Catalog 94, U-Z
432. UPDIKE, John. The Carpentered Hen. NY: Harper & Brothers (1958). His first book, a collection of poems, published in an edition of 2000 copies. This is a near fine copy (light offsetting to endpapers, trace wear at spine extremities) in a near fine, first issue dust jacket.
433. UPDIKE, John. Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories. NY: Knopf, 1962. Updike's fifth book, and second collection of stories. Fine in a fine dust jacket. As nice a copy of this book as we've ever seen, completely free of the usual spine-fading and fraying that typify copies of this title.
434. UPDIKE, John. Telephone Poles and Other Poems. NY: Knopf, 1963. His seventh book (in five years) and second collection of poems. Fine in a near fine, spine-sunned dust jacket with slight wear at the crown. Quite a nice copy of a book that shows wear readily.
435. UPDIKE, John. Rabbit, Run. NY: Knopf (1960)[c. 1963]. Trade paperback reprint of Updike's classic novel, the first in the Rabbit Angstrom series. Near fine in wrappers. An uncommon edition, which reproduces on the paper covers the design of the original dust jacket.
436. UPDIKE, John. Olinger Stories. NY: Vintage Books, 1964. Paperback original. A story collection, all but one previously published. Spine creased; very good in wrappers.
437. UPDIKE, John. The Poorhouse Fair and Rabbit, Run. NY: Modern Library (1965). First Modern Library edition, with a foreword by Updike (dated 1964) for this edition. This is apparently the first appearance in this country of this version of Rabbit, Run, which incorporates revisions that Updike made for the British paperback edition four years after its original publication. Small ink "x" front flyleaf; else fine in a very near fine dust jacket with a couple of tiny nicks to the edges.
438. UPDIKE, John. Assorted Prose. NY: Knopf, 1965. His first collection of nonfiction. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Again, a beautiful copy, free of the usual fading to the spine that one finds so typically with this title.
439. UPDIKE, John. Of the Farm. NY: Knopf, 1965. Fine in a fine dust jacket with trace wear at the crown. A nice copy of this short novel.
440. UPDIKE, John. A Child's Calendar. NY: Knopf (1965). A book of poems, one for each month. Illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with the slightest hints of edgewear. A very attractive copy of one of Updike's scarcest titles from the Sixties.
441. UPDIKE, John. Verse. (NY): Fawcett/Crest (1965). A paperback compilation of The Carpentered Hen and Telephone Poles. With a one-poem foreword by Updike for this edition. A fine, unblemished copy in wrappers.
442. UPDIKE, John. The Music School. NY: Knopf, 1966. The second issue of this collection of stories, with page 46 being a cancel. Slight fading to cloth at base of spine, thus near fine in a fine dust jacket.
443. UPDIKE, John. Midpoint. NY: Knopf, 1969. The trade edition of this collection of poetry. Fine in a very near fine, very slightly spine-tanned dust jacket.
444. UPDIKE, John. Tossing and Turning. NY: Knopf, 1977. Fine in a fine dust jacket with the slightest bit of edge sunning.
445. UPDIKE, John. Five Poems. (Cleveland): Bits Press (1980). Of the total edition of 185, this is one of 50 copies on handmade paper. Signed by the author. An elaborate and fragile edition, and one of the scarcest and most attractive of the many limited editions Updike has done in recent years. Fine.
446. UPDIKE, John. Facing Nature. NY: Knopf, 1985. A collection of poetry. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
447. UPDIKE, John. Memories of the Ford Administration. [London]: (Hamish Hamilton) (1993). The advance reading copy of the first British edition; using sheets from the U.S. edition, in British wrappers. Spine slanted and creased; small abrasion front cover; very good.
448. UPDIKE, John. Brazil. NY: Knopf, 1994. A novel that is something of a departure for Updike, being far removed from the familiar suburban milieu of most of his fiction. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
449. (UPDIKE, John). "Today's Youth Looks at AAK" in Portrait of a Publisher. Alfred A. Knopf. 1915-1965. NY: The Typophiles, 1964. A two-volume set of reminiscences by Alfred A. Knopf and recollections about him. Both volumes fine in fine dust jackets, in lightly surfaced-soiled slipcase. In addition to the Updike piece, there are appreciations by John Hersey, Paul Horgan, Willa Cather, Jorge Amado, Elizabeth Bowen, H.L. Mencken, and others.
450. (UPDIKE, John). The John Updike Newsletter, Nos. 1-14. (Northridge): (Yellin) (1977-1980). A complete run of these newsletters, which are now quite scarce. Fine.
451. -. Same title. A nearly complete run, missing No. 8. Fine.
452. -. Same title. Issues 1 and 7 only (1977; 1978). Issue 1 is near fine; Issue 7 is fine.
453. URIS, Leon. Battle Cry. NY: Putnam (1953). The author's first book, one of the important novels of World War II. This copy has light wear at the crown; near fine in a very good dust jacket with moderate edgewear.
