Preparing for the Top Shelf Flea!

Hello, everyone! We're going to be making an appearance at the Top Shelf Flea Market this coming Sunday, and all my energies have been directed toward that for a while. See the market's blog for my most recent updates, and be sure to stop by if you're in the area: 10am - 4pm at Dilboy Hall in Davis Square.

Many of the books listed below in this blog will be there, and feel free to drop me a line if you want me to bring any particular titles. See you there!

Notable New Books: August

Faith, culture, and leadership: A history of the Black church in Boston, by Robert C. Hayden
Boston: NAACP (Boston Branch), 1983. Signed by author. Booklet prepared for the 24th Annual Awards Banquet of the Boston Branch of the NAACP.

Laura Rider's Masterpiece, by Jane Hamilton
New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2009. First Edition. Signed by author.

Before the Dawn of History, by Charles Robert Knight
New York: Whittlesey House/McGraw-Hill, 1935. First Edition (first printing, scarce as such). Text and illustrations (by the author) of prehistoric beasts.

Explorations of Visual Phenomena, by Eleanor Dimoff
New York: Workshop Center for Open Education, 1973. First Edition (NAP). By the then-director of the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School.

"Somebody, Somewhere, Wants Your Photograph": A Selection From the Work of Allen E. Cole (1893-1970), Photographer of Cleveland's Black Community
Cleveland: Western Reserve Historical Society, 1980. First Edition.

Medieval Armenian Costumes: A History of the Armenians From the 7th - 14th Centuries, by Juanita Will Soghikian
Lexington, MA: Armenian Relief Society, 1976. First Edition (presumed). Paper-doll cutouts of authentic costume. Scarce.

Notable New Books: July

Immortal Hero Yang-sze, by Wang Hao
Peking: Foreign Languages Press, 1965. Third edition. Scarce.

Snow Crystals, by W. A. Bentley
New York: McGraw-Hill, 1931. First edition. Rare.

Anatomical Preparations, by Milton Hildebrand
Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968. First edition (presumed). Scarce.

African Shadows, by Ugo Mochi
New York: Junior Literary League/Robert O. Ballou, 1933. First Edition.

A longitudinal investigation of Montessori and traditional prekindergarten training with inner city children: a comparative assessment of learning outcomes (a three part study), by Barbara Berger
New York: Center for Urban Education, 1969. Scarce original study.

Drawings by Japanese Children
Tokyo: Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai, 1940.

Principles and Practice of Radiesthesia, by Abbe Mermet
Longmead, Great Britain: Element Books, 1987. First Edition. Scarce.

Notable New Books

The Random House Dictionary of the English Language (Unabridged Edition)
New York: Random House, 1966. First Edition. With original box. Scarce.

Bridge Street to Freedom: Landmarking a Station on the Underground Railroad, by Flavia Alaya and Dolores Van Rensalier
Mahwah, NJ: Ramapo College of New Jersey, 1998. Inscribed and signed by both authors. First Edition SOLD!

The Story of the Sacred Harp, 1844-1944, by George Pullen Jackson
Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 1944. First Edition. Signed by author.

The Art of Cooking Omelettes, by Madame Romaine de Lyon
Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co, 1963. Signed by author. First Edition. Scarce.

Counter-Insurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice, by David Galula
New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1964. First Edition. Scarce.

Elsie De Wolfe: A Decorative Life, by Nina Campbell
New York: Panache Press, 1992. First Edition. Signed by author.

Notable New Books

Poppy, by Avi
New York: Orchard Books, 1995. First Edition. Scarce.

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1), by Stephen King
Hampton Falls, NH: Donald M. Grant, 1998. Third printing (stated) of hardcover first edition.

Inventing A Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, by Gore Vidal
New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003. First edition, signed by the author.

Shakespearean Plant Names: Identifications and Interpretation, by Mats Ryden
Stockholm, Sweden: Almquist and Wiksell International, 1978. First Edition.

The Nursery "Alice," by Lewis Carroll
New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1966. First Edition Thus (facsimile).

The Top Shelf Flea

I just wanted to give a big "Thank You!" to all of you who came by our booth at the Top Shelf Flea. It was a pleasure meeting everyone.

I hope to do more events in the future; watch this blog or our Facebook page (link on the right) to keep in the know.

Notable New Books

Marianno: A Good Life and Loving Guardians: A Family Memoir, by Lydia Prescott Thayer
Self-Published (Rowley Printing), 1980. First (Limited) Edition, signed by the author.

The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve, by G. Edward Griffin
Westlake Village, CA: American Media, 2005. Later printing, signed and inscribed by the author.

