Search Results: Authors starting with F from B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA

New York: Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith, 1931 First edition, first printing. Original publisher's gray cloth-backed red paper-covered boards, spine lettered in red, and red and white patterned endpapers; original dust jacket with modern geometric designs to the front panel and spine in black, blue and white, lettered in black and white. Near fine book, with light toning to spine, a very gentle lean to spine, and bookseller's label rear pastedown; very good unclipped dust jacket, with light toning to spine and extremities, shallow chipping to spine ends, a couple of small chips to top edge of front panel (lettering unaffected), a few small closed tears to edges, and some light chipping to corners. Overall, a pleasing copy. Sanctuary is a Southern Gothic novel set in Jefferson, the seat of the fictional Yoknapatawpha County in Mississippi, based on Faulkner's childhood experiences in Oxford. His most sensational novel, it tells the story of Temple Drake, a young Mississippi woman who… Read More

New York: Random House, 1942 First edition, first printing. Publisher's black cloth, ruled in red, lettered in gilt; in the original first issue pictorial dust jacket, with eight titles beginning with "Storm" to the rear panel, mountain illustrations to the front panel and spine. Very good with light spotting to front board, heavy fading to gilt on spine, front board gilt bright, hint of fraying to foot of spine, and previous bookseller's small label to rear pastedown; very good price-clipped dust jacket with light edgewear including a small chip to top of rear panel, light chipping to spine ends, a bit of soiling to rear panel, and minor tape reinforcement to jacket verso. Overall, a very good and pleasing copy. Petersen A23.2b. Go Down Moses is a collection of seven short stories relating to themes of nature, identity, and race relations in the American South. Like many of his other works, these stories are set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County in Mississippi, based on… Read More

New York: Random House, 1951 First edition, first printing, limited issue of 750 numbered copies. Signed by Faulkner on the limitation page. Publisher's marbled boards and black cloth, spine lettered and decorated in gilt; in the publisher's original acetate dust jacket. Book fine; dust jacket with two closed tears to the rear panel, minor chips to the spine ends. Overall, fine and attractive copy, signed by Faulkner. Petersen A32.1a In Requiem for a Nun, Faulkner revisits the story of Temple Drake, a young Mississippi woman who becomes the victim of the criminal assistant of a notorious Tennessee moonshiner. He first introduced these characters in his 1931 novel Sanctuary. Now a grown and married woman, Temple must reconcile with the horrors of her past as she attempts to provide a more normal life for her own child. Interestingly, Requiem for a Nun is presented in the form of a three-part play interwoven with prose sections, and it is divided into three parts: Act One, "The Courthouse… Read More

New York; Random House, 1948 First edition, first printing. Publisher's black cloth, titles in gilt and blue to front board and spine; in its original dust jacket designed by E. McKnight Kauffer, with churchyard illustration to front panel, lettered in white, blue, and yellow. Very good book with a few light spots of soiling to boards, some dimming to spine gilt, front board gilt still bright, minor wear to spine ends, and a bit of offsetting to endpapers; very good price-clipped dust jacket with light toning to extremities, minor wear to spine ends, and shallow chip to top edge of front panel. Overall, a tight and pleasing copy. Petersen A26.2. In Intruder in the Dust, Faulkner uses a murder mystery to explore the larger theme of race relations in the American South. Like many of his novels, it is set in Jefferson, the seat of the fictional Yoknapatawpha County in Mississippi, based on Faulkner's childhood experiences in Oxford. Specifically, it tells the story of Lucas Beauchamp, an… Read More

New York: Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith, 1931 First edition, first printing. Original publisher's gray cloth-backed red paper-covered boards, spine lettered in red; original dust jacket with modern geometric designs to the front panel and spine in black, blue and white, lettered in black and white. About fine in an excellent unclipped dust jacket with very slight wear and a couple nicks to the spine ends, spine with a slight touch of toning. A near fine example, housed in a custom quarter leather box. Sanctuary is a Southern Gothic novel set in Jefferson, the seat of the fictional Yoknapatawpha County in Mississippi, based on Faulkner's childhood experiences in Oxford. His most sensational novel, it tells the story of Temple Drake, a young Mississippi woman who becomes the victim of the criminal assistant of a notorious Tennessee moonshiner. After being raped and kidnapped, Drake is smuggled to a Memphis brothel, where she becomes hardened by her harsh new environment, and several… Read More

