Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana. Part 2

Property from the Robert S Brown Collection

Property from the Robert S Brown Collection Maugham, William Somerset Autograph letter signed ("W. Somerset Maugham"), a lengthy missive to his literary agent William Morris Colles, with a copy of Liza of Lambeth 7 pp. (219 x 137 mm) on 2 bifolia, "Via Frattina 119... Roma," 28 October [1898], stamped in purple on the first page "Received 31 October 98"; horizontal folds, a bit of thumbsoiling and toning, pinprick losses to a few corners, first page marked "234" in blue crayon. [With] Liza of Lambeth. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1897. 8vo. Half title, 6pp. publisher's ads at rear. Green publisher's cloth, front cover gilt-lettered, gilt design of Coster girl, signed "H. B.," within gilt rule, spine gilt-lettered, rear cover lettered and with publisher's device in black; endpapers browned and chipped, covers lightly soiled, bookseller's description tipped in at front. Housed in a leather-backed slipcase with folding cloth chemise. A lengthy autograph letter from Maugham at the outset of his literary career, together with a first edition of the author's first novel. In this illuminating letter, Maugham writes to his literary agent William Morris Colles on several matters related to his career and professional entanglements. He touches on the apparent successes of his first two novels, referencing both Liza of Lambeth, published by T. Fisher Unwin in 1897, and a forthcoming second edition of The Making of a Saint, published the following year. Notwithstanding these successes, his dissatisfaction with Fisher Unwin is made abundantly clear. He complains bitterly that Liza was not copyrighted in America, and tells Colles that unless he is legally bound to, he does not wish to continue working with Unwin on their old terms, “if you can get him to refuse the third book—short stories or otherwise—I shall be only too glad.” Maugham closes the letter with one final, humorous jab at Unwin: “The first time I saw Mr. Unwin he gave me some paternal advice + among other things he remarked that it was almost impossible to make a living out of literature. With him as a publisher I think he was quite right.” With a copy of his first novel. He described Liza of Lambeth to his publisher as "the story of a nine days wonder in a Lambeth slum. . . It shows that those queer folk the poor live and love and love and die in very much the same way as their neighbours of Brixton and Belgravia, and that hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness are not the peculiar attributes of the Glorious British Middle Class, and finally it shows that in this world nothing very much matters, and that in Vere Street, Lambeth, nothing matters at all." PROVENANCE: Stewart Kidd (bookseller's description tipped in)

View 1 of Lot 1202: Maugham, William Somerset |  A lengthy missive to his literary agent, with a copy of "Liza of Lambeth"

maugham, william somerset | a lengthy missive to his literary agent, with a copy of "liza of lambeth"

Books &amp; Manuscripts

Ashenden. London: Heinemann, 1928 8vo (7 1/4 x 5 3/4 in.; 180 x 120 mm). Publisher's gilt-stamped green cloth in pictorial dust-jacket; some browning from old protector to edges of endpapers; spine panel faded with loss to title at spine head, chip from top right jacket panel.

maugham, william somerset

Fine Books and Manuscripts

Chandler, Raymond. Typed letter signed ("Ray") to S. J. Perelman, 1 ½ pages, 4to, single-spaced, La Jolla, 9 January 1952. On Florida, Rancho Santa Fe, using an Audograph, and Hollywood: "... Why is your wife so mad at Hollywood? After all there are lots of nice people in Hollywood, far more than there are in La Jolla. The picture business can be a little trying at times, but I don't suppose working for General Motors is all sheer delight, and working for Henry Ford ... must have been just about as restful as being a bodyguard for Dutch Schultz ... I am frankly not interested in your Florida sex hunger. Nobody made you go to Florida ... I rather gathered from your writings that about all ... [your wife Laura] does is put perfume in her hair and loaf around in a mink coat and slacks ... may I remind you of your promise to lend me that book of Nathanael West's, which seems to be unobtainable here."

