American Literature
A true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
London, Hamish Hamilton, 1966.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket.
Considered by many to be the prototypical true crime novel, In Cold Blood details the 1959 Clutter family murders in the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas; Capote learned of the quadruple murder before the killers were captured, and spent six years working on the book, which he described as a "non-fiction novel."
American Literature
London, Picador, 1985.
First UK hardback edition, first impression. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket.
The eighth novel by Underworld author Don DeLillo; widely considered DeLillo's breakout work, it won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction, was included in Time's List of the 100 Best Novels and is generally regarded as a cornerstone example of postmodern literature.
American Literature
London, Michael Joseph, 1964.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket.
A first UK edition of American writer & civil rights activist James Baldwin's first non-fiction book, first published in the US in 1955. The ten essays collected here include Baldwin's critiques of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and Richard Wright's Native Son, alongside reflections on his decade living in Paris.
American Literature
A short history
New York [London], Alfred A. Knopf, 1929.
First UK edition, on US sheets. 8vo. Original cloth-backed patterned boards. Dust-jacket, priced 10s6d.
A satirical overview of American history from "discovery" to the present, featuring explanatory diagrams and caricatures by the author. The book did not sell well, seemingly a contributing factor to the author & illustrator's suicide in 1931.
American Literature
Around the world in 100 days...foreword by Lowell Thomas
New York & London, D. Appleton-Century Company, 1935.
First edition, first printing. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced $2.00 with code 3289**** to foot of inside front flap.
Pierrot was born in Chicago in 1898, but grew up in Washington state, and came to Detroit to edit The American Boy magazine; he went on to found the World Adventure Series at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
American Literature
London, Leonard Parsons, 1925.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Cut signature of author to title-page, with cut signature of the actor Leslie Banks to another page. Original cloth. Dust-jacket.
The first UK of this short story collection by US author & journalist Connell, with his cut signature affixed to the title-page. The collection includes his most well-known story, 'The Most Dangerous Game', to the first page of which someone has affixed the cut signature of the actor Leslie Banks, who starred in the 1932 RKO film adaptation.
American Literature
London, Wm. Collins Sons... by The London Book Co., [1931].
First edition thus. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket.
A novelisation of the screenplay by Luther Trent for the film of the same name by RKO Radio Pictures, this book was released in the same year.
American Literature
London, Michael Joseph, [1947].
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original pictorial cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 10/6.
Rare. The author's first novel, and a literary precedent, being the first book by a black woman to sell more than a million copies. The story follows Lutie Johnson, a young Black woman, and her spirited struggle to raise her son amid the violence, poverty, and racial dissonance of Harlem in the late 1940s.
American Literature
London, Constable, 1935.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
The first volume of what became known as the 'Williamsburg Trilogy', followed by Homage to Blenholt (1936) and Low Company (1937). Uncommon.
American Literature
New York & London, D. Appleton, 1928.
First edition, first printing. 8vo. Original blue cloth with printed title labels. Dust-jacket, priced $2.50.
'There is a delightful part of Paris that most foreigners never see... lts people are the truest citizens of Paris - the workmen, roustabouts, apaches and their girls, who drop into the cafes and little bars to chatter and make love and quarrel.' (jacket blurb)
American Literature
A Mystery Story
New York, Frederick A. Stokes, 1919.
First edition, first printing. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, original price on spine redacted with price $1.35 printed below; further similar redaction to price on lower panel.
A wonderful example of this dark romance set amongst San Francisco society.
American Literature
New York, New Directions, 1951.
First edition in play form, first printing. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, price-clipped to inside front flap.
One of McCullers's most affecting portrayals of adolescence, identity, loneliness and belonging. First published in novel form in 1946.
American Literature
London, Heinemann, 1954.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 10s6d.
Settle's debut novel, an acid satire about a wealthy, small-town theatrical group manipulated by a charismatic, wheelchair-bound director, blending elements of Southern Fiction and historical fiction with sharp social commentary. It marks the starting point of a career that would later encompass the acclaimed 'Beulah Quintet,' for which Settle won the National Book Award.
