New York: Fawcett Columbine, (1993) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - The 4th Victorian mystery featuring William Monk, now a private enquiry agent and nurse Hester Latterly - a story involving the brutal murder in a London hospital of a young woman who had been one of Florence Nightingale's nurses in the Crimean War. SIGNED on title page by the author. 383 pp. ISBN: 0-449-90637x.

London: Headline (Hodder), (2005) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - True first edition of this Victorian mystery featuring Thomas Pitt of Scotland Yard and his wife Charlotte. INSCRIBED on the title page. 279 pp. ISBN: 0-755320565.

New York: Simon & Schuster, (1977) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - A book in which this couple, best known for their landmark work, 'The Story of Civilization, discuss their scholarly and personal life together, and their enduring love for each other, since their meeting in 1912, when he was a teacher at the Anarchist Center and she was only fourteen, and their acquaintanceship with almost every major literary and intellectual personality in Europe and America during much the mid-twentieth century. INSCRIBED on the front endpaper with both author's names but in what appears to be Will's handwriting. Illustrated with photographs. Index. 420 pp. ISBN: 0-671229257.

Berkeley, CA: Howell-North Books, (1965) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - An account of the events leading to the creation of this of the 212-mile trail, as well as a guide to each section of the trail, with information about the geology, the flora and fauna and its history, as the trail traverses passes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains from Yosemite Valley to Mt. Whitney. Illustrated throughout with mostly black and white photographs, but also a few in full color. INSCRIBED by the author on the half title page and uncommon thus. Maps, notes and references. Folio-sized. 231 pp. Map endpapers.

Cleveland, Ohio: World Publishing Co., (1962) dj. Hardcover first edition - The author's first novel, a look at the war in the Pacific during World War II as viewed from the fighting bridge through the eyes of one officer, Captain Rockwell Torrey - known as "the Rock" - as he rose to the rank of admiral during the year following Pearl Harbor. Basis for the 1965 Otto Preminger film starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Patricia Neal. 510 pp. Dust jacket design by Carl Smith

New York: Bantam, (1955). First edition - Collects 7 Lew Archer stories, originally written between 1946 and 1954 - Find the Woman, Gone Girl, The Bearded Lady, The Suicide, Guilt-Edged Blonde, The Sinister Habit, and Wild Goose Chase - "under one cover for the first time." Bantam Mystery 1295, 25c cover price. 194 pp.

Greenwich, CT: Gold Medal Books / Fawcett, (1964). First edition - The novel which introduced Travis McGee, a "salvage consultant" living in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, on his houseboat, the Busted Flush, named for the poker hand that started the run of luck in which he won her. "A non-conformist, boat bum, knight in slightly tarnished armor," who sets out on a journey through the wreckage of a woman's soul, determined to find the abusive boyfriend who had done that to her - and to other young women. Gold Medal k1405, cover price 40c. 144 pp.

New York: Dial Press, 1979. dj. Hardcover first edition - A complex novel following the story of three extraordinary individuals (including Sister Julia, a "fire-baptized" child evangelist called to the ministry when she was nine), through three decades, from Harlem to Paris to Birmingham. 597 pp,. ISBN: 0-803794772.

New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1985. dj. Hardcover first edition - Baldwin uses the Wayne Williams/Atlanta child-murder case as the subject and the springboard for this thoughtful non-fiction work about justice - and the lack of it - for Blacks in America, and about guilt and innocence, fear and anger. 125 pp.. ISBN: 0-03-005529-6.

New York: Quality Paperback Club, (1991). Omnibus edition containing three complete novels, originally published between 1966 and 1973. Each novel is numbered individually - 210, 224 and 176 pp. Cover design by Monica Elias.

New York: Vantage Press, (1976) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - Novel set in what was the near future at the time this was written in 21st century Scotland, a story which combines science fiction, gothic, adventure and romance - as well ghosts, who dwell in MacKenane castle and appearing and disappearing at will. INSCRIBED on the front endpaper. 91 pp. ISBN: 0-533022959.

New York: Simon & Schuster, (1991.) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - The rather uncommon hardcover edition of this annual anthology of essays, short stories and poems, selected from small literary journals across America - a reflection of the diversity and excellence to be found in offbeat publications from across the United States. SIGNED by Christopher Merrill at his poem "Because." Also includes contributions from Russell Banks, Clarence Major, Wally Lamb, Lydia Davis, Kent Nelson, Joy Harjo, Laura Kalpakian and many more. List of special mentions, brief notes on the authors, and index to the first 15 volumes. 581 pp. ISBN: 0-671-73332.

