Few Italian writers have been so respected within the UK and the USA as Italo Calvino. A journalist with a dramatic life of his own fighting for the Italian Resistance during WWII, his creative works of fiction brought him many admirers on both sides of the Atlantic.
His productive writing career leaves us with several dozen novels, collections of short stories and essays/ journalistic pieces, all of which might interest collectors. His work has the added interest of being available to collectors across the world in a significant number of languages.
Calvino's catalogue of work may justify further consideration by collectors. In terms of price his work is able to fetch some surprisingly generous prices on occasion. A 1974 first edition copy of Invisible Cities might cost as much $5,000 or $6,000 while good quality later versions from the 1990s would still be around $500 to $1,500.
Several pieces of his work are available at more affordable prices. A 1959 first edition of The Baron in the Trees would be available for less than $2,000 while a first printing of If on a Winter's Night a Travelerfrom 1981 can be purchased for as little as $200.
Such an inventive and well respected author like Calvino certainly bears further consideration for collectors. With a good range of books to choose from, his lesser work in particular can offer great value, interesting cover artwork and the chance to own some little known classics.
Calvino, Italo. Il visconte dimezzato. Giulio Einaudi Editore, Torino (1952).
Calvino, Italo. L'entrata in guerra. Giulio Einaudi,, Torino, (1954).
Calvino, Italo. Path to the Nest of Spiders. Collins, London (1956). First British Edition; Translated from the Italian by Archibald Colquhoun
Calvino, Italo. Adam, One Afternoon and Other Stories. Collins, London (1957). Translated from the Italian by Archibald Colquhoun and Peggy Wright; First British edition.
Calvino, Italo. The Path to the Nest of Spiders. Beacon Press, Boston (1957). First American edition; Translated from the Italian by Archibald Colquhoun; an illustrated dust jacket priced $3.50
Calvino, Italo. Baron in the Trees. Collins, London (1959). First UK edition; Translated from the Italian by Archibald Colquhoun
Calvino, Italo. Il cavaliere inesistente. Einaudi, Torino (1959).
Calvino, Italo. The Baron in the Trees. Random House, New York (1959). First American edition; Translated by Archibald Colquhoun; dust jacket (designed by Georg Salter); original $3.50 price
Calvino, Italo. The Non-existent Knight and The Cloven Viscount. Random House, New York (1962).
Calvino, Italo. The Non-Existent Knight and The Cloven Viscount.. Collins, London (1962). First English edition; Translated from the Italian by Archibald Colquhoun
Calvino, Italo. Le cosmicomiche.. Giulio Einaudi, Torino (1965).
Calvino, Italo. Ti con zero. Giulio Einaudi Editore, Torino (1967).
Calvino, Italo. Cosmicomics. Harcourt Brace and World, New York (1968). First American Edition; Originally published in Italy asLe Cosmicomiche in 1965; Translated from the Italian by William Weaver; Dust jacket design by Robin Forbes.
Calvino, Italo. Cosmicomics. Jonathan Cape, London (1969). 1st Uk edition; Translated by William Weaver.
Calvino, Italo. T Zero. Harcourt, NY (1969). First American Edition; William Weaver (translator)
Calvino, Italo. Time and the Hunter. Jonathan Cape, London (1970). translated, from the Italian, by William Weaver; illustrated dust jacket by Stanley Chapman,priced 25s; First UK edition, preceded in the US asT Zero (Harcourt Brace 1969) and originally published in Italian asT con Zero (Einaudi 1967).
Calvino, Italo. Le Citta Invisibili. Einaudi, Torino (1972). terza edizione
Calvino, Italo. Invisible Cities. Harcourt Brace New York (1974). First U.S Edition; Translated from the Italian by William Weaver.
Calvino, Italo. Invisible Cities. Secker and Warburg, London (1974).
Calvino, Italo. Tarots The Visconti Pack in Bergamo and New York Critical examination by Sergio Samek Ludovici. Franco Maria Ricci, Parma (1975). 3000 copies; First edition in English, translated by William Weaver; Commentary by Sergio Samek Ludovici
Calvino, Italo. The Silent Mr. Palomar. Targ Editions, NY (1981).