Chandler, Raymond. Typed letter signed ("Ray") to S. J. Perelman, 1 ½ pages, 4to, single-spaced, La Jolla, 9 January 1952. On Florida, Rancho Santa Fe, using an Audograph, and Hollywood: "... Why is your wife so mad at Hollywood? After all there are lots of nice people in Hollywood, far more than there are in La Jolla. The picture business can be a little trying at times, but I don't suppose working for General Motors is all sheer delight, and working for Henry Ford ... must have been just about as restful as being a bodyguard for Dutch Schultz ... I am frankly not interested in your Florida sex hunger. Nobody made you go to Florida ... I rather gathered from your writings that about all ... [your wife Laura] does is put perfume in her hair and loaf around in a mink coat and slacks ... may I remind you of your promise to lend me that book of Nathanael West's, which seems to be unobtainable here." Wilson, Edmund. Two autograph letters signed ("Edmund") to Perelman, together 2 pages, small 4to, Wellfleet, Mass., and Paris, 11 December 1958 and 20 December 1963. "... I am [still?] reading The Most [of S. J. Perelman]. What I don't understand is how—having been born, I find, nine years later than I—you know about Elbert Hubbard...& The Japanese Schoolboy—& how many of your readers, do you think, recognize these references?... We've just read your latest New Yorker piece & have been thinking of you ..."  Maugham, William Somerset. Three autograph letters signed and three typed letters signed (five of the letters signed "W. Somerset Maugham," the sixth with initials) to Perelman, together 7 pages, 8vo, Villa Mauresque, 1957–1959 and no date. Maugham thanks Perelman for copies of his books, praises his writing, and arranges for meetings. 30 January 1957: "... we are suffering from the lack of fuel oil, and the house is like an ice box, but your chapters [in The Road to Miltown] warmed the cockles of my heart, so that by writing these pieces you have probably saved my life." N.d.: "Thank you very kindly for sending me your two books. They are a treat. I have been reading them in bed at night & had a grand time. I have laughed & laughed, & wondered how on earth you manage to be so very funny so very often ..." Theroux, Paul. Three typed letters signed ("Paul") to Perelman, together 6 pages, 4to, single-spaced, London, 1977–1979. Lively, chatty letters in which Theroux talks about his writing projects, travels, life in London, etc. 4 January 1977: "... My story 'Dependent Wife' is one of 20 which will appear together this year under the title, The Consul's File. Several are ghost stories (I recommend 'Dengue Fever') and all are set in the same droopy town in Malaysia. The tit 'n' bum magazines have bought the rest ..." 8 April 1979: "... In Jan. we went to Scotland and I pondered my future, but by chance found a copy of a Kipling biography and was inspired to write a play based on his terrible four years in Vermont, when he fought with his brother-in-law (the town drunk) and then had the swine arrested. Kipling was over-reacting, which makes the play interesting—it is the drunken swine who is in the right, and Our Ruddy is shown as a heel ..." And 24 letters, etc., to Perelman from Ogden Nash  (7 autograph letters signed, 13 pp., folio, 1966–70,  plus an autograph poem signed), Malcolm Cowley (a 1933 TLS rejecting a Perelman  submission to The New Republic), Brooks Atkinson (6 letters), Ronald Searle (2 letters),  and other correspondents (6 letters; plus a brief hotel message typed for Ernest Hemingway: "Ring room 108 any time.")

american and english authors (mainly)

English Literature, History, Science, Childrens Books and Illustrations

Beerbohm, Max. Zuleika Dobson. William Heinemann, 1911, FIRST EDITION, publisher's advertisements, half-title printed in brown, title page printed in black and brown, original brown cloth, spine lettered in gilt, publisher's stamp in blind on lower cover, top edge cut, others uncut, rubbed--Maugham, W. Somerset. Don Fernando. William Heinemann Ltd, 1935, FIRST EDITION, LIMITED ISSUE, on large paper, number 40 of 175 copies signed by the author, half-title, fly-title, original green buckram, top edge gilt, slipcase, minor spotting to preliminary and end blanks, spine sunned; Don Fernando. William Heinemann Ltd, 1935, FIRST EDITION, half-title, black cloth, some spotting, boards with soiling, rubbed; Strictly Personal. New York: Doubleday, Doran and Company Inc., 1941, FIRST EDITION,  number 75 of 115 copies signed by the author, half-title, photogravure portrait, fly-title, original plum buckram boards, top edge gilt, slipcase, spine sunned, scratch to spine label, slipcase sunned and rubbed; A Writer’s Notebook. William Heinemann Ltd, 1949, FIRST EDITION, number 121 of 1,000 copies signed by the author, half-title, title page printed in red and black, original half vellum with navy blue buckram boards, top edge gilt, slipcase, slipcase rubbed; Cakes and Ale. New York: The Modern Library, 1950, green cloth boards, dust-jacket, verso of dust-jacket with publisher’s advertisements, rubbed; The Vagrant Mood. William Heinemann Ltd, 1952, FIRST EDITION, number 4 of 500 copies signed by the author, half-title, title page printed in red and black, original half mushroom calf, navy blue calf, top edge gilt, glassine wrappers, slipcase, rubbed; Cakes And Ale. William Heinemann Ltd,  [1954], "Eightieth Birthday" edition, number 286 of 1000 signed by author and artist, half-title, original lithograph and decorations by Graham Sutherland, facsimile reproduction of the first and last two pages of the original manuscript, half mushroom calf, navy blue calf boards, divided by gold rule, top edge gilt, slightly rubbed; all 12mo or 8vo

collection of 8 volumes, comprising:

