Modern Literature and Its Authors from Ken Lopez Bookseller
- by Michael Stillman
Ken Lopez' Catalog 162.
Ken Lopez Bookseller of Hadley, Massachusetts, has issued Catalog 162. Their specialty is modern literary first editions. That is not an exclusive. This catalogue contains many related items, such as letters and manuscripts from the authors who produced modern literature. There are also a few items not literature at all, such as a government report pertaining to Indian resettlement. An occasional surprise adds an element of suspense, though it is collectors of modern literature and its authors who will most enjoy this catalogue. Here, now, are a few samples from its pages.
Many thought of Hunter Thompson as weird, an appellation he was not afraid to use. However, his style became better known as “gonzo journalism.” Item 201 is Thompson's Songs of the Doomed. Gonzo Papers Vol. 3, published in 1990. That is when it was published, though not when it was written. Rather, it is a collection of essays, newspaper articles, and other hard-to-find Thompson items, some dating back to the 60's, but more from the then more recent 80's. Thompson has inscribed this copy, “To Jeannette – thanx for the grapefruit. - the fat is in the fire. Good luck. HST/Hunter.” The inscription is dated Aug. 17, 1992 from Owl Farm, his home in the Colorado mountains near the tiny hamlet of Woody Creek. It was his “fortified bunker,” his home from the early days of writing until he died. As to what this inscription means, who knows, other than Jeanette? Priced at $750.
This would have to be rather early for “modern” literature, but it is a most interesting association copy. Item 72 is James Joyce's Verbannte, which is the German edition of Exiles, published in 1919. Though he had already earned a literary reputation by then, in the days before Ulysses he was chronically short of money. His situation was such that he needed to be bailed out, and fortunately, some admirers did just that. Scofield Thayer, co-owner of the literary journal The Dial, sent Joyce $700. His partner, J. S. Watson, added another $300. It enabled Joyce to settle a court case against him and move forward with his endeavors. This copy is inscribed “To J . R. [sic] Watson, Jun / with grateful regards / James Joyce.” $10,000.
Item 1 is the first American edition of the first work from Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe. Things Fall Apart, published in 1959, is seen as the first major work of post-colonial African literature. Achebe writes of his own society, that of the Ibo tribe, and the effect of colonialism on its people. The English, not understanding the society's culture, impose their own rules and values, and along the way, that of the Ibo is changed, much irretrievably lost. This copy is signed by Achebe. $3,500.
Item 55 is a book, Lopez notes, “some consider the best baseball novel ever.” It is Bang the Drum Slowly, the second of a series of four baseball novels by Mark Harris. It is a look at a gritty New York baseball team, as seen through the eyes of one of its pitchers. It was adapted for television with a young Paul Newman in the lead role, and later as a film with Robert Di Niro as the catcher. This book was published in 1956, and the copy has been signed by Harris. $1,500.
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: APRES DE MANNEVILLETTE Le Neptune Oriental
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: CASSAS Eaux fortes de la Sicile et quelques vues d’Espagne
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: CASSINI DE THURY Carte générale et particulière de la France.
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: JOUY; GARNERAY Vues des côtes de France dans l'Océan et dans la Méditerranée
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: LA PÉROUSE Voyage autour du monde
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: LE GENTIL DE LA GALAISIERE Voyage dans les Mers de l’Inde
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: LICENT Hoang Ho, Pai Ho, Loan Ho, Leao Ho. Itinéraires suivis dans le bassin du golfe du Pei Tcheuly
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: FRENCH SCHOOL FROM THE 19th CENTURY Panorama d’Athènes
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: PEETERS Description des principales villes, havres et isles du golfe de Venise
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: PÉRON; FREYCINET Voyage de découverte aux terres australes
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: STACKELBERG La Grèce : vues pittoresques et topographiques.
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: VALENTINER Atlas des Sonnensystems.
Forum Auctions Online Sale: The Detective Fiction Collection of John Cooper Ending 7th November, 2024
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). The Thirteen Problems, first edition, The Crime Club, 1932. £15,000 to £20,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Dumb Witness, first edition, 1937. £3,000 to £4,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Cards on the Table, first edition, The Crime Club, 1936. £2,000 to £3,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: [Carr (John Dickson)], "Carter Dickson" and John Rhode. Drop to his Death, first edition, Heinemann, [1939]. £600 to £800.
Forum, Nov. 7: Berkeley (Anthony). Jumping Jenny, first edition, Hodder and Stoughton, 1933. £800 to £1,200.
Forum Auctions Online Sale: The Detective Fiction Collection of John Cooper Ending 7th November, 2024
Forum, Nov. 7: Marsh (Ngaio). Overture to Death, first edition, The Crime Club, 1939. £600 to £800.
Forum, Nov. 7: [Day-Lewis (Cecil)] "Nicholas Blake". The Beast Must Die, first edition, 1938. £750 to £1,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Brand (Christianna). Green for Danger, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, John Lane the Bodley Head, 1945. £600 to £800.
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Murder is Easy, first edition, signed by the author, 1939. £3,000 to £4,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Sayers (Dorothy L.) Lord Peter Views the Body, first edition, Gollancz, 1928. £6,000 to £8,000.
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RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
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RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
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Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 11,135 USD
Sotheby’s: Edgar Allan Poe. The Raven and Other Poems, 1845. 33,000 USD
Sotheby’s: Leo Tolstoy, Clara Bow. War and Peace, 1886. 22,500 USD
Sotheby’s: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1902. 7,500 USD
Sotheby’s: F. Scott Fitzgerald. This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, and Others, 1920-1941. 24,180 USD
Freeman’s | Hindman Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana November 14
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: LEROUX, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. FIRST AM. ED, FIRST ISSUE IN THE VERY RARE DUST JACKET. 1911. $6,000 – 8,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: GOULD, John. A Monograph of the Trochilidae...Humming-Birds. L., [1849-] 1861. $60,000 – 80,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: A COMPLETE RUN of Limited Editions Club publications, v.p. [mostly New York], 1929-2010. $50,000 – 60,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: ORWELL, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. Lon., 1949. FIRST EDITION IN A VERY FINE DUST JACKET. $6,000 – 8,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: GOULD. A Monograph of the Ramphastidae...Toucans. L., [1852-] 54. SECOND ED. $35,000 – 45,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14:The Federalist. NY, 1788. FIRST EDITION, THICK PAPER COPY. $60,000 – 80,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: SELBY. Plates to Selby’s Illustrations of British Ornithology. Edin., [1833-] 34. $20,000 – 30,000.