Uncorrected Proofs/Advance Copies, T-V
600. TAN, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. NY: Putnam's (1989). Advance reading copy of the author's landmark first novel, which was a surprise bestseller and went into over 30 printings in its first year. The Joy Luck Club was not a book which was initially viewed as having great commercial potential, but the author's agent conducted an auction of the publication rights that, because of the price the manuscript finally commanded, essentially forced the winning bidder, Putnam's, to promote the book beyond what would have normally been the case for a first novel by an ethnic, unknown, woman writer. Thus, instead of a low-key promotion and plain printed proofs, a more elaborate advance copy was done and widely distributed. Needless to say, the book succeeded beyond what might have been the wildest expectations and hopes of both author and publisher and was later made into a well-received film. This is a near fine copy in wrappers. A publishing phenomenon.
601. TAN, Amy. The Kitchen God's Wife. NY: Putnam (1991). Uncorrected proof copy of her second book. Fine in wrappers.
602. TARTT, Donna. The Secret History. NY: Knopf, 1992. Advance reading copy of her first novel, published to considerable fanfare. This is a near fine copy in wrappers and is signed by the author. A very nice copy of a volume that shows wear readily.
603. -. Another copy, near fine in wrappers, with one crimp at the upper edge of the front cover.
Pulitzer Prize Winner, Signed
604. TAYLOR, Peter. A Summons to Memphis. NY: Knopf, 1986. Uncorrected proof copy of this novel which won the Pulitzer Prize and was only the second novel by this Southern writer who was renowned as a master of the short story. Signed by the author on the front cover. Near fine in wrappers.
605. TAYLOR, Peter. The Oracle at Stoneleigh Court. NY: Knopf, 1993. One of 650 numbered advance reading copies of his last book, a collection of stories. Fine in wrappers, in publisher's cardboard slipcase.
606. THEROUX, Paul. Sinning With Annie. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1972. Uncorrected proof copy of Theroux's fifth book, a collection of stories. Fine in wrappers. Proofs from this early in Theroux's career are quite scarce.
607. THEROUX, Paul. Saint Jack. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1973. Uncorrected proof copy of his sixth book, a novel which was also the basis for a movie. Fine in wrappers. Again, scarce.
608. THEROUX, Paul. A Christmas Card. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1978. Uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of this short volume, signed by the author. Laid into this copy are two photoreproductions of illustrations for the book, as well as a photocopy of a design for the dust jacket; a similar photocopy jacket cover is folded over the front cover, to give a sense of the appearance of the book. Numerous holographic changes in the text are reproduced, most of them changing British spelling and usage to American. An interesting, perhaps unique, copy of this proof. Spine sunned; else fine in wrappers.
609. THEROUX, Paul. My Secret History. NY: Putnam (1989). Uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers.
610. THOMAS, D.M. Birthstone. London: Gollancz, 1980. The uncorrected proof copy of the second novel by the author of The White Hotel. This was the author's own copy, with his holograph revisions 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. Minor discoloration of covers and mild staining to page edges; still a near fine copy in wrappers. Unique.
611. THORNTON, Lawrence. Imagining Argentina. Garden City: Doubleday, 1987. Advance reading copy of his first book, which won the PEN/Hemingway Award. Near fine in wrappers.
612. TREVOR, William. Excursions in the Real World. NY: Knopf, 1994. Uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition. A volume of memoirs by this Irish writer whom The New Yorker called "probably the greatest living writer of short stories in the English language." Fine in wrappers.
613. TYLER, Anne. Morgan's Passing. NY: Knopf, 1980. Uncorrected proof copy of what amounted to her "breakthrough" book--the first of her books to be reprinted several times immediately after publication and to become a minor bestseller; since then, her books have had increasingly large first printings and have been bestsellers upon publication. Tall wrappers--suggesting few copies were done. Near fine, with some light creasing to cover. Signed by the author.
614. TYLER, Anne. Ladder of Years. NY: Knopf, 1995. Advance reading copy of her recent novel, with cover art that differs slightly from the published version. Fine in wrappers.
615. UNSWORTH, Barry. Sacred Hunger. London: Hamish Hamilton (1992). Advance reading copy of this highly praised novel of the slave trade in the 1750s. Co-winner of the Booker Prize, with Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient. Mild spine creasing; ring on back cover. Near fine in wrappers and signed by the author.
616. UNSWORTH, Barry. Morality Play. London: Hamish Hamilton (1995). Advance reading copy of this historical novel of the fourteenth century, by the author of Pascali's Island and the Booker Prize-winning Sacred Hunger. Fine in wrappers.
617. UPDIKE, John. Marry Me. NY: Knopf, 1976. Uncorrected proof copy. Slight dampstain and wrinkle to rear cover and last few pages; still at least very good in tall wrappers. Updike proofs from this era are scarce.