The Library of an English Bibliophile, Part VI

8vo (187 x 122mm.), FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, one of around 3,000 copies, 10pp. of advertisements at the end, original dark blue cloth, lettered in gilt, bookplate, DUST-JACKET, inner slipcase and quarter blue morocco outer slipcase, endpapers slightly cracked as usual, slightly bumped at head of spine, tiny chips to edges of jacket and also minor wear on middle of spine jacket

the trembling of a leaf. little stories of the south sea islands. london: william heinemann, 1921

8vo (183 x 124mm.), FIRST EDITION, original gilt-stamped green cloth, publisher's flyer loosely inserted, DUST-JACKET, minute wear to cloth and jacket, spine slightly rolled, OTHERWISE A VERY FINE COPY

ashenden. or the british agent. london: william heinemann, 1928

8vo, FIRST EDITION, first impression, first issue with 4pp. of advertisements at the rear in earliest state, PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed by author on half-title ("For | Alexander Quailer | suggested by the life of | a French painter | W. Somerset Maugham "), original sage green cloth, blocked in black, dust-jacket, slipcase, browning, minor chipping to side edge of endpapers, boards slightly soiled, bumped, dust-jacket worn at extremities with small chips to edges

the moon and sixpence. william heinemann, 1919

English Literature, History, Children’s Books and Illustrations

From the Library of Christian Heuer MAUGHAM, W. SOMERSET The Painted Veil. William Henemann, 1925 8vo, FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, THIRD STATE, with cancel title and list of 26 books to verso of half-title, PRESENTATION COPY TO HIS PUBLISHER inscribed ("For Charley... For C.S. Evans"), original dark blue cloth stamped in gilt and black on upper board, spine gilt, DUST-JACKET, collector's blue morocco-backed folding box, some light browning to endpapers and spotting to edges, dust-jacket worn at extremities and folds with light restoration C.S. Evans (1883-1944) would eventually become a director and later chairman of William Heinemann Ltd. LITERATURE: Stott A33c Please see shipping calculator link: click here

maugham | the painted veil, 1925, inscribed

Vivien: The Vivien Leigh Collection

i) Jane Austen. Jane Austen’s Novels. Edited by Richard Brimley Johnson. London: J.M. Dent, 1895-1896, 10 volumes, 8vo, fifth editions, LAURENCE OLIVIER’S COPIES with his ownership inscription (“Olivier”) on the a preliminary blank in each volume, title pages printed in black and red within a decorative border, half olive green calf over marbled boards, top edges gilt, boards very worn, some boards and spines detached; 

