July 2025: US Presidents

One member's unintentionally assembled
collection of signed presidential books

Getting an early start on the Fourth of July festivities, the July 2025 meeting paid respect to US Presidents.  Nonfiction books by and about US presidents, the presidency, and related issues were shown.  Several works of fiction with US presidents as central characters were also shown.

The nonfiction books are organized here in the order of the subject's presidency, and the works of fiction are listed in order of publication.

 

Nonfiction

The Life of George Washington

Marshall, John.  The Life of George Washington, Commander in Chief of the American Forces, During the War which Established the Independence of His Country, and First President of the United States.  Philadelphia: C. P. Wayne, 1804.  Five volumes in the original full leather including the map atlas with the maps folded to match the size of the five volumes.  First edition of the first major biography of George Washington by the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Monticello in Measured Drawings

Beiswanger, William L.  Monticello in Measured Drawings.  Charlottesville, VA: The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1998.  Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson in Virginia.  This volume offers a set of elevations, sections and details of the house (line drawings) as it was actually built for Jefferson.  Monticello was begun in 1768, when Jefferson was 25 years old, and he continued to alter it until his death in 1826, at the age of 83.  William Beiswanger, the Director of Restoration at Monticello, provides architectural commentary on the drawings in the book.  This copy is signed by Beiswanger on the half title page.

Handwritten Autobiography for The Chicago Press and Tribune:
Abraham Lincoln, June 1860

Lincoln, Abraham.  Handwritten Autobiography for The Chicago Press and Tribune: Abraham Lincoln, June 1860.  Norwalk, CT: Easton Press and the Library of Congress, 1995.  This is a facsimile of Lincoln's autobiography, handwritten for the Chicago newspaper during his presidential campaign.  The original document is housed in the Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division and is reproduced here in its entirety for the first time.  The 16-page facsimile is housed in a moiré silk tri-fold portfolio within a full leather clamshell box.

 

Our National Government

Logan, Mrs. John A. (Mary Simmerson Cunningham Logan).  Our National Government, or Life and Scenes in Our National Capital.  Minneapolis, MN: H. L. Baldwin Company, 1908.  In this portrait of American government, the wife of a former US senator includes a section with a collection of "sketches of the presidents and their wives and of all the famous women who have reigned in the White House from Washington's to Taft's administration."  She also includes a chapter on Washington's Mount Vernon home and his daily life and fatal illness in December 1799.

Mr. President

Hillman, William.  Mr. President: The First Publication from the Personal Diaries, Private Letters, Papers and Revealing Interviews of Harry S. Truman, Thirty-Second President of the United States of America.  New York: Farrar, Straus and Young, 1952.  Pictures by Alfred Wagg.  Hillman, a journalist and news commentator, edited Mr. President from Truman's papers and archives; he later assisted Truman with Memoirs (1955-56) and Mr. Citizen (1960).  This copy is warmly inscribed by Harry Truman during a Testimonial Dinner on September 20, 1958.

Ike and Dick

Frank, Jeffrey.  Ike and Dick: Portrait of a Strange Political Marriage.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 2013.  First edition.  Jeffrey Frank, the senior editor of The New Yorker magazine and deputy editor of The Washington Post Outlook section, argues the political "mating" of Eisenhower and Nixon was one of the strangest and most fateful in American political history.  Frank explains why Eisenhower, ill during the late 1960s, supported Nixon in part because he was greatly influenced by his grandson David's courtship of Nixon's daughter.  This copy is inscribed by the author on the title page.

The Imperial Presidency

Schlesinger, Jr., Arthur M.  The Imperial Presidency.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1973.  First edition.  Schlesinger provides a history and analysis of the gradual expansion of the executive powers of the presidency, especially those of war powers, from those created by the Constitution to those given over from Congress up through the Nixon administration.  Schlesinger highlights the growing abuses of executive power by presidents and offers remedies to return authority to Congress while maintaining a strong executive branch.

Turning Point

Carter, Jimmy.  Turning Point: A Candidate, A State, and a Nation Come of Age.  New York: Times Books, 1992.  First edition.  In this memoir, Carter recounts his first campaign for public office in 1962 and his entrance into the political arena.  He also discusses the political climate of the time and how the Civil Rights Movement and other social concerns shaped his vision of how people of faith could join forces to right the wrongs of American society.  This copy is inscribed by President Carter on the first blank preliminary page.