The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape, by James Howard Kunstler
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. First Edition, signed and inscribed by the author.

The Mayor of MacDougal Street: A Memoir, by Dave Van Ronk
Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 2005. First Thus.

Notable new books the last two weeks: 03/07-03/20

The Soul of the New Machine, by Tracy Kidder
Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1981. First Edition, signed by the author. Winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize.

Meat Market, by Erik Marcus
Ithaca, NY: Brio Press, 2005. Limited Advance Printing, signed and inscribed by the author.

Textile League Baseball: South Carolina's Mill Teams, 1880-1955, by Thomas K.
Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 1993.

The Luck of the Bodkins, by P.G. Wodehouse
Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1936. First American Edition.

Postcards from the Edge, by Carrie Fisher
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1987. First Edition.

Featured Book: Dopefiend: The Story of A Black Junkie, by Donald Goines

Donald Goines made a name for himself by writing gritty and hard-hitting stories of addiction, violence, and poverty; he was one of the first African-American writers of urban fiction. Dopefiend was his first book. A prolific author, he wrote another fifteen books before his death less than four years after Dopefiend's publication. (He died, it should be noted, by the gun; he and his wife were gunned down in either a drug deal gone wrong or in retaliation for his portrayal of neighborhood criminals; his murderers remain unidentified.) Goines' influence is strong, and not just among the latest generation of urban writers. Musical artists from Tupac Shakur to Ludicris have referenced him in their work, and his novels have been made into movies and even a graphic novel. The seventies were a golden age of pulp fiction, and most authors produced one or two works before fading into obscurity. Dopefiend, as Goines' first novel, reflects that expectation: the binding and paper quality was not made to last, making it all the more difficult to find in acceptable condition, and this edition was not preceded by a hardcover as much popular fiction is today. Though a common-looking mass market paperback, this is the true first edition of a groundbreaking work. Our copy is in phenomenal shape, with only some edgewear and rubbing, a crease to the spine, and the usual tanning of the pages. The binding is tight and square and the text unmarked, with no tears or major creases beyond the noted one on the spine. An excellent addition to the collector's library, or the perfect beginning of one. As always, offered at a discount for blog readers who buy through PayPal. More photos on Flickr

Dopefiend, by Donald Goines Los Angeles: Holloway House, 1971. First Edition.

SOLD

Featured Book: The Summer Is Magic, by Joan Howard

The Summer is Magic is a sequel, following The Thirteenth is Magic. Inexplicably, considering how highly-sought both titles are, they have never been reprinted. So they suffer from what I think of as children's-book syndrome: as the population that remembers a particular title from their childhood comes into their own and finds themselves with both money and nostalgia for their youth, they snatch up every copy of a great read that comes onto the market. And the value skyrockets. Though it might be frustrating for the reader trying to pass on to a new generation the joy they remember, they can take some comfort in the knowledge that the books are a phenomenal investment. The Thirteenth is Magic follows two children who, after befriending a black cat, learn of a mysterious thirteenth floor in their apartment building that can only be reached on the 13th of the month. The Summer is Magic follows the same children as they head to their aunt's country home near the coast; once there, the cat disappears, and the story takes off from there. Most copies on the market are ex-library, which makes them far less valuable as collectibles. Our copy is NOT ex-library. The interior of the book is unmarked, save for a couple faint fingerprints on the page edges, some acid transfer from the dustjacket to the endpapers, and a crayon mark on the pastedown. Pages are minimally tanned. There are a couple faint fingerprints on the front board and the corners lightly bumped. Mild shelfwear. Boards otherwise clean. Dustjacket has some chipping and creasing to edges and the head and tail of spine have open tears (see photos). Some foxing to jacket and a crayon mark on the back of DJ. It's a great copy for the reader or collector and would make a phenomenal gift. More photos on Flickr The Summer is Magic, by Joan Howard First Edition New York: Lothrop, Lee, & Shepard, 1952.

$185.99 SOLD

New Books 2/28-3/06

New listings this week include two copies of the first edition of my favorite book, a facsimile of the first edition of a close second favorite, several spiritually-themed books signed by the author, and a significant work in the post-Lovecraft Cthulhu Mythos canon.

