2009 October Grand Format Rare Books Auction
| Sale Number: | 6030 |
| Location: | Heritage Auctions - Dallas 3500 Maple Ave 17th Floor Dallas, TX 75219 |
| Auction Date: | October 16th at 2 PM CT through October 17th |
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Session 1
Books
James Agee and Walker Evans. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company / The Riverside Press, 1941.
First edition. Octavo. xvi, 471 pages. Illustrated with thirty-one black and white reproductions of Walker Evans' photographs preceding the text.
Publisher's black cloth with silver spine titles. Original printed dust jacket. Moderate shelf wear to the book with mildly rubbed corners. Spine slightly sunned. Large dampstain on rear board extending from the top two inches upwards, affecting the rear pastedown and the top edge of the text from the end to page 116. Top edge dust soiled. Edges and pages uniformly yellowed with faint, minimal scattered foxing at the endpapers. Text clean and bright overall. Dust jacket is noticeably worn, with some paper loss to the corners and spine, affecting the "L" in "Let" and the "No" in "Now." Spine separated along the front spine fold. Spine sunned. Somewhat soiled (dampstain appears at rear cover also). Housed in a brown half leather custom clamshell box with gilt spine titles. An important book of twentieth-century American history in very good condition.
First edition. Octavo. xvi, 471 pages. Illustrated with thirty-one black and white reproductions of Walker Evans' photographs preceding the text.
Publisher's black cloth with silver spine titles. Original printed dust jacket. Moderate shelf wear to the book with mildly rubbed corners. Spine slightly sunned. Large dampstain on rear board extending from the top two inches upwards, affecting the rear pastedown and the top edge of the text from the end to page 116. Top edge dust soiled. Edges and pages uniformly yellowed with faint, minimal scattered foxing at the endpapers. Text clean and bright overall. Dust jacket is noticeably worn, with some paper loss to the corners and spine, affecting the "L" in "Let" and the "No" in "Now." Spine separated along the front spine fold. Spine sunned. Somewhat soiled (dampstain appears at rear cover also). Housed in a brown half leather custom clamshell box with gilt spine titles. An important book of twentieth-century American history in very good condition.
[Amistad Captives]. A True History of the African Chief Jingua and His Comrades. With a Description of the Kingdom of Mandingo, and the Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants. An Account of King Sharka, of Gallinas. A sketch of the Slave Trade and Horrors of the Middle Passage: with the Proceedings on Board the "Long, Low, Black Schooner," Amistad. Published at Hartford, New York, and Boston, for the Booksellers, 1839.
Octavo. Disbound. 28 pages. Four wood engravings.
Remnants of binder's super and glue holding along spine. Very minor dampstaining. Very good.
In 1839 the west African Jingua (better known as Joseph Cinqué, or Sengbe Pieh) was captured by African slavers and eventually brokered to Portuguese slave traders and transported to Cuba. Cinqué and other Africans were purchased by Spanish traders and placed on a ship called the Amistad. The Africans managed to take control of the ship, and two months later the Amistad was seized by the USS Washington and the Africans imprisoned to await trial for mutiny. Before the famous court case of 1841, the Africans of the Amistad became a cause célèbre, inciting the American abolitionists, as well as those fighting to enforce the illegal but obviously very de facto Atlantic slave trade. This pamphlet is one of the first chronicles of the events of the Amistad, and one of the very few documents bearing the early publication date of 1839. The single full-page illustration is a striking image of the African King Sharka.
One other copy recorded is in the collection of the Worcester Public Library. Both that copy as well as this have the final page misprinted as 32 instead of 28.
Octavo. Disbound. 28 pages. Four wood engravings.
Remnants of binder's super and glue holding along spine. Very minor dampstaining. Very good.
In 1839 the west African Jingua (better known as Joseph Cinqué, or Sengbe Pieh) was captured by African slavers and eventually brokered to Portuguese slave traders and transported to Cuba. Cinqué and other Africans were purchased by Spanish traders and placed on a ship called the Amistad. The Africans managed to take control of the ship, and two months later the Amistad was seized by the USS Washington and the Africans imprisoned to await trial for mutiny. Before the famous court case of 1841, the Africans of the Amistad became a cause célèbre, inciting the American abolitionists, as well as those fighting to enforce the illegal but obviously very de facto Atlantic slave trade. This pamphlet is one of the first chronicles of the events of the Amistad, and one of the very few documents bearing the early publication date of 1839. The single full-page illustration is a striking image of the African King Sharka.
One other copy recorded is in the collection of the Worcester Public Library. Both that copy as well as this have the final page misprinted as 32 instead of 28.
Blue Book: Guide to the Prostitutes of New Orleans. [1911-12].
Twelfth edition. Twelvemo. 96 pages.
Publisher's blue-green covers with front and rear stamped in red. Minor toning to edges and spine. Minimal soiling. Near fine.
Infamous guide to the prostitution businesses of New Orleans, designed to provide consumer information on houses, madams, and working girls. Advertisements for houses are mixed in with ads for cigars, alcohol, and taxis. Listings of girls are broken down by color, i.e. white, black, and octoroon; then listed alphabetically. Fascinatingly organized look at the underground world of old New Orleans.
Idem. The "Blue Book," p. 69.
Twelfth edition. Twelvemo. 96 pages.
Publisher's blue-green covers with front and rear stamped in red. Minor toning to edges and spine. Minimal soiling. Near fine.
Infamous guide to the prostitution businesses of New Orleans, designed to provide consumer information on houses, madams, and working girls. Advertisements for houses are mixed in with ads for cigars, alcohol, and taxis. Listings of girls are broken down by color, i.e. white, black, and octoroon; then listed alphabetically. Fascinatingly organized look at the underground world of old New Orleans.
Idem. The "Blue Book," p. 69.
Mons. Jean Bernard Bossu. Nouveaux Voyages dans l'Amérique Septentrionale. Amsterdam: Changuion, 1778.
First edition, second printing. Octavo. xvi, 372. Engraved frontispiece, plus four additional plates, one folding.
Full contemporary calf over boards. Gilt designs and lettering to spine. Some rubbing and bumping to binding. Head of spine torn. Inked name of previous owner on front pastedown. Endpapers show some mild dampstaining. Overall, a very good copy.
An account of Bossu's third tour through Louisiana.
Howes B627. Sabin 6470.
First edition, second printing. Octavo. xvi, 372. Engraved frontispiece, plus four additional plates, one folding.
Full contemporary calf over boards. Gilt designs and lettering to spine. Some rubbing and bumping to binding. Head of spine torn. Inked name of previous owner on front pastedown. Endpapers show some mild dampstaining. Overall, a very good copy.
An account of Bossu's third tour through Louisiana.
Howes B627. Sabin 6470.
Sarah H. Bradford. Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman. Auburn: W. J. Moses, Printer, 1869.
First edition. Octavo. 132 pages. With engraved frontispiece of Tubman holding a long rifle.
Publisher's red cloth tooled in blind with gilt titles on the upper cover and spine. All edges red. Minor wear and soiling to the boards. Spine ends and corners lightly frayed. Scattered minimal foxing to a few pages. A beautiful copy of this scarce book in very good condition.
The first biography of the leader of the Underground Railroad.
First edition. Octavo. 132 pages. With engraved frontispiece of Tubman holding a long rifle.
Publisher's red cloth tooled in blind with gilt titles on the upper cover and spine. All edges red. Minor wear and soiling to the boards. Spine ends and corners lightly frayed. Scattered minimal foxing to a few pages. A beautiful copy of this scarce book in very good condition.
The first biography of the leader of the Underground Railroad.
David H. Burr. An Atlas of the State of New York, Containing a Map of the State and of the Several Counties. Projected and Drawn by a Uniform Scale from documents deposited in the Public Offices of the State, and other original & authentic information-under the superintendance & direction of Simeon De Witt, Surveyor General, pursuant to an Act of the Legislature, And also the Physical Geography of the State & of the several Counties & Statistical Tables of the Same. New York: Published by David H. Burr, 1829.
First edition, with all of the maps dated 1829. Large folio (21.75 x 16.5 inches). 29, [1, blank], [100] pages. Text in double columns. Pages 17/18 ("Internal Navigation") incorrectly bound between pages 10 and 11. Engraved title with vignette "View of the Hudson near Fishkill." Fifty-two hand-colored engraved maps (double-page "Map of the State of New York," "Map of the City and County of New York" on two sheets joined together, and single- and double-page maps of the counties). "Map of the City and County of New York" and each county map with a leaf of descriptive text. Map 24 ("Map of the County of Franklin") and corresponding text leaf bound before Map 23 ("Map of the County of Clinton"). "Engravd. by Rawdon, Clark & Co. Albany & Rawdon, Wright & Co., New York." All leaves mounted on guards (some guards renewed).
Modern half brown morocco over marbled boards by Vogel (stamp-signed in gilt on the rear turn-in). Smooth spine decoratively ruled in gilt with date in gilt at foot of spine. Black calf labels lettered in gilt on front cover and spine. Some light foxing and offsetting, a few scattered ink stains. Half-title with four short marginal tears repaired on the verso with tape. Title reinforced with tape along the gutter plate mark on the recto and with five short marginal tears repaired on the verso with tape. Map 1 ("Map of the State of New York") reinforced at fold with cloth tape and with two marginal tape repairs. Maps 2 & 3 ("Map of the City and County of New York") reinforced along fold with cloth tape, with short tear at one fold, two additional tears repaired with tape, and with tape repair to verso of corresponding text leaf. Small piece torn from outer blank margin of Map 7 ("Map of the Counties of Dutchess and Putnam"). Repaired tear and crease to text leaf for Map 21 ("Warren County"). Final plate and text leaf with some edge chipping and tears. A few plates have names or locations added in ink in an early hand ("Map of the County of Hamilton" with three of the names erased). An excellent copy of this "magnificent publication."
"The Atlas of the State of New York was published in 1830 [although it bears the date 1829]. It was the second state atlas produced in the United States; the very first was the 1825 Atlas of the State of South Carolina produced by Robert Mills. Although [Surveyor General Simeon] DeWitt provided information and sponsorship and put his powerful influence behind the project, the producer of the atlas was David Burr (1803-1875)...The Burr Atlas is a landmark document that constitutes one of the most precise cartographic records of the state. It contains a general map of the state, a large plan of New York City, and maps of each county...The Burr Atlas marks a major change. The whole state, the major city, each and every county is depicted in a uniform style and scale, with accompanying standardized statistical information and narrative. The state is given shape and form and substance in the atlas. All the counties are now joined together, a civil union is complete, all the land is subdivided, the marks of progress are recorded and celebrated... " (John Rennie Short, Representing the Republic: Mapping the United States 1600-1900, pp. 85-88).
A revised and updated edition of the Atlas was published in 1839.
Howes B1017. Phillips, Atlases, 2206. Walter Ristow, American Maps & Mapmakers: Commercial Cartography in the 19th Century, pp. 103-108. Sabin 19873.
First edition, with all of the maps dated 1829. Large folio (21.75 x 16.5 inches). 29, [1, blank], [100] pages. Text in double columns. Pages 17/18 ("Internal Navigation") incorrectly bound between pages 10 and 11. Engraved title with vignette "View of the Hudson near Fishkill." Fifty-two hand-colored engraved maps (double-page "Map of the State of New York," "Map of the City and County of New York" on two sheets joined together, and single- and double-page maps of the counties). "Map of the City and County of New York" and each county map with a leaf of descriptive text. Map 24 ("Map of the County of Franklin") and corresponding text leaf bound before Map 23 ("Map of the County of Clinton"). "Engravd. by Rawdon, Clark & Co. Albany & Rawdon, Wright & Co., New York." All leaves mounted on guards (some guards renewed).
Modern half brown morocco over marbled boards by Vogel (stamp-signed in gilt on the rear turn-in). Smooth spine decoratively ruled in gilt with date in gilt at foot of spine. Black calf labels lettered in gilt on front cover and spine. Some light foxing and offsetting, a few scattered ink stains. Half-title with four short marginal tears repaired on the verso with tape. Title reinforced with tape along the gutter plate mark on the recto and with five short marginal tears repaired on the verso with tape. Map 1 ("Map of the State of New York") reinforced at fold with cloth tape and with two marginal tape repairs. Maps 2 & 3 ("Map of the City and County of New York") reinforced along fold with cloth tape, with short tear at one fold, two additional tears repaired with tape, and with tape repair to verso of corresponding text leaf. Small piece torn from outer blank margin of Map 7 ("Map of the Counties of Dutchess and Putnam"). Repaired tear and crease to text leaf for Map 21 ("Warren County"). Final plate and text leaf with some edge chipping and tears. A few plates have names or locations added in ink in an early hand ("Map of the County of Hamilton" with three of the names erased). An excellent copy of this "magnificent publication."
"The Atlas of the State of New York was published in 1830 [although it bears the date 1829]. It was the second state atlas produced in the United States; the very first was the 1825 Atlas of the State of South Carolina produced by Robert Mills. Although [Surveyor General Simeon] DeWitt provided information and sponsorship and put his powerful influence behind the project, the producer of the atlas was David Burr (1803-1875)...The Burr Atlas is a landmark document that constitutes one of the most precise cartographic records of the state. It contains a general map of the state, a large plan of New York City, and maps of each county...The Burr Atlas marks a major change. The whole state, the major city, each and every county is depicted in a uniform style and scale, with accompanying standardized statistical information and narrative. The state is given shape and form and substance in the atlas. All the counties are now joined together, a civil union is complete, all the land is subdivided, the marks of progress are recorded and celebrated... " (John Rennie Short, Representing the Republic: Mapping the United States 1600-1900, pp. 85-88).
A revised and updated edition of the Atlas was published in 1839.
Howes B1017. Phillips, Atlases, 2206. Walter Ristow, American Maps & Mapmakers: Commercial Cartography in the 19th Century, pp. 103-108. Sabin 19873.
Samuel Chase. The Answers and Pleas of Samuel Chase, One of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, to the Articles of Impeachment, Exhibited Against Him in the Said Court, by the House of Representatives of the United States. Washington: William Duane, 1805.
First edition. Disbound. Octavo. 84 pages. With title page and abstract (two leaves) of Replication by the House of Representatives of the United States to the Answer of Samuel Chase .... Some loss to the title page from chipping and rubbing. Very good.
Sabin 12203.
First edition. Disbound. Octavo. 84 pages. With title page and abstract (two leaves) of Replication by the House of Representatives of the United States to the Answer of Samuel Chase .... Some loss to the title page from chipping and rubbing. Very good.
Sabin 12203.
Daniel Clark. Proofs of the Corruption of Gen. James Wilkinson, and of His Connexion with Aaron Burr, with a Full Refutation of his Slanderous Allegations in Relation to the Character of the Principal Witness Against Him. Philadelphia: Wm. Hall, Jun. & Geo. W. Pierie, Printers, 1809.
First edition. Octavo. 199 pages.
Later plain wrappers. Some slight chipping to wrappers. Moderate foxing throughout. Very good.
After Clark provided much testimony against Wilkinson's involvement in Aaron Burr's scheme to set up an independent nation in the west, he found himself attacked by supporters of General Wilkinson. To clear his name, he penned this volume.
Howes C431. Shaw 17221. Streeter Sale 1694.
First edition. Octavo. 199 pages.
Later plain wrappers. Some slight chipping to wrappers. Moderate foxing throughout. Very good.
After Clark provided much testimony against Wilkinson's involvement in Aaron Burr's scheme to set up an independent nation in the west, he found himself attacked by supporters of General Wilkinson. To clear his name, he penned this volume.
Howes C431. Shaw 17221. Streeter Sale 1694.
The Congressional Globe. Three Items from the Twenty-Eighth and the Thirtieth Congress, including: Appendix to the Congressional Globe, Twenty-Eighth Congress, First Session. 47 large octavo parts. Lacking parts 25 and 49. With index section. [and:] The Congressional Globe, First Session, Thirtieth Congress. Washington, DC: Blair & Rives, 1848. 67 large octavo parts. Lacking parts 11, 15, 27, 37, and 43. Including full index and "extra" prospectus. [and:] Appendix to the Congressional Globe, for the First Session, Thirtieth Congress. Washington, DC: Blair & Rives, 1848. 71 large octavo parts. Lacking parts 6, 29, 45, 66, 67, and 68. Includes index. Very good.
Debates of the Convention of the State of Pennsylvania, on the Constitution, Proposed for the Government of the United States. In Two Volumes. Vol. I. Taken Accurately in Short-Hand by Thomas Lloyd. Philadelphia: Joseph James, 1788.
First edition. Octavo. 147 pages. Index. Errata sheet.
Covers detached, as are several pages, but contents complete. One volume only, to which Sabin notes: "this seems to have been the only volume published." Some dampstaining to upper corner of final pages. Good.
Sabin 60040.
First edition. Octavo. 147 pages. Index. Errata sheet.
Covers detached, as are several pages, but contents complete. One volume only, to which Sabin notes: "this seems to have been the only volume published." Some dampstaining to upper corner of final pages. Good.
Sabin 60040.
Three Works Concerning Early American Democracy, including: Alexis de Tocqueville. Democracy in America. New York: The Colonial Press, 1899. Two octavo volumes. xvii, 442; xv, 399 pages. Frontispieces. Later quarter binding of polished morocco over black cloth. Fine. [and:] Alexis de Tocqueville. The Old Regime and the Revolution. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1856. xi, 344 pages. Later quarter calf over black cloth boards. Some dampstaining to the boards has resulted in ink staining of the fore-edge. Very good. [and:] [Daniel Edwin Wheeler, editor]. Life and Writings of Thomas Paine. New York: Vincent Parke and Company, 1908. Ten octavo volumes. Independence Edition of the Centenary Issue limited to 500 numbered sets, of which this is number 116. Signed by Daniel Edwin Wheeler on the limitation page. Blue cloth over boards. Title labels on spines are sunned, and a previous owner has darkened the lettering on the labels with an ink pen. Very good.
Frederick Douglass. My Bondage and My Freedom. New York and Auburn: Miller, Orton & Mulligan, 1855.
First edition. Octavo. 464 pages. Three tissue-guarded engraved plates, including the frontispiece, taken from the famous daguerreotype of Douglass.
Publisher's embossed brown cloth with gilt spine titles. Minimal shelf wear to the edges and boards. Spine slightly toned. Endpapers and textblock edges mildly toned. Overall, a stellar copy of Douglass' scarce second autobiography in near fine condition.
My Bondage and My Freedom is the second of Douglass' three autobiographies that together chronicle one of the greatest lives in American history.
Sabin 20714
First edition. Octavo. 464 pages. Three tissue-guarded engraved plates, including the frontispiece, taken from the famous daguerreotype of Douglass.
Publisher's embossed brown cloth with gilt spine titles. Minimal shelf wear to the edges and boards. Spine slightly toned. Endpapers and textblock edges mildly toned. Overall, a stellar copy of Douglass' scarce second autobiography in near fine condition.
My Bondage and My Freedom is the second of Douglass' three autobiographies that together chronicle one of the greatest lives in American history.
Sabin 20714
W. E. B. Du Bois. Black Reconstruction. An Essay Toward a History of the Part Which Black Folk Played in the Attempt to Reconstruct Democracy in America, 1860-1880. New York: S. A. Russell, [1956].
Harbor Scholars' Classics Edition. Signed by Du Bois on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 746 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with white spine titles. Minor shelf wear. Signature lightly smeared. Internal text clean and bright. A near fine copy with a scarce Du Bois signature.
"Black Reconstruction disclosed as brilliantly as 'The Souls of White Folk,' written a quarter-century earlier, the interlocked perniciousness of democracy and race in America, what it might well have called the metaphysics of class and skin color... Analytical yet intuitive, densely researched but impressionistic, judicious and sweeping, Black Reconstruction pushed the figurative beyond the bounds of the historically permissible in its determination to integrate black labor into a Marxian schematic of proletarian overcoming" (David Levering Lewis: W. E. B. Du Bois: The Fight for Equality and the American Century, 1919-1963, pp. 372-73).
Harbor Scholars' Classics Edition. Signed by Du Bois on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 746 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with white spine titles. Minor shelf wear. Signature lightly smeared. Internal text clean and bright. A near fine copy with a scarce Du Bois signature.
"Black Reconstruction disclosed as brilliantly as 'The Souls of White Folk,' written a quarter-century earlier, the interlocked perniciousness of democracy and race in America, what it might well have called the metaphysics of class and skin color... Analytical yet intuitive, densely researched but impressionistic, judicious and sweeping, Black Reconstruction pushed the figurative beyond the bounds of the historically permissible in its determination to integrate black labor into a Marxian schematic of proletarian overcoming" (David Levering Lewis: W. E. B. Du Bois: The Fight for Equality and the American Century, 1919-1963, pp. 372-73).
Amelia Earhart. 20 Hrs. 40 Min. Our Flight in the Friendship. The American Girl, First Across the Atlantic by Air, Tells Her Story. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1928.
First edition. "Author's Autograph Edition." Limited to 150 numbered copies, this being number 127, signed by the author. Octavo. 374 pages. Frontispiece. Many illustrations. Affixed to the front pastedown is a small American flag in a plastic sleeve, beneath which is printed: "This is one of the flags taken by Miss Earhart across the Atlantic in the Friendship."
Maroon cloth and paper over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Bookplate on front pastedown of Irving W. Robbins. Mild fading to the upper portion of the front board. Front hinge cracked and starting. Frontispiece tissue guard has a short tear at fore-edge. Overall, an outstanding copy in near fine condition. Exceedingly bright and clean.
Amelia Earhart's first book. In it she recounts the 1928 trans-Atlantic flight, in which she assisted. This followed Lindbergh's solo flight of the previous year. In the September 1928 issue of Popular Science, Earhart is quoted as saying that the flight of the Friendship is intended "to point the road toward the seaplane instead of the land plane as a means of flying across oceans, and multi-engine planes instead of single-engine. It will help toward more comfortable flying; when women demand planes not only comfortable, but luxurious, men will build them."
First edition. "Author's Autograph Edition." Limited to 150 numbered copies, this being number 127, signed by the author. Octavo. 374 pages. Frontispiece. Many illustrations. Affixed to the front pastedown is a small American flag in a plastic sleeve, beneath which is printed: "This is one of the flags taken by Miss Earhart across the Atlantic in the Friendship."
Maroon cloth and paper over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Bookplate on front pastedown of Irving W. Robbins. Mild fading to the upper portion of the front board. Front hinge cracked and starting. Frontispiece tissue guard has a short tear at fore-edge. Overall, an outstanding copy in near fine condition. Exceedingly bright and clean.
Amelia Earhart's first book. In it she recounts the 1928 trans-Atlantic flight, in which she assisted. This followed Lindbergh's solo flight of the previous year. In the September 1928 issue of Popular Science, Earhart is quoted as saying that the flight of the Friendship is intended "to point the road toward the seaplane instead of the land plane as a means of flying across oceans, and multi-engine planes instead of single-engine. It will help toward more comfortable flying; when women demand planes not only comfortable, but luxurious, men will build them."
Dwight D. Eisenhower. Crusade in Europe. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1948.
Number 207 of 1,426 limited edition copies signed by Ike at the bottom of a facsimile of his D-Day message to the Allied troops. Large octavo. xiv, section title, [1]-559 pages. Profusely illustrated with battlefield and theater maps by Rafael Palacios, some of which are printed in color, and a number of photographs selected by Edward Steichen.
Publisher's light brown cloth with titles in black and gilt. Top edge gilt. Fore-edge and bottom edge uncut. Cartographic endpapers. Housed in the original green time-worn slipcase with a title plate on one side. Minimal edge and corner wear. Abstract painter Melville Price's bookplate on half-title. Internal contents bright and clean. A sturdy signed limited edition in fine condition.
"Crusade in Europe, published in late 1948, was greeted with almost unanimous critical acclaim, along with praise for its author's modesty, candor, fairness, tact, and general humanity. It was called the best American military reminiscence (with the possible exception of Grant's), and 'the work of the best soldier-historian since, perhaps, Caesar and his commentaries.' Crusade in Europe not only gave Eisenhower financial security; it stood the test of time (it was still selling briskly in the 1980s), and it added immeasurably to his popularity. It was a book worthy of the man and his services to the nation" (Stephen E. Ambrose: Eisenhower: Soldier and President, p. 237).
Number 207 of 1,426 limited edition copies signed by Ike at the bottom of a facsimile of his D-Day message to the Allied troops. Large octavo. xiv, section title, [1]-559 pages. Profusely illustrated with battlefield and theater maps by Rafael Palacios, some of which are printed in color, and a number of photographs selected by Edward Steichen.
Publisher's light brown cloth with titles in black and gilt. Top edge gilt. Fore-edge and bottom edge uncut. Cartographic endpapers. Housed in the original green time-worn slipcase with a title plate on one side. Minimal edge and corner wear. Abstract painter Melville Price's bookplate on half-title. Internal contents bright and clean. A sturdy signed limited edition in fine condition.
"Crusade in Europe, published in late 1948, was greeted with almost unanimous critical acclaim, along with praise for its author's modesty, candor, fairness, tact, and general humanity. It was called the best American military reminiscence (with the possible exception of Grant's), and 'the work of the best soldier-historian since, perhaps, Caesar and his commentaries.' Crusade in Europe not only gave Eisenhower financial security; it stood the test of time (it was still selling briskly in the 1980s), and it added immeasurably to his popularity. It was a book worthy of the man and his services to the nation" (Stephen E. Ambrose: Eisenhower: Soldier and President, p. 237).
Dwight D. Eisenhower. The White House Years: Mandate for Change 1953-1956. [and:] The White House Years: Waging Peace 1956-1961. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1963-1965.
Matching numbers 1,210 of 1,500 limited edition copies each signed by Eisenhower on a a tipped-in leaf facing the limitation page. Two octavo volumes. Volume I: xviii, [1, List of Maps], [1]-650 pages. Volume II: xxiii, [1]-741 pages. Each volume illustrated with photographs.
Publisher's tan cloth with gilt-lettered spine title labels and the Presidential seal in gilt on the front cover. Pictorial cartographic endpapers. Fore-edge and bottom edge uncut. Some signatures unopened. Each housed in the publisher's matching paper slipcase with the title label on one side. Previous owner's bookplates affixed to the front flyleaves. Only minimal shelf wear to the slipcases. Truly fine condition.
Matching numbers 1,210 of 1,500 limited edition copies each signed by Eisenhower on a a tipped-in leaf facing the limitation page. Two octavo volumes. Volume I: xviii, [1, List of Maps], [1]-650 pages. Volume II: xxiii, [1]-741 pages. Each volume illustrated with photographs.
Publisher's tan cloth with gilt-lettered spine title labels and the Presidential seal in gilt on the front cover. Pictorial cartographic endpapers. Fore-edge and bottom edge uncut. Some signatures unopened. Each housed in the publisher's matching paper slipcase with the title label on one side. Previous owner's bookplates affixed to the front flyleaves. Only minimal shelf wear to the slipcases. Truly fine condition.
[Samuel Engel]. Essai Sur Cette Question: Quand et Comment l'Amérique a-t-elle été Peuplée d'Hommes et d'Animaux? Par E. B. d'E. Amsterdam: Marc Michel Rey, 1767.
First edition. Quarto. xi. 610.
Original blue wrappers. Pages unopened. The missing final page of the table of contents has been replaced with a hand-written facsimile. Wrappers heavily chipped. Front wrapper and preliminary pages detached. Internally very good.
"American natives indigenous, coevally created with the rest of humanity, but somehow escaping the calamity of the deluge" (Howes).
Howes E147. Sabin 22568.
First edition. Quarto. xi. 610.
Original blue wrappers. Pages unopened. The missing final page of the table of contents has been replaced with a hand-written facsimile. Wrappers heavily chipped. Front wrapper and preliminary pages detached. Internally very good.
"American natives indigenous, coevally created with the rest of humanity, but somehow escaping the calamity of the deluge" (Howes).
Howes E147. Sabin 22568.
Exposé des Droits des Colonies Britanniques, Pour Justifier le Projet de Leur Indépendance. Amsterdam: Chez Marc-Michel Rey, 1776.
First edition. Octavo. 36 pages.
Wraps. Light chipping to the edges. Some dampstaining. Very good.
"Written by a foreigner residing in England, who it appears had already published an 'Essai sur la veritable Liberté civile, adressé au peuple d'Angleterre'" (Sabin).
Sabin 23426. Wolf and Hayes 1034.
First edition. Octavo. 36 pages.
Wraps. Light chipping to the edges. Some dampstaining. Very good.
"Written by a foreigner residing in England, who it appears had already published an 'Essai sur la veritable Liberté civile, adressé au peuple d'Angleterre'" (Sabin).
Sabin 23426. Wolf and Hayes 1034.
Harvey S. Firestone, Jr. The Romance and Drama of the Rubber Industry. N.p. [Akron, Ohio]: The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, [1933].
Number 198 of 600 limited edition copies. Inscribed and signed by Firestone to Karl Bickel, president of United Press at the time of publication. Octavo. 127 pages. Portrait frontispiece with tissue guard.
Modern three-quarter calf over marbled boards. Top edge gilt. Marbled endpapers. Deckled fore-edge. Minimal toning to the textblock and edges, else a fine copy.
A collection of radio talks delivered by "The Voice of Firestone" on the NBC radio network between September 1931 and September 1932.
Number 198 of 600 limited edition copies. Inscribed and signed by Firestone to Karl Bickel, president of United Press at the time of publication. Octavo. 127 pages. Portrait frontispiece with tissue guard.
Modern three-quarter calf over marbled boards. Top edge gilt. Marbled endpapers. Deckled fore-edge. Minimal toning to the textblock and edges, else a fine copy.
A collection of radio talks delivered by "The Voice of Firestone" on the NBC radio network between September 1931 and September 1932.
Benjamin. Franklin. The Way to Wealth or Poor Richard Improved. Paris: Ant. Aug. Renouard, 1795.
Sixteenmo (7 x 4 inches). 181 pages, plus two pages of "Dr. Franklin's Epitaph," and the one-page Table of Contents at the end. Portrait frontispiece. Text primarily in French.
Full navy blue polished calf, with gilt lettering, decorations, fillets, and turn-ins. Spine has two red morocco title labels, and five compartments between four raised bands. Marbled endpapers. Leaves are unevenly trimmed and have wide margins. Boards lightly scarred. Some wear to corners and spine ends; small chip to foot of spine. A couple of instances of minor staining at the bottom of a few page edges, and one leaf with two tiny holes; overall, pages are generally bright. A handsome copy in very good condition.
Includes: "The Way to Wealth" (in English); "La Science du Bonhomme Richard, ou Moyen Facile de Payer les Impôts" (in French); Lettres de Franklin (one in English, two in French); "Dialogue entre la Goutte et Franklin" (in French); "Quelques Mots sur l'Amérique. Avis a Ceux qui Voudroient aller S'Établir dans Cette Contrée" (in French); and "Dr. Franklin's Epitaph"/"Épitaphe de Franklin" (in English and French).
Sixteenmo (7 x 4 inches). 181 pages, plus two pages of "Dr. Franklin's Epitaph," and the one-page Table of Contents at the end. Portrait frontispiece. Text primarily in French.
Full navy blue polished calf, with gilt lettering, decorations, fillets, and turn-ins. Spine has two red morocco title labels, and five compartments between four raised bands. Marbled endpapers. Leaves are unevenly trimmed and have wide margins. Boards lightly scarred. Some wear to corners and spine ends; small chip to foot of spine. A couple of instances of minor staining at the bottom of a few page edges, and one leaf with two tiny holes; overall, pages are generally bright. A handsome copy in very good condition.
Includes: "The Way to Wealth" (in English); "La Science du Bonhomme Richard, ou Moyen Facile de Payer les Impôts" (in French); Lettres de Franklin (one in English, two in French); "Dialogue entre la Goutte et Franklin" (in French); "Quelques Mots sur l'Amérique. Avis a Ceux qui Voudroient aller S'Établir dans Cette Contrée" (in French); and "Dr. Franklin's Epitaph"/"Épitaphe de Franklin" (in English and French).
The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle. Volume LVII, Second Part. 1787. First British printing of the United States Constitution.
First edition. Octavo. Pages 554-1200, index. Contemporary tree calf with gilt borders and spine decorations. Titles on spine labels stamped in gilt. Marbled endpapers and page edges. Lightly rubbed with wear to extremities and tender joints. Bookplate of Lord Carrington on front pastedown. Overall, a better than good copy.
The November and December issues of The Gentleman's Magazine contained the first printing of the United States Constitution in Great Britain.
First edition. Octavo. Pages 554-1200, index. Contemporary tree calf with gilt borders and spine decorations. Titles on spine labels stamped in gilt. Marbled endpapers and page edges. Lightly rubbed with wear to extremities and tender joints. Bookplate of Lord Carrington on front pastedown. Overall, a better than good copy.
The November and December issues of The Gentleman's Magazine contained the first printing of the United States Constitution in Great Britain.
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, as Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787. In Two Volumes. Vol. I. New-York: Printed and Sold by J. and A. M'Lean, 1788.
First edition of "the most famous and influential American political work" (Howes). Volume I only. Twelvemo (6.125 x 3.8125 inches; 156 x 97 mm.). vi, 227, [1, blank] pages. Bound without the initial blank leaf.
Bound by Rivière & Son (stamp-signed in gilt on the front turn-in) in full navy blue levant morocco. Covers with gilt double-rule border, spine paneled in gilt with five raised bands, gilt-lettered in two compartments, with place of publication and date in gilt at foot, board edges and turn-ins ruled in gilt, all edges gilt. Neatly rebacked, with original spine laid down. Upper corner of front cover renewed. Corners rubbed, with some recoloring. Front free endpaper splitting and reinforced with tissue. Free endpapers browned at the edges from turn-in glue. Pastedowns renewed. Title browned and backed with silk, with short tear to outer margin and small sliver of outer edge chipped away. Tiny tear (quarter-inch) to upper blank margin of G4 (pages 79/80), H2 (pages 87/88), and I6 (pages 107/108). Final leaf T6 (pages 227/228) with short tear (half-inch) to outer blank margin and tiny sliver chipped away at outer edge. Some light foxing and browning, as usual, slightly heavier at the beginning and end. Otherwise an excellent copy, internally very clean and crisp. Leaf P2 (pages 171/172) creased and so printed, with no loss.
Volume I contains Numbers 1-36.
"These eighty-five essays on the Constitution, almost entirely written by Hamilton and Madison (probably only five were by Jay) and published in the New York newspapers under the name of 'Publius,' were a step in Hamilton's campaign to win over a hostile majority in New York for a ratification of the Constitution. To the people of the time the collected essays were little more than a huge Federalist pamphlet. A generation passed before it was recognized that these essays by the principal author of the Constitution and its brilliant advocate were the most authoritative interpretation of the Constitution as drafted by the Convention of 1787. As a commentary and exposition on the Constitution the influence of the Federalist has been profound" (Grolier, 100 American).
"When Alexander Hamilton invited his fellow New Yorker John Jay and James Madison, a Virginian, to join him in writing the series of essays published as The Federalist, it was to meet the immediate need of convincing the reluctant New York State electorate of the necessity of ratifying the newly proposed Constitution of the United States. The eighty-five essays, under the pseudonym 'Publius', were designed as political propaganda, not as a treatise of political philosophy. In spite of this The Federalist survives as one of the new nation's most important contributions to the theory of government...The first number of The Federalist appeared on 27 October 1787 in The Independent Journal, or The General Advertiser and newspaper publication continued in this and three other papers, The New York Packet, The Daily Advertiser, and The New York Journal and Daily Patriotic Register, through number 77, 2 April 1788. The first thirty-six essays were published in book form on 22 March 1788 by J. and A. McLean of New York and a second volume containing essays 37-85 followed on 28 May. Thus numbers 78-85 were published in book form before they appeared in the popular press" (Printing and the Mind of Man).
Church 1230. Evans 21127. Ford 33. Grolier, 100 American, 19. Grolier, 100 English, 55. Howes H114. Printing and the Mind of Man 234. Sabin 23979. Streeter 1049.
First edition of "the most famous and influential American political work" (Howes). Volume I only. Twelvemo (6.125 x 3.8125 inches; 156 x 97 mm.). vi, 227, [1, blank] pages. Bound without the initial blank leaf.
Bound by Rivière & Son (stamp-signed in gilt on the front turn-in) in full navy blue levant morocco. Covers with gilt double-rule border, spine paneled in gilt with five raised bands, gilt-lettered in two compartments, with place of publication and date in gilt at foot, board edges and turn-ins ruled in gilt, all edges gilt. Neatly rebacked, with original spine laid down. Upper corner of front cover renewed. Corners rubbed, with some recoloring. Front free endpaper splitting and reinforced with tissue. Free endpapers browned at the edges from turn-in glue. Pastedowns renewed. Title browned and backed with silk, with short tear to outer margin and small sliver of outer edge chipped away. Tiny tear (quarter-inch) to upper blank margin of G4 (pages 79/80), H2 (pages 87/88), and I6 (pages 107/108). Final leaf T6 (pages 227/228) with short tear (half-inch) to outer blank margin and tiny sliver chipped away at outer edge. Some light foxing and browning, as usual, slightly heavier at the beginning and end. Otherwise an excellent copy, internally very clean and crisp. Leaf P2 (pages 171/172) creased and so printed, with no loss.
Volume I contains Numbers 1-36.
"These eighty-five essays on the Constitution, almost entirely written by Hamilton and Madison (probably only five were by Jay) and published in the New York newspapers under the name of 'Publius,' were a step in Hamilton's campaign to win over a hostile majority in New York for a ratification of the Constitution. To the people of the time the collected essays were little more than a huge Federalist pamphlet. A generation passed before it was recognized that these essays by the principal author of the Constitution and its brilliant advocate were the most authoritative interpretation of the Constitution as drafted by the Convention of 1787. As a commentary and exposition on the Constitution the influence of the Federalist has been profound" (Grolier, 100 American).
"When Alexander Hamilton invited his fellow New Yorker John Jay and James Madison, a Virginian, to join him in writing the series of essays published as The Federalist, it was to meet the immediate need of convincing the reluctant New York State electorate of the necessity of ratifying the newly proposed Constitution of the United States. The eighty-five essays, under the pseudonym 'Publius', were designed as political propaganda, not as a treatise of political philosophy. In spite of this The Federalist survives as one of the new nation's most important contributions to the theory of government...The first number of The Federalist appeared on 27 October 1787 in The Independent Journal, or The General Advertiser and newspaper publication continued in this and three other papers, The New York Packet, The Daily Advertiser, and The New York Journal and Daily Patriotic Register, through number 77, 2 April 1788. The first thirty-six essays were published in book form on 22 March 1788 by J. and A. McLean of New York and a second volume containing essays 37-85 followed on 28 May. Thus numbers 78-85 were published in book form before they appeared in the popular press" (Printing and the Mind of Man).
Church 1230. Evans 21127. Ford 33. Grolier, 100 American, 19. Grolier, 100 English, 55. Howes H114. Printing and the Mind of Man 234. Sabin 23979. Streeter 1049.
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, as Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787. In Two Volumes. Vol. II. New-York: Printed and Sold by J. and A. M'Lean, 1788.
First edition of "the most famous and influential American political work" (Howes). Volume II only. Twelvemo (6.3125 x 3.5625 inches; 160 x 91 mm.). [2, blank], vi, 384 pages.
Contemporary sheep. Smooth spine divided into six compartments by seven decorative gilt rules with a burgundy leather label decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt in one compartment and the gilt volume number ("2") in another. Binding somewhat rubbed and stained, corners rubbed (exposing boards), head of spine chipped away, portion of foot of spine chipped away, front joint split but holding strong (repaired?), rear joint starting. Small portion of sheep rubbed away on rear cover. Endpapers and title-page lightly browned at the edges from turn-in glue. Front pastedown abraded where an oval bookplate was removed. Rear free endpaper torn away. Short tear and crease to upper edge of rear flyleaf. Some foxing and browning, as usual. A few small brown stains. Early ink signature of Hough [?] appears twice on the rear cover. Front free endpaper with early ink initial H [?], and date "1796". Previous owner's ink signature, dated 1957, on front free endpaper. Pencil signature of R. Reynolds, dated 1873, on front flyleaf, and additional pencil signature of R. Reynolds on recto of preliminary blank leaf. A very good copy, internally very clean.
Volume II contains essays Number 37-85, as well as the complete text of the Constitution, headed "Articles of the New Constitution; as agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787," and the resolutions of the Constitutional Convention (pages 368-384).
Church 1230. Evans 21127. Ford 33. Grolier, 100 American, 19. Grolier, 100 English, 55. Howes H114. Printing and the Mind of Man 234. Sabin 23979. Streeter 1049.
First edition of "the most famous and influential American political work" (Howes). Volume II only. Twelvemo (6.3125 x 3.5625 inches; 160 x 91 mm.). [2, blank], vi, 384 pages.
Contemporary sheep. Smooth spine divided into six compartments by seven decorative gilt rules with a burgundy leather label decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt in one compartment and the gilt volume number ("2") in another. Binding somewhat rubbed and stained, corners rubbed (exposing boards), head of spine chipped away, portion of foot of spine chipped away, front joint split but holding strong (repaired?), rear joint starting. Small portion of sheep rubbed away on rear cover. Endpapers and title-page lightly browned at the edges from turn-in glue. Front pastedown abraded where an oval bookplate was removed. Rear free endpaper torn away. Short tear and crease to upper edge of rear flyleaf. Some foxing and browning, as usual. A few small brown stains. Early ink signature of Hough [?] appears twice on the rear cover. Front free endpaper with early ink initial H [?], and date "1796". Previous owner's ink signature, dated 1957, on front free endpaper. Pencil signature of R. Reynolds, dated 1873, on front flyleaf, and additional pencil signature of R. Reynolds on recto of preliminary blank leaf. A very good copy, internally very clean.
Volume II contains essays Number 37-85, as well as the complete text of the Constitution, headed "Articles of the New Constitution; as agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787," and the resolutions of the Constitutional Convention (pages 368-384).
Church 1230. Evans 21127. Ford 33. Grolier, 100 American, 19. Grolier, 100 English, 55. Howes H114. Printing and the Mind of Man 234. Sabin 23979. Streeter 1049.
Harry Houdini. A Magician Among the Spirits. New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1924.
First edition, signed and inscribed by Houdini on the front free endpaper. Large octavo. 294 pages. With numerous full-page photographic plates, including the photographic frontispiece of the author with author and spiritualist Arthur Conan Doyle, and several black-and-white text illustrations.
Publisher's cadet blue cloth with gilt titles. Housed in a custom half leather clamshell box with gilt titles and decorations inside compartments with five raised bands. Moderate shelf wear, with lightly rubbed corners. Spine sunned. Textblock edges toned. Minimal scattered foxing, mostly at the endpapers and plates. Former owner's name in ink on the front free endpaper and the half-title page. Interior tight and clean. A sturdy copy in very good condition.
With this book, Houdini threw down the gauntlet as he took on false mediums, debunking the myths surrounding psychics, mediums, conjurers and their kin. The book caused a rift in Houdini's friendship with Arthur Conan Doyle and led directly to the two men becoming public antagonists. In her book, Harry Houdini: Death-Defying Showman, Rita Thievon Mullin writes, "A Magician Among the Spirits...included a chapter on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which said that although Sir Arthur was a 'brilliant man,' he was blind in his acceptance of even fraudulent mediums. The book cost [Houdini] a friendship. After the book was published, Sir Arthur never wrote to Harry again."
First edition, signed and inscribed by Houdini on the front free endpaper. Large octavo. 294 pages. With numerous full-page photographic plates, including the photographic frontispiece of the author with author and spiritualist Arthur Conan Doyle, and several black-and-white text illustrations.
Publisher's cadet blue cloth with gilt titles. Housed in a custom half leather clamshell box with gilt titles and decorations inside compartments with five raised bands. Moderate shelf wear, with lightly rubbed corners. Spine sunned. Textblock edges toned. Minimal scattered foxing, mostly at the endpapers and plates. Former owner's name in ink on the front free endpaper and the half-title page. Interior tight and clean. A sturdy copy in very good condition.
With this book, Houdini threw down the gauntlet as he took on false mediums, debunking the myths surrounding psychics, mediums, conjurers and their kin. The book caused a rift in Houdini's friendship with Arthur Conan Doyle and led directly to the two men becoming public antagonists. In her book, Harry Houdini: Death-Defying Showman, Rita Thievon Mullin writes, "A Magician Among the Spirits...included a chapter on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which said that although Sir Arthur was a 'brilliant man,' he was blind in his acceptance of even fraudulent mediums. The book cost [Houdini] a friendship. After the book was published, Sir Arthur never wrote to Harry again."
Martin Luther King, Jr. Stride Toward Freedom. The Montgomery Story. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1960.
Early edition, boldly signed by Dr. King on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 230 pages.
Publisher's black buckram over blue cloth boards with silver titles. Original dust jacket. Deckled fore-edge. Moderate wear to the binding. Minor dampstain to rear free endpaper. Otherwise, internal contents clean. Dust jacket with moderate wear, including some minor paper loss at the spine ends, corners, and rear panel, the latter of which also has a small amount of staining and two very short closed tears to the edges. Spine somewhat sunned. Overall, a very good copy with a strong King signature.
Dr. King's first book, with its primary focus on Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott that inspired the non-violent resistance employed by Civil Rights leaders throughout the American South. A famous passage from Stride Toward Freedom reads, "Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends by defeating itself."
Early edition, boldly signed by Dr. King on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 230 pages.
Publisher's black buckram over blue cloth boards with silver titles. Original dust jacket. Deckled fore-edge. Moderate wear to the binding. Minor dampstain to rear free endpaper. Otherwise, internal contents clean. Dust jacket with moderate wear, including some minor paper loss at the spine ends, corners, and rear panel, the latter of which also has a small amount of staining and two very short closed tears to the edges. Spine somewhat sunned. Overall, a very good copy with a strong King signature.
Dr. King's first book, with its primary focus on Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott that inspired the non-violent resistance employed by Civil Rights leaders throughout the American South. A famous passage from Stride Toward Freedom reads, "Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends by defeating itself."
Martin Luther King, Jr. Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? - Inscribed and Signed to Julia Roberts' Parents. New York, Evanston, and London: Harper& Row, [1967].
Association copy of the first edition signed and inscribed "To Mr. and Mrs. Walter Roberts With Best Wishes for Peace and Brotherhood Martin Luther King, Jr." on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 209 pages.
Publisher's black cloth over mustard paper boards with gilt and red spine titles. Mustard endpapers. Deckled fore-edge. Original dust jacket. Minimal shelf wear to the boards. A few pencil underlines and dog-eared pages in the first part of the text. A crisp dust jacket with only minimal rubbing and one tiny fingernail bruise to the spine tail. Overall, a bright, tight copy in near fine condition.
The Robertses and Kings were well-acquainted with each other in and around Atlanta, Georgia. Martin Luther King's children attended the Roberts' acting school for children in Decatur, Georgia, and when Julia Roberts was born, Mrs. King picked up the hospital bill. A close association copy of King's fifth book with a warm personal inscription.
Association copy of the first edition signed and inscribed "To Mr. and Mrs. Walter Roberts With Best Wishes for Peace and Brotherhood Martin Luther King, Jr." on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 209 pages.
Publisher's black cloth over mustard paper boards with gilt and red spine titles. Mustard endpapers. Deckled fore-edge. Original dust jacket. Minimal shelf wear to the boards. A few pencil underlines and dog-eared pages in the first part of the text. A crisp dust jacket with only minimal rubbing and one tiny fingernail bruise to the spine tail. Overall, a bright, tight copy in near fine condition.
The Robertses and Kings were well-acquainted with each other in and around Atlanta, Georgia. Martin Luther King's children attended the Roberts' acting school for children in Decatur, Georgia, and when Julia Roberts was born, Mrs. King picked up the hospital bill. A close association copy of King's fifth book with a warm personal inscription.
[Massachusetts Bay]. The Charter Granted by Their Majesties King William and Queen Mary, to the Inhabitants of the Province of the Massachusetts-Bay in New-England. [bound with:] Acts and Laws, of His Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts-Bay in New-England. Boston: S. Kneeland, 1759. First edition. Quarto. 24, 477. Contemporary full calf over boards. Raised bands. Some scuffing and scarring to the boards and spine. Hinges cracked but cords holding. Contemporary inked notations on front and rear pastedowns. Overall, in very good condition. [and:] The Charter Granted by Their Majesties King William and Queen Mary, to the Inhabitants of the Province of the Massachusetts-Bay in New-England. Boston: S. Kneeland, 1759. First edition. Quarto. 14 pages. As disbound pamphlet; spine reinforced with cellophane tape. Very good.
Cotton Mather. A Companion for Communicants. Discourses Upon The Nature, the Design, and the Subject of the Lords Supper; With Devout Methods of Preparing for, and Approaching to that Blessed Ordinance. Boston: Samuel Green for Benjamin Harris at the London Coffee House, 1690.
Twelvemo. [8], 167, [1, publisher's advertisement] pages.
Full contemporary brown mottled calf with paper library call label on the spine. Housed in a modern half leather drop-down box with an inset compartment custom-designed for the book inside. Noticeable wear, rubbing, and dampstaining to the boards. Corners bumped and chipped. Boards slightly bowed. Joints somewhat split, but strong. Foxing to text, with occasional unobtrusive marginal scribbling. Text trimmed, with minor loss to a few headlines. Margins to two leaves chipped with minor loss to letters of text. Lacking the front free endpaper and possibly a blank. City Library Association of Springfield, Massachusetts blind-stamp to title page, some perforated stamps in the text, and paper label to rear free endpaper. A very good, unrestored copy of a rare early American religious text.
From the library of Joshua Gee, a Boston clergyman who served alongside Mather as pastor of the original Old North Church, a Congregationalist meeting house, from 1723 until Mather's death in 1728. Gee preached and published the "Sermon on the Death of Cotton Mather" and served in that church until his own death in 1748. Two pages (front pastedown and rear flyleaf) inscribed in some variety of personal code or shorthand.
There are two poems in an unknown hand on the rear pastedown and last free endpaper. One is titled "To my Father taking Chariot for Salam" and was likely written by Mather in reference to his father's trip to the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, in part: "...And our forsaken hours till you Returne/ Can not but Darkly Look & Sadly mourn." The second, long attributed to Mather, is the epitaph for Puritan poet and minister Michael Wigglesworth (1631-1705). Its last two lines refer to Wigglesworth's early work on the final judgment "The Day of Doom." It reads, in part: "...he to his paradise is Joyfull Come/ and waits with Joy to see his Day of Doom."
Cotton Mather (1663-1728) was the son of Puritan minister Increase Mather, an important figure in the early days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and later president of Harvard University. Young Cotton followed very much in his father's footsteps, graduating from Harvard at age fifteen and then assisting the elder Mather in pastoring the Old North Church. Cotton Mather was a highly influential and prolific writer, both on subjects sacred and secular. He became quite a controversial figure for his close friendship with and influence over many of the judges who presided over the Salem witch trials in 1692. Although warning against their use of "spectral evidence" in deciding a case, Mather, a believer in witchcraft, later defended just that same practice. Though a Harvard graduate, Mather had a major role in the early history of Yale University. Founded as the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701, the institution was in need of a benefactor to build and expand. Mather contacted a wealthy trader named Elihu Yale on their behalf; Yale contributed goods worth £560 sterling when sold and the resulting building, and later the university, was named after him. A believer in modern science, Cotton Mather developed early methods of plant hybridization using corn and later defended (most unpopularly) the use of smallpox inoculations during the 1721 epidemic in Boston. That same year he published The Christian Philosopher, a seminal American work harmonizing Newtonian science and religion. Mather saw teaching as the main goal of his writing, and Benjamin Franklin once said that Mather's book Essays to do Good was the work that most guided his youth.
A rare early American imprint in a contemporary binding from one of the great religious leaders of the time, with contemporary poetry in manuscript.
Evans 535. Holmes 67. Wing M1091.
Twelvemo. [8], 167, [1, publisher's advertisement] pages.
Full contemporary brown mottled calf with paper library call label on the spine. Housed in a modern half leather drop-down box with an inset compartment custom-designed for the book inside. Noticeable wear, rubbing, and dampstaining to the boards. Corners bumped and chipped. Boards slightly bowed. Joints somewhat split, but strong. Foxing to text, with occasional unobtrusive marginal scribbling. Text trimmed, with minor loss to a few headlines. Margins to two leaves chipped with minor loss to letters of text. Lacking the front free endpaper and possibly a blank. City Library Association of Springfield, Massachusetts blind-stamp to title page, some perforated stamps in the text, and paper label to rear free endpaper. A very good, unrestored copy of a rare early American religious text.
From the library of Joshua Gee, a Boston clergyman who served alongside Mather as pastor of the original Old North Church, a Congregationalist meeting house, from 1723 until Mather's death in 1728. Gee preached and published the "Sermon on the Death of Cotton Mather" and served in that church until his own death in 1748. Two pages (front pastedown and rear flyleaf) inscribed in some variety of personal code or shorthand.
There are two poems in an unknown hand on the rear pastedown and last free endpaper. One is titled "To my Father taking Chariot for Salam" and was likely written by Mather in reference to his father's trip to the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, in part: "...And our forsaken hours till you Returne/ Can not but Darkly Look & Sadly mourn." The second, long attributed to Mather, is the epitaph for Puritan poet and minister Michael Wigglesworth (1631-1705). Its last two lines refer to Wigglesworth's early work on the final judgment "The Day of Doom." It reads, in part: "...he to his paradise is Joyfull Come/ and waits with Joy to see his Day of Doom."
Cotton Mather (1663-1728) was the son of Puritan minister Increase Mather, an important figure in the early days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and later president of Harvard University. Young Cotton followed very much in his father's footsteps, graduating from Harvard at age fifteen and then assisting the elder Mather in pastoring the Old North Church. Cotton Mather was a highly influential and prolific writer, both on subjects sacred and secular. He became quite a controversial figure for his close friendship with and influence over many of the judges who presided over the Salem witch trials in 1692. Although warning against their use of "spectral evidence" in deciding a case, Mather, a believer in witchcraft, later defended just that same practice. Though a Harvard graduate, Mather had a major role in the early history of Yale University. Founded as the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701, the institution was in need of a benefactor to build and expand. Mather contacted a wealthy trader named Elihu Yale on their behalf; Yale contributed goods worth £560 sterling when sold and the resulting building, and later the university, was named after him. A believer in modern science, Cotton Mather developed early methods of plant hybridization using corn and later defended (most unpopularly) the use of smallpox inoculations during the 1721 epidemic in Boston. That same year he published The Christian Philosopher, a seminal American work harmonizing Newtonian science and religion. Mather saw teaching as the main goal of his writing, and Benjamin Franklin once said that Mather's book Essays to do Good was the work that most guided his youth.
A rare early American imprint in a contemporary binding from one of the great religious leaders of the time, with contemporary poetry in manuscript.
Evans 535. Holmes 67. Wing M1091.
Thomas L. McKenney and James Hall. History of the Indian Tribes of North America, with Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes of the Principal Chiefs. Embellished with One Hundred and Twenty Portraits, from the Indian Gallery in the Department of War, at Washington. Philadelphia: D. Rice and A. N. Hart, 1854, 1855.
Three octavo volumes. iv, 333; xvii, 290; iv, 292 pages. 120 hand-colored plates, inclusive of frontispieces, with tissue guards.
Contemporary full red morocco over boards. Gilt fillets and designs to boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering and decorations to spines. All edges gilt. Slight bumping and rubbing to the bindings. Some black discoloration to the top edges of boards and the foot of the spines. Missing title page from Volume III, though frontispiece and all plates are complete. Inked name of previous owner on front pastedowns. Overall an attractive and sturdy set in very good condition.
"As early as 1824, the practice was begun of taking portraits of the principal Indians who came to Washington, and depositing them in the War Department. They were chiefly painted by Mr. King, an artist of high repute, who has been remarkably successful in transferring to his canvas the strong lineaments of the Indian countenance. Col. M'Kinney [sic], who was for many years superintendent of Indian affairs at Washington, and was thus brought in constant association with the principal men of the nations and tribes which sent representatives to the seat of government, conceived the plan of making this rare and curious collection more valuable to the world by publishing a series of engraved portraits exactly copied and colored from these paintings" (Sabin). The folio edition of History of the Indian Tribes of North America, proved successful enough to issue this royal octavo edition to appeal to a broader readership. The octavo edition was "[r]evised and enlarged by McKenney, who probably wrote the unsigned historical sketch of the Indian race in Volume III; Hall contributed the 'Essay on the History of the North American Indians,' which follows" (Blair, et al.). Also added to the octavo edition is the plate of Red Bird (frontispiece to Volume II).
Blair, The Indian Tribes of the Upper Mississippi Valley and Region of the Great Lakes, 332. Howes M 129. Sabin, 43410a, 43411.
Three octavo volumes. iv, 333; xvii, 290; iv, 292 pages. 120 hand-colored plates, inclusive of frontispieces, with tissue guards.
Contemporary full red morocco over boards. Gilt fillets and designs to boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering and decorations to spines. All edges gilt. Slight bumping and rubbing to the bindings. Some black discoloration to the top edges of boards and the foot of the spines. Missing title page from Volume III, though frontispiece and all plates are complete. Inked name of previous owner on front pastedowns. Overall an attractive and sturdy set in very good condition.
"As early as 1824, the practice was begun of taking portraits of the principal Indians who came to Washington, and depositing them in the War Department. They were chiefly painted by Mr. King, an artist of high repute, who has been remarkably successful in transferring to his canvas the strong lineaments of the Indian countenance. Col. M'Kinney [sic], who was for many years superintendent of Indian affairs at Washington, and was thus brought in constant association with the principal men of the nations and tribes which sent representatives to the seat of government, conceived the plan of making this rare and curious collection more valuable to the world by publishing a series of engraved portraits exactly copied and colored from these paintings" (Sabin). The folio edition of History of the Indian Tribes of North America, proved successful enough to issue this royal octavo edition to appeal to a broader readership. The octavo edition was "[r]evised and enlarged by McKenney, who probably wrote the unsigned historical sketch of the Indian race in Volume III; Hall contributed the 'Essay on the History of the North American Indians,' which follows" (Blair, et al.). Also added to the octavo edition is the plate of Red Bird (frontispiece to Volume II).
Blair, The Indian Tribes of the Upper Mississippi Valley and Region of the Great Lakes, 332. Howes M 129. Sabin, 43410a, 43411.
[President James Monroe]. Message from the President of the United States, to Both Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Eighteenth Congress. December 2, 1823. [with:] Documents Accompanying the Message of the President of the United States, to Both Houses, in the Commencement of the First Session of the Eighteenth Congress. Washington, DC: Gales & Seaton, 1823.
