Which books and pieces of ephemera caught the eye among this week's crop of new listings? A very early biography of Stalin, a protest poster from 1969, and a first edition of an influential poetry volume from the Harlem Renaissance, among others... Stalin: The Career of a Fanatic (First Edition) by Essad-Bey (Pseudonym for Lew Nussimbaum) New York: The Viking Press. Near Fine in Very Good dj. 1932 (c.1931). First American Edition. Hardcover. . (B&W photographs) First published in Germany, this was one of the earliest books about Joseph Stalin. Although probably unreliable as history (the New York Times reviewer characterized the first part of the book, dealing with Stalin's early life, as "rather fictional"), it still painted a persuasive portrait of the dictator's personality and gave a compelling account of his rise to power. The author himself, the subject of Tom Reiss's 2005 biography "The Orientalist," was quite a character: born Lev Nussimbaum, he was a Jew from Azerbaijan who transformed himself into a Muslim prince in Nazi Germany, having earlier escaped the Russian Revolution in a camel caravan. (The claim made in the jacket blurb that he was a "compatriot of Stalin's" was almost certainly bogus.) Writing as "Essad Bey" and "Kurban Said," he became a celebrated adventurer and author of the classic novel "Ali and Nino." And that ain't the half of it. (A 1934 newspaper feature story about "Essad Bey" laid in.) Very scarce, especially in the original jacket. Offered by ... [more Books of the Week]

This item is still missing as of 6/12/2019. Maggs Bros' copy of 'In Parenthesis' by David Jones was presumably stolen en-route to a dealer in Los Angeles, California. The package was delivered complete to their mailbox on the street and when they came to open it, they found the envelope empty and the book removed. The theft occurred this past Monday. A description is attached; it is copy 3/75. Please contact Ben Maggs if you know the whereabouts of this book. Benjamin Maggs Modern Department Private Press and Illustrated Books Maggs Bros. Ltd. 48 Bedford Square London, WC1B 3DR Tel: +44 (0)20 7493 7160 Fax: +44 (0)20 7499 2007 benmaggs@maggs.com http://www.maggs.com [more Missing in LA area: In Parenthesis by David Jones]

What caught the eye among this week's crop of new listings? Why a signed letter from P.T. Barnum, a bound set of the Harvard Law Review (1984-2004), and a signed Christmas card from (arguably) the most-famous Royal couple of the last century, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, among many other things... Rebecca (First Edition) by Daphne du Maurier New York: Doubleday Doran and Company, 1938. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. First edition stated, first printing. Very Good with toning to pages, foxing to endsheets and news clippings pasted to front free end paper. Cloth lightly worn and silver band lightly rubbed. In a Very Good+ dust jacket with publisher's price of $2.75 intact; light rubbing and a small chip missing from the bottom corner of the front panel and another at the base of the spine. Scarce in the dust jacket. Offered by Burnside Rare Books. Of Mice and Men (First Edition) by John Steinbeck New York: Covici Friede, 1937. First edition. Fine/Near Fine. A Near Fine copy of the book in like dust jacket. The book has a bit of foxing to the closed text block, not entering the pages, otherwise an excellent copy. In a Near Fine dust jacket with the spine a bit toned and slight nicks at the spine ends. A true first printing with the textual points on p. 9 and 88 as well as the priced dust jacket (avoid any dust jacket that doesn't retain the original price, $2.00). One of just 2500 copies and becoming scarce in this condition. Steinbeck's tragic novella portraying t... [more Books of the Week]

UPDATE: This item has been recovered! The following item has been reported stolen: STOKER, BRAM. DRACULA. (Westminster: Archibald Constable and Company, 1897) 200 x 130 mm. (7 3/4 x 5 1/8"). ix, , 390 pp. FIRST EDITION, First Issue, before advertisement leaf and publisher's catalogue. Fine modern black crushed morocco by Bayntun Riviere (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers with double gilt fillet border, raised bands, spine compartments similarly framed, gilt titling, gilt-ruled turn-ins, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. Original cloth covers and spine bound in. Occasional mild marginal foxing or small stains, otherwise A VERY FINE COPY, clean, fresh, and wide margined, and in an attractive unworn binding. If you have any information on this book, please contact Jill Mann at jill@pirages.com or (800) 962-6666. [more Stolen: First Edition of Dracula]

