[John Steinbeck] Steinbeck, John. East of Eden. NY, Viking, 1952, first edition, dust jacket. Hardcover. Goldstone & Payne A32b, Morrow 218, this flawed masterpiece is a fictionalized biography of Steinbeck's home country, the Salinas Valley, Steinbeck said of this book, "The subject is the only one man has ever used as his theme - the existence, the balance, the battle, and the victory in the permanet war between wisdom and ignorance, light and darkness - good and evil," it is also a classic Steinbeck morality tale, with a recurrring appearance of his best friend, Ed Ricketts, and his philosphy in the form of Lee, the houseboy, and the novelistic discussion as to whether man is predestined or whether he has free will, this copy is a Steinbeck Family copy, being inscribed by Steinbeck to his older sister, Elizabeth Ainsworth ("Love to Beth/from/John"), "ordinary" inscribed copies of this trade edition are very scarce, this is probably the last of the close family copies to come to the marketplace, the others are already in institutions. Some foxing to book and jacket, light wear to top and bottom of jacket spine, else a very nice copy. JD6517

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, 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

Steinbeck, John. The Pastures of Heaven. NY, Brewer, Warren & Putnam, 1932, first edition, dust jacket. Hardcover. His second book, Goldstone & Payne A2a, Morrow 14, this first edition, first issue with its first issue dust jacket is one of only 1,650 copies actually bound (from a print-run of 2,500 sets of sheets), only a paltry 650 copies were actually sold, this was his first book with what could be called the Steinbeck "sound," the book is comprised of inter-related stories set in a valley that came to represent Steinbeck Country, in these stories something is not quite right with the inhabitants of this otherwise peaceful valley, according to Harry Thornton Moore in his first critical study of Steinbeck's works, The Pastures of Heaven "is the most popular of Steinbeck's three early books. It points the way to most of his subsequent writing," this particular copy is the last of the close family copies to come to the marketplace (the others are already in institutions) being an Author Presentation Copy given to and inscribed to his older sister, Elizabeth, the inscription ("A mi hermana/Isobel par quer/ella esta una madre/John Steinbeck") is not in proper Spanish so it is difficult to translate, but it generally says "For my sister Elizabeth who is a mother," the book is also signed by his sister, Elizabeth Ainsworth, who has also written her Stockton, California address, glued to the front free endpaper is an advertising brochure, The Neatest Trick of the Year, which was issued by publisher Ronbert O. Ballou, it is entirely devoted to praise for Steinbeck and this title, Ballou had purchased remainders - sheets and unsold copies - from the original publishers. As one might imagine, this copy was well read by his sister and her family members, but is nevertheless an outstandingly collectible and desirable copy, very good minus. JD6520

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, 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

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

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

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

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

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

Bellow, Saul. first edition. Two letters from the Nobel Prize winner to fellow writer Herbert Gold, written after a long hiatus in their friendship, the first Bellow letter is not dated, but its original envelope addressed in Bellow's hand is dated Aug. 25, 1997 using Bellow's printed Boston University envelope, the letter is entirely in Bellow's hand on both sides of a sheet that measures 8.5X5 inches, Bellow's name is printed at the top along with his Chicago address, that address has been crossed out and replaced with a Brattleboro, VT address, all in Bellow's hand, this letter of four paragraphs, 28 lines, responds to Gold's letter informing him that Gold's younger brother, Sid, had died, Bellow writes about his own brothers, about the millenium, and about his warm feelings for Gold despite an estrangement, it reads in part, "I used to play out the mental arthmetic of it, but never thought I'd finish off the millenium. Maybe I won't. It's not over till it's over, as the great baseball philospher said....I know what these deaths are. I had two older brothers. They died ten years ago, within the same week....I no longer blame them, as I used to do. I am now their senior and one of my responsibilities is to protect them affectionately....I've always had warm feelings toward you....I value your judgment and your good opinion," the second letter is dated Dec. 16, 1997 and is housed in its original Boston University printed envelope, it is a typed letter signed by Bellow who, as noted in the letter, dictated it to an assistant, Bellow tells Gold that he writes "one hell of a letter," he talks about letter writing, about a trip he and Gold took together in their youth to Banyuls ("But what really bothers me is that I can't remember where I left my car"), about Gold's first wife ("But what a beautiful girl she was, and so appallingly young. And I remember that you entertained us hour by hour by explaining that when you were a kid you couldn't eat graham crackers unless they had been ripened under the pad of the porch swing"), and ends with a promonition of his death ("I used to have much more confidence in my ability to ward off death. But death is as strong as ever, and I am a much weaker resister"), together with photo-copies of the two Gold letters to Bellow to which these respond. Both the Bellow letters have been folded for mailing, else fine. JD6017