Raymond Carver, "A" Items, section 3

Ultramarine - A28

Carver's second major collection of poems from Random House.

84. First edition, uncorrected proof copy. New York: Random House (1986). Advance proof of the first edition. A fine copy in wrappers and signed by the author.

85. -. Another copy, unsigned. Fine in wrappers.

86. First trade edition, advance review copy. Review copy with publicity photo and promotional letter laid in. Fine in dust jacket and signed by the author.

87. -. Another copy. Fine in dust jacket, with promotional letter laid in.

88. First trade edition. Small remainder mark, otherwise fine in near fine dust jacket.

89. -. Another copy, second printing. Fine in price-clipped dust jacket.

90. First paperback edition. New York: Vintage Books (1987). Fine.

Two Poems - A29

Another holiday greeting issued by Ewert, this time in a packet of three poems--by Carver, William Heyen and Donald Hall. There were 100 copies consisting of a single sheet, folded once, for each author's poem; and there were 26 lettered copies (and 4 ad personam copies) that were bound in brown wrappers, lettered, and signed by each author.

91. First edition, lettered issue. (Concord: William B. Ewert, 1986). Limited to 26 lettered copies signed by the poet. Issued together with Lord by William Heyen and The Onset by Donald Hall, each respectively signed by the author. All are lettered as copy "V" and are in the original mailing envelope, also lettered "V." A fine set.

92. -. Another copy, letter "D" of 26, signed by Carver. With the original mailing envlope. Without the Heyen and Hall poems. Fine.

93. -. Another copy, the same binding as the lettered issue, but marked on the colophon "hors commerce." Fine in wrappers.

94. First edition, unsigned issue. Limited to 100 copies. Issued together with Lord by William Heyen and The Onset by Donald Hall, in the original mailing envelope.

95. -. Another copy, without the Heyen and Hall poems or the mailing envelope. A fine copy.

Intimacy - "A30"

Stull's 1987 checklist ends with "A29," Two Poems. We've gone ahead and assigned sequential numbers to the books that were published after that, in order of their publication, as best we were able to tell. Intimacy diverged from the pattern Ewert had developed by now into a regular sequence: a limited number of advance copies signed by the publisher, and two states of the published book. In this case, there was only one state of the published book, an attractive hardcover edition of only 75 copies. The advance copies were in brown wrappers; the hardcover copies quarterbound in grey linen and handmade paper boards.

96. First edition, prepublication galley proofs. Concord: William B. Ewert, 1987. A set of proof copies, including: galley proofs on long galley sheets printed on rectos only, dated 2/17/87; page proofs dated 3/27/87; and two trial title pages, marked "Trial 1" and "Trial 2." "Trial 1" is dated January 1987, and "Trial 2" is also dated January 1987. "Trial 2" was the design used in the finished book. All of the proofs are signed by the publisher. Rare.

97. First edition, publisher's advance issue. One of 12 advance copies in brown wrappers, signed by William Ewert, the publisher. Fine.

98. First edition, hardcover issue. One of 75 numbered copies signed by the author. An attractive edition. Fine.

Those Days - "A31"

Those Days collected a number of early pieces by Carver, written prior to the publication of his first book, Near Klamath, in 1968. William Stull turned up these early writings in the course of his bibliographic research, and he edited them and provided notes and an Afterword for this edition. Carver himself wrote an introduction. Those Days is perhaps the most attractive of the many limited editions that Carver did. It was designed and printed by Carol Blinn of Warwick Press, whose work is prized by collectors of contemporary American fine printing; the marbled paper used in the binding was done by Faith Harrison, whose work is also highly admired in fine press circles; and the binding of the hardcover issues was done by Gray Parrot Letterpress in Easthampton, Massachusetts, which is something of a Mecca for fine printing in the U.S. today. There were three issues, only two of which were offered for sale: 100 numbered copies in wrappers, 26 lettered copies in marbled paper boards, and 14 "presentation" copies. All had a tipped-in color frontispiece of a painting by Ronald Sloan, and all were signed by Carver.

99. First edition, lettered issue. Elmwood: Raven Editions, 1987. One of 26 lettered copies in marbled paper boards by Faith Harrison, signed by the author. This is copy "A" of the lettered copies.

