Louise Glück
FIRSTBORN
New York: The New American Library Inc.: 1968
- $50
A very fine copy, in stiff wrappers, of the poet's first book. This is the soft cover copy designated first edition. There was also a hard cover copy published with a dust jacket.
More from Cultured Oyster Books
THE DELIGHT MAKERS.
Bandelier, Adolf F. THE DELIGHT MAKERS By Adolf F. Bandelier. A strikingly beautiful copy with both the book and the rare dust jacket in fine condition. There are no markings in the text, and no ownership notations. Published by Dodd, Mead in New York in 1918. 490 pages following xvii pages of introductory matter. With a photographic frontispiece portrait of the author and 16 photographic illustrations taken specifically for this edition.- $345
- $345
Artificial Intelligence: A Frontier of Automation.
SAMUEL, ARTHUR L. A scarce reprint from The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Sicial Science, Vol. 340 (March, 1962), pp. 10-20. Fine, stapled in printed orange wrappers, with no markings in the text. Samuel was noted for his ground-breaking pioneering efforts to program computers to play the game of checkers.- $200
- $200
THE ORATORS, An English Study.
Auden, W. H. W.H. Auden. THE ORATORS, An English Study. Auden's third book of poetry, published in London, by Faber & Faber Limited, in 1932. The book is in very fine condition in an exceptionally nice dust jacket (see scan of front panel) with slight chipping at the top of the spine, and a small triangular chip on the rear panel. Neither chip affects any of the text. There were only 1,000 copies printed. This first edition is particularly important because it is the only time that it was printed in this original text. Auden reprinted it a number of times, beginning in 1933, but each subsequent printing had significant alterations and omissions. Conn [Bloomfield and Mendelson A3.]- $650
- $650
CREDITING POETRY
Heaney, Seamus CREDITING POETRY is the title of Seamus Heaney's Nobel Prize acceptance speech given in December, 1995. This is the first edition, published in Ireland on 12 December, 1995 by The Gallery Press in Loughcrew . Oldcastle, County Mearth. The title page has a wonderful personal inscription from Seamus Heaney written at the time of publication. To ___ - / Who credits us all - / With old affection / and renewed respect - Seamus / New Year / 1996. A soft cover edition in stiff illustrated wrappers with brown end papers, in fine condition.- $275
- $275
WHAT LIGHT THERE IS.
Grennan, Eamon. Eamon Grennan. WHAT LIGHT THERE IS. This is the first edition of the Irish poet's second collection that was issued simultaneously in clothbound and paper bindings. A fine copy in paper wrappers that has been personally inscribed on the title page in the year of publication. 66 pages.- $95
- $95
NOT BE ESSENCE THAT CANNOT BE.
Owens, Rochelle. Rochelle Owens. NOT BE ESSENCE THAT CANNOT BE. New York: Trobar Books, 1961. Very fine in stapled wrappers, with no markings in the text. This is Rochelle Owens's first book publication, and unusual to find in this fine condition. Striking cover design by Bernal Nicoya. 24 pages, not numbered.- $95
- $95
BETTING ON THE DUST COMMANDER
Parks, Suzan-Lori Suzan-Lori Parks. BETTING ON THE DUST COMMANDER (PRACTICE MAKES PRACTICE MAKES). New York: The New Dramatists' Plays published by the Playwrights' Press. No date, but probably 1991. This is her first published play, and its first performance, with its cast of two, was produced in 1987 by Suzan-Lori Parks in the Lower East Side at a bar called the Gas Station. It ran for three nights. In contrast, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002 for her play Topdog / Underdog. The first Pulitzer for a African-American woman playwright. The book is in bright, wonderful condition, in bright orange wrappers printed in black with no markings of any kind in the 28-page text. On close examination, there is a very light fold in the upper right hand corner of the front wrapper. Parks was born in 1953 in Fort Knox, Kentucky and traveled with her family to various army postings. She attended high school in Germany and was encouraged to apply to Mount Holyoke College. There she was introduced to James Baldwin who mentored her literary development. This is a very scarce book, and quite important.- $545
- $545
ROSALYN YALOW Nobel Laureate. Her Life and Work in Medicine. SIGNED by Rosalyn Yalow.
