Search Results: Titles starting with C from Ed Smith Books

New York: Macmillan, 1987. First edition. Hardcover. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket. A monumental biography of Sir Steward Menzies, the legendary wartime leader of British intelligence. Agile, ruthless, and cunning, Menzies dominated the world intelligence scene from 1933 to 1952. Illustrated from photographs. 830 pages with index.

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982. First edition. Hardcover. A near fine copy in a near fine clean dust jacket with the lightest of sunning to spine. The hero of Cadillac Jack, the rodeo cowboy turned antique dealer whose vaguely gypsy life (the center of his life is his collector's classic Cadillac) links the worlds of Texas, the backroads of flea markets and small-time collectors and Washington social-politican highlife. He not only lives in two worlds, he is detached from both by a certain wry objectivety. Richly comic and profoundly moving. 395 pages.

Millerton: Aperture, 1978. New revised edition. Hardcover. A very good plus to near fine copy. Edward Weston. A critical success when first published in 1940, the book had three printings before it fell out of print. This new revised edition contains 64 of the original Weston photographs, including many masterpieces. Charis Wilson has added a foreword in which, from the vantage point of forty years, she looks back on that remarkable photographic odyssey. Bound in red coarse cloth with white spine lettering.

Charlotte: Saint Benedict Press, 2013. First edition. Hardcover. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket. This copy is signed by the author on the title page. Father Richard Ho Lung, M.O.P. - poet, teacher, musician - is the founder of the Missionaries of the Poor, one of the fastest growing religious orders in the world. Known as the "reggae priest," Fr. Ho Lung had a hit single and critically acclaimed musical. He and his band - Father Ho Lung and Friends - toured the world. In his spare time he taught literature at the University of the West Indies. In 1980, he left behind the fame and academic life, and founded the Missionaries of the Poor to serve the poor and downtrodden in his island home through service and song. Now, marked by a joyful sense of sacrifice and love, Fr. Ho Lung and his more than 550 brothers and his army of volunteers minister to thousands in eight countries around the globe. Here, in the first and only authorized biography of Father Ho Lung and his order, Joseph… Read More

Chapel Hill: Algonquin, 2004. First edition. Hardcover. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket. A self-professed candy freak, Steve Almond set out in search of a much-loved candy from his childhood and found himself on a tour of the small candy companies that are persevering in a marketplace where big corporations dominate. From the Twin Bing to the Idaho Spud, the Valomilk to the Abba-Zaba, and discontinued bars such as the Caravelle, Marathon, and Choco-Lite, Almond uncovers a trove of singular candy bars made by unsung heroes working in old-fashioned factories to produce something they love. And in true candy freak fashion, Almond lusciously describes the rich tastes that he has loved since childhood and continues to crave today. Steve Almond has written a comic but ultimately bittersweet story of how he grew up on candy-and how, for better and worse, the candy industry has grown up, too. Candy freak is the delicious story of one man's lifelong obsession with candy and his quest to discover… Read More

London: Folio Society, 2010. First edition thus, a limited edition. hardbound. A fine copy of this massive production. Eric Gill. This copy, bound in full goatskin leather by G. Lachenmaier and blocked in 24-carat gold, with wood engravings by Eric Gill, is a facsimile edition of the Golden Cockrell edition published 1928-1931. A thick heavy 4to, this is copy 133/1980, a.e.g. with black satin ribbon marker. 768 pages housed in a black clamshell box.

Universal City: Universal Studios, 1991. First edition. Paperback. A near fine copy. The press kit for the film remake (of the 1962 classic) based on a novel by John D. MacDonald and that was directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Robert De Niro Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Joe Don Baker, and Juliet Lewis. Also, several actors from the 1962 original have cameo roles in this film (Robert Mitchum, Grogory Peck and Martin Balsam). The film was released on November 13, 1991. The press kit, housed in the original studio folder with photo illustration includes: 13 black and white film stills with captions, 24-pages of production notes, 7 pages of credits, and 5 bios which includes; Martin Scorsese (5pp), Robert De Niro (3pp), Nick Nolte (4pp), Juliette Lewis (3pp) and Jessica Lange (3pp). A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a 14-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him.

