Search Results: Authors starting with W from Captain Ahab's Rare Books

San Francisco: Wild Dog, 1965. First Edition. Slim quarto (28cm); mimeographed sheets (printed recto & verso), side-stapled into a pictorial card cover; 42pp. Light wear and a few faint creases to wrapper extremities; Near Fine. Contains the first appearance of four Bukowski poems ("The Madness Of The Windows," "Game," "The Vile World Of Windows And Hammers," and "Down By The Wings"), with contributions by Thomas Clark, Margaret Randall, Gene Fowler, James Brodey, and others. Dorbin C255-258; Clay & Phillips, pp.152-153.

New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1928. First American Edition. The first and best of the English author's collections of supernatural horror. "Includes "Professor Pownall's Oversight," about a chess player harassed by the spirit of a murdered rival; "The Third Coach," a study in madness involving a nasty confidence trickster; and "The Seventeenth Hole at Duncaster," about a haunted golf course...Wakefield was a consistently competent writer who took up where M.R. James left off in extending the core of the British tradition through the period between the wars" (Barron, Horror Literature 3-200). Bleiler 1641 (The Guide to Supernatural Fiction). First Printing. Octavo (19.5cm); black cloth, with titles stamped in gilt on spine and front cover; dustjacket; [vi],265,[1]pp. Spine gilt a bit dulled, pictorial bookplate to front pastedown, with scattered foxing to text edges (though clean internally); Near Fine. Dustjacket is unclipped (priced $2.00), showing some trivial wear to extremities and a hint of… Read More

Los Angeles & Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1984. First Editions. An attractive set of Wakoski's long poem, published in five volumes over a 16 year period. "I decided I wanted to write a long, preachy, didactic poem, using personal and trivial details, names of people, and even gossipy hearsay. I wanted to pontificate about life, to moralize, and yet somehow to write a poem which would have a nobility to it. I decided that I would write this long poem in four parts, call it GREED, and hope that it wouldn't be too controversial or difficult for John [Martin] to want to publish...I do not know if there are still more parts to follow "Part 13," which ends this book, or whether "Part 10" will ever be written. Once I had gone beyond "Part 4," I wanted an open-ended poem that I could spend the rest of my life writing if I wanted to. And I still think, in that sense, that GREED remains open-ended, even though with the completion of "Part 13" I am quite ready for a COLLECTED GREED" (preface to The… Read More

Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1971. First Edition. Limited Issue, one of 5 copies specially bound and designated for the publisher and a few members within the inner circle of the press, this one marked "Binder's Copy" and signed by the author on the colophon. Octavo (21cm); pictorial paper-covered boards and patterned cloth backstrip; publisher's original acetate dustjacket; [12]pp. Fine in a lightly rubbed, Near Fine dustjacket. Beautifully bound poem, this edition was distributed gratis to friends of the press.

Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1973. First Edition. Deluxe Issue, one of five copies specially bound and designated for author, publisher, and a few individuals within the inner circle of the press, this one marked "Binder's Copy" and is signed by the author on the colophon. Octavo (24.5cm); decorative paper-covered boards and patterned cloth backstrip, with title label mounted to spine; publisher's original acetate dustjacket; [12],13-137,[4]pp, with an original holograph poem by the author tipped in following the copyright page. Fine, in a lightly rubbed, Near Fine dustjacket. The most limited state of this landmark collection of feminist verse. Morrow & Cooney 163c.

Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow Press, 1998. First Edition. Deluxe Issue, one of probably a half-dozen copies specially bound and designated for members within the inner circle of the press, this one marked "Binder's Copy" and signed by the author on the colophon. Octavo (23.5cm); pictorial paper-covered boards and patterned black cloth backstrip, with title label mounted to spine; publisher's original acetate dustjacket; [14],15-184,[4]pp, with an original holograph poem ("Wet Suit for the Silver Surfer") tipped-in following the copyright page. Scattered foxing to text edges and upper board edges; Near Fine in a lightly rubbed, Near Fine dustjacket. Volume 4 in the "Archaeology of Movies and Books" series.

Minneapolis: Coffee House Press, 1991. First Edition. A long and touching homage to Ted Berrigan, collecting stories, essays, poems, photographs, and illustrations by friends and colleagues. In addition to those who have inscribed this volume, contents include contributions by Ron Padgett, James Schuyler, Bernadette Mayer, Ed Sanders, Amiri Baraka, Robert Creeley, Larry Rivers, Philip Whalen, and others. First Printing. Quarto (26.25cm); light blue paper and cloth-covered boards, with titling and portrait of Berrigan stamped in gilt on spine and front cover; dustjacket; [16],x,253,[1]pp; illus. Author and contributor Keith Abbott's copy, with his holograph signature at upper front endpaper; inscribed to him by Anne Waldman on the title page, and additionally inscribed by Kenward Elmslie, Joanne Kyger, Ann & Ken Mikolowski, Eileen Myles, Maxine Chernoff, and Bill Berkson, with the additional signatures of Allen Ginsberg, Anselm Hollo, Reed Bye, Ed Foster, and Jack Collom. Fine in a Near Fine… Read More

Erie, CO: Smokeproof Press, 1998. First Edition. One of 350 copies. Slim octavo (20.5cm); original unprinted white card wrappers, stapled; dustjacket; [8],9-28,[4]pp. Inscribed on the title page by Waldman to poet and librettist Kenward Elmslie: "For Kenward / B'day / Love, Anne." Fine in a Fine, unclipped dustjacket (priced $4.50). Collaborative gathering of poems inspired by the Maghreb region of northern Africa. A nice association between two prominent New York School figures.

