Quarto. 352pp. First edition. Fine in quarter black cloth over black paper-covered boards, with a dust jacket that shows just a bit of edgewear.

Quarto. 382pp. First edition. Fine in quarter blue cloth over gray paper-covered boards, with a dust jacket that has a small closed tear at head of spine.

Quarto. 377pp. First edition. Fine in quarter blue cloth over blue paper-covered boards, with a fine dust jacket.

Quarto. 307pp. First trade edition. Fine in quarter black cloth over black paper-covered boards, with a fine dust jacket.

Quarto. 415pp. First edition. Fine in quarter black cloth over gray paper-covered boards, with a fine dust jacket.

Quarto. 303pp. First edition. With essays by such science fiction masters as Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A. Heinlein, Aldous Huxley, C. S. Lewis, Theodore Sturgeon, and more. Fine in quarter gray cloth over blue paper-covered boards, with a dust jacket that shows minor edgewear and light soiling.

Quarto. 420pp. First edition. In a world where the social order is based on mental health and therapy is mandated, violence against others becomes a form of self-expression akin to art. Nominated for the 1991 Hugo, Campbell, and Locus Awards. Boards lightly rubbed, else fine in quarter black cloth over terra cotta paper-covered boards, with a fine dust jacket.

For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Hemingway, Ernest

First edition. A presentation copy inscribed by Hemingway on the front endpaper to Irma Wyckoff, "with appreciation and affection." Wyckoff was the personal secretary to Hemingway's long-time editor at Scribner's, the legendary Max Perkins. Hemingway's epic novel of the Spanish Civil War was inspired by his own experiences as a journalist during the conflict. For Whom the Bell Tolls is considered one of the writer's best works, and the novel's protagonist, Robert Jordan, is the fully-realized manifestation of Hemingway's ideal hero -- a man who exhibits grace under pressure. A very fine copy in a bright original pictorial dust wrapper, which shows only the slightest wear to the spine ends and corners, one short, closed tear to the bottom edge of the front panel, and a small scratch to the front panel near the spine. Housed in a custom-made red cloth box backed in gilt-titled blue morocco.

Steeple Bush.
Frost, Robert

First edition. One of 751 copies signed by Frost. Title page decoration by Loren MacIver. In a review in the June 1, 1947 issue of the New York Times, Randall Jarrell singles out "Directive," an early poem in Frost's penultimate collection, for possessing "so much longing, tenderness, and passive sadness." For Jarrell, the dirgeful majesty of "Directive" was a reminder of Frost's greatness as a poet who has "written so well about the actions of ordinary men." Very fine in cloth-backed boards with glassine wrapper and publisher's slipcase.

"Locked Out" in The Forge, Number Two.
Frost, Robert

Square octavo. 52, (2)pp. Contains the first appearance of "Locked Out," which had only previously seen print in The Bouquet, a magazine compiled by Frost's children in 1914. This poem was not included in the first edition of Mountain Interval but was added to its contents for the 1930 Collected Poems (see Crane, A14). Little is known about The Forge; based on the "Editorial Flourish" that introduces this number, its editor presents a rather unusual take on its mission: The Forge, he says, "has no purpose and is beyond price," adding later that it is also "not dependent on subscribers or contributors." Given this particular stance, however potentially ironic, it would suggest that this magazine did not enjoy a long life. In 1950, Frost sent a copy of this issue to librarian and editor Edward Connery Lathem at Dartmouth with the suggestion that it be added to the collection of Frost that Lathem was building there. Frost closes a letter that he enclosed with that copy by noting "It's a rarety (sic) I think. One of the editors sent it to me lately." This is a very fine copy, likely untouched by the mail or a subscriber's hands.

From Snow to Snow.
Frost, Robert

First edition. Second printing. This copy is inscribed by Frost below the poem "Storm Fear," which opens this selection. Contains a poem for each month of the year, selected by the poet from previously published work. They include two of Frost's best-loved poems, "The Road Not Taken" and "Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening." Very fine in green linen cloth stamped in silver, with a dust wrapper that shows light, even toning to spine.

Death of a Naturalist.
Heaney, Seamus

Octavo. First American edition. One of 1,000 copies comprised of sheets from the first edition with a new title page. This is Heaney's first commercially produced verse collection, preceded by Eleven Poems, a pamphlet published by Queen's University in Belfast. The future Nobel Laureate's richly cadenced lyricism is firmly established in this auspicious debut, from the famous opening lines of "Digging" onward. This is a fine copy in green gilt-stamped cloth, in a dust wrapper that shows very little of the customary fading to the photo-sensitive colors on the spine and just a couple of tiny nicks to extremities.