Proof of an Updike Broadside
618. UPDIKE, John. An Oddly Lovely Day Alone. Richmond: Waves Press, 1979. Broadside. For a total edition of 276 copies, this is a Proof Copy. Approximately 7" x 17". Fine.
National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize Winner
619. UPDIKE, John. Rabbit is Rich. NY: Knopf, 1981. The third of his "Rabbit Angstrom" books, winner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, in a series which has become itself a distinctive slice of Americana. This is the uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers.
620. UPDIKE, John. Bech is Back. NY: Knopf, 1982. The uncorrected proof copy of the second of his humorous books featuring writer Henry Bech, an Updike alter-ego. Fine in wrappers.
With Variant Text
621. UPDIKE, John. The Witches of Eastwick. NY: Knopf, 1984. Uncorrected proof copy of Updike's suburban fantasy that was made into a humorous and successful movie with Jack Nicholson, Cher, and others. Chosen by British critic David Pringle as one of the hundred best fantasy novels of the postwar era. This is the first issue proof, which contains passages that were not in the later proof or in the final published book. Fine, in brick red wrappers.
622. -. Same title, the second issue of the uncorrected proof, in mauve wrappers, with the revised text. Fine.
623. -. Same title, loost sheets for use as page proofs. 8 1/2" x 11" format with compositor's markings at the borders and a date of 1/31/84 on each page; publication date is indicated as being May 21. Fine. With proof dust jacket art laid in; chipped, not affecting jacket art. One of no doubt a very few such sets of sheets--perhaps fewer than five--and quite early, being nearly five months prior to publication.
624. UPDIKE, John. Roger's Version. NY: Knopf, 1986. Uncorrected proof copy, with slip laid in stating "Complimentary copy for the Friends of the Harvard College Library." Fine in wrappers.
625. UPDKE, John. Trust Me. NY: Knopf, 1987. Uncorrected proof copy of this collection of stories. Fine in wrappers.
626. UPDIKE, John. S. NY: Knopf, 1988. An epistolary novel based on an ashram similar to that operated by the popular guru Rajneesh during the 70's and 80's. This is the uncorrected proof copy. Fine in wrappers.
627. UPDIKE, John. Rabbit at Rest. NY: Knopf, 1990. Uncorrected proof copy. The concluding volume of the award-winning Rabbit Angstrom saga, one of the most highly praised fictional sequences of our time. Fine in wrappers.
628. -. Same title, the advance reading copy. Fine in wrappers and publisher's folding cardboard box. Signed by the author.
629. UPDIKE, John. Odd Jobs. NY: Knopf, 1991. Uncorrected proof copy, a massive collection of his essays, criticism and reviews; his fourth collection of nonfiction. Fine in wrappers. Updike is not only one of the finest contemporary American writers, he is a careful and generous reader, and his reviews are typically both generous and insightful.
630. UPDIKE, John. Two Sets of Corrected Proof Sheets and Two Typed Notes Signed. August [1991]. August 6 proof sheets, with Updike's holograph comments and corrections of an article on Edward Steichen's photography, which was printed by the Whitney Museum and then picked up by Art and Antiques. Together with a typed note signed commenting on his changes and concluding, "Am I getting paid for this, or is all the money going into the Whitney's bulging coffers?" Letter folded once vertically; proof sheets folded in thirds; else fine. Together with a later set of proof sheets (August 15), with Updike's holograph comments and corrections. Together with a typed note signed commenting on his changes, complaining that his paycheck will be going to Disney (who had secured some of the rights to the article, which was adapted from a book published by the Whitney Museum), and declining to be named a contributing editor to Art and Antiques: "...I think it would be a small fraud, and my name is on enough meaningless lists anyway. Let me just remain a would-be contributor, taking my lumps with the others out there (here)." The letter is folded once vertically; the proofs are folded in thirds; else fine. For all:
631. UPDIKE, John. Collected Poems 1953-1993. NY: Knopf, 1993. Uncorrected proof copy of this volume, which contains over 70 poems never collected before. Fine in wrappers.
632. UPDIKE, John. The Afterlife and Other Stories. NY: Knopf, 1994. Uncorrected proof copy of his latest book, just published to excellent reviews. Fine in wrappers.
633. UPDIKE, John. Brazil. NY: Knopf, 1994. Uncorrected proof copy of his most recent novel. Fine in wrappers, with dust jacket art stapled inside front cover. Considerably less common than the advance reading copy.
634. -. Same title, the advance reading copy. Fine in pictorial wrappers.