First edition. Octavo. 16, 206 pages. 26 folding tables.
In modern half-morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands and leather title label. Gilt lettering to spine. Heavy foxing. Noted on spine by binder as the "House Edition," these two items bound together are notated throughout as "Document 1," which would indicate Senate editions. Very good.
"In addition to containing the notable first enunciation of the 'Monroe Doctrine,' one of the accompanying documents gives General Gaines' report on the upper Missouri campaign against the Arikaras" (Howes).
Graff 3071. Howes D385. Howes M724. Wagner-Camp 22.
First edition. Octavo. 16, 206 pages. 26 folding tables.
In modern half-morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands and leather title label. Gilt lettering to spine. Heavy foxing. Noted on spine by binder as the "House Edition," these two items bound together are notated throughout as "Document 1," which would indicate Senate editions. Very good.
"In addition to containing the notable first enunciation of the 'Monroe Doctrine,' one of the accompanying documents gives General Gaines' report on the upper Missouri campaign against the Arikaras" (Howes).
Graff 3071. Howes D385. Howes M724. Wagner-Camp 22.
[NASA Astronauts]. Seven Signed Titles Published by the Easton Press, including: Buzz Aldrin and Malcolm McConnell. Men From Earth. Norwalk: [1997]. Signed by Aldrin on the publisher's presentation page. 312 pages. Dr. Aldrin was the second man to walk on the moon as the lunar module pilot on Apollo 11. [and:] Frank Borman with Robert J. Serling. Countdown An Autobiography. Norwalk: [1997]. Signed by Borman on the publisher's presentation page. 448 pages. Borman commanded Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon. [and:] Gene Cernan and Don Davis. The Last Man on the Moon. Norwalk: [1999]. Signed by Cernan on the publisher's presentation page. 356 pages. Cernan flew to the moon twice: once as lunar module pilot on Apollo 10; as commander of Apollo 17, he was the last man to walk on the moon. [and:] Gordon Cooper with Bruce Henderson. Leap of Faith An Astronaut's Journey into the Unknown. Signed by Cooper on the publisher's presentation page. 279 pages. Cooper (1927-2004) was one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and the sixth American in space. [and:] James Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger. Lost Moon The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13. Norwalk: [1997]. Signed by Lovell on the publisher's presentation page. 378 pages. Lovell, one of only three men to fly to the moon twice, gives a narrative of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission. [and:] Mercury Astronauts. We Seven. Norwalk: [1997]. Signed by Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, and John Glenn on the publisher's presentation page. 352 pages. Originally published in 1962, this book tells the story of the seven men with the "right stuff" in their own words. [and:] Captain Walter M. Schirra, Jr. with Richard N. Billings. Schirra's Space. Norwalk: [1997]. Signed by Schirra on the publisher's presentation page. 227 pages. Schirra was one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and the only astronaut to fly in all of the first three American space programs- Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.
Seven octavo volumes in publisher's gilt-stamped full leather (all but Cooper's matching). Very fine condition.
Seven octavo volumes in publisher's gilt-stamped full leather (all but Cooper's matching). Very fine condition.
[American Revolution]. [Nicolas] Ponce and [François] Godefroy. Recueil D'estampes Representant Les Differents Evenemens de la Guerre qui a procure L'Independance aux Etats unis de L'Amerique. Paris: Chez M. Ponce et chez M. Godefroy, [n.d., circa 1783].
Quarto. With seventeen richly-detailed engraved plates, including two states of plate 5, one being an etching, drawn by Ponce, Godefroy, Fauvel, Le Paon, Lausan, Le Barbier, Marillier, and William. Engraved by Ponce and Godefroy. Text in French.
Professionally rebacked maroon morocco with gilt spine titles and gilt rules to spine and boards. Gilt fillet turn-ins. All edges gilt. One tissue guard extant. Light edge wear, some light foxing and soiling to plates. Very good condition.
These sixteen distinct plates include not only scenes like the John Malcom incident, Yorktown, and the surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga, but also battles in the Caribbean. Also included are maps of the newly-formed United States and four territories ceded to France by Britain after the war.
Howes C-576; Sabin 68421.
Quarto. With seventeen richly-detailed engraved plates, including two states of plate 5, one being an etching, drawn by Ponce, Godefroy, Fauvel, Le Paon, Lausan, Le Barbier, Marillier, and William. Engraved by Ponce and Godefroy. Text in French.
Professionally rebacked maroon morocco with gilt spine titles and gilt rules to spine and boards. Gilt fillet turn-ins. All edges gilt. One tissue guard extant. Light edge wear, some light foxing and soiling to plates. Very good condition.
These sixteen distinct plates include not only scenes like the John Malcom incident, Yorktown, and the surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga, but also battles in the Caribbean. Also included are maps of the newly-formed United States and four territories ceded to France by Britain after the war.
Howes C-576; Sabin 68421.
C. S. Rafinesque. Ancient History, or Annals of Kentucky; with a Survey of the Ancient Monuments. Frankfort, KY, 1824.
First edition. Octavo. iv, 39 pages. Appendices.
Later half morocco over marbled boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Some loss to the leather of the spine. Front hinge cracked, but holding. Small oval bookplate affixed to front pastedown. Very good.
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, an eccentric nineteenth-century polymath, wrote one of the first studies on prehistoric civilizations of the Kentucky region. "Imagination and fact run riotously together, yet the work has been correctly characterized as 'the most remarkable history of Kentucky that was ever written, or ever will be'" (Dorothy Edwards Townsend, Kentucky in American Letters).
Howes R8.
First edition. Octavo. iv, 39 pages. Appendices.
Later half morocco over marbled boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Some loss to the leather of the spine. Front hinge cracked, but holding. Small oval bookplate affixed to front pastedown. Very good.
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, an eccentric nineteenth-century polymath, wrote one of the first studies on prehistoric civilizations of the Kentucky region. "Imagination and fact run riotously together, yet the work has been correctly characterized as 'the most remarkable history of Kentucky that was ever written, or ever will be'" (Dorothy Edwards Townsend, Kentucky in American Letters).
Howes R8.
J. Freeman Rattenbury. Remarks on the Cession of the Floridas to the United States of America, and on the Necessity of Acquiring the Island of Cuba by Great Britain. London. 1819.
Second and best edition, "with considerable additions...." Octavo. 20 pages. An extract from the Pamphleteer.
Modern full morocco. Gilt lettering to front board. Very good.
An engaging discourse on political implications for Great Britain should the United States annex Florida.
Sabin 67960.
Second and best edition, "with considerable additions...." Octavo. 20 pages. An extract from the Pamphleteer.
Modern full morocco. Gilt lettering to front board. Very good.
An engaging discourse on political implications for Great Britain should the United States annex Florida.
Sabin 67960.
Ronald Reagan-Related Signed Books, including: Maureen Reagan. First Father, First Daughter. Boston: Little, Brown, [1989]. First edition. Signed by Maureen Reagan on front free endpaper, "With best regards! Maureen Reagan 3-89". Octavo. 415 pages. Dampstaining along fore-edge affecting book and jacket. A very good copy. [and:] Frederick J. Ryan Jr. [editor]. Ronald Reagan: The Wisdom and Humor of the Great Communicator. San Francisco: Collins Publishers, [1995]. First edition. Signed by Ronald Reagan on title page. Octavo. 157 pages. A fine copy. [and:] Nancy Reagan. I Love You, Ronnie. New York: Random House, [2000]. First edition. Signed by Nancy Reagan on title page. Octavo. 189 pages. Softly bumped on upper spine end. A near fine copy.
Ronald Reagan. Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989.
First limited edition. Limited to 5,000 numbered copies (this being number 1,073), signed by Reagan. Octavo. 432 pages. Index. Illustrated with many black and white photographs, with an additional Thirty-two-page section of color photos not included in the trade edition.
Full blue leather. Gilt design and lettering to front board and spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Fine.
First limited edition. Limited to 5,000 numbered copies (this being number 1,073), signed by Reagan. Octavo. 432 pages. Index. Illustrated with many black and white photographs, with an additional Thirty-two-page section of color photos not included in the trade edition.
Full blue leather. Gilt design and lettering to front board and spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Fine.
Ronald Reagan with Richard G. Hubler. Where's the Rest of Me? The Ronald Reagan Story. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1965.
Third printing. Signed and dated (7/27/65) by Ronald Reagan. Octavo. 316 pages. Eight pages of photographs. Index.
Black cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Several small, shallow closed tears and some sunning to the spine of the dust jacket. Inked sentiment of previous owner on front pastedown. Overall, a very good copy.
This book chronicles the pivotal period in Reagan's life as he transitions from actor to politician. The book closes with a variation on Reagan's "A Time for Choosing" speech he made famous during the Goldwater campaign of 1964.
Third printing. Signed and dated (7/27/65) by Ronald Reagan. Octavo. 316 pages. Eight pages of photographs. Index.
Black cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Several small, shallow closed tears and some sunning to the spine of the dust jacket. Inked sentiment of previous owner on front pastedown. Overall, a very good copy.
This book chronicles the pivotal period in Reagan's life as he transitions from actor to politician. The book closes with a variation on Reagan's "A Time for Choosing" speech he made famous during the Goldwater campaign of 1964.
Recueil des Loix Constitutives des Colonies Angloises; Confédérées sous la d'Etats-Unis de l'Amérique-Septentroinale. Paris: Cellot & Jombert, 1778.
Octavo. 370 pages.
Modern paper and cloth over boards. Ex-library copy with deaccession stamp; library mark to title page; bookplate to rear pastedown. Very good.
Howes R111.
Octavo. 370 pages.
Modern paper and cloth over boards. Ex-library copy with deaccession stamp; library mark to title page; bookplate to rear pastedown. Very good.
Howes R111.
Theodore Roosevelt. The Foes of Our Own Household. New York: George H. Doran Company, 1917.
First edition. Octavo. 347 pages.
Publisher's maroon cloth with black titles. In the scarce original printed dust jacket. Minor shelf wear to the boards. Light scattered foxing, most noticeable along the textblock edges. Offsetting to front endpapers from previously laid-in paper. Moderate wear to the dust jacket. Spine somewhat darkened. A number of abrasions to the rear panel affect some of the text. Overall, a very good copy of TR's call to arms in World War I, rarely found in the dust jacket.
"[A] compact presentation of some of the evils in our national life for whose eradication the best thoughts and energies of our people will be necessary... The earliest chapters voice an impassioned appeal to all Americans, men, women, and children, to take up each his or her own share of the burden of the war and do whatever work is possible with zeal and efficiency. He lashes with indignation all those, 'whether Senators, Congressman, editors, or professed humanitarians,' who continue to champion Germany's cause, and tells them they are moral if not legal traitors and have no right longer to be treated as American citizens" ("Col. Roosevelt on Foes of Our Own Household", The New York Times Book Review, Sunday, October 7, 1917, p. 48).
First edition. Octavo. 347 pages.
Publisher's maroon cloth with black titles. In the scarce original printed dust jacket. Minor shelf wear to the boards. Light scattered foxing, most noticeable along the textblock edges. Offsetting to front endpapers from previously laid-in paper. Moderate wear to the dust jacket. Spine somewhat darkened. A number of abrasions to the rear panel affect some of the text. Overall, a very good copy of TR's call to arms in World War I, rarely found in the dust jacket.
"[A] compact presentation of some of the evils in our national life for whose eradication the best thoughts and energies of our people will be necessary... The earliest chapters voice an impassioned appeal to all Americans, men, women, and children, to take up each his or her own share of the burden of the war and do whatever work is possible with zeal and efficiency. He lashes with indignation all those, 'whether Senators, Congressman, editors, or professed humanitarians,' who continue to champion Germany's cause, and tells them they are moral if not legal traitors and have no right longer to be treated as American citizens" ("Col. Roosevelt on Foes of Our Own Household", The New York Times Book Review, Sunday, October 7, 1917, p. 48).
Two Books Relating to Slavery, including: Josiah Henson. Truth Stranger Than Fiction. Father Henson's Story of His Own Life. Boston: John P. Jewett, 1858. Octavo. 212 pages. Introduction by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Frontispiece. Original cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Expanded from Henson's autobiography of 1849. Front hinge loose. Cocked binding. Some foxing. Very good. [and:] Booker T. Washington. Up From Slavery. New York: Doubleday, Page and Company, 1901. First edition. Octavo. ix, 330. Frontispiece. Index. Original red cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to front board and spine. Top edge gilt. Front hinge cracked. Inked name of previous owner on front free endpaper. Very good.
Albert G. Spalding. America's National Game. Historic Facts Concerning the Beginning Evolution, Development and Popularity of Base Ball with Personal Reminiscences of Its Vicissitudes, Its Victories and Its Votaries. Cartoons by Homer C. Davenport. New York: American Sports Publishing Company, 1911.
First edition, first printing. Octavo. 542 pages. Numerous black and white illustrations and photographs throughout, including a portrait frontispiece.
Publisher's blue cloth with striking gilt titles and decorations. Moderate shelf wear with lightly rubbed corners. Spine moderately darkened. Minimal dust-soiling to the boards and textblock edges, with minor toning around the edges as well. Former bookstore ticket affixed to the bottom of the front free endpaper. Both hinges just starting. Overall, a sound, clean copy in very good condition.
First edition, first printing. Octavo. 542 pages. Numerous black and white illustrations and photographs throughout, including a portrait frontispiece.
Publisher's blue cloth with striking gilt titles and decorations. Moderate shelf wear with lightly rubbed corners. Spine moderately darkened. Minimal dust-soiling to the boards and textblock edges, with minor toning around the edges as well. Former bookstore ticket affixed to the bottom of the front free endpaper. Both hinges just starting. Overall, a sound, clean copy in very good condition.
[Sojourner Truth]. Olive Gilbert and Frances Titus. Narrative of Sojourner Truth; A Bondswoman of Olden Time, Emancipated by the New York Legislature in the Early Part of the Present Century; With a History of Her Labors and Correspondence, Drawn from Her "Book of Life." Boston: Published for the Author, 1875.
First edition. Octavo. 320 pages. Portrait frontispiece.
Publisher's brown cloth with gilt titles and portrait on the front board (repeated in blind on the rear board. Minor edge wear, with some loss of cloth at the spine ends, especially the spine tail. Slightly rubbed corners. Contemporary ownership signature on the front free endpaper. Internal contents bright and clean. A tight copy in very good condition.
"The first 125 pages of the 1875 edition of Truth's Narrative are a reprint of the 1850 edition. The remainder of the text is a collection of newspaper articles and celebrity autographs taken from a personal collection of Truth's that she called the 'Book of Life.' When Truth decided to issue an updated version of her biography in 1875 to help pay for a grandson's medical bills, she asked Frances Titus (1816-1894) to publish excerpts from her 'Book of Life' as a supplement to Gilbert's text, trusting 'her scribe [Titus] to make the selections'" (Zachary Hutchins: "Documenting the American South").
First edition. Octavo. 320 pages. Portrait frontispiece.
Publisher's brown cloth with gilt titles and portrait on the front board (repeated in blind on the rear board. Minor edge wear, with some loss of cloth at the spine ends, especially the spine tail. Slightly rubbed corners. Contemporary ownership signature on the front free endpaper. Internal contents bright and clean. A tight copy in very good condition.
"The first 125 pages of the 1875 edition of Truth's Narrative are a reprint of the 1850 edition. The remainder of the text is a collection of newspaper articles and celebrity autographs taken from a personal collection of Truth's that she called the 'Book of Life.' When Truth decided to issue an updated version of her biography in 1875 to help pay for a grandson's medical bills, she asked Frances Titus (1816-1894) to publish excerpts from her 'Book of Life' as a supplement to Gilbert's text, trusting 'her scribe [Titus] to make the selections'" (Zachary Hutchins: "Documenting the American South").
Edgar Warfield. A Confederate Soldier's Memoirs. By Edgar Warfield. Member and Co-organizer of the "Old Dominion Rifles" of Alexandria, later Company H, Seventeenth Virginia Infantry, Confederate States Army. Richmond: Masonic Home Press, Inc., 1936.
First edition, from a print run of only 100 copies. This copy with a presentation inscription from the son of the author, George Warfield, who authored the introduction along with his brother, Edgar Warfield Jr.. Octavo. 238 pages. Frontispiece portrait of the author.
Publisher's gray cloth lettered in gilt. Binding slightly dulled, light wear and bumping at the corners, else a near fine copy.
"The excellent memoirs, in spite of embellishments, of a member of the 17th Virginia" (Nevins I, p. 174).
First edition, from a print run of only 100 copies. This copy with a presentation inscription from the son of the author, George Warfield, who authored the introduction along with his brother, Edgar Warfield Jr.. Octavo. 238 pages. Frontispiece portrait of the author.
Publisher's gray cloth lettered in gilt. Binding slightly dulled, light wear and bumping at the corners, else a near fine copy.
"The excellent memoirs, in spite of embellishments, of a member of the 17th Virginia" (Nevins I, p. 174).
William. Winterbotham. An Historical, Geographical, Commercial, and Philosophical View of the United States, and of the European Settlements in American and the West-Indies. London: printed for the editor, 1795.
First edition. Complete in four octavo volumes. viii, 591; 493; 525; 415 plus fifty-four pages of appendices and [19] pages comprised of the Index, Directions to the Binder, and list of subscribers. Illustrated with several plates, tables, and seven folding maps. Hand-colored plate of tobacco plate in Volume III (the first color plate to appear in a book about America). Portrait frontispieces.
Recent green half-bound polished calf over marbled paper boards. Gilt lettering and fillets to spines. Marbled endpapers. Occasional foxing; pages toned. Offsetting from plates. Short tear to title page of Volume IV, repaired with tape on the verso. Some folding maps with minor repairs. An attractive set, tight and sturdy. Very good.
Reverend William Winterbotham (1763-1829), a British Baptist minister was imprisoned for expressing too-liberal views in his sermons. While in prison, he compiled this history of America and the European settlements in South America and the West Indies, illustrated with detailed maps and several delightful plates featuring the views and wildlife of the Americas.
Howes W581, Sabin 104831.
First edition. Complete in four octavo volumes. viii, 591; 493; 525; 415 plus fifty-four pages of appendices and [19] pages comprised of the Index, Directions to the Binder, and list of subscribers. Illustrated with several plates, tables, and seven folding maps. Hand-colored plate of tobacco plate in Volume III (the first color plate to appear in a book about America). Portrait frontispieces.
Recent green half-bound polished calf over marbled paper boards. Gilt lettering and fillets to spines. Marbled endpapers. Occasional foxing; pages toned. Offsetting from plates. Short tear to title page of Volume IV, repaired with tape on the verso. Some folding maps with minor repairs. An attractive set, tight and sturdy. Very good.
Reverend William Winterbotham (1763-1829), a British Baptist minister was imprisoned for expressing too-liberal views in his sermons. While in prison, he compiled this history of America and the European settlements in South America and the West Indies, illustrated with detailed maps and several delightful plates featuring the views and wildlife of the Americas.
Howes W581, Sabin 104831.
T. J. Wright. History of the Eighth Regiment Kentucky Vol. Inf. During its Three Years Campaigns. St. Joseph: St. Joseph Steam Printing Co., 1880.
First edition. Small quarto. 286 pages. Errata sheet on page 128.
Olive cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to front board. Cloth faded. Hinges repaired. Very good.
First-person account of Capt. T. J. Wright who fought for the Union in the Eighth Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry. Contains a roster of Captain Wright's Consolidated Company C.
Howes W708
First edition. Small quarto. 286 pages. Errata sheet on page 128.
Olive cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to front board. Cloth faded. Hinges repaired. Very good.
First-person account of Capt. T. J. Wright who fought for the Union in the Eighth Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry. Contains a roster of Captain Wright's Consolidated Company C.
Howes W708
Two Texas-Related Titles, One Inscribed by Audie Murphy, including: Edward Mandell House & Charles Seymour [editor]. The Intimate Papers of Colonel House. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, [1926-1928]. First edition. Four octavo volumes. 471; 508; 453; 552 pages. Publisher's uniform red buckram with gilt titles to fronts and spines. Lightly rubbed ends with modest insect damage. Endpapers and page edges mildly toned with bookplates in all volumes. The set in near fine condition. Coming from a prominent Houston family, Edward M. House rose to the top levels of international politics without ever being elected to public office. He was a close friend and confidante of President Woodrow Wilson, so close that Wilson referred to House as his "alter ego." These four volumes, gathered into narrative form by Charles Seymour, describe his observations and experiences from 1912-1919. [and:] Audie Murphy. To Hell and Back. New York: Henry Holt, [1949]. First edition. Inscribed by Murphy on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 274 pages. Publisher's red quarter cloth over black cloth boards with black spine titles. Spine ends mildly rubbed and lower corner lightly bumped. Dust jacket has a half-inch tear to upper end of front joint and some spine fading. A fresh, fine copy. Audie Murphy, before becoming a Hollywood film star, was America's most-decorated soldier of World War II. This autobiography chronicles those experiences, including his receiving the highest honor obtainable, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Two Great First Editions on American Sports, One Signed, including: Gene Tunney. A Man Must Fight. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1932. Number 25 of only 550 limited first edition copies boldly signed by Tunney on the limitation page. Thick octavo. 288 pages. With twelve full-page photographs, many of Tunney in the ring. Publisher's black cloth over red paper boards. All edges uncut. Moderate wear to the spine ends and corners, with some minor loss to the cloth. Boards lightly dust-soiled. A few tiny abrasions to the cloth spine. A few pages roughly opened. Without extremely scarce slipcase. A very good copy. Gene Tunney held the world heavyweight championship from 1926-1928, after defeating Jack Dempsey by unanimous decision in 1926. A Man Must Fight is "a true account" of Tunney's life and career, "not a ghost-writer's dream." [and:] Walter Camp. American Football. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1891. First edition. Small octavo. 175 pages plus four-page publisher's catalog. With thirty-one photographs of stars from Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Publisher's blue cloth gilt with cover design of American double eagles clutching footballs in red, white, blue, and gilt. Minor rubbing to the boards, especially the spine ends and corners. Tender hinges. Minor even toning to the textblock. Very good condition. At Yale in the 1880s, Walter Camp revolutionized the game of American football. "Team play was his great objective, and his strategic ability contributed much to the development of its technique. An even greater contribution came from his love of clean sportsmanship... He created a literature of the game in books, magazines, and newspapers... A memorial erected at the Yale Bowl, financed by his admirers in many colleges and schools, bears testimony to the respect and affection in which he was held" (Dictionary of American Biography). A rare chance to acquire two scarce and important books on American sport.
Three Books Signed by U.S. Presidents Carter, Nixon, and Reagan, including: Jimmy Carter. The Nobel Peace Prize Lecture. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2002. First edition. Signed by Carter on the title page. Twelvemo. xii, 20 pages. Mild staining to front of dust jacket. Very good. [and:] Richard Nixon. Six Crises. Garden City: Doubleday, 1962. First edition. Inscribed by Nixon on the front free endpaper. Octavo. xvi, 460. Some rubbing to the front panel of the dust jacket. Very good. [and:] Nancy Reagan. Nancy. New York: William Morrow, 1980. first edition. Signed by Nancy and Ronald Reagan on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 219 pages. Spotting to the edges. Some staining to the dust jacket. Inked presentation to previous owner explaining the circumstances of the book signing. Very good.
James Edward Alexander. Travels From India to England; Comprehending a Visit to the Burman Empire, and a Journey Through Persia, Asia Minor, European Turkey, &c. in the Years 1825-26. London: Parbury, Allen, and Co., 1827.
First edition. Quarto. xvi, 301 pages. Engraved portrait of Alexander used as frontispiece. Two maps, fourteen lithographic plates (five hand-colored), and twenty vignettes on seven sheets at the end of the work.
Half brown calf over marbled boards with twin gilt rules accenting the front and rear boards. Decoration and decorative devices stamped in gilt in false compartments on the spine. Titles stamped in gilt on a brown morocco spine label. Slight toning at the edges of the boards. A couple of light Mercantile Library of Philadelphia ink stamps on random pages not affecting text, maps or plates. An internally bright copy. A handsome volume in near fine condition.
Sir James Edward Alexander was a career officer in the British Army whose early career began with the East India Company. He was appointed aide-de-camp to MacDonald Kinneir, the British envoy to Persia, and wrote of his experiences of this time on his return to England, as published here. He went on to become a general and died on the Isle of Wight in 1885. He was also the author of numerous books, including Life of Field Marshall the Duke of Wellington, 1840 and a history of the 16th Queen's Lancers, 1830.
Abbey (Travel), 520. Tooley 17.
First edition. Quarto. xvi, 301 pages. Engraved portrait of Alexander used as frontispiece. Two maps, fourteen lithographic plates (five hand-colored), and twenty vignettes on seven sheets at the end of the work.
Half brown calf over marbled boards with twin gilt rules accenting the front and rear boards. Decoration and decorative devices stamped in gilt in false compartments on the spine. Titles stamped in gilt on a brown morocco spine label. Slight toning at the edges of the boards. A couple of light Mercantile Library of Philadelphia ink stamps on random pages not affecting text, maps or plates. An internally bright copy. A handsome volume in near fine condition.
Sir James Edward Alexander was a career officer in the British Army whose early career began with the East India Company. He was appointed aide-de-camp to MacDonald Kinneir, the British envoy to Persia, and wrote of his experiences of this time on his return to England, as published here. He went on to become a general and died on the Isle of Wight in 1885. He was also the author of numerous books, including Life of Field Marshall the Duke of Wellington, 1840 and a history of the 16th Queen's Lancers, 1830.
Abbey (Travel), 520. Tooley 17.
Jonathan. C. Carver. Travels Through the Interior Parts of North-America in the Years 1766, 1767, and 1768. London: printed for the author by J. Walter, 1778.
First edition. Octavo. [20], xvi, 543, [1] pages. Illustrated with four copper plates. Two folding maps: "A Plan of Captain Carver's Travels in the Interior Parts of North America in 1766 and 1767" and "A New Map of North America from the Latest Discoveries 1778."
Modern binding of full red polished calf. Gilt lettering to spine; five raised bands. Marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt. Some scarring and surface loss to spine. Mild foxing throughout; pages toned. Offsetting from plates. Short closed tear to frontispiece folding map and three very short closed tears to other folding map. A nice, tight copy in very good condition.
Important publication documenting Massachusetts-born Carver's expedition to find a Northwest passage to the Pacific Ocean. In Carver's quest to capture the vast prize offered by the British crown and Parliament to successfully map a route to the Pacific, Carver was the first English-speaking explorer to venture west of the Upper Mississippi River. This historically important and very popular travel narrative is said to have spurred Lewis and Clark in their Western explorations.
Howes C215, Sabin 11184, Streeter Sale 1772.
First edition. Octavo. [20], xvi, 543, [1] pages. Illustrated with four copper plates. Two folding maps: "A Plan of Captain Carver's Travels in the Interior Parts of North America in 1766 and 1767" and "A New Map of North America from the Latest Discoveries 1778."
Modern binding of full red polished calf. Gilt lettering to spine; five raised bands. Marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt. Some scarring and surface loss to spine. Mild foxing throughout; pages toned. Offsetting from plates. Short closed tear to frontispiece folding map and three very short closed tears to other folding map. A nice, tight copy in very good condition.
Important publication documenting Massachusetts-born Carver's expedition to find a Northwest passage to the Pacific Ocean. In Carver's quest to capture the vast prize offered by the British crown and Parliament to successfully map a route to the Pacific, Carver was the first English-speaking explorer to venture west of the Upper Mississippi River. This historically important and very popular travel narrative is said to have spurred Lewis and Clark in their Western explorations.
Howes C215, Sabin 11184, Streeter Sale 1772.
[Florida]. Narrative of A Voyage To The Spanish Main, In The Ship "Two Friends" ; The Occupation of Amelia Island, By M'gregor, Etc. - Sketches of The Province of East Florida; And Anecdotes Illustrative of The Habits and Manners of The Seminole Indians; With An Appendix Containing A Detail Of The Seminole War, and the Execution of Arbuthnot and Ambrister. London: Printed for John Miller, Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly, 1819.
First edition. Octavo. 328 pages.
Contemporary half morocco, rebacked with spine laid down, boards worn. Hinges repaired. On the front endpaper: "Jacob Woodruff's book Litchfield, 1839," and on half-title "Thomas E. Oliver presented to James A. Law by Mr. Shiverick (?) on board the ship Midas February 20, 1837." On the verso of the errata at the end: "Presented to James A. Law by Mr. Schiverick on board of ship Midas February 20 1837." And then below: "James A. Laws book on board ship Adeline." On rear pastedown endpaper: "James McCoy 1838 January." The Midas is noted as a convict ship before and up to 1827.
"Almost entirely devoted to events in Florida during its last days under Spain, including the best narration of Captain McGregor's filibustering seizure of Amelia Island, account of Seminole Indians, etc." (Howes).
DeRenne Cat., pp. 366-367. Field 1119. Howes N12. Sabin 51782.
First edition. Octavo. 328 pages.
Contemporary half morocco, rebacked with spine laid down, boards worn. Hinges repaired. On the front endpaper: "Jacob Woodruff's book Litchfield, 1839," and on half-title "Thomas E. Oliver presented to James A. Law by Mr. Shiverick (?) on board the ship Midas February 20, 1837." On the verso of the errata at the end: "Presented to James A. Law by Mr. Schiverick on board of ship Midas February 20 1837." And then below: "James A. Laws book on board ship Adeline." On rear pastedown endpaper: "James McCoy 1838 January." The Midas is noted as a convict ship before and up to 1827.
"Almost entirely devoted to events in Florida during its last days under Spain, including the best narration of Captain McGregor's filibustering seizure of Amelia Island, account of Seminole Indians, etc." (Howes).
DeRenne Cat., pp. 366-367. Field 1119. Howes N12. Sabin 51782.
Gottfried Menzel. Die Vereinigten Staaten Von Nordamerika Mit Besonderer Auctlichtaus Deutsche Auswanderung Dahin Nach Eigener Unschauung Beschrieben. Berlin: Reimer, 1853.
First edition. Octavo. 364 pages.
Contemporary calf spine over marbled boards. Edges marbled. Binding a bit scuffed and rubbed, light wear at the corners, backstrip sunned, previous owner's name at front, ink stamp on rear pastedown endpaper, else a very good copy.
Covers physical aspects of the land, natural products, Indians, the West, social life and customs, education, German travelers in the United States, a table of gold and silver pieces, weights and measures, etc..
Howes M518. Not in Decker, Soliday, Graff or Eberstadt.
First edition. Octavo. 364 pages.
Contemporary calf spine over marbled boards. Edges marbled. Binding a bit scuffed and rubbed, light wear at the corners, backstrip sunned, previous owner's name at front, ink stamp on rear pastedown endpaper, else a very good copy.
Covers physical aspects of the land, natural products, Indians, the West, social life and customs, education, German travelers in the United States, a table of gold and silver pieces, weights and measures, etc..
Howes M518. Not in Decker, Soliday, Graff or Eberstadt.
Constantine John Phipps. A Voyage towards the North Pole Undertaken by His Majesty's Command 1773. London: Printed by W. Bowyer and J. Nichols, for J. Nourse, 1774. First edition. Large quarto. viii, 253 [last numbered page a folding table], [1] directions to the bookbinder] pages. With eleven tables, some folding, three folding engraved maps by W. Palmer, J. Cheevers (after P. D'Auvergne), and J. Russell, and twelve engraved plates, most double or folding, by Mason, Pouncey, Sparrow, P.C. Canot, W. Byrne, Bayly, and J. Caldwall, after Clevely, Ph. D'Auvergne, W. Pars, and Barnes.
Full calf with rules, floral devices and dentelles stamped in gilt. Titles and decoration stamped in six compartments between five raised bands. Some light wear to the edges of the boards. Marbled endpapers and all edges marbled. Lacks half-title page. Contents virtually free of defect with only the lightest occasional foxing. Overall, a superb copy in fine condition.
"In 1773 [Phipps] commanded the Racehorse, which, in company with the Carcass, was fitted out to attempt the discovery of a northern route to India. The expedition sailed to the north of Spitzbergen, and, finding the sea absolutely blocked with ice, returned without any result. The voyage is now principally remembered from the fact that [Horatio] Nelson was a midshipman on board the Carcass" (D.N.B.). "This work is an important addition to early nautical science in the polar regions. Besides a journal of the voyage, it contains a descriptive catalog of the natural history and resources of Spitsbergen. This is the official account written by Phipps himself, who later was created Lord Mulgrave" (Hill).
D.N.B. Hill I, p. 207. Sabin 62572.
Full calf with rules, floral devices and dentelles stamped in gilt. Titles and decoration stamped in six compartments between five raised bands. Some light wear to the edges of the boards. Marbled endpapers and all edges marbled. Lacks half-title page. Contents virtually free of defect with only the lightest occasional foxing. Overall, a superb copy in fine condition.
"In 1773 [Phipps] commanded the Racehorse, which, in company with the Carcass, was fitted out to attempt the discovery of a northern route to India. The expedition sailed to the north of Spitzbergen, and, finding the sea absolutely blocked with ice, returned without any result. The voyage is now principally remembered from the fact that [Horatio] Nelson was a midshipman on board the Carcass" (D.N.B.). "This work is an important addition to early nautical science in the polar regions. Besides a journal of the voyage, it contains a descriptive catalog of the natural history and resources of Spitsbergen. This is the official account written by Phipps himself, who later was created Lord Mulgrave" (Hill).
D.N.B. Hill I, p. 207. Sabin 62572.
Isaac Weld, Jr. Travels Through the States of North America and the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, During the Years 1795, 1796, and 1797 - Charles Cotesworth Pinckney's Copy. London: John Stockdale, 1799.
First edition. Complete in one quarto volume. xxiv, 464 [8] pages. Sixteen copper-engraved plates after drawings by the author, including frontispiece and one folding map, hand-colored in outline.
Contemporary full mottled leather; gilt lettering, rules, and filigree and a red morocco title piece to spine. Marbled endpapers. All edges stained (pale) red. Binding scarred, with wear to edges and corners. Corners bumped; foot of spine repaired and loose. Spine and rear free endpaper wormed. Front hinge cracked. Front free endpaper at one time adhered to fore-edge of facing pastedown; has been somewhat carelessly unstuck, causing ragged edge to front free endpaper. Foxing throughout; pages toned. Offsetting from plates. Some minor dampstaining. A couple of pages missing tips of corners; one page has a two-inch closed tear. One short closed tear to the folding map. Bookplate of author and social historian Joseph Husband (1885-1938). The signature of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (1746-1825) appears twice: once on the title page, and once (faintly) on the front pastedown. Pinckney, a South Carolina-born statesman and Revolutionary War veteran, was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and was twice nominated by the Federalist Party as their presidential nominee; he was also George Washington's appointee to serve as U.S. Minister to France during the French Revolution. Book is in overall very good condition.
Isaac Weld (1774-1856), an Irish writer, explorer, and artist, sailed to Philadelphia from Dublin as an adventurous 21-year old. His goal was to travel through America and Canada, ostensibly in order to determine whether either was a suitable destination for Irish emigrants. At the end of his lengthy and extensive travels, he concluded that he much preferred Canada and the Canadian people to the more materialistic Americans, although he wrote of Washington, DC: "If the affairs of the United States go on as rapidly as they have done, it will become the grand emporium of the West, and rival in magnitude and splendour the cities of the whole world." A very popular book of its time which continued to influence readers in their perception of America and Americans long after its initial publication.
Howes W235, Sabin 102541.
First edition. Complete in one quarto volume. xxiv, 464 [8] pages. Sixteen copper-engraved plates after drawings by the author, including frontispiece and one folding map, hand-colored in outline.
Contemporary full mottled leather; gilt lettering, rules, and filigree and a red morocco title piece to spine. Marbled endpapers. All edges stained (pale) red. Binding scarred, with wear to edges and corners. Corners bumped; foot of spine repaired and loose. Spine and rear free endpaper wormed. Front hinge cracked. Front free endpaper at one time adhered to fore-edge of facing pastedown; has been somewhat carelessly unstuck, causing ragged edge to front free endpaper. Foxing throughout; pages toned. Offsetting from plates. Some minor dampstaining. A couple of pages missing tips of corners; one page has a two-inch closed tear. One short closed tear to the folding map. Bookplate of author and social historian Joseph Husband (1885-1938). The signature of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (1746-1825) appears twice: once on the title page, and once (faintly) on the front pastedown. Pinckney, a South Carolina-born statesman and Revolutionary War veteran, was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and was twice nominated by the Federalist Party as their presidential nominee; he was also George Washington's appointee to serve as U.S. Minister to France during the French Revolution. Book is in overall very good condition.
Isaac Weld (1774-1856), an Irish writer, explorer, and artist, sailed to Philadelphia from Dublin as an adventurous 21-year old. His goal was to travel through America and Canada, ostensibly in order to determine whether either was a suitable destination for Irish emigrants. At the end of his lengthy and extensive travels, he concluded that he much preferred Canada and the Canadian people to the more materialistic Americans, although he wrote of Washington, DC: "If the affairs of the United States go on as rapidly as they have done, it will become the grand emporium of the West, and rival in magnitude and splendour the cities of the whole world." A very popular book of its time which continued to influence readers in their perception of America and Americans long after its initial publication.
Howes W235, Sabin 102541.
Charles Wilkes. The Atlas Volume only from: Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition. during the Years 1840, 1841, 1842. Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard, 1845.
This Atlas Volume is from the first trade edition (and the first generally available edition, with 1,000 copies printed; two earlier quarto editions had limitations between 100 and 150 copies each). Tall octavo atlas volume (10.85 x 6.85 inches) of five large folding maps.
Publisher's brown cloth stamped in gilt and blind. Minor spotting, light wear, and rubbing to the binding. Yellow coated endpapers. General browning and offsetting to the maps. First map has several folds with long tears that need repairing, and other tears that are already mended; next map has just short or corner tears. Very good.
This Atlas Volume is from the first trade edition (and the first generally available edition, with 1,000 copies printed; two earlier quarto editions had limitations between 100 and 150 copies each). Tall octavo atlas volume (10.85 x 6.85 inches) of five large folding maps.
Publisher's brown cloth stamped in gilt and blind. Minor spotting, light wear, and rubbing to the binding. Yellow coated endpapers. General browning and offsetting to the maps. First map has several folds with long tears that need repairing, and other tears that are already mended; next map has just short or corner tears. Very good.
[African Exploration]. Two Legendary Narratives of African Exploration, including: David Livingstone. Perilous Adventures and Extensive Discoveries in the Interior of Africa, from the Personal Narrative of David Livingstone, LL. D., D.C.L., Together with The Remarkable Success and Important Results of the Herald-Stanley Expedition, as Furnished by H. M. Stanley, Esq... Philadelphia & Boston: Hubbard Bros., [1872]. First edition. Twelvemo. 598 pages plus four-page publisher's catalog. Publisher's maroon cloth lettered and decorated in gilt and black. Moderate wear to the cloth, most noticeable at the spine ends. Some rubbing to the spine gilt. Dust-soiling to textblock edges. Overall, a tight copy in near fine condition. [and:] Henry M. Stanley. In Darkest Africa. Or the Quest, Rescue, and Retreat of Emin, Governor of Equatoria. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1891. First edition, later printing after 1890. Two octavo volumes. 547 and 540 pages, respectively. Publisher's green cloth with black and gilt titles and decorations, with the shape of Africa stamped into the front board of each volume. Three loose fold-out maps stored in the pockets at the rear pastedowns of each volume. Minor shelf wear with mildly rubbed corners. Volume I slightly over-opened after the title page. Rear hinge of Volume I tender. Previous owner's bookplate affixed to the front pastedown of Volume I. Gilt to each volume lightly rubbed. Smallest map with some paper loss. Overall, a very good set of Stanley's great adventure across the Dark Continent.
David Ben-Gurion. Israel: A Personal History. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, [1971].
First edition. Limited to 2,000 copies of which this is number 1,639. Signed by Ben-Gurion on bottom blank margin of frontispiece photo. Quarto. 862 pages.
Publisher's full blue leather with gilt stamped front and spine. Top edge gilt. Slightly rubbed corners. Light foxing to page edges. Previous owner's inscription on recto of frontis photo. Housed in publisher's slipcase with dent in side. A near fine copy.
An important history by Israel's first Prime Minister.
First edition. Limited to 2,000 copies of which this is number 1,639. Signed by Ben-Gurion on bottom blank margin of frontispiece photo. Quarto. 862 pages.
Publisher's full blue leather with gilt stamped front and spine. Top edge gilt. Slightly rubbed corners. Light foxing to page edges. Previous owner's inscription on recto of frontis photo. Housed in publisher's slipcase with dent in side. A near fine copy.
An important history by Israel's first Prime Minister.
William Blackstone. Commentaries on the Laws of England. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1765-1769.
First edition, without the eight-page "Supplement to the First Edition" which was issued later and is usually lacking. Quarto. With the engraved tables of "Consanguinity" and "Descents" in Volume II.
Modern full red morocco in a period-style binding, with the spines lettered in gilt on leather title labels inside compartments with five raised bands. Each board is enhanced by large diamond-shaped gilt panels decorated with fleurs-de-lis, stars, and a lion figure at center. Double blind rule with gilt floral corner pieces, and complementary inner floral dentelles. Marbled endpapers. All edges attractively speckled in deep green. Light scattered foxing and dampstaining. Previous library blind-stamp to title page of Volume IV. An exquisitely-bound set of Blackstone's Laws in near fine condition.
"The volumes were not all issued at once, but followed one another at different times during a period of four years. They were printed at the Clarendon Press, which Blackstone, when appointed a delegate in 1755, had 'found languishing in a lazy obscurity,' and whose quickening was in no small measure due to his 'repeated conferences with the most eminent masters, in London and other places, with regard to the mechanical part of printing,' his recommendations, and to his own examples of good typography supplied in the Magna Charta, published in 1758, and in this his magnum opus" (Grolier Club: Bibliographical Notes on One Hundred Books Famous in English Literature, p. 121).
First edition, without the eight-page "Supplement to the First Edition" which was issued later and is usually lacking. Quarto. With the engraved tables of "Consanguinity" and "Descents" in Volume II.
Modern full red morocco in a period-style binding, with the spines lettered in gilt on leather title labels inside compartments with five raised bands. Each board is enhanced by large diamond-shaped gilt panels decorated with fleurs-de-lis, stars, and a lion figure at center. Double blind rule with gilt floral corner pieces, and complementary inner floral dentelles. Marbled endpapers. All edges attractively speckled in deep green. Light scattered foxing and dampstaining. Previous library blind-stamp to title page of Volume IV. An exquisitely-bound set of Blackstone's Laws in near fine condition.
"The volumes were not all issued at once, but followed one another at different times during a period of four years. They were printed at the Clarendon Press, which Blackstone, when appointed a delegate in 1755, had 'found languishing in a lazy obscurity,' and whose quickening was in no small measure due to his 'repeated conferences with the most eminent masters, in London and other places, with regard to the mechanical part of printing,' his recommendations, and to his own examples of good typography supplied in the Magna Charta, published in 1758, and in this his magnum opus" (Grolier Club: Bibliographical Notes on One Hundred Books Famous in English Literature, p. 121).
W. Bullock. Six Months' Residence and Travels in Mexico; Containing Remarks on the Present State of New Spain, its Natural Productions, State of Society, Manufactures, Trade, Agriculture, and Antiques. London: John Murray, 1824.
First edition. Octavo. xii, 532 pages. Folding mileage table; two folding maps; 16 plates (four in color and one folding panorama). Index.
Later buckram over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Some mild foxing. Stain to verso of one of the maps.
"As this was the first English work on [Mexico] that had appeared for over a hundred years, it was read with avidity. A second edition was demanded the following year, and French, German, and Dutch translations also appeared." (Early Western Travels, by Thwaites.)
Sabin 9140. Thwaites, XIX, 13.
First edition. Octavo. xii, 532 pages. Folding mileage table; two folding maps; 16 plates (four in color and one folding panorama). Index.
Later buckram over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Some mild foxing. Stain to verso of one of the maps.
"As this was the first English work on [Mexico] that had appeared for over a hundred years, it was read with avidity. A second edition was demanded the following year, and French, German, and Dutch translations also appeared." (Early Western Travels, by Thwaites.)
Sabin 9140. Thwaites, XIX, 13.
[Maurice Keatinge, translator]. Bernal Diaz del Castillo. The True History of the Conquest of Mexico. London: J. Wright, 1800.
First edition, thus. Quarto. viii, 514 pages. Map frontispiece. Errata sheet.
Contemporary marbled paper over boards. Missing backstrip. Boards detached. Pages toned and brittle. Preliminary pages disbound but present. About very good condition.
The first complete translation into English.
Sabin 19984.
First edition, thus. Quarto. viii, 514 pages. Map frontispiece. Errata sheet.
Contemporary marbled paper over boards. Missing backstrip. Boards detached. Pages toned and brittle. Preliminary pages disbound but present. About very good condition.
The first complete translation into English.
Sabin 19984.
Winston Churchill. The Centenary Limited Edition of The Collected Works of Sir Winston Churchill. [and:] The Collected Essays of Sir Winston Churchill. [London]: Library of Imperial History, [1973, 1976].
Centenary Limited Edition. Thirty-eight large octavo volumes, each individually housed in a matching red slipcase with the Churchill coat of arms emblazoned on one side. Illustrated throughout.
Uniformly bound in exquisite red leather with gilt spine titles inside double-fillet borders, single-ruled border on the front boards, gilt turn-ins, and decorations, including Churchill's coat of arms on the upper front boards. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Fine to as-new condition with very minimal wear to either books or slipcases. A gorgeous set.
Only about twenty sets were bound in red morocco, and are preferred for handling and readability, as the more commonly available vellum sets tend to warp and make individual volumes difficult to remove from their slipcases. Printed on special 500-year archival paper, the set was published on the occasion of what would have been Churchill's 100th birthday and limited to 3,000 total sets: 2,000 sets authorized "for the British Empire and Commonwealth" and "a further 1,000 sets for the United States of America and Canada." The set is composed of each and every book-length work published by the great Prime Minister, was the first time these works were collected as such, and is still the only way to acquire all of these writings in a single stroke.
"In 1973 on the eve of the Churchill Centenary, the Churchill family announced the publication of the first collected edition of Sir Winston's books, edited by Frederick Woods, published by the Library of Imperial History in London, limited to an edition of 'no more than 3,000 copies,' and selling for a princely $2,500...The Works were promoted with a set of impressive testimonials. Lady Churchill, who wrote the Foreword to Volume 1, said the books would have given Sir Winston, 'enormous pleasure.' She presented the first set to Prime Minister Edward Heath, who called it 'a great venture which will at once mark the centenary of his birth and preserve the memory of his life and his writing for future generations' [...] and Prime Minister Norman Kirk of New Zealand said that free men everywhere would 'cherish these wonderful volumes'" (The Churchill Society, London).
Centenary Limited Edition. Thirty-eight large octavo volumes, each individually housed in a matching red slipcase with the Churchill coat of arms emblazoned on one side. Illustrated throughout.
Uniformly bound in exquisite red leather with gilt spine titles inside double-fillet borders, single-ruled border on the front boards, gilt turn-ins, and decorations, including Churchill's coat of arms on the upper front boards. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Fine to as-new condition with very minimal wear to either books or slipcases. A gorgeous set.
Only about twenty sets were bound in red morocco, and are preferred for handling and readability, as the more commonly available vellum sets tend to warp and make individual volumes difficult to remove from their slipcases. Printed on special 500-year archival paper, the set was published on the occasion of what would have been Churchill's 100th birthday and limited to 3,000 total sets: 2,000 sets authorized "for the British Empire and Commonwealth" and "a further 1,000 sets for the United States of America and Canada." The set is composed of each and every book-length work published by the great Prime Minister, was the first time these works were collected as such, and is still the only way to acquire all of these writings in a single stroke.
"In 1973 on the eve of the Churchill Centenary, the Churchill family announced the publication of the first collected edition of Sir Winston's books, edited by Frederick Woods, published by the Library of Imperial History in London, limited to an edition of 'no more than 3,000 copies,' and selling for a princely $2,500...The Works were promoted with a set of impressive testimonials. Lady Churchill, who wrote the Foreword to Volume 1, said the books would have given Sir Winston, 'enormous pleasure.' She presented the first set to Prime Minister Edward Heath, who called it 'a great venture which will at once mark the centenary of his birth and preserve the memory of his life and his writing for future generations' [...] and Prime Minister Norman Kirk of New Zealand said that free men everywhere would 'cherish these wonderful volumes'" (The Churchill Society, London).
Winston S. Churchill. Arms and Covenant: Speeches by the Right Hon. Winston S. Churchill. London: George G. Harrap & Company, 1938.
First edition. Octavo. 466 pages.
Bound by Sangorski and Sutcliffe in full red morocco. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Sunning to spine. Very good.
First edition. Octavo. 466 pages.
Bound by Sangorski and Sutcliffe in full red morocco. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Sunning to spine. Very good.
Winston S. Churchill. India: Speeches and an Introduction. London: Thornton Butterworth, 1931.
First edition. Octavo. 141 pages.
Bound by Sangorski and Sutcliffe in polished scarlet half morocco over boards. Raised bands with gilt lettering and decorations. Marbled endpapers. Near fine.
First edition. Octavo. 141 pages.
Bound by Sangorski and Sutcliffe in polished scarlet half morocco over boards. Raised bands with gilt lettering and decorations. Marbled endpapers. Near fine.
First Editions by the Great Allied Leaders of World War II, including: Winston Churchill. A Speech by The Prime Minister the Right Honourable Winston Churchill in the House of Commons August 20th, 1940. London: Baynard Press, 1940. First edition. Octavo. 16 pages. Printed stapled wrappers. Wraps show some spotting and have begun to split at the spine. Very good. [and:] Franklin D. Roosevelt. On Our Way. New York: John Day, 1934. First edition. Octavo. xiv, 300 pages. With errata sheet. Offsetting to front endpapers from laid-in newspaper article. Dust jacket with minor chipping and slight fading to spine. Very good.
Religious Coptic Manuscript with Original Paintings. 192 vellum leaves with black and red Coptic lettering applied by hand. Eighteen separate chapters defined by colorful illuminated headings as well as red and green thread tails at the fore-edge. Seven original Christian paintings on vellum, six preceding the text, and one at the rear. Bound in red morocco over wooden boards. Blind-tooled geometric patterns and crosses to boards. Some rubbing and wear to binding. Very good.
Fine example of Ethiopian style bookbinding, with wide turn-ins, wooden boards, chain stitching, and headbands ending in braided leather. "Ethiopian binding methods have continued unchanged from as early as the 13th century (the earliest known Ethiopian bindings) and probably since the 4th century when Christianity reached Ethiopia and brought it under Coptic influence. Ethiopian bindings are frequently cited in attempts to reconstruct Coptic binding methods" (Jane Greenfield, ABC of Bookbinding, p. 83).
Fine example of Ethiopian style bookbinding, with wide turn-ins, wooden boards, chain stitching, and headbands ending in braided leather. "Ethiopian binding methods have continued unchanged from as early as the 13th century (the earliest known Ethiopian bindings) and probably since the 4th century when Christianity reached Ethiopia and brought it under Coptic influence. Ethiopian bindings are frequently cited in attempts to reconstruct Coptic binding methods" (Jane Greenfield, ABC of Bookbinding, p. 83).
[Sir John Froissart]. Thomas Johnes, translator. Chronicles of England, France, Spain, and the Adjoining Countries, from the Latter Part of the Reign of Edward II to the Coronation of Henry IV. Translated from the French Editions, with Variations and Additions from Many Celebrated MSS. By Thomas Johnes, Esq., to Which are Prefixed a Life of the Author, an Essay on his Works, and a Criticism on His History. London: William Smith, 1839 and 1844.
First edition thus. Large octavo. The original two volumes have been expanded to four with many wood cuts and the extra-illustration of seventy-two tissue-guarded color lithographic plates by Henry Noel Humphreys after the illuminated MS Froissart in the Bibliothèque Royale, Paris, and other sources. Two additional calligraphic title pages in color bound in.
Sumptuous full French crushed levant morocco by Putnam with gilt spine titles, gilt ruled borders, fleurs-de-lis at the corners, and a design of fleurs-de-lis in the centers. With silk doublures and endpapers. All edges gilt. Minor toning to the text. A marvelous set in fine condition.
Froissart's chronicles are very lively accounts, being for the most part written from the oral testimony of participants in the events. The period covered, 1325-1400, included notable battles of Cressy (1346), Poitiers (1356), Otterburn, the "Chevy Chase" of the ballad (1399), and also the suppression of Wat Tyler's insurrection of 1380.
First edition thus. Large octavo. The original two volumes have been expanded to four with many wood cuts and the extra-illustration of seventy-two tissue-guarded color lithographic plates by Henry Noel Humphreys after the illuminated MS Froissart in the Bibliothèque Royale, Paris, and other sources. Two additional calligraphic title pages in color bound in.
Sumptuous full French crushed levant morocco by Putnam with gilt spine titles, gilt ruled borders, fleurs-de-lis at the corners, and a design of fleurs-de-lis in the centers. With silk doublures and endpapers. All edges gilt. Minor toning to the text. A marvelous set in fine condition.
Froissart's chronicles are very lively accounts, being for the most part written from the oral testimony of participants in the events. The period covered, 1325-1400, included notable battles of Cressy (1346), Poitiers (1356), Otterburn, the "Chevy Chase" of the ballad (1399), and also the suppression of Wat Tyler's insurrection of 1380.
Edward Gibbon. Five of Six Volumes of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. London: A. Strahan and T. Cadell, 1787-1788.
Includes Volumes II-VI. Volumes II and III are New Editions, and Volumes IV-VI are first editions. Quarto. [7, contents], [1, blank], 640; [7, contents], [1, blank], 640; viii, [7, contents], [1, blank], 620; [8, contents], [8, contents], 684; [9, contents], [1, blank], 646, [51, index], [1, errata] pages.
Contemporary tree calf with decorative gilt rules on the front and rear boards and additional decoration in gilt on the spines. All joints cracked and tender with additional shelf wear and scuffing. Text blocks quite sound and clean. Former owner's bookplate on the front pastedown of each volume. A generally very good partial set, rare when considering volumes IV, V, and VI are first editions.
Gibbon's scholarship on the subject and his extraordinary literary talent remain unequaled.
Includes Volumes II-VI. Volumes II and III are New Editions, and Volumes IV-VI are first editions. Quarto. [7, contents], [1, blank], 640; [7, contents], [1, blank], 640; viii, [7, contents], [1, blank], 620; [8, contents], [8, contents], 684; [9, contents], [1, blank], 646, [51, index], [1, errata] pages.
Contemporary tree calf with decorative gilt rules on the front and rear boards and additional decoration in gilt on the spines. All joints cracked and tender with additional shelf wear and scuffing. Text blocks quite sound and clean. Former owner's bookplate on the front pastedown of each volume. A generally very good partial set, rare when considering volumes IV, V, and VI are first editions.
Gibbon's scholarship on the subject and his extraordinary literary talent remain unequaled.
James Grierson. Delineations of St. Andrews; Being a Particular Account of Every Thing Remarkable in the History and Present State of the City and Ruins, the University, and Other Interesting Objects of That Ancient Ecclesiastical Capital of Scotland: Including many curious Anecdotes and Events in the Scottish History. Embellished with Three Elegant Views, and a Plan of the Town. Edinburgh: Peter Hill, P. Bower, Vernor, Hood, and Sharpe, 1807.
First edition. Twelvemo. viii, 244 pages. Illustrated with four copper-engraved plates, including three views, the frontispiece, and a plan of St. Andrews in 1802.
Contemporary three-quarter calf over marbled paper-covered boards. All edges sprinkled blue. Moderate edge wear to the boards, especially the bottom edge. Chipping to spine ends, with a crease running down the center of the spine. Binding a bit shaken. Hinges ever so slightly starting. A half-inch half circular dampstain to the lower edge of the gutter, affecting some interior pages. Small tear to the margin of page 111-112. Frontispiece stained and partially detached. An attractive and unsophisticated copy of an exceedingly rare book in very good condition.
"An invaluable early work on the history of St. Andrews, the town where the first golf club began" (Donovan and Murdoch 270).
First edition. Twelvemo. viii, 244 pages. Illustrated with four copper-engraved plates, including three views, the frontispiece, and a plan of St. Andrews in 1802.
Contemporary three-quarter calf over marbled paper-covered boards. All edges sprinkled blue. Moderate edge wear to the boards, especially the bottom edge. Chipping to spine ends, with a crease running down the center of the spine. Binding a bit shaken. Hinges ever so slightly starting. A half-inch half circular dampstain to the lower edge of the gutter, affecting some interior pages. Small tear to the margin of page 111-112. Frontispiece stained and partially detached. An attractive and unsophisticated copy of an exceedingly rare book in very good condition.
"An invaluable early work on the history of St. Andrews, the town where the first golf club began" (Donovan and Murdoch 270).
[John Halkett]. Statement Respecting the Earl of Selkirk's Settlement of Kildonan, upon the Red River, in North America; its Destruction in the years 1815 and 1816; and the Massacre of Governor Semple and His Party. London: J. Brettell, n.d. [1817].
First edition, first issue. Octavo. 125, lxxxix pages. Folding map drawn and engraved by A. Arrowsmith.
Contemporary half morocco over marbled boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Marbled endpapers. Bumping to extremities. Head of spine chipped. Very good.
Sabin 20703.
First edition, first issue. Octavo. 125, lxxxix pages. Folding map drawn and engraved by A. Arrowsmith.
Contemporary half morocco over marbled boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Marbled endpapers. Bumping to extremities. Head of spine chipped. Very good.
Sabin 20703.
Lucian of Samosata. Luciani Dialogi et alia multa opera quorum index est in proximis paginis. Imagines Philostrati. Eiusdem Heroica. Eiusdem vitæ Sophistarum. Imagines Junioris Philostrati. Descriptiones Callistrati. [Venice: In aedibus Aldi, & Andreæ Asulani soceri, October], 1522.
Third edition in Greek and second Aldine edition of Lucian's Dialogues (the editio princeps was published in Florence in 1496, and the first Aldine edition was published in 1503) and second edition of the Philostratean texts and the Callistratus. Folio. [10], 447, [3], 450-571 [i.e., 572], [2] pages. 55 lines plus pagination. Title and preliminaries in Greek and Latin, text in Greek. Greek and roman letter. Aldine woodcut anchor and dolphin device on title and on verso of final leaf. Capital spaces with guide letters. Imprint from colophon. With a preface by Franciscus Asulanus.