100. First edition, wrappered issue. Limited to 100 numbered copies signed by the author. This is copy number "2." With the publisher's prospectus laid in. A fine copy.

In a Marine Light - "A32"

This title was only published in England, and is a collection of poems from Carver's two Random House collections in the U.S.--Where Water Comes Together With Other Water and Ultramarine. They have been rearranged, and an epigraph added to the collection that doesn't appear in either U.S. volume.

101. First edition, advance review copy. London: Collins Harvill, 1987. First edition, publisher's review copy. Slip enclosed and signed by the author.

102. -. Another copy, not a review copy, and unsigned. Fine in dust jacket.

Music - "A33"

Another holiday greeting from Ewert, the first separate edition of a single poem that appeared in Where Water Comes Together With Other Water. There were 100 copies on a single sheet, French-folded to make four pages, attractively printed in red and black. In addition, there were 26 lettered copies and 10 ad personam copies bound in French-folded beige wrappers and signed by the author.

103. First edition, signed issue. (Concord: William B. Ewert, 1987). One of 26 lettered copies signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.

104. First edition, unsigned issue. One of 100 copies. Fine, with the original mailing envelope.

105. -. Another copy, lacking envelope, otherwise fine.

Elephant - "A34"

A handsome limited edition of a single Carver story. This was designed, handset and printed letterpress by Marie Dern, with drawings by Carl Dern. The wrappers are a textured grey paper reminiscent of elephant skin, and overall this is one of the most interesting and attractive of the Carver limited editions.

106. First edition. Fairfax: Jungle Garden Press, 1988. One of 200 copies signed by the author and the artist. A very fine copy.

Elephant and Other Stories - "A35"

Not to be confused with Elephant, which is a limited edition of just one of the stories from this collection. There was no comparable U.S. edition of this collection, which consisted of the seven new stories from Carver's collection Where I'm Calling From--copyright problems reportedly having kept the publisher from reissuing the other stories included in that collection.

107. First edition, uncorrected proof copy. London: Collins Harvill, 1988. Proof copy in printed green wrappers. With publisher's complimentary slip laid in. A fine copy.

108. First trade edition. Fine in fine dust jacket. A pristine copy.

109. First paperback edition. London: Collins Harvill, 1989. Fine.

Afghanistan - "A36"

A broadside poem attractively printed in two colors by the Firefly Press for William Ewert to honor Carver on his induction into the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. It was limited to fifty copies.

110. First edition. (Concord): William B. Ewert, 1988. Broadside poem measuring 7" x 12½", and limited to 50 copies signed by the author. Attractively mounted and framed.

Where I'm Calling From - "A37"

Where I'm Calling From was Carver's last collection of stories and it will probably stand as his defining work: it was published just before he died and it includes stories selected from all of his previous collections as well as seven new stories. The versions of the stories included here will in all likelihood stand as the definitive ones, representing Carver's final artistic decisions on what to leave in and what to take out: for example, "So Much Water, So Close to Home" is included here in the original, longer version from Furious Seasons and Other Stories, rather than the shorter one published in What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Publication of this book took on the trappings of a major publishing event: for the first time, a New York publisher did a signed, limited edition of a Carver book; the Franklin Library published a signed, leatherbound edition of it; it was a Featured Alternate of the Book of the Month Club and the Quality Paperback Book Club; the regular trade edition seemed almost an afterthought, but it had a larger first printing than any previous Carver book, and was quickly reprinted upon publication.

111. First edition, uncorrected proof copy. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press (1988). Advance copy in brown printed wrappers with three sheets of promotional information from the publisher laid in. A few small ink splatters on the title page, otherwise fine in wrappers. With a proof of the dust jacket, printing the front panel art but with the other panels and flaps blank.

112. -. Another copy. First leaf loosening, otherwise near fine.

113. First published edition. Franklin Center: The Franklin Library, 1988. Limited edition published by the Franklin Library. Maroon leather stamped in red and gold; page edges gilt; with a silk ribbon marker bound in. An attractive edition in the Franklin Library's "Signed First Edition" series, with an interesting introduction by Carver which does not appear anywhere else. This is a fine copy, and is signed by the author.

