James M. Dourgarian, Bookman
1595-B Third Avenue
Walnut Creek, CA 94597
(925) 935-5033
Established 1980
Member ABAA
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James M. Dourgarian, Bookman, was established in 1980. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA). Like all ABAA members, we answer to a higher authority and follow a higher standard of ethics that guarantees a successful transaction for all our customers.
We buy and sell old books, vintage books, collectible books, rare books, first edition books, and related ephemera. We maintain several specialties. Among them are American fiction first editions from c.1900 to the present. Within that general field, we have heavy emphasis in John Steinbeck and Steinbeckiana. Thus, we buy and sell Steinbeck primary first editions in dust jackets, signed/limited editions, his appearances in anthologies, his periodical appearances, books and periodicals about Steinbeck, film and theatre memorabilia, bibliographies, and miscellaneous items.
We also specialize in these same categories for these authors -- Jack London, Wallace Stegner, and Stephen King. Other specialties include Western Americana, books on California and the West, books on Japan, China, and the Orient, and Armed Services Editions. The latter are vintage paperbacks issued to American GIs from 1943 to 1947. They are comprised of mysteries, Westerns, science fiction and fantasy, mainstream fiction, historical novels, science, poetry, adventure stories, and more.
Within our field of modern first editions, we also sell related film memorabilia. Thus, we sell film posters, lobby card sets, pressbooks, stills, scripts, etc. for films made from the works of authors we carry such as John Steinbeck, Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Raymond Chandler, Zane Grey, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Stephen King, Edward Abbey, Anne Rice, and many others.
[John Steinbeck] Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. London, World Books, 1940, first edition thus, dust jacket. Hardcover. The jacket carries photos of the stars of the 20th Century-Fox film version, among those pictured are Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, Jane Darwell as Ma Joad, and John Carradine as Casy, a very scarce book, this book was not in the Goldstone collection, but see Goldstoner & Payne A12k (cited via the Preston Beyer copy), not recorded by Morrow. Foxing to all edges and the free endpapers, some chipping, else very good.JD2642
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Steinbeck, John. Cup of Gold. NY, Robert M. McBride, 1929, first edition, dust jacket. Hardcover. First issue of Author's First Book, a historical novel of the purple prose school about the life of Sir Henry Morgan, pirate.
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This is the first issue with the top edge stained blue and with an extra blank leaf at the end, Goldstone & Payne A1a, Morrow 1. A very scarce book, especially with the garish dust jacket illustrated by Mahlon Blaine, even Steinbeck himself did not own a copy of this book. The inscription by Steinbeck on the copy at San Jose State University reads, "I wish I had a copy of this edition--John Steinbeck," this is one of only 1,537 copies actually bound, even better, this is an Author Presentation Copy and very probably the last of the close family copies to come to the marketplace being Inscribed to his older sister, Elizabeth Ainsworth ("For my sister/Beth whom/I love/very much/John Steinbeck"), she has also signed the book, nearly all the other close family copies are now in institutions. As one might expect of a family copy, this book was well read by his sister and her family, while far from pristine, it is nevertheless an outstandingly collectible copy of the first order, good. JD6522
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| Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. London, Heinemann, 1939, first British edition, dust jacket. Hardcover. With the very scarce wrap-around band noting this was a Book Society Fiction Choice, this copy with a small slip affixed to the title page that is Inscribed by John Steinbeck ("For L. Downing/John Steinbeck"), Goldstone & Payne A12b, Morrow 108. Near fine. JD29403
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Stegner, Wallace. New Short Novels 2. NY, Ballantine Books, 1956, first edition thus, dust jacket. Hardcover. This scarce and very collectible Ballantine hardcover was first published as a paperback original, it includes four short novels, the first of which to be selected for inclusion in this book was Stegner's Field Guide to the Western Birds, it also includes Norman Mailer's The Man Who Studied Yoga, Colberg B40 identifies this title, but that undoubtedly was the paperback and not this very scarce Ballantine hardcover (an extremely collectible series in its own right). Very good plus. JD1964
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Steinbeck, John. ...like captured fireflies. n.p., J. Wilson McKenney, 1959, first edition. A broadside that excerpts an article on teachers originally written for and published by the "CTA Journal" in November 1955, this is one of the great Steinbeck rarities, so rare that it is virtually unknown, it is one of only 12 copies hand-set and printed by McKenney, so stated, McKenney was the printer for the "CTA (California Teachers Association) Journal" as well as the magazine's editor, he had also been a book publisher via his Wilmac Press, he was able to gain approval of his printing this broadside only after agreement between himself, Steinbeck, and his agents that the print-run would be small enough so as to be not commercially viable.