Keeping Faith

Carter, Jimmy.  Keeping Faith.  New York: Bantam Books, 1982.  Drawn from the 5,000-page diary Carter kept during his presidency, Keeping Faith is his candid evaluation of the accomplishments and disappointments of his time in the White House.  The memoir reiterates his sustaining resolve of "keeping faith" in Americans in the hope they would regain belief in themselves (a theme echoed from his other memoir, Turning Points [above]).  This copy is number 1029 of a limited-edition of 2500 slip-cased, leather-bound copies.

The Nobel Prize Lecture

Carter, Jimmy.  The Nobel Peace Prize Lecture.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002.  Carter’s remarks upon receiving the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize.  President Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."  This copy is signed by President Carter on the title page.

Speaking My Mind

Reagan, Ronald.  Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches.  New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989.  First edition, first printing bound in full Morocco leather, limited to 5000 copies, numbered, and signed by the former president.  Selected by Reagan himself, this collection of speeches reflects his political philosophy and the triumphs, challenges, and tragedies of his years in office.

My Life

Clinton, Bill (William Jefferson).  My Life.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.  Clinton's autobiography, published three years after leaving the White House, is an exhaustive chronological account of his life from his childhood through his presidency.  This copy is number 1400 in a limited-edition of 1500 slip-cased, signed copies.

Portraits of Courage

Bush, George W.  Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors.  New York: Crown Publishers, 2017.  Portraits of Courage is a collection of oil painting by the former president and stories about the military veterans depicted in his artwork.  This copy is one of an unnumbered, signed, limited, slip-cased edition of 2000 copies.

Shade

Souza, Pete.  Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents.  New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2018.  Souza, the official photographer of both presidents Reagan and Obama, released Shade a year after Trump's inauguration.  Souza uses photographs he took to juxtapose the Obama and Trump administrations.

Fiction

Frost/Nixon

Morgan, Peter.  Frost/Nixon.  London: Faber & Faber, 2006.  First trade (non-acting) edition.  Morgan dramatizes the controversial series of interviews by British journalist David Frost with former US president Richard Nixon in 1977.  Frost's interviews drew out Nixon's now-famous reply, "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal," as well as Nixon's stunning admission that he participated in a cover-up and "let the American people down."

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Grahame-Smith, Seth.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer.  New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2010.  Grahame-Smith's fiction is a mash-up novel—a genre-bending combination of biography, horror, and action—in which the historic Abraham Lincoln has a secret identity as a hunter of evil vampires.

The Jefferson Key

Berry, Steve.  The Jefferson Key.  New York: Ballantine Books, 2011.  This work of political fiction speculates that the four presidents who have been assassinated—each murder seemingly unrelated and separated by time—may have all been killed for the same reason: a clause in the US Constitution, in Article 1, Section 8.  This copy is signed by the author on the title page.

The Lincoln Myth

Berry, Steve.  The Lincoln Myth.  New York: Ballantine Books, 2014.  In this work of historical and political fiction, a secret passed down from president to president presents Abraham Lincoln with a conundrum.  This copy is signed by the author on the title page.

 

 

June 2025: Award-Winning First Books

The June 2025 meeting recognized Award-Winning First Books.  Collectors showed copies of an author's debut book with an emphasis on the awards it received.  While the topic was not limited to fiction, all the books shown were novels except for one short story collection; no non-fiction titles were presented.  Various literary awards were represented among titles offered, with many of the books picking up specific debut novel prizes.

 

The Name of the Rose

Eco, Umberto.  The Name of the Rose.  New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980.  First English edition.  This historical murder mystery follows Brother William of Baskerville, a Franciscan friar, and Adso of Melk, a Benedictine novice, as they investigate a series of mysterious deaths at 14th-century Benedictine abbey in northern Italy.  The Name of the Rose won the 1981 Strega Prize, an Italian literary award given to the best work of prose written in the Italian language, and the 1982 Prix Medicis Étranger, a French award for a book published in translation.

Chiefs

Woods, Stuart.  Chiefs.  New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1981.  First edition.  This mystery novel spans three generations as three successive police chiefs attempt to identify and catch a serial killer operating in Georgia.  Chiefs won the Mystery Writers of America's 1982 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel.  This copy is signed by the author on the title page.

Neuromancer

Gibson, William.  Neuromancer.  New York: Ace Books, 1984.  First edition.  Paperback original. 

