The Bruce Kahn Collection - Ken Lopez Bookseller

Ken Lopez, Bookseller
51 Huntington Rd.
Hadley, MA 01035
(413) 584-4827 FAX (413) 584-2045
klopez@well.com
www.lopezbooks.com
CATALOG 150
The Bruce Kahn Collection
All books are first printings of the first edition
or first American edition unless otherwise
noted. Our highest grade is fine.
New arrivals are listed in our catalog prior
to their appearance on our website or their
listing in any online database. We try to notify
customers about specifically requested titles
in advance of catalog mailings. Want lists are
welcome.
We recommend that books be reserved
by phone, fax or e-mail. New customers
are requested to pay in advance; existing
customers may pay in 30 days; institutions
will be billed according to their needs. All
major credit cards accepted. Any book may
be returned for any reason within 30 days, but
we request notification.
Domestic shipping is free. Foreign shipping
is $15 for the first book and $10 for each
additional book and these orders are sent Air
Mail. Shipping to Canada is $10 for the first
book and $5 for each additional book.
Massachusetts residents please add 5% sales
tax.
Although we specialize in Modern Literary First
Editions, we also issue occasional catalogs in
the fields of the Literature of the 1960s and the
Vietnam War, Native American Literature, and
Nature Writing. If you are interested, please
contact us or visit our website.
We regularly issue email lists of selected titles.
To receive elists, send your email address to
subscribe@lopezbooks.com
We are actively buying fine books in our
field.
© 2009 Ken Lopez, Bookseller
A Note About This Catalog
This catalog is made up of books from the collection of Bruce Kahn. We have selected a number of the “high spots” in
his collection to list together because of the remarkable condition of so many of the books, including ones that almost
never appear in such condition: it is only occasionally that a single copy of one of these titles comes on the market in the
kind of stunning condition that typifies this collection. It is truly notable when such a large group, especially of such
significant modern titles, comes on the market at once.
Bruce Kahn is a lawyer in Michigan specializing in mergers and acquisitions. He has been a collector since he was a
teenager in the 1950s & 60s, starting with comic books and then building a comprehensive collection of science fiction
first editions. He learned early on the mantra that the three most important factors in the collectibility of a modern
book are, as they say, “condition, condition, and condition.” He also learned early on the value of distinguishing his
copies, even from others in superior condition, by getting them signed or inscribed by their authors. Many, if not most,
of his science fiction first editions were signed by their authors when he sold his collection in the mid-1980s.
At that time he started collecting “mainstream” modern literature, along with modern mystery and detective fiction. It
was a good time to begin such a collection: fine copies of some of the keynote titles of the postwar era were scarce but
were nonetheless much more readily available than they are now, nearly a quarter century later. Beautiful copies of
such books as To Kill a Mockingbird, On The Road, and The Catcher in the Rye could be had if one were patient and
persistent, and Bruce Kahn was both.
He collected in the style of the old-time book collectors—that is, he collected authors in depth, pursuing all their
published titles, variant editions such as proofs, advance copies, and broadsides, and in many cases U.K. editions as
well as U.S. ones. As a result, the author collections themselves end up being bibliographically significant, especially
for those authors for whom there is not yet an “official” or definitive bibliography. Bruce has had a particular interest
in the writings of Jim Harrison, and his collection contributed significantly to the forthcoming Harrison bibliography.
In this catalog, we have merely sampled the author collections, rather than listing any given author exhaustively; but
one gets a sense of the depth and range of the collection.
We are issuing this catalog at a moment when our economy has experienced the most dramatic turmoil in decades.
However, it may prove opportune to remember, as one of my colleagues recently wrote me, that the books and literature
that “we deal in will endure, and contains the seeds of knowledge and spiritual nourishment.” It is the understanding
of this value—of what underlies monetary value—that can and should reassure us: these books are an important part
of our cultural makeup and our intellectual and moral heritage. That is and will remain true. After economic hard
times have passed, these will still be the books that have shaped our society’s evolution; in that respect their value will
remain unchanged, and they will still be among the important works of literature of the 20th century. If books are still
collected—and there is little doubt they will be—the books of the Bruce Kahn collection will still be among the most
desirable copies of the most important titles of our time. We are honored to present such a comprehensive collection of
such excellent quality.
This catalog has been jointly prepared and is being jointly offered by Between the Covers Rare Books and Ken Lopez
Bookseller, both of us longtime dealers in 20th century literature. For ease of logistics, the books are in one place, in
Hadley, Massachusetts, and the catalogs have been mailed from there. Please call or email Ken Lopez Bookseller with
your orders or inquiries. Thank you.
Ken Lopez
The Problem With Bruce Kahn
I have been dealing with Bruce Kahn for at least two decades. He has always been a
pleasant and genial fellow. He is an articulate and engaging conversationalist on many
subjects, and most particularly literary subjects, and despite being a successful and very
busy attorney, is always willing to make time to talk about them. For an attorney he is
unusually hip: he is an accomplished musician with a wide range of interests in cultural
and counterculture issues, and has a ready store of interesting and amusing anecdotes. He
is a generous host. For all I know, like a Boy Scout, he is also probably cheerful, thrifty,
brave, clean, and reverent. So what’s the problem with Bruce Kahn?
That’s easy: Jeez, he was a pain in the ass to sell books to. He always wanted his books
to be in perfect condition, and even the slightest flaw would be either unacceptable, or
if he finally decided he could overlook some nearly microscopic flaw, it had damn well
better be mitigated by being a unique copy or an exceptionally rare book, or an important
association copy, or preferably both. What’s a bookseller to do? This set a pretty high
standard for selling him books, and to some degree it is amazing that he has managed to
assemble a collection of about 15,000 books in beautiful condition, many of which you
will be seeing in subsequent catalogues from Ken and I.
However, the flip side of the ordeal of selling books to Bruce, was that now when it has
come time to sell the books, there isn’t very much for prospective buyers to complain
about. Indeed the reason Ken is the “general editor” of this catalogue is that I got sick
of writing “Very fine in very fine dustwrapper. Signed by the author.” Where’s the fun in
that, anyway?
In any event, in the sometimes perilous and occasionally anxious activity of buying
modern first editions, the question of whether these books are going to be nice enough for
you probably isn’t going to come up. So I’d advise that if these titles appeal to you, get them
while you can. You probably won’t be seeing better copies.
Tom Congalton
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