Straus, Eugene ROSALYN YALOW Nobel Laureate. Her Life and Work in Medicine. A Biographical Memoir by Eugene Straus, M.D. Published by Plenum Press in New York in 1998. Signed 'Rosalyn Yalow' on the half-title page. Both book and dust jacket in fine condition. Rosalyn Yalow (1921 - 2011) was the first American-born and educated woman to win a Nobel Prize in any scientific field ( Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine.) She suffered a series of strokes in her later years and this is reflected in her labored but very clear signature. She was born in the Bronx and graduated from Hunter College in Physics and Chemistry 1941, then completed a PhD in Physics at the University of Ilinois, Urbana, in 1945. She co-developed the laboratory technique of radioimmunoassay that permits measurement of once immeasurably small quantities of hormones and other biological molecules. This memoir was written by a medical colleague of Rosalyn Yalow's and sympathetically surveys her life and relationships with regards to her scientific career from the perspective of someone who knew her very well. With the recent interest in STEM careers for women, this biography stands as a milestone.- $425
- $425
DREAMTIGERS
Borges, Jorge Luis. Woodcuts by Antonio Frasconi. This is a beautiful copy of the rare hardcover first edition of DREAMTIGERS by Jorge Luis Borges that was published by the University of Texas Press. The book is fine with no markings in the text, in a fine dust jacket with no chips or tears. The original price of $4.00 is printed on the front jacket flap. Both the book and jacket are illustrated with marvelous woodcuts by Antonio Frasconi. The original title, in Spanish, is El Hacedor. There is an Introduction by Miguel Enguidanos, followed by two sections by Borges. Part One, translated by Mildred Boyer, consists of short prose pieces by Borges. Part Two, translated by Harold Morland, consists of poetry by Borges. This is the original owner's copy.- $575
- $575
FOUR QUARTETS
Eliot, T. S. T. S. Eliot. FOUR QUARTETS. New York, 1943. This is the first edition of the four separate previously published poems contained here; Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages, and Little Gidding, under the new combined title of "Four Quartets". One of only 788 copies, containing the slug, "first American edition" on the verso of the title page. The book is near-fine in a very firm and straight black cloth binding, with some light rubbing on the gilt spine lettering. The handsome dust jacket has a small closed tear on the upper front corner, and a small area of professional attention on the adjacent top edge. It has the original publisher's price of $2.00 at the top of the front flap. There are nine titles listed of Eliot's earlier books on the rear panel. There are no markings in the text. A ticket to the April 12, 2018, reading of the complete Four Quartets, by Jeremy Irons at the 92nd Street Y, is laid in.- $1,850
- $1,850
WITH EDGED TOOLS
Merriman, Henry Seton WITH EDGED TOOLS by Henry Seton Merriman. Published in London by Smith, Elder & Co. in three hardbound volumes. First Edition. Each volume has the ownership signature of Mary C. Clayton, Wavertree, Liverpool, dated 1895. There are no other markings in the text. Vol. I: 269 pages with 10 pages of publisher's advertisements. Vol. II: 284 pages with 4 pages of publisher's advertisements. Vol. I: 285 pages with 2 pages of publisher's advertisements. All half title pages included. In very good condition. Bound in brown cloth with gilt lettering on the spines and black ink lettering on the front panels. Light yellow end papers. The bindings are somewhat slanted. Unfortunately the spines of volumes I and III show shelf wear but could be repaired. Merriman was a highly regarded novelist at the end of the 19th century. With Edged Tools is noted as one of the earliest novels centered on the exploration and exploitation of Africa and is considered a precursor of Conrad's Heart of Darkness which was published in serial form six years later in 1890.- $175
- $175
ASYLUM POEMS
Wieners, John. A very nice copy of the Angel Hair Books title, ASYLUM POEMS by John Wieners. Flat staple bound in paper wrappers. The front wrapper has a black & white drawing by George Schneeman. The rear colyphon states that there were 200 copies produced with 10 copies numbered and signed by the author. In fine tight condition with crisp clean as new text pages and no chips or tears to the wrappers. The front cover is slightly sunned as shown in the scan. Each sheet of text is mimeographed on the recto only, the versos all blank. The first sheet is the title page, followed by 20 sheets of poems, and then the colyphon at the rear. The pages are not numbered and there is no Contents page. There is a blank pink front end paper, the colyphon sheet is yellow, and the blank rear wrapper is dark green.- $95
- $95
THE SACRED WOOD. Essays on Poetry and Criticism.
Eliot, T. S. T. S. Eliot's major early book of criticism, featuring "Tradition and the Individual Talent" and articles on Marlowe, Jonson, Massinger ("One of the surest of tests is the way in which a poet borrows. Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal;"), Swinburne, Blake, and others. This is the first American edition, published by Alfred A. Knopf, using the bound original British sheets with a tipped in Knopf title page. The book is fine, in blue cloth blind stamped on the front panel and with very bright gilt lettering and design on the spine. The binding is firm and there are no markings in the text. The British issue was published by Methuen in 1920, and 365 sets of sheets were sent to the U. S. for publication in 1921. In a Knopf dust jacket printed on the front panel and spine, with the front and rear flaps and rear panel blank. This jacket has some light chipping at the extremities but is quite rare. [Gallup, A5b]- $1,250
- $1,250
MARIO AND THE MAGICIAN.
