Catalog 131, N-R
212. NAIPAUL, V.S. Between Father and Son. NY: Knopf, 2000. The first American edition. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. With a Knopf memo laid in stating that Naipaul signed copies for the sales and marketing department. Books signed by Naipaul, who is notoriously reluctant to give public appearances let alone do book signings, are remarkably scarce.
213. NUNN, Kem. Pomona Queen. NY: Pocket (1992). The third novel by the author of Tapping the Source, one of the great hard-boiled novels of California's surf culture (there can't have been many, but Nunn's book really was a great one -- likened by Robert Stone to a cross between James Crumley and Raymond Chandler). This novel was marketed by its publisher as a mystery, which reportedly incensed the author, as such genre categories tend to ghettoize books and keep them from getting the kind of review attention that mainstream fiction gets. Jim Harrison's blurb of this novel said "If there is a contemporary writer with a deeper sense of evil, I don't know who it would be" -- lending strength to Nunn's reluctance to be characterized as a mystery writer. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
214. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
215. -. Same title. An advance copy in the form of bound galley sheets. Signed by the author. 8 1/2" x 17". Tapebound; one scratch to front cover; else fine. A very scarce format, and preceding the proof. The only copy we've seen.
216. O'BRIEN, Flann. The Dalkey Archive. London: MacGibonn & Kee, 1964. A Joycean novel by the author of At Swim Two Birds and the last novel he published before he died in 1966. Fine in a very good dust jacket with light wear to the spine extremities and rubbing to the folds.
217. O'BRIEN, Tim. The Nuclear Age. NY: Knopf, 1985. O'Brien's fourth novel, about a man compelled to dig a bomb shelter in his back yard to protect his family even if it means losing them in the process. Signed by the author. Fine in a near fine, spine-faded and price-clipped dust jacket.
218. ORLEAN, Susan. Saturday Night. NY: Knopf, 1990. The first book by the author of The Orchid Thief and The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup, an examination of American behaviors on Saturday nights. Orlean is a regular contributor to The New Yorker, and her lucid prose sheds revealing light on subjects ranging from the commonplace to the esoteric much in the way that John McPhee's writing for that magazine has done over the years. The Orchid Thief was the basis for the movie Adaptation, and one of her pieces from Bullfighter was also made into a film. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
219. ORWELL, George. Shooting an Elephant. NY: Harcourt Brace (1950). The first American edition of this posthumously published collection of essays, including his famous critical piece "Politics and the English Language." A near fine copy in a very good, modestly rubbed and foxed dust jacket with slight edge wear.
220. PELECANOS, George P. King Suckerman. Boston: Little, Brown (1997). A review copy of his sixth book, set in Washington, D.C. in the mid-1970s, and involving two characters, Marcus Clay and Dmitri Karras, who are related to those in his novel The Big Blowdown and who cross paths with characters from his Nick Stefanos novels. Pelecanos has been praised as one of the best new hard-boiled writers, and has been compared to Jim Thompson, David Goodis and other classic authors of the genre. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
221. PELECANOS, George P. The Sweet Forever. Boston: Little Brown (1998). The first trade edition of this novel, set in Washington, D.C. as his earlier books were, and again featuring Marcus Clay and Dmitri Karras. Signed by the author on a tipped-in leaf. Fine in a fine dust jacket and bearing the publisher's "autographed copy" label.
222. PELECANOS, George. The Big Blowdown. NY: St. Martin's Griffin (1999). The first printing of the Griffin reprint of his fifth book, a departure from both the Nick Stefanos stories which comprised three of his earlier novels and from the contemporary milieu of all four books. This is set in Washington, D.C., in the early years after the Second World War and is, in part, a prequel to the earlier novels, featuring the parents and grandparents of the characters in his other novels. Inscribed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
223. PELECANOS, George P. Right as Rain. Boston: Little Brown (2001). A novel set in the poor neighborhoods of D.C., but featuring a new cast of characters, private detectives Derek Strange and Terry Quinn. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket with a blurb by Elmore Leonard on a label affixed to the front panel.
224. PELECANOS, George P. Hell to Pay. Boston: Little Brown (2002). The second of his novels to feature Derek Strange and Terry Quinn. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
225. -. Another copy. Warmly inscribed by the author "to a faithful fellow Greek-American." Fine in a fine dust jacket.
226. -. Another copy. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. With a brief autograph note signed by Pelecanos: "You honor me, Sir. It is always my pleasure to sign your books."
227. -. Same title, the limited edition. One of 350 numbered copies signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket and slipcase.
228. -. Same title, the deluxe limited edition. One of 78 lettered copies quarterbound in leather and signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket and slipcase.
229. PELECANOS, George P. Soul Circus. Boston: Little Brown (2003). His third book featuring Derek Strange and Terry Quinn, again a violent, explosive hard-boiled novel. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
230. -. Same title, the first British edition. (London): Orion Books (2003). Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket with price sticker on the front panel.
