CHRISTMAS FORMULA AND OTHER STORIES by Benson, Stella - 1932

Storrs: Univ. of Connecticut, 25 April 1972.. Folded quarto leaflet on stiff stock (25.5 x 18 cm). Top edge a shade darkened, a few small dust spots, else near fine. First edition. One of an edition of five hundred copies (of which the first twelve were to be signed by Duncan). This copy bears his signed presentation inscription to his chief trade publisher at the time, James Laughlin, and is also initialed and dated at the end of the text. BERTHOLF A42a.

Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, 1847.. Large, thick octavo. Original decorated red moiré cloth, a.e.g. Illustrations by E. Leutze, "engraved by American artists." Some gilt stamping perished, neatly rebacked, with original backstrip laid down, plates a bit spotted, as usual, fore-tips worn, otherwise a good copy. First edition in this format (a reprint, save for the prefatory note "To the Reader," "The Stream of Life," and "The Waning Moon"). Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on a prelim: "To James Lawson Esq. from his much obliged friend The Author Dec. 1846." The recipient, James Lawson (1799-1880), was a Glasgow-born American author, editor, and insurance expert. In late 1815 he emigrated to New York and, having as a young man acquired an interest in literature, ". . . in 1821 he selected American writers for representation in John Mennons' 'Literary Coronal' and, later, for similar miscellanies. Duyckinck credits him with the introduction of the best American authors to the British… Read More

London: Edward Moxon, 1844.. 12mo. Contemporary three-quarter morocco and marbled boards. Binding rather rubbed and edgeworn, otherwise a good copy, with Charles Dickens' lion bookplate and the Gadshill label at the front, and with the bookplate of John Gribbel at the back. Old bookseller's description tipped in front. The second edition, in which Procter took the opportunity "to strike out about forty of the poems (of inferior quality) contained in the old volume, and to introduce, in their stead, nearly seventy Poems, in rhyme, besides a considerable quantity of Dramatic verse" - "Preface to the Present Edition," dated "April 13th 1844." A presentation copy, inscribed on the title-page: "Charles Dickens / with the best Regards of / The Author." In THE DICKENS CIRCLE (New York, 1919, p. 169), J.W.T. Ley states: "We may take it as quite certain that Dickens came to know Procter through Forster. And from the first the novelist and the poet were on the best of terms. It was natural. Procter was a… Read More

Santa Fe: The Rydal Press, [ 1939].. Gray cloth, stamped in black and green. Illustrated with reproductions of lithographs by Peter Hurd. Short surface crack in upper joint near crown, some tanning and slight rippling of the pastedowns, else a near fine copy, in very good, slightly tanned dust jacket. First edition. The dedication copy, inscribed by the author on the dedication page (and incorporating the printed dedication): "In friendship To Vernon Knapp from Paul Horgan, the first copy of the edition which is all his, in the name of a long and good time. Roswell 1939." The recipient joined the faculty of the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell in 1928 as a member of the English faculty, and in time excelled as well in geology, serving as department head. He retired as a LTC and was inducted into the Institute's Hall of Fame in 1958. Horgan, himself a graduate of the Institute, was later on staff there, and the Institute's Library was named for him.

NY: Random House, 1994. Signed first edition. Inscribed presentation copy to Stepp and Cook Neilson. Motorcycle legend Cook Neilson was a preeminent motorcycle journalist and editor of Cycle Magazine. He won the Daytona Superbike race in 1977 on a Ducati. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and the Ducati North America Hall of Fame in 2006. Published NY: Random House, 1994. 8vo. Slight creasing to spine, else near fine in near fine dust jacket. . 1st. Hard. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo.

Storrs: Univ. of Connecticut, 25 April 1972.. Folded quarto leaflet on stiff stock (25.5 x 18 cm). Top edge a shade darkened, a few small dust spots, else near fine. First edition. One of an edition of five hundred copies (of which the first twelve were to be signed by Duncan). This copy bears his signed presentation inscription to his chief trade publisher at the time, James Laughlin, and is also initialed and dated at the end of the text. BERTHOLF A42a.

Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, 1847.. Large, thick octavo. Original decorated red moiré cloth, a.e.g. Illustrations by E. Leutze, "engraved by American artists." Some gilt stamping perished, neatly rebacked, with original backstrip laid down, plates a bit spotted, as usual, fore-tips worn, otherwise a good copy. First edition in this format (a reprint, save for the prefatory note "To the Reader," "The Stream of Life," and "The Waning Moon"). Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on a prelim: "To James Lawson Esq. from his much obliged friend The Author Dec. 1846." The recipient, James Lawson (1799-1880), was a Glasgow-born American author, editor, and insurance expert. In late 1815 he emigrated to New York and, having as a young man acquired an interest in literature, ". . . in 1821 he selected American writers for representation in John Mennons' 'Literary Coronal' and, later, for similar miscellanies. Duyckinck credits him with the introduction of the best American authors to the British… Read More

London: Edward Moxon, 1844.. 12mo. Contemporary three-quarter morocco and marbled boards. Binding rather rubbed and edgeworn, otherwise a good copy, with Charles Dickens' lion bookplate and the Gadshill label at the front, and with the bookplate of John Gribbel at the back. Old bookseller's description tipped in front. The second edition, in which Procter took the opportunity "to strike out about forty of the poems (of inferior quality) contained in the old volume, and to introduce, in their stead, nearly seventy Poems, in rhyme, besides a considerable quantity of Dramatic verse" - "Preface to the Present Edition," dated "April 13th 1844." A presentation copy, inscribed on the title-page: "Charles Dickens / with the best Regards of / The Author." In THE DICKENS CIRCLE (New York, 1919, p. 169), J.W.T. Ley states: "We may take it as quite certain that Dickens came to know Procter through Forster. And from the first the novelist and the poet were on the best of terms. It was natural. Procter was a… Read More

Santa Fe: The Rydal Press, [ 1939].. Gray cloth, stamped in black and green. Illustrated with reproductions of lithographs by Peter Hurd. Short surface crack in upper joint near crown, some tanning and slight rippling of the pastedowns, else a near fine copy, in very good, slightly tanned dust jacket. First edition. The dedication copy, inscribed by the author on the dedication page (and incorporating the printed dedication): "In friendship To Vernon Knapp from Paul Horgan, the first copy of the edition which is all his, in the name of a long and good time. Roswell 1939." The recipient joined the faculty of the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell in 1928 as a member of the English faculty, and in time excelled as well in geology, serving as department head. He retired as a LTC and was inducted into the Institute's Hall of Fame in 1958. Horgan, himself a graduate of the Institute, was later on staff there, and the Institute's Library was named for him.

[New York]: Nadja, 1986.. Quarto. Cloth, paper label. Some small smudges in the upper spine corner of the lower board, otherwise about fine. First edition, clothbound issue. One of an unknown number of unnumbered copies bound thus, in addition to 26 lettered copies, and 100 numbered, and some unnumbered copies, in wrappers, all signed by the author and the artist. This was the poet's own copy, inscribed to him by the artist ("Thanks De") on the colophon, with an original pencil drawing (with colored highlights) of two figures, seemingly the poet and the artist, on the colophon. Snodgrass's library blindstamp appears in the upper forecorner of the free endsheet.