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Manuscript draft for essay entitled "My Short Novels by STEINBECK, John

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$10,000.00

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Seller: Heritage Book Shop, LLC

Title: Manuscript draft for essay entitled "My Short Novels
Author: STEINBECK, John
Seller: Heritage Book Shop, LLC (United States)
Description: n.p., 1953. n.p.: 1953. Full Description: STEINBECK, John. Manuscript draft for essay entitled "My Short Novels". [n.p.n.d ca: 1953]. Manuscript draft in Steinbeck's hand for the essay entitled "My Short Novels, which served as a preface to the Literary Guild's 1953 edition of "The Short Novels of John Steinbeck." A near word for word representation of the essay which was originally published by The Literary Guild Review and found in their magazine "Wings" in October 1953 (Pages 4-8). This manuscript is exciting because it is an close representation but still a draft of what was finally printed. In comparing the two documents, you can see that the published piece was trimmed down a bit from what Steinbeck wrote in this manuscript draft. Many of the edits are eliminations of a few words here and there, but there are a few places where whole sentences and ideas have been cut. Most of these are some what self-deprecating, which is interesting to watch him ultimately play down. Apart from punctuation changes, the parts of this manuscript that are not found in the final publication have been indicated by us below by being housed within brackets. Four foolscap legal-sized pages (12 1/2 x 8 inches; 318 x 202 mm). Written in pencil on recto only of each page. With a few notes and corrections. Each page is approximately 28 lines long. Lacking a final leaf which would go on to discuss the final two stories. Some minor toning and a small bump to bottom left corner of all leaves. Still a near fine example of a wonderful Steinbeck manuscript. Housed in a blue quarter morocco clamshell. Another manuscript draft version of this essay was sold at auction in 2023 for 32,500 Euros and was also incomplete. [Together with] A copy of the The Literary Guild Review Magazine "Wings" which includes the entire essay. In the four present pages he discusses the origins of the stories The Red Pony, Tortilla Flat, Of Mice and Men, and The Moon is Down. The final page which is lacking goes on to discuss Cannery Row and The Pearl. The Manuscript reads: "I have never written a preface [nor a comment] to one of my books before believing that the work should stand on its own feet even if it's legs ankles were slightly wobbly. When I was asked to comment on the [five] short novels of this volume, my first impulse was to refuse. And then, thinking over the things that have happened to these stories since they were written, I was taken with the idea that [the things that] happen to a book are very like [those that happen] to a man. These stories cover a long period of my life. As each [one] was finished, that part of my life [it represented] was finished. It is true that while [he is doing it], the writer and his book are one. When the book is finished, it is a kind of death, a matter of pain and sorrow to the writer. [And] then he starts a new book and a new life, and if he is growing and changing, a new life starts. [And] the writer like a fickle lover, forgets his old love. It is no longer his own- the intimacy and the surprise are gone. So much I knew but I had not thought of the [poor] little stories, thrust out into an unfriendly world to make their way. They have experiences too, they grow and change or wane and die just as everyone does. They make friends or enemies, and sometimes they waste away from neglect. [Remembering the careers of these short novels, has been interesting to me. All of the have been experiments. That is why no two of them are remotely alike. And experiments are rarely accepted all at once.] [My stories have been slow starters almost like shy young men who do not make friends quickly. Indeed most of my books have succeeded without trying in making quick and fierce enemies at first. It is pleasing to me that they do in time make lasting and loyal friends.] The Red Pony was written a long time ago when there was desolation in my family. The first death had occurred- and the family which every child believes immortal, was shattered. Perhaps this is the first adulthood of any man or woman- the first tortured question why, and then acceptance and [your] child [was] a man. The Red Pony [then] was an attempt, an experiment if you [must] to set down loss and acceptance, [death a the transfiguration the adult mind must create for itself.] At that time I had had three books published and [all of them had failed to] come any where near selling their first editions. The Red Pony could not find a publisher. It came back over and over again until at last a [foolishly] brave editor bought it for The North American Review and paid 90 dollars for it. [This was] more money than I thought the world contained. What a great party we had in celebration. [The Magazine went broke almost immediately and my story disappeared for a good number of years. That it ever came back is the remarkable thing. But it not only did but it seems to gather friends as it goes.] It takes only the tiniest pinch of encouragement to keep a writer going, and if he gets none, he sometimes learns to feed even on the acid of failure. Tortilla Flat grew out [of a reading of the sources] of The Arthurian cycle- [from Mabinogion Through Geoffrey and through the ? to Tennyson.] I wanted to take the stories of my town of Monterey and cast them into a kind of folklore. The result was Tortilla Flat. It followed the pattern. Publisher after publisher rejected it until Pascal Covici finally published it. But it did have one distinction the others had not. It was not ignored. Indeed, the Chamber of Commerce of Monterey, fearing for its tourist business, issued a statement that the book was a lie and that certainly no such disreputable people lived in that neighborhood. But perhaps the chamber did me a good service for this book sold two editions, [I think] and this was almost more encouragement than I could stand. I was afraid I might get used to such profligacy on the part of the public and I knew it couldn't last. A moving picture company bought it and paid 4,000 dollars for it- 3600 came to me. It was a fortune. When a few years later, the company fired its editor, one of the reasons was that he had bought Tortilla Flat. He bought it [for the] from the company for the original 4000 and several years later sold it to MGM for 90,000 dollars, [a triumph for me albeit shallow] a kind of justification for me and a fortune for the editor. Of Mice and Men was another [experiment- an] attempt to write a novel in three acts to be played from the lines. I had nearly finished it when my setter pup ate it one night- literally made confetti of it. [I had to start fresh.] I don't know how close the first and second versions would prove to be. This book had some success but as usual it found its enemies. [It was called brutal, its characters sub humans, its story sadistic and one group found homosexuality in it which puzzled me quite a bit.] With rewriting however, it did become a play and had some success. There were long books [written] between these little novel. I think the little ones were exercises for the long[er] ones. The war came on and I wrote The Moon is Down as a kind of celebration of the durability of democracy. I couldn't [have] conceived that it would be denounced [as almost treason.] I had written of Germans as men not super men and this was considered a very weak attitude to take. I couldn't make much sense out of this and it seems..." HBS 69082. $10,000.