114. First trade edition, signed limited issue. New York: Atlantic Monthly (1988). One of 250 numbered copies signed by the author. Bound in white cloth stamped in red and gold, and enclosed in the publisher's blue slipcase. A fine copy of an attractive edition.

115. -. Another copy, again signed by the author but this one unnumbered and with the publisher's complimentary slip inserted. Fine in slipcase.

116. First trade edition. Fine in dust jacket.

117. Quality Paperback Book Club Editon. Softcover edition in the same format as the Atlantic Monthly hardcover; no comparable publisher's edition. Fine.

118. First paperback edition. New York: Vintage Books (1989). Fine.

His Bathrobe Pockets Stuffed With Notes - "A38"

A single poem printed as a keepsake on the occasion of Carver's receiving an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Hartford, on May 15, 1988. The poem was previously uncollected; its publication marked the second Carver book from Raven Editions, this one also designed and printed by Carol Blinn of Warwick Press. There were two states offered for sale: 50 numbered copies and 15 "presentation" copies. There were also 5 ad personam copies. The presentation and ad personam copies were bound in marbled paper wrappers by Faith Harrison.

119. First edition, presentation copy. (Elmwood: Raven Editions, 1988.) Of a total edition of 70 copies, this is copy number "2" of 15 presentation copies signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.

120. First edition, numbered issue. One of 50 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.

The Toes - "A39"

The Toes was the limited edition in preparation for private distribution in December, 1988 as a holiday greeting--as Carver and Ewert had done for the previous several years--when Raymond Carver died, on August 2, 1988. The edition was completed but, unlike the earlier projects, there was no signed issued of it. There were 136 copies done, of which 36 were bound in wrappers.

121. Prepublication trial versions. (Concord: William B. Ewert, 1988.) Four trial versions, prepared on July 28, 1988, with a note from the publisher identifying the different states and noting that five sets were "pulled"--i.e., created--of the trial versions. All are fine.

122. First edition, lettered issue. There were 36 copies specially bound in red wrappers, of which 26 were lettered and, presumably (inkeeping with Ewert's earlier practice), 10 were ad personam. This is letter "S." A fine copy, with the publisher's original announcement laid in. At the original list price:

123. First edition. Although not explicitly stated, this is apparently one of 100 copies, ot a total edition of 136. Fine.

Looking for Work - "A40"

A small broadside, approx. 5" x 7½" on grey, flecked card stock, printing a single poem by Carver on one side and a Chekhov poem ("Downstream") on the other. The Carver poem is identified as "forthcoming in A New Path to the Waterfall," which places this card in context in terms of timing--after the announcement of the book but before its publication, probably a 6-month window--and may help explain its use--perhaps a promotional card, of some sort. No publication information is given.

124. First edition. (No place: no publisher, no date.) First separate appearance of this poem. Uncommon.

A New Path to the Waterfall - "A41"

A posthumously published collection of poems, many of them quite moving, and addressing his impending death quite straightforwardly, even bluntly, in his characteristic, plain-spoken manner. With an introduction by Tess Gallagher, his longtime companion. The book uses lengthy excerpts from a number of writers-- most especially Chekhov--as epigraphs, which really function more like punctuation points for the book as a whole, as the epigraphs are not connected to particular poems. "Downstream," on the card listed above, is one such epigraph.

125. First edition, uncorrected proof copy. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press (1989). Advance proof copy with promotional letter laid in along with the business card of Editorial Director Gary Fisketjon, a longtime friend and editor of Raymond Carver. The proof misspells Carver's name on the title page ("Carter") and this has been corrected by hand. Fine.

126. -. Another copy, without the name corrected, and with publisher's label stapled inside front cover. Fine.

127. First edition, limited signed issue. One of 200 numbered copies signed by Tess Gallagher, who wrote the introduction. Bound in full blue cloth stamped in gold, in red cloth slipcase.

128. First trade edition. Fine in fine dust jacket. With the business card of Gary Fisketjon laid in.

129. First English edition, uncorrected proof copy. London: Collins Harvill, 1989. A fine copy of the proof of the British edition.

130. First English trade edition. Advance review copy, with publisher's slip laid in giving the publication date as September 21, 1989. Fine in jacket.