Eighteenth-century red morocco. Covers paneled in blind with gilt corner ornaments, spine ruled in blind and tooled and lettered in gilt with five raised bands, gilt board edges and inner dentelles, all edges gilt. Endpapers lightly browned at the edges from turn-in glue. Light foxing throughout and a few leaves with minor worming. Tiny bookseller's ticket at bottom of front pastedown. A handsome and sturdy copy in very good condition.
"The first of these Aldine editions...is very imperfect, and apparently taken from inaccurate MSS., without any collation of the editio princeps. The second is rather more valuable, and has served as the basis of many subsequent editions. It exhibits in some places a purer text than the Florentine edition" (Dibdin, Greek and Latin Classics II, pp. 190-191).
"Printed from a copy of the preceding, with MS. corrections by Aldus. Its text forms the groundwork of most of the subsequent editions...Many copies of this and of the preceding edition are castrated by the Congregation of the Index Expurgatorius, which tore out the pages 385-92 and 435-440, in order to destroy two passages, p. 386 and 436" (Ebert).
The two dialogues placed on the Index Librorum prohibitorum (Index of Prohibited Books) in 1559 are present in this copy. They are the "Peregrinus," a satirical narrative of the career of a fanatical Cynic and apostate Christian (a historical character) who, in pursuit of notoriety, had himself burnt alive on a pyre, and the "Philopatris," a Greek dialogue attacking Christianity which purports to be the work of Lucian, but probably dates from the tenth century.
"Lucian's satirical dialogues are numerous, and together with his fantastic tales are his most characteristic works, showing his wit and inventiveness as well as his hatred of cant, hypocrisy, and fanaticism, especially in religion and philosophy" (The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature).
The additional works are: "Imagines" ("Images") of Philostratus the Elder (pp. 450-482) and of Philostratus the Younger (pp. 483-493), two sets of descriptions of pictures which the authors purport to have seen in a Neapolitan collection; "Heroica" of Flavius Philostratus (pp. 493-523), a dialogue in which the ghosts of heroes of the Trojan war appear; "Descriptiones" of Callistratus (pp. 523-529), descriptions of fourteen statues in imitation of the "Imagines"; "Vitae sophistarum" ("Lives of the Sophists") of Flavius Philostratus (pp. 530-571).
BM, STC Italian, p. 396. Brunet III, cols. 1206-1207. Ebert 12374. Renouard, p. 95, 4.
Third edition in Greek and second Aldine edition of Lucian's Dialogues (the editio princeps was published in Florence in 1496, and the first Aldine edition was published in 1503) and second edition of the Philostratean texts and the Callistratus. Folio. [10], 447, [3], 450-571 [i.e., 572], [2] pages. 55 lines plus pagination. Title and preliminaries in Greek and Latin, text in Greek. Greek and roman letter. Aldine woodcut anchor and dolphin device on title and on verso of final leaf. Capital spaces with guide letters. Imprint from colophon. With a preface by Franciscus Asulanus.
Eighteenth-century red morocco. Covers paneled in blind with gilt corner ornaments, spine ruled in blind and tooled and lettered in gilt with five raised bands, gilt board edges and inner dentelles, all edges gilt. Endpapers lightly browned at the edges from turn-in glue. Light foxing throughout and a few leaves with minor worming. Tiny bookseller's ticket at bottom of front pastedown. A handsome and sturdy copy in very good condition.
"The first of these Aldine editions...is very imperfect, and apparently taken from inaccurate MSS., without any collation of the editio princeps. The second is rather more valuable, and has served as the basis of many subsequent editions. It exhibits in some places a purer text than the Florentine edition" (Dibdin, Greek and Latin Classics II, pp. 190-191).
"Printed from a copy of the preceding, with MS. corrections by Aldus. Its text forms the groundwork of most of the subsequent editions...Many copies of this and of the preceding edition are castrated by the Congregation of the Index Expurgatorius, which tore out the pages 385-92 and 435-440, in order to destroy two passages, p. 386 and 436" (Ebert).
The two dialogues placed on the Index Librorum prohibitorum (Index of Prohibited Books) in 1559 are present in this copy. They are the "Peregrinus," a satirical narrative of the career of a fanatical Cynic and apostate Christian (a historical character) who, in pursuit of notoriety, had himself burnt alive on a pyre, and the "Philopatris," a Greek dialogue attacking Christianity which purports to be the work of Lucian, but probably dates from the tenth century.
"Lucian's satirical dialogues are numerous, and together with his fantastic tales are his most characteristic works, showing his wit and inventiveness as well as his hatred of cant, hypocrisy, and fanaticism, especially in religion and philosophy" (The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature).
The additional works are: "Imagines" ("Images") of Philostratus the Elder (pp. 450-482) and of Philostratus the Younger (pp. 483-493), two sets of descriptions of pictures which the authors purport to have seen in a Neapolitan collection; "Heroica" of Flavius Philostratus (pp. 493-523), a dialogue in which the ghosts of heroes of the Trojan war appear; "Descriptiones" of Callistratus (pp. 523-529), descriptions of fourteen statues in imitation of the "Imagines"; "Vitae sophistarum" ("Lives of the Sophists") of Flavius Philostratus (pp. 530-571).
BM, STC Italian, p. 396. Brunet III, cols. 1206-1207. Ebert 12374. Renouard, p. 95, 4.
Thomas Robert Malthus. An Essay on the Principle of Population; or, a View of Its Past and Present Effects on Human Happiness; With an Inquiry Into Our Prospects Respecting the Future Removal or Mitigation of the Evils Which It Occasions. Georgetown: Published by J. Milligan, 1809.
First American edition from the third London edition. Two octavo volumes. xvi, [1]-510, xxxiv; vii, [1]-542 pages.
Contemporary full calf with gilt ruling on the spine and gilt-lettered leather spine title labels. Binding worn, with noticeable abrading to the boards. Joints worn and somewhat splitting but holding, with the front board of Volume I very tender. Corners bumped and rubbed. One-third of front free endpaper in Volume I missing. Tape repair to the gutter of the title page of Volume I. Moderate foxing throughout. Overall, a very good copy.
The bookplate affixed to the front pastedown and the inked name in each volume identifies the previous owner as R. F. Beirne, a newspaper editor in Richmond once arrested for dueling with another editor.
"Thomas Robert Malthus...was one of the founders of economics. His Essay was originally the product of a discussion with his father on the perfectibility of society. Malthus senior, who had been a friend of Rousseau, was a supporter of the utopian views of Godwin and others, but he recognized the force of his son's refutation of these views, and urged him to publish. Thus the first edition was essentially a fighting tract, but later editions were considerably altered and grew bulkier as Malthus defended his views against a host of critics" (Printing and the Mind of Man, second edition, p. 151).
First American edition from the third London edition. Two octavo volumes. xvi, [1]-510, xxxiv; vii, [1]-542 pages.
Contemporary full calf with gilt ruling on the spine and gilt-lettered leather spine title labels. Binding worn, with noticeable abrading to the boards. Joints worn and somewhat splitting but holding, with the front board of Volume I very tender. Corners bumped and rubbed. One-third of front free endpaper in Volume I missing. Tape repair to the gutter of the title page of Volume I. Moderate foxing throughout. Overall, a very good copy.
The bookplate affixed to the front pastedown and the inked name in each volume identifies the previous owner as R. F. Beirne, a newspaper editor in Richmond once arrested for dueling with another editor.
"Thomas Robert Malthus...was one of the founders of economics. His Essay was originally the product of a discussion with his father on the perfectibility of society. Malthus senior, who had been a friend of Rousseau, was a supporter of the utopian views of Godwin and others, but he recognized the force of his son's refutation of these views, and urged him to publish. Thus the first edition was essentially a fighting tract, but later editions were considerably altered and grew bulkier as Malthus defended his views against a host of critics" (Printing and the Mind of Man, second edition, p. 151).
Nelson Mandela. The Illustrated Long Walk to Freedom. The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, [1996].
Number 236 of 425 limited edition copies, with a laid-in portrait photograph signed and dated by Nelson Mandela. Signature on the photograph reads "N Mandela / 28 10 96." Quarto. 208 pages.
Specially bound in South African Wassa goatskin over orange cloth. With silk ribbon bookmark. Housed in the original clamshell box with a pictorial title label on front and silk pull tab. All edges gilt. One tiny rub to the front board. Light dust-soiling to the box. A fine copy of a fascinating Mandela autobiography with a signed photograph.
This extensively illustrated autobiography of one of the towering figures of the Twentieth Century. First published in 1994, this signed limited edition has been abridged but enriched with the photographic illustrations.
Number 236 of 425 limited edition copies, with a laid-in portrait photograph signed and dated by Nelson Mandela. Signature on the photograph reads "N Mandela / 28 10 96." Quarto. 208 pages.
Specially bound in South African Wassa goatskin over orange cloth. With silk ribbon bookmark. Housed in the original clamshell box with a pictorial title label on front and silk pull tab. All edges gilt. One tiny rub to the front board. Light dust-soiling to the box. A fine copy of a fascinating Mandela autobiography with a signed photograph.
This extensively illustrated autobiography of one of the towering figures of the Twentieth Century. First published in 1994, this signed limited edition has been abridged but enriched with the photographic illustrations.
John Stuart Mill. The Subjection of Women. London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer, 1869.
Presentation copy of the first edition of Mill's landmark work of feminism, with the publisher's embossed presentation stamp to the title page. Octavo. 188 pages.
Publisher's light orange cloth with gilt spine titles and boards decoratively ruled in blind. Moderate shelf wear and dust-soiling to boards. Spine slightly cocked. Owner signatures to half-title. Occasional marginalia in pencil. Binder's ticket to rear pastedown. Slight rubbing to joints, with the front hinge just starting. A very good copy of the scarce publisher's presentation copy.
"Many of Mill's ideas are now the commonplaces of democracy. His arguments for freedom of every kind of thought or speech have never been improved on. He was the first to recognize the tendency of a democratically elected majority to tyrannize over a minority, and his warning against it has a contemporary ring..." (Printing and the Mind of Man, second edition, p. 210).
"[T]he most vehement feminist tract in English after the Vindication of Mary Wollstonecraft" (Martin Seymour-Smith, The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written, p. 353).
Presentation copy of the first edition of Mill's landmark work of feminism, with the publisher's embossed presentation stamp to the title page. Octavo. 188 pages.
Publisher's light orange cloth with gilt spine titles and boards decoratively ruled in blind. Moderate shelf wear and dust-soiling to boards. Spine slightly cocked. Owner signatures to half-title. Occasional marginalia in pencil. Binder's ticket to rear pastedown. Slight rubbing to joints, with the front hinge just starting. A very good copy of the scarce publisher's presentation copy.
"Many of Mill's ideas are now the commonplaces of democracy. His arguments for freedom of every kind of thought or speech have never been improved on. He was the first to recognize the tendency of a democratically elected majority to tyrannize over a minority, and his warning against it has a contemporary ring..." (Printing and the Mind of Man, second edition, p. 210).
"[T]he most vehement feminist tract in English after the Vindication of Mary Wollstonecraft" (Martin Seymour-Smith, The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written, p. 353).
[Montesquieu]. Two Uniformly Bound Editions, including: De L'Esprit des Loix. Edinbourg: Chez G. Hamilton & J. Balfour, 1750. New edition. Two twelvemo volumes. xxviii, 459; xviii, 487 pages. [and:] Considerations sur les Causes de la Grandeur des Romains, et de leur Decadence. Edinbourg: Hamilton, Balfour, & Neill, 1751. New Edition. 336 pages. Uniformly bound in period-style three-quarter dark green morocco over marbled boards with gilt spine titles and floral devices in compartments inside five raised bands. All edges sprinkled blue. Top edges dust-soiled. Light even toning to the textblock with minimal scattered foxing. A lovely set in very good condition.
Two Books on Filippo Neri, including: F. Giacomo Ricci. Vita di S. Filippo Neri Fiorentino. Rome: Francesco Buagni, 1703. First thus. Octavo. Rigid full vellum with gilt-stamped spine label. Wear to extremities with moderate soiling and scuffing. Minor insect damage to interior boards. Hinges repaired. General foxing and toning. [and:] Giuseppe Grispino. La Scuola del Gran Maestro di Spirito S. Filippo Neri. Napoli: Giacinto Passaro, 1675. Later quarter leather with marbled paper boards. Wear to extremities with rubbing and scuffing. General toning and foxing throughout with moderate insect damage. Ownership inscription on front endpaper and bookplate on front pastedown. Both volumes in good or better condition.
Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Norton. English Laws for Women in the Nineteenth Century. London: Printed for Private Circulation, 1854.
First edition. Octavo. 188 pages.
Modern three-quarter brown calf with gilt spine titles on a black leather title plate, gilt rules, five raised bands, and marbled boards. Marbled endpapers. Moderate wear and rubbing to the binding, mostly at the edges and corners. Spine very clean. Bumping to the fore-edge of the boards. Previous owner's presentation inscription on the front flyleaf and signature on the title page. A poem by Norton, clipped from a periodical or newspaper and entitled "The Careless Word" pasted to the verso of the second flyleaf, facing the title page. Light marginal dampstaining at the endpapers not affecting any text. Internal contents slightly toned but clean. An excellent copy of a scarce treatise on women's rights.
The present work is Ms. Norton's impassioned reaction to the abuses laid down by her ex-husband, who beat her and their children long after their divorce. She writes on page 2: "A few years ago, a French nobleman, the Duc de Praslin, assassinated his wife in the midst of her slumbering household. When morning broke, she was dead; but many a proof remained of the desperate resistance, and agonized efforts to escape, made by that wretched woman before her doom was completed. Do the advocates of the doctrine of non-resistance consider that her duty would have been to submit tranquilly to the fate pre-determined for her? If not, let them waive judgment in my case; for if choice were allowed me, I would rather be murdered and remembered by friends and children with love and regret, than have the slanders believed, which my husband has invented of me. It is he, who has made silence impossible...I resist."
First edition. Octavo. 188 pages.
Modern three-quarter brown calf with gilt spine titles on a black leather title plate, gilt rules, five raised bands, and marbled boards. Marbled endpapers. Moderate wear and rubbing to the binding, mostly at the edges and corners. Spine very clean. Bumping to the fore-edge of the boards. Previous owner's presentation inscription on the front flyleaf and signature on the title page. A poem by Norton, clipped from a periodical or newspaper and entitled "The Careless Word" pasted to the verso of the second flyleaf, facing the title page. Light marginal dampstaining at the endpapers not affecting any text. Internal contents slightly toned but clean. An excellent copy of a scarce treatise on women's rights.
The present work is Ms. Norton's impassioned reaction to the abuses laid down by her ex-husband, who beat her and their children long after their divorce. She writes on page 2: "A few years ago, a French nobleman, the Duc de Praslin, assassinated his wife in the midst of her slumbering household. When morning broke, she was dead; but many a proof remained of the desperate resistance, and agonized efforts to escape, made by that wretched woman before her doom was completed. Do the advocates of the doctrine of non-resistance consider that her duty would have been to submit tranquilly to the fate pre-determined for her? If not, let them waive judgment in my case; for if choice were allowed me, I would rather be murdered and remembered by friends and children with love and regret, than have the slanders believed, which my husband has invented of me. It is he, who has made silence impossible...I resist."
Officium Beatæ Mariæ Virginis S. Pii V. Pontificis Maximi Iussu Editum, et Urbani VIII. Venetiis: Ex Typographia Belleoniana, 1753.
Small foolscap octavo (4.75 x 2.5 inches). xxxi, 176 pages. Five engraved plates. Index.
Full calf over boards; professionally rebound with panels of original leather from boards and backstrip attached. Original clasp partially remaining. All edges gilt. Front joint splitting. Rubbed edges. Modern inked sentiment to front free endpaper. Very good.
Small foolscap octavo (4.75 x 2.5 inches). xxxi, 176 pages. Five engraved plates. Index.
Full calf over boards; professionally rebound with panels of original leather from boards and backstrip attached. Original clasp partially remaining. All edges gilt. Front joint splitting. Rubbed edges. Modern inked sentiment to front free endpaper. Very good.
[Romeyn de Hooge]. Nicolaes Petter. Klare Onderrichtinge Der Voortresselijke Worstel-Konst... Amsterdam: Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge, 1674.
First edition. Small quarto. 16 pages. Illustrated with sixty-seven of the usual seventy-one copper plates by Romeyn de Hooge, with two copies of plate 6. Woodcut title vignette.
Modern quarter vellum over marbled boards with gilt titles on a blue morocco spine label. Binding is in very good condition. Scattered minor foxing. Most plates have been professionally repaired, including the title page and Foreword, especially along the fore-margins. Several small closed tears repaired. Faint contemporary writing on the title page. Very good condition.
Nicolaes Petter was the wrestling master at a school in Amsterdam. He divided the present work into thirteen sections, each to illustrate a particular move. De Hooge's engravings illustrate step-by-step the instructions enumerated in the text.
"[H]istorically speaking the most important treatise on unarmed combat ever printed...the finest of all wrestling books and deservedly the most famous" (Sydney Anglo, The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe, p. 190).
First edition. Small quarto. 16 pages. Illustrated with sixty-seven of the usual seventy-one copper plates by Romeyn de Hooge, with two copies of plate 6. Woodcut title vignette.
Modern quarter vellum over marbled boards with gilt titles on a blue morocco spine label. Binding is in very good condition. Scattered minor foxing. Most plates have been professionally repaired, including the title page and Foreword, especially along the fore-margins. Several small closed tears repaired. Faint contemporary writing on the title page. Very good condition.
Nicolaes Petter was the wrestling master at a school in Amsterdam. He divided the present work into thirteen sections, each to illustrate a particular move. De Hooge's engravings illustrate step-by-step the instructions enumerated in the text.
"[H]istorically speaking the most important treatise on unarmed combat ever printed...the finest of all wrestling books and deservedly the most famous" (Sydney Anglo, The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe, p. 190).
William Davis Robinson. Memoirs of the Mexican Revolution: Including a Narrative of the Expedition of General Xavier Mina. With Some Observations of the Practicability of Opening a Commerce Between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans .... Philadelphia: Lydia R. Bailey, 1820.
First edition. Octavo. xxxvi, 396 pages.
Cloth over boards. Spine reinforced with later fabric backstrip. Toning to the pages throughout. Hinges weak. Very good.
"Chief contemporary authority on the audacious filibustering expedition against Mexico under Mina, launched with a handful of men, through Texas in 1817. Notable also for its advocacy of a communication between the Atlantic and Pacific via Nicaragua" (Howes ).
Howes R380. Sabin 72202.
First edition. Octavo. xxxvi, 396 pages.
Cloth over boards. Spine reinforced with later fabric backstrip. Toning to the pages throughout. Hinges weak. Very good.
"Chief contemporary authority on the audacious filibustering expedition against Mexico under Mina, launched with a handful of men, through Texas in 1817. Notable also for its advocacy of a communication between the Atlantic and Pacific via Nicaragua" (Howes ).
Howes R380. Sabin 72202.
[Islam]. George Sale, translator. The Koran, Commonly Called The Alcoran of Mohammed, Translated into English immediately from the Original Arabic; with Explanatory Notes, taken from the most approved Commentators. To Which is prefixed a Preliminary Discourse. London: Printed by C. Ackers for J. Wilcox, 1734.
First edition of Sale's translation, and the first scholarly version in English taken directly from the original Arabic. Large octavo. Title page, Dedication, iii-[xii], 508, [509-524, "A Table of the Principal Matters contained in the Koran"] pages. With an engraved fold-out map of "Arabia," three Arab genealogical tables (two folding), and a folding plate illustrating "The Temple of Mecca."
Eighteenth-century mottled calf with gilt spine titles on a brown leather spine label and decorations in compartments and decoratively tooled boards. Textblock edges sprinkled red. Housed in a custom green cloth slipcase and chemise shelf-backed in gray leather with gilt spine titles. Spine rebacked, perhaps in the Nineteenth Century. Moderate wear to the binding, including the spine folds (creasing), edges, and raised bands. Rubbed corners. Still a sturdy and substantial binding. Internal contents with very minor scattered toning, but mostly clean and bright. Very short closed tear to the Arabia map, not affecting the contents of the map. Insignificant marginal dampstain from page 497 to the end, not affecting any text. A very good copy of Sale's landmark translation.
Signature and armorial bookplate of Rev. Thomas Salwey, L.L.D. (1791-1877), a renowned Shropshire botanist.
First edition of Sale's translation, and the first scholarly version in English taken directly from the original Arabic. Large octavo. Title page, Dedication, iii-[xii], 508, [509-524, "A Table of the Principal Matters contained in the Koran"] pages. With an engraved fold-out map of "Arabia," three Arab genealogical tables (two folding), and a folding plate illustrating "The Temple of Mecca."
Eighteenth-century mottled calf with gilt spine titles on a brown leather spine label and decorations in compartments and decoratively tooled boards. Textblock edges sprinkled red. Housed in a custom green cloth slipcase and chemise shelf-backed in gray leather with gilt spine titles. Spine rebacked, perhaps in the Nineteenth Century. Moderate wear to the binding, including the spine folds (creasing), edges, and raised bands. Rubbed corners. Still a sturdy and substantial binding. Internal contents with very minor scattered toning, but mostly clean and bright. Very short closed tear to the Arabia map, not affecting the contents of the map. Insignificant marginal dampstain from page 497 to the end, not affecting any text. A very good copy of Sale's landmark translation.
Signature and armorial bookplate of Rev. Thomas Salwey, L.L.D. (1791-1877), a renowned Shropshire botanist.
[Elzevir, Elzevier]. Seneca. Philosophicae; Epistolae; Controversae; Notae. N.p.: Elzevirios, 1640; 1639; 1639; 1649.
Early Elzevir printing. Four twelvemo volumes. 552; 718; 442 [plus Index]; 429 [plus Index and unpaginated Corrigenda] pages. Attractive engraved portrait of Seneca and engraved title in Volume I.
Full vellum with contrasting leather labels, yapp edges. Gilt lettering and ruling to spine and labels. Chips to labels and a few places at the edges. A couple of pastedowns loose. Nice, sound bindings from the famous Dutch family of publishers and printers, noted for their small, special editions. Very good.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, often known simply as Seneca, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, dramatist and statesman from the first century A.D. He was a tutor and advisor to Nero, who later had him executed for complicity in an assassination plot (though his guilt in that conspiracy is questioned).
Early Elzevir printing. Four twelvemo volumes. 552; 718; 442 [plus Index]; 429 [plus Index and unpaginated Corrigenda] pages. Attractive engraved portrait of Seneca and engraved title in Volume I.
Full vellum with contrasting leather labels, yapp edges. Gilt lettering and ruling to spine and labels. Chips to labels and a few places at the edges. A couple of pastedowns loose. Nice, sound bindings from the famous Dutch family of publishers and printers, noted for their small, special editions. Very good.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, often known simply as Seneca, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, dramatist and statesman from the first century A.D. He was a tutor and advisor to Nero, who later had him executed for complicity in an assassination plot (though his guilt in that conspiracy is questioned).
Adam Smith. Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Hartford: Oliver D. Cooke, 1804.
Third American edition, based upon the fourth London edition. Two octavo volumes. 387 and 415 pages, respectively.
Contemporary leather with gilt spine titles and volume numbers on black spine title labels. Moderate shelf wear. Leather somewhat crackling. Scattered minor foxing throughout. Previous owner's bookplate and inscriptions to the front endpapers. A very good set.
Third American edition, based upon the fourth London edition. Two octavo volumes. 387 and 415 pages, respectively.
Contemporary leather with gilt spine titles and volume numbers on black spine title labels. Moderate shelf wear. Leather somewhat crackling. Scattered minor foxing throughout. Previous owner's bookplate and inscriptions to the front endpapers. A very good set.
Antoniode Solis. Historia de La Conquista de Mexico - The History of the Conquest of Mexico, Poblacion, Y Progressos de La America Septentrional, Conocida por El Nombre de Nueva España. Barcelona: Joseph Liopis, 1691.
Second edition. Folio. [10], [10], 548, [15] pages. Text in Spanish.
Full contemporary limp vellum with ties on front boards, catches lacking from rear boards. Extremities lightly bumped and rubbed. Heel and bottom rear corner lightly worn. Spine lightly sunned. Spine and boards moderately waved and soiled. Front hinge failing and pulling away from the text block, though still hanging on by a couple of cords. Edges and pages lightly yellowed with very light scattered foxing and staining. Bookseller's label to verso of front board. Overall quite good, clean and sound. Very good.
The most remarkable history written in the Spanish language, according to Prescott, this work follows the history of the conquest and colonization of Mexico. It describes events from the appointment of Cortez as the leader of the Spanish forces, through the fall of Tenochtitlan.
BHA, Medina, BHA, 1773. Palau 318602. Sabin 86446.
Second edition. Folio. [10], [10], 548, [15] pages. Text in Spanish.
Full contemporary limp vellum with ties on front boards, catches lacking from rear boards. Extremities lightly bumped and rubbed. Heel and bottom rear corner lightly worn. Spine lightly sunned. Spine and boards moderately waved and soiled. Front hinge failing and pulling away from the text block, though still hanging on by a couple of cords. Edges and pages lightly yellowed with very light scattered foxing and staining. Bookseller's label to verso of front board. Overall quite good, clean and sound. Very good.
The most remarkable history written in the Spanish language, according to Prescott, this work follows the history of the conquest and colonization of Mexico. It describes events from the appointment of Cortez as the leader of the Spanish forces, through the fall of Tenochtitlan.
BHA, Medina, BHA, 1773. Palau 318602. Sabin 86446.
Autographs
M. A. Thiers. Two Popular Works on the French Revolution and the Subsequent Napoleonic Empire, including: The History of the French Revolution. London: Richard Bentley, 1838. First English language edition. Translated by Frederick Shoberl. Five octavo volumes. xvi, 384; 391; 480; 526; 469 pages. Forty-one engraved plates. Index. Contemporary full morocco over boards. Raised bands. Leather title labels. Gilt lettering to spine. Marbled endpapers and edges. Some white discoloration to boards. Near fine. [and:] History of the Consulate and the Empire of France Under Napoleon. London: Henry Colburn, and, later, Willis and Sotheran, 1845-1862. First English language edition. Translated by D. Forbes Campbell. Twenty volumes in ten. xii, 272, viii, 252; ix, 328, ix, 322; vii, 254, vii, 302; vii, 362, vi, 378; vii, 320, vii, 230; vi, 192, xi, 240; vi, 251, viii, 268; xi, 253, vii, 277; 480, 390; 361, 440 pages. Frontispieces. Illustrated with engraved plates. Contemporary full morocco over boards. Raised bands. Leather title labels. Gilt lettering to spine. Marbled endpapers and edges. Some white discoloration to boards. Near fine.
Books
Chaim Weizmann. Trial and Error: The Autobiography of Chaim Weizmann. Inscribed to Leonard Bernstein. New York: Harper & Brothers, [1949].
First edition. Limited to 500 copies of which this is number 311. Signed by Weizmann on the limitation page. Additionally, Weizmann has inscribed this copy to Leonard Bernstein, noted composer. Two octavo volumes. 493 pages.
Both volumes in publisher's blue cloth with blind-stamped front and paper spine label. Dust jackets have darkened spines. Housed in publisher's slipcase with one split edge. A near fine set.
First edition. Limited to 500 copies of which this is number 311. Signed by Weizmann on the limitation page. Additionally, Weizmann has inscribed this copy to Leonard Bernstein, noted composer. Two octavo volumes. 493 pages.
Both volumes in publisher's blue cloth with blind-stamped front and paper spine label. Dust jackets have darkened spines. Housed in publisher's slipcase with one split edge. A near fine set.
Mary Wollstonecraft. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects - First Edition. London: for J. Johnson, 1792.
First edition. Octavo.
Period-style full brown tooled morocco with gilt spine titles on black leather title plates inside five raised bands. Scattered minor foxing. Some toning to the textblock, else a fine copy in a sturdy binding.
In Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft "argued for equality of education for both sexes ... and co-education. It was a rational plea for a rational basis to the relation between the sexes... Its chief object was to show that women were not the playthings of men but ought to be their equal partners, which they could be only if they were educated the same way" (Printing and the Mind of Man 242).
"At no point in [Vindication] is it suggested that women should do anything but struggle against the false psychological categories assigned to them by men. Her critique of woman-as-property anticipates Marx and is still cogent: If a woman knows that she is the legal property of a man, she will even unconsciously regard herself as that - this, perhaps, is what Wollstonecraft meant by advocating that women should be 'taught to think'" (Martin Seymour-Smith, The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written, p. 303).
First edition. Octavo.
Period-style full brown tooled morocco with gilt spine titles on black leather title plates inside five raised bands. Scattered minor foxing. Some toning to the textblock, else a fine copy in a sturdy binding.
In Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft "argued for equality of education for both sexes ... and co-education. It was a rational plea for a rational basis to the relation between the sexes... Its chief object was to show that women were not the playthings of men but ought to be their equal partners, which they could be only if they were educated the same way" (Printing and the Mind of Man 242).
"At no point in [Vindication] is it suggested that women should do anything but struggle against the false psychological categories assigned to them by men. Her critique of woman-as-property anticipates Marx and is still cogent: If a woman knows that she is the legal property of a man, she will even unconsciously regard herself as that - this, perhaps, is what Wollstonecraft meant by advocating that women should be 'taught to think'" (Martin Seymour-Smith, The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written, p. 303).
Three Biographies, including: Eve Curie. Madame Curie. Garden City: Doubleday, Doran & Company, 1937. First edition. Deluxe edition in slipcase, signed by Eve Curie, issued without dust jacket. Octavo. xi, 393 pages. Illustrated. Bookplate to front pastedown. Some sunning to spine. Some chipping and splitting to slipcase. [and:] E. C. Gaskell. The Life of Charlotte Brontë. New York: D. Appleton, 1857. First American edition. Two octavo volumes. viii, 285; vii, 269 pages. Frontispieces. Ads. Inked name of previous owner to front free endpapers. Some foxing. Corners slightly bumped. Wear to head and foot of spines. Very good. [and:] Woodrow Wilson. George Washington. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1897. First edition. Octavo. ix, 333 pages. Index. Illustrations by Howard Pyle and others. Binding cocked. Fading to spine. Very good.
Three Nineteenth Century Sets, including: Charles Mackay. Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. London: Office of the National Illustrated Library, 1852. Second edition. Two octavo volumes. viii, 303; viii, 324 pages. Many illustrations. Index. Blind decorated cloth over boards. Gilt designs and lettering to spine. Hinges weak. Binding slightly cocked. Very good. [and:] Thomas Paine. Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution. [with:] Rights of Man, Part the Second; Combining Principle and Practice. London: W.T. Sherwin, 1817. Two octavo volumes. vii, 98; xi, 118, iv. Later full calf over boards. Laminated inset images of Paine mounted on front boards. Raised bands. Morocco title labels to spines with gilt lettering. With cloth and leather slipcase. Near fine. [and:] Plato. The Dialogues of Plato, Translated into English with Analyses and Introductions by B. Jowett. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1892. Five octavo volumes. xxxvii, 594; 576; ccxxxi, 543; 645; ccxxxvii, 541 pages. Third edition of the Jowett translation. Full contemporary calf over boards. Gilt fillets. Raised bands. Elaborate gilt work and gilt lettering to spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Attractive prize binding with the seal of the Westminster School in gilt to front boards. Prize bookplate mounted to all front pastedowns, dated 1899. Some minor rubbing to the extremities. Sunning to spines. Near fine.
Four Autobiographies, including: Benvenuto Cellini. The Life of Benvenuto Cellini. New York: Brentano's, 1906. Two octavo volumes. xxix, 360; vii, 387. Bookplates of Stanley Marcus, the late chairman emeritus of Neiman Marcus. [and:] Clarence Darrow. The Story of My Life. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1932. First edition. Octavo. ix, 465. Photographs. Blue morocco over blue cloth boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine.[and:] Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi: His Own Story. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1930. First edition. Octavo. 350 pages. Photographs. Inked sentiment of previous owner to front free endpaper. Dust jacket. [and:] T. E. Lawrence. Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Garden City: Doubleday, Doran & Company, 1935. First published American edition. Octavo. 672 pages. Illustrations. Bound in half maroon morocco. Leather title labels to spine; gilt and black designs. All books in very good or better condition.
Alcoholics Anonymous. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, 1954.
First edition, fifteenth printing. Octavo. 400 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with blind-stamped front and gilt titles on spine. Cloth is mildly rubbed with a small patch of soiling on front board. Spine has slight lean with some light spotting to page edges. Endpapers are mildly toned. Dust jacket is rubbed with some edge toning. Mild wear to top edge of spine. Overall, a very good copy.
First edition, fifteenth printing. Octavo. 400 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with blind-stamped front and gilt titles on spine. Cloth is mildly rubbed with a small patch of soiling on front board. Spine has slight lean with some light spotting to page edges. Endpapers are mildly toned. Dust jacket is rubbed with some edge toning. Mild wear to top edge of spine. Overall, a very good copy.
W. Beach. An Improved System of Midwifery, Adapted to the Reformed Practice of Medicine. New York: Baker & Scribner, 1848.
First edition. Quarto. 272 pages with fifty plates, forty-five of which are hand-colored.
Contemporary full sheep. Rubbing and wear to extremities with replaced backstrip. Endpapers and page edges are mildly toned. Overall, a very good copy.
First edition. Quarto. 272 pages with fifty plates, forty-five of which are hand-colored.
Contemporary full sheep. Rubbing and wear to extremities with replaced backstrip. Endpapers and page edges are mildly toned. Overall, a very good copy.
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543). Astronomia instaurata, libris sex comprehensa, qui de revolutionibus orbium cœlestium inscribuntur -- The important third edition of Copernicus, and the first edition to contain a commentary. Nunc denum post 75 ab obitu authoris annum integritati suæ restituta, notisque illustrata, opera & studio D. Nicolai Mulerii...Amsterdam: Excudebat Wilhelmus Jansonius, 1617.
The important third edition of Copernicus's De revolutionibus (first published in 1543) and the first edition to contain a commentary. Quarto (8.8125 x 6.8125 inches; 224 x 174 mm.). [22], 487, [1, blank] pages. Woodcut printer's device on title, numerous woodcut diagrams throughout the text, decorative woodcut initials.
Contemporary vellum over thin boards. Title in manuscript on spine. Edges stained red. Vellum slightly rubbed and stained, large portion of lower front cover and small portion of lower corner of rear cover renewed. Lower portion of front joint split. Front endpapers separating and front cover held only by one sewing thread. Some mostly marginal dampstaining throughout, that to the lower corner causing the red stain from the lower edge to bleed onto the rear cover and the textblock from leaves Ss1-Ppp4 (pages 321-[488]). Some typical light foxing and browning, a few tiny rust spots or holes. Lower blank corner of front free endpaper, front flyleaf, and first six leaves of text (including the title) renewed. Worming in the lower margin throughout, heaviest on the eleven preliminary leaves, including the title, leaves A1-B4 (pages 1-16), and leaves K1-S4 (pages 73-144), where it enters the text and affects some letters (causing some loss). Additional worming in the text from leaves Tt1-Aaa2 (pages 329-372), affecting some letters, with some loss. Worming in the outer margin of leaves QQ1-Zz4 (pages 305-368), affecting a few side notes. The worming has been repaired on most leaves (sometimes crudely), and the missing letters have often been supplied in ink or pencil. Paper flaw to lower blank corner of S1 (pages 137/138), V3 (pages 157/158), and lower corner of Kkk4 (pages 447/448), with no loss. A few tiny rust spots or holes. Early ink notation (price?) at head of front free endpaper. Purple pencil inscriptions on front free endpaper and front flyleaf dated: "Junio 6 di 1908." Early ink ownership inscription, dated 1688, crossed out on title, followed by the early ink signature of D. Petrus Alarcon. Additional ink signature of Alarcon on p. 111. Two early ink notes on the title in different hands, a few early ink corrections in the text.
"The publication of 'On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres' in 1543 was a landmark in human thought. It challenged the authority of antiquity and set the course for the modern world by its effective destruction of the anthropocentric view of the universe...Renaissance mathematicians, following Ptolemy, believed that the moon, sun and five planets were carried by complex systems of epicycles and deferents about the central earth, the fixed pivot of the whole system. In Copernicus's day it was well known that conventional astronomy did not work accurately, nor did further study of Ptolemy seem to put the matter right. Copernicus...determined to abandon the fixity of the earth, and all the complexities in the treatment of the motions of the celestial bodies that follow from such a conception. With the sun placed at the centre, and the earth daily spinning on its axis and circling the sun in common with other planets, the whole system of the heavens became clear, simple, and harmonious" (Printing and the Mind of Man 70, citing the 1543 first edition).
Published to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of Copernicus's death in 1543, this new and corrected third edition of De revolutionibus is the first to contain explanatory notes. It was published one year after the edict of 1616 suspended Copernicus until "corrected" by papal authority. The commentary is by Nicolaus Mulerius (1564-1630), professor of medicine and mathematics at the University of Groningen.
The Petrus Alarcon who inscribed this book is most likely Pedro Alarcón (d. 1752?), Mexican physician and astronomer who was professor of mathematics at the University of Mexico City. For many years he compiled almanacs of Mexico City and published astronomical tables and ephemerides of the movements of the planets from 1713 to 1723. In 1728 he wrote a "Noticia del eclipse de luna del 8 de agosto de 1729 y exhortación a observaro."
The important third edition of Copernicus's De revolutionibus (first published in 1543) and the first edition to contain a commentary. Quarto (8.8125 x 6.8125 inches; 224 x 174 mm.). [22], 487, [1, blank] pages. Woodcut printer's device on title, numerous woodcut diagrams throughout the text, decorative woodcut initials.
Contemporary vellum over thin boards. Title in manuscript on spine. Edges stained red. Vellum slightly rubbed and stained, large portion of lower front cover and small portion of lower corner of rear cover renewed. Lower portion of front joint split. Front endpapers separating and front cover held only by one sewing thread. Some mostly marginal dampstaining throughout, that to the lower corner causing the red stain from the lower edge to bleed onto the rear cover and the textblock from leaves Ss1-Ppp4 (pages 321-[488]). Some typical light foxing and browning, a few tiny rust spots or holes. Lower blank corner of front free endpaper, front flyleaf, and first six leaves of text (including the title) renewed. Worming in the lower margin throughout, heaviest on the eleven preliminary leaves, including the title, leaves A1-B4 (pages 1-16), and leaves K1-S4 (pages 73-144), where it enters the text and affects some letters (causing some loss). Additional worming in the text from leaves Tt1-Aaa2 (pages 329-372), affecting some letters, with some loss. Worming in the outer margin of leaves QQ1-Zz4 (pages 305-368), affecting a few side notes. The worming has been repaired on most leaves (sometimes crudely), and the missing letters have often been supplied in ink or pencil. Paper flaw to lower blank corner of S1 (pages 137/138), V3 (pages 157/158), and lower corner of Kkk4 (pages 447/448), with no loss. A few tiny rust spots or holes. Early ink notation (price?) at head of front free endpaper. Purple pencil inscriptions on front free endpaper and front flyleaf dated: "Junio 6 di 1908." Early ink ownership inscription, dated 1688, crossed out on title, followed by the early ink signature of D. Petrus Alarcon. Additional ink signature of Alarcon on p. 111. Two early ink notes on the title in different hands, a few early ink corrections in the text.
"The publication of 'On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres' in 1543 was a landmark in human thought. It challenged the authority of antiquity and set the course for the modern world by its effective destruction of the anthropocentric view of the universe...Renaissance mathematicians, following Ptolemy, believed that the moon, sun and five planets were carried by complex systems of epicycles and deferents about the central earth, the fixed pivot of the whole system. In Copernicus's day it was well known that conventional astronomy did not work accurately, nor did further study of Ptolemy seem to put the matter right. Copernicus...determined to abandon the fixity of the earth, and all the complexities in the treatment of the motions of the celestial bodies that follow from such a conception. With the sun placed at the centre, and the earth daily spinning on its axis and circling the sun in common with other planets, the whole system of the heavens became clear, simple, and harmonious" (Printing and the Mind of Man 70, citing the 1543 first edition).
Published to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of Copernicus's death in 1543, this new and corrected third edition of De revolutionibus is the first to contain explanatory notes. It was published one year after the edict of 1616 suspended Copernicus until "corrected" by papal authority. The commentary is by Nicolaus Mulerius (1564-1630), professor of medicine and mathematics at the University of Groningen.
The Petrus Alarcon who inscribed this book is most likely Pedro Alarcón (d. 1752?), Mexican physician and astronomer who was professor of mathematics at the University of Mexico City. For many years he compiled almanacs of Mexico City and published astronomical tables and ephemerides of the movements of the planets from 1713 to 1723. In 1728 he wrote a "Noticia del eclipse de luna del 8 de agosto de 1729 y exhortación a observaro."
Alfred Dinsdale. Television. [Seeing by Wireless]. London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, 1926.
First edition of the first book in English on television, containing the first photograph ever taken of a television image. Small octavo (7.1875 x 4.9375 inches; 184 x 125 mm.). 62 pages. Halftone frontispiece portrait of John Logie Baird ("The first scientist in the world to demonstrate television"), five halftone plates, and six diagrams, all included in pagination.
Original buff printed paper boards. Boards slightly browned at the edges, with an area of additional browning at the lower edge of the front board (measuring approximately 1 x 2.75 inches), corresponding to where a torn portion of the dust jacket was at one time folded up. Front hinge starting and the first gathering a little loose, very slightly shaken. Paper slightly browned at the edges. Previous owner's pencil signature at head of title: "G. W. Foss Jun / Jan. 5. 1927." A very good copy of this now scarce and fragile work. In the original pictorial dust jacket reproducing the photograph of the first photograph ever taken of a television image. Jacket slightly darkened and soiled, with a small piece (measuring approximately .125 x .75 inches) missing at the blank top edge of the front panel, a tear across the lower front panel and a small closed tear in the center on the front panel (both affecting the image and both repaired on the verso with tape), a few additional tiny edge chips and tears.
After giving a brief history of television experimentation to that date, Dinsdale focuses on the work of Scottish engineer John Logie Baird (1888-1946). In 1922, Dinsdale "began to study the problems of transmitting and receiving visual signals, namely, television. His resources were meagre: he lacked formal research training, he did not have access to workshop or laboratory facilities, and his financial position was precarious. Nevertheless, he rented an attic and began to assemble apparatus using what were, on the face of it, most unpromising materials. His investigations attracted some very modest support, and by April 1925 Baird was able to demonstrate, in public, at Selfridge's Oxford Street store, in London, the transmission of crude outlines of simple objects. Later, on 2 October 1925, he succeeded in reproducing an image of an object, which had tone gradation. A formal demonstration was given to about forty members of the Royal Institution on 26 January 1926. This was the world's first demonstration of television (albeit at a very rudimentary stage), which had been sought by many inventors since 1878, when the possibility of 'seeing at a distance' was first proposed. It was an outstanding achievement. Subsequently his basic television scheme was adopted by inventors and companies in France, Germany, the USA, and elsewhere" (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography).
Dinsdale describes Baird's early experiments: "Baird's weird apparatus - old bicycle sprockets, biscuit tins, cardboard discs and bullseye lenses, all tied together with sealing wax and string - failed to impress those who were accustomed to the shining brass and exquisite mechanism of the instrument maker. The importance of the demonstration was, however, realized by the scientific world" (p. 49).
The book was revised and expanded in 1928, and in 1932, Dinsdale rewrote it as First Principles of Television. Dinsdale went on to become editor of the British Television magazine, which he founded in 1928.
Shiers, Early Television: A Bibliographic Guide to 1940, 841.
First edition of the first book in English on television, containing the first photograph ever taken of a television image. Small octavo (7.1875 x 4.9375 inches; 184 x 125 mm.). 62 pages. Halftone frontispiece portrait of John Logie Baird ("The first scientist in the world to demonstrate television"), five halftone plates, and six diagrams, all included in pagination.
Original buff printed paper boards. Boards slightly browned at the edges, with an area of additional browning at the lower edge of the front board (measuring approximately 1 x 2.75 inches), corresponding to where a torn portion of the dust jacket was at one time folded up. Front hinge starting and the first gathering a little loose, very slightly shaken. Paper slightly browned at the edges. Previous owner's pencil signature at head of title: "G. W. Foss Jun / Jan. 5. 1927." A very good copy of this now scarce and fragile work. In the original pictorial dust jacket reproducing the photograph of the first photograph ever taken of a television image. Jacket slightly darkened and soiled, with a small piece (measuring approximately .125 x .75 inches) missing at the blank top edge of the front panel, a tear across the lower front panel and a small closed tear in the center on the front panel (both affecting the image and both repaired on the verso with tape), a few additional tiny edge chips and tears.
After giving a brief history of television experimentation to that date, Dinsdale focuses on the work of Scottish engineer John Logie Baird (1888-1946). In 1922, Dinsdale "began to study the problems of transmitting and receiving visual signals, namely, television. His resources were meagre: he lacked formal research training, he did not have access to workshop or laboratory facilities, and his financial position was precarious. Nevertheless, he rented an attic and began to assemble apparatus using what were, on the face of it, most unpromising materials. His investigations attracted some very modest support, and by April 1925 Baird was able to demonstrate, in public, at Selfridge's Oxford Street store, in London, the transmission of crude outlines of simple objects. Later, on 2 October 1925, he succeeded in reproducing an image of an object, which had tone gradation. A formal demonstration was given to about forty members of the Royal Institution on 26 January 1926. This was the world's first demonstration of television (albeit at a very rudimentary stage), which had been sought by many inventors since 1878, when the possibility of 'seeing at a distance' was first proposed. It was an outstanding achievement. Subsequently his basic television scheme was adopted by inventors and companies in France, Germany, the USA, and elsewhere" (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography).
Dinsdale describes Baird's early experiments: "Baird's weird apparatus - old bicycle sprockets, biscuit tins, cardboard discs and bullseye lenses, all tied together with sealing wax and string - failed to impress those who were accustomed to the shining brass and exquisite mechanism of the instrument maker. The importance of the demonstration was, however, realized by the scientific world" (p. 49).
The book was revised and expanded in 1928, and in 1932, Dinsdale rewrote it as First Principles of Television. Dinsdale went on to become editor of the British Television magazine, which he founded in 1928.
Shiers, Early Television: A Bibliographic Guide to 1940, 841.
Sir Isaac Newton. The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended. London: Printed for J. Tonson and J. Osborn and T. Longman, 1728.
First edition. Large octavo. xvi, [ii], 376 pages. Illustrated with three folding plates of the Temple of Solomon.
Full speckled calf with gilt titles on a red morocco spine label inside five raised bands, spine ruled in gilt. All edges sprinkled red. Professionally rebacked in period style leather. Moderate edge and corner wear to the boards. Two leaves professionally repaired. Minor foxing to the endpapers. Previous owner's initials on front pastedown. Top edge dust-soiled. Internal contents very clean. A sturdy copy in very good condition.
"Newton used the materials about polytheism to make essentially the same point as Cudworth and Vossius and to establish that there was an original, uncorrupt, monotheistic Ur-religion which had degenerated, through various reductive mechanisms, into polytheism. In his Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended, Newton used astronomical data to argue that the Bible was the oldest document in the world and that the events of Biblical history preceded those of other ancient histories" (James E. Force and Richard H. Popkin, Essays on the Context, Nature, and Influence of Isaac Newton's Theology, p. 31).
First edition. Large octavo. xvi, [ii], 376 pages. Illustrated with three folding plates of the Temple of Solomon.
Full speckled calf with gilt titles on a red morocco spine label inside five raised bands, spine ruled in gilt. All edges sprinkled red. Professionally rebacked in period style leather. Moderate edge and corner wear to the boards. Two leaves professionally repaired. Minor foxing to the endpapers. Previous owner's initials on front pastedown. Top edge dust-soiled. Internal contents very clean. A sturdy copy in very good condition.
"Newton used the materials about polytheism to make essentially the same point as Cudworth and Vossius and to establish that there was an original, uncorrupt, monotheistic Ur-religion which had degenerated, through various reductive mechanisms, into polytheism. In his Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended, Newton used astronomical data to argue that the Bible was the oldest document in the world and that the events of Biblical history preceded those of other ancient histories" (James E. Force and Richard H. Popkin, Essays on the Context, Nature, and Influence of Isaac Newton's Theology, p. 31).
Florence Nightingale. Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not. London: Harrison, [1860].
First edition, third issue with advertisements on the endpapers and "The right of Translation is reserved" on the title page. Octavo. 79 pages.
Publisher's original limp pebbled black cloth tooled in blind with gilt titles on the front cover. Minor wear to the binding, especially along the bottom edge, with a small one-inch tear along the center of the spine. Previous owner's signature dated 1860 on the title page. Inner hinges starting. A very good copy of a seminal work on nursing.
"Florence Nightingale's 79-page monograph reflects the intelligence, efficiency, and administrative talent of the woman who inaugurated the professional training of nurses in England and, indirectly, in the United States... The need for radical reform in the care of the sick was made evident to Miss Nightingale... through service in the barracks hospital in Scutari during the Crimean War. So effectively did she cut through ancient regulations in establishing a clean and efficiently run army hospital that, on her return to England, she was asked to establish a training school for nurses... Notes on Nursing was written with simplicity and direct common sense, enlivened by occasional sharp wit... Notes on Nursing is one of the seminal books of the modern world" (Lilly, 215).
First edition, third issue with advertisements on the endpapers and "The right of Translation is reserved" on the title page. Octavo. 79 pages.
Publisher's original limp pebbled black cloth tooled in blind with gilt titles on the front cover. Minor wear to the binding, especially along the bottom edge, with a small one-inch tear along the center of the spine. Previous owner's signature dated 1860 on the title page. Inner hinges starting. A very good copy of a seminal work on nursing.
"Florence Nightingale's 79-page monograph reflects the intelligence, efficiency, and administrative talent of the woman who inaugurated the professional training of nurses in England and, indirectly, in the United States... The need for radical reform in the care of the sick was made evident to Miss Nightingale... through service in the barracks hospital in Scutari during the Crimean War. So effectively did she cut through ancient regulations in establishing a clean and efficiently run army hospital that, on her return to England, she was asked to establish a training school for nurses... Notes on Nursing was written with simplicity and direct common sense, enlivened by occasional sharp wit... Notes on Nursing is one of the seminal books of the modern world" (Lilly, 215).
John Wise. A System of Aeronautics, Comprehending its Earliest Investigations, and Modern Practice and Art [...] In Three Parts. Containing an Account of the Various Attempts in the Art of Flying by Artificial Means From the Earliest Period Down to the Discovery of the Aeronautic Machine by the Montgolfiers, in 1792, and to a Later Period. With a Brief History of the Author's Fifteen Years Experience in Aerial Voyages.... Philadelphia: Joseph A. Speel, 1850.
First edition. Octavo. xvi, 310 pages. Frontispiece. Errata sheet. Twelve plates of balloons and flying machines.
Original cloth over boards with blind-stamped designs. Gilt lettering to spine. Front hinge weak. Extremities to binding bumped. Minimum of foxing throughout. Very good.
Brockett 12945.
First edition. Octavo. xvi, 310 pages. Frontispiece. Errata sheet. Twelve plates of balloons and flying machines.
Original cloth over boards with blind-stamped designs. Gilt lettering to spine. Front hinge weak. Extremities to binding bumped. Minimum of foxing throughout. Very good.
Brockett 12945.
Anna Klumpke. Rosa Bonheur Sa Vie Son Oeuvre. Paris: Ernest Flammarion, 1909.
Large quarto. Signed by the author on the half-title page. Text in French. 445 pages with numerous sepia-toned illustrated plates, including the portrait frontispiece, and copious black-and-white text illustrations.
Three-quarter brown leather over light brown cloth boards with gilt lettering and ruling to the spine. All edges sprinkled brown.
Moderate wear to the binding, especially at the spine ends and corners. Boards lightly soiled. Previous owner's bookplate to the front pastedown. Scattered foxing to some plates. A lovely and scholarly monograph of an accomplished wildlife artist in very good condition.
Large quarto. Signed by the author on the half-title page. Text in French. 445 pages with numerous sepia-toned illustrated plates, including the portrait frontispiece, and copious black-and-white text illustrations.
Three-quarter brown leather over light brown cloth boards with gilt lettering and ruling to the spine. All edges sprinkled brown.
Moderate wear to the binding, especially at the spine ends and corners. Boards lightly soiled. Previous owner's bookplate to the front pastedown. Scattered foxing to some plates. A lovely and scholarly monograph of an accomplished wildlife artist in very good condition.
[Marc Chagall]. Julien Cain. The Lithographs of Chagall. Monte Carlo: Andre Sauret, [1960].
First edition. Inscribed by Chagall on the front free endpaper, "Pour Florence Normile Marc Chagall 1964." Quarto. 220 pages.
Publisher's beige cloth with black stamping to the front and spine. Spine ends are softly bumped and there are a few spots of soiling along the bottom edge of boards. Dust jacket shows minor edge wear with two one-quarter-inch tears. Acetate wrapper has a few splits at spine ends. Overall, a near fine copy.
First edition. Inscribed by Chagall on the front free endpaper, "Pour Florence Normile Marc Chagall 1964." Quarto. 220 pages.
Publisher's beige cloth with black stamping to the front and spine. Spine ends are softly bumped and there are a few spots of soiling along the bottom edge of boards. Dust jacket shows minor edge wear with two one-quarter-inch tears. Acetate wrapper has a few splits at spine ends. Overall, a near fine copy.
[Willem de Kooning]. Harold Rosenberg. De Kooning. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, [n.d., circa 1974].
Number 56 of 100 limited edition copies hand-numbered and signed by De Kooning on the half-title page. Oblong quarto. 293 pages with 226 illustrations, including sixty-five plates in full color.
Publisher's dark green cloth over light green paper boards, with gilt spine titles. Original pictorial dust jacket. Minor shelf wear to the book, with some minor cloth loss at the spine tail. Tiny, unobtrusive stain on the top edge. Internal contents bright in a sturdy binding. Near fine condition with a scarce de Kooning signature.
Number 56 of 100 limited edition copies hand-numbered and signed by De Kooning on the half-title page. Oblong quarto. 293 pages with 226 illustrations, including sixty-five plates in full color.
Publisher's dark green cloth over light green paper boards, with gilt spine titles. Original pictorial dust jacket. Minor shelf wear to the book, with some minor cloth loss at the spine tail. Tiny, unobtrusive stain on the top edge. Internal contents bright in a sturdy binding. Near fine condition with a scarce de Kooning signature.
Walt Disney. Sketch Book of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. [London]: [Wm. Collins Sons], [1938].
First edition. Quarto. Unpaginated.
Publisher's beige linen with titles on front stamped in black. Moderate dampstaining along spine and top edge, most severely to bottom portion of spine. Some light mildew staining along spine. Top and bottom edges darkened. Front hinge shaken. Endpapers modestly foxed. Dust jacket is worn with toning and soiling. Lower portion of spine absent from previously mentioned water damage. Has had some primitive restoration work done with interior backing. Despite flaws, still an infrequently encountered title with dust jacket in any condition. An about very good copy.
First edition. Quarto. Unpaginated.
Publisher's beige linen with titles on front stamped in black. Moderate dampstaining along spine and top edge, most severely to bottom portion of spine. Some light mildew staining along spine. Top and bottom edges darkened. Front hinge shaken. Endpapers modestly foxed. Dust jacket is worn with toning and soiling. Lower portion of spine absent from previously mentioned water damage. Has had some primitive restoration work done with interior backing. Despite flaws, still an infrequently encountered title with dust jacket in any condition. An about very good copy.
Jean Midolle. Oeuvres de Jean Midolle. Strasbourg: n.p., n.d. [ca. 1835].
Forty loose folio lithograph plates in blue printed portfolio folder. Ex-library copy, with marking on the outside of the portfolio wrappers only. Very good.
Wonderful example of Midolle's calligraphy and art work represented by dozens of creative and unusual alphabets.
Forty loose folio lithograph plates in blue printed portfolio folder. Ex-library copy, with marking on the outside of the portfolio wrappers only. Very good.
Wonderful example of Midolle's calligraphy and art work represented by dozens of creative and unusual alphabets.
Edmond Pilon. Scènes Galantes et Libertines des Artistes du XVIIIe Siècle. Paris: L'Edition d'Art, 1909.
Limited to 275 numbered copies, of which this is number 207, printed on Holland paper. Quarto. 121 pages. Forty plates, ten in color. Colored frontispiece.
Beautifully bound by Otto Schulze and Company, Edinburgh, in full dark green morocco over boards, with inlaid red morocco borders to boards and spine. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine, and gilt details to boards and spine. Gilt inner dentelles. Top edge gilt. Bookplate of previous owner. Near fine.
The mildly erotic engravings are from the works of artists such as Fragonard, Boucher, and Lavreince.
Limited to 275 numbered copies, of which this is number 207, printed on Holland paper. Quarto. 121 pages. Forty plates, ten in color. Colored frontispiece.
Beautifully bound by Otto Schulze and Company, Edinburgh, in full dark green morocco over boards, with inlaid red morocco borders to boards and spine. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine, and gilt details to boards and spine. Gilt inner dentelles. Top edge gilt. Bookplate of previous owner. Near fine.
The mildly erotic engravings are from the works of artists such as Fragonard, Boucher, and Lavreince.
Thomas Pope. A Treatise on Bridge Architecture, in Which the Superior Advantages of the Flying Pendent Lever Bridge are Fully Proved. New York, 1811.
First edition. Octavo. xxxii, 288 pages. Illustrated with eighteen plates.
Modern half cloth over marbled boards. Paper title label to spine. Some dampstaining to preliminary pages. Foxing throughout.
Thomas Pope proposed the building of an 1,800-foot wooden flying pendent lever bridge across the Hudson river. He went so far as to construct a 50-foot model as well as self-publishing this book, yet he never gained sufficient support to fund the project.
Tyrrell, History of Bridge Engineering.
First edition. Octavo. xxxii, 288 pages. Illustrated with eighteen plates.
Modern half cloth over marbled boards. Paper title label to spine. Some dampstaining to preliminary pages. Foxing throughout.
Thomas Pope proposed the building of an 1,800-foot wooden flying pendent lever bridge across the Hudson river. He went so far as to construct a 50-foot model as well as self-publishing this book, yet he never gained sufficient support to fund the project.
Tyrrell, History of Bridge Engineering.
Antiques
Henry Selous (1803-1890). Jerusalem In Her Fall, As now viewed from the Mount of Olives.
