New Arrivals
Wallace Stegner: A Descriptive Bibliography
Lewiston, ID: Confluence Press, Inc., 1990. First Edition. No dust jacket, as issued. Green cloth over boards with crisp gilt design on cover and lettering on spine, signed by Stegner and the author on the title page, limited to 1,000 copies, no edge wear and looks unread, really minor foxing to top page edges, otherwise in near fine condition.
Wallace Earle Stegner (1909 - 1993) was an American novelist and short story writer. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1972 for "Angle of Repose" and the National Book Award for "The Spectator Bird" in 1977. He won numerous other awards and his legacy lives on in many parts of the United States and Canada, with a Stegner Fellowship program in creative writing at Stanford University being one of the highlights. This is a must-have for any Stegner collector.
To Rule the Night
Philadelphia & New York: A. J. Holman Company, 1973. 5 3/4 x 8 1/2"; First Edition, Second Printing. Photographic dust jacket has some chips and creases, particularly at the spine extremities, a tear on the back cover which has been clumsily taped, in good condition. Black cloth over boards with gilt title on spine, gift inscription on front free endpaper and previous owner's signature on verso of half-title page which was signed by the Jim Irwin, foxing to page edges, otherwise in very good condition.
James Benson Irwin (1930 - 1991) was an American astronaut, US Air Force pilot, aeronautical engineer and test pilot who served as the Apollo 15 Lunar Module pilot. He was the eighth person to walk on the moon. This autobiographical story tells of Jim's boyhood, his marriage, his career, his voyage on Apollo 15 and his spiritual life, which is weaved throughout.
The Reluctant Dragon
New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1983. Approximately 8 1/4 x 10 1/2". LIMITED EDITION of 350 copies, this being #44. Green cloth over boards with brown cloth spine, brown slipcase, signed on the colophon by the illustrator, Michael Hague, includes a reproduction of a specially commissioned pen and ink drawing, all in fine condition.
Kenneth Grahame (1859 - 1932) was a British writer, best known for his novel, "The Wind in the Willows". This charmingly illustrated short story, is seen as an original idea that a dragon does not have to be seen as a threat, but can be a sympathetic character. This story was originally published in 1898 as a chapter in Grahame's book, "Dream Days".
The Betrayed Confidence
Orleans, MA: Parnassus Imprints, 1992. Approximately 7 1/4 x 7 1/4". LIMITED EDITION of 250 copies, this being #165. Black paper covered slipcase in fine condition. Illustrated paper wrappers, includes a signed and numbered previously unpublished print laid in which bears the same signature and number as on the colophon of the book, all in fine condition. (Toledano A104a)
Edward Gorey (1925 - 2000) was an American artist and writer, best known for his eccentric imagery and stories, often set in Victorian and Edwardian settings. This book covers seven series of Dogear Wryde (an anagram of Gorey's name) postcards and includes: Scenes de Ballet, Menaced Objects, Alms for Oblivion, Interpretive Series, Neglected Murderesses, Tragedies Topiares, and Whatever Next? Some cards are captioned and some are not. A lovely example of the wide range of Gorey artwork and macabre humor.
Christmas in the Olde Coaching Days
[Manteno, IL]: Bronte Press, 1989. Approximately 2 3/4 x 2 1/8", oblong. (22) pp. First Edition. LIMITED EDITION of 75 copies, this being #61. Decorated paper boards with printed labels, letterpress, hand-colored illustrations by the author, signed and numbered on the colophon by Pruchnicki, in fine condition. (Bradbury, Bronte Press 21)
Printing since 1981, Bronte Press miniatures are notable in that all of the illustrations are original works and are often hand-colored. This beautiful miniature tells a charming story of a coachman's adventures during the Christmas season.
Adlai: The Wit and Wisdom of Adlai Ewing Stevenson
Sausalito, CA: Castle Baird Press, 1993. 32 pp. Approximately 2 x 2 1/2 ". LIMITED EDITION of 75 copies, this being #8. Printed paper boards with design and lettering by Susan Acker and Mary McDermott at the Feathered Serpent Press, printed endpapers with the United Nations emblem repeated, US Postage stamp of Adlai Stevenson tipped in at front, Doonesbury cartoon by Gary Trudeau folded in, miniature bookplate of well-known scholar and miniature book collector Kalman Levitan (also the founder and first president of the Miniature Book Society) on front paste-down endpaper, signed by both the author and publishers, in fine condition. (Bradbury, Castle Baird 3)
A brief but compassionate bio about Adlai Stevenson II (1900 - 1965), a Governor of Illinois, a U.S. Presidential Candidate, and a U.N. Ambassador. levitan
If there were no Books...there would be no Black Cat!
Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 2018. Approx. 11 x 14". LIMITED EDITION of 100 copies, this being #40. Broadside, letterpress, signed and numbered by the artist, printed by Art Larson in a relief etching from an original drawing on archival Cranes Lettra paper, in fine condition.
Best known as a wildlife artist, Robinson's work enjoys wide appeal among disparate audiences from children and adults, to outdoor enthusiasts and collectors alike including Prince Charles, Charles Schwab, Johnny Morris, and former French President Francois Mitterand. He holds a Masters of Fine Arts in Printmaking (Etchings and Wood engravings primarily) and Sculpture from the University of Massachusetts. This print is one of a set of 12 that are a tribute to great books and authors that have influenced and changed lives.
Assorted Stories: Prose Words
Minneapolis: Coffee House Press, 1987. [20] pp. Approximately 7 1/2 x 7 1/2". LIMITED EDITION of 400 copies, this being #253. Grey handmade Canterbury cover stock with title and illustration on front, paper sewn inside, handset in Ehrhardt type, illustrated by Peter Bailey, signed and numbered on the colophon by the author and artist, in fine conditon.
Travers Rafe Lee Harwood (1939 - 2015), was an English poet, often associatiod with the British Poetry Revival. Except for a brief time in Greece and the United States, he mostly lived in Brighton. He had an involvement with the New York School of poets and was a member of the Poetry Society in Britain. He was a union official and was involved with the Labour Party in its radical years and his political leaning were evident in his poetry in the early 1980s. There is a Rowan Tree planted in his honor in New York City's Central Park as well as a paving stone along the park's Literary Walk. This is an interesting collection of short stories with various titles, such as: Hommage a Beatrix Potter, A Rangoon Creeper, Purple Sheets, Dream Bed, Woolly Rhinoceros, Mosquito Nets, Nautical Business, and Booth's Bird Museum.
Snake: a poem, with accompanying images by Kent Rush
Oakland, CA: Puissant Press, 1984. Approximately 12 1/4 x 16". LIMITED edition of 25 copies with this being #15. Beige cloth over boards form outer clamshell case, blindstamped title on cover, inner slipcase in gray cloth over boards also blind stamped with the title, all of which are in fine condition and beautifully crafted. Twelve unbound leaves as issued with tissue guards separating the prints, nine unnumbered leaves of lithographs and collotypes hand drawn (some in color) and printed by the artist accompanying text of poem, inscribed on the colophon by the artist, in fine condition.
Kent Rush (1948 - ) was a San Francisco Bay Area native before he settled in Texas. He studied art, drawing and printmaking, at the then California College of Arts and Crafts (CCAC), earning his BFA. He earned a Masters at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. His work has been exhibited extensively in the United States in solo, two and three person and group and competitive shows. Internationally he has also shown in London, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and France. Kent inscribed a thank you to Beth Herrick, who hand set the typeface and hand printed the leaves at Puissant Press, Oakland, California and at Port and Starboard Press, Mount Desert, Maine (from the colophon). Only 3 institutional holdings at this time (9/19). "Snake" originally appeared as part of Lawrence's collection of poems, Birds, Beasts and Flowers, which was first published in the US in 1923.
Come Into My Parlour
London: Hutchinson & Co., [1946]. 384 pp. 5 1/4 x 7 1/2"; First edition presumed; Inscribed by the author on title page, Illustrated dust jacket has some rubbing and creases and a few tears, chipping and missing portion on back cover, price of 12s 6d net intact, in good condition; Black cloth over boards with crisp gilt lettering on spine, slight spine tilt, slight outer page edge foxing, otherwise in near fine condition.
Dennis Yates Wheatley (1897 - 1977) was an English writer who wrote 65 novels from the 1930's through the 1960's, mostly thrillers, science fiction, and occult novels. It is said that one of his main characters, Gregory Sallust, was one of the inspiration's for the James Bond character by Ian Fleming. This fictionalized World War II saga featuring the character of Gregory Sallust continues, following the conclusion of V for Vengeance. Set mostly in Russia, it's another Dennis Wheatley thriller.