The Benefactor.

Important association copy of the author's first book. An important association copy of Sontag's uncommon first book, inscribed by the author at the beginning of her fiction-writing career on verso of front free endpaper: 'For Sandy & Richard and Richard & Sandy / from Susan / with much love'.

The recipients were the American poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator Richard Howard, and his partner, the American novelist Sanford 'Sandy' Friedman. Sontag has called Howard 'a very central figure in our culture, maintaining and giving eloquent voice and illustration to standards that are in peril today. Richard and I go back a long way. He's my first serious literary friend. He's not the first writer I ever met, but he was my first profound chum, ally, buddy, accomplice, brother in literature. We met soon after I came to New York in the beginning of the sixties, and we immediately started cooking up projects - things we wanted to sponsor and impose.'

First edition, first printing, inscribed by the author; 8vo; occasional underlining and marginalia in the hand of Richard Howard, including a few notes to the front free endpaper and rear jacket flap, some staining to fore-edge of final 70pp; publisher's quarter black cloth, black paper covered boards, spine lettered in green and white, with the unclipped dustjacket by Janet Halverson, toned, slight rubbing to folds, small losses to upper spine edge and external tape repair to front panel.