THE COLLECTED STORIES OF EUDORA WELTY. The Franklin Library The First Edition Society.

Limited first edition, first printing INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. [i-xx], 1-676 pages plus fourteen unpaged illustrated leaves. Hardcover: H 24cm x L 16.25cm. No dust jacket as issued. Full red leather decorated with vibrant gilt stamping upon spine and boards; spine additionally embellished with three raised bands; minor soiling specks to boards. All edges gilt. Sewn-in red silk page marker. Dark red silk moire endpapers. Laid-in at front endpapers is publisher's foldout prospectus "Notes from the Editors | The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty" with front cover portrait of Welty by Caroline Edwards. Author's two-line ink inscription "For Carson and Marty | Eudora Welty" upon the second front flyleaf. Interior leaves are otherwise bright and clean. Binding remains crisp. A fine copy of an elegant book. Unique to this Franklin Library edition are "A special message to members of The First Edition Society" on page [vii] with facsimile signature of Eudora Welty at bottom right margin and fourteen leaves of b/w illustrations (rectos only) by Bernard Fuchs. Also includes author's Preface on pages [xvii-xix]. Bibliographical reference: #A27 in Noel Polk's EUDORA WELTY; A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF HER WORK. This Franklin Library copy is the true first edition, first printing of Welty's COLLECTED STORIES and precedes the limited edition as well as the standard trade edition issued by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. Noel Polk indicates that The Franklin Library issued the book on October 10, 1980 whereas Harcourt did not "officially" release their trade edition (#A27:2) and their 500 copy limited signed edition (#A27:2c) until October 29, 1980. Polk was unable to determine the size of the Franklin print run but it was probably comparable to the Harcourt limited edition. The book's inscribees are Martha (Marty) Hollomon and Curtis Carson Holloman Jr. (1939-1991) who served on the English Department faculty at Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, Mississippi. Description copyright David Hallinan, Bookseller. Please note that this thick book has an approximate shipping weight of 3.75 pounds (1.7 kg) and may require additional postage for any postal class other than domestic Media Mail. {Lit Shelf #9|CMS-00985}.…