The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand - 1943

NY, Pynson Printers, December 1936, first edition.. This hardcover with marbled boards and orange cloth spine is the first separate printing of the Junius Maltby story from Steinbeck's second book, The Pastures of Heaven, Goldstone & Payne A2f, see Morrow 16, issued here with a new title and an epilogue written especially for this book by Steinbeck, it is one of only 370 copies for presentation by a number of subscribers to be used as a Christmas gift, it includes pen and ink drawings by Donald McKay, this is a most interesting Association Copy made at the request of Rockwell Kent who has Signed his name on the presentation page where the requester's name was to have been inserted, Kent then added the word "himself" in the area where the presentee's name was to have been filled in, Kent was the "house" artist for the Pynson Printers, the book is also Signed by Elmer Adler, F. B. Adams, and John Winterich, Sally and Rockwell Kent's modest bookplate affixed to the front pastedown, now housed in Kent's… Read More

London, Heinemann, 1935, first British edition, first printing, dust jacket. Hardcover.. This was Steinbeck's breakthrough book, it is a story of the Knights of the Round Table in the guise of paisanos, Goldstone & Payne A4c, Morrow 31, scarce. Very good.

NY, Viking, 1938, first edition, first printing, dust jacket. Hardcover.. Steinbeck's first book published by Viking, a short story collection of all-star stories that includes Flight which appears for the first time as well as such Steinbeck classics as The Chrysanthemums, The Snake, Breakfast, The Harness, Johnny Bear, and all portions of The Red Pony, Goldstone & Payne A11a, Morrow 90, this is one of 8,000 copies (as opposed to 50,000 copies for The Grapes of Wrath and more than 100,000 copies for East of Eden), the dust jacket is illustrated by Elmer Hader who also illustrated dust jackets for Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and The Winter of Our Discontent. While this copy has some of the inevitable age-darkening to the book spine, it is far less than usual and the book itself is quite tight, minor soiling to jacket, fine.

Bronxville, privately printed, 1952, first edition, wrappers. Softcover.. First separate printing of this chapter from Steinbeck's big, rambling flawed masterpiece, Steinbeck writes beautifully how there is only one story -- the struggle between good and evil, one of 125 copies printed on the hand-press by Valenti Angelo, bound in limp buff wrappers, this is variant 2 with the title page containing a red and black rectangular design of leafy and bare branches between the title and "PRIVATELY PRINTED 1952" with the limitation notice on page 10 (although the pages are unnumbered), the variants are believed to be trial copies, no priority has been determined, Goldstone & Payne A32d, not recorded by Morrow, this was John DePol's copy with his spare bookplate, DePol (1913-2004) was an artist and one of America's foremost printmakers and wood engravers, his prints can be found in the permanent collections of many libraries and museums, he contributed to publications by the Allen Press, Red Ozier Press,… Read More

Los Angeles/Columbia, Underwood/Miller, 1987, first edition.. Five volumes, with slipcase, No. 70 of 100 numbered copies of the de luxe edition with Dick's signature from a canceled check fixed to the limitation page of the first volume, preface by Dick, foreword by Steven Owen Godersky, introduction to the first volume, Beyond Lies the Wub, by Roger Zelazny, introduction to the second volume, Second Variety, by Norman Spinrad, introduction to the third volume, The Fathering, by John Brunner, introduction to the four volume, The Days of Perky Pat, by James Tiptree, Jr., and introduction to the fifth volume, The Little Black Box, by Thomas M. Disch, the set collected 118 stories, the first volume includes Brief Synopsis for Alternate World Novel, "The Acts of Paul," not found in other states of this collection by a master of science fiction, this is Nit's copy. Fine.

New York:: Viking Press,, 1938.. First Printing of the First US Edition. A Near Fine copy with the usual age darkening to the cloth binding in a Very Good plus unclipped dust jacket with gentle wear to the extremities, a tiny chip missing near the head of the spine and a glue bleed through running along the fold of the rear panel. Otherwise a respectable copy of this collection of classic Steinbeck short stories that includes The Chrysanthemums, The White Quail, Flight, The Snake, Breakfast, The Raid, The Harness, The Vigilante, Johnny Bear, The Murder, St. Katy The Virgin, the Complete Red Pony, The Leader of the People. There were only 8000 copies of this title published in the First Edition.

Boston and New York / Riverside Press, Cambridge: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1900. First Edition, First Issue, First State 1st Printing. Slate-grey Cloth. Near Fine/No DJ. 7 7/8" Tall. (I-Viii) Including Preliminary Blank Leaf After Front Free Endpaper, (1), 2-251; Printer's Imprint , P. (252); Final Blank Leaf Before Rear Free Endpaper. (First Printing Of 2028 Copies, Per Sisson-Martens, 1010 Of Second Printing, 1004 Of Third Printing, But What Identifies 2Nd And Third Printings Is Not Absolutely Clear). Embossed Slate Grey Cloth With Silver. Near Fine. First Trade Printing, First Issue, First State On All Known Points. Collation: 1(4), 3-22 (6) As Required For First Printing. Binding With Publisher's Imprint At Bottom Of Spine : Houghton | Mifflin & Co. Without Periods Around Ampersand, The State #1 Per Woodbridge, (No Known Priority.) Bal Does Not Provide Definitive Points For The First State. However, James Henry (As Cited In Sisson-Martens) In "A Proposed Chronology… Read More

New York: Edward Stern & Co., 1908. First Edition, First State 1st Printing. Blue Cloth. Near Fine/No Dust Jacket. 287 Pp. First Issue, With Publisher's Name Printed Once On Copyright Page, And Illustrations Listed On Verso Of Contents Page. A Bright, Clean Copy With Just A Touch Of Wear At Tips; Hinges Tight, No Foxing, No Marks, No Damage, All Plates Present, All Pages Square, Illustration On Front Cover Bright, Clean, No Marks And Just A Very Faint Touch Of Wear And With An Almost Invisible 3/4" Damp Spot. This Adult Book Was Later Made Into A 1914 Movie By Baum's Movie Production Company.

London: Cassell & Company, 1935. First Edition. First edition of Lawrence Durrell's first novel. Highly autobiographical in character, an apprentice effort, Durrell's novel sank largely without trace. And as with so many unsold titles, the majority of copies were destroyed during the Blitz. Blue boards with the barest hint of rubbing to edges; no dustjacket, spine incorrectly lettered Pied Pipers of Lovers, bookseller's price on front free endpaper, slight spotting to fore and top-edges, otherwise a clean, solid, well-preserved copy of Lawrence's exceedingly scarce first novel.

CELINE, Louis-Ferdinand (1894-1961)
Autograph letter signed "LFCéline" to his friends Descaves
Copenhagen, 7th July [1947], (c/o Mikkelsen), 2 pages in-folio
"France does not deserve its writers"
Moving letter from Céline looking back with despair on his eighteen months in prison


"Chers amis, Voici bien longtemps que nous sommes demeurés sans nouvelles. De notre côté une légère amélioration au point de vue légal grâce à la visite que Mikkelsen a faite à Paris à Naud et à d'autres amis. La Butte a donné à fond ! s'est donné à fond en ma faveur. L'impression a été admirable ! Je ne suis plus le damné total, la pourriture absolue. On commence à se rendre compte que l'on m'a bien martyrisé injustement alors que tant d'autres… s'en tirent glorieusement et fructueusement. Lucette heureusement a repris forme et santé. Je ne suis pas brillant. Je traîne. J'ai refait de la pellagre et une crise de rhumatisme abominable en dépit de la chaleur. La cellule, les hivers en cellule… Read More