LEAVES OF GRASS Comprising all the Poems written by Walt Whitman following the Arrangement of the Edition of 1891-'2 by WHITMAN, Walt

10 to 14 days for delivery

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$3,750.00

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Seller: Charles Agvent, ABAA

Title: LEAVES OF GRASS Comprising all the Poems written by Walt Whitman following the Arrangement of the Edition of 1891-'2
Author: WHITMAN, Walt
Seller: Charles Agvent, ABAA (United States)
Condition: About 15 pages with a small, dark stain at the very top margin, far from the text; light rubbing to the raised bands at the edge
Description: New York: Random House, Inc., 1930. Hardcover. About 15 pages with a small, dark stain at the very top margin, far from the text; light rubbing to the raised bands at the edge of the spine which is a bit sunned. Near Fine. Valenti Angelo. Folio (9-3/4" x 14-1/2") in original red half-morocco and bevel-edged Philippine mahogany boards with the publisher's device engraved on the front board, five raised bands on the spine where the title is stamped in black. Illustrated with 37 woodcuts by Valenti Angelo. Copy #198 of 400 copies printed by Edwin and Robert Grabhorn in handset Goudy New Style type on unbleached Arnold paper. The finest printing of LEAVES OF GRASS and a masterpiece of the Grabhorn Press, taking over a year to print.

