CHEEVER, John (1912-1982); Anita Miller (1926-2018)

The Uncollected Stories of John Cheever 1930-1981 [Advance Reading Copy]; [together with] The Uncollected Stories of John Cheever 1930-1981 [Advance Excerpt] [and together with] Uncollecting Cheever: The Family of John Cheever vs. Academy Chicago Publishers

Chicago: Academy Chicago Publishers [through 1998], 1988. First Edition. A trio of publications (Advance Reading Copy, Advance Excerpt, and First Printing), all unread and virtually pristine, documenting four years of litigation in state and federal courts that ended in a stop-publish order barring a volume of uncollected short stories by John Cheever. Demy 8vo (228 x 151; 228 x 151; 227 x 140mm): xx,534; iv,5-23,[1]; xii,363,[1]pp. The uncorrected proof was suppressed prior to publication due to a legal dispute with Cheever's estate. Original sky-blue blue wrappers printed in black. The excerpt was permitted publication in lieu of the first trade edition. Stiff blue card printed in orange on upper cover. Miller's account, Uncollecting Cheever, appeared in 1998. Fine / Fine. Item #BB2320

This collection of 68 stories (legally barred from publication or even circulated to reviewers in the form of this scarce advance ready copy) begins with Cheever`s first published story, ''Expelled,'' from a 1930 issue of the New Republic, and ends with his last, ''The Island,'' from a 1981 New Yorker, although most are from the early years (Cheever had chosen not to publish these early stories in collected form during his lifetime because he did not believe they measured up to his later works). The book's editor, Franklin Dennis, maintained that the Uncollected Stories not only offers examples of Cheever`s finest work, including two O. Henry prize-winners, but that it has significant historic value, showing ''his stunning evolution from proletarian writer to magical realist.'' A neighbor of the Cheevers, Dennis tracked down obscure and missing stories, then, with the family's approval, took the project to Academy Chicago, one of several publishers for which he worked as a freelance publicity agent. At that point, the Cheevers started legal proceedings to break their contract and take the book to a large New York publisher. Legally prohibited from sending out proof copies of the book to reviewers, Academy Chicago was allowed to distribute a booklet (the Advance Excerpt also on offer here, "not for sale") with part of Cheever biographer Scott Donaldson`s introduction and three of the stories. Donaldson says that half a dozen of the stories can be included with Cheever's best work "and that's enough to justify the book right there. Maybe another 15 or 20 are canonical Cheever." After a long and expensive legal battle, Academy Chicago lost the right to publish all the works but thirteen of the stories, which appeared in 1994, in a volume entitled Fall River and Other Uncollected Stories. The entire saga (albeit from the publisher's point of view) is recounted in Uncollecting Cheever: The Family of John Cheever vs. Academy Chicago Publishers. N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, with dust jackets carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).

Price: $724.00