Welcome to the second installment of Of Interest, a look at some of the books, new and old, that have caught our attention in the last week or so.
From a first edition of the children’s classic Bambi to Nick Hornby’s latest collection derived from his column in The Believer with plenty in between.
Enjoy!
Bambi: A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten
Simon and Schuster, 1928. First Edition. $1500.
One of the most beloved children’s books in any language, and basis for the classic 1942 Disney animated film
London and New York: Philip Lee Warner and G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1913. $350.
The third volume reproduces the complete ‘Papyrus of Ani’, in thirty-seven full-color folding plates, uniformly bound to match the first two volumes
Classic ancient Egyptian funerary text
New York: Horace Liveright, 1930. Limited edition, one of fifteen hundred and forty numbered copies. $300.
Eight color illustrations by Mjeska, each with a protective sheet containing a printed caption – and the frontispiece is signed by Majeska in the margin.
A Miniature Look at London
The Diamond Guide To The Sights of London
London: Harris Brothers, 1850. Miniature book (1 5/8” x 1 1/4”). $350.
A miniature guide to the sights of London. Includes many different illustrations depicting the popular attractions (British Museum, Thames Tunnel, and the Vauxhall Gardens to name a few). Also included are many different statues, churches, etc.
New York: Jan Henderikse, 1983. Pamphlet. Illustrated card covers (4-1/4 x 5-1/2”, folded); 5pp of text (including the inside front cover), and an accordion-fold illustrated sheet tipped-in to the inside rear cover, displaying thirteen photocopied images of the Brooklyn Bridge. $65.
New York: The Vanguard Press, 1929.First Edition. $250.
This copy with a fantastic presentation inscription in the year of publication from Sullivan to Walter Howey, one time editor of Hearst’s ‘Chicago American’ newspaper (among many others) ; “To my old friend/ Walter Howey/ the best newspaperman/ that ever happened —/ Edward D. Sullivan
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1942. First American Edition. $100.
Little Brown & Company, 1998. First Edition, First Printing. $45.
Book of photographs by R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe and Oliver Ray with brief tributes by Thurston Moore, William Burroughs, Tom Verlaine, Lenny Kaye, Kim Gordon among others.
Esquire Inc, 1937. First Edition. $150.
Donato’s first book, printed in the form of a novella published by Esquire. He developed it into a novel in 1939, published by Bobbs Merrill.
The story of an Italian-American working class family in Depression-era New York served as the basis for Edward Dmytryk’s 1949 film noir, “Give Us This Day,” produced while Dmytryk was in exile in England avoiding prosecution by the House Un-American Activities Committee
University of Indiana Press, 1966. First Edition, First Printing. Introduction by Thomas Merton.$100.
WORTHY NEWER BOOKS
A Little History of Literature by John Sutherland. Yale University Press. $25.
Marketplace of the Marvelous: The Strange Origins of Modern Medicine by Erika Janik. Beacon Press. $28.95.
Ten Years in the Tub: A Decade Soaking in Great Books by Nick Hornby. Believer Books. $26.
Why I Read: The Serious Pleasure of Books by Wendy Lesser. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
$25
Train Shots by Vanessa Blakeslee. Burrow Press. $15. Debut collection of stories.