Papermaking Through Eighteen Centuries.
Hunter, Dard

Octavo. xvii, 358pp. First edition. Illustrated throughout with black & white photographs depicting specimens of paper, watermarks, and the tools and process of papermaking. An updated and revised trade edition of Dard Hunter's Old Papermaking, which was published in a very limited edition in 1923, with additional text and illustrations. Light foxing to preliminary pages and text edges, otherwise a fine copy in light brown cloth with a brown leather spine label. T.e.g.

Bibliographie des Principales Éditions Originales D'Écrivains Français du XVe au XVIIIe Siècle.
Le Petit, Jules

Quarto. A near mint copy in red cloth, with no dust jacket, as published.

The Story of Ferdinand.
Leaf, Munro

Octavo. (71)pp. First edition, signed by the author on the title page. With full-page black & white drawings by Robert Lawson on each recto page illustrating text on the opposite page. The story of Ferdinand the bull, who would rather sit under his favorite cork tree and smell flowers than battle a matador in the bull fighting ring, was an immensely popular children's book in the 1930s, inspiring a hit song, seven subsequent editions, and even a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, all within just over one year of its initial publication. Shortly thereafter, the book was made into a popular Disney movie, the first original story that Disney ever purchased to use as the basis for a film, according to Barbara Bader, author of American Picturebooks from Noah's Ark to The Beast Within.Because the peaceful demeanor of its main character, The Story of Ferdinand inspired considerable controversy when it first appeared. Published in the same year as the onset of the Spanish Civil War, the book was banned in Spain when conservative supporters of Generalissimo Franco denounced the story as leftist propaganda promoting a pacifist ideology. Hitler also condemned the book as propaganda, and it was banned in Nazi Germany, although in Soviet-occupied Poland, it was promoted. Leaf himself responded angrily to the controversy surrounding his book, reports Bader, stating that the gentle Ferdinand was "'just a superior soul, a philosopher, [whose] refusal to fight in the bull ring at Madrid when there was a lovely bouquet to smell was a proof of good taste, and strength of character as well." Despite the political turmoil it caused, Ferdinand remained a hit. Its simple message made a strong impression on young readers, as did Robert Lawson's evocative, stylized drawings, which skillfully use distance and perspective to support the emotional tone of the text. Lawson's career got a tremendous boost as a result of Ferdinand, and he would go on to write and illustrate successful children's books of his own.The Story of Ferdinand remains a popular picture book to this day, a classic of children's literature. Unsophisticated first editions have become scarce, as the book is prone to rough treatment at the hands of young readers, as well as sun damage to the bright red dust jacket. The jacket on this copy retains its brightness, with virtually none of the usual fading to which it is prone. The book is bound in quarter cloth and decorated paper boards and has illustrated yellow endleaves. A few tiny nicks along jacket extremities, else a very fine copy.

West-Running Brook.
Frost, Robert

Small quarto. viii, 58pp. Second (i.e., limited) edition. One of 1,000 copies signed by the author. Illustrated with four full-page woodcuts, each of which is signed in pencil by the artist, J. J. Lankes. These have been inserted and are not included in the pagination. This is the only Frost title to have been published in a limited edition by D. B. Updike's Merrymount Press. Very light wear to corners, else a fine copy in cloth-backed boards, decorated with color images of maple leaves. Housed in publisher's slipcase, which shows general wear. T.e.g.

[Frost, Robert] In the Clearing.
Frost, Robert

First edition of Frost's last published collection. One of 1,500 copies signed by Frost. Printed by the Spiral Press. This collection contains "The Gift Outright," the poem that Frost recited at John F. Kennedy's inauguration, and the poem that he composed especially for the occasion, "For John F. Kennedy His Inauguration." Very fine in lightly scuffed publisher's slipcase.

Leaves of Grass, with Sands at Seventy and A Backward Glance o'er Travel'd Roads.
Whitman, Walt

Seventh edition, fourteenth printing. One of 300 copies, signed by Whitman on the title page. Frontispiece portrait of Whitman consists of an original photograph mounted to stiff paper; this is followed by five additional portraits of the author throughout the text from photographs and engravings. Unobtrusive ink stain across bottom edge, else quite fine internally, in Myerson's binding A, which shows less wear than usual to the flap enclosure, and has a shallow chip to spine head, in addition to some moderate rubbing.