McClatchy, J. D. and Thorne, Francis. This listing consists of two items relating to an early performance of the opera, Mario and the Magician, based on the story by Thomas Mann. The first item is a folder containing the libretto by J. D. (Sandy) McClatchy. There are 25 loose copied sheets, with a title sheet and 24 numbered sheets of the libretto text held together with a paper clip. The text appears on the rectos only. The folder cover has a label reading: MARIO AND THE MAGICIAN / Libretto by J.D. McClatchy / Music by Francis Thorne / After the story by Thomas Mann. A printed label reading: AMERICAN COMPOSERS ORCHESTRA 37 West 65th Street / New York, NY 10023 / Tel & Fax / Francis Thorne / President. is inserted in the inside folder left side. Above the card, written in ink, are the tel. numbers of Dorothy Danner, Miriam Charney, Francis Thorne, and J.D. McClatchy, as well as Francis Thorne's home address, and two additional tel. numbers. The folder cover is in dark blue ink with inner sides white and measures 9-1/2 x 11-1/2 inches. The second item, measuring 12 x 14 inches, and spiral bound, has a cover label reading: Francis Thorne / MARIO AND THE MAGICIAN / Libretto by J.D. McClatchy / piano/vocal score. There is a cover page, followed by 113 pages of piano / vocal score music with libretto. At the bottom of Pg. 1 is the copyright notice for Francis Thorne & J.D. McClatchy. Please contact the seller for more information.- $375
- $375
ODE TO ANNA MOFFO and Other Poems
Koestenbaum, Wayne Wayne Koestenbaum's first of eight collections of poetry, and second book. This is a review copy in as new condition with no markings in the text. In addition to his poetry, he has written widely on contemporary art and published several novels. The rear panel of the dust jacket has blurbs by Richard Howard, J.D. McClatchy, and Joyce Carol Oates.- $125
- $125
LETTER TO AN IMAGINARY FRIEND
McGrath, Thomas This is a rare Uncorrected Proof copy of the 1998 Copper Canyon Press revised compilation of all of the parts of Thomas McGrath's epic long poem. LETTER TO AN IMAGINARY FRIEND. Publication date is given on the front cover as February 15, 1998. In near-fine condition except for a small price sticker remnant on the front cover. In light tan wrappers printed in black. Edited and with a Preface by Dale Jacobson, followed by 405 pages of text. Page 406 is blank. But laid in are three sheets of text by Dale Jacobson, entitled CIRCLING BACK TO OURSELVES, with pages numbered 407 through 411, with 412 blank.- $95
- $95
A PRIMITIVE LIKE AN ORB. A Poem by Wallace Stevens with drawings by Kurt Seligmann.
Stevens, Wallace A Prospero pamphlet printed for The Gotham Book Mart at The Banyan Press in March 1948. One of the copies bound in orange wrappers. Published June 17, 1948, at $1.25, in an edition of 500 copies. A fine copy, with no chip or folds, but one small closed tear on the rear wrapper, The text is crisp with no markings. The printer stated that there was no priority among the three wrapper colors of olive green, orange, and bright green. [Edelstein A13]- $375
- $375
BOX and QUOTATIONS FROM CHAIRMAN MAO TSE-TUNG. Two Inter-Related Plays.
Albee, Edward. A very nice first edition copy of this early book of plays by Edward Albee. The book shows minor wear at the top of the spine but very fresh and bright title, author, and publisher in gilt and white ink on the spine itself. There are no markings in the text. The author photograph on the rear panel is by Hans Namuth.- $45
- $45
THE DIARIES OF EMILIO RENZI: FORMATIVE YEARS. Translated from the Spanish by Robert Croll.
Piglia, Ricardo Published in Brooklyn, New York, by Restless Books in 2017. Translated from the Spanish by Robert Croll. With a five page Introduction, entitled The Reading Life of Ricardo Piglia, by Ilan Stavans. Originally published as "Los diarios de Emilio Renzi: Anos de formacion" by Editorial Anagrama, Barcelona 2015. This is an uncorrected proof copy, in very fine condition with no markings in the text.- $45
- $45
A WAY IN THE WORLD. A Sequence.
Naipaul, V. S. This is a very fine copy, in stiff gray wrappers lettered in black, of the Uncorrected Proof of Naipaul's 1994 Novel, A Way in the World. Alfred A. Knopf's first American edition with review material included. It is not to be confused with the later widely distributed Advance Reader copies. This late work consists of linked narratives, and there are two pasted-on printed strips reading "A Novel", one on the front wrapper and one on the inserted letter from the publisher, to distinguish it from being a volume of short stories. V. S. Naipaul was to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001.- $65
- $65
THE WHITE NUN and Other Poems.
Carter, Agnes L. This is the original edition published by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1883, NOT A PRINT ON DEMAND copy. This book is in fine condition for a clothbound book of its period. It consists of the long title poem, and a section of shorter works called Wild Flowers. A wonderful example, beautifully printed and bound with elegant leaf-designed end papers in tan cloth with bright and attractive gilt lettering on the front panel and spine, of a typical collection of poems of the time.- $150
- $150
