Search Results: Authors starting with B from B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA

London: James Bohn, 1846 First edition, first printing. A very good copy in the publisher's original olive green paper cloths, with small tears along the edges, chipping to the spine, slight loss to the spine head and tail and the panel corners, slight offsetting around the edges of each page, one uncut page, otherwise clean. A nineteenth century pamphlet containing a series of essays containing literary criticism relating to Shakespeare, authored by Charles Badham, the son of the doctor who discovered bronchitis and a university professor in Australia.. 1st Edition. Soft Cover. Very Good.

New York: The Dial Press, 1963 First edition, first printing. Publisher's cream cloth, lettered in red; in its original black dust jacket designed by Paul Bacon, lettered in red and orange, with photograph of Baldwin by Mottke Weissman to the rear panel. Near fine book, with light toning to spine, faint spot of thumbsoiling to p. 73; very good unclipped dust jacket, with light wear to spine ends, some light rubbing and creasing to edges, small closed tear to bottom of rear panel, and some light marks to panels and spine. Overall, a solid copy. This influential work by American writer and activist James Baldwin contains two essays, "My Dungeon Shook - Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation" and "Down at the Cross - Letter from a Region of My Mind." Written during the height of the civil rights movement of the 1950's and 60's, these two essays put forth Baldwin's perspective on the struggle for Black liberation in the United States.… Read More

Niles: Dark Harvest, 1986 Edited by George R. R. Martin. Illustrated by Stephen Gervais. Deluxe First edition. One of 400 numbered copies, this being number 115, signed by Barker, Campbell, Tuttle, Martin, and Gervais. Original publisher's tan cloth, front cover lettered in blind, spine lettered in red, and red endpapers; in its original wraparound pictorial dust jacket illustrated by Gervais, calligraphy by Gregory Manchess, lettered in red; lacking publisher's slipcase. Fine book; about fine unclipped dust jacket with a hint of a crease to top edge of front panel, and a tiniest bit of rubbing to bottom corner of rear panel and foot of spine. Overall, a crisp and clean copy. This book features a collection of horror stories written by three masters of the genre. The collection includes the first appearance of the novella The Hellbound Heart, written by Clive Barker (who is also the author of the short story "The Forbidden," which was the basis for the Candyman film series). In… Read More

Chicago: The Reilly & Britton Co., 1909 Illustrated by John R. Neill. First edition, mixed state on different colored stock with most of the first state points present, but with the typographical damage to words "Toto on" on p. 34 and page number on p. 121 (not found in true first state); in Binding A with publisher's name on spine imprint in uppercase and lowercase letters. Publisher's original green cloth, with illustrations by John R. Neill stamped to front board, red and black pictorial endpapers; lacking dust jacket as usual. About very good, with rubbing to illustrations on boards, illustration to spine mostly faded, light wear to tail of spine and lower board corners, and some minor imperfections to pages, including a bit of soiling to bottom of pp. 76-77, and some pages with small closed tears. Overall, a solid copy of a classic title from the Oz universe. The fifth of Baum's Oz books, The Road to Oz documents Dorothy's journey with her dog Toto through a series… Read More

New York: Grove Press, 1954 Translated from author's own original French. First American edition, first printing. Publisher's black cloth, with wraparound title in blind, spine lettered in gold and silver foil, red endpapers; in its original black and white dust jacket, with a photograph from a production of the play to front panel, and portrait of Beckett to rear panel. Fine book with just a minuscule spot of soiling to fore edge of text block; about fine unclipped dust jacket, with a touch of toning to spine and flap edges, and a tiny bit of rubbing to foot of spine. Overall, a truly excellent copy. Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play about two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who converse in witty and amusing banter while they wait for Godot, who ultimately never arrives. Beckett, an Irish author whose move to France was accompanied by his transition from writing in English to French, translated this text from its original French (published under the title En attendant Godot). The play… Read More

Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit, 1982 First edition, first printing. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Beckett to Mel Gussow on title page: "For Mel Gussow / With all good wishes / Sam Beckett / 24.6.83." Publisher's original white wrappers, front wrapper and spine lettered in blue and black. About fine, with just some light toning to spine and edges. Overall, an excellent association copy, from Mel Gussow's personal library. In Catastrophe, an imperious director and his assistant prepare a man, who stands on an 18" black block with his eyes looking down, for the last scene of a dramatic performance. After making dehumanizing adjustments to the man's appearance, like stripping him down to his pajamas, they do a run through of the scene, which ends with the director exclaiming "There's our catastrophe! In the bag." They do one more run through, but this time the man raises his eyes defiantly to the crowd. Catastrophe, often interpreted as a… Read More

London: Faber and Faber, 1984 First edition thus. Presentation copy, inscribed by Beckett to Mel Gussow on title page: "For Mel / from his friend / Sam / Paris / July 1985." Publisher's original green, white, and gray patterned wrappers, with illustration of Beckett by Sue Linney to front wrapper, lettered in black and green. Near fine, with a few light marks and creases to edges of wrappers, very mild toning to spine, and edges of pages lightly toned. Overall, a lovely presentation copy. This copy comes from Mel Gussow's personal library. This volume contains twenty-nine of Beckett's shorter plays, including classics like All That Fall, Krapp's Last Tape, Embers, Acts Without Words, and Catastrophe. These shorter works are exemplary of Beckett's signature minimalism. According to Britannica, "Beckett's later works tended toward extreme concentration and brevity…. Such brevity is merely an expression of Beckett's determination to pare his writing to… Read More

London: Faber & Faber, 1958 First Faber paperback edition, first printing. Presentation copy; signed and inscribed by Beckett on the title page to Goucher professor and director of the fall 1965 production of Endgame: "For/ George B. Dowell/ with all good wishes from/ Samuel Beckett/ Paris March 1965." Original publisher's orange paper wraps, lettered in black and white. A very good copy with some light wear and rubbing to the extremities, first leaf starting, else near fine. Scarce signed by Beckett.. Signed by Author. First Edition. Original Wraps. Near Fine.

New York: Grove Press, 1959 First American edition, first printing, cloth bound edition. Publisher’s black cloth with titles in gilt to spine; original black, white, and green dust jacket designed by Richard Brodney, black circle graphic to front panel, photo of Beckett by Brassaï to rear panel. Slight lean to spine and soiling to edges of text block, else fine book; about very good unclipped dust jacket with some soiling and rubbing to exterior, light toning to spine, some wear and shallow chipping to spine ends, lightly nicked corners, and a few chips and small closed tears to edges. Overall, a presentable copy with an unblemished interior. In Watt, the title character becomes a domestic servant for Mr. Knott, a mysterious and reclusive master. Watt, whose mind is logical to a fault, struggles to perform relatively simple tasks and ultimately ends up in a mental institution. It is theorized that Watt’s name represents the word “what” and Knott’s represents… Read More

London: John Calder, 1983 First edition, first printing. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Beckett to American theater critic Mel Gussow on title page: "For / Mel Gussow / With all best wishes / Sam Beckett / Paris / 24.6.83." Publisher's green cloth, with titles in gilt to spine; in its original white and green dust jacket, printed in black and green, with photo of Beckett to rear panel attributed to Jerry Bauer. Fine in an about fine unclipped dust jacket, with a tiny crease to top of rear panel, a light crease to top corner of rear flap, and a hint of toning to extremities. Overall, a beautiful copy with an excellent association. This copy comes from the personal library of Mel Gussow. Worstward Ho is Samuel Beckett's penultimate novella. From the jacket's description: "As so often before, Mr. Beckett has created magic, transforming the emptiest of voids and insubstantiality of material into a whole unforgettable world that will live with the reader and become… Read More

London: Faber and Faber [orig. published 1956], 1981 Later edition. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Beckett on title page: "For Mel / With all good wishes / from Sam / Paris / 29.8.84." Publisher's white wrappers, with a drawing of a tree and hand by Sidney Nolan on front wrapper, printed in black. About fine, with just a hint of soiling to wrappers, and light toning to margins of pages. Overall, an excellent inscribed copy of Beckett's greatest work. This copy comes from the personal library of Mel Gussow. Waiting for Godot - originally written in French, under the title En attendant Godot - is an absurdist play about two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who converse in witty and amusing banter while they wait for Godot, who ultimately never arrives. The play premiered in Paris at the Théâtre de Babylone in January 1953. A theatrical masterpiece, Godot was voted the "most significant English-language play of the 20th century" in a poll of… Read More

Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit, 1980 Translated from the original English by the author. First French trade edition, first printing. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Beckett to Mel Gussow on title page: "For Mel Gussow / With all good wishes / Sam Beckett / Paris / July 1982." Publisher's original white wrappers, front wrapper and spine lettered in blue and black. Near fine, with light toning to spine and edges, and a small patch of light surface damage to rear wrapper. Overall, a fresh and clean copy. This copy comes from Mel Gussow's personal library. Compagnie (Company) is a semi-autobiographical prose piece that tells the story of an older man lying on his back in the dark as an ethereal, unidentified voice narrates an extended third person monologue. As with many of the author's prose and dramatic works, Compagnie is lauded for its deconstructive form. Beckett, an Irish author and native English speaker, moved to France and subsequently transitioned from… Read More

New York: Grove Press, [1957] (originally published in 1931), 1981 First American edition. One of 250 copies signed and numbered by Beckett on the limitation page, this being number 76. Publisher's brown cloth-backed white patterned paper-covered boards, with front board and spine lettered in gilt. Near fine, with light toning to spine and upper edges of boards, and just a hint of spotting to rear board. Overall, a beautiful copy, seemingly unread. From the personal library of American theater critic and friend of Beckett, Mel Gussow. Proust, Beckett's second published book, is a dense study of the French author Marcel Proust, which gives insight into Beckett's own burgeoning ideas on writing. Beckett wrote the essay in 1930 as a commission for Chatto & Windus' Dolphin Books series. In all, fourteen titles were published in the series, which only ran from 1930 to 1932. Beckett went on to write classic works like The Trilogy (Molloy; Malone Dies; The Unnamable) (1951-1953), Endgame… Read More

October 19, 1976. Single game ticket. Inscribed by Johnny Bench in blue marker: "Johnny Bench / 76 WS MVP." Original white ticket, printed in red, blue and gray, with $15.00 seat price. Near fine, with a slight bit of creasing to upper portion, and a small faint spot of yellow staining. Overall, an excellent example, inscribed by the World Series MVP. In the 1976 World Series, the Cincinnati Reds repeated as champions, sweeping the New York Yankees in four games. The Big Red Machine was unstoppable in the playoffs that year, not losing a single game (they remain the only team to go undefeated in the postseason since the beginning of the divisional era in 1969). Johnny Bench earned World Series MVP honors, partially for his heroics in Game 4, hitting home runs in the 4th and 9th. Bench, arguably the greatest catcher in MLB history, spent his entire career with the Reds and was selected as an All-Star fourteen times. In 1976, he was awarded his final Gold Glove, capping off a ten-year streak… Read More

Des Moines, IA: published by Norman Jacob, 1975 First edition. Signed by Johnny Bench in blue marker on front wrapper. Publisher's original wrappers, with photo of Bench to front wrapper, lettered in red, yellow, and green. Very good, with light rubbing to edges of front wrapper, a touch of rippling to left edge of rear wrapper, small closed tear to bottom edge of rear wrapper, and previous owner's mailing address label affixed to front wrapper. Overall, a great, boldly signed copy. Johnny Bench is regarded by many to be the greatest catcher in MLB history. A member of the Cincinnati Reds for his entire career (1967 - 1983) and one of the "Great Eight" during the team's Big Red Machine era, Bench was selected as an All-Star fourteen times and won the Gold Glove award ten times. He also won two NL MVP awards (1970, 1972) and a World Series MVP award (1976). Bench was the highest ranked catcher on The Sporting News' list of the 100 greatest baseball players (#16) and was… Read More

