a historical incident in which a group of individuals conspired to kill a prominent local resident and then cover up the responsibility for the deed. With its elements of class and race conflict, and the implications of development and exploitation of a fragile ecosystem, this novel touches on many of the themes that have run through Matthiessen's writings over the years. An unusually scarce proof, for some reason, perhaps because the book was being edited and revised right up to publication. Whatever the case, much scarcer than one would expect. Fine in wrappers and signed by the author.
387. (MATTHIESSEN, Peter). "Gutarat and Rajasthan" in The Nature of Nature. NY: HBJ (1994). Uncorrected proof copy of this collection of original essays. Other contributors include Bill McKibben, Diane Ackerman, Edward Hoagland, Robert Finch, David Rains Wallace, Natalie Angier, a.o. Preface by Al Gore. Minor wrinkling to front cover; else fine in wrappers.
388. MAXWELL, William. Billie Dyer and Other Stories. NY: Knopf, 1992. Uncorrected proof copy of this collection of related stories, six of which first appeared in The New Yorker. Fine in wrappers.
389. MAXWELL, William. All the Days and Nights. NY: Knopf, 1995. Uncorrected proof copy of this collection of short fiction, which spans his entire writing career--over 50 years. Maxwell has been called "the greatest living American writer" by one trade publication. Fine in wrappers and signed by the author.
390. -. Another copy, unsigned. Fine in wrappers.
391. MAYNARD, Joyce. To Die For. NY: Dutton, 1992. Uncorrected proof copy of this novel which is based on a true story of murder-for-hire and was made into a darkly comic and very well- received movie. Fine in wrappers, with publisher's promotional sheet laid in. The first appearance in print of what became the Nicole Kidman vehicle.
392. McALMON, Robert. Distinguished Air (Grim Fairy Tales). Paris: Contact Editions, 1925. A collection of three stories published in a limited edition by McAlmon's own press, one of the important centers of expatriate literary publishing in the Twenties. McAlmon helped found both Contact Editions and the Three Mountains Press, which published Hemingway, Pound, Stein, Williams and H.D., among others, during the Twenties. Of a total edition of only 115 copies, this is the author's own copy, designated "Author's Proof" on the colophon, with the words "His copy" handwritten beneath that. McAlmon's bookplate is on the front pastedown and there are holograph corrections throughout, presumably in the author's hand. Paper brittle; boards thoroughly rubbed along the edges and folds; about very good in attractive, quarter leather custom clamshell box. A unique copy of this rare book from one of the most important small presses of its time.
393. McBAIN, Ed. There Was a Little Girl. (NY): Warner (1994). Advance reading copy of the eleventh Matthew Hope novel by this prolific writer, who is also the author of the "87th Precinct" series and, as Evan Hunter, of The Blackboard Jungle as well as the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's movie, The Birds. Fine in wrappers.
394. McCARTHY, Cormac. Blood Meridian. NY: Random House (1985). Uncorrected proof copy of his fifth book, a powerful novel of the Old West, based on an actual series of events in 1849- 1950 in Texas and Mexico, and rendered with an eye to bringing to life the surreal violence of the time and place. Fine in wrappers.
395. McCARTHY, Cormac. All the Pretty Horses. NY: Knopf, 1992. The first volume of the Border Trilogy, a landmark novel that won both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. This is the advance reading copy in wrappers and publisher's folding box. These were sent out in advance of publication to promote the book and were signed by the author. Reports have it that approximately 400 were to be done but the author quit after about 200, and declined to do any more. The proof is fine; the thin card stock box has been ripped in opening.
396. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. This is the second state, with "A Border Trilogy" changed to "The Border Trilogy." Fine in wrappers.
397. -. Same title. Bound sheets, 8 1/2" x 11" format. The earliest format of this book. Fine.
398. -. Same title. Offprint of the excerpt published in the March 1992 issue of Esquire. Fine, with four-color illustrations. An ephemeral piece, which was given away at the time of publication but has become scarce now.