American Literature
London, Heinemann, 1954.First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 10s6d.Settle's debut novel, an acid satire about a wealthy, small-town theatrical group manipulated by a charismatic, wheelchair-bound director, blending elements of Southern Fiction and historical fiction with sharp social commentary. It marks the starting point of a career that would later encompass the acclaimed "Beulah Quintet," for which Settle won the National Book Award.
American Literature
New York, Macmillan, 1918.
First edition, first printing. 8vo. Original pictorial boards, rebacked in later plain board. Facsimile dust-jacket.
A posthumous collection of short stories, the title piece following a naturalist's encounter with a mysterious extraterrestrial artefact in the South Pacific, blending adventure with emerging sci-fi themes.
American Literature
and the first forty-nine stories
London, Jonathan Cape, 1939.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
Collecting Hemingway's only full-length play, set amid espionage and moral conflict in the Spanish Civil War, alongside nearly all of his short stories published to that date, this volume is central to understanding his influence on 20th-century short fiction.
American Literature
London, Jonathan Cape, 1952.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original pictorial boards. Dust-jacket, priced 7s6d.
A symbolic tale of endurance and dignity, one of Hemingway's late masterpieces and the work that secured his 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature.
American Literature
New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1937.
First edition, first printing. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced $2.50.
Following Florida fishing-boat captain Harry Morgan's descent into smuggling and violence during the Depression, Hemingway blends social critique with his spare, hard-edged style; it is his only novel set largely in the United States and reflects the economic dislocation of the era.
American Literature
London, Peter Davies, 1953.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 11s6d..
One of a series of provocative mid-century novels exploring sexuality, psychology and bohemian life by Keogh, themes that prefigured and influenced later counter-cultural and queer writing.
American Literature
London, Macmillan, 1976.
UK uncorrected proof copy. 8vo. Plain brown wrappers.
Doctorow's weaving of real historical figures (e.g. Houdini, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Emma Goldman) with fictional ones helps give it both documentary weight and narrative drama. It's one of his most recognised works. The use of ragtime (music, culture) as metaphor and structural mood is significant.
American Literature
London, Picador, 1998.
First hardback edition, first impression. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket.
Ellis's notorious novel American Psycho, first published in 1991 in paperback, was only issued in hardback in Britain in 1998 by Picador after years of censorship controversy. The book, a satirical and shocking portrait of consumerism, narcissism, and violence through the Wall Street psychopath Patrick Bateman, is a landmark of postmodern American fiction.
American Literature
London, Peter Davies, 1953.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
One of a series of provocative mid-century novels exploring sexuality, psychology and bohemian life by Keogh, themes that prefigured and influenced later counter-cultural and queer writing.
American Literature
London, Heinemann, 1935.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
Steinbeck's second novel follows Joseph Wayne, who leaves Vermont for California's Nuestra Señora valley. The novel blends Biblical symbolism with pantheism and foreshadows themes in Steinbeck's later work.
American Literature
London, Heinemann, 1932.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
A light-hearted comedy set in a Maine coastal resort, exploring small-town social pretensions, class condescension and family dynamics.
American Literature
London, Arthur Barker, 1933.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
The tale of a woman from New York returning to rural Iowa; its Midwestern reflections struck a chord with Depression-era America. The book was adapted by its author into the 1933 MGM film The Stranger's Return, directed by King Vidor and starring Miriam Hopkins and Lionel Barrymore.
American Literature
The Second Glad Book
London, Sir Isaac Pitman, 1915.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original red cloth lettered and decorated in gilt. Dust-jacket, priced 6/-.
Pollyanna's transition into adulthood and the continuation of her optimistic philosophy...
American Literature
New York & London, Scribner's, 1930.
First edition. Inscribed presentation copy from the author. 8vo. Original cloth with inset colour illustration.
A narrative set in the American West, depicting the experiences of two brothers who spend a summer on a relative's ranch. Excellently illustrated by Wyeth. With full-page inscription to the half-title from the author, including a poem attributed to Badger Clark, the cowboy poet.
American Literature
London, Arthur Barker, 1966.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket, priced 25s.
A World War II novel about twelve military prisoners offered a chance at redemption through a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. Famously adapted for film, which enjoyed an all-star cast including Lee Marvin and Telly Savalas.
American Literature
and other stories
London, Hodder & Stoughton, [1927].
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
A collection of short stories that delve into themes of kindness, resilience, and the human spirit. The titular story, "Little Pardner," exemplifies Porter's characteristic warmth and moral insight.