Boulder, CO: Rodent Press, 1994. First Edition. One of 200 copies. Slim octavo (21.75cm); original letterpress printed card wrappers, stapled; [6],7-28,[4]pp; illus. Signed by Waldman and Schelling on the title page, inscribed directly above by Waldman to Kenward Elmslie: "For Kenward / with love." A Fine copy of this brief collection of poems based on ancient Buddhist texts, several of which first appeared in the pages of Denver Quarterly, Shambhala Sun, Cottonwood, and Tricycle. A nice association between two prominent New York School figures.

New York: The Kulchur Foundation, 1985. First Edition. A warm association copy from Waldman to poet Tom Clark (1941-2018), a long-time friend and collaborator. The book is accompanied by a dense and revelatory letter in which she expresses her displeasure over Lita Hornick's handling of this publication. "Alas there are so many gaffs in this, Lita's fault in wanting to play editor, she decided to re-match drawings & poems (that we had worked on collaboratively!). The second set of proofs were perfect, and she read them! She hasn't been well, and on a lot of "medication" and alcohol. I've just written the second of two intense letters demanding that she reprint the book, we'll see. There are obvious mis-matchings...But I'd like to hear what you make of the book. Joe Brainard says let it go, Ron advises an errata sheet (but it would run to 2 pages), if she won't reprint I'd like it suppressed...What a drag. There are literally 23 pages off." She goes on to share details of her upcoming publications,… Read More

New York: W.W. Norton & Company / Little, Brown and Company, 1996. First Editions. A compelling trio of items, comprised of Wallace's first collection of short fiction and his second novel, inscribed to Brian Simpson, long-time owner of Babbitts Books in Normal, Illinois. Wallace was a regular patron there while teaching at Illinois State University. He would often do readings and signings there, which brought in no shortage of new customers, and in an article for Condé Nast Traveler, he named it his favorite bookshop. His letter to Simpson is insightful, in which he outlines his required reading order for the Fall, 1994 semester. He asked Simpson to order the following titles for his two sections of "English 102 -- Literary Analysis 1: Prose Fiction": Black Sunday (Thomas Harris), The Big Nowhere (James Ellroy), Rock Star (Jackie Collins), Where Are the Children? (Mary Higgins Clark), Carrie (Stephen King), Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry), The Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris), and The Lion,… Read More

Garden City: Doubleday, Doran & Company / The Crime Club, Inc, 1931. First Edition. The follow-up to Wallace's popular 1926 novel The Ringer, featuring his vigilante character Henry Arthur Milton. Hubin, p.422. First Printing. Octavo (19.5cm); black cloth, with titling and author's facsimile signature stamped in red on spine and front cover; red topstain; dustjacket; 315, [3]pp. Mild softening to crown, upper corners gently tapped (though still sharp), with faint erasure to upper right corner of front endpaper; Near Fine. Dustjacket is lightly shelfworn, with small tears to upper corners, light dustiness to flap folds, with a small abrasion to lower spine on verso; Very Good+.

New York: Ecco Press, 1990. First Edition. First Printing, a trade paperback original. Octavo (22.75cm); glossy, illustrated wraps; 140pp, [19] appendix. Two faint stress creases to corners, with remainder mark to lower text edges; Near Fine. Wallace's third book, a serious work of rap criticism he co-wrote with his college roommate.

Meriden, CT: D.A.P. / Distributed Art Publishers, 1995. First Edition. Octavo (23cm); pictorial card wrappers; [10],11-255,[9]pp; illus. Signed by David Foster Wallace at his contribution on p.91. Light wear to extremities, with just a hint of sticker residue to lower right corner of front wrapper; Near Fine. A significant issue of Grand Street, featuring the first appearance of "Chivalry," a pre-publication excerpt from David Foster Wallace's novel Infinite Jest. Includes additional contributions by Amiri Baraka, Kenzaburo Oe, Dennis Hopper, John Waters, Julian Schnabel, James Laughlin, Brigid Berlin, and others. Uncommon signed.

