The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder

(San Francisco): Greenwood Press, 1955.

Price: $500.00

Hardcover. Second printing and the first edition by this publisher. Illustrated by Gordon Cook. Fine in self-wraps and original unprinted tissue dustwrapper with a few small chips. One of 500 copies. Inscribed by the author: "For Sydney Omarr whom I look forward to meeting soon with great eagerness. Pax vobiscum! Henry Miller 9/26/55." Omarr and Miller not only met, but became close friends. Omarr was the "astrologer to the stars" and published a daily horoscope that appeared in more than 200 newspapers. His books of horoscopes sold over 50 million copies. He started out during the Second World War at the age of 17 when his predictions of horse races, boxing matches, and other sporting events were broadcast on Armed Forces Radio. Miller and Omarr had similar tastes and Omarr liked to surround himself with beautiful women. He was the personal adviser to Jayne Mansfield, Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak, and Mae West, among others. Omarr wrote a book on Miller, *Henry Miller: His World of Urania*, and Miller wrote the introduction to *Sydney Omarr's Astrological Guide to 1973* and the liner notes to the record album *Presenting Sydney Omarr*. A very nice association. *Shifreen & Jackson* A66d.

Item #64021

item image

Item #64021 The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder. Henry MILLER.
The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder
The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder
The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder
The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder
The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder
The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder

Henry Miller
birth name: Henry Valentine Miller
born: 12/26/1891
died: 6/7/1980
nationality: USA

View Reference Info

Biography

American writer and perennial bohemian whose autobiographical novels had a liberating influence on mid-20th century literature. Because of their sexual frankness, his major works were banned as obscene in Britain and the United States until the 1960s, but they were widely known earlier from copies smuggled in from France. - Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literaturemore

Collecting tips:

Miller was very prolific, and his bibliography is huge, and seemingly ever expanding. For us though, the apex of his work seems to boil down to Tropic of Cancer (Paris, 1934) and Tropic of Capricorn (Paris, 1939). Finding copies in really fine condition can be a chore, and expensive when finally accomplished. We think his additional work deserves attention, but there sure is a lot of it!

Email us to request a printed copy of our catalog of Henry Miller Rare Books and First Editions (or download it via the link as a 7.17 MB pdf file).more