Collectible Foreign Titles from Anais Nin’s Library: A Preview

For the past 40 years, Anaïs Nin has been discovered by an ever-growing number of countries around the world via translations of her work. While her work has long been available in Sweden, France, Japan, and Spain, newcomers include China, Latvia, South Korea, Romania, and Brazil, to name a few.

One of the most remarkable attributes of many of these foreign titles is the cover art, which is often unique and creatively provocative.  This alone make the books desirable and collectible. The examples below illustrate this point quite well.

As mentioned in a previous post, there is one repository in the world where all of these titles are housed, and that is in Anaïs Nin’s and Rupert Pole’s home in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles. The Anaïs Nin Trust decided last year to keep one copy of every edition and to make all the rest publicly available, and the titles below are included. In some cases, there are only a few copies remaining, and the prices are very competitive. Not only do you get a unique book, but you also are guaranteed certification of its provenance—all of these books were part of the private collection at Silver Lake.

To see the availability of each title (there are very few left, usually less than 5), click on the icon, which will take you to the Trust site, where, if you wish, you may place an order.

Proceeds for the sales go to support the Trust’s activities in preserving and promoting the legacy of Anaïs Nin, which is its mission.

We will post more titles here in the coming weeks.

 CLICK ON THE ICON TO CHECK AVAILABILITY AND/OR TO PURCHASE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anais Nin at the Festival of Books

For the first time Anaïs Nin was represented at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, which ran April 24-25, 2010 at UCLA. It was a success in terms of sales and perhaps even more so getting the word out that there is a determined organization promoting and preserving the work of Anaïs Nin, namely The Anaïs Nin Trust.

The Trust is carrying on the work begun by the first Trustee of the Nin estate, Rupert Pole, who for more than twenty-five years after Nin’s death saw to the publication of Volume 7 of The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Delta of Venus, Little Birds, the four volume Early Diary of Anaïs Nin, the four unexpurgated diaries: Henry and June, Incest, Fire, and Nearer the Moon, not to mention the nineteen volumes of the impeccable Anaïs: An International Journal, edited by Gunther Stuhlmann.

When the Trust decided to begin emptying the personal library of Anaïs Nin and Rupert Pole at their Silver Lake house, designed by Eric Lloyd Wright, it brought both popular and rare editions of Nin titles to the Festival of Books. The booth was perhaps one of the most unique at the Festival—fashioned after a boudoir, complete with fainting couch—attracting Ninophiles of all sorts. Some had known Nin, some had read many of her works, and others were curious first-timers. It was also a sort of gathering of A Café in Space contributors, as I (Paul Herron, editor) welcomed Kim Krizan (“Hugh’s Stand”), Connie Baechler (“Overlay”), Tristine Rainer (“Les Mots Flottants”), and Sarah Burghauser (“Ouroboros and Disorientation—Profile of a Nin lover”). Naturally, spirited discussions erupted, as well plans for a future conference on Nin, and news of a play based on Nin’s life and work which will have a reading this summer in Los Angeles. The fainting couch was the favorite spot for these rendezvous, and customers were treated to information about Nin as well as sharing their own stories.

My personal favorite humorous moment was when a married couple paused to look at some of the titles on the shelves. The husband casually picked up Nin’s D.H. Lawrence: An Unprofessional Study when the wife grabbed his arm and hissed: “Now there’s a guy no one should bother analyzing!” and hauled him away. Another interesting incident was when one young man remarked about A Spy in the House of Love, “I was put off by that book—it smacks of desperation.” I responded that Nin must be an effective writer because the novel was written during the time when Nin swung wildly from man to man, desperately seeking someone who could love her the way she needed, and was often seriously considering suicide. He seemed to relax a bit and had his photo taken lying on the fainting couch.

But the Festival is not over for the Anaïs Nin Trust—the titles are being offered at the online store. Each book is embossed with a Pisces symbol and verification it comes from the Silver Lake house library…books present there during Nin’s lifetime also include a certificate. Editions long out of print are available as well as the more current ones, but they all share a unique provenance.

The proceeds from the sale will help the Trust carry on preserving Anaïs Nin’s legacy, publish new titles, and remind today’s readers of her remarkable talent and insight of the human psyche.

Anais Nin Trust book sale update

Although the LA Time Festival of Books isn’t until this weekend (Sat 4/24 and Sun 4/25; 10-6 and 10-5 respectively), sales of popular, rare, out of print, foreign, and one-of-a-kind editions from the Nin house in Silver Lake are already available and selling.

Anyone looking for that title one can no longer find (and with the special provenance of having been in Anaïs Nin’s and Rupert Pole’s personal library) can seize this chance either by attending the Festival of Books in Los Angeles or by perusing the list of titles in the new online store and beating the rush.

Nin fans, collectors, and scholars alike can benefit from this opportunity. Spread the word.

Click here for information on the Anaïs Nin Trust booth at the Festival of Books.

Click here for the Anaïs Nin Trust online store.

 

 

 

 

Books From Anais Nin House For Sale

The Anaïs Nin Trust will be offering books from the library of Anaïs Nin’s and Rupert Pole’s fabled Silver Lake house at the 2010 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Saturday and Sunday, April 24 and 25. Titles include first editions of Nin titles from publishers around the world, some of which are rare and vintage. Each book’s provenance will be authenticated and books present in the library during the time Anaïs Nin lived in the house (until her death in 1977) will be further documented. Virtually every Nin title will be present, and prices range from a few dollars on up, depending upon the book’s condition and publishing history. Titles will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. This is a rare opportunity for Nin fans and book collectors alike.

The Nin Trust will be at booth #656 in Zone F, from 10-6 Saturday and 10-5 Sunday. To find out more about the Festival of Books and to see a list from which the titles which will be offered, visit the new Anaïs Nin Trust web site: http://anaisnintrust.com/ 

IF YOU’D LIKE TO ORDER ONLINE, visit the Anais Nin Trust bookstore online at: http://www.anaisnintrust.org.