Search Results: Authors starting with V from Midnight Books

American Sports Publishing Co, 1915. Softcover. Very Good. Collectible first edition, second printing of P. A. (Percy Augustus) Vaile's early-century primer on golf. Number 2P of the green cover series. 1915 date to copyright page. Note that later printings - 1922, e.g. - are often misidentified as first printings when in fact they are third or later printings. The content in this copy, the second printing, is identical to the 1914 LOC control copy with the exception of the latter's 1914 date to the copyright page. Also note that Joseph Murdoch's The Library of Golf asserts that the 1922 printing was the first, which of course is in error. 41 numbered pages, 36 numbered plates (action golf swing photos) and 11 unnumbered Spalding catalog pages packed with illustrated golf balls, golf clubs and associated priced golf equipment. Chapter headings include Putting, Playing a Stymie, Prevalent Misconceptions About Golf, The Mashie, The Iron, The Cleek, The Driver and Brassie, Golf Ball Facts… Read More

Taurus, 1974. Softcover. Very Good. 0x0x0. Spanish realist author, diplomat, and politician Juan Valera y Alcala-Galiano's compilation of intimate letters, 1853-1897. 368 pp. 8 1/2" x 5 1/2". Tight, unmarked copy with light shelf wear. Photographs of this book or additional information available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.

Orchard Lake Community Church, 1959. Softcover. Good. 0x0x0. History of Orchard Lake Community Church, Orchard Lake, Michigan. Illustrated with historical photographs. Scarce. 34 pages. 9 1/4" x 6". Tight, unmarked copy with minimal shelf wear and fading to cover. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.

Uitgeverij Hollandia BV, 1989. Hardcover. Very Good. 0x0x0. Kasper Van Zuilekom's hard to find diesel engine how-to for water sports. Topics include vibration, power and fuel, motor setup, lubrication, filters, exhaust, cooling, winter care, etc. Densely illustrated with drawings and photos. Text in Dutch. 175 pp. 8 3/4" x 7 3/8". Tight, unmarked copy with light shelf wear. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.

Privately Printed for W. S. Van Dyke by California Graphic Press, 1931. Hardcover. Very Good. 0x0x0. Collectible first edition, first printing of legendary American film director W. S. Van Dyke's journal written during the filming of Trader Horn in central Africa, a film, in turn, based on the book Trader Horn by celebrated ivory trader Alfred Aloysius "Trader" Horn. "First Printing" so stated on copyright page. Inscribed and signed by W. S. Van Dyke on front free endpaper thus: "To you Tyler - | and don't be too hard | on it! | W. S. Van Dyke | L. A. | 1-22-35." Signature unconditionally guaranteed to pass any COA examination. Bound in dark blue linen with gilt lettering to front and spine panels and gilt water buffalo to front panel. Includes 26 full-page photos of natives, big game animals and more, taken on location. 219 pp. Tight, unmarked copy with minimal shelf wear. An exceptionally presentable copy of an important African safari collectible.

Robin H. Smiley, 2011. Softcover. Very Good. FIRSTS: The Book Collector's Magazine. June 2011, Volume 21, Number 6, an invaluable magazine resource for book collectors. Issue highlights Collecting T. Jefferson Parker, one of only three mystery writers who have won three Edgar Allan Poe Awards for Best Novel for his "Silent Joe" and "California Girl." He also won an Edgar Allan Poe Award for his short story "Skinhead Central." An American mystery and crime writer of police procedurals set in South California, he has lived in Southern California his entire life. He was named T. Jefferson Parker and apparently the "T" does not stand for anything; his mother said it would appear good on the presidential letterhead. Annotated bibliography of first editions included. Included is a follow-up to the March 2011 article written by FIRSTS publisher Robin H. Smiley on an additional eight Neglected Noir novels. Clean copy with minimal shelf wear. 52 pp. 11" x 8… Read More

Musikverlage Hans Sikorski, 1983. Softcover. Very Good. 0x0x0. The Great Evergreen Concert": Large compilation of music for the accordion. Text in German; some compositions in English and German. Seventy top hits from 1930 to 1965. Large format. 12 1/2" x 9/1/4". 155 pp. Tight copy with minimal shelf wear and scattered check marks. Accordian collectible. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.

