[African-American Literature] Wright, Richard. Native Son (First Edition). New York: Harper & Brothers, 1940 First Edition. First Edition, first printing. Bookplate on the front fly, fine in Fine dust jacket that has a tiny tear at the crown. A very fresh copy of the true first edition (the book club edition, which also states first edition, is often offered incorrectly as the first), with none of the seemingly inevitable spine fading. Along with Ellison's Invisible Man and Baldwin's Go Tell It On the Mountain, one of the indisputable mid-century classics of African-American literature. A lovely copy. [Book #70530]. (read more)

Albee, Edward. The Zoo Story, The Death of Bessie Smith, The Sandbox: Three Plays, Introduced by the Author (First Edition). New York: Coward-McCann, (1960) First Edition. First Edition, first printing. Fine in a fine, second state dust jacket (with jacket price clipped). Author's first book. [Book #70568]. (read more)

Anderson, Sherwood. Horses and Men: Tales, Long and Short, from Our American Life (First Edition). New York: BW Huebsch, 1923 First Edition. First edition, first issue with orange topstain. Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket with a couple of very small chips at the corners. A lovely copy of this collection of short stories, the form for which Anderson is so justly renowned. [Book #70558]. (read more)

[Arion Press] Franklin, Benjamin. The Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin (Limited Edition). San Francisco: Arion Press, 2006 First Edition. Hardcover, octavo. First printing of this edition, one of 400 numbered copies, this being No. 114. Fine in full brown goatskin with gold titles and profile image of Franklin. Published to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Franklin's birth, this edition of his autobiography is produced without introduction or notes allowing an unclouded experience of the text. The frontispiece portrait of Benjamin Franklin is derived from his visage on the $100 bill. 188 pages, 9 x 6.5 inches, printed from photopolymer plates by letterpress on all-cotton fiber English mouldmade Somerset Book paper. The typeface, Aitken, is a digital recreation of an early American family of type, utilized here for the first time to further celebrate Franklin's history as a printer. This copy is lacking the keepsake originally accompanying the Memoirs which recounts the history of the original manuscript. [Book #84381]. (read more)

[Arion Press] Miller, Arthur; Stan Washburn (illustrations). The Price (Signed Limited Edition). San Francisco: Arion Press, 1999 First Edition. Hardcover. First printing of this edition, one of 300 copies (this being No. 258) SIGNED by the author on the half title page and by the artist on the colophon page. Fine in gold cloth and illustrated paper inset, in a Fine matching cloth and paper slipcase. Illustrated with 8 drawings by Stan Washburn. A beautiful edition of this landmark play timed to coincide with its 1999 Broadway revival. 112 pages plus 16 non-numbered pages for the duo-tone lithographs. 10 x 7 inches, printed by letterpress in monotype Goudy Old Style on ivory German mouldmade Zerkall paper. [Book #86805]. (read more)

[Arion Press] Stevens, Wallace; Jasper Johns (illustration), Helen Vendler (introduction). Poems (Signed Limited Edition). San Francisco: Arion Press, 1985 First Edition. Hardcover. First printing of this edition, one of 300 numbered and 26 lettered copies hors de commerce (this being Letter L) SIGNED by the artist on the frontispiece etching. Near Fine, in blue quarter goatskin with blue-and-white linen boards. Some light scuffing along the spine hinges, else Fine. A new selection of 122 of Stevens' poems. Illustrated with a frontispiece etching by renowned pop artist Jasper Johns. This is the first public display of any of his work from "The Seasons" series which was not exhibited until after this publication. Arion Press Christmas greeting with Stevens poem laid in. 280 pages, 11-3/4 x 8-1/4 inches, in Monotype Bembo and handset Dante Titling on English mouldmade T. Edmonds paper. [Book #87502]. (read more)

[Arion Press] Woolf, Virginia; Diana Michener (illustrations). Orlando (Signed Limited Edition). San Francisco: Arion Press, 2006 First Edition. Hardcover. First printing of this edition, one of 400 copies (this being No. 100) SIGNED by the photographer, Diana Michener, on the artist's statement. Fine, in a Fine matching slipcase. Hand bound sewn with linen thread over linen tapes in iridescent gold cloth and photographic paper panels with white stamped titles. Woolf's last novel, Orlando is a fantastic journey through time, identity and identification. Illustrated with photographs by Diana Michener which reveal narrative without realism and convey the passage of time, the experience of events without literal description of them. 168 pages plus 12 fold outs for the photographs,13 x 10 inches, printed by letterpress in Monotype and handset Century Bold and Century Expanded on Mohawk Superfine paper. Photographs printed by offset lithography. [Book #87504]. (read more)