i) Jane Austen. Jane Austen’s Novels. Edited by Richard Brimley Johnson. London: J.M. Dent, 1895-1896, 10 volumes, 8vo, fifth editions, LAURENCE OLIVIER’S COPIES with his ownership inscription (“Olivier”) on the a preliminary blank in each volume, title pages printed in black and red within a decorative border, half olive green calf over marbled boards, top edges gilt, boards very worn, some boards and spines detached;  ii) Alethea Wiel. The Story of Verona. London: J.M. Dent, 1925, small 8vo, presentation copy inscribed in Italian to Laurence Olivier and dated 13 July 1954 on the verso of the frontispiece, original full vellum;  iii) Will Durant. The Story of Philosophy. London: Ernest Benn Limited, [c.1926], 8vo, LAURENCE OLIVIER’S COPY WITH HIS OWNERSHIP SIGNATURE (“This book belongs to | Laurence Olivier “) and address (“The Gates, Baldock, Herts”) on the front free endpaper, original green cloth, joints fragile;  iv) Asataro Miyamori. Masterpieces of Chikamatsu. The Japanese Shakespeare. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1926, 8vo, presentation copy inscribed to Laurence Olivier (“Sir Laurence Olivier | Trust that this volume | may prove a useful | addition to your library. | With Best wishes | Sincerely | LXXX Bush | Tokyo | 20/4/49”) on the front free endpaper, original teal cloth;  v) A.A. Milne. The Ivory Door. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1928, 8vo, FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED TO LAURENCE OLIVIER BY THE AUTHOR (“To Laurence Olivier | this legend of a King | in return for Henry V and Richard III | from | A.A. Milne | 13.xii.45”) on the front free endpaper, original yellow printed boards;  vi) John Drinkwater. All About Me. Poems for a child. London: W. Collins Sons, 1928, 8vo, reprint, LAURENCE OLIVIER’S COPY WITH HIS OWNERSHIP SIGNATURE on the front free endpaper, printed slip commemorating the 250th performance of Bird in Hand at the Royalty Theatre on 23 November 1928 tipped in at front endpaper, original orange cloth gilt vii) James Laver. The Circle of Chalk. London: William Heinemann, 1929, tall 8vo, one of 1000 copies, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR (“For Laurence Olivier | with very many thanks | from | James Laver | 14.3.29”) on a preliminary blank, additionally inscribed (“To | Larry Olivier | May life treat you | kindly and bless you with | much happiness and success. | Sincerely | Ann May Wong | April 20, 1929”) on the half-title, original black cloth over green boards;  viii) [John Keats]. Keats. London: William Collins, 1931, 8vo, presentation copy inscribed to Laurence Olivier (“Laurence Olivier | from April Joffé | May 1943”) on the front free endpaper, original printed boards, dust-jacket;  ix) J.S.H. Bransom. The Tragedy of King Lear. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1934, 8vo, WITH AN AUTOGRAPH NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR (“To Laurence Olivier | With the author’s compliments | and best wishes for the | success of a great venture. | James S.H. Bransom”) loosely inserted, original navy cloth, cloth spotted;  x) W. Somerset Maugham. Altogether. London: William Heinemann, 1935, 8vo, reprint, presentation copy inscribed to Laurence Olivier (“28th May 1937 | Dear Mr Olivier | A trifle (to | while away an hour”) in | appreciation of your | splendid season at the | “Old Vic” 1936-1937 […] Yours, | Ancient Pistol”) on the front free endpaper, original red cloth;  xi) Clemence Dane. Will Shakespeare. An Invention in Four Acts. London: William Heinemann, 1936, small 8vo, reprint, presentation copy inscribed to Laurence Olivier (“23rd November | 1937 | Dear Mr Olivier, | Will you | please accept this small | tribute to your art […] Yours | “Pistol.””) on the front free endpaper, original brown cloth;  xii) G.W.L. Day. Libellous Lyrics on Superior People. London: Herbert Jenkins, 1937, 8vo, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED TO LAURENCE OLIVIER BY HIS SISTER SYBILLE (“For my adored Larry – with love from | the author’s | Wife! | Syba | (To bring you, Macbeth.) | 22.11.37”) on the front free endpaper, original green cloth, dust-jacket;  xiii) Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. My Life in the Russian Theatre. London: Geoffrey Bles, 1937, 8vo, typed letter signed to Laurence Olivier from Eugene Iliyn loosely inserted, original green cloth;  xiv) Henry James. The Turn of the Screw. [London?]: The Hand and Flower Press, 1940, 4to, number 88 of 200 copies, presentation copy inscribed to Laurence Olivier (“To Larry | from | your fans Nos 1 an 2 | The Sammies | Dec 1946”) on the front free endpaper, original cloth over marbled boards, some rubbing to upper edge of boards;  xv) Maud Wellington. The Wife of Wellington. London: Printed for the author, 1943, 8vo, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR (“To | Laurence Olivier | souvenir from | Maud | Wellington”) on the front free endpaper, original maroon cloth;  xvi) A.L. Rowse. The English Spirit. London: Macmillan & Co., 1944, 8vo, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED TO LAURENCE OLIVIER (“With gratitude | To Larry from Beau | A.D. 1944. Xmas | In token of remembrance for two | ventures you have let me share”) on the front free endpaper, original red cloth;  xvii) Bruce Marshall. All Glorious Within. London: Constable & Co., 1944, 8vo, reprint, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY DENYS BLAKELOCK (“Larry - | with love | from | Denys | December | 1944”) on the front free endpaper, original blue cloth;  xviii) Robert McEnroe. The Silver Whistle. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1948, 8vo, LAURENCE OLIVIER’S COPY, with ownership inscription (“Laurence Olivier Pro. Ltd. | 7 St James’s St | SW1”) on the front free endpaper, original blue cloth;  xix) Ronald Searle and Kaye Webb. Paris Sketchbook. London: The Saturn Press, 1950, 4to, presentation copy inscribed to Laurence Olivier (“Many happy return, dear Larry! | Much love | Feathers | 22/5/51”) on the front free endpaper, original blue cloth, dust-jacket, jacket a little worn at upper edge;  xx) Percy Mackaye. The Mystery of Hamlet King of Denmark. New York: The Bong Wheelwright Company, 1950, 8vo, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR (“To | Sir Laurence Olivier | the sincere esteem of | Percy MacKaye | By courtesy of Sir Cedric Hardwicke”) on the front free endpaper, original blue cloth, dust-jacket, jacket worn;  xxi) Henry De Montherlant. The Master of Santiago and four other plays. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, 1951, 8vo, WITH A NOTE TO LAURENCE OLIVIER FROM THE PUBLISHER LOOSELY INSERTED (“It is the first time such plays have been translated into English, and we hope very much that they may find a place in the English theatre…”), original red cloth, dust-jacket;  xxii) Eleanor Ruggles. Edwin Booth. Price of Players. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1953, 8vo, presentation copy inscribed to Laurence Olivier (“To Larry Olivier | Than whom there could | be no greater reincarnation | of Booth. | Best personal regards, | from one Player to another, | John Byram | new York, March 26 | 1953”) on the front free endpaper, original red cloth;  xxiii) Arthur Colby Sprague. Shakespearean Players and Performances. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1954, 8vo, AUTOGRAPH LETTER FROM ALEC CLUNES TO LAURENCE OLIVIER (“Dear Larry, Here – with affection and admiration – is a book which will, I hope, rest you mind a little from your current labours…”) loosely inserted, original blue cloth;  xxiv) M.E. Clifton James. I was Monty’s Double. London: The Popular Book Club, [c.1955], 8vo, , PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED TO LAURENCE OLIVIER BY HIS SISTER SYBILLE (Larry | from | Syba | with love | May 22nd 1958”) on the front free endpaper, original red cloth;  xxv) René Hainaux. Stage Design throughout the world since 1935. London: George G. Harrap, 1956, 4to, presentation copy inscribed to Laurence Olivier (“Offered – respectfully | to Sir Laurence | Olivier | by Gilbert Harding | in gratitude | and with admiration. | May Day 1957”) on the front free endpaper, original cloth, dust-jacket, dust-jacket a little worn;  xxvi) Tullia Gasparrini Lepoace. Il Mappamundo di fra Mauro. Venice: Istituto Poligraphico Dello Stato, 1956, folio, number 203 of 700 copies, presentation copy inscribed to Laurence Olivier in Italian and dated 30 May 1957, in cream cloth folio with 49 plates and one acetate sheet, publisher’s slipcase, some soiling to cloth folio (35)