Urban Land Institute, 1991. Softcover. Very Good. Compilation of golf course design resources. Important resource for golf course architects. Numerous topics with illustrations. Urban Land Institute InfoPacket No. 320. Golf Course Developments: Selected References. Includes extensive resources from multiple sources. Illustrated. ca. 1991 edition. Scarce. Unpaginated (hundreds of pages). Comb bound. See excerpt from ULI introduction below. ULI Packets are ... "packages of photocopied materials on specific real estate and urban development topics. The types of materials chosen for each InfoPacket vary, but usually include magazine articles, unpublished reports, sections from ULI books and reports, project descriptions, title/tables of contents from relevant books ... " and more. "The topics are generally narrow in scope and often there is little information available on the topic. In some cases represents and exhaustive search of everything we could find on the topic." Tight,… Read More

Robin H. Smiley, 2011. Softcover. Very Good. FIRSTS: The Book Collector's Magazine. April 2011, Volume 21, Number 4, an invaluable magazine resource for book collectors. Issue highlights Collecting David Lavender, an American historian and writer who was one of the most prolific chroniclers of the American West. He published more than 40 books, including two novels, several children's books, and a memoir. Much of his writing was influenced by his first-hand practical knowledge of the American West and the historical realities and locations depicted in his books — in the mines, on the trails, in the mountains, and on the rivers. Lavender was a two-time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize, and was widely admired by scholars for his accuracy and objectivity. Bibliography of primary first editions included. Of special interest to book collectors, issue includes an article on "Collecting Literary Ephemera" with specific examples, some of which may be deemed a "First… Read More

Robin H. Smiley. Softcover. Very Good. FIRSTS: The Book Collector's Magazine. February 2011, Volume 21, Number 2, an invaluable magazine resource for book collectors. Issue highlights Collecting Eudora Welty, one of the mostly regard and beloved authors of the second half of the Twentieth century. Eudora Welty was an American short story writer, novelist and photographer, who wrote about the American South. Her novel The Optimist's Daughter won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Welty received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Order of the South. She was the first living author to have her works published by the Library of America. Her house in Jackson, Mississippi, has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as a house museum. Bibliography of first editions and notable editions included. Also included is an article on author Lorrie Moore, quoted as "full of quirky humor and a more than slightly skewed reality.." She was… Read More

Robin H. Smiley, 2004. Softcover. Very Good. FIRSTS: The Book Collector's Magazine. October 2004, Volume 14, Number 8 issue, an invaluable magazine resource for book collectors. Issue features an in-depth article on Collecting Jack Williamson "Master of Wonder," and includes a bibliography of first editions. Often called the "Dean of Science Fiction," Jack Williamson has written 87 books, some of which have been translated into more than 25 languages throughout 25 countries. He has additionally written more than 130 shorter fiction pieces. In 1994 Williamson received a World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement and The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted Williamson in 1996, its inaugural class of two deceased and two living persons. Minimal shelf wear with very small ink marking at top margin of cover. Interior is clean copy. 64 pp. 11" x 8 1/2". Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered… Read More

Robin H. Smiley, 2005. Softcover. Very Good. FIRSTS: The Book Collector's Magazine. April 2005, Volume 15, Number 4 issue, an invaluable magazine resource for book collectors. This issue begins with the extensive articles "An Introduction to the Opera" and "Curtains at the Opera" by FIRSTS publisher Robin H. Smiley. The initial article provides a discussion of discussion of contemporary and historical opera in general, including famous operas, singers stages and books. The second article focuses on the opera house and takes a look at some of the mystery books which have operatic settings beginning with "The Phantom of the Opera." Collecting Donna Leon is also highlighted, along with a bibliography of her first editions. Donna Leon is the author of the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series. The winner of the CWA Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, among other awards. Also included in this issue is Part Four of The… Read More

Films in Review, 1957. Softcover. Good. 0x0x0. May 1957, Volume VIII, Number 5 issue of Films in Review. Issued shortly after Bogart's death. Includes Humphrey Bogart cover art, 12-page photo-illustrated Bogart tribute article with complete filmography, 6-page article on the filming of Gone With the Wind, 13 film reviews and more. Tight copy with minimal shelf wear, ownership signature to inside front cover and four underlined names in text. 7 1/2" x 5 1/2". Paginated 195-239 (44 pp.) Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.