New York: Harrison Smith and Robert Haas, 1935 First edition, first printing. Limited to 310 individually numbered copies signed by Faulkner. Original publisher's three-quarter blue cloth-backed silver foil-covered boards, with illustration of a plane to the front cover, spine lettered in silver, silver top edge; original publisher's paper-covered slipcase with title label to front board and spine. About fine with some slight fading to the spine; in the extremely fragile slipcase with some wear along the edges and completely free of any of the usual repairs or restoration. An excellent example, scarce in this condition. Housed in a custom quarter leather box. Pylon tells the story of a trio of airplane barnstormers (stunt pilots) who live on the outskirts of society. An unnamed reporter, intrigued and enamored by the trio's unique lifestyle, becomes emotionally invested in the trio, which ultimately leads to tragedy. Following the financial success of his novel Sanctuary (1931) and… Read More

New York: Random House, 1931 First edition, first printing. One of 400 copies signed and numbered by the author, this being number 22. Additionally inscribed on title page: "William Faulkner / Los Angeles, Cali / 23 April, 1936". Publisher's original red marbled paper-covered boards, white label to front board with feather design and titles in black, uncut pages; original glassine wrapper. Very good book with some toning to boards, some wear and splitting to paper on spine, tiny black spot to front board, bookseller's ticket to rear pastedown; glassine wrapper with some shallow chipping and small closed tears to edges. A very nice copy overall, scarce in the original glassine, and additionally inscribed by the author. Idyll in the Desert, set in southwest Arizona, tells the passionate story of a woman who leaves her husband and two children to be with a younger man. Faulkner would later include a similar love triangle in his novel The Wild Palms (1939). Faulkner wrote the short… Read More

New York: McGraw Hill, 2001 First edition, seventh printing. Signed by Feller in blue pen on title page. Publisher's black paper covered boards, titles in gilt to spine, black endpapers; in its original black dust jacket, with photo of Feller pitching to front panel, lettered in tan and white, jacket designed by Nick Panos. Fine book; in a fine unclipped dust jacket with a hint of creasing to the spine ends. Overall, a lovely, bright copy. In this pocket-sized volume, Bob Feller gives wonderful insight into his Hall of Fame career and philosophy of life. The book is divided into five parts, and features bite-sized chapters, like "Backyard Games I Played with my Dad," "The Day I Struck Out Eighteen Batters," "My Love of Flying Planes," and "Loyalty in Sports: Is There Any?" There is also a short section at the end with "Feller Family Sayings" - quotes that Feller's dad used to repeat to him, like "The man who knows how will always have a… Read More

New York: Birch Lane Press, 1990 First edition, third printing. Signed by Feller on half-title page. Publisher’s red cloth-backed cream boards, titles in white to spine, dark blue endpapers; original dust jacket designed by Mike Stromberg, photo of Feller by Mort Tucker to rear panel. Near fine with just some light soiling to front board, and a touch of offsetting to endpapers; fine unclipped dust jacket. Overall, a very pleasing copy. In this baseball memoir, Bob Feller, nicknamed “The Heater from Van Meter,” recounts the highs and lows of his personal life and career. Feller came into the league when he was just 17 years old. Cy Slapnicka, the scout who discovered him, said, “I didn’t know then that he was smart and had the heart of a lion, but I knew that I was looking at an arm the likes of which you see only once in a lifetime.” The prodigy played all eighteen of his major league seasons with the Cleveland Indians. He garnered eight All-Star selections and won… Read More

New York: National Aeronautics Council, 1943 Seventh edition. Signed on title page by Bob Feller with “Feller Library” stamped above. Publisher’s pictorial wrappers with planes and globe illustration to front panel, titles in white and red. Very good book with light wear to spine and edges, a tiny hole to front wrapper, a touch of soiling to rear wrapper, some spotting to text block edges, wrapper versos, and title page, and pages lightly creased. Overall, a nice and bright copy. The Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters’ Handbook is a comprehensive and illustrated guide to identifying planes. During World War II, aircraft spotting was an important part of the civilian war effort in the U.S., with around 1.5 million people volunteering in the Ground Observer Corps. This signed copy comes from the personal library of Bob Feller, one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history. Feller was the first professional athlete to join the war effort, enlisting in the Navy just two days after the… Read More