Neuromancer

Gibson, William.  Neuromancer.  West Bloomfield, MI: Phantasia Press, 1986.  First US hardcover edition.  Signed, slip-cased edition limited to 375 copies.

This science fiction novel, set in the near future, follows Case, a computer hacker hired by a mysterious new employer to join a team to carry out a series of crimes that set the stage for the employer's ultimate purpose of merging two super artificial intelligence systems.  Neuromancer won the 1984 Philip K. Dick Award, the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and the 1985 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Song of Kali

Simmons, Dan.  Song of Kali.  New York: Blue Jay Books, 1985.  First edition.

Song of Kali

Simmons, Dan.  Song of Kali.  London: Headline, 1987.  First UK edition.

Song of Kali

Simmons, Dan.  Song of Kali.  Concord, MA: Earthling Publications, 2005.  20th anniversary edition, signed, slip-cased, limited to 400 copies.

This horror novel follows Robert Luczak, an American literary editor, on a trip to Calcutta to seek out the poetry of a legendary Indian poet, where he becomes embroiled in a series of horrific and mysterious events tied to a cult which worships Kali, the goddess of time, death, and destruction.  Song of Kali won the 1986 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.

 

War for the Oaks

Bull, Emma.  War for the Oaks.  New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2001.  First published in 1987, this fantasy novel follows a rock musician, guitarist Eddi McCandry, as she leaves her band and is chosen by a sinister fairie to represent the mortals in a faceoff against the supernatural Dark Queen in a dual of music and magic which could decide the fate of the mortals.  War for the Oaks won the 1988 Locus Award for First Best Novel.

 

Lincoln's Dreams

Willis, Connie.  Lincoln’s Dreams.  New York: Bantam Books, 1987.  First edition.  This science fiction story follows Jeff Johnston, a historical researcher, who is studying the Civil War when he meets Annie, a young woman who seems to be experiencing vivid dreams about the war, particularly dreaming General Robert E. Lee's own dreams.  Lincoln's Dreams won the 1988 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

The Blue Edge of Midnight

King, Jonathon.  The Blue Edge of Midnight.  New York: E.P. Dutton, 2002.  First edition.  This mystery novel follows Max Freeman, an ex-cop from Philadelphia haunted by a past shooting, who retreats to the Florida Everglades.  When he discovers a young girl's body, he becomes the prime suspect and must solve the mystery to clear his name.  The Blue Edge of Midnight won the 2003 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Haddon, Mark.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.  New York: Doubleday, 2003.  First American edition.  This modern mystery novel follows a 15-year-old boy with autism as he investigates the suspicious death of his neighbor's dog.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize's 2003 Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction; the Book Trust Teenage Fiction Award; the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, and the Whitbread Book of the Year.  In 2004, it won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book; the Society of Authors's McKitterick Prize for a first novel by an author over 40; the Waverton Good Read Award; and South Africa's Boeke Prize.

The Night Circus

Morgenstern, Erin.  The Night Circus.  New York: Random House. 2010.  First edition.  This speculative fiction novel follows Marco and Celia, two young magicians in a traveling circus, who have been trained since childhood to compete against one another but who fall in love instead.  The Night Circus won the American Library Association's 2012 Alex Award and the 2012 Locus Award for First Best Novel.

The Yellow Birds

Powers, Kevin.  The Yellow Birds.  New York: Little Brown & Co., 2012.  First edition.  The novel follows Private John Bartle through the Gulf War and its physical and psychological impacts in the aftermath of such an intense experience.  The Yellow Birds won the 2012 Guardian First Book Award and the 2013 Pen/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction.

If You Could Be Mine

Farizan, Sara.  If You Could Be Mine.  Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books, 2013.  First edition.  The story is narrated by an Iranian teenage girl who is willing to undergo gender reassignment surgery to be with her girlfriend; in Iran homosexuality is banned but gender reassignment surgery is legal and surgically transitioned persons are recognized as their new gender and allowed to marry.  If You Could Be Mine won The Publishing Triangle's 2014 Edmund White Award, honoring debut novels by writers within the LGBT community, and the 2014 Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction.  It also won the 2014 Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature.  This copy is inscribed by the author on the title page.