A very large engraving of a grand view of Jerusalem, circa 1860, in good condition. Paper is toned and foxed with several tears around the edges. Several chips. Some dampstaining in the margins. Sheet measures approximately 45 x 33.5 inches.
A very large engraving of a grand view of Jerusalem, circa 1860, in good condition. Paper is toned and foxed with several tears around the edges. Several chips. Some dampstaining in the margins. Sheet measures approximately 45 x 33.5 inches.
Books
Frederick Starr. Indians of Southern Mexico, an Ethnographic Album. Chicago, 1899.
First edition. Limited to 560 numbered copies signed by Starr. This copy is 14, and is from 60 copies in which the plates are printed on Japan paper. Oblong quarto. Illustrated with 141 black and white photographs.
Cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to front board and spine. Some bumping to extremities. Minor spotting to boards. A tight copy in very good condition.
Starr visited the cities and surrounding environs of Morelia, Mexico, Tlaxcala, Puebla, and Oaxaca and photographed representatives from over a dozen Indian tribes.
First edition. Limited to 560 numbered copies signed by Starr. This copy is 14, and is from 60 copies in which the plates are printed on Japan paper. Oblong quarto. Illustrated with 141 black and white photographs.
Cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to front board and spine. Some bumping to extremities. Minor spotting to boards. A tight copy in very good condition.
Starr visited the cities and surrounding environs of Morelia, Mexico, Tlaxcala, Puebla, and Oaxaca and photographed representatives from over a dozen Indian tribes.
Frederick Wedmore. Four Masters of Etching. With Original Etchings by Haden, Jacquemart, Whistler, and Legros. London: The Fine Art Society, Limited, 1883.
First edition. Folio. 46 pages plus publisher's advertisement. With four original etchings, one each by Haden, Jacquemart, Whistler, and Legros mounted in.
Modern dark green leather over dark gray boards with gilt titles on the spine and front board. Top edge gilt. Professionally rebacked. Extremities lightly bumped and rubbed. Corners mended. Boards lightly scuffed and soiled with minor scattered bubbling. Edges and pages slightly yellowed with faint, very light scattered foxing and staining. New endpapers. Some tears mended. Overall, the interior is clean, tight and bright. A lovely and scarce book in very good condition.
First edition. Folio. 46 pages plus publisher's advertisement. With four original etchings, one each by Haden, Jacquemart, Whistler, and Legros mounted in.
Modern dark green leather over dark gray boards with gilt titles on the spine and front board. Top edge gilt. Professionally rebacked. Extremities lightly bumped and rubbed. Corners mended. Boards lightly scuffed and soiled with minor scattered bubbling. Edges and pages slightly yellowed with faint, very light scattered foxing and staining. New endpapers. Some tears mended. Overall, the interior is clean, tight and bright. A lovely and scarce book in very good condition.
Four Books Relating to Hollywood and Pop Culture, including: [Cary Grant]. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Essays. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1876. Front hinge cracked. Half morocco. Bookplate of Cary Grant mounted to front pastedown. [and:] Katharine Hepburn. The Making of the African Queen. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987. First edition. Signed by Katharine Hepburn on the title page. Dust jacket. [and:] Norman Rockwell. Norman Rockwell: My Adventures as an Illustrator. Garden City: Doubleday, 1960. First edition. Signed by Norman Rockwell on the first fly leaf. Tape stains to endpapers and dust jacket flaps. Some rubbing to backstrip. [and:] Jimmy Stewart. Jimmy Stewart and His Poems. New York: Crown, 1986. First edition. Signed by Jimmy Stewart on front free endpaper. Dust jacket. All in very good or better condition.
Charles Burney. A General History of Music, From the Earliest Ages to the Present Period. To Which is Prefixed, a Dissertation on the Music of the Ancients. London: Printed for the author: and sold by T. Becket; J. Robson; and G. Robinson, 1776, 1782, 1789, 1789.
All volumes first editions. Four quarto volumes. xx, [xii], 520; 597; xi, 622; 688 pages. Frontispieces. Indices. Numerous engraved plates, woodcuts, and one fold-out plate. Inked name of original owner, R. Sly, who is listed in the subscriber's list as "Richard Sly, Organist of Lynn." He has, in ink, made corrections throughout the entire set in accordance with the errata pages at the end of each volume.
Bound in contemporary full calf. Gilt lettering to spines. Green morocco title labels with gilt lettering. Raised bands. Marbled endpapers. Older professional restoration to backstrips. Hinges reinforced. Usual rubbing and wear to binding. Foxing and some small dampstains to preliminaries. Only very minor foxing and fading throughout. Very good.
Even though it took thirteen years for this mammoth study to be completed (six years between Volumes I and II alone), Charles Burney's influential history was considered noteworthy from its first appearance. The subscribers list following the preface of Volume I contains over 400 names from the cream of British society, including William Beckford, David Garrick, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Joshua Reynolds, et al. An important early study of music history infrequently found with the first edition of Volume I. Julia Gregory and Hazel Bartlett, in their Catalogue of Early Books on Music, note that Volume I of the set in the Library of Congress is the 1789 second edition.
Gregory and Bartlett, p. 47.
All volumes first editions. Four quarto volumes. xx, [xii], 520; 597; xi, 622; 688 pages. Frontispieces. Indices. Numerous engraved plates, woodcuts, and one fold-out plate. Inked name of original owner, R. Sly, who is listed in the subscriber's list as "Richard Sly, Organist of Lynn." He has, in ink, made corrections throughout the entire set in accordance with the errata pages at the end of each volume.
Bound in contemporary full calf. Gilt lettering to spines. Green morocco title labels with gilt lettering. Raised bands. Marbled endpapers. Older professional restoration to backstrips. Hinges reinforced. Usual rubbing and wear to binding. Foxing and some small dampstains to preliminaries. Only very minor foxing and fading throughout. Very good.
Even though it took thirteen years for this mammoth study to be completed (six years between Volumes I and II alone), Charles Burney's influential history was considered noteworthy from its first appearance. The subscribers list following the preface of Volume I contains over 400 names from the cream of British society, including William Beckford, David Garrick, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Joshua Reynolds, et al. An important early study of music history infrequently found with the first edition of Volume I. Julia Gregory and Hazel Bartlett, in their Catalogue of Early Books on Music, note that Volume I of the set in the Library of Congress is the 1789 second edition.
Gregory and Bartlett, p. 47.
George Gershwin. George Gershwin's Song-Book. New York: Random House, 1932.
Number 74 of 300 limited first edition copies signed by Gershwin and the illustrator Alajalov on the limitation page. Folio. 167 pages. With eighteen piano transcriptions by Gershwin and numerous full-page color lithograph plates by Alajalov. Also contains separate sheet music for "Mischa, Yascha, Toscha, Sascha" in the pocket at the rear pastedown.
Publisher's full blue morocco with gilt titles on the spine and front board. Top edge gilt. Minor shelf wear to the boards, including some wear to the joints. Minimal dust-soiling and toning to the textblock edges. A highly desirable limited edition in near fine condition.
Gershwin dedicated this rare work to Kay Swift. Interestingly, this copy has a gift inscription from Swift on the dedication page. Not only was Swift a songwriter in her own right, she was also Gershwin's lover and the object of his affections for many years.
"In one of his few prose writings, George provided an introduction for the Song-Book. What is most important...is that it contained the original published version of each song, followed side by side by George's 'improvised' versions of the songs" (Carnovale 14).
Number 74 of 300 limited first edition copies signed by Gershwin and the illustrator Alajalov on the limitation page. Folio. 167 pages. With eighteen piano transcriptions by Gershwin and numerous full-page color lithograph plates by Alajalov. Also contains separate sheet music for "Mischa, Yascha, Toscha, Sascha" in the pocket at the rear pastedown.
Publisher's full blue morocco with gilt titles on the spine and front board. Top edge gilt. Minor shelf wear to the boards, including some wear to the joints. Minimal dust-soiling and toning to the textblock edges. A highly desirable limited edition in near fine condition.
Gershwin dedicated this rare work to Kay Swift. Interestingly, this copy has a gift inscription from Swift on the dedication page. Not only was Swift a songwriter in her own right, she was also Gershwin's lover and the object of his affections for many years.
"In one of his few prose writings, George provided an introduction for the Song-Book. What is most important...is that it contained the original published version of each song, followed side by side by George's 'improvised' versions of the songs" (Carnovale 14).
Pietro Metastasio. Opere del Signor Abate Pietro Metastasio. Parigi: Vedova Herissant, 1780-1782.
Twelve octavo volumes. 392; 434; 406; 430; 450; 396; 418; 410; 400; 400; 360; 432 pages. Frontispiece in Volume I. Thirty-six engraved plates throughout. Index.
Early green full morocco over boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Gilt fillets, designs, and turn-ins to boards. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Minor sunning to spines. Most volumes have bookplates on front pastedown of Baron Maximilian von Goldschmidt-Rothschild. A bright and handsome set in near fine condition.
Comprehensive collection of Metastasio's highly-regarded libretti, such as Artaserse, Demofonte, and Olimpiade. Most of Volume XII is concerned with Metastasio's posthumously-published "Estratto della'arte Poetia d'Aristotile."
Twelve octavo volumes. 392; 434; 406; 430; 450; 396; 418; 410; 400; 400; 360; 432 pages. Frontispiece in Volume I. Thirty-six engraved plates throughout. Index.
Early green full morocco over boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Gilt fillets, designs, and turn-ins to boards. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Minor sunning to spines. Most volumes have bookplates on front pastedown of Baron Maximilian von Goldschmidt-Rothschild. A bright and handsome set in near fine condition.
Comprehensive collection of Metastasio's highly-regarded libretti, such as Artaserse, Demofonte, and Olimpiade. Most of Volume XII is concerned with Metastasio's posthumously-published "Estratto della'arte Poetia d'Aristotile."
Kurt Weill. Street Scene: An American Opera. Music by Kurt Weill. Book by Elmer Rice. Lyrics by Langston Hughes. New York: Chappell & Co., Inc., [1948].
First edition. Inscribed and signed on the title page: "For Joe Gittan / a merry Christmas / and thanks for a beautiful job / Kurt". Folio. 273 pages.
Original gray wrappers printed in red. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell box with a spine title label lettered in black. Minor shelf wear and toning to edges, else a fine copy of a rare signed Weill first edition.
Weill gained fame in Germany with The Threepenny Opera. After emigrating to the United Stated he created his masterpiece in Street Scene, a work he described as "a real blending of drama and music, in which the singing continues naturally where the speaking stops, and the spoken word as well as the dramatic action are embedded in overall musical structure." Weill saw Elmer Rice's play of working-class New Yorkers in 1929, and later acquired the rights to produce the opera version, hiring Langston Hughes to compose song lyrics and create operatic dialogue in line with the jazz and blues vibe. Street Scene eventually ran at the Adelphi Theatre in New York City for 148 consecutive performances.
First edition. Inscribed and signed on the title page: "For Joe Gittan / a merry Christmas / and thanks for a beautiful job / Kurt". Folio. 273 pages.
Original gray wrappers printed in red. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell box with a spine title label lettered in black. Minor shelf wear and toning to edges, else a fine copy of a rare signed Weill first edition.
Weill gained fame in Germany with The Threepenny Opera. After emigrating to the United Stated he created his masterpiece in Street Scene, a work he described as "a real blending of drama and music, in which the singing continues naturally where the speaking stops, and the spoken word as well as the dramatic action are embedded in overall musical structure." Weill saw Elmer Rice's play of working-class New Yorkers in 1929, and later acquired the rights to produce the opera version, hiring Langston Hughes to compose song lyrics and create operatic dialogue in line with the jazz and blues vibe. Street Scene eventually ran at the Adelphi Theatre in New York City for 148 consecutive performances.
[Samuel A. Worcester, editor]. The Cherokee Singing Book. Boston: American Board of Commissioners For Foreign Missions, 1846.
First edition. Oblong octavo. 86 pages.
Publisher's salmon boards with wear and soiling. Boards detaching. Library stamps on front pastedown and title page. Library labels on front board. Foxing to pages. Text in Cherokee. A good copy of this fragile volume.
The first sixteen pages of the text concern musical instruction; the remaining pages contain a collection of psalms and hymns.
From Charlotte Heth's Smithsonian essay: "In 1846 the Cherokee Singing Book, conceived and compiled by Samuel A. Worcester with the help of Lowell Mason, was published in Boston with four-part harmonic settings and Cherokee texts. A close check of these tunes with those used today by the Cherokees in Oklahoma shows no correspondence. Although many of the tunes in the singing book are used by Cherokees (such as "Old Hundred"), the texts associated with them are different from those proposed by Worcester in 1846."
Ruth Ellis Messenger writes: "The most interesting of the Cherokee hymn books published by Worcester and the Indian Boudinot appeared in 1846 shortly after the death of Worcester. Its title, The Cherokee Singing Book, does not identify it as a hymn book nor are the names of Worcester or Boudinot mentioned."
Heth, 1992 Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife Program Guide. Messenger. The Papers of The Hymn Society XIV - Latin Hymns of The Middle Ages. Pilling, Bibliography of the Eskimo Language, page 42.
First edition. Oblong octavo. 86 pages.
Publisher's salmon boards with wear and soiling. Boards detaching. Library stamps on front pastedown and title page. Library labels on front board. Foxing to pages. Text in Cherokee. A good copy of this fragile volume.
The first sixteen pages of the text concern musical instruction; the remaining pages contain a collection of psalms and hymns.
From Charlotte Heth's Smithsonian essay: "In 1846 the Cherokee Singing Book, conceived and compiled by Samuel A. Worcester with the help of Lowell Mason, was published in Boston with four-part harmonic settings and Cherokee texts. A close check of these tunes with those used today by the Cherokees in Oklahoma shows no correspondence. Although many of the tunes in the singing book are used by Cherokees (such as "Old Hundred"), the texts associated with them are different from those proposed by Worcester in 1846."
Ruth Ellis Messenger writes: "The most interesting of the Cherokee hymn books published by Worcester and the Indian Boudinot appeared in 1846 shortly after the death of Worcester. Its title, The Cherokee Singing Book, does not identify it as a hymn book nor are the names of Worcester or Boudinot mentioned."
Heth, 1992 Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife Program Guide. Messenger. The Papers of The Hymn Society XIV - Latin Hymns of The Middle Ages. Pilling, Bibliography of the Eskimo Language, page 42.
Francis Bacon. Basil Montagu, editor. The Works of Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor of England. London: William Pickering, 1825-1834.
New edition. Seventeen octavo volumes.
Uniform brown half morocco bindings with brown cloth boards, gilt titles and decoration. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Light rubbing and scuffing. Scattered foxing throughout. Bookplates. A very good set.
New edition. Seventeen octavo volumes.
Uniform brown half morocco bindings with brown cloth boards, gilt titles and decoration. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Light rubbing and scuffing. Scattered foxing throughout. Bookplates. A very good set.
Lady Blennerhassett. Madame de Staël. London: Chapman & Hall, 1889.
Six octavo volumes. The original three volumes have been rebound into six by Zaehnsdorf to accommodate the extra illustrations, and the original publisher's title pages have been replaced by generic title sheets. 224; 225-464; 282; 283-546; 300; 301-609 pages. Index. About 200 added plates, mainly portraits. Several folding plates. Autograph letter signed tipped in Volume I to the recto of the frontispiece.
Contemporary full blue morocco over boards. Raised bands. Gilt designs and lettering to spines. Inner gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Some dampstaining to Volume V. Overall, a near fine set.
Six octavo volumes. The original three volumes have been rebound into six by Zaehnsdorf to accommodate the extra illustrations, and the original publisher's title pages have been replaced by generic title sheets. 224; 225-464; 282; 283-546; 300; 301-609 pages. Index. About 200 added plates, mainly portraits. Several folding plates. Autograph letter signed tipped in Volume I to the recto of the frontispiece.
Contemporary full blue morocco over boards. Raised bands. Gilt designs and lettering to spines. Inner gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Some dampstaining to Volume V. Overall, a near fine set.
[Cosway-Style Binding]. Robert Burns. Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect. Edinburgh: Printed for the Author and Sold by William Creech, 1787.
First Edinburgh edition, first issue. Octavo. xlviii, 368 pages Frontispiece. List of subscribers.
Cosway-style binding. Full red morocco over beveled boards. Gilt-tooled floral designs to the boards; on the front board is Burns' monogram surrounded with a line of his verse; on the rear board are thistle designs surrounded by another line of verse. Raised bands with gilt lettering and decorations to compartments. All edges gilt. Doublures with inlaid green morocco and gilt-stamped lines of Burns' verse. To the front doublure is an inset hand-colored cameo portrait on ivory under glass of Burns, encircled by gilt designs and gem stones. Silk moiré endpapers. Some warping and pulling to base of front silk free endpaper, with some dampstaining as well as a bookplate to the verso. Custom clamshell box shows some wear and warping to the cloth. Near fine.
First Edinburgh edition, first issue. Octavo. xlviii, 368 pages Frontispiece. List of subscribers.
Cosway-style binding. Full red morocco over beveled boards. Gilt-tooled floral designs to the boards; on the front board is Burns' monogram surrounded with a line of his verse; on the rear board are thistle designs surrounded by another line of verse. Raised bands with gilt lettering and decorations to compartments. All edges gilt. Doublures with inlaid green morocco and gilt-stamped lines of Burns' verse. To the front doublure is an inset hand-colored cameo portrait on ivory under glass of Burns, encircled by gilt designs and gem stones. Silk moiré endpapers. Some warping and pulling to base of front silk free endpaper, with some dampstaining as well as a bookplate to the verso. Custom clamshell box shows some wear and warping to the cloth. Near fine.
[Cosway-Style Binding]. Charles Dickens. Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. London: Chapman and Hall, 1837.
First edition, first state. Octavo. Extra-illustrated copy bound in two volumes. xvi, 306; 307-609 pages. Illustrated by Seymour, Buss, and Phiz.
Cosway-style binding. Full green morocco over beveled boards. Blind and gilt fillets to boards with gilt-stamped facsimiles of Dickens' autograph on front boards; raised bands with gilt lettering and decorations to compartments. All edges gilt. Doublures with inlaid red morocco and gilt dentelles. To the front doublure of Volume I is an inset hand-colored cameo portrait of Dickens under glass. Silk moiré endpapers. Fine.
All the Hatton and Cleaver first issue points, with the exception that the "E" signature mark on page 25 is present. Half-title page bound into the second volume. All of the forty-four standard illustrations are present (inclusive of frontispiece and vignette title page), each accompanied by a variant duplicate plate. There is a total of 145 plates. twenty-seven of them hand-colored, such as eleven plates from George Cruikshank's series of "London Characters." A wonderful and unique Dickens item stunningly presented.
Eckel, 55. Gimbel. Smith 3.
First edition, first state. Octavo. Extra-illustrated copy bound in two volumes. xvi, 306; 307-609 pages. Illustrated by Seymour, Buss, and Phiz.
Cosway-style binding. Full green morocco over beveled boards. Blind and gilt fillets to boards with gilt-stamped facsimiles of Dickens' autograph on front boards; raised bands with gilt lettering and decorations to compartments. All edges gilt. Doublures with inlaid red morocco and gilt dentelles. To the front doublure of Volume I is an inset hand-colored cameo portrait of Dickens under glass. Silk moiré endpapers. Fine.
All the Hatton and Cleaver first issue points, with the exception that the "E" signature mark on page 25 is present. Half-title page bound into the second volume. All of the forty-four standard illustrations are present (inclusive of frontispiece and vignette title page), each accompanied by a variant duplicate plate. There is a total of 145 plates. twenty-seven of them hand-colored, such as eleven plates from George Cruikshank's series of "London Characters." A wonderful and unique Dickens item stunningly presented.
Eckel, 55. Gimbel. Smith 3.
[Cosway-Style Binding]. William Shakespeare. The Poems of Shakespeare. London: William Pickering, 1837.
Octavo. lxxxix, 288 pages. Frontispiece.
Cosway-style binding in scarlet crushed morocco over beveled boards. Gilt borders to boards. Front board embellished with Shakespeare's coat of arms in black and brown inlaid morocco and gilt tooling. Raised bands; gilt designs and lettering to spine. Doublures of navy blue crushed levant; inset to front doublure is a hand-painted oval portrait of Shakespeare under glass with a gold frame surrounded by six seed pearls. Dark blue silk moiré endpapers. All edges gilt. In simple custom clamshell box. A stunning fine binding in fine condition.
Octavo. lxxxix, 288 pages. Frontispiece.
Cosway-style binding in scarlet crushed morocco over beveled boards. Gilt borders to boards. Front board embellished with Shakespeare's coat of arms in black and brown inlaid morocco and gilt tooling. Raised bands; gilt designs and lettering to spine. Doublures of navy blue crushed levant; inset to front doublure is a hand-painted oval portrait of Shakespeare under glass with a gold frame surrounded by six seed pearls. Dark blue silk moiré endpapers. All edges gilt. In simple custom clamshell box. A stunning fine binding in fine condition.
[Cosway-Style Binding]. Percy Bysshe Shelley. Poems. Edinburgh: Otto Schulze, 1903.
Number 81 of 500 numbered copies. Octavo. 289 pages. Printed on Whatman hand-made paper. Woodcut initials throughout. Index to first lines.
Cosway binding by Bayntun-Rivière. Scarlet crushed levant over boards. Gilt fillets and ornate borders to boards. Inset cameo hand-painted portrait of Shelley under glass to front board. Raised bands; gilt decorations and lettering to spine. Gilt tooled turn-ins and silk moiré doublures and endpapers. Top edge gilt. Deckle edges. Custom red cloth felt-lined slipcase. Fine.
Number 81 of 500 numbered copies. Octavo. 289 pages. Printed on Whatman hand-made paper. Woodcut initials throughout. Index to first lines.
Cosway binding by Bayntun-Rivière. Scarlet crushed levant over boards. Gilt fillets and ornate borders to boards. Inset cameo hand-painted portrait of Shelley under glass to front board. Raised bands; gilt decorations and lettering to spine. Gilt tooled turn-ins and silk moiré doublures and endpapers. Top edge gilt. Deckle edges. Custom red cloth felt-lined slipcase. Fine.
Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens's Works: Édition de Luxe. London: Chapman & Hall, 1881.
Limited to 1,000 sets of which this is number 959. Thirty large octavo volumes. Illustrated throughout.
Uniformly bound in sumptuous full red morocco with gilt ruling and titles. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Scattered scuffing and abrasions. Bookplates throughout. A handsome set in overall near fine condition.
Limited to 1,000 sets of which this is number 959. Thirty large octavo volumes. Illustrated throughout.
Uniformly bound in sumptuous full red morocco with gilt ruling and titles. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Scattered scuffing and abrasions. Bookplates throughout. A handsome set in overall near fine condition.
Emily Dickinson. Sampler. San Francisco: The Arion Press, 2007.
First thus. Limited to 400 numbered copies, this being number 127, signed by the artist, Kiki Smith. Quarto. 220 pages. Frontispiece and many illustrations by Smith. Foreword by Arion Press founder Andrew Hoyem.
Red-brown goatskin spine, with title stamped in gold; tan cloth over boards, with designs and lettering to front board embroidered with red thread. Slipcase. Publisher's prospectus laid-in. Fine.
First thus. Limited to 400 numbered copies, this being number 127, signed by the artist, Kiki Smith. Quarto. 220 pages. Frontispiece and many illustrations by Smith. Foreword by Arion Press founder Andrew Hoyem.
Red-brown goatskin spine, with title stamped in gold; tan cloth over boards, with designs and lettering to front board embroidered with red thread. Slipcase. Publisher's prospectus laid-in. Fine.
[Doves Press. William Shakespeare]. The Rape of Lucrece. From the text of the first edition printed by Richard Field for John Harrison, 1594. [Hammersmith: Printed at the Doves Press, 1915].
One of only ten copies printed on vellum, from a total limited edition of 185 copies. Small quarto. 76, [2] pages. Printed in red and black by T. J. Cobden-Sanderson.
Full limp vellum by The Doves Bindery (stamp-signed on the rear pastedown endpaper). Title stamped in gilt on the spine. An excellent, very fresh and fine copy in the original Doves binding. Now housed in a custom chemise and half brown morocco book-backed slipcase.
Clark Library, Kelmscott and Doves, pp. 114-115. Ransom, Private Presses, p. 254, no. 46. Tomkinson, p. 58, no. 46.
One of only ten copies printed on vellum, from a total limited edition of 185 copies. Small quarto. 76, [2] pages. Printed in red and black by T. J. Cobden-Sanderson.
Full limp vellum by The Doves Bindery (stamp-signed on the rear pastedown endpaper). Title stamped in gilt on the spine. An excellent, very fresh and fine copy in the original Doves binding. Now housed in a custom chemise and half brown morocco book-backed slipcase.
Clark Library, Kelmscott and Doves, pp. 114-115. Ransom, Private Presses, p. 254, no. 46. Tomkinson, p. 58, no. 46.
Arthur Conan Doyle. First Editions of Two Sherlock Holmes Books in Bayntun-Rivière bindings, including: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. London: George Newnes, 1892. First edition. Octavo. 317 pages. Many illustrations by Sidney Paget. Light blue full morocco over boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to front board and spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Original first state cover and spine bound in rear. [and:] The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. London: George Newnes, 1894. First edition. Octavo. 279 pages. Many illustrations by Sidney Paget. Dark blue full morocco over boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to front board and spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Original cover and spine bound in rear. Both volumes bound by Bayntun-Rivière with leather chosen to match the original blue cloth, and font on the front boards to match that of the Newnes edition's titles. In single slipcase. Fine.
Green and Gibson, A10a and A14a.
Green and Gibson, A10a and A14a.
Gustave Flaubert. Salammbô. Paris: A. Ferroud, 1900.
First thus. Limited to 600 numbered copies, this being number 232. Two octavo volumes. xxiv, 184; 232 pages. Illustrated with fifty-two etchings by Georges Rochegrosse, engraved by Champollion, each plate bound in three states.
Bound in full polished morocco over beveled boards. Gilt fillets to boards. Raised bands. Inlaid morocco floral elements with gilt tooling and lettering to spine. Elaborate floral inlays and gilt designs on turn-ins; vibrant flocked purple silk doublures with floral designs. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. A sumptuous presentation of Flaubert's classic novel of exoticism and excess. Fine.
First thus. Limited to 600 numbered copies, this being number 232. Two octavo volumes. xxiv, 184; 232 pages. Illustrated with fifty-two etchings by Georges Rochegrosse, engraved by Champollion, each plate bound in three states.
Bound in full polished morocco over beveled boards. Gilt fillets to boards. Raised bands. Inlaid morocco floral elements with gilt tooling and lettering to spine. Elaborate floral inlays and gilt designs on turn-ins; vibrant flocked purple silk doublures with floral designs. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. A sumptuous presentation of Flaubert's classic novel of exoticism and excess. Fine.
DuBose Heyward. Jasbo Brown. And Selected Poems. New York: Farrar & Rinehart, [1931].
First edition. Twelvemo. 96 pages.
Modern full black morocco binding. An exquisite and stylish art deco-style binding with gilt spine titles, a multicolored band of French onlay swatches wrapping around the cover, a gilt-tooled female figure dancing with onlaid brown morocco on the front and a blind-tooled female shape reclining on verso. Gilt red leather doublures with gilt-stamped star pattern, gray suede and marbled paper endpapers. Top edge gilt. Internal contents clean and sound. Near fine condition.
First edition. Twelvemo. 96 pages.
Modern full black morocco binding. An exquisite and stylish art deco-style binding with gilt spine titles, a multicolored band of French onlay swatches wrapping around the cover, a gilt-tooled female figure dancing with onlaid brown morocco on the front and a blind-tooled female shape reclining on verso. Gilt red leather doublures with gilt-stamped star pattern, gray suede and marbled paper endpapers. Top edge gilt. Internal contents clean and sound. Near fine condition.
Elbert Hubbard. The Complete Writings of Elbert Hubbard. East Aurora: Roycroft, 1908.
First edition. The Author's Edition, limited to 1,000 numbered sets (this being number 209), signed by Elbert Hubbard on the limitation page. Two Hubbard manuscript pages bound into Volume I before the title pages. Twenty quarto volumes. Printed on handmade paper with Roycroft watermark. Many illustrated plates with tissue guards.
Original half morocco over black paper boards. Blind tooling. Gilt designs and lettering to the spines. Top edges gilt. Deckle edges. Very good.
Elbert Hubbard became enamored of the crafts movement in England such as the work coming from William Morris' Kelmscott Press. After traveling to England to visit Morris, Hubbard returned home to East Aurora, New York, where "he set up the Roycroft Shop, a body not unlike the Essex House community, which grew into a vast pseudo-medieval combination of inn, printing shop, smithy, furniture factory and other crafts, which at its height employed some five hundred men" (Roderich Cave, The Private Press, p. 155).
First edition. The Author's Edition, limited to 1,000 numbered sets (this being number 209), signed by Elbert Hubbard on the limitation page. Two Hubbard manuscript pages bound into Volume I before the title pages. Twenty quarto volumes. Printed on handmade paper with Roycroft watermark. Many illustrated plates with tissue guards.
Original half morocco over black paper boards. Blind tooling. Gilt designs and lettering to the spines. Top edges gilt. Deckle edges. Very good.
Elbert Hubbard became enamored of the crafts movement in England such as the work coming from William Morris' Kelmscott Press. After traveling to England to visit Morris, Hubbard returned home to East Aurora, New York, where "he set up the Roycroft Shop, a body not unlike the Essex House community, which grew into a vast pseudo-medieval combination of inn, printing shop, smithy, furniture factory and other crafts, which at its height employed some five hundred men" (Roderich Cave, The Private Press, p. 155).
David Hume. The History of England, From the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Revolution of 1688. London: T. Cadell, 1792.
New edition. Eight octavo volumes.
Uniform marbled calf with gilt edges and spine decoration. Spine with gilt stamped leather labels. Marbled endpapers and page edges. Rubbing to extremities with wear to spine ends. Minor toning to endpapers and page edges with light, scattered foxing throughout. Bookplates. An about very good set.
New edition. Eight octavo volumes.
Uniform marbled calf with gilt edges and spine decoration. Spine with gilt stamped leather labels. Marbled endpapers and page edges. Rubbing to extremities with wear to spine ends. Minor toning to endpapers and page edges with light, scattered foxing throughout. Bookplates. An about very good set.
Washington Irving. Irving's Works. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1886-1889.
Hudson Edition. Twenty-two octavo volumes. Titles include The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle, Knickerbocker, Alhambra, Sketchbook, etc., with three volumes on Irving's life and letters.
Uniform green half morocco bindings with marbled boards and endpapers. Gilt-stamped titles and decorations. Spines tanned with lightly rubbed extremities. Occasional volume with abrasion or light dampstain. Overall, a very good set.
Hudson Edition. Twenty-two octavo volumes. Titles include The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle, Knickerbocker, Alhambra, Sketchbook, etc., with three volumes on Irving's life and letters.
Uniform green half morocco bindings with marbled boards and endpapers. Gilt-stamped titles and decorations. Spines tanned with lightly rubbed extremities. Occasional volume with abrasion or light dampstain. Overall, a very good set.
Rudyard Kipling. The Writings in Prose and Verse of Rudyard Kipling. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1909-1911.
First thus. Twenty-seven octavo volumes.
Uniform black half morocco bindings with gilt titles and decoration to spine. Marbled boards and endpapers. Top edges gilt. Mildly rubbed with light toning to page edges. A near fine set.
First thus. Twenty-seven octavo volumes.
Uniform black half morocco bindings with gilt titles and decoration to spine. Marbled boards and endpapers. Top edges gilt. Mildly rubbed with light toning to page edges. A near fine set.
Hamilton Wright Mabie. William Shakespeare: Poet, Dramatist, and Man. New York: Macmillan, 1900.
First edition. Limited to 150 numbered copies (this being number 125), signed by Mabie. Quarto. xviii, 421 pages. Illustrations. Index.
Bound by H. Jackel in full crushed olive morocco over boards. Gilt fillets and floral tooled designs to the boards. Raised bands, with gilt-tooled letterings and ornate decorations. Top edge gilt. Highly embellished purple morocco doublures with green, red, and yellow inlaid morocco displaying Shakespeare's initials surrounded by gilt-tooled floral elements. Violet silk moiré endpapers. In matching suede-lined olive morocco pull-off box. Some minor scuffing to the box. Near fine.
First edition. Limited to 150 numbered copies (this being number 125), signed by Mabie. Quarto. xviii, 421 pages. Illustrations. Index.
Bound by H. Jackel in full crushed olive morocco over boards. Gilt fillets and floral tooled designs to the boards. Raised bands, with gilt-tooled letterings and ornate decorations. Top edge gilt. Highly embellished purple morocco doublures with green, red, and yellow inlaid morocco displaying Shakespeare's initials surrounded by gilt-tooled floral elements. Violet silk moiré endpapers. In matching suede-lined olive morocco pull-off box. Some minor scuffing to the box. Near fine.
Arnold McNaughton. The Book of Kings, a Royal Genealogy. London: The Arcadia Press, 1973.
Limited edition. Number 1 of only 55 copies. Signed by Earl Mountbatten, this being his copy. Three folio volumes. xix, 511; 512-1086; 394 pages. Foreword by Mountbatten. Folding family trees. Plates. Index of family names.
Handbound in original full blue crushed Nigerian goatskin morocco with real moiré silk ends, hand-tooled on the inside turn-in in pure gold leaf, hand gilded on all three edges, lettered on the spine in gilt between raised bands, and blocked in pure gold on the front cover. The binding has been done by Zaehnsdorf Limited, the oldest large surviving firm of hand bookbinders in Great Britain. The slipcase is lined with swansdown and blocked on the front with the Crown of State in gilt. Original slipcase splitting. Near fine.
Originally given to Lord Mountbatten in recognition of his help to the author.
Limited edition. Number 1 of only 55 copies. Signed by Earl Mountbatten, this being his copy. Three folio volumes. xix, 511; 512-1086; 394 pages. Foreword by Mountbatten. Folding family trees. Plates. Index of family names.
Handbound in original full blue crushed Nigerian goatskin morocco with real moiré silk ends, hand-tooled on the inside turn-in in pure gold leaf, hand gilded on all three edges, lettered on the spine in gilt between raised bands, and blocked in pure gold on the front cover. The binding has been done by Zaehnsdorf Limited, the oldest large surviving firm of hand bookbinders in Great Britain. The slipcase is lined with swansdown and blocked on the front with the Crown of State in gilt. Original slipcase splitting. Near fine.
Originally given to Lord Mountbatten in recognition of his help to the author.
Prosper Mérimée. Carmen. Paris: Pour les Cent Bibliophiles, 1901.
First thus. Limited to 125 numbered copies, this being number 73. Octavo. viii, 168. Illustrated with 170 color lithographs by Alexandre Lunois incorporated within the textblock. Also bound in is the companion volume of the suite of the 170 color lithographs without Mérimée's text. Original wrappers bound in.
Bound in 1905 by Charles Meunier in full scarlet polished morocco over boards. Gilt border to boards. Raised bands; gilt designs and lettering to spine. Colorful decorative headbands. Ornate full light brown morocco doublures with inlaid morocco depictions of orange tree branches with fruit; facing moiré silk sheets. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Custom suede-lined slipcase in marbled paper with morocco lips. A beautiful example of early twentieth-century artistic bookbinding, in fine condition.
First thus. Limited to 125 numbered copies, this being number 73. Octavo. viii, 168. Illustrated with 170 color lithographs by Alexandre Lunois incorporated within the textblock. Also bound in is the companion volume of the suite of the 170 color lithographs without Mérimée's text. Original wrappers bound in.
Bound in 1905 by Charles Meunier in full scarlet polished morocco over boards. Gilt border to boards. Raised bands; gilt designs and lettering to spine. Colorful decorative headbands. Ornate full light brown morocco doublures with inlaid morocco depictions of orange tree branches with fruit; facing moiré silk sheets. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Custom suede-lined slipcase in marbled paper with morocco lips. A beautiful example of early twentieth-century artistic bookbinding, in fine condition.
John Milton. Paradise Lost. London: Cresset Press, 1931.
First thus. Folio. xii, 442 pages. Limited to 195 numbered copies, this being number 169. Printed on Batchelor's hand-made paper. Wood engravings by D. Galanis. Title page and initial letters designed by Anna Simons.
Cream cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Slight browning to spine. Near fine.
First thus. Folio. xii, 442 pages. Limited to 195 numbered copies, this being number 169. Printed on Batchelor's hand-made paper. Wood engravings by D. Galanis. Title page and initial letters designed by Anna Simons.
Cream cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Slight browning to spine. Near fine.
Molière. The Works of Molière. Paris: Chez Barrie Freres, n.d. [ca. 1895]..
The Palais-Royal Edition, limited to twenty-one sets. Twelve quarto volumes. Each play paginated separately. Many illustrated plates (some in color) with tissue guards by Louis Leloir, Maurice Leloir, Jacques Leman, and Edmond Hedouin. English text with notes.
Ornately bound in full morocco. Gilt fillets and designs to boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering and designs to spines with leather inlays. Lavish doublures of brown and inlaid tan morocco with gilt tooling and an inset hand-colored cameo portrait of Molière. Silk moiré endpapers. All edges gilt. Cloth slipcases with leather lips. Some shelf wear to the slipcases. A stunning set. Near fine.
The Palais-Royal Edition, limited to twenty-one sets. Twelve quarto volumes. Each play paginated separately. Many illustrated plates (some in color) with tissue guards by Louis Leloir, Maurice Leloir, Jacques Leman, and Edmond Hedouin. English text with notes.
Ornately bound in full morocco. Gilt fillets and designs to boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering and designs to spines with leather inlays. Lavish doublures of brown and inlaid tan morocco with gilt tooling and an inset hand-colored cameo portrait of Molière. Silk moiré endpapers. All edges gilt. Cloth slipcases with leather lips. Some shelf wear to the slipcases. A stunning set. Near fine.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. Richard Wagner. The Ring of the Nibelung in Two Limited Volumes, including: The Rhinegold & the Valkyrie. London: Heinemann, 1910. First edition. Number 28 of 1,150 numbered copies signed by Rackham. Quarto. ix, 160 pages. Thirty-four tipped-in color plates.[and:] Siegfried and the Twilight of the Gods. London: Heinemann, 1911. First edition. Number 861 of 1,150 numbered copies signed by Rackham. Quarto. ix, 182 pages. Thirty tipped-in color plates. Uniformly bound in full dark blue polished morocco over boards. Gilt fillets to boards. Raised bands; gilt borders to compartments, gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Housed in sumptuous custom velvet-lined full morocco conservation cases by Asprey. Near fine.
Ayn Rand. Atlas Shrugged. New York: Random House, [1957].
First edition, first printing. Octavo. 1,168 pages plus "About the Author."
Professionally rebound in a highly decorative thick leather art binding with multi-colored leather onlays and gilt tooled devices in a moderne style, including a circular inset piece of metal grillwork over gilt leaf. Decorative rice paper and suede endpapers. Top edge gilt and sprinkled red and green. Deckled fore-edge. A gorgeous, sturdy, unique copy in fine condition.
First edition, first printing. Octavo. 1,168 pages plus "About the Author."
Professionally rebound in a highly decorative thick leather art binding with multi-colored leather onlays and gilt tooled devices in a moderne style, including a circular inset piece of metal grillwork over gilt leaf. Decorative rice paper and suede endpapers. Top edge gilt and sprinkled red and green. Deckled fore-edge. A gorgeous, sturdy, unique copy in fine condition.
Sir Walter Scott. Two Leather Bound Sets, including: Waverley Novels. New York: George Routledge and Sons, [n. d.]. Twenty-five octavo volumes. Uniform tan half leather with spine decoration and leather gilt-stamped spine labels. Marbled boards, endpapers, and page edges. Minor rubbing and abrasions with foxing and toning to preliminary pages. Overall, a very good set. [and:] The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott. Edinburgh: Robert Cadell; & Whitaker, 1833. Twelve octavo volumes. Uniform blue three-quarter morocco with gilt titles. Marbled papers and endpapers. Top edge gilt. Spines show minor fading. Scattered light foxing to endpapers and page edges. A near fine set.
William Shakespeare. The Plays of William Shakespeare, in Eight Volumes, with the Corrections and Illustrations of Various Commentators; to Which are Added Notes by Sam. Johnson. London: Printed for J. and R. Tonson, et al., 1765.
First edition, thus. Eight octavo volumes. clv, 488; 557; 504;589; 493; 627; 547; 473 pages (plus unpaginated appendix). Frontispiece. Prefaces by Johnson and others.
Later full red morocco over boards. Gilt fillets to boards. Raised bands. Gilt designs and lettering to spines. Some offsetting on endpapers from a previous binding. Overall, a very good, tight, attractive set.
Johnson included the prefaces of Pope, Theobald, Warburton and Hanmer in this edition, along with Rowe's Life, and Shakespeare's will, as well as his own sixty-eight-page Preface, which Adam Smith is said to have called "the most manly piece of criticism that was ever published in any country" (Chapman's A Bibliography of Samuel Johnson).
Chapman, 102.
First edition, thus. Eight octavo volumes. clv, 488; 557; 504;589; 493; 627; 547; 473 pages (plus unpaginated appendix). Frontispiece. Prefaces by Johnson and others.
Later full red morocco over boards. Gilt fillets to boards. Raised bands. Gilt designs and lettering to spines. Some offsetting on endpapers from a previous binding. Overall, a very good, tight, attractive set.
Johnson included the prefaces of Pope, Theobald, Warburton and Hanmer in this edition, along with Rowe's Life, and Shakespeare's will, as well as his own sixty-eight-page Preface, which Adam Smith is said to have called "the most manly piece of criticism that was ever published in any country" (Chapman's A Bibliography of Samuel Johnson).
Chapman, 102.
William Shakespeare. The Works of Shakespeare. London: Grant Richards, 1903.
Folio. 145-300 pages. One volume only; The Merry Wives of Windsor and Measure for Measure bound together. On a leaf preceding the frontispiece is a hand-lettered illuminated notice: "This set of Shakespeare, consisting of 585 descriptive pages and plates including numerous fine steel and copper engravings many of which are inlaid in Whatman paper together with over 1,000 water color illustrations and artistic illuminations, has been collected especially and bound for Frederick William Matthiessen and will not be duplicated." Thirty-four plates; twenty-three illuminated designs; twenty-five original watercolor portraits and vignettes in the wide margins.
Lavishly bound in full crushed maroon morocco over boards. Gilt fillets and gilt floral boards with brown and green morocco inlays to the boards. Raised bands; gilt designs and lettering to compartments. Top edges gilt. Inner gilt dentelles. Doublures of green morocco with red and brown morocco inlays and elaborate gilt tooling. Silk moiré endpapers. Slight sunning to the front board and spine. Some rubbing to extremities. Light crumbling to head of spine. Very good.
Folio. 145-300 pages. One volume only; The Merry Wives of Windsor and Measure for Measure bound together. On a leaf preceding the frontispiece is a hand-lettered illuminated notice: "This set of Shakespeare, consisting of 585 descriptive pages and plates including numerous fine steel and copper engravings many of which are inlaid in Whatman paper together with over 1,000 water color illustrations and artistic illuminations, has been collected especially and bound for Frederick William Matthiessen and will not be duplicated." Thirty-four plates; twenty-three illuminated designs; twenty-five original watercolor portraits and vignettes in the wide margins.
Lavishly bound in full crushed maroon morocco over boards. Gilt fillets and gilt floral boards with brown and green morocco inlays to the boards. Raised bands; gilt designs and lettering to compartments. Top edges gilt. Inner gilt dentelles. Doublures of green morocco with red and brown morocco inlays and elaborate gilt tooling. Silk moiré endpapers. Slight sunning to the front board and spine. Some rubbing to extremities. Light crumbling to head of spine. Very good.
William Shakespeare. The Works of Shakespeare, Edited by W. E. Henley. Edinburgh: Grant Richards, 1901-1904.
The Edinburgh Folio Edition, limited to 1,000 numbered sets, signed by publisher Grant Richards. Extra-illustrated copy with the forty parts bound into ten volumes by Bayntun. 353; 367; 326; 335; 358; 304; 347; 362; 383; 317 pages. Frontispieces. 270 inserted illustrations, including eighty-two plates from the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery.
Contemporary full red morocco over boards. Gilt fillets and armorial designs to boards. Blind ties to sides. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Near fine.
In the introductory pages, editor W. E. Henley explains that the "plays are set out in the order made conventional and traditional by the First Folio. That book is so demonstrably the greatest gift ever made to English letters, that praise too liberal, or gratitude too lavish, to them that made it could not be."
The Edinburgh Folio Edition, limited to 1,000 numbered sets, signed by publisher Grant Richards. Extra-illustrated copy with the forty parts bound into ten volumes by Bayntun. 353; 367; 326; 335; 358; 304; 347; 362; 383; 317 pages. Frontispieces. 270 inserted illustrations, including eighty-two plates from the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery.
Contemporary full red morocco over boards. Gilt fillets and armorial designs to boards. Blind ties to sides. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Near fine.
In the introductory pages, editor W. E. Henley explains that the "plays are set out in the order made conventional and traditional by the First Folio. That book is so demonstrably the greatest gift ever made to English letters, that praise too liberal, or gratitude too lavish, to them that made it could not be."
[Edmund Spenser]. Spenser's Faerie Queene, a Poem in Six Books with the Fragment Mutabilitie. London: Printed at the Chiswick Press for George Allen, 1895-1897.
First edition, thus. Limited to 1,000 sets. Six quarto volumes. lxxxvii, 250; viii, 251-528; viii, 529-806; viii, 807-1,044; viii. 1,045-1,276; viii, 1,277-1,546. Dozens of full-page woodcuts and over a hundred small headings and tailpieces by Walter Crane in high Art Nouveau style. Edited by Thomas J. Wise, who provides a lengthy Preface.
Handsomely bound by Lloyd, Wallis, and Lloyd in contemporary full green crushed morocco. Gilt fillets to boards. Raised bands and gilt designs and lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Inner dentelles. Marbled endpapers. Original pictorial wrappers bound in each volume. Fine.
Thomas J. Wise's edition of the Faerie Queen was one of the most anticipated literary publications of its time. Issued serially in nineteen parts, the book began to receive glowing reviews with the issuance of the first part. From the March 9, 1895 issue of The Literary World: "Mr. Walter Crane is the man of all men to illustrated the Faerie Queene, and his work here is one of his finest achievements. His inexhaustible fancy in decoration and his poetic feeling in his figure pieces combine to make his full page designs wonderfully appropriate and pleasing. [...] Walter Crane is a true descendant in the spirit of Edmund Spenser, and their meeting in this fair volume is a source of pure joy to lovers of beautiful verse and masterly drawing."
First edition, thus. Limited to 1,000 sets. Six quarto volumes. lxxxvii, 250; viii, 251-528; viii, 529-806; viii, 807-1,044; viii. 1,045-1,276; viii, 1,277-1,546. Dozens of full-page woodcuts and over a hundred small headings and tailpieces by Walter Crane in high Art Nouveau style. Edited by Thomas J. Wise, who provides a lengthy Preface.
Handsomely bound by Lloyd, Wallis, and Lloyd in contemporary full green crushed morocco. Gilt fillets to boards. Raised bands and gilt designs and lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Inner dentelles. Marbled endpapers. Original pictorial wrappers bound in each volume. Fine.
Thomas J. Wise's edition of the Faerie Queen was one of the most anticipated literary publications of its time. Issued serially in nineteen parts, the book began to receive glowing reviews with the issuance of the first part. From the March 9, 1895 issue of The Literary World: "Mr. Walter Crane is the man of all men to illustrated the Faerie Queene, and his work here is one of his finest achievements. His inexhaustible fancy in decoration and his poetic feeling in his figure pieces combine to make his full page designs wonderfully appropriate and pleasing. [...] Walter Crane is a true descendant in the spirit of Edmund Spenser, and their meeting in this fair volume is a source of pure joy to lovers of beautiful verse and masterly drawing."
Robert Louis Stevenson. The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson. London: Chatto and Windus, 1911.
Swanston Edition. Limited to 2,060 copies of which this is number 1,517. Twenty-six octavo volumes (the twenty-five volume set is accompanied by an additional bibliographical volume, A Bibliography of the Works of Robert Louis Stevenson by Colonel W. F. Prideaux, London: Frank Hollings, 1918).
Publisher's red cloth with gilt spine titles. Top edges gilt. Spines faded. Page edges and endpapers lightly foxed. The additional volume by Prideaux has been bound to match the earlier set. Title gilt rubbed. A very good set.
Swanston Edition. Limited to 2,060 copies of which this is number 1,517. Twenty-six octavo volumes (the twenty-five volume set is accompanied by an additional bibliographical volume, A Bibliography of the Works of Robert Louis Stevenson by Colonel W. F. Prideaux, London: Frank Hollings, 1918).
Publisher's red cloth with gilt spine titles. Top edges gilt. Spines faded. Page edges and endpapers lightly foxed. The additional volume by Prideaux has been bound to match the earlier set. Title gilt rubbed. A very good set.
Frank Stockton. The Novels and Stories of Frank R. Stockton. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899.
Shenandoah Edition. Twenty-three octavo volumes. Engraved frontispiece portraits in Volumes I and XXIII, photogravure frontispieces after photographs and after drawings by A. B. Frost, Peter Newell, Howard Chandler Christy, W. Granville Smith, A. I. Keller, R. F. Zogbaum, W. T. Smedley, M. J. Burns, Walter Russell, Frank O. Small, C. M. Relyea, Albert Herter, Fletcher C. Ransom, and Clyde De Land. Descriptive tissue guards.
Bound by Haddon & Co. in three-quarter maroon morocco, ruled in gilt, over marbled boards. Spines paneled and lettered in gilt in compartments with five gilt-dotted raised bands, top edges gilt, others uncut, marbled endpapers. Armorial bookplate of Henry Roger Wolcott. A nice set in fine condition.
Shenandoah Edition. Twenty-three octavo volumes. Engraved frontispiece portraits in Volumes I and XXIII, photogravure frontispieces after photographs and after drawings by A. B. Frost, Peter Newell, Howard Chandler Christy, W. Granville Smith, A. I. Keller, R. F. Zogbaum, W. T. Smedley, M. J. Burns, Walter Russell, Frank O. Small, C. M. Relyea, Albert Herter, Fletcher C. Ransom, and Clyde De Land. Descriptive tissue guards.
Bound by Haddon & Co. in three-quarter maroon morocco, ruled in gilt, over marbled boards. Spines paneled and lettered in gilt in compartments with five gilt-dotted raised bands, top edges gilt, others uncut, marbled endpapers. Armorial bookplate of Henry Roger Wolcott. A nice set in fine condition.
John Addington Symonds. Twenty-Five Uniformly Bound Volumes, including: Blank Verse. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1895. [and:] Giovanni Boccaccio. London: John C. Nimmo, 1895. [and:] In the Key of Blue and Other Prose Essays. London: Elkin Mathews & John Lane, 1893. [and:] An Introduction to the Study of Dante. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1893. [and:] Many Moods. London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1878. [and:] The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi. London: John C. Nimmo, 1890. Two volumes. Limited to 520 sets. [and:] Miscellanies. London: Macmillan and Co., 1871. [and:] New and Old. London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1880. [and:] Our Life in the Swiss Highlands. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1892. [and:] Renaissance in Italy, Italian Literature. London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1898. Two volumes. [and:] Renaissance in Italy, the Age of the Despots. London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1898. [and:] Renaissance in Italy, the Catholic Reaction. London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1898. Two volumes. [and:] Renaissance in Italy, the Revival of Learning. London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1898. [and:] Sketches and Studies in Italy and Greece. London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1889. Three volumes. [and:] The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Bounarroti and Tommaso Campanella. London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1873. [and:] Studies of the Greek Poets. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1893. Two volumes. [and:] Vagabunduli Libellus. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, and Co., 1884. [and:] Horatio Brown. John Addington Symonds, a Biography. London: John C. Nimmo, 1895. Two volumes.
All volumes uniformly bound by G. P. Putnam's Sons bindery in half green morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Near fine.
All volumes uniformly bound by G. P. Putnam's Sons bindery in half green morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Near fine.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The Works of Alfred Tennyson. Poet Laureate. London: Strahan and Co., 1871.
Eleven twentyfourmo volumes (5.15 x 3.15 inches). Signed and inscribed by the author on a card mounted to the front free endpaper of Volume I. Laid into the rear of Volume I is a brief autograph note from the recipient of Tennyson's inscription, author Arthur G. Bradley, the then-owner of the set, explaining how he received the inscription. There is also an inscription on the front endpaper of Volume II that appears to be a publisher's inscription and not from Tennyson.
Full red morocco. Gilt spine decorated in compartments. All edges and board edges gilt. Some very minor wear to covers, but generally, a lovely set. Housed in publisher's morocco box with brass lock. Box is worn, but whole, creating the effect of having discovered great treasure when the gilt spines are revealed. A very good to near fine set.
Eleven twentyfourmo volumes (5.15 x 3.15 inches). Signed and inscribed by the author on a card mounted to the front free endpaper of Volume I. Laid into the rear of Volume I is a brief autograph note from the recipient of Tennyson's inscription, author Arthur G. Bradley, the then-owner of the set, explaining how he received the inscription. There is also an inscription on the front endpaper of Volume II that appears to be a publisher's inscription and not from Tennyson.
Full red morocco. Gilt spine decorated in compartments. All edges and board edges gilt. Some very minor wear to covers, but generally, a lovely set. Housed in publisher's morocco box with brass lock. Box is worn, but whole, creating the effect of having discovered great treasure when the gilt spines are revealed. A very good to near fine set.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The Works of Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Boston: Estes and Lauriat, 1895.
Édition de Grand Luxe. Limited to 1,000 copies of which this is number 457. Twelve octavo volumes.
Uniform three-quarter red morocco with gilt titles and decoration on spine. Marbled boards and endpapers. Top edges gilt. Publisher's prospectus laid in to first volume. Minor rubbing and wear to extremities. A very good set.
Édition de Grand Luxe. Limited to 1,000 copies of which this is number 457. Twelve octavo volumes.
Uniform three-quarter red morocco with gilt titles and decoration on spine. Marbled boards and endpapers. Top edges gilt. Publisher's prospectus laid in to first volume. Minor rubbing and wear to extremities. A very good set.
William Makepeace Thackeray. The Works of William Makepeace Thackeray. London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1878, 1886.
Fifty-four volumes. Limited to 1,000 numbered sets, this being number 270. Frontispieces. Illustrated with plates by the author and others. Plates in the two Christmas Books volumes in full color. Originally published in twenty-six volumes (all published in 1878, except the last two volumes which came out in 1886) and bound by Pfister into fifty-two volumes. Additionally and uniformly bound are two volumes titled Biographies comprising biographical introductions and plates by Thackeray.
Contemporary green half morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Some of the spines show a uniform sunning. Minor rubbing to the edges of boards. Near fine.
Fifty-four volumes. Limited to 1,000 numbered sets, this being number 270. Frontispieces. Illustrated with plates by the author and others. Plates in the two Christmas Books volumes in full color. Originally published in twenty-six volumes (all published in 1878, except the last two volumes which came out in 1886) and bound by Pfister into fifty-two volumes. Additionally and uniformly bound are two volumes titled Biographies comprising biographical introductions and plates by Thackeray.
Contemporary green half morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Some of the spines show a uniform sunning. Minor rubbing to the edges of boards. Near fine.
Henry David Thoreau. The Writings of Henry David Thoreau - The Manuscript edition with a manuscript leaf in Thoreau's hand mentioning Walden. Boston: Houghton Mifflin & Co., 1906.
The Manuscript Edition, complete in twenty octavo volumes; one of 600 copies, this set number 155 and signed with the publisher's name.
Publisher's three-quarter green morocco over marbled boards. Spines elaborately tooled in gilt in a floral design and lettered in gilt in six compartments, with five raised bands. Spines slightly and uniformly faded, as usual. Top edges gilt; others uncut. A beautiful set with an important manuscript which mentions Walden Pond, where Thoreau made many of his observations for The Dispersion of Seeds.
The double-page manuscript in this copy is from The Dispersion of Seeds, which remained unpublished in manuscript form until 1993. The text was reconstructed and edited by Bradley P. Dean from Thoreau's manuscript, most leaves of which reside in the Berg Collection of the New York Public Library. Dean published this text in Faith in a Seed: The Dispersion of Seeds and Other Late Natural History Writings (Washington and Covelo, Ca.: Shearwater Books, Island Press, 1993).
The Manuscript Edition, complete in twenty octavo volumes; one of 600 copies, this set number 155 and signed with the publisher's name.
Publisher's three-quarter green morocco over marbled boards. Spines elaborately tooled in gilt in a floral design and lettered in gilt in six compartments, with five raised bands. Spines slightly and uniformly faded, as usual. Top edges gilt; others uncut. A beautiful set with an important manuscript which mentions Walden Pond, where Thoreau made many of his observations for The Dispersion of Seeds.
The double-page manuscript in this copy is from The Dispersion of Seeds, which remained unpublished in manuscript form until 1993. The text was reconstructed and edited by Bradley P. Dean from Thoreau's manuscript, most leaves of which reside in the Berg Collection of the New York Public Library. Dean published this text in Faith in a Seed: The Dispersion of Seeds and Other Late Natural History Writings (Washington and Covelo, Ca.: Shearwater Books, Island Press, 1993).
Lyof N. Tolstoï. The Novels and Other Works of Lyof N. Tolstoï. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1911.
First edition, thus. Twenty-four octavo volumes. Frontispieces.
Original blue cloth over boards. Gilt designs to front boards. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Uniform fading to spines. Some minor loss to the spines at the base of Volume I. Very good.
First edition, thus. Twenty-four octavo volumes. Frontispieces.
Original blue cloth over boards. Gilt designs to front boards. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Uniform fading to spines. Some minor loss to the spines at the base of Volume I. Very good.
W. G. Waters. The Italian Novelists. London: Privately Printed for Members of the Society of Bibliophiles, 1901.
The Royal Court Edition, limited to 26 numbered sets, this being number 6. Text printed on Japanese paper. All illustrated plates provided as triplicate sets, "with water-colors, proofs on Japan paper and in tints, with water-color frontispieces on satin." Seven quarto volumes. Forty-four plates, inclusive of frontispieces.
Original green half morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Slight bumping to corners. Spines somewhat faded. Very good.