London: Victor Gollancz, Ltd., 1978. dj. Hardcover first edition - His sixth novel, and the first in his highly praised Francouer trilogy, which is at the story of a large French Canadian family living in a New England industrial town - that of Providence, Rhode Island. Based on his own family and his childhood and adolescence, these novels revolve around the complex relationships between the seven Francoeur sons, their parents, and their Roman Catholic faith. Nominated for the National Book Award. 301 pp. ISBN: 0-575023910.

London: Macdonald, (1971) dj. Hardcover first edition - True first edition of Plante's second novel, a twisted and compelling story about five friends who, as they live together and travel together, from Boston to Italy, slowly create a dark world of foreboding and shadow around themselves. Dust jacket illustrated by David Hockney. 208 pp. ISBN: 0-356035190.

New York: Harper & Row, (1969) dj. Hardcover first edition - Complete in itself, this is the first in a series of volumes by this influential anthropologist analysing the links between mythology and culture. Translated from the French by John and Doreen Weightman. Illustrated with charts and tables and a section of drawings of animals and birds. Bibliography, index of myths, index. xiii, 387 pp.

Chicago: Institute of Positive Education, 1976. First edition - First separate appearance of this ground-breaking article originally published in The Journal of Black Psychology, February, 1975. The authors are the founding members of the Society for the Study of African Sciences. "African Psychology is the recognition and practice of a body of knowledge which is fundamentally different in origin, content, and direction than that recognized and practiced by Euro-American psychologists. The differences between African Psychology and Euro-American Psychology reflect the differences between Black people and white people or, in terms of basic culture, between Africans and Europeans." Among the areas discussed are "Which is the Original Race, The Caucasian or The African?"; melanin and the central nervous system; the nature of Black intelligence and more. 20 pp.

London: Harvill Press, (1995) dj. Hardcover first edition - Award-winning Spanish writer's powerful seventh novel - as one reviewer commented, it is his "unerring insight into the infinite variety of all things human and its faithful translation onto the page that makes 'A Heart so White', in fact all Marias's work, so great." Translated by Margaret Jull Costa. Maras and Costa were joint winners of the 1997 International Dublin Literary Award for this novel. This UK edition preceded the US edition by several years. 279 pp. ISBN: 1-86046002x.

Seattle and New York: Wave Books, (2016). SIGNED - Black poet's second book, one which "weaves sonnet, song, and narrative to examine the lives of mostly unrecorded African American performers directly before and after the Civil War up to World War I" from the Jubilee Singers to Blind Tom to Sissieretta Jones, Edmonia Lewis and many others. The citation for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize cited it as "a distinctive work that melds performance art with the deeper art of poetry to explore collective memory and challenge contemporary notions of race and identity." INSCRIBED by Jess on the title page. Illustrated with drawings and photographs. Includes a timeline and bibliography. Large square format. 235 pp. ISBN: 978-1940696201.

Gambier, Ohio: Kenyon College, 1991. SIGNED first edition - Special issue featuring writers of color - among the poets are Michael S. Weaver, Wendy Rose, Joy Harjo, Colleen McElroy, Martin Espada and many others; short stories by Reginald McKnight, Paule Marshall, Kyoko Mori and more; essays by Toi Derricotte, Henry Taylor and Barbara DiBernard, and reviews by Marilyn Nelson Waniek and Jewelle Gomez. SIGNED by THREE authors at their contributions: by Cyrus Cassells at his poem, 'Life Indestructible', Quincy Troupe at his poem 'Reflections on Growing Older' and by Marilyn Nelson (Waniak) at her reviews. Uncommon signed. Notes on contributors, index to Volume 21. 236 pp. plus ads. We specialize in literary journals, and have many others - including many not yet catalogued and listed on line.

New York: Viking, 2000. SIGNED first edition - Author's unusual first novel, set in 1920s Copenhagen and inspired by the true story of Danish painter Einar Wegener and his California-born wife - the "nearly forgotten story of the love between a man who discovers that he is, in fact, a woman and the woman who would sacrifice anything for him." SIGNED on the title page. Winner of the the Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Lambda Literary Award, and a NY Times Notable Book. Basis for the Academy Award winning motion picture of the same name starring Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery. 277 pp plus author's note.