Pioneering screenwriter Anita Loos was born on April 26, 1889. After learning her trade acting and writing one-act plays for her father's somewhat-disreputable theater troupe, Loos began submitting unsolicited scripts to film companies. D.W. Griffith directed The New York Hat, a film based on her screenplay, starring Mary Pickford and Lionel Barrymore in 1912. In 1915 Loos became the first “staff writer” for a film production company, when she signed on with Griffith's studio. She wrote hundreds of scripts during the silent era of cinema, most of which went unproduced, but the films that were made were noted for their wit and humor — all the more remarkable for being silent! Her collaboration with director (and future husband John Emerson) began by working on several romantic comedies which made Douglas Fairbanks a star. In later years, many of the scripts that carried both of their names would be primarily Loos' work, however. It was often convenient, in the Hollywood system of the 1930s and '40s, to have a male co-writer, as some directors were unwilling or uncomfortable discussing the script with a woman. During a period of infatuation with H.L. Mencken (who apparantly had a thing for blondes) Loos wrote a series of stories about a chorus girl on the lookout for a rich paramour, the Lorelei Lee stories. These were such a hit for Harper's Bazaar that they soon became a novel, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1925) which became a runaway bestseller. A broadway adaptation foll... [more Anita Loos: Hollywood Pioneer]

ABAA-member Kenneth Karmiole has endowed a new research fellowship at his alma mater, the University of California Santa Barbara. This is the second endowment Karmiole has established at UCSB, the first supports the purchase of rare books. Karmiole says that university libraries are becoming increasingly valuable resources, because “Old bookstores are closing left and right, so universities are the great repositories of printed history." A press release from UCSB details how the UCSB library was an important part of setting Karmiole on his career path: As a history major at UCSB in the 1960s, Kenneth Karmiole liked to hang out in used bookstores. He often found scholarly books from the 19th century that sold for $1, and wondered why they weren't worth more. To learn about the academic book business, he sought out UCSB Library's head of collections for advice, and ended up spending a lot of time at the Library. Back then, his first big find as a book trader, Karmiole said, was a stash of scholarly books on Peru purchased at a Santa Barbara garage sale. He bought the entire collection — plus the bookcases they were shelved on — for $16. Alan Grosenheider, Acting University Librarian, said the new fellowship will “provide opportunities for scholars to use our Special Research Collections from a fresh perspective and share their discoveries with the campus community, sparking different approaches or opening new intellectual terrain to explore. I have deep appreciation for... [more Kenneth Karmiole Endows Research Fellowship]

UPDATE: This item has been recovered. The following item has gone missing in transit: (COOKERY). MIDDLETON, JOHN. FIVE HUNDRED NEW RECEIPTS IN COOKERY, CONFECTIONARY, PASTRY, PRESERVING, CONSERVING, PICKLING; AND THE SEVERAL BRANCHES OF THESE ARTS NECESSARY TO BE KNOWN BY ALL GOOD HOUSEWIVES.(London: Printed for Thomas Astley, 1734) 206 x 124 mm. (8 1/8 x 4 7/8"). 1 p.l. (title), iv, 249, pp. Revised and recommended by Mr. Henry Howard. FIRST EDITION. Pleasing recent retrospective chestnut-colored calf, covers with central frame formed by multiple blind and decorative rules, fleuron cornerpieces, raised bands, maroon morocco label. Printer's woodcut rose device on title page. Bitting, p. 324; Oxford, p. 64; Vicaire, col. 598; Maclean, p. 101. Title page a little soiled, very faint dampstain to tail margin of first half of text, occasional minor marginal stains, smudges, or corner creases, other trivial imperfections, but AN EXCELLENT COPY of a book difficult to find in pleasing condition, the text generally clean and fresh with especially ample margins, and in an unworn sympathetic binding. If you have any information on this item, please contact Phil Pirages Fine Books and Manuscripts at 800-962-6666 or jill@pirages.com. [more Missing in Transit]