The Spinning Heart

Ryan, Donal.  The Spinning Heart.  Hanover, NH: Steerforth Press, 2013.  The novel tracks a group of interconnected characters in the aftermath of the Celtic Tiger, the strong economy of the mid-1990s to the late-2000s.  Following Ireland's financial collapse, these characters struggle through the recession and its impact on their small town.  The Spinning Heart won the 2012 Irish Book Awards' Newcomer of the Year.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Albertalli, Becky.  Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.  New York: Balzer + Bray, 2015.  First edition.  Simon… tells the story of its titular character's online relationship with "Blue," another student at his high school; in a climactic scene, Blue finally reveals himself as a known character throughout the story.  Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda won the American Library Association's 2016 William C. Morris Award for Best Young Adult Debut of the Year.  In its first year, the book also won at least 18 reader-selected awards including the Georgia Peach Teen Readers' Choice Award.  This copy is signed by the author on the title page.

 

There, There

Orange, Tommy.  There, There.  New York: A. A. Knopf, 2018.  First edition.  This novel traces a dozen Native American characters or characters closely related to Native Americans living in the Oakland, California, area.  The book also weaves in several essays on Native American history and identity, and shows the characters' struggles with alcoholism, depression, unemployment, and living in an urban setting.  There, There won the 2018 National Book Critic Circle Award's John Leonard Prize for the first book by a new voice, and the 2019 Pen/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction.

Sharks in the Time of Saviors

Washburn, Kawai Strong.  Sharks in the Time of Saviors.  New York: MCD/Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2020.  First edition.  This novel follows Nainoa Flores and his family in Hawaii after Nainoa is miraculously rescued from drowning by sharks and subsequently develops the ability to heal others.  Sharks in the Time of Saviors won the 2021 Pen/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction and the 2021 Minnesota Book Award.

Afterparties

So, Anthony Veasna.  Afterparties: Stories.  New York: Ecco Press, 2021.  First edition.  Afterparties is a collection of short stories exploring the lives of immigrant and first-generation Cambodian Americans living in Northern California.  It was So's debut book, though he did not live to see its publication; he died several months after the collection was selected for publication, but before it was released.  Afterparties won the National Book Critics Circle's 2021 John Leonard Prize for Best First Book and The Publishing Triangle's 2022 Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction.  The story "Superking Son Scores Again" won the Joyce Carol Oates Award in Fiction from Syracuse University.

Shuggie Bain

Stuart, Douglas.  Shuggie Bain.  London: Picador, 2021.  First edition.  Hugh "Shuggie" Bain is a kind young boy who is isolated within his struggling, working-class Glasgow community by his alcoholic mother, as they both battle their own demons or supposed secrets, which are clearly known to others but not necessarily to themselves.  Shuggie Bain won the British Book Awards' 2021 Debut Book of the Year and the American Academy of Arts and Letters's 2021 Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction.

May 2025: Pen Names and Pseudonymous Writings

For the May 2025 meeting, book collectors uncovered the writers behind their Pen Names.  For various reasons, whether personal or professional, writers have adopted a nom de plume (or nom de guerre), a pseudonym, a pen name, or even an entire identity with which to publish their works. 

The books are shown here in chronological order of the birth year of the author.

 

George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)

Impressions of Theophrastus Such

Eliot, George.  Impressions of Theophrastus Such.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1908.  Theophrastus Such was Eliot's last published writing, originally published in 1879, the year before her death.  George Eliot was born Mary Ann Evans but changed her name when she moved in with George Lewes, her long-time companion; they considered themselves married though Lewes was legally married to another woman.

 

Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Carroll, Lewis.  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1932.  Limited edition.  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was first published in 1865.  Charles Lutwidge Dodgson first published as Lewis Carroll in 1856, using a pseudonym selected by his editor from among four names Dodgson suggested.  The pseudonym was a play on his real name; Dodgson translated "Charles Lutwidge" to Latin as "Carolus Ludovicus," which he anglicized as "Carroll Lewis" and then reversed to "Lewis Carroll."

Signed by Alice!

This copy is #1118 of 1500 numbered copies signed by the binder, Frederic Warde.  This copy is further signed on a blank preliminary page by Alice Hargreaves, the real Alice for whom the eponymous character is named.  Alice Hargreaves (nee Liddell) was one of the daughters of Henry Liddell, a friend of Dodgson.

The Russian Journal

Carroll, Lewis.  The Russian Journal and Other Selections from the Works of Lewis Carroll.  New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1935.  Edited and with an introduction by John Francis McDermott.  Lewis Carroll was the pen name used for Dodgson's fiction; he maintained his given name for his scholarly writing.

