Modern First Editions

Sauk City, Wisconsin: Arkham House, 1943 First printing of the first edition. One of 1,217 copies printed, Publisher's black cloth with gilt spine titles, octavo, 458 pages. The fourth book issued by Arkham House. The companion novel to The Outsider and Others. Accompanied by three letters from August Derleth to Clark Ashton Smith, discussing dust jacket art. Also includes a prepublication announcement card and a subsequent information card, as well as a letter from Derleth verifying an order for copies of Beyond the Wall of Sleep. Light rubbing at head and tail of spine and at corners of boards, text block is faintly age toned, but clean, unmarked, and tight in binding. Scarce dust jacket is slightly rubbed at spine head and tail and at corner tips. Overall near fine to fine condition.

New York: New Directions, 1947. First edition. Pink boards; very fine in dust jacket, unfaded and with no wear. One of the fabled Norman Unger copies, purchased new by Williams's bibliophilic friend, the book collector Unger, then wrapped and stored for 30 years. Cover and jacket design by Alvin Lustig. Crandell A 5.1.a.

New York: Harrison Smith & Robert Haas, [1932].. Large octavo. Rough woven tan cloth, lettered in blue and orange. A fine copy in equally fine and unusually bright and fresh pictorial dust jacket, with the very slightly chipped and tanned outer glassine wrapper carefully preserved. First edition, first printing, first binding. The first printing consisted of 8500 copies, a relatively small number of which appeared with blue stamping only (a characteristic of the bindings of the later impressions). The error "Jefferson" on p.340 has no bibliographic significance, as it reoccurs in the reprints. PETERSEN A13a. MASSEY 103.

New York: Knopf, 1927. First edition. One of fifty numbered and signed copies printed on Japan vellum. Original full cream vellum paper, gilt-stamped, top edge gilt. Slight mottling to the spine, but a bright and fine copy, in the publisher's green paper slipcase with label. Crane A16.a.i.

Zurich: Rascher & Cie.. 1919. The first German edition of Joyce's play Exiles and the first of his works to be published in translation in any language. One of 600 copies printed: Joyce was living in Zurich at the time and he paid for the publication of this book out of his own pocket. This copy is inscribed by the author: "To J.R. [sic] Watson, Jun / with grateful regards / James Joyce / 8. ix. 1919." J.S. Watson, Jr. was at the time the co-owner of the modernist literary journal The Dial, which he bought from Martyn Johnson with his friend and fellow Harvard graduate, Scofield Thayer. Watson became president of the magazine and Thayer became its editor. The "grateful regards" refers to a gift of $300 that Watson had sent Joyce earlier in the year at the urging of Thayer, who had himself sent Joyce $700. These sums bailed Joyce out of dire financial straits, allowed him to settle a court case against him, and helped him support the theater group that he had associated with in Zurich, the English… Read More

NY: Various. (1958-1967). The first four books by Southern -- creator of Dr. Strangelove and screenwriter of Easy Rider -- each inscribed by him to his friend, the bandleader, composer, and musician Artie Shaw. Flash and Filigree (NY: Coward McCann, 1958; the scarce first issue) is inscribed "To Artie and Casey with love and all best wishes/ Terry S." Laid in is an autograph note signed to Artie from Terry. The Magic Christian (NY: Random House, 1960) is inscribed "To Artie and Casey with love and best wishes for much happiness. Terry." Candy (NY: Putnam, 1964 -- first thus, and first hardcover edition) is inscribed "To Artie and Case, with love and kisses (your so-called 'soul' or 'french' kiss, natch!) / Terry." Red Dirt Marijuana (NY: New American Library, 1967) is inscribed: "To Art/ with all best, Terry." The books are near fine or better in near fine or better dust jackets; each with its own, matching, custom clamshell case. Unless otherwise noted, our first editions are first printings. First… Read More

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1926. First Edition. Fine/Fine. First edition, first printing with no damage to type on pages 38, 90 and 248; in a first state dust jacket with lips unbattered. Bound in publisher's green cloth with titles in blind on the upper board, and stamped in gilt on the spine. Fine, almost appearing as new, with bright and sharp gilt lettering. Faint wear at corners and bumping to bottom corner of lower board, creating a tiny, corresponding chip to the dust jacket. A breathtaking copy, one would be hard-pressed to find one nicer.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1929. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover. First Edition. In the first issue dust jacket, with Wolfe's portrait on the rear panel and the original price of 2.50 on the front flap. Near Fine in a Very Good dust jacket. Jacket is evenly faded on the spine panel, with chipping on the front flap fold, spine ends, and tips, light edgewear, and a number of old tape reinforcements on the verso. ; All domestic orders shipped protected in a Box. .