Volumes I - IV contain The Facetious Nights of Giovanni Francesco Straparola, a collection of of dozens of stories and fairy tales, many bawdy. Included is the earliest known version of Puss-in-Boots. Volumes V - VII contain The Pecorone of Sergiovanni.
The Royal Court Edition, limited to 26 numbered sets, this being number 6. Text printed on Japanese paper. All illustrated plates provided as triplicate sets, "with water-colors, proofs on Japan paper and in tints, with water-color frontispieces on satin." Seven quarto volumes. Forty-four plates, inclusive of frontispieces.
Original green half morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Slight bumping to corners. Spines somewhat faded. Very good.
Volumes I - IV contain The Facetious Nights of Giovanni Francesco Straparola, a collection of of dozens of stories and fairy tales, many bawdy. Included is the earliest known version of Puss-in-Boots. Volumes V - VII contain The Pecorone of Sergiovanni.
Oscar Wilde. The Writings of Oscar Wilde. New York: Gabriel Wells, 1925.
Large paper edition. Limited to 575 numbered copies of which this is number 445. Twelve octavo volumes.
Publisher's blue paper boards with gilt fronts and paper spine labels. Top edges gilt. Modestly rubbed with light wear to spine ends and corners. First volume shaken. Dust jackets shows moderate toning to spines and rubbing to labels. A handsome set in near fine condition.
Large paper edition. Limited to 575 numbered copies of which this is number 445. Twelve octavo volumes.
Publisher's blue paper boards with gilt fronts and paper spine labels. Top edges gilt. Modestly rubbed with light wear to spine ends and corners. First volume shaken. Dust jackets shows moderate toning to spines and rubbing to labels. A handsome set in near fine condition.
Virginia Woolf. Orlando: A Biography. San Francisco: The Arion Press, 2005.
First thus. Limited to 400 numbered copies, of which this is number 251, signed by the photographer, Diana Michener. Quarto. 168 pages. Illustrated by Michener with twelve gate-fold color photographs.
Gold cloth with pictorial panels over boards. Lettering to front board and spine; in slipcase with matching illustrated covers. A beautiful fine-press edition of Woolf's classic novel. Fine.
First thus. Limited to 400 numbered copies, of which this is number 251, signed by the photographer, Diana Michener. Quarto. 168 pages. Illustrated by Michener with twelve gate-fold color photographs.
Gold cloth with pictorial panels over boards. Lettering to front board and spine; in slipcase with matching illustrated covers. A beautiful fine-press edition of Woolf's classic novel. Fine.
[Fore-edge Painting]. Joanna Baillie. The Dramatic and Poetical Works. Complete in One Volume. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1853.
Second edition. Octavo. 847 pages. Engraved portrait frontispiece and title page. With a double fore-edge painting, each showing a Scottish landmark, with one view of the Gothic-style Melrose Abbey and the other side depicting a scene below Edinburgh Castle.
Full red morocco gilt with gilt spine titles in compartments. All edges gilt. Moderate shelf wear. Scattered foxing to endpapers. Paintings are in excellent condition. A near fine copy.
Second edition. Octavo. 847 pages. Engraved portrait frontispiece and title page. With a double fore-edge painting, each showing a Scottish landmark, with one view of the Gothic-style Melrose Abbey and the other side depicting a scene below Edinburgh Castle.
Full red morocco gilt with gilt spine titles in compartments. All edges gilt. Moderate shelf wear. Scattered foxing to endpapers. Paintings are in excellent condition. A near fine copy.
[Fore-edge Painting]. The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments: Translated Out of the Original Tongues; and with the Former Translations Diligently Compared and Revised, By His Majesties Special Command. Edinburgh: Printed by Mark and Charles Kerr, 1791.
Twelvemo. Unpaginated. With a double fore-edge painting, both scenes featuring townscapes with ships in the foreground.
Contemporary red morocco over boards. Gilt borders to boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Double fore-edge paintings. Some scuffing to extremities of binding. Headbands slumping. Front free endpaper detached. Inked name of previous owners. Very good.
Twelvemo. Unpaginated. With a double fore-edge painting, both scenes featuring townscapes with ships in the foreground.
Contemporary red morocco over boards. Gilt borders to boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Double fore-edge paintings. Some scuffing to extremities of binding. Headbands slumping. Front free endpaper detached. Inked name of previous owners. Very good.
[Fore-edge Painting]. William Cowper. The Works: His Life, Letters, and Poems. London: William Tegg and Co., 1851.
Third edition. Octavo. 736 pages. With a large fore-edge painting of a river scene with a boat docked in front of an overhead bridge and a large building next to the river bank.
Dark brown leather with gilt spine titles and decorations with gilt decorative ruling to the boards and a crest in gilt in the middle of the boards. All edges gilt. Moderate shelf wear. Rubbing to the spine ends, spine folds and corners. Very good condition with a substantial fore-edge painting of a pastoral scene.
Third edition. Octavo. 736 pages. With a large fore-edge painting of a river scene with a boat docked in front of an overhead bridge and a large building next to the river bank.
Dark brown leather with gilt spine titles and decorations with gilt decorative ruling to the boards and a crest in gilt in the middle of the boards. All edges gilt. Moderate shelf wear. Rubbing to the spine ends, spine folds and corners. Very good condition with a substantial fore-edge painting of a pastoral scene.
[Fore-edge Painting]. Lord Macauley. Lays of Ancient Rome. With Illustrations Original and from the Antique, Drawn on Wood by George Scharf. London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green, 1863.
New edition. Octavo. 210 pages. Profusely illustrated throughout. With a brilliant fore-edge painting showing a bright and clear view of the Castle of Sant'Angelo, St. Peter's Basilica and a bridge over the Tiber River.
Sturdy full red morocco with gilt titles, five raised spine bands, and decorative stamping in gilt and black. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Moderate shelf wear. Marginal dampstaining to some terminal pages. Scattered minor foxing. A very good copy with one of the more striking fore-edge paintings we've seen.
New edition. Octavo. 210 pages. Profusely illustrated throughout. With a brilliant fore-edge painting showing a bright and clear view of the Castle of Sant'Angelo, St. Peter's Basilica and a bridge over the Tiber River.
Sturdy full red morocco with gilt titles, five raised spine bands, and decorative stamping in gilt and black. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Moderate shelf wear. Marginal dampstaining to some terminal pages. Scattered minor foxing. A very good copy with one of the more striking fore-edge paintings we've seen.
[Fore-edge Painting]. Philip Massinger. The Plays of Philip Massinger. London: Albert J. Crocker Brothers, 1870.
Octavo. 644 pages. With a richly-detailed fore-edge painting of Salisbury Cathedral, part of the town, and the surrounding countryside.
Full brown morocco gilt with gilt spine titles on a red leather title label inside five raised bands. Boards ruled in gilt with fleurs-de-lis in the corners. Gilt-ruled turn-ins. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Moderate shelf wear, with some joint wear. Spine lightly faded. A beautiful copy in very good condition with a lovely pastoral fore-edge painting.
Octavo. 644 pages. With a richly-detailed fore-edge painting of Salisbury Cathedral, part of the town, and the surrounding countryside.
Full brown morocco gilt with gilt spine titles on a red leather title label inside five raised bands. Boards ruled in gilt with fleurs-de-lis in the corners. Gilt-ruled turn-ins. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Moderate shelf wear, with some joint wear. Spine lightly faded. A beautiful copy in very good condition with a lovely pastoral fore-edge painting.
[Fore-edge Painting]. Thomas Moore. The Poetical Works. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1850.
Octavo. 691 pages. With a fantastic fore-edge painting of a bustling colonial scene in State Street, Boston.
Dark green morocco with gilt spine titles and decorations with gilt decorative ruling to the boards. All edges gilt. Moderate shelf wear. Rubbing to the spine ends and corners. A very good copy with a wonderful fore-edge painting.
Octavo. 691 pages. With a fantastic fore-edge painting of a bustling colonial scene in State Street, Boston.
Dark green morocco with gilt spine titles and decorations with gilt decorative ruling to the boards. All edges gilt. Moderate shelf wear. Rubbing to the spine ends and corners. A very good copy with a wonderful fore-edge painting.
[Fore-edge Painting]. Samuel Rogers. Poems by Samuel Rogers. A New Edition. London: Printed for T. Cadell, 1827.
New edition. Small octavo. 314 pages. Additional engraved title and engraved plates. With an excellent fore-edge painting of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton.
Nineteenth-century straight-grain brown morocco, decorated in gilt and blind. All edges gilt. Pale yellow coated endpapers. Front board and backstrip faded, stain to lower portion of front board, rubbing and light wear at joints and along edges, else a very good, attractive copy. A superb example of a period fore-edge painting.
New edition. Small octavo. 314 pages. Additional engraved title and engraved plates. With an excellent fore-edge painting of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton.
Nineteenth-century straight-grain brown morocco, decorated in gilt and blind. All edges gilt. Pale yellow coated endpapers. Front board and backstrip faded, stain to lower portion of front board, rubbing and light wear at joints and along edges, else a very good, attractive copy. A superb example of a period fore-edge painting.
[Fore-edge Painting]. Mrs. John Sandford. Woman, In Her Social and Domestic Character. London: Printed for Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans, 1839.
Sixteenmo. 224 pages. With a fantastic fore-edge painting depicting a bustling London street scene from Fish Street Hill to Grace Church Street, circa 1792.
Contemporary black leather with gilt spine titles inside four raised bands. Boards ruled in gilt. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Minor shelf wear. A tight copy in very good condition.
Sixteenmo. 224 pages. With a fantastic fore-edge painting depicting a bustling London street scene from Fish Street Hill to Grace Church Street, circa 1792.
Contemporary black leather with gilt spine titles inside four raised bands. Boards ruled in gilt. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Minor shelf wear. A tight copy in very good condition.
[Fore-edge Painting]. William Shakespeare. The Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare with a Glossary. Chiswick: Printed by C. Whittingham, 1823.
Twelvemo. 666 pages plus two-page advertisement. Skillfully-executed fore-edge painting of a pastoral Elizabethan scene, depicting the Stratford-upon-Avon house in which Shakespeare was born and two figures in Elizabethan dress, one of whom may be Shakespeare, all surrounded by tall trees and other foliage.
Nineteenth-century black leather decoratively stamped in gilt and blind. All edges gilt. Binding worn with abrading to the boards along the spine and edges. Corners rubbed. Headcap of spine loose but intact. Overall, a very good copy with a striking fore-edge painting.
Twelvemo. 666 pages plus two-page advertisement. Skillfully-executed fore-edge painting of a pastoral Elizabethan scene, depicting the Stratford-upon-Avon house in which Shakespeare was born and two figures in Elizabethan dress, one of whom may be Shakespeare, all surrounded by tall trees and other foliage.
Nineteenth-century black leather decoratively stamped in gilt and blind. All edges gilt. Binding worn with abrading to the boards along the spine and edges. Corners rubbed. Headcap of spine loose but intact. Overall, a very good copy with a striking fore-edge painting.
[Fore-edge Painting]. [Horace Smith]. Brambletye House. London: Henry Colburn, 1826.
Three twelvemo volumes. Each volume has a fore-edge painting depicting a scene from the novel. Volume I shows Hever Castle in Kent. Volume II depicts a busy scene at the Fish Market in Rotterdam. And Volume III offers a charming view of patrons sitting outside The Dolphin Inn at Battersea.
Green morocco gilt extra with gilt spine titles and four raised bands. Moderate wear to spine ends and corners, but the three paintings are in excellent condition. Bookplate on front pastedown of Volume I.
A rare chance for three complementary fore-edge paintings that directly pertain to the work on which they appear.
Three twelvemo volumes. Each volume has a fore-edge painting depicting a scene from the novel. Volume I shows Hever Castle in Kent. Volume II depicts a busy scene at the Fish Market in Rotterdam. And Volume III offers a charming view of patrons sitting outside The Dolphin Inn at Battersea.
Green morocco gilt extra with gilt spine titles and four raised bands. Moderate wear to spine ends and corners, but the three paintings are in excellent condition. Bookplate on front pastedown of Volume I.
A rare chance for three complementary fore-edge paintings that directly pertain to the work on which they appear.
[Fore-edge Painting]. Irving Stone. Lust for Life. New York: The Heritage Press, 1936.
Octavo. 507 pages. Many illustrations.
Full yellow leather over boards. Title label to spine. All edges gilt. Fore-edge painting by Sue Buckingham Moulton, including a portrait of Vincent Van Gogh in the center of the fore-edge, and on either side, two scenes from his paintings. The book is signed on the title page by Moulton. Laid in are two preparatory studies in color by Moulton, as well as two black and white photographs of Moulton by Philadelphia photographer W. Coulbourn Brown. In slipcase with hand-made paper title label. Front hinge cracking. Rubbing and crumbling to leather of spine. Some rubbing to edges of boards. Bumping and splitting to slipcase. Overall, in very good condition.
Octavo. 507 pages. Many illustrations.
Full yellow leather over boards. Title label to spine. All edges gilt. Fore-edge painting by Sue Buckingham Moulton, including a portrait of Vincent Van Gogh in the center of the fore-edge, and on either side, two scenes from his paintings. The book is signed on the title page by Moulton. Laid in are two preparatory studies in color by Moulton, as well as two black and white photographs of Moulton by Philadelphia photographer W. Coulbourn Brown. In slipcase with hand-made paper title label. Front hinge cracking. Rubbing and crumbling to leather of spine. Some rubbing to edges of boards. Bumping and splitting to slipcase. Overall, in very good condition.
Little Black Sambo Lot, including: Helen Bannerman. The Story of Little Black Sambo. New York: Platt & Munk, n.d. [ca. 1935]. Sixteenmo. 62 pages. [and:] Frank Ver Beck. Little Black Sambo and the Monkey People. New York: Platt & Munk, [1935]. Sixteenmo. 62 pages. [and:] Frank Ver Beck. Little Black Sambo and the Baby Elephant. New York: Platt & Munk, [1935]. Sixteenmo. 62 pages. [and:] Frank Ver Beck. Little Black Sambo and the Tiger Kitten. New York: Platt & Munk, [1935]. Sixteenmo. 62 pages. Presumed later issues. All volumes in dust jacket and in good or better condition.
J. M. Barrie. Peter and Wendy. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, [1911].
First American edition. Octavo. 267 pages with thirteen illustrations by F. D. Bedford.
Publisher's olive green cloth with gilt titles and decorations to front and spine. Light rubbing to extremities with some scuffing to rear board and a hint of fading to backstrip. Endpapers and page edges are mildly toned. A bright, attractive copy of this children's classic in very good condition.
First American edition. Octavo. 267 pages with thirteen illustrations by F. D. Bedford.
Publisher's olive green cloth with gilt titles and decorations to front and spine. Light rubbing to extremities with some scuffing to rear board and a hint of fading to backstrip. Endpapers and page edges are mildly toned. A bright, attractive copy of this children's classic in very good condition.
L. Frank Baum. W. W. Denslow [illustrator]. Father Goose. His Book -- With an Original Drawing by Denslow, Inscribed. Pictures by Wm. W. Denslow. Chicago: Geo. M. Hill Co., [1899].
First edition. Inscribed by Denslow on the front free endpaper, "To Miss Elsa Longyear with compliments of W. W. Denslow." Above the inscription, Denslow has drawn a charming scene of a little girl watching longingly as a tiny ship sails away into the distance. Drawing is signed with Denslow's seahorse monogram. Large quarto. Unpaginated.
Publisher's pictorial boards printed in yellow, orange, black, and white. Boards are heavily worn with soiling and dampstaining. Backstrip repaired and hinges reinforced. Page edges toned with three pages having repairs to lower corner and fore-edge. A good copy.
A rare Baum title in any condition and very seldom found with original artwork by Denslow.
First edition. Inscribed by Denslow on the front free endpaper, "To Miss Elsa Longyear with compliments of W. W. Denslow." Above the inscription, Denslow has drawn a charming scene of a little girl watching longingly as a tiny ship sails away into the distance. Drawing is signed with Denslow's seahorse monogram. Large quarto. Unpaginated.
Publisher's pictorial boards printed in yellow, orange, black, and white. Boards are heavily worn with soiling and dampstaining. Backstrip repaired and hinges reinforced. Page edges toned with three pages having repairs to lower corner and fore-edge. A good copy.
A rare Baum title in any condition and very seldom found with original artwork by Denslow.
L. Frank Baum. [Maxfield Parrish, illustrator]. Mother Goose in Prose - A Near Fine Copy of Baum's First Juvenile and Parrish's First Illustrated Book, Rarely Found in Such Beautiful Condition. Chicago: Way and Williams, [1897].
First edition, first issue (composed of sixteen-page gatherings, except for the last two gatherings of eight and four pages, respectively). Quarto. 265, [3] pages. Twelve black and white plates (including frontispiece) by Maxfield Parrish.
Original grey cloth pictorially stamped in color. A few spots on front cover. Previous owner's inscription on half-title. A near fine copy of this book rarely found in such beautiful condition.
"Mother Goose in Prose was the first book illustrated by Maxfield Parrish [1870-1966]. By coincidence, it was also the first book written by L. Frank Baum [1856-1919], who later rose to fame as the author of The Wizard of Oz and other tales of the mythical country of Oz. The volume was not a collaboration in the true sense of the word, for the author and the artist never met...Imaginative in concept and executed with confidence and originality, the illustrations for Mother Goose in Prose brought Parrish immediate recognition as a young book illustrator of ability. An expression of strong individuality, the illustrations portray a bygone era that is the unique domain of the nursery rhyme or fairy tale...This series of black-and-white drawings illustrates Parrish's mastery of complicated technique and his ability to combine several media to achieve the desired effect" (Ludwig, Maxfield Parrish, p. 25).
Baughman 44.
First edition, first issue (composed of sixteen-page gatherings, except for the last two gatherings of eight and four pages, respectively). Quarto. 265, [3] pages. Twelve black and white plates (including frontispiece) by Maxfield Parrish.
Original grey cloth pictorially stamped in color. A few spots on front cover. Previous owner's inscription on half-title. A near fine copy of this book rarely found in such beautiful condition.
"Mother Goose in Prose was the first book illustrated by Maxfield Parrish [1870-1966]. By coincidence, it was also the first book written by L. Frank Baum [1856-1919], who later rose to fame as the author of The Wizard of Oz and other tales of the mythical country of Oz. The volume was not a collaboration in the true sense of the word, for the author and the artist never met...Imaginative in concept and executed with confidence and originality, the illustrations for Mother Goose in Prose brought Parrish immediate recognition as a young book illustrator of ability. An expression of strong individuality, the illustrations portray a bygone era that is the unique domain of the nursery rhyme or fairy tale...This series of black-and-white drawings illustrates Parrish's mastery of complicated technique and his ability to combine several media to achieve the desired effect" (Ludwig, Maxfield Parrish, p. 25).
Baughman 44.
L. Frank Baum. The Marvelous Land of Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1904.
First edition, first state sheets in second state binding. Octavo. 287 pages.
Publisher's red cloth with stamping in dark blue, silver, and green. First state textual points are met with illustrated box on page [4] measuring 6.25 inches, misplaced illustrations on pages [22] and [27], and misplaced tailpieces on pages 82 and 158. The binding is second state with front title embellished in silver outlines. Cloth is lightly rubbed and soiled with wear to spine ends and corners. Pictorial front free endpaper is lightly chipped. Previous owner's inscription on recto of frontis page. First several pages are thumbed. Rear hinge repaired. Pages are mildly toned. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Overall, a very good copy of the second Oz book.
Hanff and Greene, pp. 45-48.
First edition, first state sheets in second state binding. Octavo. 287 pages.
Publisher's red cloth with stamping in dark blue, silver, and green. First state textual points are met with illustrated box on page [4] measuring 6.25 inches, misplaced illustrations on pages [22] and [27], and misplaced tailpieces on pages 82 and 158. The binding is second state with front title embellished in silver outlines. Cloth is lightly rubbed and soiled with wear to spine ends and corners. Pictorial front free endpaper is lightly chipped. Previous owner's inscription on recto of frontis page. First several pages are thumbed. Rear hinge repaired. Pages are mildly toned. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Overall, a very good copy of the second Oz book.
Hanff and Greene, pp. 45-48.
L. Frank Baum. The Marvelous Land of Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1904.
First edition. Quarto. 287 pages. Illustrated by John R. Neill, with many black and white drawings, a color frontispiece, and sixteen color plates.
Decorative green cloth over boards. Blue lettering to front board and spine. Pictorial endpapers. Hinges cracked. In custom blue slipcase. Very good.
The second state of the text in the "A" binding, per Hanff and Greene. This is the sequel to Baum's enormously successful Wizard of Oz, and the first Oz book to be illustrated by John R. Neill.
Hanff and Greene, p. 45.
First edition. Quarto. 287 pages. Illustrated by John R. Neill, with many black and white drawings, a color frontispiece, and sixteen color plates.
Decorative green cloth over boards. Blue lettering to front board and spine. Pictorial endpapers. Hinges cracked. In custom blue slipcase. Very good.
The second state of the text in the "A" binding, per Hanff and Greene. This is the sequel to Baum's enormously successful Wizard of Oz, and the first Oz book to be illustrated by John R. Neill.
Hanff and Greene, p. 45.
L. Frank Baum. The Road to Oz. Illustrated by John R. Neill. Chicago: The Reilly & Britton Co., [1909].
First edition, first state (printed on multi-colored stock), with caption and page numeral on page 129. Large octavo. 261, [1, blank], [2, advertisements] pages. Numerous text illustrations by Neill. Printed on variously color-tinted paper stock.
Publisher's primary binding of light green cloth, pictorially stamped on covers and spine in darker green, red, brown and black. Spine imprint in upper and lower case, also indicating first state. Pictorial endpapers. Slight rubbing and edge wear to front cover, dust jacket has one small chip on the top white margin of the front cover and a tiny chip at the top white margin of the spine. A very good copy in a later state, rare Reilly and Britton dust jacket.
Hanff and Green, v.
First edition, first state (printed on multi-colored stock), with caption and page numeral on page 129. Large octavo. 261, [1, blank], [2, advertisements] pages. Numerous text illustrations by Neill. Printed on variously color-tinted paper stock.
Publisher's primary binding of light green cloth, pictorially stamped on covers and spine in darker green, red, brown and black. Spine imprint in upper and lower case, also indicating first state. Pictorial endpapers. Slight rubbing and edge wear to front cover, dust jacket has one small chip on the top white margin of the front cover and a tiny chip at the top white margin of the spine. A very good copy in a later state, rare Reilly and Britton dust jacket.
Hanff and Green, v.
L. Frank Baum. The Surprising Adventures of the Magical Monarch of Mo and His People. Chicago: M. A. Donohue, [n.d., circa 1913].
Second edition, first state, with the title page in black text and the Donohue imprint (instead of the Braunworth) on the copyright page.
Quarto. 237 pages. Illustrations by Frank Verbeck, including twelve colored plates.
Decorated blue cloth over boards. Blank endpapers. In the scarce original dust jacket, heavily chipped. Overall, a very good copy.
Baum's first full-length children's fantasy book, originally published in 1899 under the title A New Wonderland. This copy was lot 98 from the Justin Schiller collection, and has a numbered, initialed card laid-in from that sale.
Swann-Schiller 98. TBB Spring 1967, p. 29
Second edition, first state, with the title page in black text and the Donohue imprint (instead of the Braunworth) on the copyright page.
Quarto. 237 pages. Illustrations by Frank Verbeck, including twelve colored plates.
Decorated blue cloth over boards. Blank endpapers. In the scarce original dust jacket, heavily chipped. Overall, a very good copy.
Baum's first full-length children's fantasy book, originally published in 1899 under the title A New Wonderland. This copy was lot 98 from the Justin Schiller collection, and has a numbered, initialed card laid-in from that sale.
Swann-Schiller 98. TBB Spring 1967, p. 29
L. Frank Baum. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Chicago and New York: George M. Hill Company, 1900.
First state of text; mixed first state of plates; second state binding. With the following points: publisher's advertisement is enclosed in a box, page 14 line 1 has "low wail on", page 81, fourth line from bottom has "peices", page 227, line 1 begins "While Tin Woodman", the colophon on the rear pastedown is set in eleven lines and enclosed in a box, perfect type page 100 last line and page 186 last line, no copyright notice on verso of title page indicating one of the 1st copies, plate facing page 92 is in the second state, without red shading on the horizon, in second state binding with "Geo. M. Hill" stamped in red on spine. Quarto. 259, [1, blank], [1], [1, blank] pages.
Original publisher's light green pictorial cloth, decorated in red and dark green. Professionally re-cased. Color pictorial pastedown endpapers (the front pastedown printed in black and gray and the rear pastedown printed in black and red). Issued without free endpapers. This copy with added end sheet for strength. Light wear at the head and foot of the spine, corners abraded, and with general shelf wear, former young owner's name neatly written (and stamped) on the second front free endpaper, otherwise a sound copy in very good condition, sold with a custom slipcase.
The first and best-known of Baum's Oz series and immortalized by the 1939 MGM movie starring a young Judy Garland. This copy is quite handsome and in much better condition than those commonly encountered.
First state of text; mixed first state of plates; second state binding. With the following points: publisher's advertisement is enclosed in a box, page 14 line 1 has "low wail on", page 81, fourth line from bottom has "peices", page 227, line 1 begins "While Tin Woodman", the colophon on the rear pastedown is set in eleven lines and enclosed in a box, perfect type page 100 last line and page 186 last line, no copyright notice on verso of title page indicating one of the 1st copies, plate facing page 92 is in the second state, without red shading on the horizon, in second state binding with "Geo. M. Hill" stamped in red on spine. Quarto. 259, [1, blank], [1], [1, blank] pages.
Original publisher's light green pictorial cloth, decorated in red and dark green. Professionally re-cased. Color pictorial pastedown endpapers (the front pastedown printed in black and gray and the rear pastedown printed in black and red). Issued without free endpapers. This copy with added end sheet for strength. Light wear at the head and foot of the spine, corners abraded, and with general shelf wear, former young owner's name neatly written (and stamped) on the second front free endpaper, otherwise a sound copy in very good condition, sold with a custom slipcase.
The first and best-known of Baum's Oz series and immortalized by the 1939 MGM movie starring a young Judy Garland. This copy is quite handsome and in much better condition than those commonly encountered.
L. Frank Baum. The Wizard of Oz Waddle Book. New York: Blue Ribbon Books, [1934].
First edition, second state with rounded spine and no publisher's imprint at the foot of the spine; the waddles are detached from the stubs in the binding. Waddles are as new, in their original cards and laid into the book at the points at which they originally appeared. Quarto. 208, [3, instructions] pages.
Publisher's green cloth with a color pictorial cover label. Hinges a bit shaken and cracked as usual, else a fine copy. This copy includes all the rare waddles, the yellow brick road ramp, the original envelope holding the ramp, and even the original metal clips that hold the waddles upright. Also included is the original wraparound band at the rear that holds the envelope in place (though now split at the bottom). It is quite rare to find the waddles present and in unused condition. A remarkable survival in fine condition.
Hanff and Green, pp. 35-36.
First edition, second state with rounded spine and no publisher's imprint at the foot of the spine; the waddles are detached from the stubs in the binding. Waddles are as new, in their original cards and laid into the book at the points at which they originally appeared. Quarto. 208, [3, instructions] pages.
Publisher's green cloth with a color pictorial cover label. Hinges a bit shaken and cracked as usual, else a fine copy. This copy includes all the rare waddles, the yellow brick road ramp, the original envelope holding the ramp, and even the original metal clips that hold the waddles upright. Also included is the original wraparound band at the rear that holds the envelope in place (though now split at the bottom). It is quite rare to find the waddles present and in unused condition. A remarkable survival in fine condition.
Hanff and Green, pp. 35-36.
L. Frank Baum. Five Later Issue Oz Books, including: The New Wizard of Oz. Chicago: M. A. Donohue, [ca. 1913]. Third edition. [and:] Ozma of Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Britton, [1907]. Later printing with ads at rear running through Patchwork Girl of Oz. [and:] Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Lee Co., [ca. 1916]. Numerous illustrations colored with crayon. [and:] Rinkitink in Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Lee Co., [1916]. Later printing. Numerous illustrations colored with crayon. [and:] Glinda of Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Lee Co., [ca. 1923]. Later printing. All volumes in this lot in fair or better condition.
Hanff and Greene.
Hanff and Greene.
M. Boutet de Monvel. Jeanne d'Arc. Paris: Pilon, Nourrit, 1896.
First edition. Deluxe limited edition. No limit of print run listed on limitation page: "Exemplaire papier du Japon, No. 37. Imprint pour Madame Walter Mac Ewen." Oblong folio. Forty-nine plates mounted on wove paper presented as loose portfolio prints.
Original decorative paper over boards. Decorated silk endpapers. Heavily toned boards show some staining. Loss to backstrip and cloth ties. Internally sound. Plates immaculate. Overall, a very good copy.
This is generally considered to be Maurice Boutet de Monvel's masterpiece. As one of the most-celebrated children's book illustrators of the Nineteenth Century, Boutet de Monvel found himself in great demand to work in collaboration with many successful authors; however, with this history of Joan of Arc for children, Boutet de Monvel provided the text as well as the striking and epic art work. These color lithographs were pulled from stones prepared with both text and images. A beautiful and complete set of this important work.
First edition. Deluxe limited edition. No limit of print run listed on limitation page: "Exemplaire papier du Japon, No. 37. Imprint pour Madame Walter Mac Ewen." Oblong folio. Forty-nine plates mounted on wove paper presented as loose portfolio prints.
Original decorative paper over boards. Decorated silk endpapers. Heavily toned boards show some staining. Loss to backstrip and cloth ties. Internally sound. Plates immaculate. Overall, a very good copy.
This is generally considered to be Maurice Boutet de Monvel's masterpiece. As one of the most-celebrated children's book illustrators of the Nineteenth Century, Boutet de Monvel found himself in great demand to work in collaboration with many successful authors; however, with this history of Joan of Arc for children, Boutet de Monvel provided the text as well as the striking and epic art work. These color lithographs were pulled from stones prepared with both text and images. A beautiful and complete set of this important work.
Lewis Carroll. Two Limited Editions Club Alice Books, One Signed by Alice Hargreaves, including: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1932. Number 935 of 1,500 limited edition copies signed on the colophon page by Frederic Warde, designer of this edition's typography and binding, and also signed on a preliminary blank page by Alice Hargreaves (nee Alice Liddell, "the original Alice"). Per the LEC bibliography, the limitation of the editions signed by Hargreaves (in addition to Warde) was said to be 500 copies. Octavo. xi, 182 pages. Introduction by Henry Seidel Canby. Original illustrations by John Tenniel, re-engraved on wood by Bruno Rollitz. Printed for the members of the Limited Editions Club by the printing house of William Edwin Rudge, Mount Vernon, New York. Full red morocco with gilt-stamped fleuron to covers. Titles and portraits of characters from the book stamped in gilt on the spine. All edges gilt. Spine ever-so-slightly sunned. One tiny stain on the rear board. A fine copy in the publisher's gently worn slipcase. [and:] Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1935. Number 1,094 of 1,500 limited edition copies. Octavo. xx, 213 pages, [colophon]. Illustrations by John Tenniel. Full blue morocco binding decoratively ruled and stamped in gilt. All edges gilt. Red cloth slipcase lettered in black on the spine. Minor rubbing to the binding at the spine ends and corners. A few scattered thumbnail marks on the boards. Slipcase worn white in spots along the spine. Overall, a beautiful copy in near fine condition.
Roald Dahl. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Illustrated by Joseph Schindelman. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, [1964].
The true first edition (preceding the English edition by three years). First issue, with six lines of printing information (instead of five) in the colophon on the final page. Octavo. [12], 161, [1], [1, blank], [1, "About the Author" and colophon] pages. Black and white illustrations in text. Illustrated by Joseph Schindelman.
Original red cloth titles stamped in blind on the front board, back board stamped in blind with the publisher's device, and spine lettered in gilt. Top edge stained chocolate (appropriately). Light shelf wear to boards. Contents bright, with a former owner's name written (small) in ink on the front free endpaper. In the original first issue color pictorial dust jacket, with no ISBN number on the rear panel and with the price $3.95 on the front flap. The jacket is slightly browned, with some old tape residue and closed tears along the edges.
A slightly creepy morality tale with wonderful character names: Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop, Mike Teavee, Violet Beauregard, and the hero Charlie Bucket. And could there ever be a better Willy Wonka than Gene Wilder?
The true first edition (preceding the English edition by three years). First issue, with six lines of printing information (instead of five) in the colophon on the final page. Octavo. [12], 161, [1], [1, blank], [1, "About the Author" and colophon] pages. Black and white illustrations in text. Illustrated by Joseph Schindelman.
Original red cloth titles stamped in blind on the front board, back board stamped in blind with the publisher's device, and spine lettered in gilt. Top edge stained chocolate (appropriately). Light shelf wear to boards. Contents bright, with a former owner's name written (small) in ink on the front free endpaper. In the original first issue color pictorial dust jacket, with no ISBN number on the rear panel and with the price $3.95 on the front flap. The jacket is slightly browned, with some old tape residue and closed tears along the edges.
A slightly creepy morality tale with wonderful character names: Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop, Mike Teavee, Violet Beauregard, and the hero Charlie Bucket. And could there ever be a better Willy Wonka than Gene Wilder?
Walt Disney. The Adventures of Mickey Mouse. Story and Illustrations by Staff of Walt Disney Studio. Book 1. Philadelphia: David McKay Company, [1931].
First thus. Octavo. [32 pages].
Publisher's blue quarter cloth over stiff pictorial covers. Light toning to covers with some minor corner bends. Some light dampstaining to verso of front cover and a few interior pages. Moderate toning throughout with a few corners mildly bent. A very good copy of this fragile item.
The first true Mickey Mouse hardcover book, and the first to mention Donald Duck. According to Overstreet, this is "the first Disney book by strict definition."
Overstreet, The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide.
First thus. Octavo. [32 pages].
Publisher's blue quarter cloth over stiff pictorial covers. Light toning to covers with some minor corner bends. Some light dampstaining to verso of front cover and a few interior pages. Moderate toning throughout with a few corners mildly bent. A very good copy of this fragile item.
The first true Mickey Mouse hardcover book, and the first to mention Donald Duck. According to Overstreet, this is "the first Disney book by strict definition."
Overstreet, The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide.
Richard Doyle. In Fairyland, a Series of Pictures from the Elf-World by Richard Doyle. With a Poem, by William Allingham. London: Longmans, Green, Reader, & Dyer, 1870.
First edition. Folio. 31 pages. Sixteen chromolithograph plates.
Later half polished morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Inked sentiment from previous owner on blank preliminary page. In custom slipcase. Near fine.
Richard Doyle (uncle of Arthur Conan Doyle) started his career as an illustrator for Punch, but soon left the magazine to provide book illustrations to such literary figures as Dickens and Thackeray; however, it was the work he did illustrating children's fairy tales that secured his fame. In Fairyland was the high-water mark of his fantastic art. Though dated 1870, the book appeared in book stores during the Christmas season of 1869. A contemporary book reviewer for the magazine The Month comments favorably: "As for the pictures of Fairyland, amidst the grave, the political, above all, the endless scientific publications that weigh down on our poor nineteenth century brains, these pictures are a perfect balm and medicine. The severest of students will rejoice in them."
First edition. Folio. 31 pages. Sixteen chromolithograph plates.
Later half polished morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Inked sentiment from previous owner on blank preliminary page. In custom slipcase. Near fine.
Richard Doyle (uncle of Arthur Conan Doyle) started his career as an illustrator for Punch, but soon left the magazine to provide book illustrations to such literary figures as Dickens and Thackeray; however, it was the work he did illustrating children's fairy tales that secured his fame. In Fairyland was the high-water mark of his fantastic art. Though dated 1870, the book appeared in book stores during the Christmas season of 1869. A contemporary book reviewer for the magazine The Month comments favorably: "As for the pictures of Fairyland, amidst the grave, the political, above all, the endless scientific publications that weigh down on our poor nineteenth century brains, these pictures are a perfect balm and medicine. The severest of students will rejoice in them."
[Edmund Dulac, illustrator]. Edgar Allan Poe. The Bells and Other Poems. London New York Toronto: Hodder and Stoughton, [1912].
Number 497 of 750 limited edition copies signed by Dulac on the limitation page. Small folio. With twenty-eight tipped-in color plates by Dulac protected by captioned tissue guards.
Publisher's full vellum gilt extra with gilt titles and ornately stamped with gold bells on the spine and front cover. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. Front cover slightly bowing. Lacking rear tie; front tie present but taped to front pastedown. Small previous bookseller's ticket on the front pastedown. Boards show minimal dust-soiling. Foxing to endpapers. Minimal toning to the fore-edge. All in all, a near fine copy of a classic Dulac illustrated volume.
Number 497 of 750 limited edition copies signed by Dulac on the limitation page. Small folio. With twenty-eight tipped-in color plates by Dulac protected by captioned tissue guards.
Publisher's full vellum gilt extra with gilt titles and ornately stamped with gold bells on the spine and front cover. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. Front cover slightly bowing. Lacking rear tie; front tie present but taped to front pastedown. Small previous bookseller's ticket on the front pastedown. Boards show minimal dust-soiling. Foxing to endpapers. Minimal toning to the fore-edge. All in all, a near fine copy of a classic Dulac illustrated volume.
[Edmund Dulac, illustrator]. The Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales From the Old French. Retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch. London: Hodder & Stoughton, [1910].
Number 190 of 500 limited Edition de Luxe copies signed by Dulac on the limitation page. Folio. 129 pages. With thirty tipped-in color plates by Dulac on printed mounts and protected by tissue guards.
Later full brown morocco with gilt spine titles and cherub designs in compartments on the spine and repeated on the boards. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. Minor wear at the spine ends and corners. Uneven toning to the spine folds and upper front board. Minor foxing to the endpapers. First signature loose near the top edge but holding. Internal contents bright and clean. Near fine condition.
Four-page publisher's catalog and notice for Edmund Dulac's "Exhibition of the Original Water-Colour Drawings for The Sleeping Beauty, and Other Fairy Tales" laid in.
Number 190 of 500 limited Edition de Luxe copies signed by Dulac on the limitation page. Folio. 129 pages. With thirty tipped-in color plates by Dulac on printed mounts and protected by tissue guards.
Later full brown morocco with gilt spine titles and cherub designs in compartments on the spine and repeated on the boards. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. Minor wear at the spine ends and corners. Uneven toning to the spine folds and upper front board. Minor foxing to the endpapers. First signature loose near the top edge but holding. Internal contents bright and clean. Near fine condition.
Four-page publisher's catalog and notice for Edmund Dulac's "Exhibition of the Original Water-Colour Drawings for The Sleeping Beauty, and Other Fairy Tales" laid in.
[Edmund Dulac, illustrator]. [William Shakespeare]. Shakespeare's Comedy of The Tempest. London: Hodder & Stoughton, [1908].
Number 376 of 500 limited edition copies signed by Dulac on the limitation page. Quarto. 144 pages. With forty tipped-in color plates by Dulac protected by captioned tissue guards.
Publisher's full vellum gilt. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. Front cover bowing. Three-quarter-inch tear at the top of the front hinge. Boards a bit dust-soiled. Scattered minor foxing, mostly limited to the initial pages. One small chip to the page to which the frontispiece is mounted. Lacking ties. Overall, a near fine copy of a Dulac tour-de-force.
Number 376 of 500 limited edition copies signed by Dulac on the limitation page. Quarto. 144 pages. With forty tipped-in color plates by Dulac protected by captioned tissue guards.
Publisher's full vellum gilt. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. Front cover bowing. Three-quarter-inch tear at the top of the front hinge. Boards a bit dust-soiled. Scattered minor foxing, mostly limited to the initial pages. One small chip to the page to which the frontispiece is mounted. Lacking ties. Overall, a near fine copy of a Dulac tour-de-force.
[W. Russell Flint, illustrator]. Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales. London: Philip Lee Warner, 1913.
First thus. Limited to 500 copies on handmade Riccardi paper, of which this is number 58. Illustrated with thirty-six color plates by Flint. Three quarto volumes.
Publisher's quarter gray cloth with blue paper boards, and paper labels on front and spine. Publisher's review material laid in. Boards show light rubbing and foxing with a one-inch split in cloth to first volume, about middle of front joint. Overall, a very good set.
First thus. Limited to 500 copies on handmade Riccardi paper, of which this is number 58. Illustrated with thirty-six color plates by Flint. Three quarto volumes.
Publisher's quarter gray cloth with blue paper boards, and paper labels on front and spine. Publisher's review material laid in. Boards show light rubbing and foxing with a one-inch split in cloth to first volume, about middle of front joint. Overall, a very good set.
Harold Gaze. The Goblin's Glen. A Story of Childhood's Wonderland. Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1924.
First edition. Octavo. 241 pages. Illustrations by the author.
Original blue cloth with beautiful gilt illustration on the front board and titles stamped in gilt on the spine. Pictorial endpapers. Boards remain bright, contents clean. Bookplate on the front free endpaper. A near fine copy in an extraordinarily rare color dust jacket. The jacket has toned a bit in the light areas, with a few closed tears and trivial areas of loss and minor scuffing otherwise it remains in very good condition.
First edition. Octavo. 241 pages. Illustrations by the author.
Original blue cloth with beautiful gilt illustration on the front board and titles stamped in gilt on the spine. Pictorial endpapers. Boards remain bright, contents clean. Bookplate on the front free endpaper. A near fine copy in an extraordinarily rare color dust jacket. The jacket has toned a bit in the light areas, with a few closed tears and trivial areas of loss and minor scuffing otherwise it remains in very good condition.
[J. J. Grandville]. M. P. J. Stahl. Scenes de la Vie Privee et Publique des Animaux. Paris: J. Hetzel, editor, 1842.
Two small quarto volumes. Volume I: 386, [8] pages. Volume II: 390, [6] pages. Profusely illustrated with 201 full-page wood-engraved plates, plus numerous text vignettes and head and tail pieces, with two additional engraved title plates by Grandville. Text in French.
Modern three-quarter dark brown polished levant morocco over marbled boards, with four raised bands, and contrasting leather labels in compartments alternating with blind tooling in the other three compartments. Scattered minor foxing, mostly at the endpapers. Previous owner's signatures to front flyleaves. One-inch by two-inch rectangular section cleanly removed from flyleaf of Volume II. Overall a lovely set in very good condition.
Two small quarto volumes. Volume I: 386, [8] pages. Volume II: 390, [6] pages. Profusely illustrated with 201 full-page wood-engraved plates, plus numerous text vignettes and head and tail pieces, with two additional engraved title plates by Grandville. Text in French.
Modern three-quarter dark brown polished levant morocco over marbled boards, with four raised bands, and contrasting leather labels in compartments alternating with blind tooling in the other three compartments. Scattered minor foxing, mostly at the endpapers. Previous owner's signatures to front flyleaves. One-inch by two-inch rectangular section cleanly removed from flyleaf of Volume II. Overall a lovely set in very good condition.
Two Books Illustrated by Rockwell Kent, including: [William Ellery Leonard, translator]. Beowulf. New York: Random House, 1932. First, thus. Folio. 146 pages. Limited to 950 numbered copies, of which this is number 668; Rockwell Kent's thumb print on limitation page. Eight lithographs. Pictorial cloth over boards. Some fading to spine, and minor wear to head and foot of spine. Near fine. [and:] William Shakespeare. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Garden City: Doubleday, Doran & Company, 1936. First, thus. Limited to 750 sets, of which this is numbered 204, signed by Rockwell Kent on the limitation page. Two quarto volumes. xviii,779; viii, 780-1527 pages. Frontispieces and thirty-eight plates by Kent. Blue cloth over beveled boards. Vellum title labels to spines. Bookplates of previous owner on front pastedown. Some mild sunning to spine. Near fine.
André Levinson. The Story of Leon Bakst's Life. New York: Brentano's, 1922.
First American edition. Limited to 250 numbered copies, of which this is number 216. Folio. 240 pages. Sixty-eight full-page color plates with printed tissue guards. Many color and black and white illustrations with the text. A Bakst color print has been mounted to the rear fly leaf.
Full original vellum over boards. Some discoloration to the boards. Thumbnail-sized portion of the spine has chipped away. Very good.
Leon Bakst was a revolutionary Russian painter who mentored the likes of Marc Chagall. He was elected to the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1914. The Story of Leon Bakst's Life is a gorgeous and rare biography of Bakst written by French art journalist André Levinson. A beautiful book which only very infrequently comes up for auction.
First American edition. Limited to 250 numbered copies, of which this is number 216. Folio. 240 pages. Sixty-eight full-page color plates with printed tissue guards. Many color and black and white illustrations with the text. A Bakst color print has been mounted to the rear fly leaf.
Full original vellum over boards. Some discoloration to the boards. Thumbnail-sized portion of the spine has chipped away. Very good.
Leon Bakst was a revolutionary Russian painter who mentored the likes of Marc Chagall. He was elected to the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1914. The Story of Leon Bakst's Life is a gorgeous and rare biography of Bakst written by French art journalist André Levinson. A beautiful book which only very infrequently comes up for auction.
C. S. Lewis. The Chronicles of Narnia in Seven Volumes. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1950-1956.
First American editions. All state "First Printing." Octavo. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes.
Original cloth of various colors. All in original jackets. Boards are all moderately worn, especially at the edges and corners, jackets faded on the spines with some chipping and some small areas of loss. Red ink stamp "Horn Book" on the front free endpaper of each volume.
The classic story of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy and their adventures in the land of Narnia. The volumes include The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; The Horse and His Boy; The Magician's Nephew; and The Last Battle.
First American editions. All state "First Printing." Octavo. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes.
Original cloth of various colors. All in original jackets. Boards are all moderately worn, especially at the edges and corners, jackets faded on the spines with some chipping and some small areas of loss. Red ink stamp "Horn Book" on the front free endpaper of each volume.
The classic story of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy and their adventures in the land of Narnia. The volumes include The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; The Horse and His Boy; The Magician's Nephew; and The Last Battle.
Hugh Lofting. Original Title Page Drawing To The Adventures of Dr. Dolittle. Original ink and pencil drawing on paper, by Hugh Lofting.
Used as the title page for the original edition of The Adventures of Dr. Dolittle. A highly detailed and perfectly preserved drawing, measuring 8 x 5 inches, and archivally mounted in a protective sleeve in a folding green cloth chemise with a paper title label. This was the first of the highly successful Dr. Dolittle series. Lofting created the character during his service in World War I, when he witnessed the horrors that war inflicted on local animals, most notably horses. Provenance: purchased by a dealer directly from the Lofting family.
Used as the title page for the original edition of The Adventures of Dr. Dolittle. A highly detailed and perfectly preserved drawing, measuring 8 x 5 inches, and archivally mounted in a protective sleeve in a folding green cloth chemise with a paper title label. This was the first of the highly successful Dr. Dolittle series. Lofting created the character during his service in World War I, when he witnessed the horrors that war inflicted on local animals, most notably horses. Provenance: purchased by a dealer directly from the Lofting family.
Ernest Maindron. Les Affiches Illustrées (1886-1895). Paris: Librairie Artistique, 1896.
Number 965 of 1,000 limited edition copies. Small folio. 255 pages. Containing sixty-four chromolithographed plates after Cheret, Grasset, Mucha, Toulouse-Lautrec, and many others, with over 100 reproductions.
Bound in quarter red cloth over boards with the original wrappers expertly mounted on the covers. Minor shelf wear and rubbing to the binding. Light toning to the textblock edges. Overall, a stunning illustrated work in near fine condition.
"Ernest Maindron curated an exhibition on the history of advertising in 1889 and wrote two books on the poster, the first appearing in 1886 and the second a decade later. Like Alexandre and Fénéon, he was keen to establish the validity of the poster as an art form. His reasoning, however, was different. Where they hinted that the canonical ordering of the arts was in itself a questionable practice, he simply tried to tinker with the canon by revising the status of the poster, to which he gave all the attributes of a fine art" (Marcus Verhagen, "The Poster in Fin-de-Siècle Paris: 'That Mobile and Degenerate Art'" in Cinema and the Invention of Modern Life, p. 110).
Number 965 of 1,000 limited edition copies. Small folio. 255 pages. Containing sixty-four chromolithographed plates after Cheret, Grasset, Mucha, Toulouse-Lautrec, and many others, with over 100 reproductions.
Bound in quarter red cloth over boards with the original wrappers expertly mounted on the covers. Minor shelf wear and rubbing to the binding. Light toning to the textblock edges. Overall, a stunning illustrated work in near fine condition.
"Ernest Maindron curated an exhibition on the history of advertising in 1889 and wrote two books on the poster, the first appearing in 1886 and the second a decade later. Like Alexandre and Fénéon, he was keen to establish the validity of the poster as an art form. His reasoning, however, was different. Where they hinted that the canonical ordering of the arts was in itself a questionable practice, he simply tried to tinker with the canon by revising the status of the poster, to which he gave all the attributes of a fine art" (Marcus Verhagen, "The Poster in Fin-de-Siècle Paris: 'That Mobile and Degenerate Art'" in Cinema and the Invention of Modern Life, p. 110).
Alan A[lexander] Milne. Now We Are Six. With Decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. London: Methuen & Co., [1927].
First edition, limited to 200 copies on hand-made paper signed by author A .A. Milne and illustrator Ernest H. Shepard, this presentation copy is out of series and not numbered, but is inscribed underneath the limitation statement: "This is a presentation copy for the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital" under which Milne and Shepard have both signed. Square octavo. 103 pages. Text illustrations.
Original quarter beige buckram over salmon paper boards. Printed paper label on front cover. Additional paper label mounted on rear pastedown. All edges uncut, with the pages for the most part unopened and unread in this copy. In the original pale blue dust jacket printed in blue with a couple small light stains at the upper margin of the front panel, endpapers a bit darkened, as usual. Otherwise a fine, clean copy.
First edition, limited to 200 copies on hand-made paper signed by author A .A. Milne and illustrator Ernest H. Shepard, this presentation copy is out of series and not numbered, but is inscribed underneath the limitation statement: "This is a presentation copy for the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital" under which Milne and Shepard have both signed. Square octavo. 103 pages. Text illustrations.
Original quarter beige buckram over salmon paper boards. Printed paper label on front cover. Additional paper label mounted on rear pastedown. All edges uncut, with the pages for the most part unopened and unread in this copy. In the original pale blue dust jacket printed in blue with a couple small light stains at the upper margin of the front panel, endpapers a bit darkened, as usual. Otherwise a fine, clean copy.
A. A. Milne. Winnie-the-Pooh. [New York]: E. P. Dutton & Company, [1926].
First American edition, on large paper. Limited to 200 copies, of which this is number 139. Signed by Milne and Ernest H. Shepard on the limitation page. Square octavo. 158 pages. With illustrations by Ernest H. Shepard.
Publisher's quarter lavender cloth over salmon pictorial paper boards, with salmon paper label to spine. Salmon endpapers. Top edge and fore-edge trimmed, bottom edge uncut. One tiny bump to top edge of rear board, and another tiny bump to bottom edge of rear board. Else, this is an exceptionally fine copy in an immaculate dust jacket, with the original glassine. Housed in the original publisher's box, still in beautiful condition except for splitting to both bottom corners.
A remarkable copy of one of the most beloved of all children's tales.
First American edition, on large paper. Limited to 200 copies, of which this is number 139. Signed by Milne and Ernest H. Shepard on the limitation page. Square octavo. 158 pages. With illustrations by Ernest H. Shepard.
Publisher's quarter lavender cloth over salmon pictorial paper boards, with salmon paper label to spine. Salmon endpapers. Top edge and fore-edge trimmed, bottom edge uncut. One tiny bump to top edge of rear board, and another tiny bump to bottom edge of rear board. Else, this is an exceptionally fine copy in an immaculate dust jacket, with the original glassine. Housed in the original publisher's box, still in beautiful condition except for splitting to both bottom corners.
A remarkable copy of one of the most beloved of all children's tales.
A. A. Milne. When I Was Very Young. New York: The Fountain Press, 1930.
One of 842 limited edition copies signed by Milne on the colophon page, this being copy 151. Octavo. 28 pages. Illustrations by Ernest Shepard.
Publisher's whimsical patterned cloth. The book is in fine condition. House in a tattered publisher's slipcase with small missing parts along the top and bottom edges. A scarce signed short "autobiography" by the author of Winnie-the-Pooh.
One of 842 limited edition copies signed by Milne on the colophon page, this being copy 151. Octavo. 28 pages. Illustrations by Ernest Shepard.
Publisher's whimsical patterned cloth. The book is in fine condition. House in a tattered publisher's slipcase with small missing parts along the top and bottom edges. A scarce signed short "autobiography" by the author of Winnie-the-Pooh.
A. A. Milne. A Superb First Edition Set of the Four Pooh Books, Each Signed by Author A. A. Milne. Near Fine Condition in the Original Dust Jackets.
Including: A[lan] A[lexander] Milne. When We Were Very Young. London: Methuen & Co., [1924]. First edition. Small octavo. (7.5 x 5 inches; 190 x 124 mm). [i-vi], vii-x, [2], 99, [1] pages. With decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. Original royal blue cloth, front cover pictorially stamped and ruled in gilt, back cover pictorially stamped in gilt with spine ruled and lettered in gilt. Top edge gilt. Original pictorial dust jacket, very lightly spotted and spine very lightly sunned. Signed on the title-page by Milne.
[And:]
A[lan] A[lexander] Milne. Winnie-the-Pooh. London: Methuen & Co., [1926]. First edition. Small octavo. (7.5 x 5 inches; 190 x 124 mm). [i-viii], ix, [x], xi, [5], 158, [2] pages. With decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. Original dark green cloth, front cover ruled and pictorially stamped in gilt and spine ruled and lettered in gilt; top edge gilt. With pictorial endpapers. With advertisement from the publisher laid in. Original pictorial dust jacket, top edge slightly creased, spine lightly sunned. Signed on the title-page by Milne.
[And:]
A[lan] A[lexander] Milne. Now We Are Six. London: Methuen & Co., [1927]. First edition. Small octavo. (7.5 x 5 inches; 190 x 124 mm). [i-vi], vii-x, [2], 103, [1] pages. With decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. Original dark red cloth, front cover ruled and pictorially stamped in gilt, rear cover pictorially stamped in gilt, and spine ruled and lettered in gilt. Top edge gilt, with pink pictorial endpapers. Original pictorial dust jacket. Jacket very lightly soiled and sunned, slightly creased at top edge. Signed on the title-page by Milne.
[And:]
A[lan] A[lexander] Milne. The House at Pooh Corner. London: Methuen & Co., [1928]. First edition. Small octavo. (7.5 x 5 inches, 190 x 124 mm). [i-vi], vii, [viii], ix, [x], xi, [1], 178, [2] pages. With decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. Original salmon cloth, front cover pictorially stamped and ruled in gilt, and spine lettered and ruled in gilt. Top edge gilt. Pictorial endpapers. Original pictorial dust jacket. Top edge of jacket slightly creased. Signed on the title-page by Milne.
All four volumes housed in a full morocco clamshell case with four multicolored rounded spines, lettered and decoratively tooled in gilt. A near fine set and rare in this condition, all in near fine dust jackets, and each signed by the author.
Including: A[lan] A[lexander] Milne. When We Were Very Young. London: Methuen & Co., [1924]. First edition. Small octavo. (7.5 x 5 inches; 190 x 124 mm). [i-vi], vii-x, [2], 99, [1] pages. With decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. Original royal blue cloth, front cover pictorially stamped and ruled in gilt, back cover pictorially stamped in gilt with spine ruled and lettered in gilt. Top edge gilt. Original pictorial dust jacket, very lightly spotted and spine very lightly sunned. Signed on the title-page by Milne.
[And:]
A[lan] A[lexander] Milne. Winnie-the-Pooh. London: Methuen & Co., [1926]. First edition. Small octavo. (7.5 x 5 inches; 190 x 124 mm). [i-viii], ix, [x], xi, [5], 158, [2] pages. With decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. Original dark green cloth, front cover ruled and pictorially stamped in gilt and spine ruled and lettered in gilt; top edge gilt. With pictorial endpapers. With advertisement from the publisher laid in. Original pictorial dust jacket, top edge slightly creased, spine lightly sunned. Signed on the title-page by Milne.
[And:]
A[lan] A[lexander] Milne. Now We Are Six. London: Methuen & Co., [1927]. First edition. Small octavo. (7.5 x 5 inches; 190 x 124 mm). [i-vi], vii-x, [2], 103, [1] pages. With decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. Original dark red cloth, front cover ruled and pictorially stamped in gilt, rear cover pictorially stamped in gilt, and spine ruled and lettered in gilt. Top edge gilt, with pink pictorial endpapers. Original pictorial dust jacket. Jacket very lightly soiled and sunned, slightly creased at top edge. Signed on the title-page by Milne.
[And:]
A[lan] A[lexander] Milne. The House at Pooh Corner. London: Methuen & Co., [1928]. First edition. Small octavo. (7.5 x 5 inches, 190 x 124 mm). [i-vi], vii, [viii], ix, [x], xi, [1], 178, [2] pages. With decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. Original salmon cloth, front cover pictorially stamped and ruled in gilt, and spine lettered and ruled in gilt. Top edge gilt. Pictorial endpapers. Original pictorial dust jacket. Top edge of jacket slightly creased. Signed on the title-page by Milne.
All four volumes housed in a full morocco clamshell case with four multicolored rounded spines, lettered and decoratively tooled in gilt. A near fine set and rare in this condition, all in near fine dust jackets, and each signed by the author.
[Kay Nielsen, illustrator]. East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Old Tales from the North -- With wonderful color plates by Kay Nielsen. [N.p., London]: Hodder & Stoughton, [n.d., 1914].
First edition. Quarto. 206 pages. With twenty-five tipped-in color plates protected by captioned tissue guards and several black-and-white text illustrations and chapter heading designs by Nielsen.
Recently re-backed in blue cloth over the original blue cloth boards with gilt lettering and decoration to the spine and front board. Pictorial endpapers. Corners re-tipped. Minor shelf wear and rubbing to the boards. Edges and pages lightly toned with scattered foxing and fingerprint staining. Plates in excellent condition. A very good copy of a wonderfully illustrated book.
"Nielsen's second book...became his most famous: East of the Sun and West of the Moon, a collection of fifteen old tales from Norway. Twenty-five watercolors were published in the first edition, demonstrating Nielsen's extraordinary prowess as an illustrator. In these elegant paintings, he combined qualities of Oriental design with those unique features of his native Scandinavia: the melancholic mystery of a bleak Nordic twilight seemed to cast a magical spell on the images themselves." (Susan Meyer: A Treasury of the Great Children's Book Illustrators, p. 200)
First edition. Quarto. 206 pages. With twenty-five tipped-in color plates protected by captioned tissue guards and several black-and-white text illustrations and chapter heading designs by Nielsen.