 

Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)

Following the Equator

Twain, Mark.  Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World.  Hartford, CT: American Publishing Group, 1897.  First edition.  Following the Equator is a travelogue and social commentary by Samuel Clemens, better known by his primary pen name, Mark Twain.  Clemens claims to have taken the pen name from a riverboat captain, Isaiah Sellers, who used Mark Twain as his nom de guerre for Mississippi River news published in the New Orleans Picayune.  As a nautical term, "mark twain" refers to two marks—"twain" being an archaic term for "two"—on a sounding line, indicating a water depth of two fathoms (12 feet); "mark twain" was called out by riverboatmen to inform the pilot that the water was deep enough for the vessel to pass safely.

 

Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen)

Last Tales

Dinesen, Isak.  Last Tales.  New York: Random House, 1957.  First edition.  Karen Blixen, formally Baroness Karen Christentze von Blixen-Finecke (nee Dinesen), a Danish writer, used the pen name Isak Dinesen in English-speaking countries and Tania Blixen in German-speaking countries.  In Danish, she also published as Osceola and Pierre Andrézel.

 

N. W. Clerk (C. S. Lewis)

A Grief Observed

Lewis, C. S.  A Greif Observed.  Greenwich, CT: The Seabury Press, 1963.  A Grief Observed was first published in 1961 under the pseudonym N. W. Clerk.  The book is a memoir of Clive Staples Lewis's bereavement following the death of his wife, Joy Davidman.  He wanted to explore his grief but also avoid any connection to his religious writing.  To further maintain anonymity, N. W. Clerk referred to his wife in the book only by the letter H (the initial of Joy's first name, Helen).  A Grief Observed was republished under C. S. Lewis's own name after his death in 1963, though the publisher maintained the original text only referring to Lewis's wife as "H."

 

Sheila Cousins (Ronald Matthews)

To Beg I Am Ashamed

Cousins, Sheila.  To Beg I Am Ashamed: The Autobiography of a London Prostitute.  Paris: The Obelisk Press, 1938.  Only authorized edition, complete and unexpurgated.  Sheila Cousins is the supposed pseudonym of a London prostitute, but is, in fact, a pen name for Ronald Matthews, a British journalist.  There is no evidence the author ("Cousins") is a real person or the autobiography is authentic, despite the author’s and publisher’s claims.  It is most likely a work of fiction, even though Matthews claimed to have ghostwritten the book for a real prostitute.  Matthews was a friend of Graham Greene and sent Greene the manuscript for some friendly criticism; Greene’s response was far from friendly, but he did rewrite several passages throughout the narrative, encouraging Matthews to imitate his more descriptive style.  Matthews incorporated Greene's revisions but made no other changes to his rather dry prose (a polite way to describe it!).  As a result, Greene is often mistakenly attributed as a co-ghostwriter with Matthews.

with original wraparound band

The book was originally published by George Routledge & Sons but was immediately attacked by the Public Morality Council and denounced by The Daily Mail.  The Home Office, the UK's interior ministry, sent police to Routledge's office and the publisher withdrew the book from publication.  Three months later, in June 1938, Obelisk Press, an English language press based in Paris, France—and a frequent publisher of banned and censored books—released the book, publishing it beyond the reach of the British government.  This copy is a first printing of the first edition published by Obilesk Press and retains the rare original wraparound band.

 

George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair)

Animal Farm

Orwell, George.  Animal Farm.  New York: Berkley, 2020.  75th anniversary authorized edition, with a foreword by Ann Patchett and a new introduction by Tea Obreth.  Animal Farm was first published in 1945 by George Orwell, the pen name for Eric Arthur Blair.  He wanted to publish under a different name to avoid embarrassing his family because of his "tramp" lifestyle.  He settled on the name George Orwell saying, "it is a good round English name," with George inspired by the patron saint of England and Orwell after the river in Suffolk, one of his favorite locations.

 

Ogdred Weary (Edward Gorey)

The Curious Sofa

Weary, Ogdred.  The Curious Sofa: A Pornographic Work.  New York: Ivan Obolensky, Inc., 1961.  This is a first and numbered, limited edition, of which all copies are numbered 83 of 212.  Ogdred Weary was the most used of several anagram pen names used by Edward Gorey.  Gorey enjoyed word games, such as anagrams, and he released books under other anagram names including E. G. Deadworry, D. Awdrey-Gore, Wardore Edgy, and Mrs. Regera Dowdy.  As another type of word play, Gorey published several books as Eduard Blutig, with "Blutig" being the German word for "bloody" or "gory."

