The Library of Stephen J. Farber

8vo. Original color-printed pictorial wrappers (front cover detached). Provenance: Jack Cordes (presentation inscription); sold, Heritage Auctions (11 April 2012, lot 36613).

FIRST EDITION. PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY FARMER TO JACK CORDES AS "KILGORE TROUT": "With gratitude for bailing me out of the Pekin calaboose that fateful night from Kilgore Trout* / *This is a first edition autograph, the first time I've ever signed my name in a book." Kilgore Trout was a character introduced by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965) as an unsuccessful science fiction writer whose most famous novel, Venus on the Half-Shell, is partially excerpted in chapter nine of the same work. Author Philip Jose Farmer approached Vonnegut about expanding Vonnegut's story fragment into a full novel, with Vonnegut's original excerpt inserted into Farmer's story as an in-joke.

Tension developed between the two writers following publication of the book thanks to a poorly-written article which implied that Farmer planned to write it regardless of whether or not he was given permission. This combined with the widespread impression that Vonnegut himself was the author led to Farmer's name appearing on all future editions. Though not particularly well-received at the time, it was listed by The Guardian in 2009 as one of the "1,000 books everyone should read" and was cited by author Douglas Adams as an inspiration for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.