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LITERATURE
Alighieri, Dante. THE DIVINE COMEDY, the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.. New York: Pantheon Books, 1948. Quarto. 187(1)pp., A New Translation Into English Blank Verse by Lawrence Grant White, with illustrations by Gustave Dore. Handsomely bound by Bayntun-Riviere of Bath in 3/4 brown morocco over cloth, raised bands with two compartments lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers. Previous owner's name, upper board with a bit of sunning along the top otherwise a very nice copy.
[014446] $450
Bremer, Fredrika (1801-1865). Nina (2 Volume set). London: Clarke, 1844. Early
Edition. Very Good Both volumes in three quarter red leather over marbled boards, The author was an
early Swedish feminist who deal with prison reform for women and many social issues that outraged a
conventional male dominated society. Her novel describes a woman who wants identity apart from
fitting into the roles demanded by men. Very nicely written with a sensitivity and directness that
is unusual for the age.
[014281]
$125
Cobden-Sanderson, T.J. Ecce Mundus; Industrial Ideals and the Book Beautiful. Hammersmith, London: Hammersmith Publishing Society, 1902. 8vo. Fine 38 unnumbered pages with Cobden-Sanderson's beautiful essay on the book beautiful with a vellum spine over brown boards. Although less than 300 copies were printed, most ended up in Special Collections of University Libraries or to his friends such as the copy he gave to Bruce Rogers. This copy was given to P. William Filby and his wife to be, Vera Ruth Weakliem upon their marriage. Although Filby is known for his expertise on the "Star Spangled Banner" and genealogy, he also served in the British Intelligence Corps as member of the cryptographic team which broke the ULTRA Code. For many years he served as the director of the Maryland Historical Society. The bookplate of Filby and his wife Vera is on the pastedown of the front endpaper.
[012953] $250
Cowper, William, Southey, Robert. Works of William Cowper, Esq., comprising his poems, correspondence and translations. With a life of the author by the editor, Robert Southey.... London: Baldwin and Cradock, 1836. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Stamped Decorative Cloth. Very Good + / No Dust Jacket as Issued. Set 15 volumes. fronts, plates and ports. v. 1-3 Life and works of Cowper, by R. Southey --v.3-7. Letters -- v 8. Miscellaneous, poems. Olney hymms. Anit-Thelyphthora. Table talk and other poems. Translations from Vincet Bourne -- v. 9 Translations from Madame de La Mothe-Guion. The task. Tirocinium. John Gilpin and other poems -- v. 10 Posthumous poems. Translations from Vicent Bourne. Translations of the Latin and Italian poems of Milton. Epigrams tr. from the Latin of Owen. Translations of Greek verses. Translations from the Fables of Gay. Adam: a scared drama, tr. from the Italian of Andreini -- v. 11-12. Translation of Home's Iliad -- v. 13-14 Translation of Homer's Odyssey -- v. 15. Letters. Papers in the Connoisseur. Fragments of a commentary on Paradise lost. Wm. Cowper 1731-1800. Vol 7 has small dark stain at top of spine.
[030199] $650
[000989] $400
Imbs, Bravig. Confessions of Another Young Man. New York: Henkle-Yewdale, 1936. 8vo - over
7¾" - 9¾" tall. Cloth. 302p. One of the best accounts of Paris where the author worked as a
proofreader for the Chicago Tribune and other papers. Here he met Sylvia Beach, Gertrude Stein,
Alice B. Toklas, George Anthiel and many others in the late 1920's to the early 1930's. A very good
copy in dust jacket.
[013803] $350
A PRISTINE SIGNED COPY OF DENIS JOHNSON'S
FIRST BOOK THE MAN WHO WALKED AMONG THE SEALS
Johnson, Denis. MAN AMONG THE SEALS. Iowa City: Stone Wall Press, 1969, Cloth. Near Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. 55 pp. Limited to 260 copies. Glassine cover wraps, paste-down spine label. Novelist's first published book. signed on ffep
[004808] $1200
Kent, Charles (editor). LEIGH HUNT as Poet and Essayist Being the Choicest Passages from His Works. London: Frederick Warne and Co., 1889. Octavo. The Cavendish Library, 528pp., bound in 3/4 brown morocco over cloth, raised bands with compartments stamped in gilt, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. A lovely copy.
[014453] $150
Michener, James A. Collectors, Forgers--and a Writer (Limited to 250 Copies, Signed By James A. Michener). Greenwich Village, New York: Targ Editions, 1883. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Cloth / Box. Fine 64p. A scarce book with James Michener's early discovery of Grace Livingston, his encounters with A. Edward Newton, the Wise forgeries, and his friendship with Arthur Houghton and his rare treasures both manuscripts and letters.