399. McCARTHY, Cormac. The Crossing. NY: Knopf, 1994. His seventh novel, the sequel to his award-winning All the Pretty Horses, and the second novel in the "The Border Trilogy." These are the bound sheets, 8 1/2" x 11" format, the earliest state of this book. The inside front cover lists the title as "Untitled McCarthy," giving an indication of just how early in the publishing process these sheets were prepared. The cover also contains the sales history of McCarthy's earlier titles. Fine.
400. -. Same title, uncorrected proof copy of the first British edition (London: Picador, 1994). Fine in wrappers.
401. McELROY, Joseph. A Smuggler's Bible. NY: Harcourt Brace World (1966). Advance copy in printed wrapppers of his first book. Small ink mark on rear cover, otherwise about fine. Inscribed by the author, "I'm proud that you admire this book."
402. -. Another copy, unsigned. Very good in wrappers.
403. McELROY, Joseph. Hind's Kidnap. NY: Harper & Row (1969). Uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers and inscribed by the author in 1974. An extremely scarce proof; we have never seen another copy of it and McElroy's inscription suggests that he may not have ever seen it either: "To ____ _______/ On first touching/ this green book/ Joe McElroy/ April 26, 1974."
404. McELROY, Joseph. Ancient History: A Paraphase. NY: Knopf, 1971. Uncorrected proof copy, inscribed by the author. Near fine in tall, padbound wrappers. A scarce and fragile format; again, we have never seen another of these and it is unlikely that more than a handful can have survived.
405. McELROY, Joseph. Lookout Cartridge. NY: Knopf, 1974. The uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers and inscribed by the author.
406. McELROY, Joseph. Plus. NY: Knopf, 1977. Uncorrected proof copy of his fifth book, an intellectual science fiction novel of a disembodied brain circling the earth as part of a solar energy experiment. Fine in tall wrappers.
407. McGUANE, Thomas. The Sporting Club. NY: Simon & Schuster (1969). Uncorrected proof copy of the author's first book. Tall, pad-bound wrappers, with glue strip spine. A very fragile format and the earliest state of his first book to have surfaced. McGuane was the first of the contemporary writers who have turned the state of Montana, once known primarily for its big sky and wide open spaces, into a latter-day American Bloomsbury, with perhaps the highest per capita concentration of fine writers of anyplace in the country. This is a fine copy of a scarce and important debut, protected in a custom clamshell box.
408. McGUANE, Thomas. The Bushwhacked Piano. NY: Simon & Schuster (1971). Uncorrected proof copy of his second book, winner of the Richard and Hilda Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, for a novel of "considerable literary achievement." Very tall, pad-bound wrappers, with mesh spine. Again, a very fragile format and a fine copy. Rare.
409. McGUANE, Thomas. Panama. NY: FSG (1978). Uncorrected proof copy of his fourth novel. This is the first issue proof, in tall green wrappers. A very fine copy, preserved in a custom clamshell box.
410. McGUANE, Thomas. To Skin a Cat. (NY): (Dutton)(1986). Advance reading excerpt, consisting of the title story of the collection, issued by the publisher in an edition of 250 numbered copies in stapled wrappers, signed by the author. Fine.
411. McGUANE, Thomas. Keep the Change. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. Advance reading copy of this novel. "Network - Not for Resale" stamped on top edge; similar sticker on front cover. Fine in wrappers.
412. McGUANE, Thomas. Nothing But Blue Skies. Boston/NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1992. Advance reading copy of this novel by the author of 92 In the Shade and The Bushwhacked Piano. Light corner crease back panel; else fine.
413. McMAHON, Thomas. Loving Little Egypt. (n.p.): Viking (1987). Uncorrected proof copy of his third book, a novel of the Jazz Age. Fine in wrappers.
414. McMILLAN, Terry. Mama. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987. Uncorrected proof copy of this popular African- American author's well-received first book. Crease to rear cover; two small wrinkles from clips on front cover; still very near fine in wrappers.