Berkeley, CA: Packard Press, 1945. Hardcover first edition - A collection of essays, poems and reminiscences about Miller. Includes contributions by Henry Miller, Kenneth Patchen, Lawrence Durrell, poems by William Carlos Williams and Philip Lamantia, and others. Includes a long article by Knud Merrill on Miller and art and one by Michael Frankel on the genesis of "The Tropic of Cancer, and much more. Printed on multi-colored paper. Out of a total edition of 3000 copies, this #429 out of only 750 copies bound for distribution in 1945, and individually hand-numbered. Cover Illustration By Ferdnand Leger. Chronology and bibliography. Small quarto. 157 pp.

Hyde Park, New York: University Books, Inc., (1958) dj. Hardcover first edition - A classic novel of Satanism, originally published in France in 1891 and noted for its detailed and vivid description of the Black Mass, one which Huysmans himself attended. Although the novel centers on Durtal, a writer obsessed with the life of Gilles de Rais, a fifteenth-century child murderer, sadist, necrophile, and practitioner of all the black arts, Huysmans had firsthand knowledge of the satanic practices, witch cults, and the whole of the occult underworld which was thriving in late nineteenth-century Paris and in the city of Lyons. This edition includes a substantive introduction by Robert Baldick. Translated by Keene Wallis. with corrections by Lucy Miller. xxvii, 317 pp.

New York: Norton, (1991) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - Essays by Margaret Atwood, Linda Hogan, Luisa Valenzuela, Bharati Mukherjje, Natalia Ginsburg, Harriet Doerr, Kaye Gibbons, Maxine Kumin, Elena Poniatowska, Jan Morris, Patricia Hampl, Anita Desai, Elizabeth Jolley, Diane Johnson, Gretel Ehrlich, Carolyn Forche, Diana Ackerman and Ursula Le Guin. Edited and with an Introduction by Janet Sternburg. This copy is SIGNED by TWO authors at their contributions: Rita Dove and Joy Williams. 233 pp. ISBN: 0-393-028048.

New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, (2012) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - A collection of 21 essays and speeches written mostly in the five years preceding publication. Among the topics are his violent encounter with bird poachers in Cyprus, his feelings about the suicide of his friend and fellow author David Foster Wallace, and a description of a trip to China to see first-hand the environmental devastation there - but where he also impressed by the pace of China's economic development and so the trip becomes a journey out of his own prejudices. SIGNED on the title page. 321 pp. ISBN: 978-0374153571.

New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, (1990) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - Second collection of short stories by this highly praised Southern writer - Raymond Carver called her "a wonder" and Harold Brodkey described her as "the most gifted writer of her generation." SIGNED on the title page and dated with a tiny drawing of a palm tree on the beach. ISBN: 0-87113-3326.

London: Reader's International, (1992) dj. Hardcover first edition - Originally published in Spanish in 1957, this is considered the masterpiece of Mexico's most important woman novelist of the 20th century. Set against the Mexican Revolution in Chiapas, the southern Mexican state where Castellanos spent her childhood, and which has a strong Mayan presence. Translated from the Spanish and with a preface by Irene Nicholson. Includes a glossary of unfamiliar Spanish and Indian words. 272 pp, Uncommon in hardcover and especially so in this condition. ISBN: 0-93052389x.

London: Collins, (1978) dj. Hardcover first edition - Barnard's fifth mystery novel centering on the death of a mystery writer - "Sir Oliver Fairleigh-Stubbs- a writer with a vast public that loved his best-selling mystery novels, and a small circle of family and friends who despised him as an obese, overbearing bully - died with distinction while sipping a special liqueur in his luxurious library on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday. What a surprise to discover that the son who hated him most had been bequeathed the lion's share of his father's fortune ... that Sir Oliver's final manuscript, possibly worth millions, haD vanished ... and that the demise of a famous mystery writer was clearly a case of murder." 192 pp plus 2 pp publisher's ads. ISBN: 0-002318563.

New York: St Martin's Minotaur, (2019) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - The 12th book to be published in this series of mysteries, a series which has been described as" ranging from the slums of London to the corridors of power," although this title is the second of a trilogy prequel to the main series. Charles Lenox, a Victorian gentleman, is just beginning his career as a detective along with his friend Lady Jane. "London 1853. The secret pursuit of a long lost portrait of Shakespeare and a shocking murder sends Charles Lennox on the hunt for a criminal mastermind." SIGNED on the title page. 288 pp. ISBN: 978-1250311368.

