Search Results: sweet flypaper of life by hughes

New York, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955. Book. Illus. by DeCarava, Roy Photographer. Very Good+. Hardcover. Signed by Author & Illustrator. First Edition First Printing. Beautiful first edition with jacket. Boldly incscribed by Langston Huges on front end paper and also signed by Roy Decarava. Inscribed to Pulitzer prize winning playwright Elmer Rice and his wife in 1955, actress Betty Field. Inscription reads "Happy Holidays to Elmer and Betty - Sincerely, Langston - New York, Christmas, 1955. Under Hughes' signature it is signed separately "Roy DeCarava". The book is lightly foxed on the spine and has very mild tanning. Jacket has some wear and tearing on spine, but overall is in nice clean, whole condition..

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1955. First edition of the classic collaboration between Roy DeCarava and Langston Hughes. Small octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by Langston Hughes on the front free endpaper, "Especially for Lucian Stanton whose photographs I very much enjoyed seeing- Sincerely- Langston Hughes New York Feb. 23, 1960." An excellent example in the original dust jacket. Roth 101, Parr & Badger, The Photobook I, 242; The Open Book, 160. The hardcover is much more uncommon than the wrapper edition. Acknowledged as the most influential black writer of his generation, and as one of the greatest American poets of all time here composed a fictional story to accompany DeCarava’s images, creating a lyrical tale about imaginary characters to go with photographs of real people" (Roth, 138). Hailed as "an important step forward" in the history of photobooks, Sweet Flypaper of Life proved especially significant in its "design, featuring a pacy, cinematic style. It… Read More

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955. 1st ed. Hardcover. Very Good/Fair. photos, 98p. dj. Original black cloth. 18cm. Cellophane tape reinforcement on front of jacket on and around the backstrip and at base of front panel. Jacket also edgeworn and has some staining and soil. INSCRIBED to R. Gordon Wasson by Hughes and also SIGNED by DeCarava. The first edition of this small classic was published in an edition of 3,000 hardcovers and 22,000 paperbacks. Wasson, who gained fame in later life in the field of ethnomycology because of his research and interest in psychedelic mushrooms, taught in the English Department of Columbia University in the Fall of 1921. Hughes was one of Wasson's students during the young poet's brief sojourn at Columbia. Hughes honored his old teacher in his inscription ("Especially for my former teacher, R. Gordon Wasson, who helped open my eyes to the sweet flypaper of life -- Sincerely, Langston Hughes"), The inscription is dated at New York on Nov. 15, 1955.

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955. Very Good. [New York]: [Simon and Schuster], [1955]. First Edition, Wrapper Issue. 12mo (18cm.); publisher's photo-illustrated card wrappers; 98pp.; photographic illus. throughout. Wrapper extremities quite toned and a bit rubbed, brief soil to rear cover, else Very Good, internally clean and sound. Inscribed and signed in green ink inside upper cover: "Especially for Warren - Sincerely Langston / New York, March 10, 1956." Over this DeCarava has cheekily added in black ink "Not for Warren but for Cicely! Roy DeCarava 6-9-56." Despite the misleadingly poor print quality, "The Sweet Flypaper of Life" has gained canonical status as one of the great photo book collaborations of the 20th century. In the early 1950s DeCarava was the first Black photographer awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, spending the year in his childhood home of Harlem capturing its inhabitants both in the private and public sphere. In 1954 he brought a portfolio of examples from this project to… Read More

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955. First Edition. Hardcover. near fine/very good +. 98pp, 12mo. Scarce hardcover first edition, stated first printing. Profusely illustrated with photographs by Roy DeCarava. A near fine copy in a very good + jacket. End papers are lightly foxed, else fine. Jacket is darkened along spine, minor wear to spine and edges. Unclipped, $2.95 price present on inner flap.

NY:: Simon and Schuster,. Very Good in Very Good dust jacket. 1955. Hardcover. Black and white photographs throughout. Stated first printing. Very good in a very good (moderate edge wear with a few small chips, age toning) dust jacket with original $2.95 price on front flap. ; 98 pages .

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955. First Edition. Near Fine/Very Good+. First edition, first printing. Hardcover issue bound in publisher's original black paper-covered boards over white cloth spine lettered in black. Near Fine with ding to top edge of upper board, toning and musty odor to pages. In a Very Good+ dust jacket with price blacked out and a small crossed-out marking nearby, toning, light soiling, light edge wear and a light stain down the front spine joint. A nice survival of this fragile jacket. DeCarava had won a 1953 Guggenheim Fellowship to photograph African American life in Harlem. It was a chance meeting on a Manhattan street corner in which DeCarava showed his photographs to Hughes. Hughes was so enamored with these photographs he immediately took them to his publisher, who agreed to publish them so long as Hughes wrote accompanying text. The result, a beautiful and vibrant visual encapsulation of life in 1950s Harlem, strung together with a textual narrative by a leading light… Read More

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955. Paperback. Good. New York : Simon and Schuster, 1955. First edition. Good. With Langston Hughes' card attached to front cover by a paperclip, upon which is inscribed 'Happy Hoildays!' in Hughes' favoured green ink, together with a picture postcard handwritten by Hughes to John Wakeman in which he describes a visit to the Durems (poet Ray and his second wife) in San Francisco, postmarked 24 Feb 1956. Hughes had sent John Wakeman The Sweet Flypaper of Life as a Christmas present. From the library of John Wakeman. Spine and edges to cover toned, spine rubbed, some small rust stains to cover, inside cover and page three from a paperclip, disturbance to first few pages from same paperclip, otherwise in clean condition, binding good.