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. First edition

On the Way to Immortality and Eternal Life, by J. Reuben Clark
Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1949. First edition, signed by the author

Clock of Dreams, by Brian Lumley
Buffalo, NY: W. Paul Ganley, 1994. First hardcover edition

Deep River: The Complete Poems of Archibald Rutledge
Columbia, SC: R.L. Bryan, 1960. First Edition, twice signed by the author

For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway
Shelton, Connecticut: First Edition Library, 1987. Replica of the first edition

The Treasury of David, by C. H. Spurgeon (ed.)
Lynchburg, VA: The Old Time Gospel Hour, 1984. 2 vols. Signed by Jerry Falwell

Featured Book: A Half-Century of Type Design and Typography, 1895-1945, by Frederic W. Goudy

As one might expect, some of the most artful books are those produced by professional bookmakers and designers working in the field; oftentimes these books have very limited print runs and are intended primarily for friends and associates. Frederic Goudy, a luminary of twentieth-century graphic design and typography, had a number of such books made during his lifetime. Perhaps the most desirable is his two-volume set A Half-Century of Type Design and Typography, 1895-1945, featured here, published by the prestigious Typophile Chap Book Series (volumes one and two comprising issues XIII and XIV in the series). As stated in the colophon, only 825 copies were printed: 100 were for contributors and 300 were for subscribers to the series, leaving only 425 for sale. The books are gorgeously made, with obvious care taken in everything from the texture of the paper to the quality of ink. The bulk of both volumes is given over to examples of various type designs along with the story of their genesis and noteworthy applications. A useful index at the beginning of volume 1 lists the types designed by Goudy and their respective page numbers; his body of work includes such well-known names as Goudy Old Style, Venezia Italic, and Deepdene. Most copies of the history were inscribed; our copy was given to Veronica, a "friend of the author," and is dated Christmas 1946, the year of publication (and a year before his death). Goudy was kind enough to note that the gift was presented at Deepdene, Goudy's estate in Marlboro-on-Hudson, NY, named after the street in Queens from which he ran Village Press for many years. The books themselves are nearly pristine, with sharp corners, bright text, supple pages, and completely intact gilt titles. The front free endpapers of both volumes are signed by the previous owner (see photo), a prominent Baltimore doctor, who also made notes on the rear free endpaper of volume one, regarding highlights of the text. The slipcase shows wear and is splitting at the joints in several places, but it it still holding square. The original wrap, a delicate paper, is no longer present. Overall it's a beautiful set, suitable for the collector or practicing designer/typographer.

Both volumes have covers embossed with the Typophiles logo

A Half-Century of Type Design and Typography, by Frederic W. Goudy First Edition (limited to 825 copies) New York: Typophiles Chap Books. 2 vols. 

  $175 SOLD

New books this week 2/21-2/27

A selection of noteworthy titles, new to the shop this week. Click on the link to go to the listing and view the full description:

The Goodrich Family in America, by Lafayette Wallace Case (First Edition)

Personal Names and Naming: An Annotated Bibliography, by Edwin D. Lawson (First Edition, Signed)

Miss Buncle Married, by D.E. Stevenson (First Edition)

Reconstruction Following Disaster, by J. Eugene Haas, et al

How to Make Books: Fold, Cut & Stitch Your Way to a One-of-a-Kind Book (First Edition) SOLD

Featured Book: My Edens After Burns, by Val Kilmer

Yes, that Val Kilmer. Who knew? In 1987, between his role in Top Gun as the unforgettable Ice Man and his breakout turn in Willow, Kilmer commissioned Sante Fe's Blue Feather Press to print an ambitious collection of personal poetry. Topics in My Edens After Burns range from Michelle Pfieffer (a former lover) to Kilmer's time at Juillard, and his passion is clearly evinced in a liberal use of the capslock key. Fans have compared his verse to Jim Morrison's, whom he portrayed in Oliver Stone's 1991 film The Doors.

The colophon states the print run was limited to 2,000 copies, but rumor has it that far fewer ever made it into the public's hands. Most copies known to exist are signed and inscribed to Kilmer's friends, associates, and family and are thought to number less than 100; depending on who you ask, the remaining copies were either never printed or are kept in a box in Kilmer's garage.

This particular copy is unusual in that it bears only Kilmer's autograph without inscription on the title page. The wraps have some shelfwear and a small thumbing crease to cover; the corners are minimally bumped. The interior pages are bright and unmarked, save for the signature and a price penciled on the title page by a former bookseller. Highly sought after by collectors, the books have fetched upward of $1200 on eBay. Swamp Rabbit Books is offering our copy for sale at $464.99 with shipping included if you pay below through PayPal.

The shirtless poet himself, on the final page of the book.

My Edens After Burns, by Val Kilmer
First Edition (limited to 2,000 copies)
Sante Fe: Blue Feather Press. 147 pp.

$464.99, shipping included SOLD

We've got big plans for this blog. Stay tuned!