A selection of rare books and print ephemera newly listed or catalogued by members of the ABAA. The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells London: William Heinemann, 1896. Pictorial ochre cloth, stamped in black and red. Frontis. Rear inner hinge cracked (but sound), some rubbing to cloth and small offset spots to lower cover, some shallow splashmarks along the top edge of the front free endsheet and pastedown, a bit of foxing to the tissue-guard, otherwise a very good copy. First UK edition, in the preferred state of the binding, with the blindstamped logo in the lower corner of the lower cover. The terminal catalogue is the 32pp. form beginning with THE MANXMAN and concluding with OUT OF DUE SEASON. Among Wells's most important works, functioning as both an imaginative entertainment, and as a cautionary tale about scientific progress unconstrained by ethics. The sourcework for three film adaptations of varying degrees of success. Offered by William Reese Company. Preliminary Cover Design for Penny Candy, by Edward Fenton Gorey, Edward (illus.) c. 1970. Watercolor and ink on paper, measuring 8 1/4 by 7 1/4 inches. Archivally matted and framed. Preliminary artwork for the cover design of Fenton's book, a fantasy story based on the English “Tinker Tailor” rhyme. A copy of the trade paperback edition of the book, which was published by Holt in 1970, is included in a sleeve affixed to the back of the frame. The key differences between this preliminary drawing and the finished... [more Books of the Week]

Why is it that we love tales of book heists? Two new films set in the world of rare books, both crime thrillers, are coming in 2018. The first trailer for "Can You Ever Forgive Me?", based on Lee Israel's career as a forger of literary letters was released this week, and the trailer for "American Animals" based on a 2004 robbery of the Special Collections Library of Transylvania University, in Lexington, Kentucky has been playing for a short time. The proximity of these two films may simply be coincidence, but the source material for these tales -- magazine articles about book thieves and true-crime accounts of heists succesful and unsuccessful -- are abundant. Perhaps it's simply an extension of the idea that everyone has a book in them -- which makes so many people think they could be an author "if they had the time" -- that draws people to these stories? Or, perhaps it's the popular "cash in the attic" idea that makes people think they might already possess some valuable books, and they can relate better to stories about book thefts than to thefts of say, gold bullion, plutonium, or casino profits? Articles declaring that rare books are the hot collector's item of the moment, or claiming that certain categories of books are somehow recession proof, do nothing to disabuse people of this notion. (For the record, the ABAA cautions against viewing rare books as financial investments, and encourages collectors to focus instead on their interests.) It's not news to book collecto... [more Hollywood Loves Rare Books]

Our monthly roundup of the stories bibliophiles are reading, sharing, and discussing. Kenneth Karmiole Establishes Research Fellowship at UCSB ABAA_member Kenneth Karmiole has established the Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Research Fellowship, which will support scholars working with primary resource materials and rare books in the University of California Santa Barbara Library. How a rare Revolutionary War-era document ended up in Utah “Who knows what's in anybody's garage, right?” Read more... 2018 Pulitzer Prizes Andrew Sean Greer won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel Less; Caroline Fraser won the Biography Price for her biography of Laura Ingalls WIlder, Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder; and Frank Bidart won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his volume of Collected Poems, Half-light. Read about all the winners here... Police Recover "Potentially Stolen" Rare Books Here's a minor literary mystery that some book collectors might be able to help the Welsh police with. During a separate investigation, police found an old suitcase containing some "potentially rare" Victorian books and jewelry. The books, including a Bible and a copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, were dedicated to a "Mary Elizabeth Taylor" and carried dates between 1892 and 1894. Anyone with any insight into the rightful owner should contact North Wales Police. Bromer Booksellers Temporarily Relocates If you are book-hunting in Boston, be advised that ABAA-member B... [more Rare Book News]