415. McMILLAN, Terry. Waiting to Exhale. (n.p.): Viking (1992). Advance reading copy of her third book. A culturally significant book as McMillan's novels have not only brought fiction by an African-American woman into the mainstream, but have become extraordinary bestsellers; and the author herself has become a literary celebrity--both phenomena still quite new for black women writers. Fine in wrappers, and signed by the author.
Scarce Ringbound Advance Copy in Dust Jacket
416. McMURTRY, Larry. The Last Picture Show. NY: Dial, 1966. His third novel, basis for the Academy Award-winning movie. This is the advance reading copy. Mildly foxed at page edges, with offsetting on half title; else fine in ringbound cardstock covers and laid into a dust jacket. A rare prepublication state of this important novel.
417. McMURTRY, Larry. All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers. NY: S&S (1972). McMurtry's fifth novel, loosely based on his experiences at Stanford, with Ken Kesey and the others of the Perry Lane crowd in the Sixties. The uncorrected proof copy. Padbound wrappers, with rear cover detaching. Laid into an attractive, quarter leather custom clamshell box. A fragile format. Rare.
Original Larry McMurtry MS and Corrected Proofs
418. McMURTRY, Larry. It's Always We Rambled: An Essay on Rodeo. (NY: Hallman, 1974). The original manuscript. 24 pages of yellow foolscap, the original ribbon-copy manuscript, corrected in red by McMurtry, together with the long galley proofs for the finished book, printed on rectos only, corrected in ink by McMurtry and signed by him. Also included is the original mailing envelope addressed to the publisher from McMurtry, as well as McMurtry's original letter agreeing to do the above limited edition with Hallman. The top sheet has a couple of tiny edge nicks, not affecting the text, otherwise this is a fine copy of a significant original manuscript by one of the most important and collectible American authors writing today, and certainly the most sought after Texas writer, probably of all time. McMurtry's novels, both of the contemporary West and the myths of the Old West, have been critically praised, winning numerous awards including the Pulitzer Prize (for Lonesome Dove), and hugely successful commercially, with several of them having been made into remarkable, award-winning films. The success of his writing in these genres has helped spark the contemporary resurgence of western literature, which is today one of the most vibrant and vital areas of American writing. An exceptional item.
419. McMURTRY, Larry. Desert Rose. NY: S&S (1983). Uncorrected proof copy of the novel just prior to McMurtry's great success with Lonesome Dove. Fine in wrappers. In our experience, considerably scarcer than the proofs of his more recent novels.
420. McMURTRY, Larry. Film Flam. NY: S&S (1987). Essays on Hollywood, adapted in part from his columns in American Film magazine. Uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers.
421. McMURTRY, Larry. Buffalo Girls. NY: S&S (1990). Uncorrected proof copy. Another of his novels that re- envision the Old West, and re-instill life into some of its mythologized characters: "Calamity Jane" is the heroine of this novel, and Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Cody are among the supporting cast. A fine copy in wrappers.
422. McMURTRY, Larry. Streets of Laredo. NY: S&S (1993). The long-awaited sequel to his bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning Lonesome Dove. This is the uncorrected proof copy; fine in wrappers.
With Unpublished McMurtry Essay
423. McMURTRY, Larry and OSSANA, Diana. Pretty Boy Floyd. NY: Simon & Schuster (1994). Uncorrected proof copy of this collaborative novel, which was originally developed as a screenplay and which the writers then decided to flesh out into a novel, while the film project was still awaiting the green light. Laid into this proof is a three-page explanation by the authors of their method and experience in writing collaboratively, and their thoughts on the process--a piece which, to the best of our knowledge does not appear elsewhere. Near fine in wrappers.
424. McPHEE, John. The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed. NY: FSG (1973). Uncorrected proof copy of this account of a serious, but flawed, attempt to create a new kind of aircraft--a combination airplane and lighter-than-air airship. As he has so often done, McPhee elucidates an intriguing but obscure subject with his crystal- clear prose. Inscribed by the author in January 1974 ("with much appreciation for your interest in this book"). Fine in tall wrappers. Laid in is an autograph note signed agreeing to inscribe the title.