The Dwindling Party by Gorey, Edward

5 to 14 days for delivery

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$550.00

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Seller: Swan's Fine Books

Title: The Dwindling Party
Author: Gorey, Edward
Seller: Swan's Fine Books (United States)
Condition: Near fine
Description: New York: Random House, 1982. First Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Quarto size, [12] pp., signed by Edward Gorey. In his inimitable style, Edward St. John Gory (1925-2000), who once said "I've sort of lost track of the modern world" (a sentiment with which we heartily agree) once again presents us with his lovely, bizarre, humorous style with the MacFizzet family "who only last fall..set out to visit..Hickyacket Hall". A dizzying array of pop-ups await as the story unfolds. ___DESCRIPTION: Glossy pictorial boards with different illustrations on front and back board, black lettering on the spine, the traditional title page specifics hiding behind two flaps on the first two pages, this copy SIGNED BY EDWARD GOREY underneath the second of the two flaps, beneath his printed name which he crossed out as usual, the book is contructed with six double-spread "sets", each of which contain multiple pop-ups, wheels, and / or flaps, with the story interspersed with the pop-ups; quarto size (11.75" by 7.75"), unpaginated with [12] pp., signed by Gorey on the second page (discreetly placed beneath a flap). ___CONDITION: Volume is near fine, with clean boards, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; all pop-ups, wheels and flaps in perfect working order other than one unintended crease on one flap, some minute rubbing to the tail of the spine, a gentle bump to the head of the spine, and an old pencilled price erased by a prior owner having left a small light spot next to Mr. Gorey's signature. ___CITATION: Toledano A83a. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.

Cornelius Cole, California Pioneer and United States Senator, A Study in Personality and Achievements Bearing Upon the Growth of a Commonwealth by Phillips, Catherine Coffin; Wilke, William (Illustration)

5 to 14 days for delivery

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$550.00

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Seller: Swan's Fine Books

Title: Cornelius Cole, California Pioneer and United States Senator, A Study in Personality and Achievements Bearing Upon the Growth of a Commonwealth
Author: Phillips, Catherine Coffin; Wilke, William (Illustration)
Seller: Swan's Fine Books (United States)
Condition: Fine
Description: San Francisco: John Henry Nash, 1929. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine. Wilke, William. One of 1000 copies, quarto size, 386 pp., this copy in a full vellum binding. Cornelius Cole (1822-1924) was a politician who became an important figure in California politics after his arrival there in July 1849; he became District Attorney of Sacramento and later went on to the United States Senate. This book forms a clear and forceful portrait of a man who played an active role in the political scene of the United States and particularly of California. Included also are twenty-seven illustrations and facsimiles, as well as two fold-out letters, to complete the picture and scope of this influential individual. Out of the total edition of 1000 copies, an unspecified number were bound in full vellum, as is this. As of this writing, we see no other copies online in this vellum binding, therefore we presume the number bound in this manner was relatively small. This volume with an additional interesting point, being a biblio-mystery: on the front pastedown is what appears to have been an inscription by the author, Catherine Coffin Phillips, which has now been partially obscured; one can just make out the last portion of her name. There are currently several copies (in the standard binding) of this work online inscribed by Phillps, so it is not a huge stretch to see that this copy may also have been; however, why the inscription was obscured is a total mystery. ___DESCRIPTION: Full vellum over boards with yapped edges, the boards with a single narrow ruled gilt border, the spine with each compartment ruled in gilt and with gilt lettering, top edge gilt, fore-edge uncut, bottom edge rough-cut, title page with decorative border in black and white, frontispiece an engraving of Cornelius Cole by William Wilke (1879-1958), a San Francisco painter and printmaker who created many illuminations and bookplates for John Henry Nash, a two-page fold-out facsimile of a letter by Schuyler Colfax to Cornelius Cole (1865), a three-page fold-out facsimile of a letter by Julia Dent Grant to Olive Cole (1874), twenty-seven illustrations and facsimiles pertaining to Cornelius Cole throughout; Bulmer type on Nuremberg hand-made paper, quarto size (10.5" by 7.75"), pagination: [i-ii] iii [iv] v [vi] vii 1-379, one of 1000 copies (total edition), unnumbered, this copy one of an unspecified number bound in full vellum. Lacking the Erratum slip. In a slipcase covered with the same marbled cloth in which the standard copies were bound and lined with white felt. ___CONDITION: Volume fine overall, the vellum boards smooth and without wear, straight corners, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright with many of the signature unopened, and other than the residue of Philip's inscription mentioned above free of prior owner markings; a few very small spots of light soil, else fine. Slipcase near fine; strong and sturdy, clean, with a truly minimal amount of wear. ___CITATIONS: Wright-Howes no. 307; O'Day, p. 70, which does not note that any copies were bound in vellum. ___POSTAGE: Please note that due to weight additional postage may apply; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.

