Rare books from Squid Ink Books

Distributed Art Publishers, 2001 First limited edition, Fine book in Fine slipcase. An assemblage of fiction and poetry, by 22 contributors, inspired by the art of Joseph Cornell. This is Foer's first book appearance and includes an introduction and story by him. This is copy number 26 of 225 numbered copies (there were also 75 presentation copies produced). Contributors include: Diane Ackerman, Joyce Carol Oates, Rick Moody, Barry Lopez, Robert Coover, Howard Norman, Paul West, Siri Hustvedt, Dale Peck, Joanna Scott, Robert Pinsky, Lydia Davis, Mary Caponegro, John Yau and others. Each has signed at their contribution and each contribution features a tipped-in color photograph of one of Cornell's works. Joseph Cornell was a New York artist and sculptor whose most characteristic works were assemblages, or collages, housed in glass-fronted boxes. The beautifully produced book is a unique convergence of literature and art. Book received advanced praise from Susan Sontag, Paul Auster, and Ann Beattie..… Read More

First edition 1st printing, Very Good book with sun fade along edges of purple boards, pushed at spine ends, page block bowed inward away from spine at top, light rubbing bottom edges of boards and page block, very light foxing spots front and top edges; in a Near Fine jacket light edge wear, some age yellowing top edges of flaps, slight rubbing on panels. This copy of his second book has been signed by O'Brien on the title page.

First edition 1st printing, Near Fine book pushed or crimped at spine ends, light rubbing bottom edges of boards, some trim problems during production with front end page not cut to correct size (being a bit too long) and part of one gathering cut short and a bit rough – both problems at bottom of page block, previous owner name front end page in ballpoint; in a Very Good jacket with sun fade and yellowing spine and along folds, small spot of whiteout near bottom of spine, edge and corner wear with one small, closed tear back panel. This copy of author's first book has been signed by Barth on the title page. Proper first printing with flap price of $3.95 and (1) following final sentence.

First edition 1st printing, Near Fine to Fine book with slight pushing at spine ends, mild rubbing to corners, offsetting to front paste-down and end page, apparently from an article that was laid in at some time; in a similar jacket with very light sun fade to spine and back panel, touch of edge and corner wear, mild rubbing back panel. A very nice copy of Welty's sixth book, a light-hearted novel. Inscribed "For -- and signed on first front end page.

Very Good to Near Fine book, spine ends soft with slight soiling, light soiling or rubbing to bottom page edges, small, light spot to top edge stain; in a Very Good, price-clipped, jacket that has edge and corner wear, couple of small chips, color loss at spine ends and corners, spine is sun yellowed, as are edges of the white flaps. This was Gaines’ first book. This copy has been inscribed and signed by Gaines on fly leaf and dated March 12, 1974 – San Francisco.

First edition 1st printing. A Mystery Introducing Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Fine minus, unread book with just a touch of shelf wear bottom edges and a small, light sopt of binding glue near spine top edges; in a Near Fine jacket that has light rubbing, and a very slight scratch on front panel that can just be seen from certain angles. Beautiful copy of Cornwell's first mystery that has been fully and legibly signed, with middle initial, on the title page.

Near Fine book with bumping bottom of spine, very slight bumps to top corners of boards, touch of rubbing at bottom corners, slight age toning of edges of page block; in a similar dust jacket with bumping and slight color loss bottom of spine, touch of age toning along top edge of white portions. A very nice, first state review copy of Welty s seventh book. A Harcourt Brace review slip is tipped in at the front end page noting the review date as APR 7 1955 and that price will be $3.50 (which is the price on the flap). The first state has only a single date on the copyright page, 1955, and is fairly rare. The first state copies apparently went only to reviewers and the copyright page was then corrected by adding the copyright dates for all the stories in the trade printing. A slip from a previous book seller notes that this was once the copy of John Martin, founder of Black Sparrow Press.

First edition 1st printing, Fine minus book with push at top of spine and lightly bumped top corner, bookseller notations and price in light pencil on front end page; in a Near Fine jacket with light edge and corner wear, slight color loss, couple of tiny chips, soiled along edges of back panel and flaps. Signed by Morris on front end page. Morris’ second novel. Clipped listing from Robert Dagg Rare Books, San Francisco, Summer 2006 catalogue is laid-in and notes – The author’s own copy with his early owner signature on flyleaf.

Very Good to Near Fine book that has rubbing, slight bumping and wear to spine ends and bottom edges of boards, tiny closed tear at top of spine, touch of color loss within back gutter, light age toning to page edges; in a Very Good jacket that has edge wear, several small closed tears and very small chips, some color loss at corners, along folds and along jacket edges, mild rubbing and touch of age toning along top of back panel and edges of flaps. The jacket is not the 1st state and does not have the blurb for readers by Stanley Rinehart. The Rinehart colophon is present on the copyright page and front flap shows price of $4.00. This copy of Mailer's acclaimed first novel has a 3 by 5 card laid-in with an inscription: "To Orville W. Jafke with my best wishes," signed by Mailer.

