David Mason Books eList 102: New Acquisitions.
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1. BETJEMAN, John. Continual Dew. A Little Book of Bourgeois Verse.
London: John Murray, (1937). First edition. Tall square 8vo.,
orig. brown cloth with decoration in gilt simulating clasps, gilt
lettering, a.e.g., (10), 45pp. With illustrations. Ownership
name/date on front free e/paper o/w a fine copy.
$150
2. CALLAGHAN, Morley. That Summer in Paris. Toronto: Macmillan, (1976). Laurentian Library 40. First of this
edition. Inscribed by the author “For Lev, Morley Callaghan.’
Wrappers. Very good.
$85
3. (CARD GAMES). FOSTER, R.F. Foster’s
Encyclopaedia of Indoor
Games. Illustrated With Numerous Diagrams and Engravings. London: Lawrence and Bullen, 1903. Eighth edition. Tall 8vo.,
orig. green pictorial cloth decorated with playing cards, dominoes,
and
chess pieces, 625 pp. With illustrations. Inner front hinge starting,
some very minor rubbing, in fact a near fine copy of this extensive
encyclopaedia of indoor games.
$85
4. (CARD GAMES). HOFFMANN, Professor. The Illustrated Book of
Patience Games. Translated from the German. London: George Routledge & Sons, 1907. Sixth edition. Tall square
8vo., orig. olive green cloth with pictorial decoration of playing
cards, titlepage printed in black, red and yellow, and each page has a
red border, 123pp. With illustrations. Name o/w an about fine copy.
$150
5. (CARD GAMES). HOYLE. The Modern Hoyle. Or How to Play Whist,
Euchre, Chess, Cribbage, Dominoes, Draughts, Backgammon, Napoleon,
Poker, Bezique, Solo, Whist, Ecarte, and Cuckoo. New York: Street & Smith, nd (189-?). New and Revised edition,
unabridged (so stated). Tall 8vo., orig. tan pictorial cloth, 215,
(8)pp. ads. With some illustrations. Some rubbing to the spine ends, a
bit of rippling to the upper board (binding flaw) but in fact a very
nice, attractive copy.
$85
6. COFFIN, Robert P. Saltwater Farm. Woodcuts by J.J. Lankes.
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937. First edition. Fine in a
price-clipped d/w which has the price ‘$1.30’ rubber-stamped at the
base of the front flap, a narrow strip of browning at the bottom of
the upper panel but still a near fine d/w.
$65
7.
COLEMAN, Victor. Captions For The Deaf. (Toronto): Rumour Publications, (1979). First edition. 4to., orig.
stapled pictorial wrappers, (34)pp. With a printed errata dated 1992
laid in. Fine.
$35
8. (CRANFORD SERIES). IRVING, Washington. Rip Van Winkle and The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow. With Fifty-Three Illustrations by George H. Boughton. London: Macmillan and Co., 1893. First of this edition in the
‘Cranford’ series. 8vo., orig. dark green cloth with elaborate
pictorial decoration in gilt on the upper cover and spine, a.e.g.,
218pp. Lower corner of upper board bumped, minor rubbing to the top of
the spine but still a much better than very good copy of this
attractive title in the ‘Cranford’ series.
$500
9. DEXTER, Colin. The Dead of Jericho. (London: Macmillan, 1981). First edition. Dexter has written an
inscription in Latin “O domina--illuminatio mea--utinam opus quintrum
te delectet’ and signed it ‘Colin Dexter MCMLXXXI’ A fine copy in d/w
(not price clipped) which is slightly faded on the spine but is still
near fine. A Detective Morse mystery.
The Latin inscription by Dexter roughly translates as ‘O lady, my
enlightenment, may my fifth work delight thee.’
$975
10. DEXTER, Colin. The Secret of Annexe 3. London: Macmillan, (1986). First edition. Signed by the author on
the titlepage. Page edges are slightly age-toned as is common with
this type of paper o/w a fine copy in d/w with the price ‘£8.95 net’
on the front flap.
$850
11. DOUGLAS, Kirk. Kirk Douglas Writes to Gary Cooper A
Letter--May 4th, 1961. Santa Barbara: Santa Teresa Press, 1992. First trade edition, 1 of
500 copies. (There were also 30 copies signed by Douglas). Sm. 8vo.,
orig. blue decorated wrappers, (4), (7)pp. A fine copy.
‘Distributed as a holiday greeting in December 1992 to friends of
Kirk Douglas and Pepper & Stern Rare Books’, this booklet reprints a
letter Douglas wrote to Cooper when the former was making Lonely Are
The Brave.