454. VONNEGUT, Kurt. Timequake. NY: Putnam (1997). The advance reading copy of his most recent novel, in which Vonnegut and his fictional alter-ego, Kilgore Trout, each touch on stories they would have liked to have told and, in doing so, tell another, about the whole in life being the sum of the parts one attends to. Fine in wrappers.
455. WARREN, Robert Penn. Audubon. A Vision. NY: Random House (1969). A review copy of this collection of poems. Signed by the author, with one holograph correction to the text. Offsetting to the front endpages; else fine in a very near fine dust jacket.
456. WARREN, Robert Penn. Ballad of a Sweet Dream of Peace: A Charade for Easter. Dallas: Pressworks (1980). Of a total edition of 376 copies, this is an unnumbered copy, though still signed by Warren and the illustrator Bill Komodore (although the volume does not appear to be illustrated). Laid in is the musical score by Alex Haieff, which is unsigned. Fine.
457. WATSON, Larry. Montana 1948. (Minneapolis): Milkweed Editions (1993). His highly praised first book, a novel. Signed by the author. As on other copies of this title we have seen, the front flyleaf bears the imprint of having been vertically scored; otherwise this is a fine copy in a fine dust jacket.
458. WELTY, Eudora. Henry Green: A Novelist of the Imagination. Austin: The Texas Quarterly, (1961). First edition, an offprint of this essay. Printed grey wrappers; reportedly one of 25 copies only. Fine, and rare.
459. WHARTON, William. Birdy. NY: Knopf, 1979. The author's pseudonymous first book, which won the National Book Award for best first novel and was made into a well-received movie. Faint spots to top stain, else fine in a fine dust jacket with a corner crease on the front flap. Signed by the author.
460. WIENERS, John. Poetry and the Social. Candia: LeBow, 1997. A broadside poem, measuring approximately 10 1/8" x 17". One of 100 copies, signed by the author. Fine.
461. WILLIAMS, Tennessee. Sweet Bird of Youth. (n.p.): Two Rivers Enterprises, 1959. Production script for this play that starred Paul Newman and had music composed by Paul Bowles. Stage management directions handwritten throughout. Unbound (once bound) sheets, laid into a card stock cover stamped with the title. Edgeworn from use; very good.
462. WILLIAMS, Tennessee. Dragon Country. (NY): New Directions (1970). A review copy of the hardcover issue. Signed by the author. Bump to upper board edge; else fine in a near fine dust jacket with a short edge tear and a horizontal crease to the upper edge of the front panel.
463. (WINTERSON, Jeanette). Passion Fruit. London: Pandora (1986). A collection of "romantic fiction," edited by Winterson. With contributions by Angela Carter, Bobbie Ann Mason, Laurie Colwin, Sara Maitland, Marge Piercy, Fay Weldon, and others. Only issued in wrappers. Fine.
464. WOLFE, Tom. The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby. NY: FSG (1965). The first book by the most outspoken practitioner of the "New Journalism" in the Sixties. Signed by the author. Fine in a lightly dust-soiled, price-clipped dust jacket; about fine. Laid in is an announcement of a talk by Wolfe at the Poetry Center in New York in 1970.
465. WOLFE, Tom. The Pump House Gang. NY: FSG (1968). A collection of essays, published simultaneously with his book, The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
466. WOLFF, Geoffrey. Typed Letter Signed. August 2, 1972. One and a half pages of critical praise of Philip Roth's novel The Breast, ultimately for use for publicity purposes. Wolff describes in detail how he tried to resist the story and, in greater detail, the words and sentences that won him over. "It is an odd failing in a reader, odder in a fiction writer, to resist a story of metamorphosis, to resist that word's linguistic kinsman, metaphor. But the drag of what we are pleased to call reality is substantial, and the nature of its attractive power is not the least interesting question raised by this work of fiction...Roth has done...what the Dali painting could never do, suggest how it would feel to become your dream rather than merely see it...Thank you for trusting me with the manuscript." Folded in fourths for mailing, small corner staple holes; else fine.
467. WOLFF, Tobias. In Pharoah's Army. NY: Knopf, 1994. Advance reading copy of the second volume of the author's memoirs, picking up where This Boy's Life left off and following the author to Vietnam, and chronicling his experiences there. Signed by the author. Issued as a promotional piece, given away prior to publication of the hardcover book. Fine in wrappers and publisher's card-stock slipcase.
468. WOLFF, Tobias. The Night in Question. NY: Knopf, 1996. The limited advance edition consisting of the title story only. One of 1500 copies signed by the author. Hardbound; fine without dust jacket, as issued, in publisher's wraparound sleeve.
469. YOUNG, Marguerite. Inscription. 1977. A Chinese "accordian" book, folding to 3" x 1"; the verso of the accordian having been inscribed by Young on every tiny page -- a full-book inscription, reading, in part: "Given to me by/ Anais Nin/ the smallest/ book in the/ world/ on publication of/ Miss MacIntosh, My Darling,/ which she said was/ the biggest book in the/ world -- given this day/ October 28, 1977,/ to/ ____ ____/ the man with the/ biggest heart/ in the world by/ Marguerite Young..." Tiny, fragile, fine.