Go Down, Moses.
Faulkner, William

Octavo. 383pp. First edition. One of 100 copies, signed by the author. Though several sections of this work were published previously as short stories, Faulkner intended this as a novel, and most sections were considerably rewritten for this publication. The most limited of Faulkner's signed editions and, due to the fragility of the binding, one of the most difficult to obtain in fine condition. This is a fine copy in textured salmon paper boards, backed in red cloth, gilt-stamped on spine. T.e.g.

Papermaking Through Eighteen Centuries.
Hunter, Dard

Octavo. xvii, 358pp. First edition. Illustrated throughout with black & white photographs depicting specimens of paper, watermarks, and the tools and process of papermaking. An updated and revised trade edition of Dard Hunter's Old Papermaking, which was published in a very limited edition in 1923, with additional text and illustrations. A fine, unopened copy in light brown cloth with a red leather spine label. With a glassine dust wrapper, which is chipped to corners and has some loss to the ends of the spine. Housed in what is most likely the original cardboard shipping box. T.e.g.

The Man in the High Castle.
Dick, Philip K.

First edition. Dick's intricately woven novel about an alternate post-war world that might have been, controlled by Germany and Japan. The book received the 1962 Hugo Award and is generally considered to be one of Dick's best works. Fine in black cloth boards, titled in red. With the original unclipped dust wrapper, which is lightly rubbed to front panel and has two small closed tears: one to the head of the spine and another to the top of the rear panel, else fine and bright. Top edge yellow. (Barron 3-65; Pringle 37).

The Old Man and the Sea.
Hemingway, Ernest

First edition. Written in Cuba in 1951, this short novel was originally intended to be part of a larger work with the sea as a common thread. However, under growing fiscal duress, Hemingway honed in on the 26,531 words that constituted "Book IV" of the larger work, telling Scribner in a letter: "This is the prose that I have been working for all my life that should read easily and simply and seem short and yet have all the dimensions of the visible world and the world of a man's spirit." Hemingway concludes by saying that "(i)t is as good prose as I can write as of now." Widely regarded as the pinnacle of Hemingway's minimal narrative style, The Old Man and the Sea was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and was instrumental in Hemingway's Nobel Prize, which he received in 1954. It was also the last major work that Hemingway produced in his lifetime. This is a very fine copy in blue cloth, with bright silver lettering on the spine. With a fine first issue pictorial dust wrapper, unclipped, which shows only the slightest toning to the spine and two minute spots of rubbing at the top of the spine.

Endymion: A Poetic Romance.
Keats, John

Octavo. ix, 207pp. First edition with both errata leaves, but lacking the half title and ads, as is typical with rebound copies. Perhaps best-known for its opening lines, which proclaim that "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever," this long Romantic epic was the second of three books that Keats published during his brief life. This copy has been bound by Sangorski and Sutcliffe in full dark green morocco, blind-stamped on both covers with hearts, stars, and dots, and gilt-stamped in the center of the front cover with an elaborately detailed urn, the center of the rear cover showing a gilt harp with blind-stamped strings. Borders on both covers show a double gilt rule, followed by a band of gilt chevrons and dots, the corners showing a gilt leaf spray, the whole being surrounded by a another double rule of gilt. Spine gilt in six compartments with gilt-stamped designs involving oak leaves. Turn-ins gilt with a pattern of gilt rule and dots with an oak leaf device in the corner. Loden silk doublures and endleaves. T.e.g. Leather booklabels of Paul Francis Webster, the Oscar-winning lyricist and noted book collector, and binding collector Paul Edward Chevalier on front paste-down and front endpaper verso, respectively. A very fine example of Keats' most memorable work, elegantly bound and housed in a dropback box of green morocco-backed cloth.

Trending into Maine.
Roberts, Kenneth

Octavo. 394pp. First edition. One of 1,075 copies signed by Roberts and Wyeth and accompanied by an extra set of the fourteen full-color plates. A fine copy in buckram-backed blue cloth, with leather spine label and plain dust wrapper, which shows a chip and a tear to lower edges. Housed in original slipcase, which is lightly toned and shows slight wear along top edge.