 

Jeffrey Hudson and John Lange (Michael Crichton)

A Case of Need

Hudson, Jeffrey.  A Case of Need.  New York: New American Library, 1968.  First edition.  Michael Crichton published his fourth novel, A Case of Need, a medical thriller, under the pen name Jeffrey Hudson.  The name is a reference to Sir Jeffrey Hudson, a 17th century dwarf in the queen consort's court, and an ironic nod to his self-described "abnormal" height of 6' 9".

Easy Go

Lange, John.  Easy Go.  New York: Hardcase Crime, 2013.  Easy Go was first published by Signet in 1968; it was the third novel by Michael Crichton published as John Lange.  The name is a nod to Andrew Lang, a cultural anthropologist.  Crighton began writing as John Lange while in medical school to separate his writing from his planned medical career.

Grave Descend

Lange, John.  Grave Descend.  New York: Hardcase Crime, 2013.  Grave Descend was first published by Signet in 1970.  It was the seventh of eight John Lange novels authored by Crichton.

John Lange titles

Other Crighton stories published as John Lange include Odds On (1966), Scratch One (1967), Zero Cool (1969), The Venom Business (1969), Drug of Choice (1970), and Binary (1972).

 

Leigh Nichols (Dean Koontz)

The House of Thunder

Nichols, Leigh.  The House of Thunder.  New York: Pocket Books, 1982.  First edition.  Leigh Nichols is one of several pen names used by Dean Koontz.  The House of Thunder is the fourth of seven Leigh Nichols books authored by Koontz.

The House of Thunder

Koontz, Dean (writing as Leigh Nichols).  The House of Thunder.  Arlington Heights, IL: Dark Harvest, 1988.  Limited edition.  This copy is #259 of 550 signed and numbered copies.

 

Michael Clynes, Paul Harding, and C. L. Grace (Paul Doherty)

The Death of a King

Doherty, P. C.  The Death of a King: A Medieval Mystery.  New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985.  First edition.  Paul Charles Dominic Doherty is an English author who writes both fiction and non-fiction under his own name, as well as under the pen names Michael Clynes, Paul Harding, C. L. Grace, Anna Apostolou, Ann Dukthas, and Vanessa Alexander.

The White Rose Murders

Clynes, Michael.  The White Rose Murders.  New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991.  First edition.

Red Slayer

Harding, Paul.  Red Slayer.  New York: William Morrow and Company, 1992.  First edition.  Also titled The House of the Red Slayer.

A Shrine of Murders

Grace, C. L.  A Shrine of Murders.  New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993.  First edition.

John Reid (Andrew Tobias)

The Best Little Boy in the World  and
The Best Little Boy in the World Grows Up

Reid, John.  The Best Little Boy in the World.  New York: Ballantine Books, 1993.  The Best Little Boy in the World, a memoir, was first published pseudonymously in 1973, when the author did not feel safe publishing his account of growing up gay in America under his own name.  Twenty-five years later, John Reid revealed himself as Andrew Tobias.

Tobias, Andrew.  The Best Little Boy in the World Grows Up.  New York: Ballantine Books, 1999.  Twenty-five years after the publication of his now-classic memoir, Tobias reflects on the writing and publication process, and how the book’s reception shaped the life of the anonymous author.  The memoir was released the same year Tobias was elected treasurer of the Democratic National Committee, a role he held until 2017.

 

Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler)

The Bad Beginning

Snicket, Lemony.  The Bad Beginning.  New York: Harper Collins, 2003.  Lemony Snicket is both the "in-universe" author and a fictional character in A Series of Unfortunate Events, of which there are 13 books written by Daniel Handler.  Snicket is a mysterious, omniscient narrator who self-inserts himself into the lives of the central characters to chronicle their misfortunes.

 

Christina Lauren (Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings Luhrs)

Autoboyography

Lauren, Christina.  Autoboyography.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 2017.  First edition.  Christina Lauren is the pen name for the writing duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings Luhrs.  They met in 2009 while writing online fan fiction.  They became co-authors in 2010 and published their first book in 2013.  As Christina Lauren, they have authored 34 books of teen fiction and romance novels.