Chiswick: Printed by C. Whittingham, sold by Thomas Tegg, 1824. First Tegg Edition. First two-volume edition of Walton's celebration of the art and spirit of fishing. Here, Tegg reprints the text of the 1797 edition, edited by Sir John Hawkins, and issued as volumes 49 and 50 of Whittingham's Cabinet Library (priced 8 shillings). A handsome set, uncommon in the original binding. Coigney 27. Two 16mo. volumes (14.5cm); original tan printed paper-covered boards; viii,267,[1]; [iv],284+[4]pp ads. With engraved frontispiece portraits of Walton and Cotton (both unsigned), and vignette title pages. Gentle sunning to spines, light wear to edges and corner tips (resulting in minute board exposure), some rubbing and a few spots of soil to covers, with foxing to a few preliminary and terminal leaves, and some thin splits to the paper along the front joints, not affecting binding integrity; hinges sound, with exterior lettering sharp and legible; text is untrimmed and partially unopened; a Very Good, unrestored… Read More

Bensenville, IL: Mimeo Press, 1965. First Edition. Collection of Wantling's poems published by Doug Blazek's Mimeo Press, including several early poems which first appeared in the pages of little magazines like Input, Wormwood Review, and Dust. Cover art by d.a. levy, with a nice contemporary inscription to poet and editor James D. Callahan. First Printing. Slim octavo (21.5cm); multi-colored mimeographed sheets stapled into illustrated card covers; [36]pp. Inscribed by the author on the inner front wrapper: "For the saint of the west / J. Callahan / Bill / 5/25/65." Toning to wrapper extremities, with light, scattered foxing to same; errata slip stapled to lower corner of p.[16]; contents bright and clean; Very Good+.

El Cerrito, CA: Dust Books, 1966. First Edition. Collection of poems dealing primarily with Wantling's experiences in Korea and with drugs. Contains a 2-page foreword by Len Fulton. A wonderful association copy connecting two important Chicago poets. Slim octavo (21.5cm); photo-illustrated wrappers, stapled; 40pp; illus. Inscribed by the author to his friend, publisher, and fellow poet Douglas Blazek on the inner front wrapper: "For Doug - for the long while & the too-short last half-mile...& for a friend who cares - who cares, & that makes the whole absurd bag worthwhile! / Bill / 1/67." Mild toning to spine-fold, with a few faint, scattered stains to front wrapper; Very Good+ or better.

N.p.: S.i., 1956. Large, charming drawing by Warhol (1928-1987) depicting a pair of cherubs at play, similar to those found in his mid-1950's series In the Bottom of My Garden. "To make a blotted line drawing, Warhol would draw an image (or, often, trace from a photograph) onto a sheet of blank paper. This sheet of paper would either be folded in half or have another sheet of paper attached to it by a piece of tape that functioned as a hinge. Working slowly, Warhol would ink his drawing in small sections on the first sheet of paper and, while the ink was still wet, fold over the second sheet and blot the drawing. Line by line, Warhol would ink and blot the drawing until the entire image was transferred to the second sheet. The smudges and specs of ink produced by this rudimentary printing process gave the resulting image a spontaneous feel. Warhol would then discard the working ink drawing, and the print would serve as his final "drawing"...The blotted line became famous as Warhol's line, and,… Read More

Lagrande, OR: Blitz / Madvirgin Press, 1965. First Edition. Second of three issues of this short-lived mimeo magazine from Oregon. Contains the first appearance of three Bukowski poems: "40 Cigarettes," "A Dirty Joke," and "The Rock," with contributions by Douglas Blazek, Allen Ginsberg, d.a. levy, Steve Richmond, Judson Crews, and others. Dorbin C295-297. Quarto (28cm); mimeographed sheets, printed recto and verso and side-stapled with a pictorial card cover; [38]pp. Light wear to extremities, front cover showing mild toning, dustiness, and some faint soil along the right edge; contents are fresh and complete; Very Good+. Accompanied by an ALS from editor Bobby Watson on his mimeographed letterhead, to a prospective contributor: "George, heard you might make it here for (people come & a new pen) the Creeley thing. trying to drum others up, drunken orgies & a few new faces, scream fuck at with a meat stick, slobbering, on sunny bellies, etc. got an insurance man coming I'm trying to avoid, screaming… Read More

Sepulveda: Sepulveda Unitarian-Universalist Society, 1975. First Edition. First (and likely only) issue of this poetry magazine published by The Unitarian Universalist Society, perhaps better known as 'The Onion Church.' The Onion was a Unitarian church where the first Los Angeles acid trip was held in 1966 - free LSD, The Grateful Dead, Neal Cassady, Wavy Gravy, and the Merry Pranksters (minus Ken Kesey). Although he wasn't present for the occasion, Tom Wolfe immortalized the scene in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. The Onion was otherwise a place of historical significance in Los Angeles, serving as the hub for a number of anti-war protests. A valuable piece of hippie history containing poetry by various contributors, including African American activist Kika Epstein Warfield and poet Herb Grade, et al. The volume also features superb artwork by Israeli artist Yuval Golan, a prolific political protest artist of the period. While the rear panel mentions issues II - VI in preparation, we have been… Read More