New York: Simon & Schuster, (2012) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - A prequel to his highly praised novel "Savages" this tells how Ben, Chon and O become the people they are, spanning the years from 1960s Southern California to recent times. SIGNED on the title page. 320 pp. ISBN: 978-1451665321.

New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, (2002.) dj. SIGNED hardcover - First collection of essays by the award-winning author of 'The Corrections,' including his controversial Harper's article on the modern novel, an award-winning and moving account of his father's struggle with Alzheimer's disease, and an account of his brief tenure as an "Oprah pick." SIGNED on the title page. 278 pp. ISBN: 0-374-173273.

New York: Clarkson Potter, (1980) dj. Hardcover - An introduction to Swift's classic satire, originally published in 1726 (this book is based on the 1734 edition with Swift's corrections) edited by Asimov, with a biographical introduction and extensive notes on the politics, geography, medicine at the times - and even addressing the science fiction aspects of the book. Includes 200 illustrations from over three centuries of different editions. Bibliography, index. Large format. xxi, 296 pp. ISBN: 0-517539497.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, (c 1894). Hardcover - A collection of stories by this journalist and folklorist, who was best known for the Uncle Remus stories. Brief introduction in which Harris explains that the stories fall in three categories - some were part of Black folklore, but were not included in the Uncle Remus stories, others were from South Georgia with roots in England, and some were inventions. A lovely production illustrated with a frontispiece with a tissue guard and 31 internal full page plates on glossy stock by Oliver Herford. All edges tinted green. 230 pp.

New York: William H. Morrow, (1990) dj. Hardcover first edition - "Carolyn Cassady's story of her life at the center of the Beat generation." In 1948, at the age of 25, she married Neal Cassady, immortalized as Dean Moriarty in the classic 'On the Road by Jack Kerouac.' A vivid picture of two decades in the history of American culture. Glossy black and white photographs. Index, 436 pp. ISBN: 0-688088910.

Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Navigation, 1890. Hardcover - The preface notes that this follows the format adopted in 1882 but adds more data for eclipses of the sun, etc. Divided into three parts: Ephemeris for the Meridian of Greenwich, Ephemeris for the Meridian of Washington and Phenomena. Two double page charts showing the eclipse of June 6, 1891 and the partial eclipse of Nov 30-Dec 1, 1891. Large octavo, viii, 515 pp. plus appendix

Tokyo: Maruzen Company Ltd, 1937. First edition - A small booklet which provides an excellent introduction to the practice of Judo and the philosophy behind it, by the Japanese educator who was the founder of Judo, and published shortly before his death in 1938. Illustrated with a color frontispiece and many black and white photographs. Number 16 in the Tourist Library issued by the Board of Tourist Industry and Japanese Government Railways (last title in the list at the front. 70 pp.

New York: Harper & Row, (1965) dj. Hardcover first edition - A very personal book by this minister and civil rights activist - in the introduction he mentions that the first 23 years of his life were in Florida and in Georgia and they have left deep scars on his soul. He goes on to state "that there is no waking moment . . when one may expect respite from the desolation and despair of segregation." 113 pp.

New York: Harper Collins, (1994) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - The first book in this Nobel laureate's autobiography - covers her childhood in Africa and ends with her arrival in London in 1949, with the manuscript for her first book - 'The Grass Is Singing' - in her luggage. Frontispiece portrait and 16 pages of photographs. SIGNED by Lessing on the half title page. 419 pp. ISBN: 0-060171502.

New York: Stewatt, Tabori & Chang, 1994. dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - A lovely book, slightly oversized, illustrated by Terrance Cummings. The poems are arranged thematically, and so in the section on "Freedom" Henry Dumas's "Root Song" is followed by the 19th c poet, Frances E. W. Harper's "The Slave Auction." SIGNED by Al Young at his poem "A Dance for Ma Rainey." Index of title and of authors. 256 pp. ISBN: 1-556703392.

