FAHRENHEIT 451. by Bradbury, Ray - [1953]

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.

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

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

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.

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

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