a collection of books owned by or inscribed to laurence olivier, comprising:

The Library of an English Bibliophile Part VII

8vo (186 x 121mm.), first edition, original dark blue cloth lettered in gilt on spine and upper cover with author's symbol in black on upper cover, pictorial dust-jacket, slight offsetting to endpapers, a touch of wear to jacket with a few tiny nicks and some slight spotting on lower panel

the casuarina tree. london: william heinemann ltd., 1926

The Library of an English Bibliophile, Part V

8vo (183 x 124mm.), FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR ("For Fred | from W. Somerset Maugham | these stories based on my | experiences in the Secret Service | during the first war") on the front endpaper, original blue cloth lettered in gilt, PICTORIAL DUST-JACKET, collector's brown cloth case, slight wear to edges of cloth and jacket, small hole to lower joint of jacket

ashenden or the british agent. london: william heinemann ltd., 1928

8vo (185 x 121mm.), first edition, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR ("For | Norman | W. Somerset Maugham | his faithful friend") on the front endpaper, original blue cloth lettered in gilt and black, gilt devices in black, dust-jacket, collector's maroon folding cloth case and matching slipcase, some tiny nicks and tears to edges of jacket, OTHERWISE FINE

cakes and ale. or the skeleton in the cupboard. london: william heinemann ltd., 1930

maugham | on a chinese screen, 1922, inscribed

English Literature, History, Children’s Books and Illustrations Online

first edition, 8vo, original dark blue cloth lettered in gilt on spine and upper cover with author's symbol in black on upper cover, dust-jacket, head and foot of spine slightly bumped, browned dust-jacket with loss to head and foot of spine and some edges

the casuarina tree. london: william heinemann, 1926

maugham, w. somerset. ashenden: or the british agent. william heinemann, ltd.,...

From the Library of Christian Heuer MAUGHAM, W. SOMERSET Ashenden. Or the British Agent. William Heinemann, 1928 8vo, FIRST EDITION, half-title, fly-title, original gilt-stamped green cloth, DUST-JACKET, collector's cloth slipcase with printed label on spine, FIRST EDITION IN JACKET OF THE HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL COLLECTION OF SPY STORIES WHICH INSPIRED A WHOLE GENERATION OF WRITERS, including Ian Fleming, John le Carre and Eric Ambler. LITERATURE: Stott A37a PROVENANCE: Stuart B Schimmel (his bookplate) Please see shipping calculator link: click here.

maugham, ashenden, 1928

Your Own Sylvia: Sylvia Plath’s letters to Ted Hughes and other items, property of Frieda Hughes

Sylvia Plath Typed letter signed, to Edith and William Hughes ("Dear Ted's mother & dad") looking out the window "into a grey hazy day", explaining that Thom Gunn had been awarded the Somerset Maugham Award because the judges "probably figured Ted had enough", but promising that Hughes's "last five poems are the most colorful and exciting he has done yet", with details of the poems by both writers that will be published in Audience including "a poem I wrote about riding a runaway horse", with news of her brother and her own work for the head of the Sanskrit department at Harvard ("he is a poetic soul at heart & has given me two articles of his on Sanskrit poetry"), 1 page, folio (252 x 203mm), yellow airmail stationery, [9 Willow Street, Boston, MA,] 31 March 1959, light creasing PLATH REFERENCES A POEM THAT PREFIGURES 'ARIEL'. Her poem 'Whiteness I remember', referenced in this letter, described "my runaway ride in Cambridge on the horse Sam". In late August 1962 she was to begin riding lessons on a plodding and elderly mare called 'Ariel'. Her great poem, 'Ariel', drew both on these lessons and also on her terrifying but exhilarating earlier riding experience. LITERATURE The Letters of Sylvia Plath: Volume Two, pp.307-8