Norwalk, CT: The Easton Press, (1983). Hardcover first edition - Originally commissioned in 1932 for the Limited Editions Club, this is a very attractive leather bound edition. Introduction by Gilbert Seldes. Illustrated by Pablo Picasso with six etched copper plates and forty pencil drawings. A title in The Collector's Library of Famous Editions. Quarto. Bound in red leather with raised bands on the spine, and gilt vignette on front cover and gilt titles on the spine and front. All edges gilt. Orange silk moire endsheets, yellow ribbon bookmark bound in. Notes from the Archives laid in. 117 pp.

Ontario: Vesta Publications, 1990. SIGNED hardcover first edition - Brief biographical listings of over 2000 poets, listed alphabetically and focusing on the publications and awards of each poet. In order to be considered for this volume, the poet must have had at least two collections of poetry published. Compiled and edited by this Indo/Canadian author and poet. INSCRIBED to Rosemary Wilkinson, one of the poets included, by Stephen Gill with the comment "a poet I vastly admire" and dated in the year of publication. Large format. 489 pp.

New York: Harper & Row, (1998) dj. SIGNED hardcover - "As a young piano student plays Beethoven's Rondo in C at her recital, each member of the audience is stirred by memories" - different memories - south flying geese, evenings in Mama's old house, galloping bareback at dusk. INSCRIBED by the author, Paul Fleischman on the half title page and dated in 1990. Illustrated with full color double page spreads by Janet Wentworth. Oblong format, unpaginated. ISBN: 0-060218568.

San Francisco: Chronicle Books, (2016) dj. SIGNED hardcover - A beautifully illustrated book which shows how perspective shapes what we see - "The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws" but he was perceived very differently by the other animals he encountered. A 2017 Caldecott Honor Book. SIGNED on the title page with a small sketch of a cat. Oblong format, unpaginated. ISBN: 978-1452150130.

Whitefish, MT: A Kidz World, (2005). SIGNED first edition - An introduction to the history and culture of the Garifuna people (who came to Belize from the Honduras in 1858) and also of the influence that their culture has had on the modern world - from the name for barbecue to the punta rock. Each page is colorfully illustrated, with a decorative border. SIGNED on the half title page by the artist/illustrator Debbie Cooper. Large format. Unpaginated. ISBN: 0-976040603.

New York: Norton, (1997) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - "Realizing that her light skin and 'good hair' conspired to give her a unique, unasked-for perspective on the racial divide in the United States, African American poet Toi Derricotte inscribed her anguish in two decades' worth of journal entries. The Black Notebooks records countless moments when Derricotte was showered with offhand entitlements and racist confidences by whites who assumed she, too, was white" SIGNED on the title page. Nominated for the 1998 PEN/Martha Albrand Award for the Art of the Memoir. 205 pp. . ISBN: 0-393045447.

Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Navigation, 1887. Hardcover first edition - The preface notes that this follows the format adopted in 1882 but adds more data for eclipses of the sun, etc. Divided into three parts: Ephemeris for the Meridian of Greenwich, Ephemeris for the Meridian of Washington and Phenomena. Two double page charts showing the eclipses of June 16-17, 1890 and Dec 11, 1890. Large octavo, vii, 517 pp. plus appendix

Washington, D.C.: Washington Bureau of Equipment, 1893. Hardcover first edition - The preface notes that this follows the format adopted in 1882 but adds more data for eclipses of the sun, etc. Divided into three parts: Ephemeris for the Meridian of Greenwich, Ephemeris for the Meridian of Washington and Phenomena. Two double page charts showing the eclipses of Feb 13, 1896 and August 8, 1896. Large octavo, vii, 534 pp.

New York: Free Press, (1993) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - An anthropologist's account of how "knowledge about early humans has leaped dramatically during the last generation. [In] 1950, biological anthropology was born at a conference at Cold Spring Harbor. This new science replaced the old method of studying fossil human specimens.. . with new disciplines that situated early humans in their social and ecological context. . . [He recounts ] his own adventures on long, weary, dusty digs in Zaire and Libya are recounted with verve as he addresses key questions - Why did bipedalism develop? What role did climate play in our origins?" SIGNED on the title page. Photographs, index. 276 pp. ISBN: 0-029045010.

New York: Farrar, Straus & Company, (1964) dj. Hardcover first edition - Author's second novel to be published in the US. Winner of Italy's most prestigious literary award, the Strega Prize, in 1961 and considered a classic of modern Italian literature. Translated from the Italian by Marguerite Waldman. When it first appeared the NY Times review called it a "difficult, at times hilarious. but always rewarding novel. . What the author wants to do is to encompass within the narrow bounds of his 191 pages the elusive and multifaceted spirit of Naples. . . [and of] the lyrical, subaqueous world in which his young protagonists spend so much of their time." 191 pp.

