The 1950s marked a dynamic period for literature, witnessing a diverse array of literary movements and voices. Post-war disillusionment gave rise to existentialist themes in works like Camus’s “The Stranger” and Sartre’s “Nausea.” Beat Generation writers like Kerouac and Ginsberg rebelled against societal norms with their spontaneous prose and poetry, epitomised in “On the Road” and “Howl.” Meanwhile, the emergence of influential authors like Salinger (“The Catcher in the Rye”) and Nabokov (“Lolita”) challenged conventional storytelling. Amidst Cold War anxieties, sci-fi flourished, with Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” warning against censorship. Overall, the decade was a vibrant tapestry of innovation, dissent, and literary exploration.
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Roland Camberton – Scamp – First Edition 1950
£750.00A first edition, first printing of ‘Scamp’ published by John Lehmann in 1950. A very good (or better) book with one neat name to the front endpaper. Light toning to…
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Christopher Landon – Ice-Cold in Alex – First Edition 1957 – with the rare wrap-around band and SIGNED Photograph of Sir John Mills
£675.00A first edition, first printing of ‘Ice-Cold in Alex’ published by Heinemann in 1957. A near fine book in a very good unclipped wrapper with rubbing to the edges and…
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Stevie Smith – Not Waving But Drowning – First Edition 1957
£385.00A first edition, first printing of ‘Not Waving But Drowning’ published by Andre Deutsch in 1957. A very good book with a little rubbing to the edges and to the…
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T.H. White – The Once And Future King – First UK Edition 1958
£365.00A first edition, first printing of The Once and Future King by T. H. White, published by Collins, London in 1958. A near fine book with a former owner’s name…
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Hilary Pugh’s Opera Book – Signatures From The Stars of Opera 1952
£1,250.00A very good autograph book compiled by Hilary Pugh circa 1952-1954, with collected autographs from contemporary stars of the opera and classical music scene. Boards bound in faux grained crimson…
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Hermann Wouk – The Caine Mutiny – First UK Edition 1951
£150.00A first edition, first printing published by Cape in 1951. A near fine book (small name) with a beautifully rich red topstain. A very good clipped wrapper but retaining publishers…
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James M. Cain – Mignon – First Edition 1950
£95.00First U.K. edition, first printing of ‘Mignon’. 8vo. Publisher’s original cloth, in the original dust wrapper.
A very good copy in very good dust wrapper. The binding remains firm and square…
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Norman Mailer – Barbary Shore – First Edition 1952
£85.00First U.K. edition, first printing of ‘Barbary Shore’. 8vo. Publisher’s original cloth, in the original dust wrapper.
A very good copy in very good dust wrapper. Clean boards and firm binding….
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Truman Capote – The Muses Are Heard – First Edition 1956
£85.00First U.K. edition, first printing of ‘The Muses Are Heard’. 8vo. Publisher’s original cloth, in the original dust wrapper.
A very good copy in very good dust wrapper. The book remains…
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Paul Gallico – Ludmila – A Legend Of Liechtenstein – First Edition 1955
£75.00A first edition, first printing published Michael Joseph in 1955. 8vo. Publisher’s original cloth, in the original dust wrapper.
A very good copy in very good dust wrapper. The book is…
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Various – Evergreen Review. No. 3. – First Edition 1958
£75.00First edition. 8vo (original paperback format). Publisher’s printed wrappers.
A very good copy. The binding remains sound with light surface wear and minor creasing to extremities. Internally clean. The pictorial cover…
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John Updike – Hoping For A Hoopoe – First Edition 1959
£60.00A first edition, first printing published by Gollancz in 1959. A near fine book in like unclipped (repriced) wrapper.
First English edition of the author’s first book, published in America as…
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Richard Condon – The Oldest Confession – First Edition 1959
£45.00First edition, first printing published by Longmans in London, 1959. This is a very good (or better) copy. In a very good clipped wrapper with a closed tear to the…
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Herman Wouk – Marjorie Morningstar – First Edition 1955
£45.00First edition, first printing published by Jonathan Cape in London, 1955. This is a very good (or better) copy. In a very good unclipped wrapper with a little rubbing to…
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James Jones – The Pistol – First Edition 1959
£35.00First U.K. edition, first printing of ‘The Pistol’. 8vo. Publisher’s original cloth, in the original dust wrapper.
A very good copy in very good dust wrapper. Clean boards and tight binding….
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H.E. Bates – Love For Lydia – First UK Edition 1952 – with wrap-around band
£185.00A first edition, first printing of ‘Love For Lydia’ by H E Bates, published by Michael Joseph in 1952. A fine book without inscriptions – neat bookplate. In a fine…
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