Recently re-backed in blue cloth over the original blue cloth boards with gilt lettering and decoration to the spine and front board. Pictorial endpapers. Corners re-tipped. Minor shelf wear and rubbing to the boards. Edges and pages lightly toned with scattered foxing and fingerprint staining. Plates in excellent condition. A very good copy of a wonderfully illustrated book.
"Nielsen's second book...became his most famous: East of the Sun and West of the Moon, a collection of fifteen old tales from Norway. Twenty-five watercolors were published in the first edition, demonstrating Nielsen's extraordinary prowess as an illustrator. In these elegant paintings, he combined qualities of Oriental design with those unique features of his native Scandinavia: the melancholic mystery of a bleak Nordic twilight seemed to cast a magical spell on the images themselves." (Susan Meyer: A Treasury of the Great Children's Book Illustrators, p. 200)
[Maxfield Parrish, illustrator]. Edith Wharton. Italian Villas and Their Gardens. New York: The Century Co., 1904.
First edition. Large octavo. 270 pages. Fifty-two illustrated plates, twenty-six of which are by Maxfield Parrish.
Publisher's dark green cloth with stamping in gold, brown, blue, and green. Top edge gilt. Cloth is lightly rubbed with a small split to lower spine edge. Corners of front board bumped. Lending library copy with bookplate to front pastedown. A bright, attractive copy in very good condition, housed in a custom slipcase.
Wharton advocated the simple, elegant designs of Italian gardens that focused more on creating a sort of living architectural environment and less on mere ornament and flowers.
Ahearn: Author Price Guides.
First edition. Large octavo. 270 pages. Fifty-two illustrated plates, twenty-six of which are by Maxfield Parrish.
Publisher's dark green cloth with stamping in gold, brown, blue, and green. Top edge gilt. Cloth is lightly rubbed with a small split to lower spine edge. Corners of front board bumped. Lending library copy with bookplate to front pastedown. A bright, attractive copy in very good condition, housed in a custom slipcase.
Wharton advocated the simple, elegant designs of Italian gardens that focused more on creating a sort of living architectural environment and less on mere ornament and flowers.
Ahearn: Author Price Guides.
[Willy Pogany, Illustrator]. C. W. Rolleston. Parsifal, or the Legend of the Holy Grail -- Signed Limited Edition. London: Harrap & Company, [1912].
First edition. Number 394 of only 525 copies numbered and signed twice by Pogany. Octavo. Unpaginated. Sixteen full-page color plates by Pogany, and many drawings in monochrome.
Bound by Bumpus in full dark red morocco over boards. Gilt fillets to boards. Scarlet morocco inlaid panel to front board with gilt-stamped designs and green and brown morocco inlays; blindstamp designs to outer border. Raised bands; gilt lettering and decorations to spine with angel blindstamp designs in compartments. All edges gilt. Gilt dentelles. Some minor bumping to the corners, offsetting from the turn-ins to the free endpapers. Inked sentiment from previous owner. Near fine.
One of William Andrew Pogany's masterpieces of illustration and design, and certainly a high-water mark for Art Nouveau in the book arts. "Even the letter-press is from the artist's hand, and is reproduced by lithography, together with the border designs. Apart from the literary excellence of the work, it is a splendid piece of book-making" (The Dial, vol. 55, 1913). Pogany's work is further enhanced by this lavish Bumpus binding.
First edition. Number 394 of only 525 copies numbered and signed twice by Pogany. Octavo. Unpaginated. Sixteen full-page color plates by Pogany, and many drawings in monochrome.
Bound by Bumpus in full dark red morocco over boards. Gilt fillets to boards. Scarlet morocco inlaid panel to front board with gilt-stamped designs and green and brown morocco inlays; blindstamp designs to outer border. Raised bands; gilt lettering and decorations to spine with angel blindstamp designs in compartments. All edges gilt. Gilt dentelles. Some minor bumping to the corners, offsetting from the turn-ins to the free endpapers. Inked sentiment from previous owner. Near fine.
One of William Andrew Pogany's masterpieces of illustration and design, and certainly a high-water mark for Art Nouveau in the book arts. "Even the letter-press is from the artist's hand, and is reproduced by lithography, together with the border designs. Apart from the literary excellence of the work, it is a splendid piece of book-making" (The Dial, vol. 55, 1913). Pogany's work is further enhanced by this lavish Bumpus binding.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. London / New York: William Heinemann / Doubleday Page & Co., [1907].
Number 916 of 1,130 limited edition copies numbered but not signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 162 pages. Text illustrations and thirteen whimsical tipped-in color plates mounted on brown paper with captioned tissue guards, all by Rackham.
Publisher's cream cloth with titles and decorative stamping in gilt. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. Minimal bottom edge wear. Very clean binding. Foxing to endpapers. Minor scattered foxing throughout. Internal contents in excellent condition. A near fine copy.
Number 916 of 1,130 limited edition copies numbered but not signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 162 pages. Text illustrations and thirteen whimsical tipped-in color plates mounted on brown paper with captioned tissue guards, all by Rackham.
Publisher's cream cloth with titles and decorative stamping in gilt. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. Minimal bottom edge wear. Very clean binding. Foxing to endpapers. Minor scattered foxing throughout. Internal contents in excellent condition. A near fine copy.
Arthur Rackham. The Allies Fairy Book - With a superb original sketch and inscription by Arthur Rackham. London: Heinemann, and Philadelphia: Lippincott, [n.d., 1916].
First trade edition. This copy has an original ink drawing by Rackham (an elf presenting a book) on the half-title. It is inscribed: "to May / Edith and Arthur Rackham / Christmas 1916". Octavo. 121 pages. Illustrated with twelve full-page color plates by Rackham.
Bound in full royal blue morocco by Zaehnsdorf with gilt titles using the original stamps for the trade edition. All edges gilt. A fine copy of an extraordinary presentation.
First trade edition. This copy has an original ink drawing by Rackham (an elf presenting a book) on the half-title. It is inscribed: "to May / Edith and Arthur Rackham / Christmas 1916". Octavo. 121 pages. Illustrated with twelve full-page color plates by Rackham.
Bound in full royal blue morocco by Zaehnsdorf with gilt titles using the original stamps for the trade edition. All edges gilt. A fine copy of an extraordinary presentation.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. Cinderella -- Limited edition signed by Illustrator Arthur Rackham. Retold by C. S. Evans. London / Philadelphia: William Heinemann / J. B. Lippincott Co., [1919].
Number 58 of 325 copies printed on Japanese vellum from a total number of 850 limited Edition de Luxe copies numbered and signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 110 pages. A tipped-in color frontispiece, a number of full-page silhouette illustrations (some in three colors), and numerous text illustrations throughout, all by Rackham.
Publisher's quarter vellum over white parchment with titles and decorative stamping in gilt. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. Illustrated endpapers. Minor edge and spine end wear. Lightly bumped corners and rubbed boards. Internal contents bright and clean. A near fine copy.
Latimore & Haskell, p. 49
Number 58 of 325 copies printed on Japanese vellum from a total number of 850 limited Edition de Luxe copies numbered and signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 110 pages. A tipped-in color frontispiece, a number of full-page silhouette illustrations (some in three colors), and numerous text illustrations throughout, all by Rackham.
Publisher's quarter vellum over white parchment with titles and decorative stamping in gilt. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. Illustrated endpapers. Minor edge and spine end wear. Lightly bumped corners and rubbed boards. Internal contents bright and clean. A near fine copy.
Latimore & Haskell, p. 49
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. Izaak Walton. The Compleat Angler. Or The Contemplative Man's Recreation Being a Discourse of Rivers Fishponds Fish and Fishing not unworthy the Perusal of most Anglers - Limited Edition Signed by Rackham. London: George C. Harrap & Co. Ltd., [1931].
Number 344 of only 775 deluxe limited edition copies signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 224 pages plus twelve full-color plates and twenty-five black-and-white illustrations by Rackham.
Publisher's full vellum with gilt titles. Illustrated endpapers. Top edge gilt. Uncut fore-edge and bottom edge. Minor edge wear to the boards, else a fine copy of the beautifully-illustrated first Rackham edition of Walton's great pastoral work.
Number 344 of only 775 deluxe limited edition copies signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 224 pages plus twelve full-color plates and twenty-five black-and-white illustrations by Rackham.
Publisher's full vellum with gilt titles. Illustrated endpapers. Top edge gilt. Uncut fore-edge and bottom edge. Minor edge wear to the boards, else a fine copy of the beautifully-illustrated first Rackham edition of Walton's great pastoral work.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. [Grimm Brothers]. Mrs. Edgar Lucas, translator. The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. London: Constable & Co. Ltd., 1909.
Number 673 of 750 limited edition copies signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 325 pages. Text illustrations and forty tipped-in color plates with captioned tissue guards, all by Rackham.
Cherry red morocco gilt by Bayntun-Rivière. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Housed in a matching red cloth slipcase. Spine slightly sunned. Lightly bumped bottom corners. A wonderful copy of the wondrous limited edition of Rackham's Grimm. Fine condition.
Number 673 of 750 limited edition copies signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 325 pages. Text illustrations and forty tipped-in color plates with captioned tissue guards, all by Rackham.
Cherry red morocco gilt by Bayntun-Rivière. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Housed in a matching red cloth slipcase. Spine slightly sunned. Lightly bumped bottom corners. A wonderful copy of the wondrous limited edition of Rackham's Grimm. Fine condition.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. James Stephens. Irish Fairy Tales. London: MacMillan & Co. Ltd., 1920.
First edition. One of only 520 deluxe limited edition copies signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Large quarto. With sixteen full-color illustrations with captioned tissue guards mounted on cream paper and twenty-one black-and-white drawings.
Original half vellum over vellum-style paper boards, Gilt decoration to front cover. Top edge gilt, other edges uncut. Moderate edge wear and dust-soiling to the boards, especially the bottom edge. Rubbed corners. Small one-and-a-half-inch horizontal cut to the spine. Rear hinge expertly repaired, barely noticeable. Just a bit of light toning to the spine. Contemporary owner gift inscription dated 1920 on the front free endpaper. Despite these minor flaws, still an excellent copy in near fine condition.
Latimore and Haskell, 52. Riall, 138.
First edition. One of only 520 deluxe limited edition copies signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Large quarto. With sixteen full-color illustrations with captioned tissue guards mounted on cream paper and twenty-one black-and-white drawings.
Original half vellum over vellum-style paper boards, Gilt decoration to front cover. Top edge gilt, other edges uncut. Moderate edge wear and dust-soiling to the boards, especially the bottom edge. Rubbed corners. Small one-and-a-half-inch horizontal cut to the spine. Rear hinge expertly repaired, barely noticeable. Just a bit of light toning to the spine. Contemporary owner gift inscription dated 1920 on the front free endpaper. Despite these minor flaws, still an excellent copy in near fine condition.
Latimore and Haskell, 52. Riall, 138.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. John Ruskin. The King of the Golden River. London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., [1932].
Number 467 of 570 limited edition copies signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Octavo. 48 pages. Text illustrations and four color plates by Rackham.
Publisher's vellum with gilt titles. Housed in the matching slipcase titled and hand-numbered on the spine. Top edge gilt, others uncut. Illustrated endpapers. Minimal bowing to the front cover. Fine condition.
Number 467 of 570 limited edition copies signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Octavo. 48 pages. Text illustrations and four color plates by Rackham.
Publisher's vellum with gilt titles. Housed in the matching slipcase titled and hand-numbered on the spine. Top edge gilt, others uncut. Illustrated endpapers. Minimal bowing to the front cover. Fine condition.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. Mother Goose: The Old Nursery Rhymes. London: William Heinemann, [1913].
Number 179 of 1,130 limited edition copies signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 160 pages. Text illustrations and thirteen gorgeous tipped-in color plates mounted on brown paper with captioned tissue guards, all by Rackham.
Dark turquoise crushed morocco by The Monastery Hill Bindery with gilt spine titles inside five raised bands. Front cover blocked in gilt with an illustration of the "Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe." Top edge gilt, others uncut. Moderate wear to the binding. A few small nicks to the boards. Front hinge with a four-and-one-half inch split but still strong. Uneven fading to the top of the spine and boards. Internal contents excellent. Despite the fading and minor flaws to the binding, still a wonderful copy in near fine condition.
Number 179 of 1,130 limited edition copies signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 160 pages. Text illustrations and thirteen gorgeous tipped-in color plates mounted on brown paper with captioned tissue guards, all by Rackham.
Dark turquoise crushed morocco by The Monastery Hill Bindery with gilt spine titles inside five raised bands. Front cover blocked in gilt with an illustration of the "Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe." Top edge gilt, others uncut. Moderate wear to the binding. A few small nicks to the boards. Front hinge with a four-and-one-half inch split but still strong. Uneven fading to the top of the spine and boards. Internal contents excellent. Despite the fading and minor flaws to the binding, still a wonderful copy in near fine condition.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. Mother Goose: The Old Nursery Rhymes. London: Heinemann, 1913.
One of 1,100 deluxe numbered copies, signed by Rackham, this being copy number 391. Quarto. 159 pages. Illustrated with thirteen mounted color plates with lettered tissue guards and eighty-five additional black & white line drawings. Illustrated title page.
Beautifully bound in full blue morocco; gilt-stamped spine with raised bands. Browning and toning to preliminary and terminal leaves, else a fine bright copy of one of the most desirable Rackham titles.
One of 1,100 deluxe numbered copies, signed by Rackham, this being copy number 391. Quarto. 159 pages. Illustrated with thirteen mounted color plates with lettered tissue guards and eighty-five additional black & white line drawings. Illustrated title page.
Beautifully bound in full blue morocco; gilt-stamped spine with raised bands. Browning and toning to preliminary and terminal leaves, else a fine bright copy of one of the most desirable Rackham titles.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. J. M. Barrie. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1906.
Number 308 of 500 limited edition copies signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 126 pages. With fifty full-page color illustrations (including the frontispiece) mounted on brown heavy paper after the text and protected by captioned tissue guards.
Publisher's full pictorial vellum with gilt titles and decorations on the spine and front board. Pictorial printed map on the front free endpaper. Top edge gilt, other edges uncut. Minor wear and dust-soiling to the boards. Gilt on spine rubbed. Lacking ties. Small fold to the bottom corner of front free endpaper. Internal contents bright and clean. Binding strong. A near fine copy.
"The excitement surrounding the publication of Rip Van Winkle attracted many new admirers, among whom was J. M. Barrie, the author of a play called Peter Pan that had just been successfully produced in London. Barrie urged Rackham to illustrate his first story about Peter Pan, The Little White Bird, and Rackham agreed to prepare fifty illustrations for the publication in 1906. With Rackham's illustrations, the book was published as Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and received much acclaim throughout the world. The success of the originals sold at the Leicester Galleries and the limited edition of 500 sold through the publisher continued to propel Rackham into the realm of the rarified." (Susan Meyer: A Treasury of the Great Children's Book Illustrators, p. 163).
Number 308 of 500 limited edition copies signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 126 pages. With fifty full-page color illustrations (including the frontispiece) mounted on brown heavy paper after the text and protected by captioned tissue guards.
Publisher's full pictorial vellum with gilt titles and decorations on the spine and front board. Pictorial printed map on the front free endpaper. Top edge gilt, other edges uncut. Minor wear and dust-soiling to the boards. Gilt on spine rubbed. Lacking ties. Small fold to the bottom corner of front free endpaper. Internal contents bright and clean. Binding strong. A near fine copy.
"The excitement surrounding the publication of Rip Van Winkle attracted many new admirers, among whom was J. M. Barrie, the author of a play called Peter Pan that had just been successfully produced in London. Barrie urged Rackham to illustrate his first story about Peter Pan, The Little White Bird, and Rackham agreed to prepare fifty illustrations for the publication in 1906. With Rackham's illustrations, the book was published as Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and received much acclaim throughout the world. The success of the originals sold at the Leicester Galleries and the limited edition of 500 sold through the publisher continued to propel Rackham into the realm of the rarified." (Susan Meyer: A Treasury of the Great Children's Book Illustrators, p. 163).
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. Robert Browning. The Pied Piper of Hamelin. London: George G. Harrap & Co., 1934.
Copy number 219 of 410 limited edition copies, hand-numbered and signed by Rackham on a limitation page inserted in front. Octavo. 45 pages. With four color-plates and numerous black-and-white illustrations in the text by Arthur Rackham.
Original limp vellum with titles stamped in gilt. Decorative endpapers. Untrimmed edges. Some minor toning to the vellum, else a very good copy. The publisher's slipcase is present, albeit moderately worn.
The Robert Browning version of this classic tale with beautiful Rackham illustrations.
Copy number 219 of 410 limited edition copies, hand-numbered and signed by Rackham on a limitation page inserted in front. Octavo. 45 pages. With four color-plates and numerous black-and-white illustrations in the text by Arthur Rackham.
Original limp vellum with titles stamped in gilt. Decorative endpapers. Untrimmed edges. Some minor toning to the vellum, else a very good copy. The publisher's slipcase is present, albeit moderately worn.
The Robert Browning version of this classic tale with beautiful Rackham illustrations.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. Some British Ballads. London: Constable and Company, 1919.
First edition limited to 575 numbered copies, of which this is number 354, signed by Arthur Rackham. Sixteen color plates by Rackham tipped in with tissue guards, inclusive of frontispiece.
Sumptuously bound by Bayntun-Rivière in full blue morocco over boards. Gilt fillets and floral designs to boards and spine. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine. All edges gilt. Gilt-tooled inner dentelles. Marbled endpapers. Fine.
In addition to the color plates, Rackham also provides a few black and white head- and tail-pieces. Overall, the illustrations are rather tame for Rackham, prompting this response in vol. 69 of The International Studio (1919): "The subjects [Rackham] deals with in this volume do not afford scope for that indulgence in the grotesque to which he has so often shown an inclination, but his drawings are not the less interesting for that."
First edition limited to 575 numbered copies, of which this is number 354, signed by Arthur Rackham. Sixteen color plates by Rackham tipped in with tissue guards, inclusive of frontispiece.
Sumptuously bound by Bayntun-Rivière in full blue morocco over boards. Gilt fillets and floral designs to boards and spine. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine. All edges gilt. Gilt-tooled inner dentelles. Marbled endpapers. Fine.
In addition to the color plates, Rackham also provides a few black and white head- and tail-pieces. Overall, the illustrations are rather tame for Rackham, prompting this response in vol. 69 of The International Studio (1919): "The subjects [Rackham] deals with in this volume do not afford scope for that indulgence in the grotesque to which he has so often shown an inclination, but his drawings are not the less interesting for that."
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. Charles & Mary Lamb. Tales from Shakespeare. London / New York: J. M. Dent & Co. / E. P. Dutton & Co., 1909.
Number 693 of 750 large paper limited edition copies numbered and signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 304 pages. Text illustrations and thirteen captioned color plates tipped-in, all by Rackham.
Publisher's cream cloth with gilt titles. Silk ties present but need reinforcement. Top edge gilt, other edges uncut. Illustrated endpapers. Minimal shelf wear. Minor rubbing and dust-soiling to boards. Internal contents in excellent shape. Near fine condition.
Number 693 of 750 large paper limited edition copies numbered and signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 304 pages. Text illustrations and thirteen captioned color plates tipped-in, all by Rackham.
Publisher's cream cloth with gilt titles. Silk ties present but need reinforcement. Top edge gilt, other edges uncut. Illustrated endpapers. Minimal shelf wear. Minor rubbing and dust-soiling to boards. Internal contents in excellent shape. Near fine condition.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. Oliver Goldsmith. The Vicar of Wakefield. London Bombay Sydney: George G. Harrap & Company Limited, [1929].
Number 19 of 575 limited edition copies of the English issue signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 232 pages. Text illustrations and twelve color plates by Rackham.
Publisher's vellum with gilt titles, rules, and decorations. Top edge gilt, other edges uncut. Illustrated endpapers. Slight bowing to the front board. Quarter-inch tear at the spine head. Mild shelf wear. All in all, a fine copy.
Number 19 of 575 limited edition copies of the English issue signed by Rackham on the limitation page. Quarto. 232 pages. Text illustrations and twelve color plates by Rackham.
Publisher's vellum with gilt titles, rules, and decorations. Top edge gilt, other edges uncut. Illustrated endpapers. Slight bowing to the front board. Quarter-inch tear at the spine head. Mild shelf wear. All in all, a fine copy.
Four Books Illustrated by Arthur Rackham, including: J. M. Barrie. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1906. First American edition. Quarto. x, 126 pages of printed matter, followed by fifty full-page color plates mounted on brown paper. Decorative green cloth over boards. Some scuffing to the binding. Several pages and tissue guards show shallow dog-earing, though not effecting the prints. Very good. [and:] Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. Undine. London: William Heinemann, 1909. First trade edition. Quarto. 136 pages. Eleven color plates by Rackham. Contemporary binding by Weitz in light blue polished calf over boards. Gilt fillets and decorative borders to boards. Embellished grape vines with fruit designs in inlaid leather and gilt tooling to boards. Raised bands; gilt-stamped bird vignettes and gilt lettering to compartments. Marbled endpapers. Original free endpapers bound in. Some sunning to spine. Very good. [and:] Brothers Grimm. Little Brother & Little Sister. London: Constable, 1917. First trade edition. Quarto. xi, 251 pages. Twelve color plates, forty-four black and white illustrations. Contemporary binding by Bayntun in full blue crushed levant over boards. Raised bands; gilt witch devices stamped into the compartments; leather title labels with gilt lettering. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Near fine. [and:] William Shakespeare. A Midsummer-Night's Dream. London: William Heinemann, 1908. First trade edition. Quarto. 134 pages. Forty full-page color plates; thirty black and white illustrations. Original decorative cloth over boards. Some minor fading to the binding. Light foxing. Very good.
Latimore and Haskell, Arthur Rackham, a Bibliography.
Latimore and Haskell, Arthur Rackham, a Bibliography.
Frederic Remington. Pony Tracks - Inscribed and annotated by Remington, and with several excellent original drawings. New York: Harper Brothers, [1895].
First edition of Remington's first book. This copy is inscribed by Remington to David Pell Secor: "To my friend / David Pell Secor / from / Frederic Remington. / who no doubt will find that I have / 'cut his trail' in some of my / rambles." Remington has added four original ink drawings in the book, including a fine large drawing of an Indian scout on the front fly opposite the inscription. He has added a note "The Cheyenne warriors called me 'Long Spur' / Remington" at the base of page 48, two original ink drawings at pages 108-109 and an original tailpiece at page 269. His bookplate is affixed to the second front fly. Octavo. 269 pages.
Bound in the rare full publisher's brown pictorial leather (Dykes had heard of this binding, but had never seen one). Short clean splits at the upper and lower joints and the rear hinge cracked but sound. Still a near fine copy of this rare and very fragile binding. Preserved in a custom morocco-edged slipcase. A unique copy of a rare issue with a fine association.
David Pell Secor (1824 - 1909) a native of Brooklyn, was a respected landscape and wildlife artist and art critic. He served as an art judge for the Louisiana and Columbia Expositions, and his work hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He donated to The Bridgeport Scientific Society one of the finest collections of Indian relics in the country.
First edition of Remington's first book. This copy is inscribed by Remington to David Pell Secor: "To my friend / David Pell Secor / from / Frederic Remington. / who no doubt will find that I have / 'cut his trail' in some of my / rambles." Remington has added four original ink drawings in the book, including a fine large drawing of an Indian scout on the front fly opposite the inscription. He has added a note "The Cheyenne warriors called me 'Long Spur' / Remington" at the base of page 48, two original ink drawings at pages 108-109 and an original tailpiece at page 269. His bookplate is affixed to the second front fly. Octavo. 269 pages.
Bound in the rare full publisher's brown pictorial leather (Dykes had heard of this binding, but had never seen one). Short clean splits at the upper and lower joints and the rear hinge cracked but sound. Still a near fine copy of this rare and very fragile binding. Preserved in a custom morocco-edged slipcase. A unique copy of a rare issue with a fine association.
David Pell Secor (1824 - 1909) a native of Brooklyn, was a respected landscape and wildlife artist and art critic. He served as an art judge for the Louisiana and Columbia Expositions, and his work hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He donated to The Bridgeport Scientific Society one of the finest collections of Indian relics in the country.
Norman Rockwell. A Suite of Fifteen Color Prints of Saturday Evening Post Covers - A superb collection of large signed prints from Rockwell, seldom found complete. With an introduction by Thomas S. Buechner. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1972.
Folio. Fifteen fine large color prints, 24.8 by 19 inches, each signed in ink at the lower right, "Norman Rockwell". These are the archetypal Rockwell images, each quite famous in its own right, and gathered here in a deluxe presentation. Housed in a printed wood-grain folio with a metal clasp device. All contained in the original mailing carton. A very fine copy of a rare portfolio, especially desirable as each is signed.
Folio. Fifteen fine large color prints, 24.8 by 19 inches, each signed in ink at the lower right, "Norman Rockwell". These are the archetypal Rockwell images, each quite famous in its own right, and gathered here in a deluxe presentation. Housed in a printed wood-grain folio with a metal clasp device. All contained in the original mailing carton. A very fine copy of a rare portfolio, especially desirable as each is signed.
J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the: Sorcerer's Stone; Chamber of Secrets; Prisoner of Azkaban. [New York]: Arthur A. Levine Books / An Imprint of Scholastic Press, 1998-1999.
"Advance Reader's Editions" of the first American editions. Three octavo volumes. 309, 341, and 431 pages, respectively. Illustrated by Mary GrandPré.
Publisher's pictorial wrappers echoing the eventual dust jacket art on Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets; Prisoner of Azkaban wrappers illustrated with a black-and-purple diamond pattern on the covers, and a red-and-black diamond pattern on the spine, with spine and front cover titles in white. All three housed together in a lovely maroon cloth clamshell box with a red spine title label lettered in black. Very minor edge wear to each volume. Slight wrinkling to the upper corner of the last three leaves of Chamber of Secrets. Square, tight bindings. Overall, a near fine set of the books that would turn a simple boy wizard into a cultural juggernaut.
Each volume contains a letter from the publisher (bound into Sorcerer's Stone, laid-in the other two volumes). All three are marked "UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR SALE" on the back cover at the head of a paragraph of promotional text. Interestingly, the famous first printing blurb from The Guardian is present on the back cover of Sorcerer's Stone. Half-title page of Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban additionally noted as "UNCORRECTED PROOFS."
"Advance Reader's Editions" of the first American editions. Three octavo volumes. 309, 341, and 431 pages, respectively. Illustrated by Mary GrandPré.
Publisher's pictorial wrappers echoing the eventual dust jacket art on Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets; Prisoner of Azkaban wrappers illustrated with a black-and-purple diamond pattern on the covers, and a red-and-black diamond pattern on the spine, with spine and front cover titles in white. All three housed together in a lovely maroon cloth clamshell box with a red spine title label lettered in black. Very minor edge wear to each volume. Slight wrinkling to the upper corner of the last three leaves of Chamber of Secrets. Square, tight bindings. Overall, a near fine set of the books that would turn a simple boy wizard into a cultural juggernaut.
Each volume contains a letter from the publisher (bound into Sorcerer's Stone, laid-in the other two volumes). All three are marked "UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR SALE" on the back cover at the head of a paragraph of promotional text. Interestingly, the famous first printing blurb from The Guardian is present on the back cover of Sorcerer's Stone. Half-title page of Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban additionally noted as "UNCORRECTED PROOFS."
J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. [New York]: Arthur A. Levine Books/ An Imprint of Scholastic Press, 1999.
First American edition, first printing, Signed by J. K. Rowling on the title page, with the copyright page reading, "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9/9 0/0 1 2 3 4" and "First American Edition, June 1999." Also, there is no volume number on the spine of either the book or the dust jacket, and the dust jacket price on the front flap is $17.95. Octavo. Illustrated by Mary GrandPré.
Publisher's original green cloth over purple diamond-patterned paper boards, with silver spine titles. Original pictorial dust jacket. An exceptional copy in fine condition.
A ticket to the J. K. Rowling autograph signing in Washington, D. C. at the Eric Friedheim Library on October 20, 1999 is laid-in.
First American edition, first printing, Signed by J. K. Rowling on the title page, with the copyright page reading, "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9/9 0/0 1 2 3 4" and "First American Edition, June 1999." Also, there is no volume number on the spine of either the book or the dust jacket, and the dust jacket price on the front flap is $17.95. Octavo. Illustrated by Mary GrandPré.
Publisher's original green cloth over purple diamond-patterned paper boards, with silver spine titles. Original pictorial dust jacket. An exceptional copy in fine condition.
A ticket to the J. K. Rowling autograph signing in Washington, D. C. at the Eric Friedheim Library on October 20, 1999 is laid-in.
J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. [London]: Bloomsbury, [1997].
First edition signed on a card by author J. K. Rowling, with all first issue points, including "Joanne Rowling", "Thomas Taylor1997" (no space before year) and the complete number sequence "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" on the copyright page, along with "1 wand" listed twice on page 53. A card featuring the front cover artwork signed by J. K. Rowling is set into the inside rear cover using clear plastic mounting corners. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from HP4U. Twelvemo. 223 pages.
Original pictorial stiff wrappers. This, the first book in the Harry Potter series, was issued simultaneously in both hardcover and softcover, and is rare in both bindings. The pages have toned lightly as is common with this title, minimal edge wear to the covers, and minor creasing and a very small dampstain to the bottom edge of the rear cover. Overall, a tight copy of Rowling's first book in near fine condition accompanied by a rare signed card.
First edition signed on a card by author J. K. Rowling, with all first issue points, including "Joanne Rowling", "Thomas Taylor1997" (no space before year) and the complete number sequence "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" on the copyright page, along with "1 wand" listed twice on page 53. A card featuring the front cover artwork signed by J. K. Rowling is set into the inside rear cover using clear plastic mounting corners. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from HP4U. Twelvemo. 223 pages.
Original pictorial stiff wrappers. This, the first book in the Harry Potter series, was issued simultaneously in both hardcover and softcover, and is rare in both bindings. The pages have toned lightly as is common with this title, minimal edge wear to the covers, and minor creasing and a very small dampstain to the bottom edge of the rear cover. Overall, a tight copy of Rowling's first book in near fine condition accompanied by a rare signed card.
J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. [London]: Bloomsbury, [1999].
The uncorrected proof of the first edition of the third Harry Potter book. Octavo. 316 pages.
Publisher's green and white wrappers. Light vertical crease near the front outer joint due to the over-gluing of the binding, lightly soiled, else a fine fresh copy.
The uncorrected proof of the first edition of the third Harry Potter book. Octavo. 316 pages.
Publisher's green and white wrappers. Light vertical crease near the front outer joint due to the over-gluing of the binding, lightly soiled, else a fine fresh copy.
J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. London: Bloomsbury, 1999.
First edition, first issue (drop-down text error at "burnt" present on page 7), with a bold Rowling signature on the title page. Octavo. 317 pages.
Original pictorial boards with matching dust jacket. An exceedingly fine copy of Rowling's third installment in the Harry Potter series.
A ticket to the J. K. Rowling autograph signing in Washington, D. C. at the Eric Friedheim Library on October 20, 1999 is laid-in, along with a small Harry Potter temporary tattoo also given out at the signing.
First edition, first issue (drop-down text error at "burnt" present on page 7), with a bold Rowling signature on the title page. Octavo. 317 pages.
Original pictorial boards with matching dust jacket. An exceedingly fine copy of Rowling's third installment in the Harry Potter series.
A ticket to the J. K. Rowling autograph signing in Washington, D. C. at the Eric Friedheim Library on October 20, 1999 is laid-in, along with a small Harry Potter temporary tattoo also given out at the signing.
J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. London: Bloomsbury, 1999.
First English deluxe edition, boldly signed by Rowling on the title page. Octavo. 317 pages.
Original green cloth with color pictorial vignette on front board with titles stamped in gilt on the front board and spine. All edge gilt. Minimal rubbing to the spine ends and corners. A fine copy of Rowling's third installment in the Harry Potter series in this special deluxe format.
A ticket to the J. K. Rowling autograph signing in Washington, D. C. at the Eric Friedheim Library on October 20, 1999 is laid-in.
First English deluxe edition, boldly signed by Rowling on the title page. Octavo. 317 pages.
Original green cloth with color pictorial vignette on front board with titles stamped in gilt on the front board and spine. All edge gilt. Minimal rubbing to the spine ends and corners. A fine copy of Rowling's third installment in the Harry Potter series in this special deluxe format.
A ticket to the J. K. Rowling autograph signing in Washington, D. C. at the Eric Friedheim Library on October 20, 1999 is laid-in.
J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. [New York]: Arthur A. Levine Books / An Imprint of Scholastic Press, 1999.
First American edition Signed by J. K. Rowling on the title page, first printing, with the copyright page reading, "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9/9 0/0 1 2 3 4" and "First American Edition, October 1999." Also, the volume number reads "Year 3" on the spine of the book and the dust jacket, and the dust jacket price on the front flap is $19.95. Octavo. Illustrated by Mary GrandPré.
Publisher's original purple cloth over blue diamond-patterned paper boards, with green spine titles. Original pictorial dust jacket. Very minimal bottom edge wear, else a sterling copy in fine condition.
A ticket to the J. K. Rowling autograph signing in Washington, D. C. at the Eric Friedheim Library on October 20, 1999 is laid-in.
First American edition Signed by J. K. Rowling on the title page, first printing, with the copyright page reading, "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9/9 0/0 1 2 3 4" and "First American Edition, October 1999." Also, the volume number reads "Year 3" on the spine of the book and the dust jacket, and the dust jacket price on the front flap is $19.95. Octavo. Illustrated by Mary GrandPré.
Publisher's original purple cloth over blue diamond-patterned paper boards, with green spine titles. Original pictorial dust jacket. Very minimal bottom edge wear, else a sterling copy in fine condition.
A ticket to the J. K. Rowling autograph signing in Washington, D. C. at the Eric Friedheim Library on October 20, 1999 is laid-in.
J. K. Rowling. Uncorrected Proof of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic Press, 1998.
"Advanced Reader's Edition/Uncorrected Proof - Not For Sale" of the first American edition. Octavo. 309 pages.
Pictorial wraps. Appears little read with some trivial wear to the bottom of the wraps, else a handsome copy, bright, and in near fine condition.
This is Rowling's amazing first book (re-titled from the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when released in America) in the series that has become a cultural phenomenon.
"Advanced Reader's Edition/Uncorrected Proof - Not For Sale" of the first American edition. Octavo. 309 pages.
Pictorial wraps. Appears little read with some trivial wear to the bottom of the wraps, else a handsome copy, bright, and in near fine condition.
This is Rowling's amazing first book (re-titled from the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when released in America) in the series that has become a cultural phenomenon.
J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Signed by the Author. Illustrations by Mary GrandPré. [New York]: Arthur A. Levine Books, An Imprint of Scholastic Press, [1998].
Scarce first American edition, first printing, of the first Harry Potter book, signed by J. K. Rowling on the title-page. The copyright page has the correct full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 8 9/9 0/0 01 02," followed by "Printed in the U.S.A. 23," and "First American edition, October 1998." Octavo (8.9375 x 5.9375 inches; 228 x 151 mm.). vi, [2], 309, [1, blank], [1, colophon], [1, blank] pages. Black and white title vignette and seventeen black and white chapter vignettes.
Publisher's quarter red cloth over purple diamond-embossed boards. Spine ruled and lettered in gilt with gilt publisher's device (with "J. K. Rowling" and without "Year 1" on the spine). Dark turquoise endpapers. Spine ends and lower corners very slightly bumped, very minor rubbing to the cloth on the spine along the rear joint and to the lower board edges, tiny area of slight discoloration on the front board. Tiny crease at the lower edge of pages 7-12. Otherwise this is a very clean copy in fine condition.
In the original first issue color pictorial dust jacket designed by Mary GrandPré and David Saylor, with "Harry Potter" in raised gold lettering on the front panel, a single quote from The Guardian, London, on the rear panel ("HARRY POTTER could assume the same near-legendary status as Roald Dahl's Charlie, of chocolate factory fame."), the bar codes on the rear panel with white backgrounds and with the numbers "51695" present above the smaller bar code, and with the $16.95 original retail price on the front flap. With "J. K. Rowling" and no volume number ("Year 1") on the jacket spine. The jacket is in fine condition with only minimal edgewear at the spine extremities and flap folds.
"This book was art directed by David Saylor and designed by Becky Terhune. The art for both the jacket and the interior was created using pastels on toned printmaking paper. The text was set in 12-point Adobe Garamond...The book was printed and bound at Berryville Graphics in Berryville, Virginia. The production was supervised by Angela Biola and Mike Derevjanik" (Colophon).
The first British edition was published by Bloomsbury Children's Books, London, in 1997, under the title Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. This first American edition is slightly different from the first British edition, as small changes were made (including changing "Philosopher's Stone" to "Sorcerer's Stone" in the title) by Scholastic Press in Americanizing the text.
Scarce first American edition, first printing, of the first Harry Potter book, signed by J. K. Rowling on the title-page. The copyright page has the correct full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 8 9/9 0/0 01 02," followed by "Printed in the U.S.A. 23," and "First American edition, October 1998." Octavo (8.9375 x 5.9375 inches; 228 x 151 mm.). vi, [2], 309, [1, blank], [1, colophon], [1, blank] pages. Black and white title vignette and seventeen black and white chapter vignettes.
Publisher's quarter red cloth over purple diamond-embossed boards. Spine ruled and lettered in gilt with gilt publisher's device (with "J. K. Rowling" and without "Year 1" on the spine). Dark turquoise endpapers. Spine ends and lower corners very slightly bumped, very minor rubbing to the cloth on the spine along the rear joint and to the lower board edges, tiny area of slight discoloration on the front board. Tiny crease at the lower edge of pages 7-12. Otherwise this is a very clean copy in fine condition.
In the original first issue color pictorial dust jacket designed by Mary GrandPré and David Saylor, with "Harry Potter" in raised gold lettering on the front panel, a single quote from The Guardian, London, on the rear panel ("HARRY POTTER could assume the same near-legendary status as Roald Dahl's Charlie, of chocolate factory fame."), the bar codes on the rear panel with white backgrounds and with the numbers "51695" present above the smaller bar code, and with the $16.95 original retail price on the front flap. With "J. K. Rowling" and no volume number ("Year 1") on the jacket spine. The jacket is in fine condition with only minimal edgewear at the spine extremities and flap folds.
"This book was art directed by David Saylor and designed by Becky Terhune. The art for both the jacket and the interior was created using pastels on toned printmaking paper. The text was set in 12-point Adobe Garamond...The book was printed and bound at Berryville Graphics in Berryville, Virginia. The production was supervised by Angela Biola and Mike Derevjanik" (Colophon).
The first British edition was published by Bloomsbury Children's Books, London, in 1997, under the title Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. This first American edition is slightly different from the first British edition, as small changes were made (including changing "Philosopher's Stone" to "Sorcerer's Stone" in the title) by Scholastic Press in Americanizing the text.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The Little Prince. New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, [1943].
First edition in English. Limited to 500 numbered copies of which this is number 389. Signed by Saint-Exupéry on the limitation page. Octavo. 91 pages. Translated from the French by Katherine Woods. Illustrations by the author.
Publisher's salmon cloth with front and spine stamped in red. Light rubbing to extremities with a one-quarter-inch gash to cloth on upper edge of rear board. Toning to endpapers and page edges. Faint speckling along page edges. Dust jacket is toned and lightly rubbed with minor chipping to spine ends and corners. Modest foxing to rear panel. Though price clipped, jacket does have first edition point of Fourth Avenue address on front flap. Housed in a custom clamshell box. The seldom offered signed edition in very good condition.
First edition in English. Limited to 500 numbered copies of which this is number 389. Signed by Saint-Exupéry on the limitation page. Octavo. 91 pages. Translated from the French by Katherine Woods. Illustrations by the author.
Publisher's salmon cloth with front and spine stamped in red. Light rubbing to extremities with a one-quarter-inch gash to cloth on upper edge of rear board. Toning to endpapers and page edges. Faint speckling along page edges. Dust jacket is toned and lightly rubbed with minor chipping to spine ends and corners. Modest foxing to rear panel. Though price clipped, jacket does have first edition point of Fourth Avenue address on front flap. Housed in a custom clamshell box. The seldom offered signed edition in very good condition.
Dr. Seuss. Two classics from Dr. Seuss: The Cat in the Hat - First edition in the first issue dust jacket, and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back - First printing in dust jacket.
Dr. Seuss. Two First Editions, including: The Cat in the Hat. New York: Random House, [1957]. First printing in first issue dust jacket. Octavo. 61 pages. Publisher's pictorial paper-covered boards and illustrated dust jacket. Light wear to the top and bottom edges of boards, Small, neat ownership stamps on pastedowns. Spine tips just slightly rubbed, else a very good, bright copy in the rare dust jacket, with one-eighth-inch loss at the upper spine tip. Very scarce in this condition. [and:] The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. New York: Random House, [1958]. First printing. Octavo. 63 pages. Pictorial paper-covered boards and illustrated dust jacket. Previous owner's ink gift inscription on the front free endpaper, else a fine copy in a fine dust jacket.
Dr. Seuss. Two First Editions, including: The Cat in the Hat. New York: Random House, [1957]. First printing in first issue dust jacket. Octavo. 61 pages. Publisher's pictorial paper-covered boards and illustrated dust jacket. Light wear to the top and bottom edges of boards, Small, neat ownership stamps on pastedowns. Spine tips just slightly rubbed, else a very good, bright copy in the rare dust jacket, with one-eighth-inch loss at the upper spine tip. Very scarce in this condition. [and:] The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. New York: Random House, [1958]. First printing. Octavo. 63 pages. Pictorial paper-covered boards and illustrated dust jacket. Previous owner's ink gift inscription on the front free endpaper, else a fine copy in a fine dust jacket.
Kay Thompson. Eloise. Archive of early draft manuscripts and typescripts for Kay Thompson's celebrated children's book, Eloise, (including the immortal first lines, "I am Eloise I am six") and also for its adaptation for a vocal performance by Thompson, and its adaptation for the song "Eloise" by Thompson and Robert Wells.
Many of the drafts mention characters and incidents that do not appear in the book. No other part of the manuscript is known to survive. A unique group of documents, with a wonderful association copy of the book, inscribed to Robert Wells from whom the collection comes.
Amazing, unique archive of early drafts and manuscripts for Eloise and its adaptation as an accompanied monologue by Kay Thompson and Bob Wells.
[With:] First edition of Eloise inscribed, "For Bob [Wells] / With love / there is no doubt / from / Kay."
[With:] First edition of Eloise in Paris signed by Kay Thompson and illustrator Hilary Knight.
[With:] First edition of Eloise at Christmastime inscribed, "For / the one you have at home / from / the one who got out! / With / fun / fun / fun! / Kay Thompson."
[With:] First edition of Eloise in Moscow inscribed, "For / Dr. Parker / Definitely Da Da Da / Kay Thompson."
[With:] 45rpm record of "Eloise" by Kay Thompson and Bob Wells with the wrapper bearing the signature of Bob Wells. [With:] Envelope addressed to Kay Thompson from Hilary Knight / 40 West 52nd Street, postmarked Feb. 8, 1955.
In all, seventy-six pages: Forty-three handwritten pages in pencil and pen, various drafts (fourteen pages in Wells' hand); four-page typescript and two corrected carbons headed "Eloise" First Rough 11/7/55); six-page fragment beginning "Ha Ha Ha I have a dog who looks like a cat" and "The doctor always has a brandy with Nanny," typed carbon (numbered 2,6,9-12); four-page corrected typescript dialogue between Eloise and Nanny; four-page manuscript score for the song "Eloise," printed publicity flyer; copy of songwriter's renewal contract.
Included in this collection are first editions (as described above), all signed or inscribed by Thompson, of her other three major works, Eloise at Christmastime, Eloise in Paris (also signed by Knight) and Eloise in Moscow. The Eloise books are all much desired in the first editions, and copies signed by Thompson are rare. In all, a unique and wonderful offering.
Many of the drafts mention characters and incidents that do not appear in the book. No other part of the manuscript is known to survive. A unique group of documents, with a wonderful association copy of the book, inscribed to Robert Wells from whom the collection comes.
Amazing, unique archive of early drafts and manuscripts for Eloise and its adaptation as an accompanied monologue by Kay Thompson and Bob Wells.
[With:] First edition of Eloise inscribed, "For Bob [Wells] / With love / there is no doubt / from / Kay."
[With:] First edition of Eloise in Paris signed by Kay Thompson and illustrator Hilary Knight.
[With:] First edition of Eloise at Christmastime inscribed, "For / the one you have at home / from / the one who got out! / With / fun / fun / fun! / Kay Thompson."
[With:] First edition of Eloise in Moscow inscribed, "For / Dr. Parker / Definitely Da Da Da / Kay Thompson."
[With:] 45rpm record of "Eloise" by Kay Thompson and Bob Wells with the wrapper bearing the signature of Bob Wells. [With:] Envelope addressed to Kay Thompson from Hilary Knight / 40 West 52nd Street, postmarked Feb. 8, 1955.
In all, seventy-six pages: Forty-three handwritten pages in pencil and pen, various drafts (fourteen pages in Wells' hand); four-page typescript and two corrected carbons headed "Eloise" First Rough 11/7/55); six-page fragment beginning "Ha Ha Ha I have a dog who looks like a cat" and "The doctor always has a brandy with Nanny," typed carbon (numbered 2,6,9-12); four-page corrected typescript dialogue between Eloise and Nanny; four-page manuscript score for the song "Eloise," printed publicity flyer; copy of songwriter's renewal contract.
Included in this collection are first editions (as described above), all signed or inscribed by Thompson, of her other three major works, Eloise at Christmastime, Eloise in Paris (also signed by Knight) and Eloise in Moscow. The Eloise books are all much desired in the first editions, and copies signed by Thompson are rare. In all, a unique and wonderful offering.
[Hugh Thomson, illustrator]. Robert Buchanan. The Piper of Hamelin. A Fantastic Opera in Two Acts. London: Printed at the Chiswick Press, 1893.
First edition. Twelvemo. 64 pages. Illustrated with an additional title and twelve full-page black-and-white captioned plates by Hugh Thomson.
Beautiful chestnut brown leather morocco binding by Sangorski and Sutcliffe with gilt titles and a center gilt design of two mice jigging around a pipe on the front board. Spine with five raised bands, gilt-ruled compartments and titles, blind rule extensions of the raised bands terminating on covers in a finial of three leaves, and triple gilt fillet turn-ins. All edges gilt. Housed in a custom felt-lined morocco clamshell box by Zaehnsdorf, with gilt spine titles and five raised bands. Binding tender at the half-title. Two circular leather bookplates affixed to the front pastedown. Internal contents bright and clean. Overall, a near fine copy of a beautifully illustrated book.
First edition. Twelvemo. 64 pages. Illustrated with an additional title and twelve full-page black-and-white captioned plates by Hugh Thomson.
Beautiful chestnut brown leather morocco binding by Sangorski and Sutcliffe with gilt titles and a center gilt design of two mice jigging around a pipe on the front board. Spine with five raised bands, gilt-ruled compartments and titles, blind rule extensions of the raised bands terminating on covers in a finial of three leaves, and triple gilt fillet turn-ins. All edges gilt. Housed in a custom felt-lined morocco clamshell box by Zaehnsdorf, with gilt spine titles and five raised bands. Binding tender at the half-title. Two circular leather bookplates affixed to the front pastedown. Internal contents bright and clean. Overall, a near fine copy of a beautifully illustrated book.
E. B. White. Charlotte's Web. Pictures by Garth Williams. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1952.
First edition. Octavo. 184 pages.
Original beige pictorial cloth. A very good copy in a very good dust jacket with slight chipping and loss at the spine extremities. Previous owner's bookplate to the verso of the front free endpaper. The most celebrated of White's three children's books, "Charlotte's Web is rightly regarded as a modern classic" (Connolly, pp. 322-23).
First edition. Octavo. 184 pages.
Original beige pictorial cloth. A very good copy in a very good dust jacket with slight chipping and loss at the spine extremities. Previous owner's bookplate to the verso of the front free endpaper. The most celebrated of White's three children's books, "Charlotte's Web is rightly regarded as a modern classic" (Connolly, pp. 322-23).
E. B. White. Stuart Little. New York: Harper & Brothers, [1945].
First edition. Octavo. 131 pages.
Publisher's tan pictorial cloth stamped in white and dark green. A very good copy in the original dust jacket with light chipping around the edges and corners.
First edition. Octavo. 131 pages.
Publisher's tan pictorial cloth stamped in white and dark green. A very good copy in the original dust jacket with light chipping around the edges and corners.
Three Illustrated Books, including: John Bunyan. The Pilgrim's Progress. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, [n.d.]. Octavo. 393 pages. Illustrated by Byam Shaw. Decorative cloth over boards. Some staining to front board and spine. Very good. [and:] Edgar Allan Poe. The Raven. San Francisco: Paul Elder and Company, 1907. First edition, thus. Limited to 1,000 copies. Quarto. Unpaginated. Illustrated with photogravures from paintings by Galen J. Perrett; decorations by Will Jenkins. Half suede over beveled boards. Dust jacket and slipcase. Spine to slipcase detached but present. Near fine. [and:] Percy Bysshe Shelley. The Sensitive Plant. London: William Heinemann, [n.d., 1911]. First, thus. Quarto. Unpaginated. Illustrations by Charles Robinson. Illustrated endpapers. Vellum over boards. Some bowing to boards. Very good.
Three Illustrated Books, including: John Bunyan. Pilgrims Progress. Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1845. Quarto. 554 pages. Illustrated with twenty-five plates. Half morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine. Marbled endpapers. Very good. [and:] Samuel Pepys. Everybody's Pepys. London: G. Bells and Sons, 1937. Octavo. Bound by Rivière and Son in full green morocco. xxiv, 570 pages. Illustrations. Index. Maps. Gilt borders to boards. Front board intricately embellished with morocco inlays after the E. H. Shepard illustration facing page 400, "So to bed." Raised bands. Gilt designs and lettering. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Fading to backstrip with rubbing to head and foot of spine. Very good. [and:] Henry van Dyke. The Lost Boy. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1914. Octavo. 69 pages. Three plates, including frontis. Green cloth over boards. Boards and spine dulled. Very good.
Bird and Animal A. B. C. Child's First Alphabet Book. Newark, NJ and New York, NY: Charles E. Graham & Co., [n.d.].
Large quarto. Unpaginated. Illustrated with sixteen full-page chromolithographs.
Publisher's beige cloth over dark beige paper covered boards with black titles on the front board and a full-color illustration mounted on the lower cover. General wear to boards, especially edges and corners. Light scattered foxing. Dust jacket soiled, chipped and worn. A very good copy of a scarce title in a good dust jacket.
Large quarto. Unpaginated. Illustrated with sixteen full-page chromolithographs.
Publisher's beige cloth over dark beige paper covered boards with black titles on the front board and a full-color illustration mounted on the lower cover. General wear to boards, especially edges and corners. Light scattered foxing. Dust jacket soiled, chipped and worn. A very good copy of a scarce title in a good dust jacket.
Session 2
Isaac Asimov. Three First Edition Books, Two Signed by the Author, including: Fantastic Voyage. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1966. First edition. Octavo. 239 pages. Publisher's lavender cloth with purple stamping. Lightly rubbed on spine ends and corners with lower front corner scuffed and board showing. Dust jacket is rubbed and edge worn with minor chipping. Very good copy. [and:] The Robots of Dawn. Huntington Woods: Phantasia Press, 1983. Limited to 750 copies, of which this is number 384. Signed by Asimov on limitation page. Housed in a rubbed publisher's slipcase. Fine copy. [and:] Prelude to Foundation. New York: Doubleday, 1988. Limited to 500 copies of which this is number 190, signed by Asimov. Publisher's full leather, in lightly rubbed slipcase. Fine copy.
Isaac Asimov. Foundation. New York: Gnome Press, [1951].
First edition, first issue. Octavo. 255 pages.
Publisher's dark blue cloth with red stamping to front and spine. Modestly rubbed on spine ends and corners. A few tiny spots on top page edges. Bookplate on front pastedown. Minor toning to endpapers and page edges. Dust jacket is darkened with minor rubbing and edge wear. Overall, a very good copy.
First edition, first issue. Octavo. 255 pages.
Publisher's dark blue cloth with red stamping to front and spine. Modestly rubbed on spine ends and corners. A few tiny spots on top page edges. Bookplate on front pastedown. Minor toning to endpapers and page edges. Dust jacket is darkened with minor rubbing and edge wear. Overall, a very good copy.
Ray Bradbury. Dark Carnival. Sauk City, Wis.: Arkham House, 1947.
First edition. Signed by Ray Bradbury on the front endpaper. Octavo. 313 pages. Only 3,112 copies were published in the first edition.
Publisher's black cloth stamped in gold. Light rubbing and abrasions at the cover extremities and former owners' names on the front fly, else a fine copy in a very good dust jacket which has light rubbing at the spine tips and light soiling on the rear panel.
This copy is signed by Bradbury on the front free endpaper. Bradbury's first book.
First edition. Signed by Ray Bradbury on the front endpaper. Octavo. 313 pages. Only 3,112 copies were published in the first edition.
Publisher's black cloth stamped in gold. Light rubbing and abrasions at the cover extremities and former owners' names on the front fly, else a fine copy in a very good dust jacket which has light rubbing at the spine tips and light soiling on the rear panel.
This copy is signed by Bradbury on the front free endpaper. Bradbury's first book.
Ray Bradbury. Dark Carnival. Sauk City: Arkham House, 1947.
First edition. Signed by Bradbury on the title page. Octavo. 313 pages. One of 3,112 copies published.
Black cloth boards with gilt lettering on spine. Lightly rubbed at spine ends and corners. Some minor toning to the textblock edges as usual. Dust jacket is lightly worn at the spine ends, edges and corners, with some soiling to the rear panel. A near fine copy in a very good dust jacket.
Dark Carnival was Bradbury's first published book and was extremely well-received. Years later, Bradbury would reissue Dark Carnival as The October Country, with updated versions of most of the stories.
Currey, p. 55.
First edition. Signed by Bradbury on the title page. Octavo. 313 pages. One of 3,112 copies published.
Black cloth boards with gilt lettering on spine. Lightly rubbed at spine ends and corners. Some minor toning to the textblock edges as usual. Dust jacket is lightly worn at the spine ends, edges and corners, with some soiling to the rear panel. A near fine copy in a very good dust jacket.
Dark Carnival was Bradbury's first published book and was extremely well-received. Years later, Bradbury would reissue Dark Carnival as The October Country, with updated versions of most of the stories.
Currey, p. 55.
Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine Books, [1953].
First edition. Number 21 of 200 limited edition copies, signed by Bradbury and bound in "an asbestos material with exceptional resistance to pyrolysis." Octavo. 199 pages.
Bound in the publisher's Johns-Manville Quinterra, an asbestos material. Lettering in red on spine and cover. No dust jacket, as issued. Housed in a custom red cloth slipcase decoratively lettered in black. Moderate shelf wear. Some rubbing and dust-soiling to the boards. Bottom corner and bottom hinge of front board professionally repaired. Textblock edges somewhat toned. Scattered minor foxing, mostly to the endpapers. Very good condition.
The greatness of Fahrenheit 451 rests on Bradbury's ability to involve the reader in hero Guy Montag's slow struggle toward awareness as he moves from "fireman" (book-burner) to rebellious book-preserver and memorizer. Bradbury's assertion of the freedom to read, to speak and to think is memorably expressed in this still-relevant classic.
First edition. Number 21 of 200 limited edition copies, signed by Bradbury and bound in "an asbestos material with exceptional resistance to pyrolysis." Octavo. 199 pages.
Bound in the publisher's Johns-Manville Quinterra, an asbestos material. Lettering in red on spine and cover. No dust jacket, as issued. Housed in a custom red cloth slipcase decoratively lettered in black. Moderate shelf wear. Some rubbing and dust-soiling to the boards. Bottom corner and bottom hinge of front board professionally repaired. Textblock edges somewhat toned. Scattered minor foxing, mostly to the endpapers. Very good condition.
The greatness of Fahrenheit 451 rests on Bradbury's ability to involve the reader in hero Guy Montag's slow struggle toward awareness as he moves from "fireman" (book-burner) to rebellious book-preserver and memorizer. Bradbury's assertion of the freedom to read, to speak and to think is memorably expressed in this still-relevant classic.
Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine Books, [1953].
First edition. Octavo. 199 pages.
Publisher's red boards. Stamped in yellow on spine and front board. Extremities rubbed. The dust jacket has the typical toning, soiling, and fading along spine. Spine ends and corners show wear with a one and one-half-inch tear at the upper edge of the front fold. A very good copy.
First edition. Octavo. 199 pages.
Publisher's red boards. Stamped in yellow on spine and front board. Extremities rubbed. The dust jacket has the typical toning, soiling, and fading along spine. Spine ends and corners show wear with a one and one-half-inch tear at the upper edge of the front fold. A very good copy.
Ray Bradbury. The Illustrated Man. Garden City: Doubleday, 1951.
First edition. Bradbury has signed a Science Fiction Authors playing card bearing his image that has been laid into the book. Octavo. 251 pages. Publisher's tan cloth with brown stamping to spine. Edges of boards and pages are lightly toned and shows minor insect damage. Dust jacket is price clipped has some edge wear and fading to spine. Folds and edges are toned, and the rear panel is lightly soiled. Overall, a very good copy.
"Eighteen SF and fantasy stories from 1947 to 1951 plus prologue and epilogue. Structured by the device of a man's body tattooed with pictures, each of which comes alive with a story. [...] Some social criticism, but emphasis on sentimentality in highly crafted, emotion-generating stories."
Anatomy of Wonder, 4-101.
First edition. Bradbury has signed a Science Fiction Authors playing card bearing his image that has been laid into the book. Octavo. 251 pages. Publisher's tan cloth with brown stamping to spine. Edges of boards and pages are lightly toned and shows minor insect damage. Dust jacket is price clipped has some edge wear and fading to spine. Folds and edges are toned, and the rear panel is lightly soiled. Overall, a very good copy.
"Eighteen SF and fantasy stories from 1947 to 1951 plus prologue and epilogue. Structured by the device of a man's body tattooed with pictures, each of which comes alive with a story. [...] Some social criticism, but emphasis on sentimentality in highly crafted, emotion-generating stories."