Fine minus book with slight shelf wear and touch of light soiling to tiny area front page edges. Oversize book approximately 11 inches tall by 7 inches wide. This is the lettered limited edition, J of 26 copies, bound in very dark blue leather with no jacket, as issued. Publisher's envelop lettered J laid-in with letter stating – Dear Collector, Contrary to our colophon page, this lettered state of Dark Rivers Of The Heart has been hand bound by Claudia Cohen in full Morocco leather with Fabriano Roma end-sheets and stamped in 22-carat gold. Enjoy, Charnel House. Signed on the limitation page by Koontz and Gervais. This copy housed in a Fine, blue drop-lid box custom made by bookbinder Mark Andersson, Panther Peak Bindery, Tucson. One of his business cards is laid-in.

A Fine - oversize book approximately 14 by 10 inches – in a Near Fine slipcase with slight rubbing, touch of edge wear and several light spots on one side. The limited edition book (11 of 81 numbered copies) contains twelve poems, a collection  of classical Mexican poetry spanning five centuries by eleven of Mexico's greatest poets with an introduction by Weinberger, commentary and notes on each poem by Nobel Laureate Paz, and a discussion between Weinberg and Paz concerning Beckett’s (also a Nobel Laureate) translation of the poems. The book includes multicolor etchings created especially for this edition by Enrique Chagoya who is becoming one of  the most  highly regarded  Mexican-American  artists of his generation. The twelve full-page plates were produced by the master printer, Jesus Romero under the supervision of the artist; each signed in pencil by Chagoya. Book is signed on a limitation page by Paz, Weinberger, and Chagoya. The text is printed entirely in letterpress on handmade… Read More

Near Fine, apparently unread book that has softness at spine ends, slight bow to boards, and very light touch of foxing to front page edges; in a Good to Very Good dust jacket that has front flap that is about three quarters detached with a small tape repair to reverse, small chips along edges with color loss edges and front flap fold, wear and chipping to corners, mild sun and age toning to white portions, spine, and back flap, closed tear top front panel with a 4 inch triangular crease toward spine. The gold title labels and red top-stain are bright, and the title labels have also produced white offsetting to interior of jacket. A proper first with $2.00 price front flap, both Scribners "A" and imprint on copyright page, ow instead of two at p. 159 line 20. Six of the fourteen short stories appear here for the first time. First printing was just over 20,000 copies – all as per Grissom 2011 bibliography.

The original, signed painting by Thorpe for the dust jacket of the trade edition – painting is framed and matted (black frame measures approximately 16 x 12 inches). This art had to be redone at the last possible moment because an editor at Harper decided that the jacket design must include a scene from Washington D.C. The mystery leads Leaphorn and Chee to leave the reservation and investigate in Washington – an unusual twist in the Hillerman mysteries, since the action seldom shifts far from the Navajo Reservation. The plot twist is what led to the decision to redo the jacket art. This painting is the original art, which appeared only on the Advanced Reading Copy of the book, and related early publisher's promotions for the title. There were also a number of proofs of the original jacket.
A number of related items are included with the painting: a Fine, unread copy of the ARC in color wraps, to which Thorpe has added signed art to the half-title page; a front panel of one of an original proof… Read More

Collectors lettered limited edition – this is copy "B" of 26 such books. A Fine, unread book bound in simulated brown leather that has been crafted so that lettering and designs appear to have been hand-tooled to the leather; book is housed in a Fine, matching clamshell box. The over-size book is a beautiful production (box measures 11 ½ by 9 by 2 ½ inches). In addition to the Introduction and Afterword, content includes: All titles of the Arapaho Ten Commandments series; ten other short stories, and two essays. Parks has provided 66 illustrations (many of these are the same as appeared in the Ten Commandments Series. The original drawing for the third illustration ("You are my younger sister, she said") is mounted inside the box, opposite the book. All three authors and Parks have signed on the limitation page. The A.S.A.P. hardcover with jacket and the lettered editions are the true first printing
of this collection – there was a Berkley trade paperback edition in 2013. The trues firsts are… Read More

This is a Collectors lettered edition that is housed in a unique, hinged wooden box that has windows on both sides, letting both front and back of book be seen. End pages and paste-downs are in heavy weight paper that is designed to simulate wood grains. This is copy "K" of 26 such copies, only 18 of which were for sale. Fine, unread book in Fine wooden box. The book is bound in simulated brown leather that has been crafted so that lettering appears to have been hand-tooled to the leather. Collects three Bruen titles previously published by A.S.A.P. – The Dead Room, Uisce (And All the Swans Are Dying, and Brant's High Tide); and The Galway Hooker. These stories feature Jack Taylor and Inspector Brant. Introduction for this collection is by Gary Phillips; Afterword and illustrations by Phil Parks. Signed on the limitation page by Bruen, Phillips, and Parks.