425. McPHEE, John. Assembling California. NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1993. Uncorrected proof copy of this extended essay on the geology of California. Fine in wrappers.
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Story Collection
426. McPHERSON, James Alan. Hue and Cry. Boston: Little Brown (1969). Uncorrected proof of the author's first book, a collection of stories and one of the most highly praised debuts of the Sixties. Label residue to lower wrappers; else a fine copy, and an important first book, by an African-American writer whose output has been extremely limited in the past 15 years but who produced two certifiable gems of contemporary American literature in a relatively short active writing career: this book and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Elbow Room. A powerful and moving collection of stories and very scarce in an advance issue.
427. (McPHERSON, James Alan). PANCAKE, BREECE D'J. The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake. Bos: LB (1983). Foreword by McPherson to this collection of short stories by a promising young writer who was, at one time, McPherson's student and who committed suicide before this book was published. Uncorrected proof copy. Fine in proof dust jacket, with publisher's "Fact Sheet" laid in.
428. -. (Same title). Photocopied typescript of an early version of McPherson's foreword. Seventeen pages. The photcopies reproduce a small number of holograph changes, mostly spelling corrections, but comparison with the published text reveals this to be an early draft, with much material changed, re-ordered or added in the latter version. A revealing glimpse at the work of one of the finest writers of a generation, in his capacity as a generous and compassionate critic/ biographer of one of his former students. We know of no other McPherson manuscripts or drafts appearing on the market.
429. MEISSNER, Bill. Hitting into the Wind. NY: Random House (1994). Uncorrected proof copy of this collection of short stories with baseball themes. Fine in wrappers.
430. MENCKEN, H.L. A Second Mencken Chrestomathy. NY: Knopf, 1995. Uncorrected proof copy of the first edition of this collection, which was prepared by the author and annotated by him shortly before he had a massive stroke in 1948, and then never published. A few spots to front cover; else fine in wrappers.
431. MERIWETHER, Louise. Fragments of the Ark. NY: Pocket Books (1994). Uncorrected proof copy of this novel by the author of Daddy Was a Numbers Runner, an African-American author who has been a member of the Harlem Writers Guild and the Watts Writers' Workshop. Fine in wrappers, with wraparound band laid in with blurbs by Maya Angelou and Paule Marshall.
432. MERWIN, W.S. The Vixen. NY: Knopf, 1995. Uncorrected proof copy of this collection by one of the foremost poets of our time. Fine.
433. MICHENER, James. Recessional. NY: Random House (1994). Uncorrected proof copy of this novel. Fine in wrappers.
434. MICHENER, James. Miracle in Seville. NY: Random House (1995). Uncorrected proof copy of this just-published short novel of Spain and the bullfight. Fine in wrappers.
435. MILLER, Arthur. Homely Girl, A Life and Other Stories. (NY): Viking (1995). A small volume, printing three stories by the award-winning playwright, his first published fiction in many years. Uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers.
436. MILLER, Henry. Opus Pistorum. NY: Grove (1983). Uncorrected proof copy of this postshumously published novel by the author of Tropic of Cancer and other modern literary classics, which stretched the boundaries of the acceptable in 20th century literature. Near fine in wrappers.
437. MILLHAUSER, Steven. Little Kingdoms. NY: Poseidon (1993). Advance reading copy of this collection of three novellas. Fine in wrappers.
438. MILOSZ, Czeslaw. Nobel Lecture. NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (1981). Uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers.
439. MILOSZ, Czeslaw. A Year of the Hunter. NY: FSG (1994). Proof copy of this autobiography by the 1980 Nobel Prize winner for Literature. Very near fine in wrappers that are slightly worn at the bottom.
440. MINOT, Susan. Lust & Other Stories. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. Uncorrected proof copy of her well received first book. Fine.
441. MINOT, Susan. Folly. Boston: Houghton Mifflin/Seymour Lawrence, 1992. Advance reading copy of her third book, second novel. Fine in wrappers.