New York: Hyperion, 2001 First edition, first printing. Signed by Berra on title page. Publisher's red cloth-backed boards, spine lettered in silver foil; original white dust jacket lettered in red and blue, designed by Phil Rose, jacket photographs by Will Ryan. About fine book, with a tiny spot of glue to rear board, and bottom edges of board lightly wrinkled; a touch of creasing to top edge of front panel, else fine unclipped dust jacket. Overall, a very fresh copy. In this book, legendary Yankees catcher Yogi Berra expands his famous sayings into short essays on life and baseball. Berra "explains his recipe for fulfillment and happiness with lessons that are profoundly simple, simply profound - and classic Yogi to the core" (from jacket flap). Berra played eighteen seasons with the New York Yankees, winning an incredible ten World Series titles. Winner of three AL MVPs and recognized as one of the greatest catchers of all-time, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972. Off the… Read More

New York: The Phoenix Bookshop, 1973 Limited first edition. One of 100 numbered copies signed by Bishop (an additional 26 copies lettered A-Z, not for sale, were printed), this being number 28. Original string-tied marbled wrappers, with white label to front wrapper, printed in black. Fine. Overall, a charming and scarce publication. Bishop's "Poem" was first published in the New Yorker in 1972 and later appeared in her acclaimed poetry collection, Geography III (1976). In the semi-autobiographical poem, the narrator finds an old painting of a Nova Scotian town that had "spent 70 years as a minor family relic handed along collaterally to owners who looked at it sometimes, or didn't bother to." The narrator recognizes the town from her youth and reflects on her connection with the painter. Regarded as one of the greatest American poets of the 20th century, Bishop won the 1956 Pulitzer Prize for her second volume of poetry, Poems: North & South/A Cold Spring (1955),… Read More

Wisconsin: Arkham House, 1947 First edition, first printing, one of 3,112 copies. Signed by Bradbury on front free endpaper: "Ray Bradbury [underlined] / Dec 1, 1982". Publisher's black boards, titles in gilt to spine; original dust jacket designed by George Barrows, wraparound image with masks and other floating objects, titles in red to front panel and spine. Near fine book with touch of smudging to boards, a tiny wrinkle to bottom left of front board, and light toning to gilt on spine; very good unclipped dust jacket with some wear to edges and spine ends, a couple of small chips to spine ends, light soiling to rear panel. Overall, an attractive copy. A collection of his macabre short stories, Dark Carnival is Ray Bradbury's first published book and includes "The Small Assassin," "Jack-in-the-Box," "The Scythe," "Uncle Einar," "The Traveler," and "The Jar," among others. Additionally, it includes "The… Read More

San Francisco: David Sandberg / Cranium Press, 1966 Limited edition of 700 copies, preceded only by the first edition of 200 copies published six years earlier. Publisher's red paper wrappers with an illustration by Ken Davis to front board in black, string-bound, printed on laid paper. A fine copy. From the personal library of Marshall Efron. The Galilee Hitch-hikers, Brautigan's second book of poetry, is a short poem in nine parts, titled "The Galilee Hitch-hiker," "The American Hotel," "1939," "The Flowerburgers," "The Hour of Eternity," "Salvador Dali," "A Baseball Game," "Insane Asylum," and "My Insect Funeral." Connected by their brief descriptions of events involving the character named Baudelaire, the poems are humorous and whimsical, written in Brautigan's characteristically imaginative style. Marshall Efron (b. 1938) is an American actor, humorist, and author associated with the art and… Read More

London: Edward Moxon, 1844 First edition, mixed issue as usual. First impression of Volume I, with "let the flood / of your salt scorn" to page 141. Second impression of Volume II, with the page numbers battered on pages 161 and 163, and with "the end'' to page 175. Publisher's green cloth, spines lettered in gilt and ruled in blind, boards decorated with embossed vine borders. Near fine, with some toning to the spines, a few tiny closed tears to the spine ends, spine head of Volume II rubbed and worn, clean bindings, former owner's bookplates to the front pastedowns, spines very lightly cracked inside the rear covers, otherwise sturdy spines and secure bindings, otherwise bright and fresh pages. A clean and pleasing set, free of any repairs or restoration. Housed in a custom light brown slipcase with dark brown morocco spine, with matching chemises. Published under her maiden name Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Poems is a two-volume collection of Browning's poetry that… Read More