Robin H. Smiley, 1998. Softcover. Very Good. FIRSTS: The Book Collector's Magazine. March 1998, Volume 8, Number 3 issue, an invaluable magazine resource for book collectors. Included is an important article for book collectors, "The Firsts Guide to Grading Books, Part 2." This issue features Colin Wilson, author of over 100 books, most notably "The Outsider." The book became a best-seller and helped popularize existentialism in Britain. It has never been out of print and has been translated into more than thirty languages. (Wikipedia.) A 9-page one-on-one interview with Wilson comprises the majority of the article. 72 pp. 11" x 8 1/2". Clean copy with minimal shelf wear. Unmarked front to back. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.

Robin H. Smiley, 2004. Softcover. Acceptable. FIRSTS: The Book Collector's Magazine. February 2004, Volume 14, Number 2 issue, an invaluable magazine resource for book collectors. Issue focuses on Collecting C.S. Forester, Part One, which explores his personal life and writings through 1936, notably "The African Queen." Cecil Scott Forester was the pen name of Cecil Louis Troughton Smith, an English novelist who rose to fame with tales of adventure and military crusades. His most notable works were the Horatio Hornblower series, and The African Queen (1935; filmed in 1951 by John Huston). An article on Admiral Lord Nelson and His Navy is included in this issue. The next issue of FIRSTS, March 2004, focuses on the career of C.S. Forester from the first of the Horatio Hornblower books until the author's death in 1966. A bibliography of first editions through 1936 and a list of C.S. Forester's films included. Copy is unmarked. Approximately one to one and one-half inches of the… Read More

Robin H. Smiley, 1998. Softcover. Very Good. FIRSTS: The Book Collector's Magazine. November, 2003, Volume 13, Number 9 issue, an invaluable magazine resource for book collectors. This issue focuses on Collecting Horace McCoy, who was an American novelist whose gritty, hardboiled novels documented the hardships Americans faced during the Depression and postwar periods. McCoy grew up in Tennessee and Texas; after serving in the air force during World War I, he worked as a journalist, film actor, and screenplay writer. McCoy also wrote five novels, including They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1935) and the noir classic Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1948), both of which were made into movies many years later. Though underappreciated in his own time, McCoy is now recognized as a peer of Dashiell Hammett and James Cain. A first edition bibliography is included. Also featured in this issue is an article on the American film noir cycle between 1939 and 1959 and its relationship to literature. This period was… Read More

Lane County Historical Society, 1959. Softcover. Very Good. 0x0x0. Detailed history of Lane County, Kansas. Mid-century compilation of biographical and historical accounts written by several dozen early settlers. Topics include sod houses, settlers in covered wagons, prairie fires and droughts, farming, ranching and much more. Scarce. 156 unnumbered pages. 8 3/8" x 5 5/8". Tight, immaculate copy. Extremities crisp. Unmarked front to back. An unusually presentable copy of an important and original-source Kansas history. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.

Privately Printed, 1997. Softcover. Very Good. Compilation of Central Brevard County, Florida historical articles. Topics include Brevard Motor Hotel on Oleander Point, new generation of Mosquito Beater, Cocoa's airfield, First Baptist Church of Cocoa, Catherine Limb memoirs, memories of Cocoa High School, USO Center, Guilda Geiger memoirs, Ann Butler memoirs, George R. (Ole Man) memoirs, mysterious Miss Quinby, history of Indianola, Cocoa First United Methodist Church, history of Sharpes, Mosquito and Banana River Naval Air Station, Cocoa baseball, war torn Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Church of Christ, Phil Eschbach memoirs, Orsino School, life during the Depression, history of Audubon and Bob Cowart memoirs. Illustrated with many historical photos. Scarce. 84 pp. 11" x 8 1/2". Tight, unmarked copy with light shelf wear. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.

Privately Printed, 2009. Softcover. Very Good. Compilation of Central Brevard County, Florida historical articles. See attached image for table of contents. Illustrated with many historical photos. Scarce. 72 pp. 11" x 8 1/2". Tight, unmarked copy with minimal shelf wear. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.

Privately Printed, 2005. Softcover. Very Good. Compilation of Central Brevard County, Florida historical articles. See attached image for table of contents. Illustrated with many historical photos. Scarce. 80 pp. 11" x 8 1/2". Tight, unmarked copy with minimal shelf wear. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.