Early Updike Essay on Salinger
635. (UPDIKE, John). Salinger: A Critical and Personal Portrait. NY: Harper & Row (1962). Ringbound proof copy of this collection of essays about Salinger, which includes "In the Age of Nuance" by Updike, as well as pieces by Alfred Kazin,Joan Didion, Joseph Blotner, Granville Hicks and others. Ringbound galley sheets printed on rectos only. Publisher's label laid in. A format that suggests only a few copies would have been prepared thus; we have never seen another. In the juxtaposition of Updike and Salinger, this volume represents possibly the two most widely collected American authors of the postwar era, and we have never seen another copy of this early version of the book. Near fine.
636. URQUHART, Jane. Away. (n.p.): Viking (1993). Advance reading copy of this Canadian author's well-received novel. Fine in wrappers.
637. VACHSS, Andrew. Sacrifice. NY: Knopf, 1991. Uncorrected proof copy. A "Burke" novel, his sixth. Fine in wrappers.
638. VIDAL, Gore. The City and the Pillar and Seven Early Stories. NY: Random House (1995). Uncorrected proof copy of this reissue of Vidal's early homosexual novel and seven early stories bearing on the theme of homosexuality. With a new introduction by the author. Fine in wrappers.
639. (Vietnam). HASFORD, Gustav. The Phantom Blooper. NY: Bantam (1990). Uncorrected proof copy of his second novel, which is a sequel to The Short-Timers, with several of the same characters. Fine in wrappers.
640. (Vietnam). HASFORD, Gustav. A Gypsy Good Time. NY: Pocket Books (1992). The uncorrected proof copy of his third book, a hardboiled novel which was only issued in softcover. The main character is a rare book dealer who is a Vietnam vet. Hasford, a Vietnam vet whose book The Short-Timers was the basis for Stanley Kubrick's movie Full Metal Jacket, was also an avid bibliophile. This is a fine copy in wrappers.
National Book Award Winner
641. (Vietnam). HEINEMANN, Larry. Paco's Story. NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (1986). Uncorrected proof copy of the author's second book, a surprise winner of the National Book Award-- one of the controversial events of that publishing season, when some proclaimed that Toni Morrison had been overlooked for her acclaimed novel Beloved because of her race and gender. Controversy notwithstanding, this is a powerful novel.
642. KOVIC, Ron. Born on the Fourth of July. NY: McGraw-Hill (1978). Uncorrected proof copy of the author's acclaimed memoir, one of the most powerful and bitter recollections of the Vietnam war, and the basis for the well-received movie. Corner crease on front cover; near fine in wrappers.
643. VOIGT, Ellen Bryant. The Forces of Plenty. NY: Norton (1983). Uncorrected proof copy. Diagonal sunning on front cover; else fine in wrappers.
644. VOIGT, Ellen Bryant. Kyrie. NY: Norton (1995). Uncorrected proof copy of her most recent collection of poems. Fine in wrappers.
645. VOLLMANN, William T. The Ice-Shirt. (n.p.): Viking (1990). Uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of the first book in his ambitious Seven Dreams series, an ongoing fictional retelling of the history of North America. Near fine in wrappers and signed by the author.
646. VOLLMANN, William T. Butterfly Stories. NY: Grove (1993). The advance reading copy of the American edition of this collection. Fine in wrappers and signed by the author.
647. VONNEGUT, Kurt, Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children's Crusade. A Duty-Dance with Death. (n.p.): Seymour Lawrence/Delacorte (1969). Uncorrected proof copy of Vonnegut's masterwork, a powerful fictional memoir of his experiences during the Allied fire-bombing of Dresden, Germany. Vonnegut's philosophical reflections on the tragic absurdity of humankind are embedded in an impressionistic, comic science fiction tale that involves characters from his other novels and aliens from a fictional planet. One of the high spots of the literature of the 1960s, and the book that most firmly secured Vonnegut's reputation as a major novelist of our time. According to the bibliographer, only 39 copies of this proof were produced, and the fragile format assures that few will have survived. Fine in tall, ringbound wrappers. A rare state of an important book.
648. VONNEGUT, Kurt, Jr. Breakfast of Champions. (NY): Delacorte (1973). Uncorrected proof copy of his next novel after Slaughterhouse-Five. Tall sheets reproducing holograph pagination bound in plain printed green wrappers. A near fine copy in tall wrappers.
649. VONNEGUT, Kurt, Jr. Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons. (NY): Delacorte (1974). Uncorrected proof copy of this collection of short pieces of various sorts. Spine slightly faded; near fine in wrappers.
650. VONNEGUT, Kurt. Slapstick or Lonesome No More. (NY): Delacorte (1976). Uncorrected proof copy of this novel, warmly inscribed by the author. Not an exceptionally scarce proof but rare to find signed or inscribed.