London: James Cochrane and Co., 1831 Two volumes. Illustrated by George Cruikshank. First edition thus [first edition 1749]. Finely bound in three-quarter tan calf and tan cloth by Bayntun, with five raised bands to the spine, contrasting black and green title labels to the spine, lettered and decorated in gilt, top edge gilt, pale beige marbled endpapers. Near fine, with some light soiling to the boards, otherwise fresh bindings, light toning and faint spotting to the illustrated plates, Vol. I with a faded ownership inscription to the title page, otherwise bright and clean pages. A fresh set in a fine binding. First published in 1749, Tom Jones is widely considered both one of the best comic novels in English history and Fielding's masterpiece. Specifically, it tells the story of Tom Jones, an orphan born out of wedlock who is subsequently raised by the respectable Squire Allworthy. Notably, Tom's sexual promiscuity and strident behavior caused scandal among the novel's readers, but,… Read More

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1920 First edition, first printing. One of 5,000 copies. Publisher's green T cloth (no priority), lettered in blind to front board and lettered in gilt to spine. Very good or better, with a spot of staining to rear board, a hint of soiling to front board, very light wear to spine ends, a couple of tiny nicks to gilt on spine, otherwise bright, and light bump to bottom rear corner. Overall, a sturdy copy. Bruccoli A 6.I.a. Flappers and Philosophers, the author's first collection of short stories, followed Fitzgerald's debut novel This Side of Paradise, which brought the twenty-four-year-old author much critical and commercial fame. As per Scribner's sales tactics, each collection of short stories was scheduled to follow the publication of a novel, with the goal of the short story collection feeding off the popularity of its companion novel. Flappers and Philosophers contains eight of the author's best early stories: "The Offshore… Read More

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1922 First edition, with "and" on p. 232, line 6 (priority undetermined). One of 8,000 copies. Original publisher's dark green cloth, spine lettered in gilt, front cover stamped in blind. Very good, with light foxing to front board, light wear to spine ends, some light spotting and offsetting to endpapers, and small bookseller's sticker to rear pastedown. Overall, a great copy. Bruccoli A9.I.a. Tales of the Jazz Age is Fitzgerald's second collection of short stories, published shortly after his second novel The Beautiful and the Damned; as per Scribner's sales tactics, each collection of short stories was scheduled to follow the publication of a novel, with the goal of the short story collection to feed off of the popularity of its companion novel. Tales of the Jazz Age includes some of the author's most well-known short stories, organized thematically into three sections: "My Last Flappers," "Fantasies," and… Read More

New York: Charles Scriber's Sons, 1934 Illustrations by Edward Shenton. First edition, first printing, with Scribner's "A" present on copyright page (later printings omitted this publisher's code). Publisher's dark green cloth, ruled in blind and lettered in gilt. Very good, with light staining to front board and fore edge of text block, light rubbing to spine ends and corners, a touch of toning to spine, mild dimming to gilt, slight lean to spine, and a tear to p. 405. Overall, a sturdy and clean copy. Bruccoli A14.I.a. Tender is the Night is Fitzgerald's last completed novel, based on the lives of American expatriates living in Paris and the French Riviera. The book, a complicated tale of love and lust, gives readers a glimpse into the characters' stories through a series of flashbacks scattered throughout the chronological plotline. Like many of Fitzgerald's works, Tender is the Night is semi-autobiographical in nature, with the author's friends… Read More

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1920 First edition, first printing. One of 3,000 copies. Publisher's original blue-green cloth binding, front board lettering stamped in blind, spine lettering stamped in gilt. About near fine, with some faint soiling to boards, bright gilt, light offsetting to endpapers, and previous owner's stamp to half-title page. Overall, a very bright and attractive copy. Bruccoli A5.1.a. This Side of Paradise is Fitzgerald's first novel, based on the author's undergraduate experience at Princeton University and courting of his future wife Zelda Sayre. In this novel, Fitzgerald explores the theme of the "Lost Generation," or the generation whose adolescence coincided with World War I and who faced the radically different post-war world with feelings of dejection and a jaded sense of morality. He would continue to explore this theme in later novels, including The Beautiful and Damned (1922) and The Great Gatsby (1925). The layout of the… Read More

