American Literature
London, Neville Spearman, 1959.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket.
The first UK edition of this well-known work in part about morphine addiction, the inspiration for the 1955 film starring Frank Sinatra.
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, W.H. Allen, 1976.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original brown boards. Dust-jacket, priced £3.50.
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
London, Andre Deutsch, 1959.
First UK edition, first impression. Publisher's printed overlay to copyright page. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 15s.
On the Road author Kerouac's novel following Ray Smith (Kerouac's alter ego) and his friend Japhy Ryder as they explore Buddhism, poetry and the outdoors, reflecting the author's own experiences.
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.
American Literature
London, Arco, 1954.
First edition, second impression. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 15s.
The first edition of this work by the folklorist and activist Kennedy, preceding an abridged US edition and the eventual reissue as The Klan Unmasked in 2011. Kennedy garnered fame and respect for his work in infiltrating the Klan and various far right associations in America, and was in large part responsible for the Klan losing its national corporate charter in 1947. Following on from the more serious, documentary tone of his 1946 work Southern Exposure, this work was wilfully written in a more "pot boiler" style, imitative of Mickey Spillane.
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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
...With the author's final revisions and a preface by Malcolm Cowley
London, The Grey Walls Press, 1953.
First UK edition of the revised text. 8vo. Original brown cloth lettered in gilt to spine. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
An important, and attractive, edition of Fitzgerald's famous, tragic romance; the revised text adopts a more linear chronology of the narrative (cf. Bruccoli A14.4).
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.
American Literature
London, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1957.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original red boards. Dust-jacket, priced 12/6.
Prison escape excitement from the author of The Body Snatchers.
American Literature
London, Faber & Faber, 1936.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
The first UK edition of US author Saroyan's second book, a short story collection. In excellent Barnett Freedman illustrated dust-jacket.
American Literature
London, Lovat Dickson, 1934.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7s6d.
A New York novel "throwing against a typically frivolous party background some of the most serious emotional problems which confront the modern sophisticate" (jacket blurb).
American Literature
London, John Calder, 1964.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket, priced 42s.
A very good example of the first UK edition of Burroughs' counter-culture classic.
American Literature
London, Gollancz, 1951.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 9/6.
The first appearance in book form of Langston's character of "Simple", first created for his Chicago Defender column in 1943.
American Literature
London, Hamish Hamilton, 1958.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original red boards. Dust-jacket, priced 12s6d.
The first UK edition of Capote's famous novella, filled out famously for the film starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard.
American Literature
An essay toward an autobiography of a race concept
New York, Harcourt, Brace, 1940.
First edition. 8vo. Original dark orange cloth. Dust-jacket, priced $3.00.
An important work, regarded in part as one of the first scientific treatises in the field of American sociology. The title refers to his hope that African Americans were passing out of the darkness of racism into an era of greater equality.
American Literature
London, Gollancz, 1954.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original red boards lettered in gilt to spine. Dust-jacket, priced 12/6.
A surprisingly uncommon De Vries edition.
American Literature
Paris, The Olympia Press, 1959.
First edition, first issue with original price of "Francs 1.500" on the back wrapper. 8vo. Original publisher's stiff green wrappers.
The first edition of Beat Generation Burroughs' most famous work, banned in the UK and USA at the time.
American Literature
New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
First edition, first printing. 8vo. Original black cloth lettered in gilt. Dust-jacket, priced $11.00.
The first edition of the first book in the 'Border trilogy' by the recently deceased Cormac McCarthy, a best-selling work that was adapted into a 2000 film starring Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz, directed by Billy Bob Thornton.
American Literature
London, Geoffrey Bles, 1924.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original dark orange cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
An excellent jacket on this "... vivid story, dealing with a curious racial problem." (jacket) - set in Hawaii.
American Literature
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1926.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original blue boards. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
An uncommon first UK edition of this tale, boldly announcing on the jacket 'this entertaining story of the Sunny South'. Colver was a prolific author, best remembered today perhaps for her Joan Foster series.
American Literature
London, Faber and Faber Limited, 1933.
First UK edition of the author's first novel. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket, clipped but with price 3/6 present.
The author's first novel, set in Cuba and charting the experiences of a Spanish emigree making a life for himself in the 'new world'. Compared (by the publishers at least) to Thornton Wilder's Bridge of San Luis Rey.