New York: Knopf, 2019. First edition. Hardcover. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket. Nathaniel Russell. When the decorated captain of a great ship, the Glory, descends the gangplank for the final time, a new leader, a man with a yellow feather in his hair, steps forward. Though he has no experience, no knowledge of nautical navigation or maritime law, though he is loud, clownish, foul, and has often remarked he doesn't much like boats, he solemnly swears to shake things up. Together with his band of petty thieves and confidence men known as the Upskirt Boys, the Captain thrills his passengers, writing his dreams and notions on the cafeteria wipe-away board, boasting of his exemplary anatomy, devouring thousands of paper-wrapped cheese-burgers and tossing overboard anyone who displeases him. Until one day a famous pirate, long feared by passengers of the Glory but revered by the Captain for his handsome looks while riding a horse bare-chested, appears on the horizon..." 114 pages. Includes… Read More

New York: Harper Collins, 1992. First edition. Hardcover. A very good plus copy in a very good plus dust jacket. This copy is signed by Thomas Moore on the title page. An adventuresome meditation upon the sacred art of soulful living. The author, a psychotherapist, lived in a Catholic religious order for 12 years. In the introduction, Moore describes the book as "a program for bringing soul back to life." What does he mean by soul? He writes: "Soul is not a thing but a quality or dimension of experiencing life and ourselves. It has to do with depth, value, relatedness, heart and personal substance." For him, soul is the seat of the emotions and the hub of our lives. Moore claims that a loss of soul lies behind the restlessness, addiction, insecurity, and frustration of so many contemporary men and women. With lives devoid of meaning and purpose, people yearn for something to nourish their souls. Thomas Moore is to be commended for providing a recipe for soulful living in troubled times. He helps us… Read More

New York: Charles Scribner, 1990. First edition. Hardcover. A very good plus copy in a very good plus dust jacket. Small 4to. When Ray Carver passed in August of 1988, all too early at 50, he left behind a remarkable legacy--eleven books of short stories and poems--that clearly establishes him as one of the finest American writers. It was Bob Adelman, the photographer, who sensed that he could capture the world of Carver in the companion art of photography. This book was conceived before Carver passed. Presented here is the stark but human reality of one man's world, a man who was generous in his spirit and in his gifts, and who rose above his beginnings. Illustrated from photographs.

New York: Scribner's, 1990. First edition. Hardcover. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket. Bob Adelman. Small 4to. Photographs by Bob Adelman. Introduction by Tess Gallagher. When Raymond Carver died in August of 1988, all too early at 50, he left behind a remarkable legacy - eleven books of short stories and poems - that clearly establishes him as one of the finest of American writers. Carver Country presents the stark but human reality of one man's world, a man who was generous in his spirit and in his gifts, and who rose above his beginnings - but Raymond Carver never left his native ground or gave up his love for its terrain and its people. Raymond Carver's gritty texts, including his poems, short stories and unpublished letters, combined with Bob Adelman's photographs of Carver's people and haunts, re-create the world of this major writer, bringing to life the bleak, blue-collar towns, people, and places that became the inspiration for much of his work. Includes 113 duotone photos. 159 pp.

New York: William Morrow, 1956. First edition. hardcover. A near fine copy in a very good jacket with a closed tear to the rear panel bottom of spine. This title is Perry Mason's 50th case. An anniversary triumph for one of the most famous fictional characters ever created.

New York: William Morrow, 1959. First edition. Hardcover. A fine copy in yellow cloth stamped in black in a very good plus to near fine dust jacket with minor wear around the edges. The 100th book by Erle Stanley Gardner featuring the now world-famous triumvirate: Perry Mason, Della Street, and Paul Drake. The verso of the dust jacket has unusual graphics and text, trying to convey what over 110,000,000 books looks like, if they could be stacked.

New York: Random House, 2020. First edition. Hardcover. A nearly fine copy (a few faint spots to foredge) in a fine dust jacket. Signed by the author on a tipped-in sheet that follows the front endpaper, the author's second book. Her first book, 'The Warmth of Other Suns' won the Pulitzer Prize. Poetically written and brilliantly researched, Caste invites us to discover the inner workings of an American hierarchy that goes far beyond the confines of race, class, or gender. A book steeped in empathy and insight, Caste explores, through layered analysis and stories of real people, the structure of an unspoken system of human ranking and reveals how our lives are still restricted by what divided us centuries ago. "Modern-day caste protocols," Wilkerson writes, "are often less about overt attacks or conscious hostility. They are like the wind, powerful enough to knock you down but invisible as they go about their work." 476 pages with index.