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1926 First edition, second or third printing with battered type to pp. 38 and 248. One of 10,100 copies. Publisher's green cloth, stamped in blind to front board and in gilt to spine. Very good, with light rubbing to spine ends, light offsetting to endpapers, light spotting to pages (primarily some pages at the front and rear), and some small tears to fore edges of pp. 259 - 264. Overall, an attractive copy. Bruccoli A 12.1.b/c. All the Sad Young Men is Fitzgerald's third collection of short stories and includes the following nine titles: "The Rich Boy," "Winter Dreams," "The Baby Party," "Absolution," "Rags Martin-Jones and the Pr-nce of W-les," "The Adjuster," "Hot and Cold Blood," "The Sensible Thing," and "Gretchen's Forty Winks." All the Sad Young Men was published a year after Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, but interestingly, it includes a pseudo… Read More

London: Jonathan Cape, 1957 First edition, first impression in Gilbert's Binding A (no priority determined), with "the sexuality" on page 18, line 1, and "ice twinkled" on page 136, line 8. Publisher's black cloth, centrally stamped with a silver revolver in front of a metallic-red rose with a silver stem, lettered in silver and red to spine; in the original pictorial dust jacket designed by Richard Chopping with the illustration of a sawn-off Smith & Wesson revolver placed across a red rose to front panel. About near fine book with light soiling to front board and front edge of text block; in a very good unclipped dust jacket with light toning to spine, some wear to spine joints and spine ends, small closed tear to top of rear panel. Overall, a bright and lovely copy. Gilbert A5a (1.1). From Russia, With Love has an archetypal Cold War plotline in which the democratic West must defend itself from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In this novel, Bond faces… Read More

New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1987 First edition, first printing. Signed by Ford on half-title page. Publisher’s blue cloth-backed cream boards with titles in silver to spine; in its original black dust jacket designed by Cheryl Asherman, photo of Ford taken by Marjory Dressler to rear panel. Fine book; near fine unclipped dust jacket with light wear to edges including a couple of small closed tears. Overall, a very attractive copy. In Slick, Whitey Ford tells the story of his life and pitching career with the help of acclaimed baseball writer Phil Pepe. Ford played all 16 seasons of his MLB career with the Yankees (1950, 1953-1967) during which time the team was incredibly dominant, winning six World Series. Ford was selected as an all-star ten times and holds numerous Yankees records, including career wins, shutouts, and games started. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, along with his close friend and teammate, Mickey Mantle. . Signed. First… Read More

Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1965 First American edition, first printing. Publisher's green cloth, spine lettered in red, red top stain; original pictorial dust jacket designed by Tom Adams depicting characters from Greek mythology. Very good with some toning to spine, rubbing to lettering on spine, some soiling to the bottom edge; unclipped dust jacket with adhesive polyester film protective cover, some light wear to spine ends, tape remnants to rear flap. A bright and very good copy. The Magus follows Nicholas Urfe, a young Oxford graduate and aspiring poet who is mentally deteriorating while teaching on a small Greek Island. Nicholas becomes depressed and falls into a friendship with Maurice Conchis, a wealthy and mysterious man who severs Nicholas' grip on reality through elaborate mind games. The story was inspired by John Fowles' time teaching on the Greek island of Spetses as a young man. The Magus was the first book Fowles wrote but the third to be published. An immediate… Read More

London: Jonathan Cape, 1963 First edition, first printing of the author's first book. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Fowles to the front endpaper: "To Margaret Davies/ with the author's regards/ John Fowles/ [crossed out number] October 1st, 1963/ Cheltenham." Original publisher's orange cloth, spine lettered in gilt; original first issue dust jacket, designed by Tom Adams. About fine with a slight lean to spine; in an unclipped dust jacket with a very slight touch of toning the upper spine ends and some mild toning to rear panel, and two tiny abrasion at front panel and spine, else fine. A beautiful inscribed copy of the author's scarce first book. The Collector is a chilling psychological thriller that puts the reader into the mind of both abductor and captive. The story follows the abduction of Miranda Gray, a middle-class art student, by Frederick Clegg, a lonely and psychotic young clerk. Believing Miranda will fall in love with him in time, he keeps her… Read More