The Hermitage-Zoar Notebook and Journal of Travel. by GUNN, Alexander

7 to 14 days for delivery

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$250.00

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Seller: Savoy Books

Title: The Hermitage-Zoar Notebook and Journal of Travel.
Author: GUNN, Alexander
Seller: Savoy Books (United States)
Description: New York:: [The DeVinne Press.], 1902. Book. Royal 8vo, full brown crushed morocco, ruled in gilt; spine with raised bands, gilt compartments; inner gilt dentelles, marbled endpapers. Pp. [iv], 261, (1). Frontis and two photogravure plates. First edition, No. 66 of a reported 500 copies, beautifully printed on hand-made paper at the DeVinne Press. Gunn, a Cleveland industrialist, began vacationing in Zoar in 1879 and, taken with the community's rural simplicity, he retired there not long after. He purchased 5 acres from the Society which included the brewery and "the Hermitage" one of the earliest houses in the community. His journal records his observations life in the village and his interactions with members. Included is "The Hermitage Garden Book," recording Gunn's plantings of fruit trees on the property, and his large collection of roses. To this day, Gunn's ghost is said to haunt the village hotel. A fine copy, beautifully bound, with the presentation card of William C. Whitney, for whom the volume was printed..

Decorative Motives of Oriental Art. With Six Hundred and Seventy-Three Illustrations [Signed] by Ball, Katherine M. [signed]

7 to 10 days for delivery

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$175.00

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Seller: Eric Chaim Kline - Bookseller

Title: Decorative Motives of Oriental Art. With Six Hundred and Seventy-Three Illustrations [Signed]
Author: Ball, Katherine M. [signed]
Seller: Eric Chaim Kline - Bookseller (United States)
Condition: Very good
Description: London: John Lane the Bodley Head, 1927. First edition. Hardcover. Very good. Folio (13" x 10"). xxvi,(2),286pp. Double column text. Index. Plus (2)pp. publisher's ads. Original black cloth, gilt (some minor stains and corners slightly worn).T.e.g. Illustrated throughout with nearly 700 black & white examples. Signed by Katherine M. Ball on the title page, dated May 24, 1944. The meanings of the patterns that decorate Chinese and Japanese art. This work originally appeared as a series of articles in Japan.

George Brecht: the editions by Harry Ruhé by (BRECHT, George)

7 to 14 days for delivery

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$125.00

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Seller: Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller, Inc.

Title: George Brecht: the editions by Harry Ruhé
Author: (BRECHT, George)
Seller: Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller, Inc. (United States)
Description: B&w illus. Unpaginated. 12mo, pictorial softcover. Amsterdam: Tuja Books, 2005. Scarce catalogue of Brecht editions, multiples, etc.; edition of 1000 copies. Near fine.

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The Politics of Ritual Change: The Zukru Festival in the Political History of Late Bronze Age Emar HSM 65 by Thames, John Tracy Jr.

7 to 14 days for delivery

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$50.00

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Seller: Brattle Book Shop

Title: The Politics of Ritual Change: The Zukru Festival in the Political History of Late Bronze Age Emar HSM 65
Author: Thames, John Tracy Jr.
Seller: Brattle Book Shop (United States)
ISBN: 9789004429109
Condition: LikeNew
Description: Leiden; Boston: Brill [2020]. Hardcover. 9.5" x 6.25". XIV, [2], 345pp. Publisher's red boards. Fine. ISBN 9789004429109 . LikeNew. Hardcover .

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