Few first novels have launched a career quite as brilliantly as This Side of Paradise. The brash 23-year-old wrote of his extraordinarily popular novel, trumpeted by critics as the voice of a generation, "My whole theory of writing I can sum up in one sentence: An author ought to write for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmasters of ever afterward." This selection brings together first editions of the first novels of some of our finest writers, many signed. Some of these authors demanded recognition of their talents from their very first publications; others achieved their reputations over subsequent years of patient toil. But it is here, at the beginning, where we meet them for the first time."FOR PETE COMPTON, A WILD MAN IF THERE EVER WAS ONE": F. SCOTT FITZGERALD’S FIRST BOOK, THIS SIDE OF PARADISE, WONDERFULLY INSCRIBED BY HIM ONE DAY AFTER PUBLICATION
F. Scott Fitzgerald. This Side of Paradise. 1920. First edition, first printing of Fitzgerald’s first novel, inscribed one day after publication, "For Pete Compton, A wild man if there ever was one—F. Scott Fitzgerald, Princeton, NJ, March 27th 1920."The inscription is particularly appropriate in that This Side of Paradise is a romantic evocation of Fitzgerald's Princeton days, begun while he himself was still an undergraduate there. "Daring and bold for its time, the novel projected new freedom—to flirt, smoke, pet, drink and dance. It functioned as a kind of bible for the Jazz Age among the nation’s youth, catapulting Fitzgerald to overnight fame" (Nolan).
Without extraordinarily scarce dust jacket. $63,000.
MAILER, Norman. Naked and the Dead. New York and Toronto, 1948. First edition of Mailer’s first and "best novel, and certainly the best war novel to emerge from the United States," inscribed on the half title "To —, Cordially, Norman Mailer, Oct ’93." $4200.
Toni Morrison. The Bluest Eye. 1970. "This is a love story—except there isn’t much love in it." First edition of this Nobel Prize-winner’s scarce first book, "an eloquent indictment of some of the more subtle forms of racism in American society," signed by her. $11,000.
JOYCE, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. New York, 1916. First edition of Joyce’s classic stream-of-consciousness work, published in New York against numerous attempts to remove "offending passages"—a defining moment in the history of free expression and the emergence of the modern novel. A beautiful copy. $16,000.
SMITH, Betty. Tree Grows in Brooklyn. New York, (1943). First edition of Betty Smith's scarce first novel, inscribed, "To Bill with love, Betty Smith, June 1960, Chapel Hill, N. Car." $16,500.
About Us
Founded over 30 years ago by David and Natalie Bauman, Bauman Rare Books offers an extraordinary selection of fine books and autographs ranging from the 15th through the 20th centuries. With a reputation for meticulous research, an exceptional inventory, and an expert staff, Bauman Rare Books offers an extensive range of client services. We have built some of the finest collections in the country and we offer expert gift services to both individuals and corporations. Whatever your interests—milestones of American history, literary classics, landmarks in science and medicine, beloved children’s books—you are certain to find the right book at Bauman Rare Books.Please visit our New York gallery or our main office in Philadelphia. Our expert staff will be happy to discuss your interests and answer your questions.
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Voltaire once wrote, “It is with books as it is with men—a very small number play a great part.” In this catalogue, we celebrate some of that very small number. Taken together, they form a spectacular rare book collection, these individual landmarks of the human imagination.
