✍️ Saul Bellow SIGNED 1st Ed \"Him With His Foot in His Mouth\" + Kroch\'s Bookmark For Sale

Ever said the wrong thing at exactly the wrong moment? Saul Bellow turns that universal human catastrophe into brilliant, funny, and deeply moving fiction in this signed First Edition, First Printing of Him With His Foot in His Mouth and Other Stories (Harper & Row, 1985 copyright).

Bellow — the only author to win three National Book Awards plus the 1976 Nobel Prize in Literature — delivers five sharply observed stories that probe personality, memory, family loyalty, and the messy comedy of being alive. The title novella unfolds as a long, confessional letter from a musicologist in hiding whose uncontrollable habit of delivering devastating one-liners has destroyed his relationships and landed him in serious legal and financial trouble. Other standouts include the Chicago-set “A Silver Dish” (a father-son reckoning) and the whirlwind “What Kind of Day Did You Have?” — all written in Bellow’s signature style: intellectually rich, street-smart, and laced with both humor and genuine compassion.

This copy carries extra resonance for collectors. It is flat-signed by Saul Bellow in black ink on the front flyleaf. Even better, it includes the original Kroch’s & Brentano’s First Edition Circle bookmark — the legendary Chicago bookseller’s exclusive program that brought signed first editions like this one directly to local readers in the 1980s. Tucked inside is also a contemporary one-page review by Stuart Brent, the iconic Michigan Avenue bookseller, Bellow friend, and tireless champion of Chicago literature (Bellow even contributed a foreword to Brent’s memoir). Together they create a tangible link to the city’s mid-1980s literary scene that Bellow called home for decades.

The book is in very good condition overall. It contains xii + 294 pages and measures approximately 9.25\" × 6.25\". Pages show only very light, even age toning; text-block edges are clean except for minor dust staining at the top corner. The binding is tight and square with no loose pages or hinge cracks. The blue cloth covers are clean and show no wear, with just subtle discoloration along the top edge; gilt spine lettering remains sharp and bright. The dust jacket is in like-new condition, bright and unclipped, with the original $15.95 price still present on the front flap. A discreet circular embossment from a previous owner appears in the upper right corner of the signed flyleaf — the only marking besides Bellow’s autograph.

Signed first editions of this title are uncommon. Copies carrying authentic Chicago provenance — the Kroch’s bookmark plus a Stuart Brent review — are rarer still. Whether you collect Nobel laureates, signed modern firsts, or pieces of Chicago literary history, this one delivers both the book and the story behind it.

See the photos for close-ups of the signature, bookmark, laid-in review, and condition details.