231. -. Same title, the advance reading copy of the British edition. Inscribed by the author three months prior to publication. Fine in wrappers.
232. PERRY, Thomas. Island. NY: Putnam (1987). The fourth book by the author of the Edgar Award-winning The Butcher's Boy, among many other highly praised thrillers and mysteries. Signed by Perry. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with trace wear to the crown and faint fading to the spine lettering.
233. PERRY, Thomas. Dance for the Dead. NY: Random House (1996). The second novel in Perry's well-received sequence featuring Jane Whitefield, a Native American woman whose specialty is in helping people in danger to disappear. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
234. -. Same title. The uncorrected proof copy. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
235. PERRY, Thomas. Shadow Woman. NY: Random House (1997). His third novel featuring contemporary Seneca guide Jane Whitefield. Signed by the author in the month of publication. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
236. PERRY, Thomas. The Face-Changers. NY: Random House (1998). Another Jane Whitefield novel. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
237. PULLMAN, Philip. Galatea. London: Gollancz, 1978. An early novel by the author of His Dark Materials trilogy, the last volume of which, The Amber Spyglass, was the first children's book to win the prestigious Whitbread Prize. Light cover splaying; else fine in a very near fine, spine-sunned dust jacket.
238. PULLMAN, Philip. Shadow in the North. NY: Knopf (1988). The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of the second book in his Sally Lockhart trilogy. Light red splashes on lower spine; near fine in wrappers.
239. -. Another copy. "Press Copy" markings to cover and summary page; title and date handwritten on spine; else fine in wrappers.
240. PULLMAN, Philip. The White Mercedes. NY: Knopf (1993). The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition of this dark young adult novel that was later reprinted as The Butterfly Tattoo. Slightly dusty; else fine in wrappers.
241. -. Another copy. Front cover spotted and with some scattered ink lines; only very good in wrappers.
242. PULLMAN, Philip. The Golden Compass. NY: Knopf (1996). An advance reading copy of the American edition of the first book in his acclaimed His Dark Materials trilogy. This title was published in the U.K. as Northern Lights. This U.S. advance copy is printed from 2nd printing sheets, or at least is indicated as such on the copyright page. The American edition is much more common than the extremely scarce Northern Lights, but advance copies of the U.S. edition are quite scarce. Trace rubbing; still fine in wrappers.
243. -. Another copy of the advance reading copy, also seemingly from sheets of the second printing. Variant of the above, with a flap on the front cover, into which is inserted a letter from a public relations director at Knopf soliciting press coverage. Trace rubbing; else fine in wrappers.
244. PYNCHON, Thomas. Gravity's Rainbow. NY: Viking (1973). Pynchon's landmark third novel, winner of the National Book Award as well as the William Dean Howells Medal for the best work of fiction by an American over a five-year span. Gravity's Rainbow became the benchmark for postmodern American fiction upon publication and secured its mysterious and reclusive author's place in the postwar American literary pantheon. A fine copy in a near fine dust jacket, with a small stain on the front flap fold and some shallow creasing to the front panel; overall a very attractive copy of this bulky book.
245. (RACKHAM, Arthur). WAGNER, Richard. Siegfried & The Twilight of the Gods. London/NY: Heinemann/Doubleday Page, 1911. One volume, comprising the second and third days of the Ring of the Niblung trilogy. Beautifully illustrated with 30 Arthur Rackham illustrations on tipped in plates protected by tissue guards. Covers spine sunned; some dampstaining to page edges not affecting text or illustrations; very good.
246. RANDALL, Dudley. Two Poems. Undated. Carbon typescript of two poems, "The Ascent" and "Love's Winter." One typed on the verso of Wayne County Public Library Board stationery. Folded for mailing; near fine. Together with a prospectus for the 1971 journal The Black Position to be edited by Gwendolyn Brooks and to include work by Randall. Clipped to this is a Broadside Press review slip inscribed by Randall to Brooks with thanks. Clip rust marks; folded; near fine. Other Broadside Press ephemera included. Lastly together with a letter to Brooks from Ruth Rockwell (October 1983) which largely concerns Randall. A nice group of items linking Brooks and Randall, who was the founder of the Broadside Press -- an important black press, which included Brooks among the writers it published. Brooks, of course, was the first African-American female to win the Pulitzer Prize, and she was a mentor to many of the younger poets that Randall published.
247. RANKIN, Ian. The Falls. (London): Orion (2001). A novel featuring John Rebus of the Edinburgh, Scotland police; one of the most popular and critically acclaimed series in contemporary crime fiction. Signed by the author. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with scratches to the rear panel.
248. RAWLINGS, Marjorie Kinnan. Cross Creek. NY: Scribner (1942). A narrative by the Pulitzer Prize-winner author of The Yearling, about the land and people of Cross Creek, Florida, one of whom, a formerly close friend, won a lawsuit against Rawlings for invasion of privacy, according to a short newspaper article laid into the book. Near fine in a very good, mildly spine-tanned dust jacket with light wear at the edges and rubbing at the folds.
