New Arrivals in the Pipeline at Between The Covers Rare Books
- By Michael Stillman
From the pipeline.
Between the Covers Rare Books has issued Catalog 171, dubbed In The Pipeline. This is a collection of new acquisitions that have been flowing, so to speak, onto their shelves. This is not the most expensive of material. As they explain, "There's nothing here of stunning rarity… Instead, with this catalog we offer much with which to fill in gaps in your collection." However, what is offered is not just ordinary copies either. Most are signed, and if not, they are items difficult to find in collectible condition. One more thing - "we're also doing our part to help the economy by studiously trying…to offer these at temptingly realistic prices."
The catalogue breaks into six sections, though over 80% falls into the first category: Literature and Miscellaneous Non-Fiction. The other sections offer Children's Books; Mysteries and Detective Fiction; Photography; Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror; and Westerns. Now, let's take a look between the covers.
Item 303 is a 1931 first edition of a play that achieved modest success on Broadway that year: Green Grow the Lilacs. The writer was Lynn Riggs, of part Cherokee descent, the first American Indian to achieve significant success as a playwright. Riggs was born in 1899 in the old Indian Territory, which eight years later would become the state of Oklahoma. His play was set among the farmers who lived in the Oklahoma Territory, soon to be the 46th state. Though only a minor success on Broadway, Richard Rogers was intrigued by the story, and began his first collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein to produce a new group of songs to make the play a modern musical. They renamed the play Oklahoma! and it became the longest running play yet on Broadway after opening in 1943. Priced at $450.
This next play was sort of the anti-Oklahoma! Rather than portraying a group of mostly wholesome country folks, it focused on a community of urban, gay men. That may not sound too daring today, but when it opened in 1968, it was a pioneering work on the subject matter. Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band was not suitable for Broadway at the time, but did achieve a long run off Broadway, eventually resulting in a film of the same name. The play is focused on the lives of six gay men and the often brutal interaction among them. Item 75. $350.
This one appears in the literature and non-fiction section, though I don't know which applies to it. The title is Come and Knock on Our Door: A Hers and His Guide to Three's Company, published in 1998. I don't think "literature" really describes the episodes to this popular '70s-'80s sitcom, so the stories must have been true. This copy has been signed by author Chris Mann and Joyce Dewitt, who played one of the two women among the three. Item 358. $275.
|
New Arrivals in the Pipeline at Between The Covers Rare Books
- By Michael Stillman
Poetry from Suzanne Somers.
Perhaps I have been too disparaging of the literary quality of this beloved television series. Item 337 was written by the other woman among the three, Suzanne Somers. The title is Touch Me, and it is a 1973 collection of her poems. Who knew Suzanne Somers was a poet? Item 337 is an inscribed copy. $225.
Most stories begin as books and then work their way to the theater, movies, or television. This one seems to have evolved in the opposite direction. Johnston McCulley did publish his story A White Man's Chance in a magazine in 1919, the year that it made its way to the big screen. However, the first book edition, of which this is a copy, was not published until 1927. McCulley was an extremely prolific writer, but most of what he wrote was short stories, so you will need to look to magazines to complete a comprehensive collection of his works. You will also need to track down his various aliases. Much of his material was detective fiction, but the character for which he is best known is a Spanish nobleman who performed in disguise in old colonial California. He fought for the poor and downtrodden against corrupt government officials and other evil-doers, often carving the letter "Z" into their faces with his shiny sword. This, of course, is Zorro, bearer of sword, whip, mask and cape. A White Man's Chance is set on the other side of the Mexican border with a different Spanish-American hero. Item 521. $275.
Item 208 combines literature and non-fiction within that dubious field of "historical fiction." The title is Here Comes the King, a 1933 first edition by Philip Lindsay. It replays the sad tale of Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII, who not dying soon enough on her own, had to so be induced to do so by her husband. Much of it was her own fault. She had affairs both before and during her marriage, the latter understandable, as by then, Henry was a 300-pound, smelly brute. He was also all-powerful in England in 1542, which gave him the right to chop off her and her lovers' heads, which he did. $100.
Here is an unusual pre-World War I era item: Flag Signal Instructor. This is a die cut wheel designed to teach the army and navy semaphore code. It shows a soldier with die cut spaces for arms with flags. As you turn the wheel to show the various letters of the alphabet, his flag-bearing arms move to the correct position. Item 329. $150.
Between The Covers Rare Books may be reached at 856-456-8008 or mail@betweenthecovers.com. Their website is www.betweenthecovers.com.
|