New York: Harcourt, 2002. First U.S. edition. Hardcover. A fine copy in a similar jacket, With "Nobel Prize" sticker to front cover. The story concerns an elderly potter named Cipriano Algor, his daughter Marta, and his son-in-law Marçal. One day, the Center, literally the center of commerce in the story, cancels its order for Cipriano's pottery, leaving the elderly potter's future in doubt. He and Marta decide to try their hand at making clay figurines and astonishingly the Center places an order for hundreds. But just as quickly, the order is cancelled and Cipriano, his daughter, and his son-in-law have no choice but to move to the Center where Marçal works as a security guard. Before long, the mysterious sound of digging can be heard beneath the Center, and what the family discovers will change their lives forever. The author was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998.

New York: Tor, 1995. First edition. hardcover. A near fine copy in a fine dust jacket. Paul Park's Nebula Award finalist is an extraordinary, challenging, and disturbing novel about a human colony on a distant alien world, the planet Celestis. The native humanoid population is subjugated by the human colonists, but many of the Aboriginals undergo medical procedures involving surgery and drugs to make them look and think more like humans. As support from home wanes, the "improved" Aboriginals launch a rebellion against the colonists. Simon, a political functionary from Earth, and Katharine, the altered daughter of a successful native merchant, are taken hostage by the rebels. Simon falls in love with Katharine, but, cut off from a supply of the medication she needs to maintain her humanlike state, her suppressed alien nature begins to reemerge. As she discovers her true self, hidden vistas of expanded alien perception are revealed in a stunning exploration of the limits of humanity.

New York: Knopf, 2019. First edition. Hardcover. A very good to near fine copy in a similar dust jacket (signed first edition sticker to front of dj). Signed by the author on the front endpaper. A slow-building mystery novel based around the disappearance of a young woman in 1971. Set primarily in 2015, with flashbacks to the characters' coming-of-age in the 1960s and 1970s, the story follows three college friends who, now in their mid-60s, decided to reunite on the island of Martha's Vineyard; the same place where the woman whom they all loved disappeared.

Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1971. First edition. Hardcover. A near fine copy in a very good plus dust jacket. This copy has a long inscription by the author and is dated in January of 1981. Charles Demuth was a member of art gallery owner Alfred Stieglitz' Group of Five, and is credited with helping to bring Cubist theory to America and is a recognized ancestor of Pop Art. A charming, aristocratic hedonist, a smiling, witty man noted for his sartorial perfection, Demuth had close friendships with such other gifted individuals as William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, Eugene O'Neill, Marcel Duchamp, Georgia O'Keefe, and Marsden Hartley.

London: Peter Owen, 1994. reprint. Hardcover. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket. Originally published in 1929. Anna Kavan (1901-1968) is now regarded as one of the most original writers of the twentieth century. She wrote in the tradition of the great writers on drug addiction. Born Helen Woods, in Cannes, Kavan spent her childhood in Europe, the USA and Great Britain. Her life was haunted by her rich, glamorous mother, beside whom her father remains an indistinct figure. Having begun her career under her married name Helen Ferguson, it was only after she had a nervous breakdown that she became Anna Kavan, the protagonist of her 1930 novel Let Me Alone, with an outwardly different persona and a new literary style. This early work, A Charmed Circle, is a dark tale of family repression in 1920s England. She suffered periodic bouts of mental illness and long-term drug addiction - she had become addicted to heroin in the 1920s and continued to use it throughout her life - and these facets of… Read More

New York: Pathfinder, 2000. First edition. Hardcover. A very good to near fine copy in light tan cloth in a very good dust jacket. This book is not a "Che for Beginners." The legendary Argentine-born revolutionary, who helped lead the first socialist revolution in the Americas and initiate the renewal of Marxism in the 1960s, speaks as an equal with the youth of Cuba and the world. He never talks down. He sets an example as he urges young people to rise to the level of revolutionary activity and scientific thought necessary to confront and resolve the historic contradictions of capitalism that threaten humanity. 162 pages illustrated from photographs.