249. RICE, Anne. Interview with the Vampire. NY: Knopf, 1976. Her acclaimed first book, the first in the Vampire Lestat series, and one of the unlikeliest success stories of the publishing season. Modest hardcover sales of the book would not have led one to imagine the long-term popularity and success of Rice's later books in the Vampire Lestat series, nor did they predict the huge success this novel had in paperback, selling millions of copies. Even so, Rice's novels did not begin to approach such sales again until her next vampire novel, published after two mainstream historical novels. Rice's vampire novels are unprecedented bestsellers as well as being critically acclaimed, and even her erotic novels of sado-masochism have achieved a kind of mainstream success that defies prediction. This is the scarcest of the books, particularly in nice condition, as the gold foil dust jacket is notoriously prone to wear. This copy has a few spots to the top stain and some trace sunning to the board edges; else fine in a very near fine dust jacket with just a touch of creasing at the edges. A very attractive copy.
250. -. Same title. The advance reading copy. Other than the scarce uncorrected proof of this title, this is the first appearance in print of any of Rice's vampire writing. Small corner crease on front cover; a few nicks to edges; overall a near fine copy in wrappers.
251. -. Another copy of the advance reading copy. Slight lean to spine; mild sunning and spine creasing; near fine in wrappers.
252. RICE, Anne. The Queen of the Damned. NY: Knopf, 1988. The uncorrected proof copy of the third book in the Lestat sequence. Signed by the author. Very near fine in wrappers.
253. RICE, Anne. Memnoch the Devil. New York: Knopf, 1995. The fifth book in her acclaimed Vampire Chronicles. Signed by the author on the front flyleaf. Fine in a fine dust jacket. With an additional Anne Rice signature laid in, dated 1995.
254. ROBINSON, Peter. A Dedicated Man. (Markham/London): Viking (1988). The author's second book featuring Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. Stephen King recently called the Inspector Banks novels the "best series now on the market," and said they may be the best British series since Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels. Signed by the author. This is the true first edition, printed and bound in Canada -- the author lives in Canada -- but with a jacket carrying the British price. Light rubbing to the bottom edge of the boards, as is common with this title, otherwise fine in a fine dust jacket.
255. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition. NY: Scribner (1991). Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers. Uncommon.
256. ROBINSON, Peter. A Necessary End. (Markham): Viking (1989). The first edition of the third Inspector Banks mystery. Signed by the author. Foxing to top edge; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
257. ROBINSON, Peter. The Hanging Valley. (Markham): Viking (1989). Signed by the author. Foxing to top edge; else fine in a near fine, lightly rubbed dust jacket.
258. ROBINSON, Peter. Gallows View. NY: Scribner (1990). A review copy of the first American edition of his first novel, which introduced Inspector Alan Banks. Originally published in Canada in 1987. Signed by the author. Foxing to page edges; near fine in a fine dust jacket, with review slip and promotional material laid in.
259. -. Same title. The uncorrected proof copy of the first American edition. Signed by the author. Fine in wrappers.
260. ROBINSON, Peter. Caedmon's Song. (Markham): Viking (1991). A psychological thriller and Robinson's first non-Banks mystery. Signed by the author. Foxing to top edge; else fine in a fine dust jacket.
261. ROGOFF, Gordon. Vanishing Acts. New Haven: Yale University Press (2000). A review copy of this collection of Rogoff's theater criticism. With press release and New York Times review laid in. Together with an autograph card signed to film critic Pauline Kael, soliciting comments. One page corner turned, else fine in wrappers.
262. ROOT, William Pitt. Trace Elements from a Returning Kingdom: the First Five Books. Lewiston: Confluence Press (1995). The simultaneous issue in wrappers of this collection of the poet's first five books. Inscribed by the author to another poet -- "fellow scribbler and cloud-herder." Fine.
263. ROTH, Philip. The Ghost Writer. NY: FSG (1979). Fourth printing of the first novel in his Zuckerman sequence. Nominated for the National Book Award. Inscribed by Roth to novelist Howard Norman and his wife, the poet Jane Shore and as such a very nice literary association copy. Remainder mark to top edge; else fine in a near fine dust jacket.
264. ROTH, Philip. The Dying Animal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. A novel featuring professor David Kepesh, who first appeared in Roth's novella, The Breast, in 1973 and again in his novel The Professor of Desire. Inscribed by Roth to novelist Howard Norman in the month of publication. A nice literary association copy. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
265. RUSHDIE, Salman. The Satanic Verses. (London): Viking (1988). The true first edition of this controversial book, published in England several months before the U.S. publication. An ambitious novel and an imaginative tour de force, the book seems destined to become part of literary history by virtue of its notoriety -- it prompted a death sentence on Rushdie by Islamic fundamentalists, causing him to go into hiding for years -- rather than its considerable literary accomplishment. Winner of the Whitbread Prize and shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Signed by the author. Narrow ink stain to half-title page; faint crease to spine; very near fine in a near fine dust jacket with a crease to the spine and a bit of wear to the crown.