The Great Gatsby.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott

First edition, first issue of Fitzgerald's most famous work, with the six textual variants noted by Bruccoli. Although The Great Gatsby garnered critical acclaim when it was first published, at the time of Fitzgerald's death in 1940 at age 44, he had largely been dismissed as a writer who failed to reach his full, promising potential. However, Bruccoli notes that a "resurrection" of Fitzgerald began during World War II, when copies of The Great Gatsby were distributed by the Armed Services Editions program. The novel's popularity soared and has never waned since then; The Great Gatsby is now secure in the canon of American literature. Bound in original dark green cloth, blind-stamped to front cover and gilt-titled to spine. Owner's initials in pencil on corner of endpaper, two very faint spots to back cover, slight spine lean, else a very fine, clean, and bright copy lacking the rare dust jacket.

The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence.
Sagan, Carl

Octavo. 263pp. First edition. Inscribed to the noted astronomer Fred Whipple, "with every good wish." Sagan's exploration of human intelligence won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1978. With original dust wrapper, which shows slight wear to edges, a 1/4-inch closed tear to front panel, and toning to spine. Else fine in green gilt-stamped boards.

The Collapsing Universe: The Story of Black Holes.
Asimov, Isaac

Octavo. First edition. Inscribed, "To Fred Whipple, who doesn't need the education." Whipple was a noted astronomer and Harvard professor. Asimov's non-fiction exploration of black holes reflects his fascination with cosmology, the branch of astronomy concerned with the birth and death of the universe. As an astronomer himself, Whipple clearly read Asimov's work with interest: two pages are dog-eared, marking sections on mini-black-holes and wormholes. Slight bump to bottom of spine, and dust wrapper shows some wear to top and bottom edges of rear panel. Near fine.

Pebble in the Sky.
Asimov, Isaac

First edition of the author's first book. Inscribed on the title page to noted astronomer Fred Whipple and his wife: "Usually astronomer / and psychologist/ respectively/ but currenty: PARENTS/ Isaac / Asimov." The inscription is dated 25 February 1950, which is a little over a month after the book's publication date of 19 January. Asimov's first novel is a tale of time slip, where a man walking down a street in Chicago raises one foot in the twentieth century and lowers it in Galactic Era 827." An auspicious debut for one of the grand masters of science fiction. Slight outward crease to spine, else a near fine copy in a chipped and worn dust wrapper.

Apophthegmatum ex Optimis Utriusque Linguae Scriptoribus.
Lycosthenes, Conrad (Konrad Wolffhart)

Octavo. (24), 1130, (22)pp. First Lyon edition of Wolffhart's encyclopedic collection of apothegms from Classical sources. This edition appears one year after the first edition, which was published by his brother-in-law in Basel, and it is one of a handful of editions that appeared within Wolffhart's lifetime. He died in 1561. The publisher Frellon is noted for printing the 1547 edition of Icones Historiarum Veteris Testamenti, with Holbein's woodcuts, as well as for introducing John Calvin to the Spanish ecclesiastical fugitive Michael Servetus in 1546. Rare: only four institutional holdings of this edition have been recorded worldwide, three of which are in the United States. Occasional underlining and sporadic marginalia. Light marginal wrinkling and few chips to extremities of title page, else a fine copy. In a later binding of full vellum over boards.

[Wiener, Norbert] The Tempter.
Wiener, Norbert

Octavo. First edition. Inscribed by the author to Frederick Fassett, who was a dean of students at MIT from 1952-1966. Wiener was a mathematician and the founder of the field of cybernetics, an interdisciplinary area of study that explores similarities between the function of automatic machines and the human nervous system. This novel marks Wiener's first foray into writing fiction, and it explores the tensions between the ideals of scientific research and the technological industry. About fine in black cloth, with price-clipped dust wrapper, which has some chips to corners and spine ends and slight toning to spine.

Dubliners.
Joyce, James

Octavo. First edition. One of approximately 746 copies that were bound. When Joyce first submitted his proposal for this collection of short stories, he wrote, "I do not think that any writer has yet presented Dublin to the world." However, Joyce was far from sentimental about the city, writing, "From time to time I see in publisher's lists announcements of books on Irish subjects so that I think people might be willing to pay for the special odour of corruption which, I hope, floats over my stories." Bound in publisher's red cloth with gilt lettering on front cover and spine. Some faint waterstaining to bottom and top edges of pages, as well as top corner of rear pastedown, that does not affect the inside of the book. Top and bottom edges of spine slightly bumped, spine darkened with some slight rubbing, and faint rubbing to spine edges. Very small, shallow spot of biopredation to front board; still a very good copy of a scarce book. Bookplate of American diplomat and poet John Haven Ferguson.