Anatomy of Wonder, 4-101.
Ray Bradbury. The Martian Chronicles. Garden City: Doubleday, 1950.
First edition. Octavo. 222 pages.
Publisher's first state green cloth with red stamping. Cloth edges and spine have some fading, and spine ends and bottom edges are modestly rubbed. Slight toning to endpapers. Hint of soiling to top page edges. Dust jacket is soiled, rubbed, and edge worn with significant chipping to spine ends. Internal tape shadows. Overall, an about very good copy.
First edition. Octavo. 222 pages.
Publisher's first state green cloth with red stamping. Cloth edges and spine have some fading, and spine ends and bottom edges are modestly rubbed. Slight toning to endpapers. Hint of soiling to top page edges. Dust jacket is soiled, rubbed, and edge worn with significant chipping to spine ends. Internal tape shadows. Overall, an about very good copy.
Ray Bradbury. The Martian Chronicles. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1950.
First edition. Signed by Bradbury on the title page. Octavo. 222 pages.
Publisher's green cloth stamped in maroon. With an almost imperceptible water stain at the lower rear board, else a fine copy in a near fine dust jacket which has the same light water stain. A bright collector's copy of arguably Bradbury's greatest work.
First edition. Signed by Bradbury on the title page. Octavo. 222 pages.
Publisher's green cloth stamped in maroon. With an almost imperceptible water stain at the lower rear board, else a fine copy in a near fine dust jacket which has the same light water stain. A bright collector's copy of arguably Bradbury's greatest work.
Dan Brown. Angels & Demons. New York: Pocket Books, 2000.
First edition. Octavo. 430 pages.
Publisher's red cloth over orange boards with gilt titles. Unique ambigram dust jacket front design. A pristine copy of the author's first Robert Langdon novel and precursor to the more famous Da Vinci Code.
First edition. Octavo. 430 pages.
Publisher's red cloth over orange boards with gilt titles. Unique ambigram dust jacket front design. A pristine copy of the author's first Robert Langdon novel and precursor to the more famous Da Vinci Code.
Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle. Chicago: A. C. McClurg, 1928.
First edition. Inscribed by Burroughs on the front free endpaper, "To Ralph Rothunard, In appreciation of his ability & loyalty Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzana Christmas 1928". Octavo. 377 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with brown stamping to the front and spine. Binding is rubbed and worn with a slight lean to the spine. Extensive water damage affecting the binding, internal pages, and the dust jacket. Binding has suffered swelling and shows some mildew staining and discoloration. Beyond the mentioned damp staining, the dust jacket shows edge wear and rubbing with darkening along the edges and spine. The inner rear flap also has previous owner's pencil marks. A fair copy seldom found signed.
First edition. Inscribed by Burroughs on the front free endpaper, "To Ralph Rothunard, In appreciation of his ability & loyalty Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzana Christmas 1928". Octavo. 377 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with brown stamping to the front and spine. Binding is rubbed and worn with a slight lean to the spine. Extensive water damage affecting the binding, internal pages, and the dust jacket. Binding has suffered swelling and shows some mildew staining and discoloration. Beyond the mentioned damp staining, the dust jacket shows edge wear and rubbing with darkening along the edges and spine. The inner rear flap also has previous owner's pencil marks. A fair copy seldom found signed.
John W. Campbell, Jr. Three Signed Books, including: The Incredible Planet. Reading: Fantasy Press, 1949. First edition. [and:] The Moon is Hell! Reading: Fantasy Press, 1951. [and] Cloak of Aesir. Chicago: Shasta, [1952]. All volumes are first edition in dust jackets. All in good or better condition.
John W. Campbell, Jr. Who Goes There? Seven Tales of Science-Fiction. Chicago: Shasta Publishers, 1948.
First edition. Signed by Campbell on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 230 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth covers with gilt spine titles. Book is lightly rubbed with dusty top edge. Spine has a slight lean. Hannes Bok illustrated dust jacket is edge toned and mildly rubbed with internal tape reinforcement. Altogether a very good copy.
First edition. Signed by Campbell on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 230 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth covers with gilt spine titles. Book is lightly rubbed with dusty top edge. Spine has a slight lean. Hannes Bok illustrated dust jacket is edge toned and mildly rubbed with internal tape reinforcement. Altogether a very good copy.
John Le Carré. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. London: Gollancz, 1963.
First edition. Octavo. 222 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with spine stamped in gilt. Mild wear to extremities with fading along spine and top edge. Spine has a slight lean and covers are lightly soiled. Foxing to endpapers. Dust jacket is lightly soiled with minor edge wear. A very good copy.
The definitive Cold War spy novel.
First edition. Octavo. 222 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with spine stamped in gilt. Mild wear to extremities with fading along spine and top edge. Spine has a slight lean and covers are lightly soiled. Foxing to endpapers. Dust jacket is lightly soiled with minor edge wear. A very good copy.
The definitive Cold War spy novel.
Raymond Chandler. The High Window. New York: Knopf, 1942.
First Edition. Octavo. 240 pages.
Publisher's tan cloth with front and spine stamped in dark red. Extremities are rubbed and scuffed. Boards are darkened along edges. Pages are evenly toned. Rear joint repaired. Dust jacket professionally, though obviously, restored. Overall, a very good copy of Chandler's third book.
First Edition. Octavo. 240 pages.
Publisher's tan cloth with front and spine stamped in dark red. Extremities are rubbed and scuffed. Boards are darkened along edges. Pages are evenly toned. Rear joint repaired. Dust jacket professionally, though obviously, restored. Overall, a very good copy of Chandler's third book.
Marie Coolidge-Rask. [Lon Chaney]. London After Midnight. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, [1928].
First edition. Photoplay edition with eight plates, including the frontispiece, from the 1927 silent film starring Lon Chaney and directed by Tod Browning. Octavo. 261 pages.
Publisher's olive green cloth with titles stamped in black on front and spine. Cloth is faintly darkened on spine. Mild toning to end papers with previous owner's name on front free endpaper. Page edges slightly toned. Seldom seen dust jacket is rubbed with toning along edges and spine. Minor chipping to ends with a one-inch tear at base of front joint. A remarkably clean, fresh copy in a very good dust jacket.
First edition. Photoplay edition with eight plates, including the frontispiece, from the 1927 silent film starring Lon Chaney and directed by Tod Browning. Octavo. 261 pages.
Publisher's olive green cloth with titles stamped in black on front and spine. Cloth is faintly darkened on spine. Mild toning to end papers with previous owner's name on front free endpaper. Page edges slightly toned. Seldom seen dust jacket is rubbed with toning along edges and spine. Minor chipping to ends with a one-inch tear at base of front joint. A remarkably clean, fresh copy in a very good dust jacket.
Agatha Christie. Ten Little N*****s. London: Crime Club, [1939].
First edition. Index card signed by Christie is laid in. Octavo. 252 pages.
Publisher's red cloth with black stamping to the spine. Spine has a minor lean and fading to both ends. Mild toning to page edges and a small bookseller's label affixed to the rear pastedown. Small piece missing from the lower corner of the final three leaves. Dust jacket is chipped on the spine ends and corners with general rubbing and edge wear. A very good copy made even more appealing by the addition of Christie's signature.
Obviously, a very controversial title only used in Great Britain for Crime Club editions. In America it was published as And Then There Were None and was later reissued as Ten Little Indians. An extremely scarce edition in dust jacket and one of Christie's most sought after titles.
First edition. Index card signed by Christie is laid in. Octavo. 252 pages.
Publisher's red cloth with black stamping to the spine. Spine has a minor lean and fading to both ends. Mild toning to page edges and a small bookseller's label affixed to the rear pastedown. Small piece missing from the lower corner of the final three leaves. Dust jacket is chipped on the spine ends and corners with general rubbing and edge wear. A very good copy made even more appealing by the addition of Christie's signature.
Obviously, a very controversial title only used in Great Britain for Crime Club editions. In America it was published as And Then There Were None and was later reissued as Ten Little Indians. An extremely scarce edition in dust jacket and one of Christie's most sought after titles.
Arthur C. Clarke. Childhood's End. New York: Ballantine Books, 1953.
First edition. Octavo. 214 pages.
Red cloth with black spine titles. Light shelf wear with some "puckering" down the spine as is common with this publisher's hardcover editions. Price-clipped dust jacket with chipping and small area of loss to the head and foot of the spine. Tape repairs on the verso of the jacket. Jacket generally toned and with light shelf wear. A very good copy.
Pringle ranks this work as number nine in his list of the 100 best science fiction novels.
First edition. Octavo. 214 pages.
Red cloth with black spine titles. Light shelf wear with some "puckering" down the spine as is common with this publisher's hardcover editions. Price-clipped dust jacket with chipping and small area of loss to the head and foot of the spine. Tape repairs on the verso of the jacket. Jacket generally toned and with light shelf wear. A very good copy.
Pringle ranks this work as number nine in his list of the 100 best science fiction novels.
Philip K. Dick. The Man in the High Castle. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons [1962].
First edition. Octavo. 239 pages.
Black cloth with red lettering on the spine and front cover. The price-clipped dust jacket with some light wear and rubbing. Dust jacket has three small brown pieces of tape on the verso, reinforcing the head and tail of the spine, and the closed tear at the top of the rear panel. The tape is not visible from the front of the dust jacket. Overall very good condition.
This "alternative history" novel by science-fiction ace Philip K. Dick, suggesting what may have happened if the Axis powers had won World War II, won the Hugo Award in 1962. Accustomed to writing quickly as a way of supporting himself and his wife, Dick had the luxury of writing several drafts for this novel, resulting in one of his best and most brilliant literary efforts.
First edition. Octavo. 239 pages.
Black cloth with red lettering on the spine and front cover. The price-clipped dust jacket with some light wear and rubbing. Dust jacket has three small brown pieces of tape on the verso, reinforcing the head and tail of the spine, and the closed tear at the top of the rear panel. The tape is not visible from the front of the dust jacket. Overall very good condition.
This "alternative history" novel by science-fiction ace Philip K. Dick, suggesting what may have happened if the Axis powers had won World War II, won the Hugo Award in 1962. Accustomed to writing quickly as a way of supporting himself and his wife, Dick had the luxury of writing several drafts for this novel, resulting in one of his best and most brilliant literary efforts.
Ian Fleming. Casino Royale. London: Jonathan Cape, [1953].
First edition. Provocatively inscribed by Fleming on the front free endpaper, alluding to the enigmatic head of the British Secret Service: "To M. These pages from my memoirs! Ian." Octavo. 218 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with front and spine stamped in red. Book has just a slight lean and minimal foxing to the endpapers. Dust jacket is evenly toned with modest rubbing. There is a one-eighth-inch tear to the upper edge at the front joint. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box by The Dragonfly Bindery. The box front reproduces an image of bleeding hearts from front panel of jacket in intricate, multicolored leathers. A stunning example of the first Bond novel in fine condition.
Ian Fleming, though born into a wealthy, respected British family, struggled in his early years with finding a career in which to distinguish him. Living in the shadow of his father and older brother, he tried banking and journalism without ever being known as anyone more than the "younger Fleming." It wasn't until the war years that Fleming found something that he both excelled at and had passion for. In 1939 Fleming was recruited into the Naval Intelligence division of the British Navy to be the personal assistant to Rear Admiral John Godfrey. (Incidentally, the character "M" in the James Bond movies is believed to have been an amalgam of Godfrey, English spymaster Maxwell Knight, and other intelligence figures Fleming knew and worked with.) As an officer in Naval Intelligence and the right hand to Admiral Godfrey, Fleming discovered that he had a gift for creative thinking within the structured environment of intelligence work. His ability to plot ingenious intelligence operations became known as the "Fleming flair." The "'Fleming flair" extended to his writing of memos and reports within the intelligence field. For his memos written to William "Wild Bill" Donovan on how to set up the OSS, forerunner of the CIA, he received a revolver from Donovan engraved with the thanks: "For Special Services." During the final year of the war, Fleming was sent to Jamaica for a naval conference. Falling in love with the locale, he would return after the war to build his retreat, Goldeneye. Writing from this exotic location and drawing on his military experiences, he would create the character of secret agent James Bond and return yearly to write all of the Bond novels.
Zeiger, The Spy Who Came in with the Gold. Lycett, Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond.
First edition. Provocatively inscribed by Fleming on the front free endpaper, alluding to the enigmatic head of the British Secret Service: "To M. These pages from my memoirs! Ian." Octavo. 218 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with front and spine stamped in red. Book has just a slight lean and minimal foxing to the endpapers. Dust jacket is evenly toned with modest rubbing. There is a one-eighth-inch tear to the upper edge at the front joint. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box by The Dragonfly Bindery. The box front reproduces an image of bleeding hearts from front panel of jacket in intricate, multicolored leathers. A stunning example of the first Bond novel in fine condition.
Ian Fleming, though born into a wealthy, respected British family, struggled in his early years with finding a career in which to distinguish him. Living in the shadow of his father and older brother, he tried banking and journalism without ever being known as anyone more than the "younger Fleming." It wasn't until the war years that Fleming found something that he both excelled at and had passion for. In 1939 Fleming was recruited into the Naval Intelligence division of the British Navy to be the personal assistant to Rear Admiral John Godfrey. (Incidentally, the character "M" in the James Bond movies is believed to have been an amalgam of Godfrey, English spymaster Maxwell Knight, and other intelligence figures Fleming knew and worked with.) As an officer in Naval Intelligence and the right hand to Admiral Godfrey, Fleming discovered that he had a gift for creative thinking within the structured environment of intelligence work. His ability to plot ingenious intelligence operations became known as the "Fleming flair." The "'Fleming flair" extended to his writing of memos and reports within the intelligence field. For his memos written to William "Wild Bill" Donovan on how to set up the OSS, forerunner of the CIA, he received a revolver from Donovan engraved with the thanks: "For Special Services." During the final year of the war, Fleming was sent to Jamaica for a naval conference. Falling in love with the locale, he would return after the war to build his retreat, Goldeneye. Writing from this exotic location and drawing on his military experiences, he would create the character of secret agent James Bond and return yearly to write all of the Bond novels.
Zeiger, The Spy Who Came in with the Gold. Lycett, Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond.
Ian Fleming. Casino Royale. New York: Macmillan, 1954.
First American edition. Octavo. 176 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with red stamping to front and spine. Glue fragments to bottom portion of boards, also affecting front endpapers. Extremities lightly rubbed. Bookstore label affixed to rear pastedown. Dust jacket priced $2.75 with clipped corners on front flap. Light edge wear and soiling with several small internal tape repairs. Tape stain to bottom edge of rear panel. Slightly musty. Overall, a very good copy of the first James Bond book.
First American edition. Octavo. 176 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with red stamping to front and spine. Glue fragments to bottom portion of boards, also affecting front endpapers. Extremities lightly rubbed. Bookstore label affixed to rear pastedown. Dust jacket priced $2.75 with clipped corners on front flap. Light edge wear and soiling with several small internal tape repairs. Tape stain to bottom edge of rear panel. Slightly musty. Overall, a very good copy of the first James Bond book.
Ian Fleming. From Russia, with Love. London: Jonathan Cape, [1957].
First edition. Inscribed by Fleming on the front free endpaper, "To S. Frost from Ian Fleming". Octavo. 253 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with front and spine stamped in red and silver. Scattered foxing to page edges. Dust jacket has very light soiling with a tiny hole near front fold and two small stains on rear fold. The upper and lower edges of jacket were folded over in the past causing two fold lines that run jacket length. These folds have also allowed for differences in toning. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box by The Dragonfly Bindery. The box front reproduces an image of a Smith & Wesson .38 and rose from front panel of jacket in intricate, multicolored leathers. A near fine copy of the fifth Bond novel.
First edition. Inscribed by Fleming on the front free endpaper, "To S. Frost from Ian Fleming". Octavo. 253 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with front and spine stamped in red and silver. Scattered foxing to page edges. Dust jacket has very light soiling with a tiny hole near front fold and two small stains on rear fold. The upper and lower edges of jacket were folded over in the past causing two fold lines that run jacket length. These folds have also allowed for differences in toning. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box by The Dragonfly Bindery. The box front reproduces an image of a Smith & Wesson .38 and rose from front panel of jacket in intricate, multicolored leathers. A near fine copy of the fifth Bond novel.
Ian Fleming. Goldfinger. London: Jonathan Cape, [1959].
First edition. Inscribed by Fleming on the front free endpaper, "To Gerald Micklean, This piece - of homework! from Ian Fleming". Octavo. 318 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with blind and gilt stamped front and gilt stamped spine. Spine has a very slight lean and the mildest of bumping to the extremities. Dust jacket has minor darkening along edges and a light stain at top edge of spine. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box by The Dragonfly Bindery. The box front reproduces an image of skull with rose from front panel of the jacket in intricate, multicolored leathers. A near fine copy of the seventh Bond novel.
First edition. Inscribed by Fleming on the front free endpaper, "To Gerald Micklean, This piece - of homework! from Ian Fleming". Octavo. 318 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with blind and gilt stamped front and gilt stamped spine. Spine has a very slight lean and the mildest of bumping to the extremities. Dust jacket has minor darkening along edges and a light stain at top edge of spine. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box by The Dragonfly Bindery. The box front reproduces an image of skull with rose from front panel of the jacket in intricate, multicolored leathers. A near fine copy of the seventh Bond novel.
Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. London: Jonathan Cape, [1954].
First edition. Inscribed by Fleming on the front free endpaper, "To Clare, who sheds much light. With love Ian 1954." Octavo. 240 pages.
Publisher's original stamped cloth. Book has a very soft bump on the upper spine and the slightest lean to spine. First issue dust jacket with no credit for design. Vivid color with toning to edges and spine. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box by The Dragonfly Bindery. The box front reproduces an image from front board of book in black leather and gilt. A fine copy of the second Bond novel.
First edition. Inscribed by Fleming on the front free endpaper, "To Clare, who sheds much light. With love Ian 1954." Octavo. 240 pages.
Publisher's original stamped cloth. Book has a very soft bump on the upper spine and the slightest lean to spine. First issue dust jacket with no credit for design. Vivid color with toning to edges and spine. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box by The Dragonfly Bindery. The box front reproduces an image from front board of book in black leather and gilt. A fine copy of the second Bond novel.
Ian Fleming. On Her Majesty's Secret Service. London: Jonathan Cape, [1963].
First edition. Inscribed by Fleming on the front free endpaper, "To my dear friend Henry from Ian Fleming". Octavo. 288 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with white stamped design on front and silver stamped titles on spine. Moderate rubbing to the extremities. Dust jacket has some darkening along edges and spine. Modest soiling to rear panel. There are two one-eighth-inch tears on bottom edge of rear panel. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box by The Dragonfly Bindery. The box front reproduces an image of a shield from front panel of dust jacket in intricate, multicolored leathers. A near fine copy of the eleventh Bond novel.
First edition. Inscribed by Fleming on the front free endpaper, "To my dear friend Henry from Ian Fleming". Octavo. 288 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with white stamped design on front and silver stamped titles on spine. Moderate rubbing to the extremities. Dust jacket has some darkening along edges and spine. Modest soiling to rear panel. There are two one-eighth-inch tears on bottom edge of rear panel. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box by The Dragonfly Bindery. The box front reproduces an image of a shield from front panel of dust jacket in intricate, multicolored leathers. A near fine copy of the eleventh Bond novel.
Ian Fleming. Thunderball. London: Jonathan Cape, [1961].
First edition. Inscribed by Fleming on the front free endpaper, "To the kind lady called Reynolds who was such a help! from Ian Fleming". Octavo. 253 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with blindstamped front and gilt stamped spine titles. Cloth is lightly rubbed with softly bumped corners. Front endpapers show some foxing and top page edges have just a hint of foxing. Dust jacket has some darkening along edges and spine. Previous owner's name written on rear inner flap. There is a one-eighth-inch tear on the top edge of the jacket at the rear joint. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box by The Dragonfly Bindery. The box front reproduces an image of knife and skeletal hand from front panel of jacket in leathers and other materials. A better than very good copy of the ninth Bond novel.
First edition. Inscribed by Fleming on the front free endpaper, "To the kind lady called Reynolds who was such a help! from Ian Fleming". Octavo. 253 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with blindstamped front and gilt stamped spine titles. Cloth is lightly rubbed with softly bumped corners. Front endpapers show some foxing and top page edges have just a hint of foxing. Dust jacket has some darkening along edges and spine. Previous owner's name written on rear inner flap. There is a one-eighth-inch tear on the top edge of the jacket at the rear joint. Housed in a beautiful custom clamshell box by The Dragonfly Bindery. The box front reproduces an image of knife and skeletal hand from front panel of jacket in leathers and other materials. A better than very good copy of the ninth Bond novel.
John Grisham. A Time to Kill. New York: Wynwood Press, 1989.
First edition. Inscribed by Grisham on the half-title page, "To Patti Lee- nice to meet you. Hope you enjoy the book. Best Wishes, John Grisham Tupelo 3-5-94". Octavo. 415 pages.
Publisher's quarter cloth with paper covered boards. Book is rubbed and edge worn with a slight lean to the spine. Lightly soiled on the page edges and the rear hinge is split. Dust jacket has light chipping and tearing concentrated mainly at the spine ends and corners. Overall, a very good copy of the author's first book.
First edition. Inscribed by Grisham on the half-title page, "To Patti Lee- nice to meet you. Hope you enjoy the book. Best Wishes, John Grisham Tupelo 3-5-94". Octavo. 415 pages.
Publisher's quarter cloth with paper covered boards. Book is rubbed and edge worn with a slight lean to the spine. Lightly soiled on the page edges and the rear hinge is split. Dust jacket has light chipping and tearing concentrated mainly at the spine ends and corners. Overall, a very good copy of the author's first book.
Miscellaneous
Robert A. Heinlein. Signed Early Photocopy Draft of a Nonfiction Article "Are You a Rare Blood?" - With Other Material.
Fifteen photocopied sheets (text on recto only) of what would become an encyclopedia entry on blood types for the Compton Yearbook of 1976 (an annual supplement volume to the Britannica-owned Compton's Encyclopedia and Fact-Index). The manuscript is stapled at the upper left corner. Heinlein has signed the front page twice, once above his typed name, and again beneath a typed presentation: "This facsimile original MS is for Karl T. Pflock, who helped me with it at two key points. Thank you, Karl! Robert." Attached to the manuscript by paperclip are two index cards typed front and back by Heinlein and signed "Robert."
In the note Heinlein thanks Pflock for his help in his research for the article. He also reminisces about his World War II experience, particularly his service on the USS Lexington (CV-2). The manuscript is dated: "Revised 13 August 1975."
In original manila mailing envelope with Heinlein's return address label, and sealed on back with a "Don't tread on me" sticker. Pflock has written the received date on the front of the envelope: "23 Sept. 1975."
Karl T. Pflock was a noted ufologist, science fiction writer, and frequent contributor to Reason magazine.
A wonderful association copy of an obscure work by Heinlein, in fine condition.
Fifteen photocopied sheets (text on recto only) of what would become an encyclopedia entry on blood types for the Compton Yearbook of 1976 (an annual supplement volume to the Britannica-owned Compton's Encyclopedia and Fact-Index). The manuscript is stapled at the upper left corner. Heinlein has signed the front page twice, once above his typed name, and again beneath a typed presentation: "This facsimile original MS is for Karl T. Pflock, who helped me with it at two key points. Thank you, Karl! Robert." Attached to the manuscript by paperclip are two index cards typed front and back by Heinlein and signed "Robert."
In the note Heinlein thanks Pflock for his help in his research for the article. He also reminisces about his World War II experience, particularly his service on the USS Lexington (CV-2). The manuscript is dated: "Revised 13 August 1975."
In original manila mailing envelope with Heinlein's return address label, and sealed on back with a "Don't tread on me" sticker. Pflock has written the received date on the front of the envelope: "23 Sept. 1975."
Karl T. Pflock was a noted ufologist, science fiction writer, and frequent contributor to Reason magazine.
A wonderful association copy of an obscure work by Heinlein, in fine condition.
Robert A. Heinlein. Signed Early Photocopy Draft of a Nonfiction Article "Are You a Rare Blood?" - With Other Material.
Thirty-eight photocopied sheets (text on recto only) of what would become an encyclopedia entry on blood types for the Compton Yearbook of 1976 (an annual supplement volume to the Britannica-owned Compton's Encyclopedia and Fact-Index). On the front page is an inked inscription by Heinlein: "For Karl T. Pflock who pitched and helped when I needed help! Robert." Pages 25 through 38 are marked by the author "Not Copy"; they contain notes and bibliographic citations ranging from punctilios to chatty - Heinlein refers to these passages as "just some remarks for those few who will see this in MS rather than in book form next spring."
Also included is a page headed: "A private postscript to RARE BLOOD." Two personal notes from Heinlein to Karl T. Pflock on index cards have been taped (presumably by Heinlein) to a sheet of pink typing paper. One is typed, and initialed "R.A.H." in type. The other is handwritten in red felt pen, and signed by Heinlein using his initials.
In original manila mailing envelope with Heinlein's return address label. Pflock has written the received date on the front of the envelope: "12/19/75."
Karl T. Pflock was a noted ufologist, science fiction writer, and frequent contributor to Reason magazine.
A wonderful association copy of an obscure work of Heinlein, in fine condition.
Thirty-eight photocopied sheets (text on recto only) of what would become an encyclopedia entry on blood types for the Compton Yearbook of 1976 (an annual supplement volume to the Britannica-owned Compton's Encyclopedia and Fact-Index). On the front page is an inked inscription by Heinlein: "For Karl T. Pflock who pitched and helped when I needed help! Robert." Pages 25 through 38 are marked by the author "Not Copy"; they contain notes and bibliographic citations ranging from punctilios to chatty - Heinlein refers to these passages as "just some remarks for those few who will see this in MS rather than in book form next spring."
Also included is a page headed: "A private postscript to RARE BLOOD." Two personal notes from Heinlein to Karl T. Pflock on index cards have been taped (presumably by Heinlein) to a sheet of pink typing paper. One is typed, and initialed "R.A.H." in type. The other is handwritten in red felt pen, and signed by Heinlein using his initials.
In original manila mailing envelope with Heinlein's return address label. Pflock has written the received date on the front of the envelope: "12/19/75."
Karl T. Pflock was a noted ufologist, science fiction writer, and frequent contributor to Reason magazine.
A wonderful association copy of an obscure work of Heinlein, in fine condition.
Books
Robert A. Heinlein. Three Books, including: Rocket Ship Galileo. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, [1947]. First edition. Octavo. 212 pages. Publisher's black cloth with green stamped front and spine. Light rubbing and wear to extremities. Board edges appear to have been touched up with a felt tip marker. Front board and spine have been sprayed with a clear lacquer, not present on rear. Toning to endpapers. Dust jacket is rubbed and worn on extremities with internal repairs. Chipping to spine ends. A solid place-holder copy in good condition. [and:] The Man Who Sold the Moon. Chicago: Shasta Publishers, [1950]. First edition. Octavo. 288 pages. Publisher's quarter black cloth over gray boards with gilt spine titles. Minor wear to extremities with lightly soiled and foxed page edges. Dust jacket is toned with significant dampstaining. A good copy. [and:] A Comedy of Justice. London: New English Library, [1984]. Uncorrected proof. Publisher's light blue wraps. Notes hand written on front and spine. Lightly soiled and edge toned covers. Internal hand written corrections to text. Possibly author's corrections, but no provenance is provided. A very good copy.
Robert A. Heinlein. Rocket Ship Galileo. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947.
First edition, first printing. Octavo. 212 pages.
Black decorative cloth over boards. Green lettering to spine. Illustrated by Thomas W. Voter. Yellow endpapers. Publisher's seal and "A" on copyright page, designating first edition, first printing. Very good condition in a price-clipped dust jacket.
"Rocket Ship Galileo, written by Robert Heinlein and published in 1947, is generally considered the first American juvenile science fiction work that merited any serious critical attention. For the first time - at least, as far as most specialists in children's literature knew - an author expertly blended together characters, subject matter, and plot in a way that was novel, relevant, and appealing to young readers" (Anatomy of Wonder).
Heinlein's first published novel.
Anatomy of Wonder, p. 302. Bleiler, Checklist, p. 97. Currey, p. 234.
First edition, first printing. Octavo. 212 pages.
Black decorative cloth over boards. Green lettering to spine. Illustrated by Thomas W. Voter. Yellow endpapers. Publisher's seal and "A" on copyright page, designating first edition, first printing. Very good condition in a price-clipped dust jacket.
"Rocket Ship Galileo, written by Robert Heinlein and published in 1947, is generally considered the first American juvenile science fiction work that merited any serious critical attention. For the first time - at least, as far as most specialists in children's literature knew - an author expertly blended together characters, subject matter, and plot in a way that was novel, relevant, and appealing to young readers" (Anatomy of Wonder).
Heinlein's first published novel.
Anatomy of Wonder, p. 302. Bleiler, Checklist, p. 97. Currey, p. 234.
Frank Herbert. Dune. Philadelphia / New York: Chilton Books, 1965.
First edition. Large octavo. 412 pages including multiple appendices.
Publisher's light blue cloth with white lettering to spine. In original pictorial dust jacket. Head and foot of spine lightly rubbed, upper corner of rear board very slightly bumped, very slight fading to the cloth at the board edges. A couple of small faint stains on the fore-edge, one just visible at the outer edge of pages 279-314, another small faint blue stain on the top edge. Faint foxing to the top edge and to cloth turn-in. A near fine copy. In the original first issue color pictorial dust jacket by John Schoenherr, with the price $5.95 at the upper right corner of the front flap and the publisher's imprint in four lines at the bottom of the rear flap. Jacket with minor edge wear at spine extremities and slight creasing to front and rear panels at flap folds near top of spine, two tiny closed tears at the top edge of the front panel and the top edge of the spine, light foxing visible on the verso. Overall, a near fine copy of an exceedingly rare classic of science fiction.
Dune won the 1965 Nebula Award for Best Novel and shared the 1966 Hugo Award. The book has sold over 12 million copies, more than any other science fiction novel in history.
"One of [the] most celebrated works of modern SF." (Barron 199.)
First edition. Large octavo. 412 pages including multiple appendices.
Publisher's light blue cloth with white lettering to spine. In original pictorial dust jacket. Head and foot of spine lightly rubbed, upper corner of rear board very slightly bumped, very slight fading to the cloth at the board edges. A couple of small faint stains on the fore-edge, one just visible at the outer edge of pages 279-314, another small faint blue stain on the top edge. Faint foxing to the top edge and to cloth turn-in. A near fine copy. In the original first issue color pictorial dust jacket by John Schoenherr, with the price $5.95 at the upper right corner of the front flap and the publisher's imprint in four lines at the bottom of the rear flap. Jacket with minor edge wear at spine extremities and slight creasing to front and rear panels at flap folds near top of spine, two tiny closed tears at the top edge of the front panel and the top edge of the spine, light foxing visible on the verso. Overall, a near fine copy of an exceedingly rare classic of science fiction.
Dune won the 1965 Nebula Award for Best Novel and shared the 1966 Hugo Award. The book has sold over 12 million copies, more than any other science fiction novel in history.
"One of [the] most celebrated works of modern SF." (Barron 199.)
[Patricia Highsmith]. Claire Morgan. The Price of Salt. New York: Coward McCann, [1952].
First edition. Octavo. 276 pages.
Publisher's quarter black cloth with green cloth boards and red stamping on the front and spine. Mildly rubbed on spine ends and corners with light toning along page edges and hinges. Previous owner's name on the front free endpaper. There is a light fold line that runs the length of the last two pages. Dust jacket is very lightly rubbed and soiled with minor darkening along the edge. Spine ends and corners are lightly chipped. Overall, a very good copy.
Highsmith penned this lesbian novel under a pseudonym shortly after the success of Strangers on a Train, the latter made famous by the Hitchcock film of the same name. Highly regarded today, The Price of Salt went against type at the time with its premise that two lesbians might live together happily. This break from the usual '50s formula helped The Price of Salt gain a wider and more lasting audience.
First edition. Octavo. 276 pages.
Publisher's quarter black cloth with green cloth boards and red stamping on the front and spine. Mildly rubbed on spine ends and corners with light toning along page edges and hinges. Previous owner's name on the front free endpaper. There is a light fold line that runs the length of the last two pages. Dust jacket is very lightly rubbed and soiled with minor darkening along the edge. Spine ends and corners are lightly chipped. Overall, a very good copy.
Highsmith penned this lesbian novel under a pseudonym shortly after the success of Strangers on a Train, the latter made famous by the Hitchcock film of the same name. Highly regarded today, The Price of Salt went against type at the time with its premise that two lesbians might live together happily. This break from the usual '50s formula helped The Price of Salt gain a wider and more lasting audience.
Stephen King. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger. West Kingston: Donald M. Grant Publisher, Inc., 1982.
First trade edition. Octavo. 224 pages. Illustrated by Michael Whelan.
Publisher's brown cloth with gilt spine titles. Softly bumped lower corners with two small at top edge of rear board. Dust jacket is lightly worn on ends. Minimal shelf wear to the book and dust jacket. A near fine copy.
King's epic post-apocalyptic Dark Tower series first saw publication in book form with this volume. Originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction between 1978 and 1981, The Dark Tower series has become a touchstone for readers of dark fantasy, and has drawn comparisons to The Lord of the Rings for its epic sweep and breadth of character and story.
First trade edition. Octavo. 224 pages. Illustrated by Michael Whelan.
Publisher's brown cloth with gilt spine titles. Softly bumped lower corners with two small at top edge of rear board. Dust jacket is lightly worn on ends. Minimal shelf wear to the book and dust jacket. A near fine copy.
King's epic post-apocalyptic Dark Tower series first saw publication in book form with this volume. Originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction between 1978 and 1981, The Dark Tower series has become a touchstone for readers of dark fantasy, and has drawn comparisons to The Lord of the Rings for its epic sweep and breadth of character and story.
Ursula K. Le Guin. Complete First Edition Set of the Earthsea Series.
A superb collection of all six of the Earthsea series including an inscribed copy of the first, and most important A Wizard of Earthsea. Berkeley: Parnassus Press, 1968. First edition, first printing. Inscribed by Le Guin on the second front free endpaper. Octavo. 205 pages. Illustrated with drawings by Ruth Robbins. Original green cloth with titles and vignette on front board in black. Trivial wear to boards, dust jacket with some moderate toning to white areas, else a solid, very good copy. [and:] The Tombs of Atuan. New York: Atheneum, 1971. First edition. Octavo. 163 pages. Original publisher's cloth with titles and decoration in silver. Trivial shelf wear to boards, small ownership label pasted on front free endpaper, else near fine in a nice jacket. [and:] The Earthest Shore. New York: Atheneum, 1972. First edition. Octavo. 223 pages. Original publisher's cloth with titles and decoration stamped in lavender. Trivial shelf wear to boards, small ownership label pasted on front free endpaper, else near fine in a nice jacket. [and:] Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea. New York: Atheneum, 1990. First edition. Octavo. 226 pages. Original publisher's binding with titles and decoration stamped in copper brown. About fine in a nice jacket. [and:] The Other Wind. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2001. First edition. Octavo. 246 pages. Original publisher's paper over boards, fine in dust jacket. [and:] Tales From Earthsea. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2001. First edition. Octavo. 296 pages. Original publisher's paper over boards, fine in dust jacket. This latter volume includes several short stories including "The Finder", "Darkrose and Diamond", "The Bones of the Earth", "On the High Marsh", and "Dragonfly".
Additionally, a copy of Earthsea Revisited, a lecture given by Le Guin at Oxford University in 1992, is included. The small pamphlet-sized volume contains 26 pages and is bound in printed wraps. Le Guin has signed on the title page. This is a singular opportunity to own the complete Earthsea series in first edition, including the wonderful signed copy of A Wizard of Earthsea.
A superb collection of all six of the Earthsea series including an inscribed copy of the first, and most important A Wizard of Earthsea. Berkeley: Parnassus Press, 1968. First edition, first printing. Inscribed by Le Guin on the second front free endpaper. Octavo. 205 pages. Illustrated with drawings by Ruth Robbins. Original green cloth with titles and vignette on front board in black. Trivial wear to boards, dust jacket with some moderate toning to white areas, else a solid, very good copy. [and:] The Tombs of Atuan. New York: Atheneum, 1971. First edition. Octavo. 163 pages. Original publisher's cloth with titles and decoration in silver. Trivial shelf wear to boards, small ownership label pasted on front free endpaper, else near fine in a nice jacket. [and:] The Earthest Shore. New York: Atheneum, 1972. First edition. Octavo. 223 pages. Original publisher's cloth with titles and decoration stamped in lavender. Trivial shelf wear to boards, small ownership label pasted on front free endpaper, else near fine in a nice jacket. [and:] Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea. New York: Atheneum, 1990. First edition. Octavo. 226 pages. Original publisher's binding with titles and decoration stamped in copper brown. About fine in a nice jacket. [and:] The Other Wind. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2001. First edition. Octavo. 246 pages. Original publisher's paper over boards, fine in dust jacket. [and:] Tales From Earthsea. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2001. First edition. Octavo. 296 pages. Original publisher's paper over boards, fine in dust jacket. This latter volume includes several short stories including "The Finder", "Darkrose and Diamond", "The Bones of the Earth", "On the High Marsh", and "Dragonfly".
Additionally, a copy of Earthsea Revisited, a lecture given by Le Guin at Oxford University in 1992, is included. The small pamphlet-sized volume contains 26 pages and is bound in printed wraps. Le Guin has signed on the title page. This is a singular opportunity to own the complete Earthsea series in first edition, including the wonderful signed copy of A Wizard of Earthsea.
David Lindsay. Sphinx. London: John Long, [1923].
First edition. Octavo. 318 pages.
Publisher's pale green cloth. Blind ruled front with titles stamped in black on spine and blindstamped decoration. Minor rubbing to extremities and slight lean to spine with modest soiling to boards. Mildly darkened spine has several small spots that barely extend to rear board. Toned endpapers and page edges with drying hinges. Two one-half-inch stains to top page edges, do not extend into pages. An extremely scarce edition in very good condition.
First edition. Octavo. 318 pages.
Publisher's pale green cloth. Blind ruled front with titles stamped in black on spine and blindstamped decoration. Minor rubbing to extremities and slight lean to spine with modest soiling to boards. Mildly darkened spine has several small spots that barely extend to rear board. Toned endpapers and page edges with drying hinges. Two one-half-inch stains to top page edges, do not extend into pages. An extremely scarce edition in very good condition.
David Lindsay. A Voyage to Arcturus. London: Methuen, [1920].
First edition. Octavo. 303 pages with 8 pages of ads.
Publisher's red cloth. Front ruled and stamped in blind. Spine ruled and stamped in gilt. Rubbing to extremities with general, light soiling to cloth. Mild sunning and spotting along spine. Top edges darkened with mild foxing to remaining edges. Minor toning and foxing to endpapers with front free endpaper neatly excised. Hand written passage on front pastedown has been cleanly erased. One-half-inch stain at fore-edge affects pages 37-47. A very good copy of author's rare first book.
This Scottish fantasist, relatively unknown and unsuccessful in his own time, has proven enormously influential to later writers like C. S. Lewis. Lindsay's first book, A Voyage to Arcturus has been called "a masterpiece of allegorical fantasy" by John Grant in The Encyclopedia of Fantasy.
Currey.
First edition. Octavo. 303 pages with 8 pages of ads.
Publisher's red cloth. Front ruled and stamped in blind. Spine ruled and stamped in gilt. Rubbing to extremities with general, light soiling to cloth. Mild sunning and spotting along spine. Top edges darkened with mild foxing to remaining edges. Minor toning and foxing to endpapers with front free endpaper neatly excised. Hand written passage on front pastedown has been cleanly erased. One-half-inch stain at fore-edge affects pages 37-47. A very good copy of author's rare first book.
This Scottish fantasist, relatively unknown and unsuccessful in his own time, has proven enormously influential to later writers like C. S. Lewis. Lindsay's first book, A Voyage to Arcturus has been called "a masterpiece of allegorical fantasy" by John Grant in The Encyclopedia of Fantasy.
Currey.
H. P. Lovecraft. Beyond the Wall of Sleep. Arkham House: Sauk City, 1943.
First edition. Laid in is bookplate: "From the Library of Donald Wandrei ... Author & Co-Founder of Arkham House - Publishers." 1,200 copies printed. Octavo. xxix, 458 pages.
Black cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Corners bumped. Minor blemishes to spine and rear board. Some soiling and light chipping to dust jacket.
Arkham House's second collection of works by Lovecraft, including two novellas, short stories, poetry, as well as Francis T. Laney's "The Cthulhu Mythology: a Glossary," and W. Paul Cook's "An Appreciation of H. P. Lovecraft."
Bleiler, p. 126. Curry, p. 320.
First edition. Laid in is bookplate: "From the Library of Donald Wandrei ... Author & Co-Founder of Arkham House - Publishers." 1,200 copies printed. Octavo. xxix, 458 pages.
Black cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Corners bumped. Minor blemishes to spine and rear board. Some soiling and light chipping to dust jacket.
Arkham House's second collection of works by Lovecraft, including two novellas, short stories, poetry, as well as Francis T. Laney's "The Cthulhu Mythology: a Glossary," and W. Paul Cook's "An Appreciation of H. P. Lovecraft."
Bleiler, p. 126. Curry, p. 320.
H. P. Lovecraft. A Leaf From the Typescript Used by the Printer for the First Published Book by H. P. Lovecraft, the Visionary Publishing Company's Edition of The Shadow Over Innsmouth. Glendale: Roy A. Squires, [n.d.].
Limited to 43 number copies, of which this is number 21, signed by Visionary Publishing Company's William Crawford at the top of the limitation page. Quarto.
Green wraps. Title label with lettering in green and red. Typescript page (page number 21) slid into publisher's Mylar sleeve. In publisher's printed envelope. Also present is the cardboard mailing envelope from Squires. Near fine condition.
Limited to 43 number copies, of which this is number 21, signed by Visionary Publishing Company's William Crawford at the top of the limitation page. Quarto.
Green wraps. Title label with lettering in green and red. Typescript page (page number 21) slid into publisher's Mylar sleeve. In publisher's printed envelope. Also present is the cardboard mailing envelope from Squires. Near fine condition.
H. P. Lovecraft. The Outsider and Others. Arkham House: Sauk City, 1939.
First edition. 1,200 copies printed. Octavo. 553 pages.
Black cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Some slight soiling to the edges. The lower portion of the bookplate affixed to the front free endpaper has been removed to eradicate the previous owner's name. Some rubbing to the original dust jacket with light chipping to the extremities. Overall, a very good copy.
This is the book which launched Arkham House. For this collection, August Derleth and Donald Wandrei selected 35 short stories by Lovecraft, as well as his novella At the Mountains of Madness, and his essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature," and commissioned Virgil Finlay to provide the dust jacket illustration.
Bleiler, p. 127. Curry, p. 324.
First edition. 1,200 copies printed. Octavo. 553 pages.
Black cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Some slight soiling to the edges. The lower portion of the bookplate affixed to the front free endpaper has been removed to eradicate the previous owner's name. Some rubbing to the original dust jacket with light chipping to the extremities. Overall, a very good copy.
This is the book which launched Arkham House. For this collection, August Derleth and Donald Wandrei selected 35 short stories by Lovecraft, as well as his novella At the Mountains of Madness, and his essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature," and commissioned Virgil Finlay to provide the dust jacket illustration.
Bleiler, p. 127. Curry, p. 324.
H. P. Lovecraft. The Shunned House. With a Preface by Frank Belknap Long, Jr. Athol, Mass: Published by W. Paul Cook, The Recluse Press, 1928.
First edition of the author's very rare first book. One of 300 copies printed. Octavo. 58, [1], [1, blank] pages. Paper watermarked "Canterbury Laid." Preface inscribed at end in blue ink: "Frank Belknap Long."
Folded unbound sheets. Minimal wear and browning to edges, slight browning to title page, tiny split at upper edge of fold of first gathering, very faint crease to lower corner of text block. Ink inscription on verso of title-page: "Witucki [?] P./3/21/62 $16.00." An excellent copy. Chemised in a linen slipcase with black leather label down the spine, decoratively stamped and lettered in gilt.
This copy is one of fifty unbound copies distributed by Arkham House (circa 1959), with the cancel copyright notice listing copyrights for 1936, 1937, 1939, and 1947 pasted over the original copyright notice on the verso of the title-page which reads "COPYRIGHT 1928 / By W. PAUL COOK." This copyright notice is in the first state with the book and magazine titles set in bold face.
"Though the sheets of this story were printed and marked for copyright in 1928, the story was neither bound nor circulated at that time. A few copies were bound, put under copyright, and circulated by R. H. Barlow in 1936, but the first wide publication of the story was in the magazine, Weird Tales, in the following year. The story was originally set up and printed by the late W. Paul Cook, publisher of The Recluse" (Arkham House cancel copyright notice).
W. Paul Cook had wanted to publish The Shunned House in the first issue of The Recluse, but perhaps because of space limitations, did not do so, and thus decided to print the story as a small book. Cook printed approximately 300 copies in mid-1928. "In 1934 [R. H.] Barlow [Lovecraft's literary executor] received about 225 copies of the unbound sheets. It is rumored that he bound only eight copies: one was bound in natural leather and was given to Lovecraft in 1935. The other seven were bound in boards...These seven copies bear either a printed label ("Copyright 1935 / R. H. Barlow") pasted over the copyright notice (p. [2]), or the original copyright notice crossed out by hand to read: "Copyright 1936 / R. H. Barlow"...It is believed that Barlow distributed some copies in wrappers and other copies in an unbound state, both bearing his printed copyright notice, but none has been seen by the compiler. Of the 225 copies, Barlow apparently distributed only about 50, having found some unusable...Arkham House, when obtaining the remainder of the unbound sheets, bound or distributed 150 as follows: 50 unbound copies bear a printed label pasted over the original copyright notice; 100 are bound in black cloth bearing the printed copyright notice...The former were distributed ca. 1959; the later ca. 1961. The Arkham House copyright label is in two states: the one for the unbound sheets prints book and magazine titles in boldface, that for the bound sheets prints these titles in italics" (Joshi).
The story is based on an actual house in Providence, Rhode Island, built around 1763 and still standing at 135 Benefit Street. Lovecraft was familiar with the house because his aunt, Mrs. Lillian Clark, had lived there in 1919-1920 as a companion to Mrs. H. C. Babbitt. But the writing of the story was triggered by Lovecraft's seeing a similar house in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in early October 1924. Lovecraft describes the house in a letter to his aunt, dated November 4-6, 1924, as follows: "on the northeast corner of Bridge St. & Elizabeth Ave. is a terrible old house-a hellish place where night-black deeds must have been done in the early seventeen-hundreds-with a blackish unpainted surface, unnaturally steep roof, & an outside flight of stairs leading to the second story, suffocatingly embowered in a tangle of ivy so dense that one cannot but imagine it accursed or corpse-fed. It reminded me of the Babbitt House in Benefit St., which as you recall made me write those lines entitled 'The House' in 1920." (See S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz, An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia, pp. 242-243).
In his definitive biography of Lovecraft, S. T. Joshi describes The Shunned House as "a dense, richly textured story with convincing historical background and a fine sense of cumulative horror...[T]he hideous climax (with another genuine surprise ending) and the thought-provoking scientific rationale for the horror make this a noteworthy landmark in Lovecraft's early corpus" (S. T. Joshi, H. P. Lovecraft: A Life, p. 350).
Currey, Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors: A Bibliography of First Printings of Their Fiction and Selected Nonfiction, Revised Edition, p. 263, (C) (1) (a). Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction, 1037. Joshi I-A-5.
First edition of the author's very rare first book. One of 300 copies printed. Octavo. 58, [1], [1, blank] pages. Paper watermarked "Canterbury Laid." Preface inscribed at end in blue ink: "Frank Belknap Long."
Folded unbound sheets. Minimal wear and browning to edges, slight browning to title page, tiny split at upper edge of fold of first gathering, very faint crease to lower corner of text block. Ink inscription on verso of title-page: "Witucki [?] P./3/21/62 $16.00." An excellent copy. Chemised in a linen slipcase with black leather label down the spine, decoratively stamped and lettered in gilt.
This copy is one of fifty unbound copies distributed by Arkham House (circa 1959), with the cancel copyright notice listing copyrights for 1936, 1937, 1939, and 1947 pasted over the original copyright notice on the verso of the title-page which reads "COPYRIGHT 1928 / By W. PAUL COOK." This copyright notice is in the first state with the book and magazine titles set in bold face.
"Though the sheets of this story were printed and marked for copyright in 1928, the story was neither bound nor circulated at that time. A few copies were bound, put under copyright, and circulated by R. H. Barlow in 1936, but the first wide publication of the story was in the magazine, Weird Tales, in the following year. The story was originally set up and printed by the late W. Paul Cook, publisher of The Recluse" (Arkham House cancel copyright notice).
W. Paul Cook had wanted to publish The Shunned House in the first issue of The Recluse, but perhaps because of space limitations, did not do so, and thus decided to print the story as a small book. Cook printed approximately 300 copies in mid-1928. "In 1934 [R. H.] Barlow [Lovecraft's literary executor] received about 225 copies of the unbound sheets. It is rumored that he bound only eight copies: one was bound in natural leather and was given to Lovecraft in 1935. The other seven were bound in boards...These seven copies bear either a printed label ("Copyright 1935 / R. H. Barlow") pasted over the copyright notice (p. [2]), or the original copyright notice crossed out by hand to read: "Copyright 1936 / R. H. Barlow"...It is believed that Barlow distributed some copies in wrappers and other copies in an unbound state, both bearing his printed copyright notice, but none has been seen by the compiler. Of the 225 copies, Barlow apparently distributed only about 50, having found some unusable...Arkham House, when obtaining the remainder of the unbound sheets, bound or distributed 150 as follows: 50 unbound copies bear a printed label pasted over the original copyright notice; 100 are bound in black cloth bearing the printed copyright notice...The former were distributed ca. 1959; the later ca. 1961. The Arkham House copyright label is in two states: the one for the unbound sheets prints book and magazine titles in boldface, that for the bound sheets prints these titles in italics" (Joshi).
The story is based on an actual house in Providence, Rhode Island, built around 1763 and still standing at 135 Benefit Street. Lovecraft was familiar with the house because his aunt, Mrs. Lillian Clark, had lived there in 1919-1920 as a companion to Mrs. H. C. Babbitt. But the writing of the story was triggered by Lovecraft's seeing a similar house in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in early October 1924. Lovecraft describes the house in a letter to his aunt, dated November 4-6, 1924, as follows: "on the northeast corner of Bridge St. & Elizabeth Ave. is a terrible old house-a hellish place where night-black deeds must have been done in the early seventeen-hundreds-with a blackish unpainted surface, unnaturally steep roof, & an outside flight of stairs leading to the second story, suffocatingly embowered in a tangle of ivy so dense that one cannot but imagine it accursed or corpse-fed. It reminded me of the Babbitt House in Benefit St., which as you recall made me write those lines entitled 'The House' in 1920." (See S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz, An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia, pp. 242-243).
In his definitive biography of Lovecraft, S. T. Joshi describes The Shunned House as "a dense, richly textured story with convincing historical background and a fine sense of cumulative horror...[T]he hideous climax (with another genuine surprise ending) and the thought-provoking scientific rationale for the horror make this a noteworthy landmark in Lovecraft's early corpus" (S. T. Joshi, H. P. Lovecraft: A Life, p. 350).
Currey, Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors: A Bibliography of First Printings of Their Fiction and Selected Nonfiction, Revised Edition, p. 263, (C) (1) (a). Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction, 1037. Joshi I-A-5.
Anne McCaffrey. Harper Hall of Pern Signed Trilogy, including: Dragonsong. Signed by McCaffrey on the title page. New York: Atheneum, 1976. First edition. Octavo. 202 pages. Publisher's brown cloth with gilt spine titles. Dust jacket is mildly edge toned. A near fine copy. [and:] Dragonsinger. Signed by McCaffrey on the title page. New York: Atheneum, 1977. First edition. Octavo. 264 pages. Publisher's lavender cloth with red spine titles. Bumped along bottom edge with light soiling. Dust jacket edge toned with soiling on bottom edge. A very good copy. [and:] Dragondrums. Signed by McCaffrey on the title page. New York: Atheneum, 1979. First edition. Octavo. 240 pages. Publisher's rust cloth with white spine titles. Front hinge over-opened. Hint of soiling to page edges. Dust jacket mildly edge toned. A near fine copy.
A desirable fantasy series seldom seen with all volumes signed.
A desirable fantasy series seldom seen with all volumes signed.
Philip Pullman. His Dark Materials Signed Trilogy, including: Northern Lights. London: Scholastic, [1996]. First trade edition. Inscribed by Pullman on title page, "For Lucie - I hope you enjoy this one day! Phillip Pullman". Octavo. 399 pages. Lightly rubbed covers with some bending to corners. Spine lightly creased with a snag one-half-inch from bottom. Page edges mildly toned. A very good copy. [and:] The Subtle Knife. London: Scholastic, [1997]. First edition. Inscribed by Pullman on title page, "With my best wishes to Lucie - Philip Pullman". Octavo. 341 pages. Publisher's green cloth with gilt decoration on front and gilt spine titles. Lightly rubbed spine ends with bumped lower front corner. Spine is slightly leaning. Small spot on top page edges with lightly thumbed fore-edge. Page edges are modestly toned. In dust jacket. A very good copy. [and:] The Amber Spyglass. London: Scholastic, [2000]. First edition. Book plate signed by Pullman attached to half-title page. Publisher's black cloth with gilt titles on front and spine. Cloth is rubbed and lightly soiled. Hinges are loose. Pages edges soiled. Dust jacket is lightly edge rubbed with a one-inch internal stain on bottom edge of rear panel. A good copy.
Anne Rice. Six First Editions, Four Signed, including: The Vampire Lestat. 1985. Signed on the title page. [and:] The Queen of the Damned. 1988. [and:] The Witching Hour. 1990. Inscribed on the front free endpaper. [and:] The Tale of the Body Thief. 1992. [and:] Merrick. 2000. Signed on the fly-leaf. [and:] Blood and Gold. 2001. Signed bookplate laid in. All books are first editions, published in New York by Knopf. Six octavo volumes. All in very good or better condition, with dust jackets.
Bram Stoker. Dracula. London: Archibald Constable, 1897.
First edition, second issue with last page advertising The Shoulder of Shasta. Octavo. 390 pages.
Custom full gold morocco by Bayntun-Rivière. Gilt ruled front and rear. Five raised bands, gilt decorated with gilt ruled compartments and spine labels with gilt titles. All edges gilt with marbled endpapers. Title page and verso of half-title show tape removal marks which has caused a minor lose of material. Minimal toning to pages. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A very good copy attractively rebound.
First edition, second issue with last page advertising The Shoulder of Shasta. Octavo. 390 pages.
Custom full gold morocco by Bayntun-Rivière. Gilt ruled front and rear. Five raised bands, gilt decorated with gilt ruled compartments and spine labels with gilt titles. All edges gilt with marbled endpapers. Title page and verso of half-title show tape removal marks which has caused a minor lose of material. Minimal toning to pages. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A very good copy attractively rebound.
Rex Stout. Not Quite Dead Enough. New York: Farrar & Rinehart, [1944].
First edition. Octavo. 220 pages.
Publisher's red cloth with front and spine stamped in black. Modest rubbing to spine ends. Mild foxing the endpapers and page edges. Bookplate on front pastedown. Dust jacket shows light edge wear with a one-quarter-inch chip to spine bottom. A very good copy.
First edition. Octavo. 220 pages.
Publisher's red cloth with front and spine stamped in black. Modest rubbing to spine ends. Mild foxing the endpapers and page edges. Bookplate on front pastedown. Dust jacket shows light edge wear with a one-quarter-inch chip to spine bottom. A very good copy.
J. R. R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings, including:
The Fellowship of the Ring. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954. First edition, second impression. Clipped signature of Tolkien tipped-in at title page. Octavo. 423 pages plus map attached to rear flyleaf . Red cloth with gilt spine titles. Bottom edge of boards is lightly shelfworn. "4" at the bottom of page 49. Second impression dust jacket priced "21s net" has a half-inch and a one-inch tear to rear panel. [and:] The Two Towers. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954. First edition, second impression. Octavo. 352 pages plus map attached to rear flyleaf. Red cloth with gilt spine titles. Slight lean to spine and bottom edge of boards is lightly shelfworn. Endpapers are toned and page edges have scattered foxing. Second impression dust jacket priced "21s net" has light foxing to edges and spine, and some minor wear to the extremities. [and:] The Return of the King. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1955. First edition, first impression, second state according to Hammond and Anderson. Octavo. 423 pages plus map attached to rear flyleaf. Red cloth with gilt spine titles. Bottom edge of boards is lightly shelfworn with scattered foxing to endpapers and page edges. First impression dust jacket priced "21s net" has light foxing to edges and spine. A remarkably clean, attractive trio. The set in better than very good condition and housed in a custom slipcase.
The Fellowship of the Ring. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954. First edition, second impression. Clipped signature of Tolkien tipped-in at title page. Octavo. 423 pages plus map attached to rear flyleaf . Red cloth with gilt spine titles. Bottom edge of boards is lightly shelfworn. "4" at the bottom of page 49. Second impression dust jacket priced "21s net" has a half-inch and a one-inch tear to rear panel. [and:] The Two Towers. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954. First edition, second impression. Octavo. 352 pages plus map attached to rear flyleaf. Red cloth with gilt spine titles. Slight lean to spine and bottom edge of boards is lightly shelfworn. Endpapers are toned and page edges have scattered foxing. Second impression dust jacket priced "21s net" has light foxing to edges and spine, and some minor wear to the extremities. [and:] The Return of the King. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1955. First edition, first impression, second state according to Hammond and Anderson. Octavo. 423 pages plus map attached to rear flyleaf. Red cloth with gilt spine titles. Bottom edge of boards is lightly shelfworn with scattered foxing to endpapers and page edges. First impression dust jacket priced "21s net" has light foxing to edges and spine. A remarkably clean, attractive trio. The set in better than very good condition and housed in a custom slipcase.
J. R. R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings, including:
The Fellowship of the Ring. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954. First edition. Octavo. 423 pages plus map attached to rear flyleaf. [and:] The Two Towers. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954. First edition. Octavo. 352 pages plus map attached to rear flyleaf. [and:] The Return of the King. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1955. First edition. Octavo. 423 pages plus map attached to rear flyleaf.