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The broadside measures c.10X14 inches, by number this would be the second rarest Steinbeck collectible, it is so rare that no Steinbeck collection, public or private, is known to have a copy, not recorded by Goldstone & Payne, now housed in an oak and glass frame. Fine. JD802
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London, Jack. Dutch Courage And Other Stories. NY, Macmillan, 1922, first edition, dust jacket. Hardcover. One of 4,348 copies, frontispiece of a young Jack London, the book is illustrated by G. M. Richards, interestingly, the jacket indicates that the book is aimed at ages 12-15. Book fore edge soiled, else a very solid copy while the jacket has uniform soiling, small chipping at edges, and the front flap is oddly cut, not affecting text. JD1408
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John Steinbeck] Steinbeck, John. In Dubious Battle. NY, Covici Friede, 1936, first edition. With publisher's black paper-covered slipcase with orange spine label, this is No. 39 of just 99 copies Signed by Steinbeck, this is also the best strike novel of the 20th Century, Steinbeck's best friend and philosophical mentor, Ed Ricketts, makes his first of many appearances in a Steinbeck novel, he appears as Doc Burton, Steinbeck would use Ricketts and their shared philosophy in many other novels, this was also Steinbeck's first foray into agricultural politics through his literature which ultimately led to his writing The Grapes of Wrath, the use of another character, a communist, would lead to the untrue allegation that Steinbeck was a communist, that allegation would have negative effects on Steinbeck's life from then to the end of his life in 1968, Goldstone & Payne A5a, Morrow 43. Very good. JD6579
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Stegner, Wallace. Clarence Edward Dutton An Appraisal. Salt Lake City, University of Utah, n.d. (1935), first edition, printed self-wrappers. Softcover. First and only edition of Author's First Book, the text is followed by a bibliography of Dutton's writing, the text is a condensation of Stegner's thesis at the State University of Iowa in 1935 (that titled Clarence Edward Dutton, Geologist and Man of Letters), Colberg A1, Colberg indicates two copies found - one belonging to Stegner and one at the Library of Congress, a legendary rarity, all the more rare in that this was Wallace Stegner's own personal copy of his first book, Stegner owned at least three copies of this book, one was given to a Stegner collector by Stegner's widow, Mary, while another was given to a bookseller near the Stegner's home in Los Altos Hills for some book appraisal work she did, this is the last of the family copies, this is confirmed in a letter from Stegner's son, Page, laid in loosely is a cancelled check Signed by Wallace Stegner. Some age and soiling, very good. JD5336
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Brautigan, Richard. Dreaming of Babylon. NY, Delacorte/Seymour Lawrence, 1977, first edition, dust jacket. Hardcover. An Author Presentation/Association Copy of the highest order, Inscribed to his own publisher, "This Copy is for Sam Lawrence/wishing him a happy 1978/Richard Brautigan/San Francisco/December 21, 1977". Fine. JD120
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Brautigan, Richard. Would You Like To Saddle Up A Couple Of Goldfish And Swim To Alaska?. Berkeley, The Bancroft Library Press, 1995, first edition, printed and illustrated wrappers. Softcover. No. 2 of 50 numbered copies, handset and printed as part of a project under the direction of Peter Koch, collage by Peter Kuznicki, errata slip noting the spelling error of his name on the copyright page is laid in, includes an original introduction by Burton L. Weiss, sewn binding, wonderful cover illustration, wrappers are slightly larger than the uncut pages of text, numbered in pencil on inside rear cover, this is the first publication of these previously unknown, recently discovered Brautigan manuscripts, a small quantity of the 50 numbered copies were made available for sale, the others are reserved for Bancroft Library presentation to contributors, Signed by Weiss who co-published the book with James Musser, this was Musser's personal copy, Signed by him on the copyright page noting that this was his retained copy. Fine. JD2761
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