$100
12.
DOYLE, A. Conan. The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter. (IN):
Collier’s Weekly Magazine. Household Number for December. Vol XXIV No.
9, November 26th, (1904). (New York: Collier’s Weekly Magazine, 1904). The first U.S.
appearance of what was the eleventh story in The Return of Sherlock
Holmes (also published in the Strand Magazine in August, 1904). Folio,
orig. pictorial wrappers with upper wrapper illustration by Frederic
Dorr Steele, 31pp (including inner rear wrapper). Some browning to the
perimeter of the rear wrapper, which also has some light edge wear,
upper corner of front wrapper creased, one of the spine threads is
frayed but this is still a much better than very good, about near fine
example of this delicate publication. Green & Gibson A29, notes p.139.
The story appears on pp.15, 18, 27-30.
$1,000
13. DOYLE, A. Conan. The Coming of the Fairies. Illustrated from
Photographs. New York: George H. Doran, (1922). First U.S. edition. 8vo., orig.
tan cloth with a pictorial paper panel on the upper cover, 196pp. Very
minor rubbing to the spine ends o/w about fine. Green & Gibson B29b.
$600
14. (EROTICA) GINZBURG, Ralph. An Unhurried View of Erotica
Written by... With an Introduction by Dr. Theodor Reik, and Preface by
George Jean Nathan. (New York: The Helmsman Press, 1958). ‘Limited Edition’ so printed
on the page facing the title but with no limitation stated. From the
library of Dr. C.B. Farrar with his bookplate. With a one page TLs
from the author on the stationery of Esquire Magazine to Dr. Clarence
B. Farrar stating that he is ‘sending a copy for review in accordance
with your request' -- Farrar was the editor of the American Journal of
Psychiatry. Ginzburg tells Farrar that ‘It is the first book in the
English language to survey the erotic classics on Restricted Shelves
and in Rare Book Rooms of the world’s leading libraries and to quote
excerpts from these books...’ He also states that ‘no scientific proof
has ever been offered to show the link between “obscenity” and crime’,
extrapolating from this that ‘Anti-obscenity laws are not only an
albatross around the neck of American literature... but they are
actually a travesty upon justice...’ Also laid in is clipped copy of
Dr. Farrar’s review, in which he does not contradict any of the
assertions made by Ginzburg in the letter. Sm. 4to., orig. black cloth with an embossed
design on the upper board, 128pp. Fine in a slipcase, which is
near fine.
$350
15. FAIRBROTHER, Roberta. Voyage To the New World. (Toronto: Letters Bookshop, 1987). 1 of 99 copies. Square 8vo.,
orig. wrappers, (12)pp. Fine.
$50
16. FLANAGAN, Robert. on the ground. Toronto: Letters Bookshop, 1989. 1 of 23 copies. Oblong 12mo.,
orig. grey wrappers with a printed label, unpaginated. Fine.
$100
17.
FLEMING, Ian. Octopussy and The Living Daylights. London: Jonathan Cape, (1966). First edition. A fine copy in d/w
with the publisher's price sticker ‘16s net IN UK ONLY 80p’ on the d/w
flap.
$700
18. FROST, Robert. From Snow to Snow. New York: Henry Holt & Company, (1936). Second printing from first
edition sheets (so stated by Crane). Orig. green cloth with lettering
and stars in silver. Some fading to the top edge o/w a near fine copy
in the price clipped pictorial d/w, which has a bit of chipping to the
top of the spine and light soiling but is certainly better than very
good. Crane A20.1.
$350
19. FROST, Robert. West-Running Brook. New York: Henry Holt and Company, (1928). First trade edition,
first issue. Cloth backed boards, with a gold panel with decoration in
black on the upper board. With woodcuts by J.J. Lankes. Spine ends
slightly rubbed o/w a fine copy in the first issue d/w which has
chipping to the spine ends and some creasing and closed tears on the
lower edge that have a professional repair (reinforcement) on the
verso of the d/w-- a very good d/w. Crane A10.
$475
20. GALLANT, Mavis. The Pegnitz Junction. A Novella and Five
Stories. Toronto: Macmillan, (1982). Laurentian Library 69. First of this
edition. Inscribed by Gallant on the title-page and dated ‘August
‘84.’ Wrappers. Some rubbing o/w very good.
$75
21. GOULD, Chester. Dick Tracy Ace Detective An original story based n
the Famous Newspaper Strip “Dick Tracy” by... Racine, Wisconsin: Whitman Publishing Company, (1943). ‘Authorized
Edition.’ Cheap paper browned as usual o/w fine in near fine pictorial
d/w.