[014117] $650
Miller, Henry; Fraenkel, Michael. Hamlet (2 Volume set), Volume 2 Signed By Henry Miller in Special Clamshell Case. New York: Carrefour, 1939. 8vio. Original Wraps. Signed By the Author. First Editions, 1939-1941. Henry Miller's personal copies and he has signed volume II with the name of his literary agents [Russell & Volkening with the address given of 522 5th Avenue, NYC) while he continued to live in near poverty in the early 1940's. The correspondence covered the years 1935 -1938 with Miller's letters to Michael Fraenkel (the model for Boris in Tropic of Cancer) the real subject is not Shakespeare's play but Miller's interpretation of Boris's brilliance yet indecisiveness. Certainly one of the most important works giving a key to Miller's writing after completing his then still suppressed (in the US and England) trilogy. First Editions of these two volumes are very rare though reprints took placed in the 1980's. These early volumes include Michael Fraenkel's letters to Miller. Both copies are housed in a beautiful clamshell box and have lost most of their spines though the text is clear and the stamped "printed in Mexico" was one of the ways to avoid the ever present censors (one volume has in small letters printed in Belgium) This way Miller could claim he had no control over the scandalous content if sued for libel. In Henry Miller Letters to Anais Nin, he writes of the background of the publishing history. January 6, 1941 "Just got the mail but no checks and no contract or letter from Volkening (his literary agent was John Slocum)...Had letter from Fraenkel saying he is printing another batch of the Hamlet Letters in Mexico. On May 12, 1941 he writes her that Volkening his holding up his mail as he travels through the United States in what will become The Air Conditioned Nightmare.
[013531] $1250
Milton, John and Andrew Marvell. THE POETICAL WORKS OF MILTON AND MARVELL with a Memoir of Each. Boston;(nd): Houghton, Mifflin and Co., Octavo. In two volumes, bound in 3/4 tan polished calf over marbled paper covered boards with matching endpapers and edges, black and burgundy contrasting labels gilt, four compartments fully gilt decorated. A fine set.
[014447] $250
[Jacques Offenbach]. TALES OF HOFFMANN. New York; (nd): Dodd, Mead & Co., Small Quarto. 206(1)pp., printed in Paris, beautifully illustrated by Mario Laboccetta with ten full page plates of rich brilliant color in Porchoir style, with several color vignette headpieces and textual illustrations. Handsomely bound by Cuneo in 3/4 purple crushed morocco over green moire silk, three raised bands with compartments lettered and decorated in an art deco red and gilt spray, green and black French endpapers, spine has evenly changed to brown, upper joint professionally repaired. A lovely copy with exquisite illustrations.
[014340] $450
Powell, Lawrence Clark. An Introduction to Robinson Jeffers. Thesis for the Doctorate of the University, Presented to the Faculty of Letters of Dijon (with Important Letter from the author). Dijon, France: Imprimerie Bernigaud & Privat, 1932. Octavo, xvii, [1], 248, [2] pp. Frontispiece portrait of Jeffers, folding map of Carmel Coast, genealogical table. Bibliography and Index. Buff-colored printed wrappers, lightly browed at spine. A fine copy in a very attractive dark blue morocco slipcase and chemise. Presentation copy, inscribed by Powell: "for Jean Armstrong this first issue of my first book with cordial good wishes. Lawrence Clark Powell. UCLA. February 18, 1853. Below is a later inscription by Powell: "and now re-inscribed for Wilbur Zink lo, these many years later. Lawrence Clark Powell, Tucson, February 19, 1993. Powell says: "I found a single remaining copy of the 1st issue, nicely preserved in a Robinson's hosiery box! And I'm glad to send it herewith to fill our your Powell-Jeffers collection! If I already sent you the enclosed pamphlet lecture, please return, as this is my penultimate copy. We had a wonderful visit!." Larry. First Edition,. Note: Jean Armstrong Corle was the wife of Edwin Corle (1906-1950), noted Western writer and author of Burro Alley, Fig Tree John, Mojave and Billy the Kid. The UCLA library has a large collection of his papers, including his correspondence with Powell. Wilbur Zink (1926-2010) was an avid collector of Western artifacts and writer of several Western books (see Ramon Adams, Six Guns). His collection of Jesse and Frank James material was perhaps the finest in private hands. He was a pallbearer at the re-internment of Jesse James in 1995 and was co-founder of he James-Younger Gang, and an honorary board member of the Friends of James Farm. At the time of his death, he was working on a book based upon a collection of Frank James letters that he had acquired. Powell's reference to this being the "1st issue" is apparently to differentiate it with the revised edition, published in 1934 by the Primavera Press in Los Angeles under the title: Robinson Jeffers: the Man and His Work. The present owner of this book knew Larry Powell and Wilbur Zink and was instrumental in their meeting in the early 1990's.