442. MOODY, Rick. Garden State. Wainscott: Pushcart (1992). Uncorrected proof copy of the author's first book, winner of the annual Pushcart Press Editors' Book Award. Fine in wrappers. Presumably quite scarce: Pushcart Press is a small press not known for the wide distribution of its proof copies.
443. MOODY, Rick. The Ice Storm. Boston: Little Brown (1994). Advance reading copy of the author's second book. Near fine in wrappers.
444. MOORE, Brian. Black Robe. London: Cape (1985). Uncorrected proof copy of the author's novel of Jesuit missionaries to Canada in the 17th century, basis for the critically acclaimed Bruce Beresford film. Fine in wrappers.
445. MOORE, Susanna. Sleeping Beauties. NY: Knopf, 1993. Uncorrected proof copy of the highly praised third novel by the author of My Old Sweetheart and The Whiteness of Bones. Near fine in wrappers.
446. MOORE, Susanna. In the Cut. NY: Knopf, 1995. Advance reading copy of her latest book, an erotic thriller published to universally excellent reviews. Fine in wrappers.
447. MORGAN, Seth. Dead Man Walkin'. NY: Random House (1990). Uncorrected proof copy of his award-winning first novel. The original title, Dead Man Walkin', is inked out on the front cover (but not on the rear or the title page), with the later published title, Homeboy, written in. A well-received novel which had already earned something of a cult following when its author was killed in a violent incident typical of the seedy street culture he chronicled in his novel. Fine.
448. MORRIS, Wright. Fire Sermon. (NY): (Harper & Row) (1971). Long galley sheets of this novel, with copyediting/proofreading marks throughout. Folded once, otherwise fine. Scarce.
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel by a Nobel Prize-Winning Author
449. MORRISON, Toni. Beloved. NY: Knopf, 1987. Uncorrected proof copy of the fifth novel by the recent Nobel Prize winner, which won the Pulitzer Prize. Near fine in wrappers.
450. MOSLEY, Walter. Black Betty. NY: Norton (1994). Uncorrected proof copy of the fourth mystery in the highly praised series featuring Easy Rawlins, a black private eye in Los Angeles. This volume in the series is set in 1961. Fine in wrappers.
451. MUKHERJEE, Bharati. The Holder of the World. NY: Knopf, 1993. Uncorrected proof copy. A novel by the author of the award-winning collection, The Middleman and Other Stories. Near fine in wrappers.
Boxed, Signed Advance Reading Copy
452. MUNRO, Alice. Friend of My Youth. NY: Knopf, 1990. Advance reading copy of this well-received collection of stories. Fine in wrappers and near fine publisher's folding cardstock box and signed by the author. Knopf's issuance of these signed, boxed advance copies as promotional giveaways to retail booksellers and other members of the book trade is a fairly recent phenomenon; they have quickly become collectible items in themselves. While they can confuse the issue bibliographically, they have in general been readily perceived as a desirable state of the book, being both early (pre-publication), limited (by definition, although normally not with a stated limitation), and signed--three desirable attributes in a collectible modern book.
453. MUNRO, Alice. Open Secrets. NY: Knopf, 1994. Uncorrected proof copy of her eighth book, a collection of stories. Fine in wrappers.
454. MURDOCH, Iris. An Unofficial Rose. London: Chatto & Windus, 1962. Uncorrected proof copy of this novel, her sixth book of fiction. Spine slanted and worn at extremities; wrappers moderately soiled. Overall very good. With publisher's typed label indicating this to be an "uncorrected copy" on the front cover. Scarce.
455. MURDOCH, Iris. The Green Knight. (n.p.): Viking (1994). Uncorrected proof copy of her twenty-fifth novel. Tiny nicks to foredge of pages; else fine in wrappers.
456. MURRAY, Albert. The Blue Devils of Nada. NY: Pantheon Books (1996). Uncorrected proof copy. A collection of essays on art and aesthetics by this African-American writer who is most well-known as a novelist and a historian and critic of the blues. Fine in wrappers.