New York: The Viking Press, (1962.) dj. Hardcover first edition - Jackson's final novel - "A strange, terrible, and beautiful tale. From the first page, a mystery hangs over the three people living in the big old house on the hill. Shunned by the villagers, they live their private life behind closed doors. As their story quietly and deftly unfolds, the reader is led into a situation both startling and macabre." 214 pp. Red topstain. Dust jacket by Paul Bacon.

Los Angeles: By the author, 1911. Hardcover first edition - A love story - that of the Marquis for his young wife who died in childbirth in New Zealand, between father and daughter- and the daughter's doomed love for a young American naval officer - told in both brief prose segments and lyrics interspersed in the first section. The second section consists entirely of lyric poems. Frontispiece portrait of the author with a tissue guard. 160 pp.

New York: Henry Holt, (2019) dj. Hardcover first edition - Her fifth novel, winner of the National Book Award, among other honors. The Washington Post commented "Choi's voice blends an adolescent's awe with an adult's irony. It's a letter-perfect satire of the special strain of egotism and obsession that can fester in academic settings. . . . [she is] a master of emotional pacing: the sudden revelation, the unexpected attack. . . . How cunningly this novel considers the way teenage sexuality is experienced, manipulated, and remembered. . . . The result is a dramatic exploration of the distorting forces of memory, envy, and art.". ISBN: 978-1250309884.

New York & Tokyo: Weatherhill, (1981) dj. Hardcover first edition - The distillation of Zen Buddhism is contained in its sayings - this book presents for the first time over 1200 of these short sayings in a poetic English translation by Soiku Shigematsu, calligraphy by his father, Kiju Shigematsu, abbot of the Shogun-ji Zen temple in Shizuoka. Illustrated. Includes an introduction by the translator, a foreword by Gary Snyder, an appendix with the original Chinese characters and their Japanese romanizations, map, glossary and a bibliographical note. xiv, 178 pp. ISBN: 0-834801590.

New York: Regan / Harper Collins, (1995) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - His first thriller, featuring Victor Carl, Philadephia lawyer struggling to keep the firm afloat, deep in debt and surviving on collecting debts - when he is offered a chance to work with the top lawyer in the city on a murder case involving a legendary city councilman. All he has to do is follow the lead of the other attorney - until he realizes that this dream offer is a Faustian nightmare. INSCRIBED on the title page to the noted collector Larry Owens. 501 pp. ISBN: 0-06-0391472.

London: Hodder & Stoughton, (2002) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - The first novel by a writer who is himself an Operational Station Officer in the London Fire Brigade. "Steve Jay is a fireman on the edge. Crippling debts and the recent return of his unfaithful partner, Jenny, are getting between him and the job he loves. A horrific fire in an East London fashion store tests him and his watch to the limit. And when an old friend offers him serious money to investigate a series of suspicious fires, it sounds like the answer to his prayers. His decision to accept the case plunges him into a nightmare of arson and murder." SIGNED on the title page. 358 pp. ISBN: 0-340820152.

New York: St Martin's, (2001) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - The author's seventh novel, a thriller featuring former FBI agent Edwin Kreiss who had been trained as a "sweeper," a job title that refers to the cleanup of rogue agents, but his discovery of a Chinese espionage ring made him a lot of enemies and resulted in his early retirement. Now his daughter is missing, and nothing is going to keep him from finding her. He follows his daughter's trail to a deactivated federal arsenal in southwestern Virginia, where a fanatic whose son was immolated at Waco is cooking up a plan to blow the ATF to bits. SIGNED on the half title page. 402 pp. ISBN: 0-31226979X.

Burton, MI: Subterranean Press, (2012) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - A collection of "dark, funny, and hopefully impossible views of the future." Contains 28 stories including "Sallie C." in which he puts The Wright Brothers, young Erwin Rommel and Sheriff Pat Garrett in a shabby hotel out west; "Highbrow" finds generations of devoted workers building a half-mile high statue of Richard Nixon; "Tony Red Dog" describes the trials and tribulations of the only Apache in the New York mob as well as "Under Old New York," "Radio Station St. Jack," "Ginny Sweethips" and more. One of 750 copies individually numbered and Signed by the Author on special preliminary page. 559 pp. ISBN: 978-1596064065.

