[Rarebooks] Steinbeck on the road (1) , makes friends (2)

[Serendipity Books]

  John Steinbeck




(1)

[A39a-advance]           TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY IN 
SEARCH OF AMERICA.  NY: Viking [1962]   4to, pink 
card wrappers, black plastic spiral binding; 
printed white cover blurb label beneath which is 
a partially printed, carbon typed notice that 
these are unrevised proofs, confidential, with 
date of publication, May 7, and price: 
$4.95.  Another publisher's label was on the rear 
cover, removed.  Paginated by hand (in 
facsimile).  Tipped to page 155 is a 31-line 
revision of text, purple ink from mimeo.  The 
book was not published until July.  Goldstone did 
not have a copy; Valentine did.  Morrow does not 
mention pasted in revisions.   $7500.00






(2)


A39a    TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY IN SEARCH OF 
AMERICA.  NY: Viking (1962)  Decorated white 
cloth, map endpapers.  Fine in price-clipped dust jacket.

Presentation copy, inscribed on the half-title 
"For Sir John Gielgud who involuntarily popped 
into this book and enriched it / John Steinbeck. "


At the top of this leaf, perhaps in Gielgud's 
hand, a reference to pages 130-136, where indeed 
Gielgud pops in: "
a vintage sedan pulling a 
short coupled trailer like a box turtle lumbered 
down from the road and took a position on the 
water about fifty yards away.  I felt annoyance 
at this invasion of my privacy, but Charley was 
delighted."  Of course!  It was Sir John, "a man 
not young, not old, but with a jaunty springy 
step".  Sir John lingers and delights, for seven 
pages.   First edition, first printing.   $12,500.00



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