The Painter and the Fish - "A42"

The Painter and the Fish will doubtless turn out to be the last Raymond Carver signed limited edition produced: it was in production at the time of his death and he had signed the sheets, but the book was not issued until over a year later. There were three issues of it: 74 numbered copies in blue wrappers, 26 lettered copies bound in beige cloth and boards--which add up to the 100 copies specified on the colophon--and 15 special copies bound in dark blue quarter leather and blue boards. All copies were signed by Raymond Carver and Mary Azarian, who contributed a woodcut frontispiece and a woodcut illustration for the poem.

131. First edition, prepublication proof issue. Concord: William B. Ewert, 1988 [sic: issued in late 1989]. This is one of an unspecified number of unbound copies, unnumbered and unsigned, apparently page proofs and a proof of the wrapper. The woodcut illustrations are laid in and each is numbered "#8" and signed by Mary Azarian, suggesting that at least eight sets of these proofs were done. Fine in wrappers.

132. First edition, private issue. This is one of 15 copies specially bound for the publisher for private distribution. Signed by the author and the illustrator. With a letter from the publisher laid in giving publication details.

133. First edition, lettered issue. One of 26 lettered copies signed by the author and the artist. At the original issue price:

134. First edition, wrappered issue. One of 74 copies in wrappers signed by the author and the illustrator. Fine. At the original issue price:

Three Stories - "A43"

An attractive limited edition of three previously collected stories, done by a fine printer in California, with woodcut illustrations for each story by Rik Olson. There were 400 numbered copies and 26 lettered copies.

135. First edition, numbered issue. (Vineburg: Engdahl Typography) 1990. One of 400 numbered copies. Fine in fine dust jacket.

No Heroics, Please - "A44"

A posthumous volume of previously uncollected pieces, both poetry and prose, spanning Carver's entire writing career--from early pieces before his first book to book reviews and introductions written after he was a well-established, even famous, author. Edited by William Stull and with a foreword by Tess Gallagher. This was published in the U.S. only in paperback, in the Vintage Contemporaries series that Carver's Cathedral helped get off the ground.

136. First edition, uncorrected proof copy. New York: Vintage Books (1992). Proof copy in plain white wrappers stamped in black. Fine.

137. First edition, advance reading copy. A special prepublication issue sent out by the publisher to reviewers and booksellers. Plain white wrappers stamped in green, in the publisher's green card-stock folding box. Fine in slightly bumped box.

138. First edition, advance review copy. A copy of the published trade edition, with review slip and publisher's promotional sheet laid in. Publication date is specified as June 24, 1992. Fine in wrappers.

Carnations - "A45"

Carnations is an early play written by Carver, dating from 1962. This was published in an attractive fine press edition that was edited by William Stull, who provided an Afterword, and has an introduction by Richard Cortez Day, who knew Carver during the period in which the play was written. There were 200 copies total, of which 124 were numbered, 26 were lettered and quarterbound in leather, and 50 more were hors commerce.

139. First edition, lettered issue. (Vineburg): Engdahl Typography (1992). One of 26 lettered copies quarterbound in cream-colored leather and black cloth, with black cloth slipcase. A fine copy, at the original list price:

140. First edition, numbered issue. One of 124 numbered copies. Bound in full cloth with paper labels. Fine.

Short Cuts - "A46"

A collection of the nine stories and one poem that formed the basis for Robert Altman's film of the same name, based on Carver's writings. This edition has an introduction by Altman, about the movie and its relation to the stories, and about his own view of Carver's work.

141. First edition. New York: Vintage Books (1993). New, list price:

Vitamins - "A47"

In 1984, Carver's story "Vitamins" appeared in Granta magazine. Granta produced offprints of the story for the author's own use. While the pages appear to be tearsheets from the magazine, the front cover bears no correlation to any page from the magazine, and thus would appear to set these offprints apart from actual tearsheets and identify them as an actual "A" item. There were reportedly 25 copies done.

142. First edition. (No place): Granta (no date). One of 25 copies, the total edition. This copy is signed by the author. Stapled sheets; fine.

Where He Was: Memories of My Father - "A48"

Like the above item, this is an offprint from Granta, consisting of tearsheets from the magazine and a cover for the story itself. Only a small number were done, and were given to Carver. Very scarce.

143. First edition. (n.p.) Granta (n.d.). Signed by the author. Stapled sheets. A fine copy.

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