Arseniev, V. K. Dersu the Trapper: Exploring, Trapping, Hunting in Ussuria [Dersu Uzala] (First Edition). New York: Dutton, 1941 First Edition. First Edition, first printing. Fine in a lovely, Near Fine dust jacket. Faint paperclip impression to front flyleaf (and reflected on front pastedown), with a small, attractive bookplate to the front pastedown, mostly hidden by the front flap; jacket is a superb, fresh example, with only minute rubbing to the heel. Basis for the classic 1975 film Dersu Uzala, directed by Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa had long been a fan of Arseniev's book; having failed suicide and with no prospects for future film funding, he approached the Soviet Union about backing the production of a film version. To his surprise, the Soviets agreed, and the director spent nearly two years in the Siberian wilderness completing the shooting. The resulting film was a success, and launched Kurosawa into the prolific third phase of his career, during which he made his epic film Ran, among many others. [Book #60940]. (read more)

[Art] Cork, Richard. Vorticism and Abstract Art in the First Machine Age: Volume 1: Origins and Development (First UK Edition). London: Gordon Fraser, 1976 First Edition. Hardcover. First U.K. Edition (and true First), Fine in a Fine price-clipped dust jacket. One of two volumes, lacking the slipcase and Volume 2. Dust jacket shows some tanning, else Fine. Linen-covered boards with brown and red titles to front board and to spine. 321 pages. Profusely illustrated throughout with black and white illustrations and tipped-in color plates. Includes notes and index. [Book #78492]. (read more)

[Art] Francis, Sam; Michel Waldberg; Michael Vogel & Marianne Tinnell-Faur (translators). Sam Francis: Metaphysics of the Void (First Edition). Philosophy of the Arts / Moos Book Publishing, Ltd, (nd) First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine in a strong Near Fine dust jacket with slight creasing and rubbing at the tips, else as new. Second in the Philosophy of the Arts series. Illustrated profusely throughout, primarily in full color. Includes a select bibliography, chronology, and an index. 205 pages. Text in English. [Book #87920]. (read more)

[Art] Mueller, Otto; Lothar-Gunther Buchheim, Florian Karsch (contributors). Otto Mueller: Leben Und Werk (First Edition). Feldafing: Buchheim Verlag, 1963 First Edition. Hardcover. First German Edition, Fine in a Fine dust jacket. Bright yellow buckram with black illustration to the front board and black titles to the spine. Profusely illustrated throughout in both black and white and full color. Color plates are tipped in. Paintings, drawings and prints. Includes a catalogue, biography, bibliography, list of works and their locations and an index of names. Text in German. 295 pages. [Book #80160]. (read more)

[Art] Pettibon, Raymond. Raymond Pettibon: The Books 1978-1998 (First Edition, Wrappered Issue, Signed). New York: DAP [Distributed Art Publishers], 2000 First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. wrappered issue, Near Fine. SIGNED by Pettibon in blue marker on the half-title page Raymond Pettibon's massive catalogue raisonne, a beautifully designed affair that has become notoriously scarce in the hardcover issue. The cover of each of the artist's separate wrappered editions is included, and the designers of the book were careful to preserve the original dimensions of Pettibon's ink-and-paper creations, whose relevance and permanence seem to grow with every passing year. Very slight creasing at the spine panel, else a Fine copy. [Book #99097]. (read more)

Barr, Nevada. Bittersweet (First Edition). New York: St. Martin's Press, 1984 First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket. Jacket shows closed tear to top of front panel that doesn't detract from this lovely copy. [Book #72560]. (read more)

Bellow, Saul. Mr. Sammler's Planet (First Edition). New York: Viking, 1970 First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine and unread in a Fine dust jacket. A pristine copy. [Book #104475]. (read more)

Bellow, Saul. A Theft (Signed First Edition). New York: Penguin, 1989 First Edition. First Edition, first printing, a paperback original. Fine in wrappers (softcover), SIGNED and inscribed by the author on the half-title page, uncommon thus. [Book #34152]. (read more)

Biggers, Earl Derr. Seven Keys to Baldpate (First Edition). New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1913 First Edition. First Edition, first printing. Fine lacking dust jacket. Pristine and unread, with no flaws to note. A collector's copy of the author's first book. [Book #76349]. (read more)

