Search Results: Best Copy in the World from Royal Books, Inc.

Paris: Bernard Grasset, 1926. First French Edition, preceding all others. Copy No. 1 of seven copies on Japon, numbered 1-5, and two hors commerce copies numbered HCI and HCII. Warmly inscribed by the author on the half-title page: "a Monsieur Brun / qui a si cordialement accueilli mon debut. / Avec la reconnaisance de René Clair," translating roughly to "To Mr. Brun / Who so cordially welcomed my debut. / With appreciation, René Clair." Published about a year after Clair's film debut, "The Phantom of Moulin-Rouge" ("Le fantome du Moulin-Rouge") and translated ten years later in English as "Star Turn" by Chatto and Windus, in a hardcover edition. The great French film director's first book, a novel about a film star who becomes lost in his own character, and devises a scheme to make a film with God as a means of escape. Clair's evocative, fantastical style echoed the work of his American counterpart, Frank Borzage, and was a monstrous influence on the French New Wave. Some very slight wear to… Read More

Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1968. First Edition. First Edition. Copy belonging to director Joseph Losey, with his name and home address written in manuscript ink on the first leaf: "Joseph Losey / Hanover, NH / '70." Additional underlining and bracketing throughout, in the same fountain pen ink as the inscription, mostly to the opening chapters of the text. The McCarthy / HUAC witch hunt saw Losey hounded out of the United States in the 1950s and, to his great regret, he never made another film in his home country. Professionally, though, it was the making of him as a director: in collaboration with Harold Pinter, Losey made a trilogy of legendary British films of the 1960s: "The Servant," "Accident," and "The Go-Between." Pinter and Losey also worked closely together on an adaptation of Proust's "In Search of Lost Time," but although the script was later published the film remained unmade. Losey shared both a political philosophy and a cinema aesthetic with Alain Resnais, and Losey's 1978 film… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1969. Vintage oversize double weight candid photograph of Alan Arkin, Art Garfunkel, and Martin Sheen on the set of Mike Nichols' "Catch-22" in 1969. Shot and struck by the film's still photographer, Bob Willoughby. The photographer has written at the top of the verso, in manuscript pencil: "Candid during rehearsal / The boys break up in briefing room scene / Art Garfunkel, Alan Arkin, Martin Sheen." Also with Willoughby's ASMP rubber stamp for both his New York and Ireland addresses. Full provenance available. After studying with Saul Bass at the Kann Institute of Art in Los Angeles, photographer Robert Willoughby began working for magazines such as "Life," "Look," and "Harper's Bazaar" in the late 1940s. He spent the next 20-plus years as a set photographer for every major studio and magazine, with his images seen in print literally every week of his career. Willoughby's photographs are in the permanent collections of ten museums, including The National Portrait Galleries in… Read More

New York: St. Martin's Press, 1986. Final corrected manuscript for George Baxt's novel, "The Alfred Hitchcock Murder Case," featuring his series character Jacob Singer, set in England between 1925-1936. Ribbon copy typescript, with manuscript pencil corrections by the author throughout. First published in 1986 by St. Martin's Press. 251 pages, Near Fine. In a custom clamshell box, with red leather title labels, titles and rule in gilt.

N.p.: N.p., 1921. Archive of 41 autograph letters from early silent film actor William S. Hart to his fiancée, actress Jane Novak, written on Hart's personal letterhead and dated between May 4 and 26, 1921. Included with the letters are their original mailing envelopes (addressed to Novak's residence at the Biltmore in New York) as well as typescript transcriptions of the letters, with occasional manuscript ink annotations amending errors and providing details on locations, written on Novak's orange and purple letterhead. The archive also contains two typescript pages from an introduction to a children's book written by Hart, the final story in his "Boys Golden West" series, about the adventures of two boys-one Native American boy named Injun and one white boy named Whitey. One of the great Western actors of the early silent film era, Hart quickly gained fame in 1915, after appearing in a series of popular two-reel Western short films for producer Thomas Ince. The shorts' success led to a series… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1932. Archive of six extraordinary Autograph Letters Signed, including five in French and one in English, by the pioneering film director Georges Méliès, revealing a great deal about his little-discussed but profoundly important origins in the Robert-Houdin Theatre in Paris, as well as his work as a magician and ultimately a film director. Equally interesting in these letters are various revelations regarding his character, a combination of innocence, boundless enthusiasm, a quizzical nature, a photographic memory, and a great love for artists, magicians, and all performers whose work came under the umbrella of "illusion." One image shown. Additional images of the letters in the archive are available on request. Méliès began his career in theater at the Theatre Robert-Houdin, doing extremely creative work in an area that could be described as an intersection of live theater, pantomime, magic, and vaudeville. After seeing an 1895 demonstration by the Lumiere Brothers, he became… Read More