$125
22. GREENE, Graham. Doctor Fischer of Geneva or the Bomb Party.
New York: Simon and Schuster, (1980). First U.S. edition. Limited
edition, 1 of 500 copies signed by the author. Fine without d/w in
slipcase as issued.
$525
23. HIGHSMITH, Patricia. Mermaids On The Golf Course. New York: Penzler Books, (1988). First American edition. 1 of 26
copies ‘hors commerce’ lettered and signed (this copy being ‘J’) out
of an edition of 100 signed copies. Fine (without d/w as issued) in
slipcase.
$350
24. HITSCHMANN, Edward. Great Men; psychoanalytic studies. Foreword
by Ernest Jones. Edited by Sydney G. Margolin with the assistance of
Hannah Gunther. New York: International Universities Press, (1956). First edition,
review copy with slip laid in. From the library of Dr. C.B. Farrar
with his bookplate. Newspaper clipping tipped on front free e/paper, a
two-page obituary of Hitschmann laid in, o/w about fine in d/w which
is faded on the spine and has internal tape repairs and one external
repair at the top of the spine, a few chips, but still very good.
Dr. Clarence B. Farrar [1874-1970]. Born in Cattaraugus, New York,
Farrar studied at Allegheny College and Harvard before earning his M.D. from Johns Hopkins Medical School. Farrar studied under William
Osler at Hopkins followed by postgraduate study with Emil Kraepelin,
Franz Nissl, and Alois Alzheimer. "As a chief psychiatrist for the
Canadian Army during WWI, Captain Farrar researched psychiatric cases
of soldiers with shell shock and published his findings with Charles
Kirk Clarke. Farrar was hand-picked by Prof. Charles Clarke, the
University's inaugural head of Psychiatry, to succeed him in both that
chair and as the first Director of the Toronto Psychiatric Hospital (TPH)
opening in 1925. Farrar served in those capacities until 1947, setting
the stage for the TPH to continue as the Department's clinical,
teaching, research and administrative nexus until succeeded in 1966 by
the Clarke Institute." (TPH: History and Memories of Toronto
Psychiatric Hospital by Edward Shorter). Farrar was also the editor of
The American Journal of Psychiatry for 34 years.
$125
25. HRYCIUK, Marshall. the i love lucy manuscript. (Toronto: twobitter #37, 1992). 1 of 100 copies. 12mo., orig.
pictorial sewn wrappers, (20)pp. Fine.
$50
26. HUMPHREYS, Helen. Gods And Other Mortals. (Ilderton): Brick Books Coldstream, (1986). Tall 8vo., orig.
wrappers, 78pp. Spine a bit faded o/w fine.
$45
27. (JESSIE WILCOX SMITH). KINGSLEY, Charles. The Water-Babies.
Illustrated by Jessie Wilcox Smith. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, (1916). First Canadian issue, from
the sheets of the ‘Smaller Edition’, second issue with ‘Printed in the
copyright page. With the imprint of the Canadian publisher on the
titlepage and at the foot of the spine. Tall 8vo., orig. green cloth
with a pictorial paper panel on the upper cover, (xvi), 270pp. With
eight full-page plates by Smith. A slight trace of rubbing at the foot
of the spine o/w a fine copy. Nudelman A46.
$450
28. JONES, D.G. Balthazar and Other Poems. (Toronto): Coach House Press, (1988). First edition. Wrappers.
Fine.
$45
29. JOYCE, James. Ulysses. London: The Bodley Head, (1954). Sixth Impression. A fine, bright
copy in the d/w which has some fading to the spine extending slightly
to both panels but o/w a fine, unworn d/w.
"This edition of the most discussed book of our age, besides being
the complete text approved by the author, contains an appendix of
documents relevant to the legal history of the book and a bibliography
of Mr. Joyce's works."
$300
30. KERR, Lennox. Back Door Guest. London: Constable & Co., (1930). Second impression of the author’s
first book. Spine ends faded o/w near fine in the attractive deco
jacket which has some light wear to the lower edge but is still better
than very good.
The account of the Scot Lennox Kerr’s travels in America in a
‘hobo-lifestyle.’ This is Kerr’s first book for an adult audience as
he was better known for writing children’s books under the pseudonym
Peter Dawlish.
