Fiction

The Way of the East – Arthur Weigall – First Edition 1924

Published by Fisher Unwin, London a first edition 1924. Blue cloth covered boards, 318 pages, the odd spot mark but on the whole a very good copy of a scarce and interesting book.

An unusual romance involving the an English Colonel Romance in Egypt. The setting and circumstances demand an explanation by the author for which he apologises. He need not as it is all quite dapper and intriguing.

Rare first edition from literary Egyptologist

Arthur Weigall (1880-1934) was a distinguished Egyptologist and author of biographies of Cleopatra, Marc Anthony, Alexander the Great, Nero and Sappho. He studied hieroglyphics at Oxford: by age 24, he was appointed Inspector General of Antiquities for Upper Egypt and supervised excavations in the Valley of the Kings. During his career, Weigall made several important discoveries, mostly about the reign, life and death of Akhnaton. Later in life he wrote novels, stage plays, poems and was rather successful at it – viz this work.

$80.00

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Memoirs of a Coxcomb – John Cleland – Numbered Limited Hand-Made Paper – 1926

A fine edition by Fortune Press, London 1926. Original quarter mottled calf over marbled papers, gilt titles. Number 389 of a limited 575 copies printed on Verge Montgolfier hand-made paper by Maurice Darantier. Very light rubbing a very good if not fine copy.

John Cleland the author of Fanny Hill, which he wrote in debtors prison. Memoirs of a Coxcomb was first published in 1751 and contains a parody of Mary Wortley Montagu who is famous for her Turkish letters (her description of nudes inspired Ingres in his famous painting of same), spurning Alexander Pope and other “love affairs”.

A witty and complex portrait of aristocratic life in the 18th century through the memoirs of our vain dandy our coxcomb, Sir William Delamore. A sophisticated examination of masculine identity in direct contrast to Fanny Hill.

Coxcomb Memoirs Proudly Presented – beautifully written.

$90.00

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Unproduced Film Script – Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness”

Late 1970’s unproduced film script titled “Voyage to the Inner Station: Joseph Conrad’s Descent and Return from the Heart of Darkness” 134 pages of script in the agency covers of Paul Kohner – Michael Levy.

The author is named John nelson Reid and believed to be one of the many pseudonyms of successful writer Shimon Wincelberg (Naked City, The Time Tunnel, The Paper Chase, Have a Gun – Will Travel etc).

The copy of Ilse Lahn who as a successful producer and worked at the agency around that time. Paul Kohner was in the movie business from the early days and would have been in his seventies when this script appeared. He was very successful and managed Ingmar Bergman, Maurice Chevalier, Dietrich, Garbo, Huston and many more. Michael Levy headed up CBS Theatrical Films which was generally unsuccessful.

There are no telling reasons why this script didn’t get to production. One of the difficulties would be that there was another unfulfilled script based on the book written by Orson Welles … it did not make it either … it was regarded as to difficult (read expensive) to produce but many think it was because Welles was frozen out of Hollywood because he upset Randolph Hearst when he made Citizen Kane.

We have read it through and we like it!

We also have the book see separate listing for the summary storyline.

Could be a gold mine waiting – Conrad’s Heart of darkness scripted but not acted

$190.00

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Forbidden Books (Victorian Erotica) – An Old Bibliophile – 1902 Privately Printed 375 Copies.

Notes & Gossip on Tabooed Literature … The Old Bibliophile was John S Farmer. This book published for the author and his friends in Paris 1902.

Limited edition of 375 copies. Small quarto 227 pages khaki marbled paper covered boards vignettes at chapter headings. Very good condition.

Summaries of banned books largely with an erotic content. John Farmer was a brilliant lexicographer and this book is supposedly based on publications by Charles Carrington who was known for his naughtiness.

Rare and naughty from the Old Bibliophile

$140.00

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Hold Back the Dawn – Ketti Frings – First Film prmotion Edition 1948

Published by Triangle, New York 1948 a first edition of this type. Printed on war paper so the usual browning but very clean despite that … a very good dust jacket with a nice montage of the stars to the front.

The book of the Oscar nominated motion picture starring Charles Boyer and the beautiful Olivia de Havilland.

Romanian gigolo tries to gain entry to the USA by hitching up with visiting school teacher. It all goes wrong and wrong and then right.

First Film Promotion Edition 1948

$50.00

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Winter’s Tales – Isak Dinesen (author of Out of Africa)

Published by Putnam, London an early edition 1958. Top edge nicely pink as required. A very good copy albeit the dust jacket a bit aged.

Eleven stories that surpass in feeling, atmosphere and insight of both “Out of Africa” and her previous highly acclaimed “Seven Gothic Tales”.

Dinesen at her best in Winter

$40.00

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The Way of the East – Arthur Weigall – First Edition 1924

Memoirs of a Coxcomb – John Cleland – Numbered Limited Hand-Made Paper – 1926

Unproduced Film Script – Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness”

Forbidden Books (Victorian Erotica) – An Old Bibliophile – 1902 Privately Printed 375 Copies.

Hold Back the Dawn – Ketti Frings – First Film prmotion Edition 1948

Winter’s Tales – Isak Dinesen (author of Out of Africa)

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