View 1 of Lot 36: Sylvia Plath | Typed letter signed, to Edith & William Hughes, on their latest publications, 31 March 1959

sylvia plath | typed letter signed, to edith & william hughes, on their latest publications, 31 march 1959

The Moon and Sixpence. William Heinemann, 1919, first edition, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR TO NORMAN UNGAR ON FRONT FREE ENDPAPER, first issue with two leaves of advertisements at the end, dust-jacket, jacket slightly chipped and torn; Liza of Lambeth. T. Fisher Unwin, 1897, THE AUTHOR'S FIRST BOOK, first edition, first issue, bookplate of John Talbot Gernan, offsetting to endpapers; The Razor's Edge, William Heinemann, 1944, first English edition, dust-jacket; Catalina. A Romance. William Heinemann, 1948, cloth with imitation gold blocking (variant), dust-jacket; first editions, original cloth bindings, all London editions, 8vo (4)

four first editions:

English Literature, History, Children&#39;s Books & Illustrations

discussing his life, writing, especially Blood Royal, media appearances ("...I thought my interview on TV was a terrible flop, but no: I was interviewed again on St Patrick's Day about the Irish martyrs (chiefly Casement of course)..."), and such literary friends as Somerset Maugham, Cocteau, and Truman Capote ("...I remember that Christopher Isherwood brought him to see me ... at the end of the last War..."), complaining of his poverty and the grim realities of old age (including being met by friends with the words "We were told you were dead"),  c.100 pages, chiefly 4to and 8vo, various locations, 13 December 1958 to 5 March 1968

discussing his life, writing, especially Blood Royal, media appearances ("...I thought my interview on TV was a terrible flop, but no: I was interviewed again on St Patrick's Day about the Irish martyrs (chiefly Casement of course)..."), and such literary friends as Somerset Maugham, Cocteau, and Truman Capote ("...I remember that Christopher Isherwood brought him to see me ... at the end of the last War..."), complaining of his poverty and the grim realities of old age (including being met by friends with the words "We were told you were dead"),  c.100 pages, chiefly 4to and 8vo, various locations, 13 December 1958 to 5 March 1968 together with 5 first editions, all presentation copies to woods gray with lengthy inscriptions ("For my dear friend Woods Gray with admiration, affection and (even) respect!! from the wretched author...", "For my very dear Woods from his ancient, loving, & admiring friend..." etc): As Young as Sophocles. 1937, marked up by the publishers for the revised 1956 version of his autobiography (Mr Norris and I), referred to in Hamilton's inscription;  Mr Norris and I. 1956, dust-jacket (torn);  Emma in Blue. 1957, dust-jacket; Jacaranda.1961, dust-jacket; Blood Royal. The Isle of Man1964, original paper covers, spine torn; London imprints and original cloth except where stated, some foxing and wear to bindings, 8vo (5) The writer and bon-viveur Gerald Hamilton (c.1888-1970), friend of the nobility and Winston Churchill, among others, was the model for Christopher Isherwood's Arthur Norris in Mr Norris Changes Trains (see lot 118), from which Hamilton derived the title for the later version of his memoir Mr Norris and I (present here in both versions). Of Irish descent, homosexual and with Communist sympathies Hamilton was briefly interned by the British government during both World Wars: in the First for his association with the Irish Nationalist Roger Casement, and in the Second for his anti-war stance. His book Blood Royal, discussed in this lot, is a history of Queen Victoria's immediate descendants and relatives in Europe, and the haemophilia that afflicted the family.  

series of 75 autograph and typed letters signed, to william ('woods') gray

English Literature, History, Children&#39;s Books and Illustrations

8vo, first edition, original blue cloth lettered in gilt and black on spine with title in gilt and author's symbol in black on upper cover, dust-jacket, collector's folder and morocco-backed slipcase, slight spotting to preliminaries, spotting to edges, slight restoration and strengthening to edges of jacket

ashenden. london: william heinemann ltd., 1928

The Moon and Sixpence. London: William Heinemann, 1919

maugham, w. somerset.

Of Human Bondage. London: William Heinemann, 1915

Ashenden or the British Agent. William Heinemann, 1928

BOYD, WILLIAM A Good Man in Africa. Hamish Hamilton, 1981 8vo, first edition of the author's first book, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR ON THE TITLE PAGE, original cloth, dust-jacket Boyd's first novel won both the Whitbread Award and the Somerset Maugham Prize. Please see shipping calculator link: click here