[014147] $2500
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel. POEMS. Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1873. Small Octavo. 287pp., bound by Brentano's of Paris in full dark blue morocco, boards triple ruled in gilt, raised bands with compartments fully gilt decorated, inner gilt dentelles and marbled papers, top edge gilt, three original photographs of religious scenes mounted and bound in. A couple f tiny nicks to rear board otherwise near fine.
[014458] $750
Sandburg, Carl. M'liss and Louise. Los Angeles: Ward Richie, 1929. Very Good pages
"9" x 6 5/8". Self-wrapper, lightly soiled with small chip at end of cover. This is the second
production noted in the bibliography of premier Southern California printer, Ward Richie. The
edition consisted of 150 copies; it was a student project, done while Richie attended Frank Wiggins
Trade School in Los Angeles. The choice of a Carl Sandburg poem is significant, as Sandburg and
Richie shared a longtime friendship with Los Angeles bookseller and publisher, Jake Zeitlin. This is
one of the scarcest of early Sandburg editions.
[014222] $450
Sandburg, Carl. World Series Analects for Adult Education (Inscribed By Carl Sandburg). Chicago: Adult Education Council, 1958. 2p Sandburg's poem on adult education: Inscribed at the top of the poem: "Dear Dick, you may think I don't now nothin' about education. But the little I learned is here. Yours in fellowship. Carl. OCLC shows only two copies one at Brown and the other at the Harry Ransom Center at Texas.
[014212] $250
Sandburg, Carl. The White Horse Girl and the Blue Wind Boy; From Rootabaga Stories. Signed By the Printer and Illustrator, Maralyn Crosetto.. Seattle: Day Moon Press, 1990. Oblong 4" x 6". Fine Limited to 100 copies, this is no. 56, signed by the printer and illustrator, Maralyn Crosetto of Seattle's Day Moon Press. Blue cloth with paper label for title on spine and laid down image of mountains on front cover. Printed in two colors from mezzotint halftone engravings of the original pencil drawings. Printed on letterpress with single signatures of Somerset Satin and bound by Judith L. Johnson. A handsome copy in original glassine cover.
[014359] $165
Scott, Naomi. Heart Throbs; the Best of DC Romance Comics. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1970.
4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Cloth. A very nice copy, near fine. 256p. First Edition in protective
mylar cover. The comic book in book form. A scarce item and one of the books Roy Lichtenstein used
for his ideas. A very nice copy showing the love life as portrayed in the media where romance was
everything and sex was seldom hinted at. Apparently, there were some people born in that era in
spite of the sexless presentation.
[013784] $375
Stratton-Porter, Gene. MUSIC OF THE WILD with Reproductions of the Performers, Their Instruments and Festival Halls. Cincinnati; (1910): Jennings and Graham, First Edition. Large Octavo. 126(1)pp., illustrated, bound in white cloth over green cloth lettered and decorated in black and gilt, spine and top edge gilt. A very nice copy showing only minor finger soiling.
[014702] $250
Updike, John. The Carpentered Hen and Other Tame Creatures; Poems. New York:
Harpers, 1958. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Cloth. Near Fine / Near Fine. First Edition in the
first edition dust jacket with only the tiniest rubbing at base of spine. Jacket is near perfect
with tiniest amount of wear at top of front panel. Protected in mylar cover. Clean throughout.
Identified as First Edition with original dust jacket price (unclipped) of $2.75 and with the line
in the biography on the rear flap "with a wife and two small children.
[014294] $750
Updike, John. Rabbit at Rest (Signed, Limited No. 225 of 350). Westminster, Maryland, U.S.A.: Alfred a Knopf Inc, 1990. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Fine / Fine Original Glassine. ISBN: 0394588150. In original fine slipcase a key item in the Rabbit series by the late author in a crisp unread copy. Half cloth over marbled boards with a bright red morocco label with gilt lettering.
[014237] $475
Warrillow, E.J.D. Arnold Bennett and Stoke-on-Trent. Stoke-on-Trent: Etruscan Publicans,
1966. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Cloth. Fine / Fine. 157p. 70 black and white photographs
throughout in this marvelous detail of the city where potters plied their craft and Arnold Bennett
had his place of birth and death. This work became scarce almost as soon as its issue.
[012952] $145
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