Ulysses.
Joyce, James

Eighth printing, in which the type was entirely reset in order to address typographical errors found in earlier printings. As noted by Slocum and Cahoon, it incorporated into the text most of the changes indicated on the "Additional corrections" page that had been added to the fourth, fifth, and sixth printings. In all, the text was expanded to 735 pages. This is essentially a second edition; the reset plates were used through the eleventh printing. Joyce's publisher, Sylvia Beach, hired a proofreader from the Daily Mail to comb through the text before it was reset, but Joyce was disappointed with the result. Proofreading Joyce's work was certainly a daunting task, and typos continued to be a problem throughout the book's history of publication. There is much debate over which version of the book is most authoritative and whether certain changes made were actually corrections or well-intentioned corruptions of the text. In blue wrappers with the title and author in white. Some chipping to corners of spine and to fore-edges of wrappers, spine edges slightly rubbed, and a few very short closed tears, else a very good copy.

[Steinbeck, John] A Letter Written in Reply to a Request for a Statement About his Ancestry.
Steinbeck, John

First book edition. One of 350 copies. Inscribed by the Reverend L. M. Birkhead, the National Director of the Friends of Democracy, to the novelist Laura Hobson. Published "because of its peculiar interest at this time," as indicated on the dedication page, the text consists of two letters: the first from Birkhead to Steinbeck, and the second, Steinbeck's response. Steinbeck addresses the rumor about his purported Jewish heritage and the claim that The Grapes of Wrath was Jewish propaganda. Closing his letter, Steinbeck writes "Those who wish for one reason or another to believe me Jewish will go on believing it while men of good will and good intelligence won't care one way or another. I can prove these things of course -- but when I shall have to -- the American democracy will have disappeared." A very fine association copy in boards with paper label and original glassine.

Lady Chatterley's Lover.
Lawrence, D. H

Small quarto. 365pp. First edition. One of 1,000 copies, numbered and signed by the author. Lawrence had the book privately printed in Italy by the Tipografia Giuntina for subscribers after being refused by British and American publishers who questioned the novel's subject and language. Open, legitimate publication of the novel was not allowed in either country until 1960, more than thirty years later, after several landmark trials. Light foxing to a few page edges, else a brilliant copy in brown boards printed with the insignia of a phoenix on the front cover, with paper spine label. In original unprinted, cream-colored dust wrapper, which is lightly chipped and faintly soiled.

Goetz von Berlichingen with the Iron Hand.
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von

Octavo. xxxvi, (ii), 11-(186)pp. First edition of this translation. Originally published in 1773, this was Goethe's first published work, and it was based on an historical figure: a robber baron whose lost hand was replaced with an iron prosthesis of his own creation. Taking cues from the English Romantics, Goethe employed a form of speech in this play that was derived from then-current vernacular, and as such was heralded as the first "modern" German drama. The first attempt to render the play into English was undertaken by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1799, and it marked his first foray into literature. The present translation is unattributed, but in its lengthy Preface, it is noted that this version makes use of Goethe's last revisions and all his drafts, and therefore endeavors to be definitive. Scattered light foxing to preliminaries, else nearly fine in publisher's brown cloth that shows some wear to extremities and a short tear to lower front hinge.

Iceworld.
Clement, Hal

First edition. Signed by the author, Harry Clement Stubbs, who writes under the pen name "Hal Clement." The dust wrapper blurb proclaims Hal Clement "One of the few authors in science fiction capable of describing an alien point of view convincingly." In this science fiction/detective novel, an alien investigator pursues an alien drug ring with the help of two human children. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket with very faint wear to extremities.

The Other Side of the Sky.
Clarke, Arthur C.

First edition. A collection of 24 short stories including "The Nine Billion Names of God," which was featured in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame anthology, and "The Star," which received the 1956 Hugo Award for best short story. Top of dust wrapper slightly bumped, else a fine copy in cloth-backed boards.

Space on My Hands.
Brown, Fredric

First edition. Signed by the author. A collection of entertaining, topsy-turvy short stories that traverse space and time. Brown's stories are noted for their sense of humor. Very fine in a fine dust jacket.