Tucson: Dennis McMillan Publications, 2004. SIGNED hardcover first edition - Collects thirteen stories, including three appearing in this volume for the first time, from the world of Los Angeles private detective Ivan Monk. One of a small number of copies SIGNED by all those involved in the production at the Los Angeles book launch party: 12 signatures in all from Gary Phillips, publisher Dennis McMillan, artist and dj designer Michael Kellner, author Robert Ward who provided the introduction on the jazz cd, photographers Chistopher Voelker and Slobodan Dimitrov, producer Jeffery Weber plus five more. Illustrated with 18 pages of black and white photographs. This special edition also includes a 73 minute jazz music CD in a pocket on the rear pastedown. xi, 319 pp. ISBN: 0-93976749X.

El Paso, TX; McMath Company, n.d, (ca 1946). SIGNED first edition - An account of the lost Dutchman's gold mine hidden in the Superstition Mountains, a mine never found and still sought after. "Drama, adventure, mystery and murder - Gold is where you find it - go look for it." Illustrated by the author with maps and black and white images of five of his paintings of the Superstition Mountains. Includes several pages of a chronology which ranges from the first mention of the Apache Indians by a Spanish explorer in 1598 to several attempts to find the mine in 1945, including one trek by 2000 visitors. SIGNED on the table of contents page. Oblong format. 55 pp.

Amsterdam: V.O.C., (1981) dj. Hardcover first edition - A small, slim book with 38 paintings of angels by German artist Sulamith Wulfing - most in full color. Wulfing's parents were theosophists and for the first years of her life they lived in complete seclusion. From an early age, she had visions of angels, fairies and elvin spirits and these inspired her art. Each illustration is accompanied only by a brief title because she wanted to leave any "explanation of the drawings completely to the viewer." Unpaginated. ISBN: 9-065600914.

Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, (1974) dj. Hardcover - Includes scholarly articles on every aspect of poetry by 215 contributors including William Carlos Williams, Samuel Hazo, Louis Untermeyer, O. B. Hardison and others. This expanded edition adds dozens of new entries, including several reflecting either current trends like rock lyrics or computer poetry and others giving more attention to ethnic minorities such as Puerto Rican poetry and geographic areas like African poetry. List of contributors. xxiv, 992 pp. ISBN: 0-691062803.

New York: Dutton, (1984.) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - Second novel by this award-winning Australian born author who moved to Canada, (her first novel won Canada's Seal Book Award for best first novel) - a story of a family confrontation that could bring disaster or redemption. The estranged children of a tyrannical father, who does not have much longer to live, return for the 50th anniversary at the request of their mother. INSCRIBED on the half title page and dated in 1992. 242 pp.

New York: Dutton, (1983.) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - First novel by this Australian born author who moved to Canada, winner of the Seal Book Award. This is a the story of a woman who accompanies her husband on a research sabbatical to South India, and who finds herself questioning her values and even her marriage as events unfold. Warmly INSCRIBED on the half title page and dated in 1992. 252 pp. ISBN: 0-525241701.

Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, (1988) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - Highly praised first collection of short stories by this Australian-born novelist who now lives in Canada. A previous recipient of Canada's Seal Award, Hospital is not as well-known as her writing would merit; this collection also received the Fiction Award of the Fellowship of Australian Authors. INSCRIBED on the half title page and dated in 1992. 210 pp. ISBN: 0-8071-15088.

New York: Frederick Ungar, (1960) dj. Hardcover first edition - An uncommon edition of this collection of eight tales of Ukrainian life, originally published in 1831, and Gogol's first success as a writer. The stories are divided into two sections of four stories, each with a preface by "Rudi Panko." Illustrated with drawings by A. Kanevsky. Translated by Ovid Gorchakov. 277 pp.

New York: Orbit / Hachette, (2020) dj. SIGNED on a bookplate, hardcover - The first book of a new series by this Hugo award-winning author - "Five New Yorkers must come together in order to defend their city from an ancient evil. Every great city has a soul. Some are as ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York City? She's got six. But every city also has a dark side. A roiling, ancient evil stirs in the halls of power, threatening to destroy the city and her six newborn avatars unless they can come together and stop it once and for all." SIGNED by Jemisin on a special bookplate affixed to the half title page. 434 pp. ISBN: 978-0316509848.