France: 79th Division, 1919. An archive of material from James M. Cain's estate, originally from his office, relating to the newspaper edited (and largely written) by James M. Cain, The Lorraine Cross, during his service with the 79th Division of the US Army of the Allied Expeditionary Force in World War I. Included are: James M. Cain's own copy of the final issue of The Lorraine Cross, published just prior to the division's soldiers return to the US at the end of the war. A typed letter signed from the division's commanding General Joseph E. Kuhn to Cain, praising him and the paper's staff for their efforts. An original broadside printed in red and blue: "Have You Subscribed to The Lorraine Cross?" printed in red and two shades of blue with a comic drawing of doughboys reading the paper. Also included is Cain's copy of "Seventy-ninth Division, Headquarters Troop: A Record," a summary of the division's activities in the war, assessed mostly in a long essay, with illustrations. Cain is… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1980. Archive of material belonging to director George Roy Hill, including an AFI Award for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," a brass plaque dated May 22, 1976 declaring Hill an Honorary Lugan of Johnstown, one alumni achievement award dated 1985 and presented to Hill from The Blake School, and an International Award from the Academie du Cinema given to Hill for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Also included in the archive are eleven oversize reference photographs taken on the set of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," five oversize reference photographs and three reference photographs taken on the set of Hill's 1966 film "Hawaii," two borderless reference photographs of Hill on the set of his 1962 film "Period of Adjustment," one borderless reference photograph of Hill on the set of his 1975 film "The Great Waldo Pepper," two borderless reference photographs of Hill on the set of his 1988 film "Funny Farm," two reference photographs taken on the set of the television series… Read More

Baltimore: Press Box, 1958. First Edition. First Edition. SIGNED by 40 team members of the most legendary Colts lineup, including Johnny Unitas, Jim Parker, Raymond Berry, Tom Matte, Don Shula, and many others. Also laid in is a posted envelope, dated December 1965, signed by 6 members of the coaching staff, including Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb (who died in May 1963), Don Shula, Charley Winner, Don McCafferty, and John Sanduskey. Very Good plus in a Very Good plus dust jacket. An uncommon book in jacket, but we find it reasonable to assume that there may not be another copy with even half as many autographs.

(Los Angeles): N.p., 1981. First draft manuscript for the 1984 novel, dated 1981, and here under the working title "L.A. Death Trip." INSCRIBED by Ellroy on one of two title pages (with another unused title, "Because the Night," crossed out), in which the author identifies this typed manuscript as a "precursor" draft to "Blood on the Moon" and specifies the time period in which it was written. Also included is an autograph letter signed on Mysterious Press stationery, in which Ellroy calls this "the real live, genuine, cold-blooded 1st draft of Blood on the Moon - my 3rd novel. As you will be able to tell, the book needed work - I did it, and the revised edition met the eyes of the world. This edition meets only your baby blues... so I hope you dig it." As indicated in the Ellroy letter, comparison with the published book shows substantial differences from the manuscript on offer, with plot elements remaining relatively the same, but significant changes to the text. The author's third book and… Read More

