Literature, History, Children's Books and More from Paul Foster Books

Item 11 is an early Samuel Beckett novel, not published until 1953, though written during the war, when Beckett was still waiting for Godot to arrive in his imagination. The title is Watt, and while I have not read this one, reviews make it sound even more abstruse than Godot. Offered is an inscribed copy of the first American edition (1959) to Dan Pope, but this was originally a review copy sent to Time Magazine Book Editor Max Gissen. It contains some of Gissen's comments penciled in the margins. Priced at £3,750 (British pounds, or roughly $6,158 in U.S. currency).

Item 32 is the first printed-in-America edition of Lewis Carroll's bewildering Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The odd nature of this sort-of first American edition results from the unusual printing history of the book. When it was first printed in England in 1865, Illustrator John Tenniel was upset with the poor quality of the first edition printing. It was quickly suppressed and a replacement printed. However, the publisher was not about to throw money away, so the leaves were shipped to New York and used to create an American edition, printed in England. Hence this 1869 edition is the first printed in America. This book, a favorite of all ages for all ages, has been in print ever since. £1,750 (US $2,873).

Item 171 is a book from the dawn of the Progressive Era that may still have applications a century later. It is The Theory of the Leisure Class, by Thorstein Veblen, published in 1899. Veblen maintained that those most highly rewarded financially rarely contributed more than regular workers to industry's well being, and yet they siphoned off enormous amounts of money. They then used that money on worthless self-indulgence, buying expensive goods for prestige. It was Veblen who penned the expression commonly used to describe such behavior - conspicuous consumption. £1,875 (US $3,078).

Here is a jaw-dropping book: Jaws, by Peter Benchley. This 1974 first edition is a novel about sharks and unpleasant encounters with the same. The story fueled many a nightmare when it was made into an enormously successful, graphic film of the same name. Item 13. £325 (US $533).

This is another written work known better for its film adaptation. The very popular movie Breakfast at Tiffany's started as part of a short novel by Truman Capote, published in 1958. While the book bears the Tiffany name, it actually consists of four such stories, though the title story and its film version is the one best known. Item 28. £650 (US $1,067).

Item 93 is an early work by a controversial writer from the time before he was so. L. Ron Hubbard turned out numerous works of fiction, both long and short form during the 1930s and 1940s. His field could be described as science fiction or fantasy, and he was considered a skilled writer of the genre. Offered here is a copy of his 1948 book, Slaves of Sleep. This is the first book issue of a story he had written a decade earlier. A few years later, Hubbard would branch out into self-help and religion, founding one of the more controversial churches of today, the Church of Scientology. £185 (US $303).

Item 118 is the first English language edition of a fantasy by the French writer Andre Maurois: Fatapoufs and Thinifers (later translated to Fattypuffs and Thinifers). It is the story of an underground world with rival states, one inhabited by friendly, lovers of food and relaxation, the fat Fatapoufs; the other by hard-driving, hard working skinny Thinifers. Eventually, they end up at war. The Thinifers conquer their rivals, only to find they like the Fatapoufs and peace reigns once again. This edition was published in 1940, a decade after the book was written. Some see the Fatapoufs as symbolic of the French, the Thinifers of the Germans. £600 (US $985).

Paul Foster Books may be reached at 020 8876 7424 or paulfosterbooks@btinternet.com. Their website is www.paulfosterbooks.com.