$75
31. LANKES, J.J. (Julius John). A Woodcut Manual. New York: Henry Holt and Company, First edition. 4to., orig.
oatmeal cloth, lettered in green with a small green pictorial
decoration on the upper board, (x), 122pp. With illustrations by
Lankes. Some light foxing to covers but still a near fine copy in the
pictorial d/w, which is faded on the spine and has chipping to the top
of the spine and some light wear to the upper edge of the front panel
but is certainly better than very good of Lankes book on the technique
and art of the woodcut.
$275
32. (LAWN SPORTS). SPALDING’S ATHLETIC LIBRARY. Lawn Sports
Comprising Roque, Croquet, Golf-Croquet, Clock-Golf, Archery,
Tether-Ball, Garden Hockey, Lawn Hockey, American and British Croquet
Rules in addition to which are included rules for volleyball and
pinball, badminton, hand tennis, hand polo, wicket polo... New York: American Sports Publishing Company, (1916). 8vo., orig.
pictorial wrappers, 185, (17)pp. ads. With some illustration and
diagrams. A touch of wear to the foot of the spine o/w near fine.
$75
33. LE CARRE, John. Smiley’s People. London: Hodder and Stoughton, (1980). First edition. With the
signature of Canadian writer Jack Batten on the e/paper. An about fine
copy in d/w with some light wear to the spine ends but certainly very
good.
$150
34. LEE, Dennis. Alligator Pie the poems were written by Dennis
Lee. the pictures were drawn by Frank Newfeld. (Toronto): Macmillan, (1974). First edition. Inscribed ‘Best
wishes, Dennis Lee’ on the titlepage. 4to., dec. cloth, 64pp. Short
gift inscription on the front d/w flap o/w fine in a d/w with browning
to the bottom third of the spine extending to a bit on the rear panel
but still a much better than very good d/w.
$125
35.
LOWRY, Robert. a fantasy session of my four lost wives. Toronto: Letters, 1989. 1 of 69 copies. Sm. 8vo., orig. wrappers,
sewn, (12)pp. Fine.
$30
36.
LOWRY, Robert. The Little Man. (Toronto: Letters Bookshop, 1993). 1 of 150 copies. Sm. 8vo.,
orig. illustrated wrappers, sewn, (8)pp. Fine.
$35
37. MACEWEN, Gwendolyn. Noman's Land. Stories by... Toronto: Coach House Press, (1985). First edition. Inscribed by
MacEwen to fellow Canadian poet Eli Mandel and his wife Ann. A fine
copy.
$275
38. McFADDEN, David. Strange Language. (Toronto: published for the small press fair, 1992.) #105 of an
unspecified number. 8vo., orig. stapled wrappers, (8)pp. Fine.
$65
39. McGAFFEY, Ernest. Cosmos. Wausau, Wisconsin: The Philosopher Press, (1903). First edition,
with a later (1915) presentation inscription from the author. Tall
8vo., orig. grey cloth, (8), 30 leaves rectos only, followed by ‘Notes
on Cosmos’, 4 leaves rectos only. A fine copy.
Ernest McGaffey [1861- 1941] was an American lawyer, sportsman, and
writer. McGaffey was a friend of Edgar Lee Masters during the 1890s
and was associated with Masters and Clarence Darrow in the practice of
law. He was the author of several volumes of poetry.
$85
40. MICHAELS, Anne. Miner’s Pond. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, (1991). First edition. With a
presentation inscription to Arlene Lampert (the first Executive
Secretary and later the Executive Director of the Canadian League of
Poets). Wrappers. Fine. There was no hardcover issue.
$125
41.
(NATURAL SCIENCE) BUCKLEY, Arabella. Life and Her Children. Glimpses of Animal Life
from the Amoeba to the Insects. London: Edward Stanford, 1889. "Thirteenth thousand." 8vo., orig.
greenish blue cloth pictorially decorated in gilt, a.e.g., xii, 312,
4pp. ads. With illustrations. Rubberstamp on front free e/paper and
pastedown, a touch of wear to the foot of the spine but in fact near
fine.
Arabella Buckley was the first writer to translate Darwinian
evolution into popular terms that children could understand. Buckley
had worked as Charles Lyell's secretary for many years, and had
followed the Darwinian debates. Despite their rather disconcerting
titles, her books are "scientifically accurate and extremely lucid."
$125
42. ORWELL, George. The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters
of George Orwell. Edited by Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus. London: Secker & Warburg, (1968). First edition. In four volumes.
Fine, the d/w to volume one with a bit of creasing to the top of the
spines but the dustwrappers are otherwise fine.
$700
43. (PERIODICAL). Bust No. One. (Edited by Doug Fetherling).