Burbank, CA: Warner Brothers / Seven Arts, 1968. Vintage concept artwork for the 1968 film. A striking two-color op-art design by uncredited artist Norbert Jobst, who had previously worked in title design for the 1967 film "Games." The dimensions of the artwork suggests it was designed for a pressbook or film program. Mounted and laminated, and stamped with a "PermaPlaque, Hollywood" logo on the verso. Based on the 1963 novel, "Mute Witness" by Robert Pike, easily one of Steve McQueen's most minimal performances, and one of the best examples of location shooting ever made. A key crime film, complex and unsentimental, that set the bar for those that would follow. Shot on location in San Francisco. Artwork, 18.5 x 12 inches mounted and laminated onto a 21 x 14.5 inch wooden plaque. Lightly rubbed else Near Fine, with a tiny chip on the bottom edge. National Film Registry. Grant US. Penzler 101.

N.p.: N.p., 1961. Vintage oversize double weight candid photograph of Gregory Peck and producer Sy Bartlett conferring on the set of "Cape Fear" in 1961, during the final scene in which Peck's character Sam Bowden fights in swamp water with Max Cady (Robert Mitchum). Shot, struck, and mounted by the film's still photographer, Bob Willoughby. The photographer has written at the top of the verso, in manuscript ink: "Greg on set listens to producer Sy Bartlett." With Willoughby's ASMP rubber stamp with his Pacific Palisades address, and a separate stamp with the address of the Lee Gross Agency in New York. Full provenance available. After studying with Saul Bass at the Kann Institute of Art in Los Angeles, photographer Robert Willoughby began working for magazines such as "Life," "Look," and "Harper's Bazaar" in the late 1940s. He spent the next 20-plus years as a set photographer for every major studio and magazine, with his images seen in print literally every week of his career. Willoughby's… Read More

London: 4AD, 1989. Three early never-issued alternate artwork proof designs for the classic 1989 album. Developed by British graphic designer Vaughan Oliver, with photography by Simon Larbalestier. Unique. In 1980, Oliver and photographer Nigel Grierson formed the graphic design partnership 23 Envelope. In 1982 the duo were invited to create sleeve art for the 4AD record label by co-founder Ivo Watts-Russell. Under 23 Envelope and v23, Oliver would give 4AD one of the most acclaimed and distinguished visual identities of any record label of the 1980s and 1990s, designing album art for the Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, Dead Can Dance, Colourbox, and the Pixies, among many others. Oliver managed the graphic design for the Pixies' entire discography during his lifetime, with "Doolittle" being the most celebrated. Photographer Simon Larbalestier is best known for his collaborative work with Oliver under 23 Envelope and v23, and provided photography for all the Pixies albums, helping to give the band… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1982. Vintage album with approximately 300 reference photographs, a mix of black-and-white and color, from the 1982 horror film. Included with the album are four contact sheets (presenting approximately 120 images), one loose black-and-white reference photograph, and four negative strips housed in individual sleeves, all housed in a photography developer envelope. Single manuscript ink annotation on the front of the album, noting the film title. From the estate of cinematographer John McCoy. Although the balance of the photographs were apparently taken for continuity and set documentation, multiple pages near the end of the album capture cast and crew members on the set. These photographs show crew members setting up scenery and relaxing, actors getting their makeup touched up, playfully posing with props (including quite a few humorous shots with a severed head) between takes, and several large group shots, ostensibly taken on the last day of filming. A Z-budget thriller about a… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1969. Original ribbon copy typescript for Tay Garnett's screenplay adaptation of Mickey Spillane's 1967 novel. Profusely annotated by Garnett in blue and red ink on every page, and with a annotations by him at the top right corner of the first leaf: "First Draft (Work Copy)," "Screenplay by Tay Garnett," and "From Mickey Spillane's novel." Raoul Walsh eventually worked with Garnett on the script, but this draft precedes his involvement. The film was released on May 15, 1970, and starred Yvette Mimieux, Christopher George, and Yvonne De Carlo. 182 leaves, rectos only. Leaves supple, Very Good plus overall.