New York: Doubleday, 1994. dj. Hardcover first edition - Published posthumously, this third of Asimov's autobiographical works looks at events over his entire life and how they influenced his writings and thoughts. A more reflective book than his earlier chronological ones. Includes an epilogue by his wife, Janet Asimov and a catalogue of Asimov's books. 562 pp.

Chicago: Thompson & Thomas, (1902). Hardcover first edition - Uncommon novel published under his own name by this prolific writer - whose works ranged from dime novels to westerns to juvenile series. (including many written under Stratemeyer syndicate house names) When Sandy's father dies when he is only 17, he is determined to keep the farm - 400 beautiful but steep and rocky acres surrounding a small lake - and make it profitable enough to handle the mortgage. Illustrated with a glossy frontispiece and two internal plates. 244 pp.

New York: Summit Books, (1984) dj. Hardcover first edition - An early work by this pioneering neurologist - in this, it is Sacks himself who is the patient: while fleeing from a bull on a desolate mountain in Norway, a fall off a cliff left him with a severely damaged leg. Although the operation was straightforward, he found that his leg no longer felt like part of his body. His description of this crisis - his frustration and despair and the role of music in his eventual recovery - is not only an illuminating examination of the experience of patienthood by a doctor but also of the physical basis of identity. 222 pp. ISBN: 0-671467808.

Emeryville, CA: Effie's Press, (1976). First edition - A long poem. one of only 500 copies designed and printed by Bonnie L. Carpenter at Effie's Press, hand bound and printed on curtis rag paper. Unpaginated, square format.

New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1974. dj. Hardcover first edition - A hard to find first edition of this delightful book on the art of ikebana (which Munari translates as "a flower with love"). It is written for children, but appealing to all ages, giving instructions and ideas for creating your own arrangements from simple natural objects selected with care and put together with love. Illustrated with full-page full color photographs and small sketches showing the items used in each arrangement. Translated by Patricia Tracy Lowe. Small square quarto, unpaginated.

Garden City, NY: Crime Club by Doubleday, 1981. dj. Hardcover first edition - The ninth mystery novel featuring Dr. Quarshie, set in West Africa. He is visiting his friend Judge Kwame Otoru at the former slave depot, the Ile de Sintra, when a body is found on the ancient flogging block. The body is that of the head of the Ebonese secret police and underneath the body were the signs of a voodoo cult. 180 pp. ISBN: 0-385177550.

New York: Atheneum, 1977. dj. Hardcover first edition - The first book in the Harper Hall trilogy - this introduces Menolly - "Forbidden by her father to indulge in music in any way a girl on the planet Pern runs away taking shelter with the planet's fire lizards who, along with her music, open a new life for her." 202 pp. Dust jacket art by Fred Marcellino. ISBN: 0-689-305079.

New York: Doubleday, (2016) dj. Hardcover first edition - Whitehead's sixth novel and winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction, and the 2017 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence - a book which "seamlessly weaves the saga of America from the brutal importation of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman's ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share." Basis for the innovative and powerful Amazon series of the same name. 306 pp. ISBN: 978-0385542364.

London: Allison & Busby, (2000). SIGNED hardcover first edition - Karen Moir ran away from home in Edinburgh when she was just sixteen; all her father, Detective Inspector Henry Moir, knows is that she was headed for London. With the help of investigative journalist, Steven Larkin, who is himself still dealing with the murder of his wife and child, he sets out to find her - betweem warring drug dealers, child prostitution and gangsters fighting for control, the search becomes a dangerous trawl through London's underworld. One reviewer commented "This novel is disturbing in its use of violence, but the psychological insights are carefully wrought and thoroughly convincing." (Booklist) SIGNED on the title page. 254 pp. ISBN: 0-749004649.

New York: Golden Press, (1959.) dj. Hardcover - Uncommon edition with the diamond-spine dust jacket by Herbert Tauss. The dustjacket has a synopsis on front flap, price of $1.00, and the 1959 date. The rear flap 'about the author' and 'about the artist', illustrator Mary Stevens. Bound in red and pink diamond patterned boards, with green and white diamond endpapers. One of a series of books issued by the Golden Press in a more deluxe - and at $1 a more expensive -format. Although the back cover of the book mentions eight titles as the "first" in this new series, as far as I know these were the only titles ever issued - and this was the only Trixie Belden book issued in this format. 282 pp.