American Literature
London, Chatto & Windus, 1951.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, 9s6d.
A collection of six stories featuring Gavin Stevens, the county attorney of Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County. Stevens investigates various crimes, offering insights into human nature and justice. The stories blend elements of mystery and Southern Gothic.
American Literature
and other stories
London, Macmillan, 1905.
First UK edition, Colonial issue. 8vo. Original dark blue cloth lettered in gilt with blind-stamped decoration to upper cover.
The title story follows Ralph Orth, a writer who inherits an English estate and becomes obsessed with portraits of two children, leading to supernatural experiences. Gertrude Atherton (1857–1948) was an American novelist known for her works on women's rights and historical fiction. She was a prominent literary figure in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
American Literature
and other stories
London, Heinemann, 1927.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original green cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
A collection of short stories from the author of Giant, focusing on ordinary working-class Americans, exploring themes of ambition, family dynamics and societal expectations. Uncommon.
American Literature
Twain (Mark, pseud. Samuel Langhorne Clemens) Life on the Mississippi
London, Chatto &Windus, 1883.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original red pictorial cloth lettered in gilt.
Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain recounting his experiences as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War. Collectors often seek copies with the advertisements dated March 1883 at the rear, indicating the first impression
American Literature
London, Eveleigh Nash, 1916.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original peach cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 3/6.
A collection of 24 short stories by O. Henry, showcasing his characteristic wit, wordplay, and surprise endings. Notable stories include "The Ransom of Red Chief," where two kidnappers find themselves overwhelmed by their spirited captive, and "The Whirligig of Life," which humorously explores the unpredictability of human relationships.
American Literature
London, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1965.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original blue boards. Dust-jacket, priced 30s.
Berger's famous work, a fictional memoir of Jack Crabb, a white man raised by Native Americans, offering a satirical perspective on the American West. The book received critical acclaim for its unique narrative and was adapted into a successful film in 1970, starring Dustin Hoffman.
American Literature
New York, A New Directions Books, 1959.
First edition, first printing. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, priced $3.25.
This play centers on Chance Wayne, a drifter and aspiring actor who returns to his hometown with faded movie star Alexandra Del Lago.
American Literature
London, John Lehmann, 1950.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original green cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7s6d.
Recently widowed American actress Karen Stone moves to Rome to find solace. As she navigates her grief and the challenges of aging, she becomes entangled with a young Italian gigolo, leading to a complex exploration of love, loneliness and self-discovery.
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American Literature
London, John Murray, 1820.2 vol., complete. Vol.I third UK edition; vol.II first UK edition. 8vo. Contemporary sprinkled calf, uniformly rebacked in later calf gilt to style.An important work, and edition, of this collection by Washington Irving, not least as the first edition of the second volume sees the first appearance in the UK of 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'. Volume I was originally published in the UK by Washington Irving himself, under John Miller's Burlington Arcade imprint, in February 1820. Miller was declared bankrupt in April 1820 so The Sketch Book was taken up by publishers John Murray, who published the completed edition in two volumes that year. The collection is also notable for featuring 'Rip Van Winkle'.The work is also considered significant as the first widely read work of American literature in Britain and Europe, helping advance the reputation of American writers with an international audience.
American Literature
Bolton (Isabel, pseud. Mary Britton Miller) The Whirligig of Time
New York, Crown Publishers, 1971.
First edition, first printing. 8vo. Original black cloth lettered in silver to spine. Dust-jacket, priced $5.95.
An exploration of themes surrounding aging, memory and the inexorable nature of time.
American Literature
Bolton (Isabel, pseud. Mary Britton Miller) Do I Wake or Sleep
New York, Charles Scribner, 1946.
First edition, first printing. 8vo. Original blue cloth, priced $2.50.
The first volume in the loosely construed trilogy 'New York Mosaic'.
American Literature
New York, Charles Scribners, 1952.
First edition, first printing. 8vo. Original green cloth. Dust-jacket, priced $3.00.
The third volume in the loosely construed trilogy 'New York Mosaic'.
American Literature
New York, Macmillan, 1914.
First edition, first printing. 8vo. Original decorative pale blue cloth lettered in white.
A collection of short stories from the author of The Call of the Wild.