boyd | a good man in africa, 1981, inscribed

Books and Manuscripts: 19th and 20th Century

Crime and Genre Fiction Two first editions: i) Maugham, W. Somerset. Ashenden. Or the British Agent. London: William Heinemann, 1928. 8vo, FIRST EDITION, half-title, fly-title, original gilt-stamped green cloth, DUST-JACKET, collector's cloth slipcase with printed label on spine, ii) Cain, James M. The Postman Always Rings Twice. New York: Alred A. Knopf, 1934. 8vo, FIRST EDITION, half-title, original orange cloth blocked in blue, top edge blue, DUST-JACKET, collector's blue-folding box, dust-jacket worn at extremities ASHENDEN WAS A HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL COLLECTION OF SPY STORIES WHICH INSPIRED A WHOLE GENERATION OF WRITERS, including Ian Fleming, John le Carre and Eric Ambler. The Postman Always Rings Twice, Cain's first novel, was a key early example of a hard-boiled American thriller. LITERATURE: i) Stott A37a PROVENANCE: i) Stuart B Schimmel (his bookplate)

View 1 of Lot 86: Two first editions: Maugham, Ashenden, 1928; Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice, 1934

two first editions: maugham, ashenden, 1928; cain, the postman always rings twice, 1934

Original Film Posters Online

The Letter / La Lettre (1940) poster, French

The Letter / La Lettre (1940) poster, French Artist: Boris Grinsson (1907-1999) Unframed Dimensions: 63 x 47 in. (160 x 119 cm) This film was directed by William Wyler, and stars Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson. The screenplay by Howard E. Koch is based on the 1927 play of the same name by W. Somerset Maugham. This classic film noir was nominated for seven Oscars. Bette Davis gave a brilliant performance and was nominated for Best Actress, which she lost to Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle. The director William Wyler was also nominated for an Oscar, which went to John Ford for The Grapes of Wrath. This was certainly a very tough year. This film was also up for the Best Picture of the year, and missed out to Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca. The wonderful artwork by Boris Grinsson brilliantly captures the sinister Bette Davis, gun in hand, with the silhouette of Geoff Hammond's widow looking in the background. This is undoubtedly the best looking poster on this classic 1940s film noir. Please see shipping calculator here.

the letter / la lettre (1940) poster, french

English Literature, History, Science, Children’s Books and Illustrations Online

BOYD, WILLIAM A Good Man in Africa. Hamish Hamilton, 1981 8vo, first edition of the author's first book, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR ON THE TITLE PAGE, original cloth, dust-jacket Boyd's classic first novel won both the Whitbread Award and the Somerset Maugham Prize. Please see Shipping Calculator Link: Click Here

boyd, a good man in africa, 1981

writers, poets and playwrights, including: Elizabeth Gaskell (about an invitation to stay with her, 3 pages, 8vo, September 1854), C.L. Dodgson (to Miss Hope, inviting her to visit his rooms, 2 pages, oblong 8vo, 26 May 1896), Thomas Hardy, Henry James, W.M. Thackeray, Evelyn Waugh, Wilkie Collins, Arthur Conan Doyle, George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, Marie Corelli, Shane Leslie, Algernon Blackwood, Edith Sitwell, R.D. Blackmore, C.M. Yonge, W. Somerset Maugham, Mary Sinclair, Ivy Compton-Burnett, Clive Bell, William de Morgan, Christina Rossetti, Robert Browning, John Ruskin, Sir Walter Scott, Hilaire Belloc, Charles Reade, Marcel Proust and Alphonse Daudet; artists and designers, including: George du Maurier (two original pen-and-ink drawings, one of them signed), D.G. Rossetti, Edwin Lutyens, John Everett Millais, Edward Burne-Jones, William Holman Hunt, Aubrey Beardsley, Thomas Lawrence, James McNeill Whistler, William Orpen, Charles Shannon, Charles Ricketts, Gordon Craig, John Singer Sargent, Duncan Grant and Gregorio Prieto; theatre directors and actors, including: Ellen Terry (giving advice on a charity event, 6 pages, 8vo), John Gielgud and Barry Jackson; and politicians, diplomats, and military leaders, including: Simon Bolívar (a grant of a post in the Bolivian government, 28 December 1825), the Bolivian and Peruvian presidents Antonio José de Sucre and Ramón Castilla, Prince Eugene of Savoy, the first Duke of Marlborough, Napoleon, Warren Hastings, Chateaubriand, Prince Kropotkin and Giuseppe Mazzini