Timescape.
Benford, Gregory

First edition. A novel of the future contacting the past to save the world, Timescape won the Nebula award for 1980. A fine copy in cloth backed boards and an extremely fine d/w.

All Quiet on the Western Front.
Remarque, Erich Maria

First American edition. Translated from the German by A. W. Wheen. This is the first novel published by the pseudonymous author, whose real name was Erich Paul Remark. It is based on his own experiences as a young soldier in the first World War, and it stands as one of the most powerful works of anti-war literature ever written. An fine copy in coarse buff cloth, with scarce pictorial dust wrapper, which shows a few nicks on the spine and corners and a 1 by 2 inch piece missing on the back.

Edward Lear on My Shelves.
Field, William B. Osgood

Quarto, 434pp. One of 155 copies printed at the Bremer Presse. This is a deluxe copy, number II, bound in full vellum by the Bremer Binderei under the supervision of Frieda Thiersch. In addition, the book is inscribed by Field to Charles E. Lauriat, Jr. The inscription reads: "To Dear old man Lauriat from old friend." With numerous reproductions of drawings by Lear, including landscapes, five of which have been hand-colored by Annette von Eckardt. This is a fine copy housed in the original cardboard slipcase.

John Leech on My Shelves.
Field, William. B. Osgood

Quarto, 315pp. One of 155 copies printed at the Bremer Presse. This is a deluxe copy, number II, bound in full vellum by the Bremer Binderei under the supervision of Frieda Thiersch. In addition, the book is inscribed by Field to Charles E. Lauriat, Jr. A T.L.s. from Field to Lauriat is enclosed, thanking him for his help in obtaining material for the text. This is a fine copy with the original slipcase, lacking the bottom of the case and with detached top piece. Prospectus laid in.

Sinclair Lewis Interprets America.
Forster, E.M.

16mo. (4)ff. First separate edition. One of 100 copies. A review copy of the stapled pamphlet in which Forster expresses his admiration for Lewis's ability to bring America and its people alive in writing. Inscribed by the pamphlet's distributor, Harvey Taylor, to Leonard R. Allis in June, 1932. (Kirkpatrick, A15). (5 1/8 by 6 inches; 130x150mm).

Memoirs of the Notorious Stephen Burroughs of New Hampshire.
Frost, Robert

First edition. The story of the legendary New Hampshire rogue Stephen Burroughs, "whose villainies are equalled only by their charm." Reprinted from the Albany edition of 1811. With a preface by Robert Frost, who writes that the book belongs "on the shelf with Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Edwards." Only Frost's second prose appearance in a book. Bound in cloth-backed textured boards, and with the original tan dust jacket, which has two short closed tears in the front panel, tear to one corner resulting in small loss of paper, some wear to spine ends, and some overall soiling. A rare copy in the jacket. From the collection of W.B. Shubrick Clymer, who was Frost's first bibliographer.

Harmonium.
Stevens, Wallace

Second edition, third binding. This edition contains fourteen new poems, while dropping three from the original edition. The complete printing of the second edition consisted of 1,500 copies, which were bound over a period of thirteen years. This copy is inscribed by Stevens on a preliminary blank. The inscription reads: "The basis of poetry is response" and is dated "Sept. 14, 1943." If one could condense Stevens's particular approach to literary creation into a single sentence, this could certainly be it. For Stevens, the pursuit of the real in poetry -- his Supreme Fiction -- is rooted in its immediacy: "Part of the res itself and not about it. / The poet speaks the poem as it is, / Not as it was." Poetry, in Stevens's view, is language used in response to life as it is lived, making this an extraordinary inscription. Stevens signed very infrequently, and inscriptions appear even less often. As a basis for comparison, the Neville copy of this edition, which sold in 2004, was signed ten days after Pearl Harbor and contained a single sentence inscription about war. This is a fine, bright copy in cloth-backed pale blue boards and with the dust wrapper, which is toned along the spine, has a nearly invisible split along the front fold, and has a chip in the upper left corner of the front panel.

A Further Range.
Frost, Robert

First edition. One of 4,000 copies printed. This copy is inscribed by Frost with the final quatrain of "Desert Places". The inscription is dated "June 1936", which is shortly after the book's May 30th publication date. Frost received the Pulitzer Prize for this collection, and was the third of four that he would receive in his lifetime. Typical oxidation to spine lettering, else fine in cloth and with dust wrapper that shows chipping and short tears to corners and spine ends, spine slightly toned.

