Rare books from Derringer Books

Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1967. First Edition. Paperback. Near Fine. First edition. Printed wrappers. One of only 122 numbered copies and SIGNED by Bukowski. In addition, this copy bears Bukowski's FULL PAGE INSCRIPTION to his friend John Thomas in year of publication. A remarkable inscription. In near fine condition.

Japan, 1963. First Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good. First edition of this remarkable photobook. Something of a documentary of heroin and other narcotic use in Japanese society in the early 1960's. Predates Larry Clark's Tulsa by many years. A scarce book and highly recommended. Near fine clothbound copy in very good dustwrapper. Comes in cardboard slipcase which shows wear to edges and decorated label.

Indianapolis and New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Compant, 1943. Reprint. Cloth. Fine/near fine. Early printing of the author's first major work of fiction. A superb copy in green cloth binding. Clean and tightly bound. Dustwrapper with $3.00 price and three blurbs along with the author's photo on rear cover of dustwrapper. Ever so slight fade to spine else a fine example.

No Place: Columbia Records, 1953. First edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Deluxe issue of this collection of spoken word recordings housed in original leather attache case and including a book describing the readings on each record. Contains eleven of the twelve original long play 33 1/3 records (lacking the Aldous Huxley). Book in fine condition. Records a bit dusty but look to be in exceptional condition. Original printed sleeves show small splits and tears. Leatherbound case lacks original closing snaps. Sold as-is. A near complete set of these rare recordings. Steinbeck reads The Snake and Johnny Bear. Capote reads Children On Their Birthdays. Isherwood reads from A Berlin Diary. etc. Series edited by Goddard Lieberson. Rare.

Leide: Pierre Vander, 1713. First edition. Full Leather. Good +. Three separate volumes (labed 1-3) in somewhat worn leather bindings. Text in French. Each volume contains numerous illustrations including fold-out illustrations at the beginning of each volume. 6 1/4 x 4" wide. Still well bound. Magnificent architectural structures of ancient Europe.

Ashland, MA: Origin Press, 1959. First edition. Paperback. Very Good. Oblong folio. 12 x 15" wide. A lovely fine press poetry book handset in Bodoni Bold by the Matsuoka Printing Co. This is copy 173 of 200 hand-numbered and SIGNED copies by Corman. A good to very good example with large cover illustration by Rubenstein. Due to the awkward dimensions of this book copies are rarely found in ideal condition. This copy in good to very good overall condition with wear to covers and a couple of small stains. Another beautiful fine press poetry book by Corman from this period.

Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1973. First edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/fine. Limited first edition of this early short story collection by the author of Post Office and Ham On Rye. This is number 142 of only 300 hand-numbered and SIGNED copies in special hardbound binding with multi-colored cloth spine. A sharp near fine example in clear acetate wrapper. One of the scarce early BSP Bukowski titles.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1960. First edition. Hardcover. Very Good +/very good +. Cloth backed boards in dustwrapper. 8vo. 67 pp. First edition of the poet's first book (First Printing stated). With glowing front cover blurb by fellow poet Robert Lowell. A handsome very good copy in bright and unfaded dustwrapper. This copy has been INSCRIBED by the poet on the first title page and dated in 1962. The author seldom signed or inscribed her early books.

New York: New School for Social Research, 1964. First edition. Loose Sheets. Very Good. Tall folded single sheet of paper measuring 13 1/4" tall x 9 1.2" wide. A poster announcing a series of performances on April 24th, 1964 at The New School for Social Research. The concert was entitled "A Concert Of 20th Century American Music" and featured such avant-garde composers and musicians as John Cage, James Tenney and Charles Ives among other luminaries. Poster is in very good condition. Folded once horizontally. General light wear. Rubber-stamped images in blue and red. Quite a scarce piece of music ephemera. We could find no other copies.

New York: Random House, 1948. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good/very good. Cloth 8vo in dustwrapper. 231 pp. Clean very good first edition of the author's first book, a collection of short stories. Bright very good price intact dustwrapper with a hint of wear to spine ends. Very nice copy. This copy with a brief HEARTFELT INSCRIPTION BY CAPOTE on the front endpaper and DATED IN YEAR OF PUBLICATION. Rarely seen inscribed copy.

New York: Alfred Knopf, 1954. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good/good +. First edition in brick red cloth. 534 pp plus index. Hand numbered 153 of twenty five hundred copies of the first edition. Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. A handsome very good copy with bright unmarked spine lettering. Price intact dustwrapper has a line through the original $7.50 price at front flap. With several small chips and tears to wrapper edges. Spine color faintly toned, but less than most we have seen. REVIEW COPY with both the publisher review slip and a separate printed notice from the publisher stating that the printed date on the review slip is incorrect and that the correct publication date will be October 1. It goes on to say that Mr. Stevens' seventy-fifth birthday is October 2. The first copy we have ever handled with either of these two pieces of publishing ephemera.

New York: Grove Press, 1957. First American edition. Cloth. Very Good +/very good +. 8vo. Oatmeal clothbound book in price-intact dustwrapper. First US edition of the author's first novel. First published in 1938. 282 pp. A handsome very good plus copy with a few minor spots to the top edge, else a clean unmarked copy. The price intact dustwrapper is lightly toned at spine, else a near fine example. SIGNED by the author on the title page. While there was a small limited signed edition of this book of 100 copies put out by Grove Press, it is quite uncommon to find the trade edition signed.

Paris: The Hours Press, 1930. First edition. Paperback. Good +. Slender stapled printed wrappers. 5 pp. A poem by Beckett which represents his first separately published work. This is copy 69 of only 100 special copies SIGNED and numbered. With the truly scarce publisher's printed paper belly band. The band reads "This Poem was awarded the 10 (british Sterling) prize for the best poem on TIME in the competition judged by Richard Aldington and Nancy Cunard at THE HOURS PRESS, and published in an edition of 100 signed copies at 5 s and 200 unsigned at 1 . This is also Mr. Samue Beckett's first separately published work". Staples rusty. Outer wrappers lightly worn and stained. Glue stain to the front endpaper. Otherwise internally bright and clean. The belly band has a stain on the front panel, but is still completely readable. A rare book in any form, especially with the band present.

Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1969. First edition thus. Hardcover. Very Good. 4to. Burgundy cloth spine over decorated boards. First edition thus of this poem by Ashbery with illustrations by Alex Katz. 57 pp. From an edition of 250 specially bound copies hand-numbered and SIGNED by both poet and artist. Some light stains to the front board. No acetate wrapper with this copy. Interestingly, the copyright page lists this book as from 1966, but it is dated 1969 on the title page. One of the scarcer Ashbery titles to be sure.

Eureka: Hearse Press, 1964. First edition. Paperback. Fine. First edition. A collection of forty-two separate broadsides of various sizes laid into a printed thick paper portfolio. All elements in fine condition. These broadsides published between 1960 and 1964 and included here in toto for the first time. One of 150 copies. Notable for the inclusion of Waste Basket, His Wife, The Painter, The Old Man On The Corner and The Paper On The Floor, four broadsides by Charles Bukowski. Although not called for, All FOUR OF THE BUKOWSKI BROADSIDES ARE SIGNED. The first example of any of these that we have found signed. Some of Buk's earliest work.