The Death of the Author
Melville House, 2008. Paperback. This is a scarce reprint of Adairs 1992 meta novella. More
Literary Criticism & Books About Books
Israfel; The Life and Times of Edgar Allan Poe
Farrar & Rinehart, 1934. Cloth. No dust jacket. Previous owner's name and pair of nameplates inside cover. This is the revised edition of Allen's landmark biography of Poe, featuring a number of paintings, illustrations, photographs, and documents from Poe's fascinating life. More
Baudelaire; A criticism
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1944. First Edition. Boards. 8vo. 8.75"x5.75". Green decorative boards over black quarter cloth. Gilt lettering on spine. 165 pp. No jacket. Edges and corners of boards scuffed. Light pencil underlining on several pages. This is a critical study of French poet Charles Baudelaire. More
The Uses of Enchantment; The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales
Knopf, 1976. First Edition. Cloth. Missing dust jacket. Maroon boards with gilt lettering on spine. Large scratch across front cover, otherwise very good. This is a first edition of Bettelheim's psychological study of fairy tales and the importance of children's literature in helping children cope with their emotions and the world. More
Studi di critica boiardesca
Federico & Ardia, 1994. Paperback. In Italian. This is a critical study of Italian Renaissance poet Matteo Maria Boiardo. Stain on front cover and some edge wear. More
Essay on Burns
Longmans, Green and Co., 1909. Hardcover. Very few light marks in pencil underlining particular words. This seems to have been a study edition, but if so, it is in remarkable condition. Lovely olive green boards with black lettering and design. From the Longmans' English Classics series. More
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The Letters of T.S. Eliot [set of 3]
New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011. First American Edition, 1st Printing. Hardcover. 8vo. 9.5"x6.5". Volume 1: 1898-1922. Blue hardcover in pictorial dust jacket. 871 pp. Volume 2: 1923-1925. Maroon hardcover in pictorial dust jacket. 878 pp. Volume 3: 1926-1927. Yellow hardcover in pictorial dust jacket. 954 pp. Light scuffing to jackets... More
Notes Towards the Definition of Culture
Harcourt Brace, 1954. First American Edition, 1st Printing. Hardcover. This is a fine first American edition of Eliot's classic study of literary theory. In protective overwrap. Stamped inside back cover. More
The Story That Teaches You How to Write It
Spineless Books, 2005. First Edition. Paperback. A curious post-modern book of self-criticism. The left-hand pages tell the story of grad students in love, while the right-hand pages reflect on the form, composition, and theory involved in crafting it. More
Gender and Sexuality in Ethical Context; Ten Essays on Polish Prose
Bergen, 2005. First Edition. Hardcover. At time of listing, we were able to find no other hard copies of this book for sale online. This is a scarce anthology of criticism of Polish literature. More
Dian Hanson's The History of Men's Magazines Vol. 2: from Post-War to 1959
Taschen, 2004. Hardcover. Bound in faux-alligator skin. Volume 2 of Hanson's encyclopedic catalog of risque magazines with with hundreds of full-page photos and illustrations. More
Graphis 4th International Survey of Children's Book Illustration
Graphis Press, 1979. Hardcover. In English, German, and French. This is Graphis Press' comprehensive look at contemporary children's book illustration from around the world. With hundreds of illustrations in color and black and white. More
Holmes' Fifth Reader; containing fresh selections in prose and verse from standard writers, with biographical notes, and an introductory treatise on the principles of enunciation and elocution
University Publishing Company, 1888. Cloth. This is a rare 1888 university textbook compiled by influential UVA literary professor Holmes, who had previously served as the first chancellor of the University of Mississippi. Spine is embossed maroon leather which is peeling at top and is missing a bottom piece. Covers are... More
The Ink-Stone: A P.G. Wodehouse Haiku Book
Vantage Press, 1985. First Edition. Cloth. This is a stated first edition of Isaacson's curious collection juxtaposing Wodehouse excerpts with 20th century Japanese haiku poems. Corners are bumped, and dust jacket has a fair amount of sunning and chipping around edges. More
Kesey's Garage Sale
New York: Viking Compass, 1973. First Edition. Paperback. Paperback edition published simultaneously to hardback edition. 4to. 11"x8.5". 238 pp. Light edge wear. Top right corner of front cover is bent. Front free endpaper missing. This is a heavily illustrated, freewheeling treasury of beat artist Kesey's artistic odds and ends, including letters... More
All the King's Horses and All the King's Men Couldn't Put Humpty-Dumpty Together Again
Lakeside Press. Low, Joseph. Paperback. Stamped several times with the name "M. Larson." This is a curious illustrated history of book binding and restoration as well as a promotion for Lakeside Press' own hand bindery services. Lakeside Press was a Chicago specialty press that produced fine limited editions in its... More
Catalogue de Livres Rares No. 11
Librarie Camille Sourget. Hardcover. In French. This is a gorgeous catalogue of rare books available from famed Parisian dealer Librarie Camille Sourget. With many sumptuous full-page color photos and illustrations. No publication date, but likely mid-2000s. More
A Brief History of Chinese Fiction
Foreign Languages Press, 1982. Hardcover. Dust jacket is a bit brittle and has small tears along edges. Previous owner's name on flyleaf. This is the second edition, third printing of this overview of Chinese fiction featuring woodcut illustrations. With silk ribbon attached. More
R.R.étrospective / Dreamsongs
Pygmalion, 2017. Paperback. In French. This is a French translation of the Game of Thrones author's retrospective biography featuring new and selected writings from throughout his career. More
A Writer's Notebook
New York: Cosmopolitan Magazine, 1949. Preprint edition. Cloth. 8vo. 8"x5.75". Blue cloth with Gilt lettering on spine and cover. 133 pp. Minor scuffing to edges. Stamp on front free endpaper from The Book Shop in Dekalb, IL. This is a limited edition preprint of A Writer's Notebook, which was to be serialized... More
The Seven Stairs
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962. First Edition. Cloth. 8vo. 8.5"x5.75". Beige cloth. Pictorial dust jacket. 205 pp. Edge wear to jacket, including 1/2" chip at footer of jacket spine. Price clipped. Signed on front free endpaper. This is a signed first edition of legendary Chicago bookseller Brent's memoir. Brent was the proprietor... More
The Grasping Imagination: The American Writings of Henry James
University of Toronto Press, 1970. First Edition. Cloth. Association copy. Light loss on spine. Some pencil notes in back cover and a some underlining in pencil throughout by original owner. This is a wonderful signed first edition of literary criticism by the late scholar Buitenhuis. Includes a typed and signed... More
The First Printers of Chicago; with a bibliography of the issues of the Chicago Press 1836-1850
Cuneo Press, 1927. First Edition. Hardcover. Signed and numbered 84 of 250. Strip of spine is peeled, and corners are frayed. Pages 38-40 bear the extensive notes of the previous owner. This is a curious limited run book, both a history of early printing presses in Chicago and a sampling... More
See the City!; A beginner's guide to San Francisco
American Library Association, 1967. First Edition, First Printing. Pamphlet. This is an exceptionally rare pamphlet cowritten by activist librarian Morris and legendary Czech illustrator Sasek, inscribed by Morris inside front cover. Adapted from Sasek's This Is San Francisco picture book, this pamphlet was given to attendees of the American Library... More
Being There Together: Essays in Honor of Michael C.J. Putnam
Afton Historical Society Press, 2003. First Edition, First Printing. Cloth. Inscribed by Putnam himself on half title. This is an unusual collection of critical essays about classical texts, compiled in honor of literary scholar Putnam on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Featuring a range of contributions from luminaries in... More