Birches.
Frost, Robert

Single sheet folded twice to form an eight-page booklet. First separate edition. Bread Loaf Folder No. 3. This is the second printing of this small pamphlet, distinguishable by its being printed on pale green laid paper. This is a fine copy of a scarce piece of Frost ephemera. Not in Crane.

Sketches by "Boz," Illustrative of Every-day Life, and Every-day People. In Two Volumes. Together with Sketches by Boz . . . The Second Series. Complete in One Volume.
Dickens, Charles

Three small octavo volumes. viii, 348 pp.; (iv), 342pp.; viii, 377pp., + (19)pp. of advertisements. First edition, first issues in book form of Dickens's first work. Illustrated throughout with engravings by George Cruikshank, volumes I and II each with a frontispiece and seven subsequent illustrations, and the Second Series with frontispiece, engraved title-page, and eight subsequent illustrations. Volume I Preface dated February, 1836, and both volumes with all but one or two internal flaws as called for by Smith. Second Series is one of the few early copies without the list of illustrations, with thirteen rather than seventeen lines on the first page of the Contents; legible commas on the Free and Easy imprint; and with Vol. III unerased from the foot of each plate. According to Sadleir, these points "certainly seem to represent an earlier (and perhaps suppressed) issue of the book . . . the only possible explanation seems to be that [the publisher] and Dickens planned Sketches by Boz as a three-volume work, and that the plates were prepared for the third volume in uniform style with those of Volumes I and II. Possibly Dickens then insisted on adding more material than a normal third volume could accommodate, and a second series in one bulky volume was forced on the publisher." Eckel even more definitively states that the missing list of plates "prove[s] to be a mark of the first issue of the book." Although most of the sketches in this work were originally published as separate entries in various magazines and journals between 1833 and 1836, this edition does represent the first appearance of five of the sketches: "A Visit to Newgate," "The Black Veil," "The Great Winglebury Duel," "Our Next-Door Neighbours," and "The Drunkard's Death." The first two volumes are bound in publisher's olive green cloth, with a gilt cartouche and lettering on the spines. Corners lightly bumped, some minor spotting to cloth, else about fine. Second Series is bound in the rare original rose-colored cloth with blind-stamped wreath on the front cover and spine in four compartments, top compartment lettered in gilt within a decorative gilt frame. The gilding has been applied without black pigment, again indicating one of the early copies, as mentioned by Smith. Some bumping to corners, spine slightly sunned, and a few short closed tears in cloth at foot of spine. Nearly fine. Each volume in a green cloth chemise, the three volumes housed together in a quarter morocco slipcase lettered in gilt on the spine. This set came from the collection of William E. Self, former president of Twentieth Century Fox, and bears his bookplate. Both volumes also with the bookplates of noted collectors Winston Henry Hagen and E. Hubert Litchfield. A very nice set of a seminal work of modern Western literature, with excellent provenance.

North of Boston.
Frost, Robert

First American edition. Frost's second collection of poetry was originally published in England by David Nutt, who also published his first book, A Boy's Will. The reception to both books in the U.S. was overwhelmingly positive, and Frost's American publisher, keen to avoid the threat of pirated editions, ordered sheets of North of Boston from Nutt. The 150 sets they received were quickly exhausted (see Crane A3.1), and requests for additional sheets went unanswered, forcing Holt to set its own edition, of which 1300 copies were printed in March 1915. Although much of this collection contains Frost's longer free-verse dramas, such as "Home Burial" and "The Death of the Hired Man", it also contains two lyrical gems: "Mending Wall", and "After Apple Picking". This copy bears a presentation inscription in pencil, dated April 1915. Light shelfwear to bottom edge, slight toning to gilt-decorated blue cloth, light staining to two pages, else a nearly fine copy in the seldom-seen dust jacket with the "fain" reading in the London Times review, and a publisher's device measuring 19 x 16 mm.

North of Boston.
Frost, Robert

First edition. From an edition of 1,000 copies, this is one of 200 in the sixth binding state. This was one of two binding states that were done by the Dunster House Bookshop in 1923 in Cambridge, MA when the remaining first edition sheets were sold off by Simpkin Marshall. Signed by Frost on the front endpaper, dated "Amherst 1924," and with a notation as to the name and location of the cottage in England where Frost wrote the poems for this, his second book. A fine copy in leaf-green cloth, gilt-titled. Book label from the Hampshire Bookshop of Northampton, MA on rear pastdown.