Cover-title also reads ‘New Work By Allen Ginsberg & Raymond Souster
Plus New Toronto Writers.’ (Toronto: no publisher, Spring 1968). 8vo., orig. wrappers with
folded sheets making 36 pp. laid in. An about fine copy of this
‘avant-garde’ but short lived Canadian literary periodical.
$50
44. (POKER). FOSTER, R.F. Practical Poker. London: Thomas De La Rue & Co., 1904. First edition. Sm. 8vo.,
orig. maroon cloth, title stamped in gilt on upper board and spine,
a.e.g., xiv, 252, (3)pp. ads. Name on the front free e/paper, very
minor rubbing to the spine ends o/w an about fine copy.
$125
45. (POP-UP). CANIFF, Milton. Terry and the Pirates in Shipwrecked
[Cover title]: The "Pop-Up" Terry and the Pirates. Chicago: Pleasure Books Inc., (1935). ‘The Illustrated Pop-Up
Edition. A Blue Ribbon Press Book.' Tall square 8vo., orig. pictorial
paper boards, (24)pp. Including three double page pop-up illustrations
in colour, and illustrations in black and white throughout. Small tear
to one of the tabs on the final pop-up (it still pops up correctly),
some wear to the boards but still a very good copy of this pop- up
from the 1930s.
$375
46. QUARRINGTON, Paul. The Service. Toronto: Coach House Press, (1978). First edition of the author's
first book. 1 of 50 numbered copies, this being #18. This hardcover
was issued and signed by the author in 1994 from ‘sewn signatures
recovered during the relocation of The Coach House warehouse in the
summer of 1989.’ Tall 8vo., orig. decorated boards. Fine copy of the
scarce cloth issue.
$575
47.
RECHY, John. Numbers. New York: Grove Press, (1967). First edition. Signed by the author
on the front e/paper and with a sentence on p. 254 crossed out in blue
ink and initialled ‘JR’ in the margin. Fine in d/w.
$200
48. ROOKE, Richard. Crossing the Border & Other Poems.
(Illustrated by Paul Ambrosio, Andy Anderian, Rob Langdale, and
Jaspail Riyait. (Francestown, New Hampshire): Typographeum, 1992. 1 of an edition
of 85 copies, this is 1 of 75 regular copies. With a one-page printed
prospectus laid in. Tall 8vo., orig. blue cloth, printed paper spine
label, 41, (7)pp. With illustrations. Fine.
$85
49. WILSON, Margaret. Trousers of Taffeta. A Tale of a Polygamous
City. London: Jonathan Cape, (1929). First edition. A fine copy in an
about fine d/w designed by Pat Keely.
Patrick ‘Pat’ Cokayne Keely [1901–1970] was a British graphic artist
known for his Second World War posters for the Ministry of Information,
along with stylised commercial posters for publishers, the GPO and
public transport.
$150
50. WORDSWORTH, William. Ode Intimations of Immortality From
Recollections of Early Childhood. Boston: D. Lothrop an Company, (1884). Tall square 8vo., orig.
grey cloth with pictorial decoration on the upper cover, bevelled
edges, 48pp. With illustrations. Ownership inscription, Some light
wear to the spine ends and corners, a few white spots on the lower
portion of the rear board, but certainly very good.
$85
51.
YEATS, W.B. Poems. London: T. Fisher Unwin, (1920). Later impression of the seventh
edition. Tall 8vo., orig. blue cloth with elaborate gilt decoration on
the upper cover and spine and a small gilt decoration on the rear
cover, designed by Althea Gyles, (xvi), 314, (2)pp. A bit of foxing to
early leaves, very minor rubbing to the spine ends o/w an about fine
copy of this attractive book. Wade 100 notes. Wade states that this
impression had minor revisions.
$300
The Pope's Bookbinder
A Memoir
By David Mason
The Pope's Bookbinder AVAILABLE in trade paperback ($24.95) updated
with new chapter "Hemingway Heist", and Hardcover ($37.95)
All books purchased through us will be signed by David Mason.
A memoir of Mason's forty-five years in the booktrade. After some
years in Europe doing odd jobs, including a period doing bookbinding
in Spain, and reading incessantly, Mason returned to Canada,
apprenticed in the book trade with Joseph Patrick Books and has been
selling used and rare books ever since. His memories include the books
dealers, collectors, and libraries he has dealt with over that period.
The added chapter in the trade paperback edition on the Hemingway /
Fitzgerald / Callaghan robbery explains what happened and why the
author chose not to put it in the original edition.
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