writers, poets and playwrights, including: Elizabeth Gaskell (about an invitation to stay with her, 3 pages, 8vo, September 1854), C.L. Dodgson (to Miss Hope, inviting her to visit his rooms, 2 pages, oblong 8vo, 26 May 1896), Thomas Hardy, Henry James, W.M. Thackeray, Evelyn Waugh, Wilkie Collins, Arthur Conan Doyle, George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, Marie Corelli, Shane Leslie, Algernon Blackwood, Edith Sitwell, R.D. Blackmore, C.M. Yonge, W. Somerset Maugham, Mary Sinclair, Ivy Compton-Burnett, Clive Bell, William de Morgan, Christina Rossetti, Robert Browning, John Ruskin, Sir Walter Scott, Hilaire Belloc, Charles Reade, Marcel Proust and Alphonse Daudet; artists and designers, including: George du Maurier (two original pen-and-ink drawings, one of them signed), D.G. Rossetti, Edwin Lutyens, John Everett Millais, Edward Burne-Jones, William Holman Hunt, Aubrey Beardsley, Thomas Lawrence, James McNeill Whistler, William Orpen, Charles Shannon, Charles Ricketts, Gordon Craig, John Singer Sargent, Duncan Grant and Gregorio Prieto; theatre directors and actors, including: Ellen Terry (giving advice on a charity event, 6 pages, 8vo), John Gielgud and Barry Jackson; and politicians, diplomats, and military leaders, including: Simon Bolívar (a grant of a post in the Bolivian government, 28 December 1825), the Bolivian and Peruvian presidents Antonio José de Sucre and Ramón Castilla, Prince Eugene of Savoy, the first Duke of Marlborough, Napoleon, Warren Hastings, Chateaubriand, Prince Kropotkin and Giuseppe Mazzini all collected by or addressed to Eric Allden (see also lot 12) or the actor Ernest Thesiger and captioned by Allden in pencil, tipped in, mounted or loosely inserted in 3 volumes, folio, red cloth, chiefly late 19th to mid-20th century, occasional spotting, dust-staining or creasing, a few minor tears

of over 300 letters and documents signed, many of them autograph, by:

Modern First Editions. A large collection of upwards of 1800 volumes of modern literature, with many authors represented by extensive collections of their works, the volumes including, but not limited to:

Modern First Editions. A large collection of upwards of 1800 volumes of modern literature, with many authors represented by extensive collections of their works, the volumes including, but not limited to: literature & poetry: Siegfried Sassoon (The Path to Peace, 1 of 500 copies; Vigils, one of 272 copies in niger morocco; Lenten Illuminations; The Road to Ruin; Memoirs of an Infantry Officer, 1 of 750 copies), T.E. Lawrence (The Mint, 1 of 2000 copies), Hugh Walpole (extensive collection, some in jackets or remains of jackets), E.M. Forster, Stephen Spender, W.H. Auden, Jon Wain, Denton Welch, Evelyn Waugh, Henry Treece, Edward Upward, William Plomer, Jocelyn Brooke, John Masefield (Sard Harker; Odtaa), John Buchan (The House of the Four Winds; Sick Heart River), Robert Graves (Penny Puce), William Golding, Keith Douglas, John Masefield, Paul Theroux (Girls at Play; The Mosquito Coast; The Family Arsenal; The Black House), Paul Bailey, Melvyn Bragg, Kingsley Amis, John Fowles, Angus Wilson, A.N. Wilson, Alun Lewis, Francis King, Elizabeth Taylor, Ronald Frame, Peter Green, Compton Mackenzie, R.F. Delderfield, John Braine, Christopher Isherwood, Robin Maugham, Nancy Mitford, Jennifer Johnston, W. Somerset Maugham, Wilfred Owen, Piers Paul Read, Forrest Reid, Graham Greene, Lawrence Durrell, William Boyd (An Ice-Cream War), Graham Swift, Alan Hollinghurst (The Swimming-Pool Library), T.H. White (Gone to Ground; England have my Bones; The Master), Bruce Chatwin (Utz; The Songlines, What am I doing Here?), Lindsay Clarke, Gore Vidal, David Guterson, Iain Pears, Tim Parks, Jonathan Coe, David Plante and others crime, adventure and historical fiction: P.D. James (An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, Shroud for a Nightingale, Death of an Expert Witness, The Black Tower), Linsdey Davis (Shadows in Bronze, The Iron Hand of Mars), Francis Clifford, Nicholas Freeling, Peter Dickinson, Berkeley Mather, 'Bryher'' Simon Shaw, Wilbur Smith, Andrew Taylor, George Shipway, Peter Driscoll, Gerald Seymour, Morris West, P.F. Chisholm, Lionel Davidson, Janwillem van de Wetering, John Lawton, Colin Dexter (The Dead of Jericho), Philip Kerr, Philip Hook, Anthony Price, Robert Harris, Mark Hebden, Robert Richardson, Rupert Ridpath, Alan Scholefield, Nicholas Blake, Hugh Fleetwood, Desmond Bagley, Gerald Hanley, Robert Ludlum, Patrick Ruell, Reginald Hill, Ken Follett, and others travel: Colin Thubron, Norman Lewis, Laurens van der Post and others 8vo, chiefly first editions (a few later editions or re-issues, a small number of reprints), original cloth bindings, the vast majority in dust-jackets (except where not called for) (a quantity)

modern first editions. a large collection of upwards of 1800 volumes of modern literature, with many authors represented by extensive collections of their works, the volumes including, but not limited to:

Results for "William Somerset Maugham"