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1955. First. paperback. near fine. Beautifully printed photographic illustrations by Roy deCarava. 98 pages, slim 16mo, pictorial wrappers. New York: Simon & Schuster, (1955). First edition, in the preferred soft cover issue.<br/> <br/> Landmark collaboration between poet and photographer.<br/> <br/>

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955. Cloth. Near Fine/Very Good -. A solid copy of the 1955 stated 1st printing, in its less common hardback edition. Tight and VG+ to Near Fine (very light offsetting along the edges) in a crisp, price-intact ($2.95), VG- example of the fragile dustjacket, with a small degree of chipping at the spine ends, light creasing and wear to the edges, and mild soiling along the panels. Still though, presentable and attractive, and internally, clean as could be, with no writing or markings of any kind. 12mo, one of the great pairings of text and image in 20th century African-American lieterature, with Langston Hughes's moving narrative beautifully complementing Roy De Carava's keenly-felt gravure photographs.

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955. 1st paper ed. [issued simultaneously in hardcover]. Paperback. Near Fine. photos, 98p. Softcover in original wrapper. 18 cm. An appealing copy with minor soiling and almost no wear. A photographic essay about life in Harlem.

Hill and Wang, 1967. Hardcover. Very good/Good. tall case. First Hill and Wang printing. Inscribed by deCarava on a slip of paper taped to the front endpaper, dated 1986. Dust jacket worn and chipped. Name written on front endpaper.

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955. Pictorial wrappers. Near Fine. An unusually crisp, bright copy of the 1955 stated 1st paperback printing (issued simultaneously with the hardback). Tight and Near Fine in its pictorial wrappers, with just a touch of scratching and the faintest hint of offsetting/soiling at the front panel. Internally clean as could be, with no wrting or markings of any kind. Langston Hughes's incisive text complemented by a young Roy DeCarava's deeply moving black-and-white photos.

Simon and Schuster, 1955. First Edition. Hardcover. Good. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket missing. First edition, first printing. Shelf and handling wear to cover and binding, with general signs of previous use. Minor wear to cover boards and spine. The text block includes extensive photographs to supplement the text. The text block is clean and free of staining. No markings or notations. The binding suffers minor loosening due to age and wear, but remains secure and in-tact; the pages are clean and unmarked. Secure packaging for safe delivery.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1955. First edition. Softcover. The simultaneous paperback issue. A classic collaboration with text by Langston Hughes and black and white images by Roy DeCarava. A very good copy in photo illustrated wrappers with light soiling and minor wear. Internally a clean copy of this increasingly uncommon book that was printed much better than subsequent editions. (Parr & Badger v1, 242; Roth 138-139).

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1955. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fair/No Jacket. Roy Decarava - Photography. Hardcover/ no DJ; Fair (to possibly Good) condition. First Edition- 1955; Stated First Printing; same year on title page. 98 pages, 7 x 5"", b/w photo illus. by Roy Decarava. Ex library w/ inkstamps on top & bottom of text block, 7 digit stamped no. in bottom right corner of half-title page- no other library marks. Binding of black paper over board covers & white cloth spine is Good+: square & shows only light rubbing, 2 small bumped & frayed cover corners at top right. Spine just a bit tanned, all lettering crisp & intact. Copy actually displays well. Fixed endpapers have remains of side edges of DJ glued to them (basically white on white). Crude & light printing, ""Honesty Pays Big"" (to me, kind of adds to copy) in gray semi-indelible pencil (I think) at top of front free endpaper. Front endpapers also have 2 scribbles (1/2"" to 1"" dia.) in light green colored pencil. Title page has same… Read More

"The Sweet Flypaper Of Life" by Roy DeCarava and Langston Hughes1967 - First Edition, First PrintingVintage Hardcover Book with Dust Jacket8 1/4" x 5 3/4"96 Pages The jacket is in good minus condition with small edge tears and wear. The jacket is now protected with a removable Mylar cover. The hardcover book is in good to good minus condition, free from rips, tears, bends, and writing. There is toning on both the front and back end pages and the previous owner's name is written in ink on the front and back end pages.The boards are in good to good minus condition with minimal wear. There is a light scratch on the back board. The binding is tight and square.

New York: Simon & Schuster. Very good copy. 1955. 1st. softcover. 8vo, 98 pp., Wrappers slightly soiled, else about fine. .

New York: Hill and Wang, 1967. First edition thus. Hardcover. 96 pages. A reissue of this classic collaboration. A very important book with text by Hughes and 141 photographs by DeCarava. A near fine copy in cloth boards in a very good plus dust jacket with a small abrasion to the front panel, some other light wear, and some faint spotting to the verso. Still a very nice copy of this seemingly quite uncommon book.

VERY GOOD condition — COVERS: Minor scratches and stress rubbings to face and hinges, respectively. Minor soiling, front and back. Top right front, and bottom left back corners slightly dogeared. BOOK: Age toning to text pages. Please inspect photos closely for condition details.

Here on offer is a very nice copy of Roy DeCarava's and Langston Hughes' The Sweet Flypaper of Life, a photographic essay of life in Harlem in the 1940s and 50s. The story is narrated by the fictional character Sister Mary Bradley. This copy is a 1st trade edition, 1st printing of the work published by Simon & Schuster in 1955. It is bound in softcovers.
*********************************************************
"The people in these photographs had no walls up. They just accepted me and permitted me to take their photographs without any self-consciousness." —Roy DeCarava
The Sweet Flypaper of Life is a "poem" about ordinary people, about teenagers around a jukebox, about children at an open fire hydrant, about riding the… Read More