Munich: Dreilander Verlag, 1920. Collection of 38 issues of the landmark Weimar-era periodical highlighting fantasy, horror, and early science fiction stories. Text in German. One of the world's first fantasy periodicals, (alongside the Swedish "Hugin") "Der Orchideengarten" featured a mix of new German stories alongside translations of foreign literature (largely French), including works by Victor Hugo, Guy de Maupassant, Voltaire, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Joseph Capek, H.G. Wells, and many others. The magazine also made forays into the proto-science fiction genre, as seen in Vol. 2 No. 4, entitled "Phantastik der Technik." A true product of the Weimar era's cultural blossoming, the magazine also features stunning illustrations both with its two- and three-color cover art and its woodcut reproductions throughout: sinister yet elegant visions of anthropomorphic flowers, religious idols, Grim Reapers, and gory deaths. "Der Orchideengarten" featured the work of Gustave Dore, Otto… Read More

Los Angeles: Warner Brothers Records, 1970. Original photographic artwork assemblage for Van Morrison's classic 1970 album, , with original double exposure photograph by David Gahr, designed by Janet Planet and used by Warner Brothers Records as shooting artwork for the album cover. Production annotations, in manuscript marker and pencil, at bottom of board below the image. Annotations on verso noting, "Van Morrison 'Cover' 1884," in manuscript marker, with the "1884" being the album catalogue number, and "the band + street choir," just below in manuscript pencil. Gahr was a preeminent photographer of folk, blues, jazz, and rock musicians for over four decades, whose subjects include the likes of Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Miles Davis, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, Peter Seeger, and many, many others. His work was regularly featured in the seminal rock magazine "Crawdaddy." Building on the critical successes of "Astral Weeks" (1968), and "Moondance" (1970), Morrison's fourth studio LP featured the… Read More

New York: Lenox Hill Press, 1971. First Edition. First Edition. INSCRIBED playfully by the author on the verso of the half-title page: "To Mark Reinsberg / the hombre from the capital of incontinence-that is, existentially / My best regards for authoritarianism. / Chas. Willeford / 19 Nov '71." After an early career in paperback originals, Willeford's second hardcover publication after "The Burnt Orange Heresy," a Western with all the philosophical musing, genre-convention busting, and pitch black humor one comes to expect from the great writer's writer. Republished by Dennis McMillan in 1999 under Willeford's original title, "The Difference." Very Good plus in a Very Good plus dust jacket. Faint foxing to the page edges and endpapers, with some wear to the cloth of the top edge of the boards. Jacket faintly foxed on the rear panel and flaps, with a lightly faded spine and brief wear to the extremities.

Beverly Hills, CA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer [MGM], 1952. Vintage oversize double weight photograph of James Mason on location in Bronson Canyon, California, for the shooting of "Julius Caesar" in 1952. Shot and struck by the film's still photographer, Bob Willoughby. SIGNED by Willoughby at the bottom right margin in black ink, with his rubber stamp on the verso (noting his Los Angeles address). Full provenance available. After studying with Saul Bass at the Kann Institute of Art in Los Angeles, photographer Robert Willoughby began working for magazines such as "Life," "Look," and "Harper's Bazaar" in the late 1940s. He spent the next 20-plus years as a set photographer for every major studio and magazine, with his images seen in print literally every week of his career. Willoughby's photographs are in the permanent collections of ten museums, including The National Portrait Galleries in Washington, DC and London, the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, The Museum of Modern Art, and The Tate Modern. In… Read More

Culver City, CA: RKO Radio Pictures, 1941. Draft script for the classic 1942 film noir. An American ballistics expert in Turkey finds himself targeted by Nazi agents. Safe passage home by ship is arranged for him, but he soon discovers that his pursuers are also on board. Set in Turkey. Yellow titled wrappers, rubber-stamped and production No. 1223, dated July 30, 1941. 159 leaves, with last page of text numbered 165. Carbon typescript, with revision pages dated July 29, 1941. Pages Very Good plus, wrapper Very Good plus bound with three gold brads. Godard, Histoire(s) du cinema. Grant US. Selby US. Silver and Ward. Spicer US.