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1943. First edition / First printing. Green cloth. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. No restoration, a remarkable copy. Chandler's fourth book. $2.00 Net Price present on front jacket flap.

First American edition, first state with a bowing hobbit on the title page, and Chapter VII mistakenly titled Chapter VI. Bound in publisher's original buff cloth (slight staining) stamped in blue and red; lacking the dust jacket. Good + with light foxing to cloth and loosening on the interior spine, corners rubbed; former owner labels. More photos available upon request.

London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1908. First Edition. Octavo. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper "Inscribed by/Winston S. Churchill/1946. Portrait frontispiece of Churchill. half-title, 226pp., [16]p. publisher's catalog at the rear, illustrated with three maps and photographic illustrations by the author and Lt. Col. Gordon Wilson. While on his journey through Africa, Churchill wrote each day. Many of his writings during this period had already been published in Strand Magazine, which did help him a bit with expenses. The present work is his continuous narrative of the lighter side of his journey which he considered an inspiration and delightful time he spent in the wild while hunting and getting to know the people of Africa. A handsome copy finely bound in full red morocco, raised bands, double black morocco spine labels gilt, all other compartments decorated in gilt, marbled endpapers, with the original covers bound in at the rear, scattered foxing to fore-edges with occasional… Read More

New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers / A Story Press Book, 1938 Presentation copy from Richard Wright to Ernest Hemingway: "To Ernest Hemingway / From / Richard Wright." Stated second edition in married original dust jacket, first published with four novellas; two more were added when the book was reprinted in 1940. In Down by the Riverside, included in this collection, Wright transposes the Italian retreat at the Battle of Caporetto in Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms to the American South. Richard Wright was known to be a great admirer of Ernest Hemingway, whom he once named as a modernist writer whose work should be read by aspiring black authors (Scruggs, Hemingway and the Black Renaissance, 58–59). Mild toning to margins of endpapers, light toning to page margins, spine ends gently crimped, and a light pale stain to bottom front cover, foot of spine, and just an inch to bottom back spine fold, else book in fine condition; dust jacket with professional restoration to extremities, mild… Read More

Black Sparrow Press, 1971. First Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine. Copy #16 of 250 numbered hardcover copies signed by Charles Bukowski. This copy has great provenance - being Bill Katz's copy, with facsimiles of two pre-publication letters from publisher John Martin to Katz (from December 1970 and January 1971), discussing Katz's prior pivotal review of 'The Days Run Away...' in Library Journal, which Martin credited for making the sale of the book, and discussing sending proofs of 'Post Office' to Katz, hoping for another Library Journal review. Katz in fact did write the review, the results of which Bukowski credited with helping him to become a full-time writer. This copy also includes the original Black Sparrow review slip, with Black Sparrow's note in pencil 'First novel - Bill Katz / dup. on shelf.' Also includes a facsimile of a carbon copy of Katz's letter to Bukowski presenting his personal view of 'Post Office' (as oposed to the review). A very near to fine copy of this important work, in… Read More

Collins. London. 1968. FIRST EDITION. 4to. (10.3 x 7.6 inches). 32pp. Illustrated in colour by the Author. Original colour illustrated boards and in the rare original dustwrapper. Two pages with minor blemishes but overall a bright and clean copy in the original colour printed dustwrapper, which reproduces the board illustrations and lettering. Some minor bumping to the board edges. One small closed tear (less than 1 inch) to the bottom front hinge of the wrapper, which also has some light creasing to the edges but overall this is a superior copy of the notoriously rare book. ---- A better than very good First edition of Judith Kerr's first, and most beloved book. Never out of print and with sales exceeding 5 million copies, it has been animated for television and adapted into a hugely successful stage play. The first edition is rare, especially so in the original dust-jacket.

The present example was owned by Tolkien's uncle, W.B. Incledon who later gifted it to a friend. Inscribed by Incledon: C.S.C. / from / W.B. Incledon. / Rottingdean / Jan? 1938/
Published in the same year as the first impression, this first colour illustrated edition (second impression overall) is the first time the world saw Middle-Earth in colour. This impression was printed in December of 1937 in an edition of 2300 copies (423 of which were destroyed at the warehouse of the binder, Key and Whiting, in the bombing of London on November 7th 1940). This example with the connection to the Tolkien family is one of a kind and has been held in the consignee's family by descent since 1938. One does presume that the book was originally given to his uncle by Tolkien himself.
First colour illustrated edition. 8vo. A VG+ to near-fine example. Original publishers green cloth. Minor wear to the extremities of the cloth Presentation inscription from Tolkien's uncle. Internally fresh. A one of a kind example with… Read More