Ridin’ With Ray and The Old Game. With Illustrations by Barnaby Conrad

Santa Barbara, CA: Neville Books, 1995. First Edition. One of an edition limited to 326 copies signed by the author, Jon A. Jackson. This copy is unnumbered and is the illustrator Barnaby Conrad’s copy as stated on the colophon page. Fine condition, bound in blue cloth boards with silver stamping without dust jacket as issued. ‘Ridin’ With Ray’ is an affectionate tribute to his friend and fellow author Raymond Carver by Jon A. Jackson. With Jackson’s story ‘The Old Game’ which he has restored to its original state from its initial appearance in ‘Mystery Monthly’ magazine, and in which he introduces his character “Fang" Mulheisen. From the conclusion of the foreword by Jackson: “I’m glad to write about Ray, who was without a doubt the most career oriented writer I’ve known, but who was also a splendid pal. He was the ur-writer. He had practically no sense of himself outside of that identification. Chekhov was a doctor, others might think of themselves as teachers, or public figures, but Ray was more like Nabokov: without writing he had no reason to be. It’s a good thing in these times. Let’s have a few of these literary heroes. These Harrisons and Kittredges and DeMarinises, the Jim Welches and Ella Lefflands. We can’t get enough of them. To me they are the heroes. They are the ones who really tell us what goes on in our lives.”