[Black Mask] Osborne, F.M. (editor); Valentine Williams, HarryC. Hervey, Jr., Clinton Harcourt, Charles Fulton Oursler, John Irving Pearce, Schuyler Hamilton, Edward E. Rose, Dorothy Stanton Rose, William H. Kofoed, C.S. Montanye, Maurice level, Hami. [The] Black Mask Volume [Vol.] 1, Number [No.] 3. Pro Distributors Publishing Co, 1920 First Edition. First Edition, first printing. Very Good condition, with shallow creasing and short closed tears at the edges of front and rear wrappers. 1/4 inch loss at the heel, crown a bit frayed; otherwise a bright, clean copy of the third issue of this seminal publication, which under the editorship of Joseph T. Shaw would become the greatest pulp magazine of all time, and the first to feature hard-boiled detective fiction. [Hagemann, 13] [Book #101299]. (read more)

[Books into Film] Clowes, Daniel. Ghost World (Signed Limited Edition). New York: Fantagraphics, 1997 First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. One of 500 copies SIGNED by Daniel Clowes on a special tipped-in, illustrated color plate. Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket. Jacket is lightly rubbed along the front flap fold and the front hinge fold, else quite nice. Basis for the superb 2001 film directed by Terry Zwigoff and starring Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi. [Book #103036]. (read more)

Bowles, Jane. In the Summer House (First Edition). NY: Random House, 1954 First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine and unread in a Fine, price-clipped dust jacket. A pristine copy. [Book #104552]. (read more)

Bowles, Paul. Up Above the World (First Edition, Inscribed to Ron Keller). New York: Simon & Schuster, 1966 First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Very Good+ in a Near Fine dust jacket. ASSOCIATION COPY, SIGNED and inscribed by Bowles to Ron Keller, who was an activist in the early stages of the ecology movement, mid-60s to late 70s, and eventually became an editor for Sierra Books. Book has the slightest fade to its edges and a tiny bump to the top edge of the front board. [Book #34159]. (read more)

Boyle, T. Coraghessan. Descent of Man (Signed First Edition). Boston: Little Brown, (1979) First Edition. First Edition, first printing. Fine in a Fine dust jacket but for a little scratching on the front panel. SIGNED by the author on the title page. Boyle's first book. [Book #70720]. (read more)

Brackett, Leigh writing as George Sanders. Stranger at Home (First Edition, with Response Card). New York: Simon and Schuster, 1946 First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine in a bright, Near Fine dust jacket. Publisher's response card, specific to this title, is laid in. Jacket is bright, particularly for this title, with a short closed tear at the top front panel and a faint associated v-crease. None of the usual fading to the jacket spine. Jacket is Variant A, with the spine title in red and the author's name in white (there are two variants, with no known priority). Basis for the 1953 British film noir, "The Stranger Came Home" (released in the US as "The Unholy Four"), directed by Terence Fisher and starring Paulette Goddard. [Book #87645]. (read more)

Brand, Christianna. Green for Danger (First UK Edition). London: John Lane / The Bodley Head, 1945 First Edition. Hardcover. First UK Edition, first printing. Very Good+ in a Very Good+ dust jacket. Book has a slight lean, and is a touch faded at the top and bottom board edges, with a neat, contemporary owner name at the front flyleaf. Jacket is faintly dusted, with rubbing at a few corners and a couple of tiny closed tears, and notably lacks the spine fading that tends to plague this title. Basis for the classic 1946 British crime film directed by Sidney Gillat and starring Trevor Howard and Alastair Sim, recently restored for DVD by The Criterion Collection. Scarce in dust jacket. [Book #104301]. (read more)

Brown, Fredric; Walt Sheldon (introduction). Red is the Hue of Hell: Fredric Brown in the Detective Pulps, Volume 8 (Signed Limited Edition). Miami Beach: Dennis McMillan, 1986 First Edition. First Edition, first printing. one of 400 copies (this being No. 224) SIGNED by Walt Sheldon, who provides the introduction. Fine in a Fine dust jacket. [Book #102394]. (read more)

Brown, Warren. The Chicago White Sox (First Edition). New York: Putnam, 1952 First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, first printing. Fine in a Fine dust jacket. A couple of small closed tears at the bottom front panel, else as nice a copy as one could imagine. From the Putnam's Famous Penants Series of books on team histories in the Major League. One of the most difficult titles in the series to find in collector's condition. [Book #105454]. (read more)