New Arrivals
Olde Christmas Eve
(Manteno, IL): Bronte Press, 1997. (12) pp. Approximately 4 1/2 x 3", oblong. LIMITED EDITION unknown, this being #63. Green paper boards with label on front cover, caligraphy and illustrations by Suzanne Pruchnicki, hand-colored, signed by the artist/printer on the colophon, in fine condition. (Bradbury, Bronte Press)
Published by Washington Irving in 1876, this little book is a short story to enjoy for the holidays.
Shakespeare's Seasons
(Manteno, IL): Bronte Press, 1998. (28) pp. Approximately 2 3/8 x 3". LIMITED EDITION of 60 copies, this being #32. Marbled paper boards, calligraphy and illustrations by Suzanne Pruchnicki, hand-colored by Suzanne and Paul Pruchnicki, signed by the artist/printer. A fine copy, delightfully done. (Bradbury, Bronte Press #50)
Exceprts from Shakespeare's verses on the happenings of the seasons, all beautifully hand-colored.
04 in Transport
[Berkeley, CA]: never mind the press, 1990. Approximately 7 1/4 x 11 1/2". LIMITED EDITION of 30,all of them being #1 with different birdnames, this one being "Coot". Moriki paper covering wheeled box with paper label on cover and spine and cutout on front cover, in fine condition. Four stitched binding books from a series of habitats, printed between 1889 and 1990, on waxed masa paper with linocuts, handmade paper covers by Beth Herrick & Heather MacDuffie of Port & Starboard Press in Mt. Desert, Maine, signed on the box colophon by author, in fine conditon.
Book Artist Alisa Golden is well-known with many institutions holding her innovative material. She received a BFA in Printmaking with High Distinction in 1985 from California College of the Arts (formerly CCAC). The habitat books are subtitled as follows: A Feather is Cut to Resemble a Knife (woods), Filling a Hole (subwoods), People in Pieces (city), and Lite Screened Familiar (subcity). A beautifully created and written collection.
Star of Ill-Omen
London: Hutchinson & Co., 1952. 320 pp. 5 1/4 x 7 1/2"; First edition; Inscribed by the author on title page, Illustrated dust jacket has really minor edge wear and slight rubbing, price of 12/6 net intact, nice and bright colors, in very good + condition; Black cloth over boards with crisp gilt lettering on spine, a few spots on fore edges, two pages with old newspaper imprint discoloring, otherwise a lovely copy in very good + condition.
Dennis 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 book has it all: German scientists, Russian spies, beautiful women, atomic weapons, and flying saucers.
The Bookman's Wake
New York: Scribner, 1995. 6 1/4 x 9 1/2". 351 pp. First edition; Illustrated dust jacket in near-fine condition; Tan cloth over maroon boards with red lettering on spine, signed by the author on the title page with date of "4-12-95", binding a little loose in the spine, otherwise in near-fine condition.
This is the author's second book and the second time with the Cliff Janeway character. It involves a mysterious and rare Edgar Allan Poe book that someone might kill for and probably did.
10-lb Penalty
London: Michael Joseph, 1997. 6 x 9 1/2". 272 pp. First edition; Pictorial dust jacket in fine condition; Black cloth over boards with gilt stamped lettering on spine, signed by the author on the title page, in fine condition.
In Dick Francis' 36th novel, Benedit Juliard is an amateur jockey whose father has political ambitions which end up embroiling them both in lies and treachery. Born Richard Stanley Francis (1920 - 2010), Dick Francis was a British crime writer whose novels were mostly centered on horse racing in England (he was a former steeplechase jockey himself).
Trouble with Trolls
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1992. Approximately 9 1/4 x 11 1/4". Illustrated dust jacket in fine condition; Illustrated paper over boards, inscribed by author on title page, a few small water marks on title page, in near fine condition.
Beautiful picture book, from Jan Brett, an American write and illustrator. A Scandanavian tale about a girl named Treva who tries to keep the Trolls on Mount Baldy from stealing her dog. Lovely to find a first edition, first printing, and signed copy.
The Burglar in the Library
New York: Dutton, 1997. 342 pp. 6 1/4 x 9 1/4"; First Edition. Pictorial dust jacket in fine condition; Black cloth over black paper boards with crisp gilt lettering on spine, author inscribed on title page, in fine condition.
A delightful mystery with the scenario from the flap describing, "What do you get when you combine an English-style inn, a group of snowbound guests, and a dead body in the library". A fun bibliographic whodunit.
The Passions of the Mind
Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1961. 808 pp. + acknlowledgments, glossary and bibliography. Approx. 6 1/4 x 9 1/2"; First edition printed after limited edition. Marbled dust jacket with some creases and rubbing, otherwise in very good condition; Blue cloth over boards with clear lettering spine, some spotting to top page edges, signed on the Sigmund Freud quote page, in near fine condition.
Irving Stone (1903 - 1989), was an American writer, best known for his novels of famous politicians, artists, and intellectuals. His best known works are Lust for Life, about the life of Vincent van Gogh, and The Agony and the Ecstasy, about the life of Michelangelo. This book is a biographical novel of Sigmund Freud.
Mine
New York: Pocket Books, 1990. 442 pp. 6 1/4 x 9 1/2". First Edition, first printing. Illustrated dust jacket with original price of $18.95, in fine condition; Red paper over boards and black cloth spine with silver lettering, slight foxing on top fore-edge, signed by the author on the title page, in near fine condition.
Robert McCammon (1952 - ), is a well-known fantasy/horror writer, having been a recipient of the Horror Writers of America, Inc.'s Bram Stoker Award and nominated for the 1988 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. This novel is about a woman who steals a baby, the mother who tries to hunt her down and an FBI man who also has a grudge to settle. From the jacket: "A novel of psychological terror and unrelenting suspense set against the backrop of America today".