Custom matching full morocco bindings. Boards have gilt borders with cornerpieces representing leaves, spines with five raised bands, and decorated compartments. Marbled endpapers with portions of the original bindings bound into the rear of each volume. A beautifully rebound set housed in a custom slipcase. The set in fine condition.
The Fellowship of the Ring. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954. First edition. Octavo. 423 pages plus map attached to rear flyleaf. [and:] The Two Towers. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954. First edition. Octavo. 352 pages plus map attached to rear flyleaf. [and:] The Return of the King. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1955. First edition. Octavo. 423 pages plus map attached to rear flyleaf.
Custom matching full morocco bindings. Boards have gilt borders with cornerpieces representing leaves, spines with five raised bands, and decorated compartments. Marbled endpapers with portions of the original bindings bound into the rear of each volume. A beautifully rebound set housed in a custom slipcase. The set in fine condition.
Jules Verne. The Mysterious Island. Part First, Shipwrecked in the Air. Boston: Henry L. Shepard, 1875.
First American unauthorized edition. Octavo. 202 pages.
Publisher's brown cloth decoratively stamped in gilt and black on front and spine. Gilt to spine has dulled. Wear to extremities with spine leaning. Minor rubbing and scuffing with some lifting of cloth on rear board. Pages are lightly edge toned. Overall, a very good copy.
Currey.
First American unauthorized edition. Octavo. 202 pages.
Publisher's brown cloth decoratively stamped in gilt and black on front and spine. Gilt to spine has dulled. Wear to extremities with spine leaning. Minor rubbing and scuffing with some lifting of cloth on rear board. Pages are lightly edge toned. Overall, a very good copy.
Currey.
H. G. Wells. The First Men in the Moon. London: George Newnes, Limited, 1901.
First edition, second issue. Octavo. vii, 342 pages. Frontispiece and eleven additional plates by Claude Shepperson.
Original dark blue cloth decoratively stamped and lettered in gilt on front and spine. Rubbed and edge worn with some minor soiling, and darkening to spine. Endpapers toned with bookplate on front pastedown. Spine is leaning and gilt along spine has dulled. A very good copy.
Bleiler. Currey. Hammond B7. Wells 18.
First edition, second issue. Octavo. vii, 342 pages. Frontispiece and eleven additional plates by Claude Shepperson.
Original dark blue cloth decoratively stamped and lettered in gilt on front and spine. Rubbed and edge worn with some minor soiling, and darkening to spine. Endpapers toned with bookplate on front pastedown. Spine is leaning and gilt along spine has dulled. A very good copy.
Bleiler. Currey. Hammond B7. Wells 18.
H. G. Wells. The First Men in the Moon. London: George Newnes, Limited, 1901.
First edition, first issue binding. Octavo. 342 pages.
Original decorated blue cloth; front and spine panels stamped in gilt; black coated endpapers. Moderate rubbing and wear to corner tips and edges; small section of water damage at upper right corner of cover board. Head and tail of spine are frayed and worn, light abrasions to cover, spine is slightly sunned. Front flyleaf bears embossed stamp of "W. H. Smith & Sons, London." Twelve inserted plates with illustrations by Claude Shepperson. Generally in very good condition.
First edition, first issue binding. Octavo. 342 pages.
Original decorated blue cloth; front and spine panels stamped in gilt; black coated endpapers. Moderate rubbing and wear to corner tips and edges; small section of water damage at upper right corner of cover board. Head and tail of spine are frayed and worn, light abrasions to cover, spine is slightly sunned. Front flyleaf bears embossed stamp of "W. H. Smith & Sons, London." Twelve inserted plates with illustrations by Claude Shepperson. Generally in very good condition.
H. G. Wells. The Time Machine. London: William Heinemann, 1895.
First British edition (the American edition of the book preceded the British edition by a few weeks). Octavo. 151 pages.
Original gray cloth. Later state cloth 'E' binding (Currey), with no advertisements. Decorative cover design and lettering stamped in purple. Cloth is rubbed and soiled. Slightly skewed. Top edge dusty. Spine dulled. Front hinge shaken. Endpapers toned and foxed with foxing along page edges. A very good copy.
Heinemann published the book simultaneously in boards and wraps.
Bleiler. Currey. Hammond B1. Wells 4.
First British edition (the American edition of the book preceded the British edition by a few weeks). Octavo. 151 pages.
Original gray cloth. Later state cloth 'E' binding (Currey), with no advertisements. Decorative cover design and lettering stamped in purple. Cloth is rubbed and soiled. Slightly skewed. Top edge dusty. Spine dulled. Front hinge shaken. Endpapers toned and foxed with foxing along page edges. A very good copy.
Heinemann published the book simultaneously in boards and wraps.
Bleiler. Currey. Hammond B1. Wells 4.
H. G. Wells. The War of the Worlds. London: William Heinemann, 1898.
First edition, first state. Octavo. viii, 303 pages, plus sixteen pages of advertisements.
Publisher's gray cloth with black stamping on the front and spine. Cloth is lightly rubbed with a slight lean to the spine. Darkening to edges and spine with light, scattered foxing throughout. Overall, a very good copy.
Wells' seminal alien invasion novel describes the conquest and destruction of London by Martians. As with most of Wells "scientific romances", War of the Worlds is as much a commentary on Victorian fears and values as it is a great science fiction tale.
First edition, first state. Octavo. viii, 303 pages, plus sixteen pages of advertisements.
Publisher's gray cloth with black stamping on the front and spine. Cloth is lightly rubbed with a slight lean to the spine. Darkening to edges and spine with light, scattered foxing throughout. Overall, a very good copy.
Wells' seminal alien invasion novel describes the conquest and destruction of London by Martians. As with most of Wells "scientific romances", War of the Worlds is as much a commentary on Victorian fears and values as it is a great science fiction tale.
Four Signed Science Fiction Books, including: A. E. van Vogt. The World of a. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1948. [and:] Theodore Sturgeon. Without Sorcery. [Philadelphia]: Prime Press, 1948. Poul Anderson. Vault of the Ages. Philadelphia: John C. Winston, [1952]. [and:] Jack Vance. Big Planet. San Francisco: Underwood-Miller, 1978. Limited. All volumes first edition in dust jackets. All in good or better condition.
Maya Angelou. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York: Random House, [1969].
First edition, first printing. Inscribed and signed by Angelou on the section title. Octavo. 281 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with titles in gilt and red. Top edge stained red. Original dust jacket. Only minimal shelf wear. A beautiful tight copy of this modern classic in exceedingly fine condition.
Angelou's inscription reads, "Joy! Maya Angelou The caged bird sings of freedom."
"This testimony from a black sister marks the beginning of a new era in the minds and hearts and lives of all black men and women....I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such a moving wonder, such a luminous dignity. I have no words for this achievement, but I know that not since the days of my childhood, when the people in books were more real than the people I saw every day, have I found myself so moved....Her portrait is a biblical study of life in the midst of death." (James Baldwin)
First edition, first printing. Inscribed and signed by Angelou on the section title. Octavo. 281 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with titles in gilt and red. Top edge stained red. Original dust jacket. Only minimal shelf wear. A beautiful tight copy of this modern classic in exceedingly fine condition.
Angelou's inscription reads, "Joy! Maya Angelou The caged bird sings of freedom."
"This testimony from a black sister marks the beginning of a new era in the minds and hearts and lives of all black men and women....I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such a moving wonder, such a luminous dignity. I have no words for this achievement, but I know that not since the days of my childhood, when the people in books were more real than the people I saw every day, have I found myself so moved....Her portrait is a biblical study of life in the midst of death." (James Baldwin)
Ambrose Bierce. In the Midst of Life. Tales of Soldiers and Civilians. New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1898.
First edition thus, Signed by Ambrose Bierce on a mounted bookplate. Expanded edition with additional material. Twelvemo. 362 pages.
Publisher's maroon cloth, stamped in gilt. Very light rubbing to spine tips, else a fine copy, housed in the rare dust jacket which is worn at the spine tips and edges and is reinforced on the verso. This copy is signed by Bierce on a bookplate affixed to the front pastedown. Tipped into the volume are two letters, including one from Bierce's publisher, A.M. Robertson, concerning how the owner, the noted collector Paul Lamperly, obtained the signature. Rare in the dust jacket.
Starrett: "This important volume, the first American edition to be called by this title, contains three stories that were not included in the 1891 edition of Tales of Soldiers and Civilians, of which volume it is otherwise a reprint. This is, by all odds, the neatest and most satisfying, physically, of the several editions of Bierce's finest book of stories."
Starrett, pp. 45-46.
First edition thus, Signed by Ambrose Bierce on a mounted bookplate. Expanded edition with additional material. Twelvemo. 362 pages.
Publisher's maroon cloth, stamped in gilt. Very light rubbing to spine tips, else a fine copy, housed in the rare dust jacket which is worn at the spine tips and edges and is reinforced on the verso. This copy is signed by Bierce on a bookplate affixed to the front pastedown. Tipped into the volume are two letters, including one from Bierce's publisher, A.M. Robertson, concerning how the owner, the noted collector Paul Lamperly, obtained the signature. Rare in the dust jacket.
Starrett: "This important volume, the first American edition to be called by this title, contains three stories that were not included in the 1891 edition of Tales of Soldiers and Civilians, of which volume it is otherwise a reprint. This is, by all odds, the neatest and most satisfying, physically, of the several editions of Bierce's finest book of stories."
Starrett, pp. 45-46.
James Boswell. The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. Comprehending an Account of His Studies, and Numerous Works, in Chronological Order... London: T. Cadell, et al., 1822.
Ninth edition, revised and augmented. Four octavo volumes. Engraved portrait frontispiece and facsimile letters. In addition, this set is extra illustrated with approximately 200 plates, some in color.
Full tan polished calf with gilt titles and decorative flourish inside compartments with five raised bands. Gilt triple-rule borders to boards with corner floral devices, with gilt profile and facsimile signature of Dr. Johnson on all boards. Board edges ruled in gilt with gilt turn-ins. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. Marbled endpapers. Silk ribbon markers. Housed in matching calf-backed clamshell cases with gilt spine titles. Previous owner's unobtrusive small red morocco and gilt oval bookplate affixed to each front pastedown. Minor shelf wear to all volumes. Joints of Vol. I very lightly worn; rear board stained in patches along center. Scattered minor foxing. Otherwise, a bright, clean, and beautiful set in near fine condition.
Ninth edition, revised and augmented. Four octavo volumes. Engraved portrait frontispiece and facsimile letters. In addition, this set is extra illustrated with approximately 200 plates, some in color.
Full tan polished calf with gilt titles and decorative flourish inside compartments with five raised bands. Gilt triple-rule borders to boards with corner floral devices, with gilt profile and facsimile signature of Dr. Johnson on all boards. Board edges ruled in gilt with gilt turn-ins. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. Marbled endpapers. Silk ribbon markers. Housed in matching calf-backed clamshell cases with gilt spine titles. Previous owner's unobtrusive small red morocco and gilt oval bookplate affixed to each front pastedown. Minor shelf wear to all volumes. Joints of Vol. I very lightly worn; rear board stained in patches along center. Scattered minor foxing. Otherwise, a bright, clean, and beautiful set in near fine condition.
Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë. Life and Works of Charlotte Brontë and Her Sisters. London : Smith, Elder, and Company, 1880, 1881.
Seven small octavo volumes.
Contemporary binding by Mudie in half morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Marbled endpapers. Moderate foxing throughout. Backstrips all evenly sunned. Very good.
A collection of novels and poems of the sisters. Some biographical material on Emily and Anne by their sister Charlotte. The entirety of volume seven is Elizabeth Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Brontë.
Seven small octavo volumes.
Contemporary binding by Mudie in half morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Marbled endpapers. Moderate foxing throughout. Backstrips all evenly sunned. Very good.
A collection of novels and poems of the sisters. Some biographical material on Emily and Anne by their sister Charlotte. The entirety of volume seven is Elizabeth Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Brontë.
Pearl S. Buck. Three Signed First Editions, including: The Chinese Novel. Nobel Lecture Delivered Before the Swedish Academy at Stockholm, December 12, 1938. New York: The John Day Company, [1939]. Advance review copy of the first edition signed by Buck on the front free endpaper. With laid-in publisher's letter. Slim octavo. 59 pages. Publisher's black cloth with gilt spine titles and facsimile signature stamped to front board. Original dust jacket. Housed in the publisher's original black cloth slipcase. This lecture detailed Buck's thoughts on the history, evolution, and impact of the Chinese novel, as well as her perception of its effects on her writing style. Minor bottom edge wear to the boards. Moderate edge and fold wear to the price-clipped dust jacket, with some rubbing to extremities. Slipcase expertly restored. A lovely signed copy in very good condition. [and:] China as I See It. New York: The John Day Company, [1970]. Number 2,885 of 3,000 limited first edition copies signed by Buck on the limitation page and retained for presentation by the author. Octavo. 305 pages. Publisher's brown cloth with gilt titles. Original dust jacket. A collection of Nobel Prize-winner Pearl Buck's non-fiction writings and speeches on China spanning from the 1930s to the Communist take-over in 1949. Minimal shelf wear to boards. Front board slightly bowing. No front free endpaper. Some pencil underlining and a bit of marginal marking to text. The price-clipped dust jacket shows light wear, rubbing, and a bit of creasing to the extremities. Bottom third of front dust jacket flap and front board dampstained. Very good condition. [and:] Command the Morning. New York: The John Day Company, [1959]. First edition, signed by Buck on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 317 pages plus Epilogue. Publisher's light blue cloth with dark blue spine titles. Original dust jacket. A work of historical fiction driven by Pearl Buck's post-World War II fascination with the development of the atomic bomb and it consequences for humanity. Minor shelf wear to the boards and dust jacket edges. Spine ever so slightly cocked. Previous owner's signature on rear pastedown. A scarce signed copy in near fine condition.
Charles Bukowski. Hot Water Music. Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1983.
First edition. Limited to 100 copies of which this is number 36 and signed by Bukowski on the limitation page. With a tipped-in original painting by Bukowski. Octavo. 286 pages. Though the limitation page states there are 126 copies in this edition, the actual numbering only indicates 100.
Publisher's quarter cloth with paper covered boards and paper spine label. Very light soiling along the top page edges. Acetate wrapper shows modest rubbing. A fine copy.
First edition. Limited to 100 copies of which this is number 36 and signed by Bukowski on the limitation page. With a tipped-in original painting by Bukowski. Octavo. 286 pages. Though the limitation page states there are 126 copies in this edition, the actual numbering only indicates 100.
Publisher's quarter cloth with paper covered boards and paper spine label. Very light soiling along the top page edges. Acetate wrapper shows modest rubbing. A fine copy.
Anthony Burgess. The World of William Shakespeare. London: The Arcadia Press, 1971.
Number 19 of 265 limited edition copies signed by Burgess on the limitation page. Quarto. 272 pages. Profusely illustrated throughout with black-and-white and color illustrations and photographs.
Hand-bound in full red morocco by Zaehnsdorf of London, with gilt spine titles inside five raised bands, a depiction of the Globe on the upper front cover artfully stamped in blue, brown, orange, red, and green morocco onlays, gilt-ruled trim, and inner gilt dentelles of leaves. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Housed in a matching red cloth slipcase. A beautifully designed book in very fine condition.
A wonderfully dense but accessible study of Elizabethan England, specifically Shakespeare's London, with dozens of illustrations to provide context.
Number 19 of 265 limited edition copies signed by Burgess on the limitation page. Quarto. 272 pages. Profusely illustrated throughout with black-and-white and color illustrations and photographs.
Hand-bound in full red morocco by Zaehnsdorf of London, with gilt spine titles inside five raised bands, a depiction of the Globe on the upper front cover artfully stamped in blue, brown, orange, red, and green morocco onlays, gilt-ruled trim, and inner gilt dentelles of leaves. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Housed in a matching red cloth slipcase. A beautifully designed book in very fine condition.
A wonderfully dense but accessible study of Elizabethan England, specifically Shakespeare's London, with dozens of illustrations to provide context.
Samuel Butler. Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. Written in the time of the Late Wars. Corrected & Amended, With Several Additions and Annotations. London: Printed by T.N. for John Martyn and Henry Herringman, 1674. [Bound together with:] Hudibras. The Third and last Part. Written by the Author of the First and Second Parts. London: Printed for Simon Miler, 1678.
Second edition of the first and second parts, first edition of the third part. Octavo. [2, title], 206, 189-202, [2, blank], [2, sectional title], 223-412; [2, title], 285, [1, blank] pages.
Contemporary full dark brown mottled calf, rebacked, with original spine laid down. Double-fillet borders rolled in blind, spine tooled in gilt in compartments, four raised bands, gilt red morocco lettering piece, marbled edges. Old parchment label with gilt Order of the Garter stamp (possibly cut out of another binding) and later royal bookplate of gilt morocco affixed to front pastedown. Early eighteenth century annotations and marginalia, with notes on rear free endpaper recto, and a transcription of the "Appendix to June 1701 Volume LXIV" on recto and verso of front free endpaper. Early tape reinforcement to hinges. Some occasional light spotting. Several leaves trimmed close in the second volume, affecting the bottom edges of a few catchwords. Blank outer margin of A7 and A8 torn with some loss, but wholly unaffecting text. Overall, a very good copy.
A handsome copy of this important work of English literature, with its gilt morocco bookplate and Order of the Garter label suggesting an intriguing, and most probably royal, provenance. Butler is remembered today chiefly for authoring this work, a satirical burlesque poem that takes Puritans to task, and which many regard as the first great English satire. Many of the couplets in Hudibras became proverbs that many people still use today; and the popularity of the work is evidenced in part by its becoming immortalized as an adjective which means "of a playful burlesque style."
Wing (2nd ed.), B6311, B6313.
Second edition of the first and second parts, first edition of the third part. Octavo. [2, title], 206, 189-202, [2, blank], [2, sectional title], 223-412; [2, title], 285, [1, blank] pages.
Contemporary full dark brown mottled calf, rebacked, with original spine laid down. Double-fillet borders rolled in blind, spine tooled in gilt in compartments, four raised bands, gilt red morocco lettering piece, marbled edges. Old parchment label with gilt Order of the Garter stamp (possibly cut out of another binding) and later royal bookplate of gilt morocco affixed to front pastedown. Early eighteenth century annotations and marginalia, with notes on rear free endpaper recto, and a transcription of the "Appendix to June 1701 Volume LXIV" on recto and verso of front free endpaper. Early tape reinforcement to hinges. Some occasional light spotting. Several leaves trimmed close in the second volume, affecting the bottom edges of a few catchwords. Blank outer margin of A7 and A8 torn with some loss, but wholly unaffecting text. Overall, a very good copy.
A handsome copy of this important work of English literature, with its gilt morocco bookplate and Order of the Garter label suggesting an intriguing, and most probably royal, provenance. Butler is remembered today chiefly for authoring this work, a satirical burlesque poem that takes Puritans to task, and which many regard as the first great English satire. Many of the couplets in Hudibras became proverbs that many people still use today; and the popularity of the work is evidenced in part by its becoming immortalized as an adjective which means "of a playful burlesque style."
Wing (2nd ed.), B6311, B6313.
Lord Byron. The Works of Lord Byron: with a Life and Illustrative Notes, by William Anderson. Edinburgh: A. Fullarton, [n.d., 1850].
First edition, thus. A clipped signature of Lord Byron has been mounted to the upper portion of the frontis portrait of volume one. Two octavo volumes. ccxxiv, 270; 465. Fifty-eight engravings, plus frontispieces and titles.
Contemporary full diced blue calf over boards. Gilt and blind borders to boards. Morocco title labels with gilt lettering to spines. All edges gilt. Inked name of previous owner to front free endpapers. Slight bumping and marring to the binding. Very good.
First edition, thus. A clipped signature of Lord Byron has been mounted to the upper portion of the frontis portrait of volume one. Two octavo volumes. ccxxiv, 270; 465. Fifty-eight engravings, plus frontispieces and titles.
Contemporary full diced blue calf over boards. Gilt and blind borders to boards. Morocco title labels with gilt lettering to spines. All edges gilt. Inked name of previous owner to front free endpapers. Slight bumping and marring to the binding. Very good.
Truman Capote. In Cold Blood. A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences. New York: Random House, [1965].
First printing. This is copy 347 of 500 copies on special paper, specially bound, and signed by Capote. Octavo. 343 pages.
Publisher's black cloth stamped in gilt and black. A fine copy in the publisher's plain slipcase.
First printing. This is copy 347 of 500 copies on special paper, specially bound, and signed by Capote. Octavo. 343 pages.
Publisher's black cloth stamped in gilt and black. A fine copy in the publisher's plain slipcase.
Willa Cather. Lucy Gayheart. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1935.
Advance salesman's dummy for the first edition of Lucy Gayheart. Octavo.
Publisher's green cloth with printed paper label on front cover and spine, to match the first edition binding. Slightly faded on spine, but otherwise fine. In a very bright, fine example of the publisher's dust jacket from the first edition. Printed sheets in the book consist of an announcement of Cather's new novel, title page, six pages of lined order forms that remain blank, and then blank pages to the end. Previous owner's name on the front pastedown endpaper under the dust jacket flap. Nine pages of literary quotes handwritten by a previous owner on the first blank pages. The first eight pages have passages from Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, the last has a quote from Lucy Gayheart by Cather. [and:] Willa Cather. Lucy Gayheart. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1935. First edition. Octavo. 231 pages. Publisher's green cloth with printed paper label on front cover and spine. Publisher's dust jacket. Binding sunned on spine and slightly around edges. Price-clipped jacket slightly dulled and soiled. Altogether, a very good copy.
Advance salesman's dummy for the first edition of Lucy Gayheart. Octavo.
Publisher's green cloth with printed paper label on front cover and spine, to match the first edition binding. Slightly faded on spine, but otherwise fine. In a very bright, fine example of the publisher's dust jacket from the first edition. Printed sheets in the book consist of an announcement of Cather's new novel, title page, six pages of lined order forms that remain blank, and then blank pages to the end. Previous owner's name on the front pastedown endpaper under the dust jacket flap. Nine pages of literary quotes handwritten by a previous owner on the first blank pages. The first eight pages have passages from Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, the last has a quote from Lucy Gayheart by Cather. [and:] Willa Cather. Lucy Gayheart. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1935. First edition. Octavo. 231 pages. Publisher's green cloth with printed paper label on front cover and spine. Publisher's dust jacket. Binding sunned on spine and slightly around edges. Price-clipped jacket slightly dulled and soiled. Altogether, a very good copy.
Willa Cather. Two First Editions, including: My Antonia. With illustrations by W.T. Benda. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, [1918]. First edition, second printing. Twelvemo. 419 pages. Publisher's brown cloth with orange titles. Minor shelf wear. Spine slightly sunned and cocked. A very good copy. [and:] A Lost Lady. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1923. First edition. Twelvemo. 174 pages. Publisher's light green cloth with gilt titles. In publisher's pictorial dust jacket. Slightly over-opened at half-title page. Previous owner's bookplate affixed to front pastedown. Moderate edge wear to jacket, with a small amount of paper loss at spine ends. Two small black ink stains to front panel. Spine slightly sunned. Overall, a very good copy. Two scarce Cather firsts.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. The History of the Valorous and Witty Knight Errant, Don Quixote of the Mancha. Translated out of the Spanish; now newly Corrected and Amended. [with:] The Second Part of the History of...Don Quixote. [Translated by Thomas Shelton]. London: Printed for R. Scot, T. Basset, J. Wright, R. Chiswell, 1675, and [the second part] Printed by Richard Hodgkinson, 1672.
Two small folio volumes in one. 274 pages. With woodcut devices on title pages, and several woodcut head-pieces and initials.
Red full levant morocco, circa 1900, with gilt spine titles, and gilt-tooled in the art nouveau style with initials "FB" (for Fletcher Battershall) in a center lozenge on covers, gilt bat device with monogram "FB" on front lower turn-in, and decoratively gilt-tooled spine compartments with five raised bands. Gilt over all rough-cut edges. Edges, spine ends, and raised bands rubbed. Front joint slightly cracked at the spine ends. Even toning to the textblock, with occasional minor foxing and soiling. General title, next leaf, and last leaf with minor expert repairs to the fore-edge margins. Bookplates of Willis Vickery and the binders, Fletcher and Maude Battershall affixed to the front pastedown. Very good condition.
Shelton was the first to translate Don Quixote into English in 1612, the second part in 1620. The Dictionary of National Biography sums up Shelton's Don Quixote as follows: "Though Shelton's translations bear many traces of haste, and he often seizes with curious effect the English word that is nearest the sound of the Spanish in defiance of its literal meaning, he reproduces in robust phraseology the spirit of his original, and realizes Cervantes's manner more nearly than any successor."
Two small folio volumes in one. 274 pages. With woodcut devices on title pages, and several woodcut head-pieces and initials.
Red full levant morocco, circa 1900, with gilt spine titles, and gilt-tooled in the art nouveau style with initials "FB" (for Fletcher Battershall) in a center lozenge on covers, gilt bat device with monogram "FB" on front lower turn-in, and decoratively gilt-tooled spine compartments with five raised bands. Gilt over all rough-cut edges. Edges, spine ends, and raised bands rubbed. Front joint slightly cracked at the spine ends. Even toning to the textblock, with occasional minor foxing and soiling. General title, next leaf, and last leaf with minor expert repairs to the fore-edge margins. Bookplates of Willis Vickery and the binders, Fletcher and Maude Battershall affixed to the front pastedown. Very good condition.
Shelton was the first to translate Don Quixote into English in 1612, the second part in 1620. The Dictionary of National Biography sums up Shelton's Don Quixote as follows: "Though Shelton's translations bear many traces of haste, and he often seizes with curious effect the English word that is nearest the sound of the Spanish in defiance of its literal meaning, he reproduces in robust phraseology the spirit of his original, and realizes Cervantes's manner more nearly than any successor."
Miguel de Cervantes. The History of the Valorous and Witty Knight-Errant Don Quixote of the Mancha. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1906-1907.
Limited edition of 140 hand-numbered copies printed on Imperial Japan paper with two additional full-page illustrations, and with extra prints, before letter, of all the full-page illustrations in a separate portfolio. Five quarto volumes. 385; 416; 385; 421 pages and 103 plates laid-in a portfolio. Illustrated by Daniel Vierge. Introduction by Royal Cortissoz. Translated by Thomas Shelton.
Publisher's half vellum over beige boards with gilt crests on the front boards and gilt spine lettering within panels. Former owner's bookplate on the front pastedown of each volume. A few light smudges on two of the spines, but overall an exceptionally clean set of this fragile edition.
Daniel Vierge (1851-1904) was a Spanish illustrator who illustrated the works of Hugo, Zola, and Poe. Paralyzed on his right side from the age of 30, Vierge learned to draw with his left hand.
Limited edition of 140 hand-numbered copies printed on Imperial Japan paper with two additional full-page illustrations, and with extra prints, before letter, of all the full-page illustrations in a separate portfolio. Five quarto volumes. 385; 416; 385; 421 pages and 103 plates laid-in a portfolio. Illustrated by Daniel Vierge. Introduction by Royal Cortissoz. Translated by Thomas Shelton.
Publisher's half vellum over beige boards with gilt crests on the front boards and gilt spine lettering within panels. Former owner's bookplate on the front pastedown of each volume. A few light smudges on two of the spines, but overall an exceptionally clean set of this fragile edition.
Daniel Vierge (1851-1904) was a Spanish illustrator who illustrated the works of Hugo, Zola, and Poe. Paralyzed on his right side from the age of 30, Vierge learned to draw with his left hand.
[Raymond Chandler]. Rockwell Kent. N by E. New York: Blue Ribbon Books, Inc., 1936.
Eighth printing. Lovely full-page inscription by famed novelist and screenwriter Raymond Chandler on the front free endpaper: "To/ Skip and La Verne Joyce/ in memory/ of hard winters not/ spent in Greenland/ From/ Cissy and Ray Chandler/ December 25th 1936/ Corn Center, California". Octavo. 281 pages. Illustrated by the author.
Original publisher's brick-red cloth with titles stamped in black on the spine. Spine panel slightly faded, boards spotted, more so on the rear board, small, partially torn off Santa Monica book shop label affixed to the lower left corner of the front free endpaper, contents toned. Trivial wear to dust jacket. A sound copy, most interesting with the Chandler inscription.
Eighth printing. Lovely full-page inscription by famed novelist and screenwriter Raymond Chandler on the front free endpaper: "To/ Skip and La Verne Joyce/ in memory/ of hard winters not/ spent in Greenland/ From/ Cissy and Ray Chandler/ December 25th 1936/ Corn Center, California". Octavo. 281 pages. Illustrated by the author.
Original publisher's brick-red cloth with titles stamped in black on the spine. Spine panel slightly faded, boards spotted, more so on the rear board, small, partially torn off Santa Monica book shop label affixed to the lower left corner of the front free endpaper, contents toned. Trivial wear to dust jacket. A sound copy, most interesting with the Chandler inscription.
[Geoffrey Chaucer]. William Godwin. Life of Geoffrey Chaucer, the Early English Poet; Including Memoirs of His Near Friend and Kinsman, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster: with Sketches of the Manners, Opinions, Arts and Literature of England in the Fourteenth Century. London: Printed by T. Davidson, White Friars; For Richard Phillips, 1803.
First edition. Two quarto volumes. xxxvi, 489, [2] (blank), [1] (corrections); vii, [i], 642, [32] pages. Engraved portrait frontispiece of Chaucer and of John Gaunt in Volumes I and II, respectively.
Contemporary green straight-grained morocco over boards; smooth spines richly decorated and lettered in gilt. Boards with gilt border enclosing central panel of marbled paper. Red marbled edges. Bookplate of Mere Hall on front pastedowns of both volumes. Slight cracking of the dry leather of the spines. Marbled paper of the boards somewhat rubbed. Overall, an attractive set in very good condition.
First edition. Two quarto volumes. xxxvi, 489, [2] (blank), [1] (corrections); vii, [i], 642, [32] pages. Engraved portrait frontispiece of Chaucer and of John Gaunt in Volumes I and II, respectively.
Contemporary green straight-grained morocco over boards; smooth spines richly decorated and lettered in gilt. Boards with gilt border enclosing central panel of marbled paper. Red marbled edges. Bookplate of Mere Hall on front pastedowns of both volumes. Slight cracking of the dry leather of the spines. Marbled paper of the boards somewhat rubbed. Overall, an attractive set in very good condition.
Geoffrey Chaucer. The Works of our Antient and Learned English Poet, Geffrey Chavcer, newly Printed. In this impression you shall find these Additions. 1 His Portraiture and Progenie shewed. 2 His Life collected. 3 Arguments to euery Booke gathered. 4 Old and obscure words explaned. 5 Authors by him cited, declared. 6 Difficulties opened. 7 Two Bookes of his, neuer before Printed. London: [by Adam Islip] Impensis Geor. Bishop, 1598.
First Speght edition of Chaucer, first issue, with the Bishop imprint. Small folio. Complete, with the rare copper-plate portrait of "The Progenie of Geffrey Chaucer" after Hoccleve, the first engraved portrait of Chaucer. Double-column text in black. Elaborate woodcut title border, full-page woodcut facing first leaf of the The Knights Tale, intricate woodcut border repeated on sectional title pages to The Canterbury Tales, The Romaunt of the Rose and The Story of Thebes. Numerous woodcut initials and head-and tailpieces throughout.
Early vellum with yapp edges. Later endpapers. Leather ties. Housed in a custom maroon half-morocco slipcase with gilt spine titles. Moderate wear to the vellum. Binding neatly rebacked. Bookplate of Edward King Tenison affixed to the front pastedown. Early unobtrusive previous owner's signatures to the title page and the last blank leaf. Minimal scattered foxing. Closed tear on 3G6 extending across six lines of text. Small amount of paper loss to the bottom corner of the first page of the Canterbury Tales text, margin and top corner of 26, bottom corner of 108, and a closed marginal tear to 13; no text affected. Faint marginal dampstaining to the fore-edge of the first few leaves and the bottom edge of most pages, not affecting any text. Light even toning, but overall, a beautiful, clean copy.
"Except for Shakespeare, Chaucer is foremost among writers in the English language... Reading Chaucer or his few rivals in literature since the ancients - Dante, Cervantes, Shakespeare - can have the happy result of restoring perspectives that all of us may be tempted to lose as we face the onslaught of instant masterpieces that threatens us at this moment when cultural justice is at work, enforcing the exile of aesthetic considerations. ... What gave Chaucer the power so to represent his persons as to make them permanent?" (Harold Bloom: The Western Canon, p. 105)
"This is the first edition edited by Speght who had the assistance of John Stowe, Francis Thynne, Francis Beaumont, the elder, and Robert Glover. The most remarkable feature of this edition is the glossary which was largely the editor's production and was the main object of Francis Thynne's Animadversions" (Pforzheimer 177).
Pforzheimer 177. Lowndes, 425. Hammond, 1220. STC 5077. Grolier, 35.
First Speght edition of Chaucer, first issue, with the Bishop imprint. Small folio. Complete, with the rare copper-plate portrait of "The Progenie of Geffrey Chaucer" after Hoccleve, the first engraved portrait of Chaucer. Double-column text in black. Elaborate woodcut title border, full-page woodcut facing first leaf of the The Knights Tale, intricate woodcut border repeated on sectional title pages to The Canterbury Tales, The Romaunt of the Rose and The Story of Thebes. Numerous woodcut initials and head-and tailpieces throughout.
Early vellum with yapp edges. Later endpapers. Leather ties. Housed in a custom maroon half-morocco slipcase with gilt spine titles. Moderate wear to the vellum. Binding neatly rebacked. Bookplate of Edward King Tenison affixed to the front pastedown. Early unobtrusive previous owner's signatures to the title page and the last blank leaf. Minimal scattered foxing. Closed tear on 3G6 extending across six lines of text. Small amount of paper loss to the bottom corner of the first page of the Canterbury Tales text, margin and top corner of 26, bottom corner of 108, and a closed marginal tear to 13; no text affected. Faint marginal dampstaining to the fore-edge of the first few leaves and the bottom edge of most pages, not affecting any text. Light even toning, but overall, a beautiful, clean copy.
"Except for Shakespeare, Chaucer is foremost among writers in the English language... Reading Chaucer or his few rivals in literature since the ancients - Dante, Cervantes, Shakespeare - can have the happy result of restoring perspectives that all of us may be tempted to lose as we face the onslaught of instant masterpieces that threatens us at this moment when cultural justice is at work, enforcing the exile of aesthetic considerations. ... What gave Chaucer the power so to represent his persons as to make them permanent?" (Harold Bloom: The Western Canon, p. 105)
"This is the first edition edited by Speght who had the assistance of John Stowe, Francis Thynne, Francis Beaumont, the elder, and Robert Glover. The most remarkable feature of this edition is the glossary which was largely the editor's production and was the main object of Francis Thynne's Animadversions" (Pforzheimer 177).
Pforzheimer 177. Lowndes, 425. Hammond, 1220. STC 5077. Grolier, 35.
Geoffrey Chaucer. The Workes of Our Ancient and Learned English Poet, Geffrey Chavcer, newly Printed. To that which was done in the former Impression, thus much is now added. 1 In the life of Chaucer many things inserted. 2 The whole worke by old Copies reformed. 3 Sentences and Prouerbes noted. 4 The Signification of the old and obscure words prooued: also caracters shewing from what Tongue or Dialect they be deriued. 5 The Latine and French, not Englished by Chaucer, translated. 6 The Treatise called Iacke Vpland, against Friers: and Chaucers A. B. C. called La priere de nostre Dame, at this Impression added. London: Geor. Bishop, 1602.
Sixth edition and second Speght edition, with the uncommon Bishop imprint. Folio in sixes. [50], 376 numbered leaves, [28] pages. Woodcut title border, engraved portrait, woodcut vignette of a knight at head of first tale, woodcut initials. Text in Black Letter, mostly in two columns. Glossary. Errata sheet.
Contemporary calf, blind triple-rule borders and gilt arabesque design on boards. Newly rebacked and recornered, new endpapers. Leaf 335 repaired; preliminary (blank) leaf repaired, with early ink notations. Inked name on title page of previous owner, Edward Reynolds (presumably the Bishop of Norwich), dated 1643. A very good copy.
"This edition was considerably revised mainly with the aid of Francis Thynee. It is the earliest in which thorough punctuation was attempted, and in many ways it is a distinct improvement upon Speght's first edition. Two hitherto unprinted pieces are inserted, one non-Chaucerian" (Pforzheimer 178).
Grolier Club, Langland to Wither, 44. Pforzheimer 178. STC 5081.
Sixth edition and second Speght edition, with the uncommon Bishop imprint. Folio in sixes. [50], 376 numbered leaves, [28] pages. Woodcut title border, engraved portrait, woodcut vignette of a knight at head of first tale, woodcut initials. Text in Black Letter, mostly in two columns. Glossary. Errata sheet.
Contemporary calf, blind triple-rule borders and gilt arabesque design on boards. Newly rebacked and recornered, new endpapers. Leaf 335 repaired; preliminary (blank) leaf repaired, with early ink notations. Inked name on title page of previous owner, Edward Reynolds (presumably the Bishop of Norwich), dated 1643. A very good copy.
"This edition was considerably revised mainly with the aid of Francis Thynee. It is the earliest in which thorough punctuation was attempted, and in many ways it is a distinct improvement upon Speght's first edition. Two hitherto unprinted pieces are inserted, one non-Chaucerian" (Pforzheimer 178).
Grolier Club, Langland to Wither, 44. Pforzheimer 178. STC 5081.
G. K. Chesterton. First Editions of the First Two Father Brown Collections, including: The Innocence of Father Brown. London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne: Cassell and Company, Ltd., 1911. First edition. Octavo. 336 pages. With eight full-page plates by Sydney Seymour Lucas. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles. Minimal shelf wear. One small dampstain to the bottom of the front board. Textblock edge a bit dust-soiled but internal contents are bright and clean. A near fine copy. [and:] The Wisdom of Father Brown. London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne: Cassell and Company, Ltd., 1914. First edition. Octavo. 312 pages. With a colour frontispiece by Sidney Seymour Lucas. Publisher's light blue cloth with gilt spine titles and blind-stamped titles on front board. Minor shelf wear. Spine sunned. Foxing to half-title page. All in all, a very good copy. Title page of each book slightly toned from the frontispiece tissue guard. A great opportunity to jump-start a Father Brown collection.
Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield. Letters Written by the Late Right Honourable Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, to His Son, Philip Stanhope, Esq [....] Together with Several Other Pieces on Various Subjects. London: J. Dodsley, 1774.
First edition. Two quarto volumes. vii, 568; 606 pages. Frontispiece. Errata sheet at end of volume two.
Contemporary full tree calf binding over boards. Gilt fillets to boards. Professionally rebacked in tan morocco; leather title labels with gilt lettering. Corners bumped. Minor marring to boards. Contemporary armorial bookplate of Dacre on front pastedowns. Very good condition.
First edition. Two quarto volumes. vii, 568; 606 pages. Frontispiece. Errata sheet at end of volume two.
Contemporary full tree calf binding over boards. Gilt fillets to boards. Professionally rebacked in tan morocco; leather title labels with gilt lettering. Corners bumped. Minor marring to boards. Contemporary armorial bookplate of Dacre on front pastedowns. Very good condition.
Leonard Cohen. Book of Longing. [Toronto]: McClelland & Stewart Ltd., [2006].
First edition. Signed by Cohen with a stamp in red, reading "Order of the Unified Heart." Octavo. 232 pages. Illustrated throughout by the author.
Publisher's black cloth with silver spine titles. Pictorial dust jacket. Fine condition.
A whimsically illustrated collection of poetry by the Canadian multi-hyphenate: singer-songwriter, poet, novelist, part-time recluse, and critical darling. The stamp on the title page, made up of two interlocking hearts in the shape of the Star of David, symbolizes Cohen's "dream of an order" for his fans and anyone else who "might gather around some decent intention."
First edition. Signed by Cohen with a stamp in red, reading "Order of the Unified Heart." Octavo. 232 pages. Illustrated throughout by the author.
Publisher's black cloth with silver spine titles. Pictorial dust jacket. Fine condition.
A whimsically illustrated collection of poetry by the Canadian multi-hyphenate: singer-songwriter, poet, novelist, part-time recluse, and critical darling. The stamp on the title page, made up of two interlocking hearts in the shape of the Star of David, symbolizes Cohen's "dream of an order" for his fans and anyone else who "might gather around some decent intention."
William Congreve. The Works of Mr. William Congreve. Birmingham: John Baskerville, 1761.
Three octavo volumes. xxiv, 360; 516; 514 pages. Frontispieces. Three engraved plates.
Original backstrips, later boards. Full brown calf. Gilt fillets. Title labels. Gilt designs and lettering to spines. All edges gilt. Some foxing throughout. Very good.
Three octavo volumes. xxiv, 360; 516; 514 pages. Frontispieces. Three engraved plates.
Original backstrips, later boards. Full brown calf. Gilt fillets. Title labels. Gilt designs and lettering to spines. All edges gilt. Some foxing throughout. Very good.
Joseph Conrad. Four First Editions, including: The Shadow Line. London: J. M. Dent, 1917. First, thus. 227 pages, 18 pages of ads. Slightly soiled dust jacket. Very good. [and:] The Rover. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1923. First English edition. 317 pages. Dust jacket. Very good. [and:] Tales of Hearsay. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1925. First English edition. 288 pages. Dust jacket. Very good. [and:] Typhoon. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1902. First edition. 205 pages. Dark green decorative cloth over boards. Four pages of ads in the rear. Very good. A rare chance to acquire four Conrad firsts with one bid.
James Fenimore Cooper. The Last of the Mohicans; A Narrative of 1757. Philadelphia: Carey & Lea, 1826.
First edition. Two octavo volumes bound as one. 282, 289 pages.
Contemporary full calf with morocco spine label. Pages are closely trimmed throughout, occasionally touching page numbers and text. Last leaf of preface has been bound before first leaf. First two leaves of text proper have clean horizontal tears that have been crudely mended by stitching. Lower corners of two pages have been torn off and laid in, slightly affecting text. Vertical tear at bottom gutter of title page of second volume extending about halfway up and slightly toward center of page and similarly affected at last two pages of text. Pages 197-208 of volume 2 misbound after page 36 of volume 1. Lower portion of volume 2 pages dampstained. Lacking rear endpaper. The binding is worn but solid with some wear at head of spine and rubbing to extremities. An unsophisticated copy in good condition.
First edition. Two octavo volumes bound as one. 282, 289 pages.
Contemporary full calf with morocco spine label. Pages are closely trimmed throughout, occasionally touching page numbers and text. Last leaf of preface has been bound before first leaf. First two leaves of text proper have clean horizontal tears that have been crudely mended by stitching. Lower corners of two pages have been torn off and laid in, slightly affecting text. Vertical tear at bottom gutter of title page of second volume extending about halfway up and slightly toward center of page and similarly affected at last two pages of text. Pages 197-208 of volume 2 misbound after page 36 of volume 1. Lower portion of volume 2 pages dampstained. Lacking rear endpaper. The binding is worn but solid with some wear at head of spine and rubbing to extremities. An unsophisticated copy in good condition.
Don DeLillo. Americana. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1971.
First edition. Octavo. Signed by the author. 388 pages.
Some slight fading to the blue top edge. Moderate rubbing to rear panel of dust jacket. Overall, in near fine condition. A bright and tight copy of the author's first novel.
First edition. Octavo. Signed by the author. 388 pages.
Some slight fading to the blue top edge. Moderate rubbing to rear panel of dust jacket. Overall, in near fine condition. A bright and tight copy of the author's first novel.
Charles Dickens. American Notes for General Circulation. In Two Volumes. London: Chapman and Hall, 1842.
First edition, first issue, with the preliminary pages in Volume I misnumbered (p. [x] numbered xvi). Presentation copy, inscribed and signed by Charles Dickens on the half-title: "Mr: Serjeant Talfourd / From his friend / Charles Dickens / [flourish]." Two small octavo volumes. [12], 308; vii, [1, blank], 306, [6, advertisements] pages.
Bound by Rivière & Son (stamp-signed on the verso of the front flyleaf) in full light brown polished calf. Covers with gilt triple fillet border and gilt corner ornaments, spines decoratively tooled in gilt in compartments with red and black morocco gilt lettering labels, board edges ruled in gilt, turn-ins decoratively tooled in gilt, top edge gilt, others uncut. Original variant binding grayish reddish brown vertically-ribbed cloth covers and spines bound in at the end of each volume. Light rubbing to corners and to joints. Volume I with C4 (pp. 23/24) creased, causing a printing flaw affecting a few letters, but with no loss, and tiny ink stain to the outer edge of N2 and N3 (pp. 179/180 and 181/182). Volume II with small piece torn from the upper blank corner of R5 (pp. 249/250). An excellent copy, with an important provenance. Each volume protected in a red cloth chemise and the two volumes housed together in a quarter red morocco book-backed slipcase with the spines lettered in gilt with five raised bands.
"Not one of Dickens' books was the subject of so much adverse criticism as the book he wrote after his return from America in 1842. He composed a chapter which he intended for the introduction to the volumes, which may have softened the American attitude, had it been printed. But a week before the 'Notes' appeared it was decided to cancel it. That is why all first issues of the first edition carry a test which is infallible. In Vol. I the first pagination is page XVI, that being the last page of the 'Contents to Volume I.' Forster, in the 'Life,' prints the eliminated chapter in full under the heading: 'Introductory, and necessary to be Read.' Before the suppression was agreed upon the sheets had been partly printed and the pagination was not altered. Later and before the first edition was exhausted, the pagination was revised" (Eckel).
Thomas Noon Talfourd (1795-1854) "was made a Serjeant in 1833 and a Judge in 1849. Dickens seems to have met him shortly after he had introduced his Copyright Bill into Parliament in May 1837 (it gave an author copyright protection during his life and for seven years after his death, and passed into law in 1842). Evidently, Dickens took very strongly to Talfourd and they became good friends. Pickwick Papers was dedicated to him (September 1837), Dickens writing in the dedicatory epistle, 'Many a fevered head and palsied hand will gather new vigour in the hour of sickness and distress from your excellent exertions', and referring to their friendship as 'the most gratifying...I have ever contracted'...Both as genial host and ever-welcome guest Talfourd played a prominent and much-valued role in Dickens's social life for twenty years, and Forster comments that Dickens 'had no friend he was more attached to'. He visited Dickens in Switzerland in 1846 and in Bonchurch in 1849, immediately after his elevation to the bench ('I am really quite enraptured at his success', Dickens wrote to Forster). Dickens vividly recalls this latter visit in the fine tribute he paid to his friend in Household Words (25 March 1854). In it he writes of Talfourd: 'So amiable a man, so gentle, so sweet-tempered, of such noble simplicity, so perfectly unspoiled by his labours and their rewards, is very rare indeed upon this earth.' Talfourd is often cited as the 'original' for Traddles in David Copperfield, but there is no external evidence for this supposition" (Oxford Reader's Companion to Dickens).
Eckel, pp. 108-109. Gimbel A66. Smith II, 3.
First edition, first issue, with the preliminary pages in Volume I misnumbered (p. [x] numbered xvi). Presentation copy, inscribed and signed by Charles Dickens on the half-title: "Mr: Serjeant Talfourd / From his friend / Charles Dickens / [flourish]." Two small octavo volumes. [12], 308; vii, [1, blank], 306, [6, advertisements] pages.
Bound by Rivière & Son (stamp-signed on the verso of the front flyleaf) in full light brown polished calf. Covers with gilt triple fillet border and gilt corner ornaments, spines decoratively tooled in gilt in compartments with red and black morocco gilt lettering labels, board edges ruled in gilt, turn-ins decoratively tooled in gilt, top edge gilt, others uncut. Original variant binding grayish reddish brown vertically-ribbed cloth covers and spines bound in at the end of each volume. Light rubbing to corners and to joints. Volume I with C4 (pp. 23/24) creased, causing a printing flaw affecting a few letters, but with no loss, and tiny ink stain to the outer edge of N2 and N3 (pp. 179/180 and 181/182). Volume II with small piece torn from the upper blank corner of R5 (pp. 249/250). An excellent copy, with an important provenance. Each volume protected in a red cloth chemise and the two volumes housed together in a quarter red morocco book-backed slipcase with the spines lettered in gilt with five raised bands.
"Not one of Dickens' books was the subject of so much adverse criticism as the book he wrote after his return from America in 1842. He composed a chapter which he intended for the introduction to the volumes, which may have softened the American attitude, had it been printed. But a week before the 'Notes' appeared it was decided to cancel it. That is why all first issues of the first edition carry a test which is infallible. In Vol. I the first pagination is page XVI, that being the last page of the 'Contents to Volume I.' Forster, in the 'Life,' prints the eliminated chapter in full under the heading: 'Introductory, and necessary to be Read.' Before the suppression was agreed upon the sheets had been partly printed and the pagination was not altered. Later and before the first edition was exhausted, the pagination was revised" (Eckel).
Thomas Noon Talfourd (1795-1854) "was made a Serjeant in 1833 and a Judge in 1849. Dickens seems to have met him shortly after he had introduced his Copyright Bill into Parliament in May 1837 (it gave an author copyright protection during his life and for seven years after his death, and passed into law in 1842). Evidently, Dickens took very strongly to Talfourd and they became good friends. Pickwick Papers was dedicated to him (September 1837), Dickens writing in the dedicatory epistle, 'Many a fevered head and palsied hand will gather new vigour in the hour of sickness and distress from your excellent exertions', and referring to their friendship as 'the most gratifying...I have ever contracted'...Both as genial host and ever-welcome guest Talfourd played a prominent and much-valued role in Dickens's social life for twenty years, and Forster comments that Dickens 'had no friend he was more attached to'. He visited Dickens in Switzerland in 1846 and in Bonchurch in 1849, immediately after his elevation to the bench ('I am really quite enraptured at his success', Dickens wrote to Forster). Dickens vividly recalls this latter visit in the fine tribute he paid to his friend in Household Words (25 March 1854). In it he writes of Talfourd: 'So amiable a man, so gentle, so sweet-tempered, of such noble simplicity, so perfectly unspoiled by his labours and their rewards, is very rare indeed upon this earth.' Talfourd is often cited as the 'original' for Traddles in David Copperfield, but there is no external evidence for this supposition" (Oxford Reader's Companion to Dickens).
Eckel, pp. 108-109. Gimbel A66. Smith II, 3.
Charles Dickens. The Authentic Edition: The Works of Charles Dickens, in Twenty-One Volumes. London: Chapman and Hall, 1905.
Twenty-one octavo volumes. Many illustrated plates. Colored frontispieces.
Original green cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to front board and spines. Top edges gilt. Pictorial endpapers. An attractive set in very good condition.
Twenty-one octavo volumes. Many illustrated plates. Colored frontispieces.
Original green cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to front board and spines. Top edges gilt. Pictorial endpapers. An attractive set in very good condition.
Charles Dickens. The Battle of Life. A Love Story. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1846.
First edition of the Dickens' fourth Christmas book, second state of the vignette title (Todd C2, Eckel 2), with "A Love Story" etched in viny letters on a scroll that is part of the plate not carried by a cupid, above the three-line publisher's imprint, but with the letter "D" in "BRADBURY" broken. Small octavo. [8], 175, [1, printer's imprint], [2, advertisements] pages. Wood-engraved frontispiece and added vignette title; eleven wood-engraved text illustrations.
Original publisher's deep red horizontally-ribbed cloth. Covers decoratively stamped in blind with two double-line borders interspersed with twelve floral designs, front cover lettered in gilt and decoratively stamped in gilt with two cherubs about to battle while mounted on wasps above a decorative spray, spine lettered in gilt within an oval garland of leaves and flowers with a cherub on a wasp at top and bottom. All edges gilt. Original pale yellow coated endpapers. Original brown silk ribbon marker between pages [52] and [53], with slight offsetting onto the adjacent leaves. Corners lightly rubbed, with the board just exposed on the lower corner of the rear cover; spine ends rubbed, with a tiny split to the cloth at the head of the spine and a few tiny splits at the foot of the spine; lower edge of the rear board slightly bumped near the foot of the spine. Some scattered small areas of slight discoloration to the cloth and a small dark stain on the front cover; the gilt on the spine is just slightly dulled, but the gilt on the front cover is fresh and bright. Slightly over-opened between the title leaf and dedication leaf. A very good copy. Housed in a light brown cloth clamshell case by Rivière & Son.
Eckel, pp. 121-123. Gimbel A116. Sadleir 681. Smith II, 8. William B. Todd, "Dickens's Battle of Life: Round Six," The Book Collector, XV (Spring 1966), pp. 48-54.
First edition of the Dickens' fourth Christmas book, second state of the vignette title (Todd C2, Eckel 2), with "A Love Story" etched in viny letters on a scroll that is part of the plate not carried by a cupid, above the three-line publisher's imprint, but with the letter "D" in "BRADBURY" broken. Small octavo. [8], 175, [1, printer's imprint], [2, advertisements] pages. Wood-engraved frontispiece and added vignette title; eleven wood-engraved text illustrations.
Original publisher's deep red horizontally-ribbed cloth. Covers decoratively stamped in blind with two double-line borders interspersed with twelve floral designs, front cover lettered in gilt and decoratively stamped in gilt with two cherubs about to battle while mounted on wasps above a decorative spray, spine lettered in gilt within an oval garland of leaves and flowers with a cherub on a wasp at top and bottom. All edges gilt. Original pale yellow coated endpapers. Original brown silk ribbon marker between pages [52] and [53], with slight offsetting onto the adjacent leaves. Corners lightly rubbed, with the board just exposed on the lower corner of the rear cover; spine ends rubbed, with a tiny split to the cloth at the head of the spine and a few tiny splits at the foot of the spine; lower edge of the rear board slightly bumped near the foot of the spine. Some scattered small areas of slight discoloration to the cloth and a small dark stain on the front cover; the gilt on the spine is just slightly dulled, but the gilt on the front cover is fresh and bright. Slightly over-opened between the title leaf and dedication leaf. A very good copy. Housed in a light brown cloth clamshell case by Rivière & Son.
Eckel, pp. 121-123. Gimbel A116. Sadleir 681. Smith II, 8. William B. Todd, "Dickens's Battle of Life: Round Six," The Book Collector, XV (Spring 1966), pp. 48-54.
Charles Dickens. A Child's History of England. London: Bradbury and Evans, 1852 -1853-1854 .
First edition of volumes I and III, second edition of volume II. Three octavo volumes.
Original reddish brown bold-ribbed cloth, borders in blind enclosing pictorial designs in gilt of Alfred reading to his mother, spines with decorative shield-shaped designs, marbled endpapers. Fading to the boards at edges and at spines. Some scattered light foxing, mainly at the preliminary pages. Volume III a bit shaken, with the front joint slightly cracked, else generally a very good set. Each volume is in its own chemise, and all are preserved in a beautiful maroon leather book-backed case.
First edition of volumes I and III, second edition of volume II. Three octavo volumes.
Original reddish brown bold-ribbed cloth, borders in blind enclosing pictorial designs in gilt of Alfred reading to his mother, spines with decorative shield-shaped designs, marbled endpapers. Fading to the boards at edges and at spines. Some scattered light foxing, mainly at the preliminary pages. Volume III a bit shaken, with the front joint slightly cracked, else generally a very good set. Each volume is in its own chemise, and all are preserved in a beautiful maroon leather book-backed case.
Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. London: Chapman and Hall, 1843.
First edition, second state, with "Stave One" heading the first chapter, and uncorrected text. Small octavo. 166 plus two-pages of advertisements. Four hand-colored illustrations by John Leech, including a color frontispiece. Yellow endpapers. Red and blue title page. Blue half-title page.
Publisher's rose-colored cloth tooled in blind and gilt with gilt titles. All edges gilt. Minor shelf wear. Rebacked with original spine laid-down. Corners repaired. Bookplate of well-known collector Robert Otis Hayward affixed to the front free endpaper. Internal contents clean. A very good copy.
First edition, second state, with "Stave One" heading the first chapter, and uncorrected text. Small octavo. 166 plus two-pages of advertisements. Four hand-colored illustrations by John Leech, including a color frontispiece. Yellow endpapers. Red and blue title page. Blue half-title page.
Publisher's rose-colored cloth tooled in blind and gilt with gilt titles. All edges gilt. Minor shelf wear. Rebacked with original spine laid-down. Corners repaired. Bookplate of well-known collector Robert Otis Hayward affixed to the front free endpaper. Internal contents clean. A very good copy.
Charles Dickens. Five Christmas Books, including: A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. With Illustrations by John Leech. London: Chapman & Hall, 1843. First edition, first issue, with the text uncorrected, "Stave I" as the first chapter heading, red and blue title page dated 1843, blue half-title, and green endpapers. Small octavo. [8], 166, [2, advertisements] pages. Four hand-colored steel-engraved plates, heightened with gum arabic and four wood-engraved text illustrations. [and:] The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In. London: Chapman and Hall, 1845 [i.e., December 1844]. First edition, first state of the vignette title, with "Chapman & Hall" centered and curved in the cloud at the foot of the engraved plate. Small octavo. [8], 175, [1, printer's imprint] pages. Wood-engraved frontispiece and added vignette title with eleven wood-engraved text illustrations. [and:] The Cricket on the Hearth. A Fairy Tale of Home. London: Printed and Published for the Author, by Bradbury and Evans, 1846 [i.e., December 1845]. First edition, second state of the advertisement leaf, with the two-line italic heading on page [175] reset to three following the added heading "New Edition of Oliver Twist." Small octavo. [8], 174, [2, advertisements] pages. Wood-engraved frontispiece and added vignette title, with twelve wood-engraved text illustrations. [and:] The Battle of Life. A Love Story. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1846. First edition, fourth state of the vignette title (Todd E1, Eckel 4), with "A Love Story" etched in vinyl letters on a scroll carried by a cupid and without the Bradbury & Evans imprint. Small octavo. [8], 175, [1, printer's imprint], [2, advertisements] pages. Wood-engraved frontispiece and added vignette title, with eleven wood-engraved text illustrations. [and:] The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain. A Fancy for Christmas-Time. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1848. First edition. Small octavo. [6], 188 pages. Bound without the initial leaf of advertisements. Wood-engraved frontispiece and added vignette title, with fifteen wood-engraved text illustrations.
Uniformly bound by Bayntun of Bath (stamp-signed in gilt on the front turn-in) in full deep red crushed levant morocco. Covers with gilt single-fillet border enclosing three gilt dots in each corner, spines decoratively paneled and lettered in gilt in compartments with five raised bands ruled in blind on either side of the band, the blind rules extending onto the covers and ending in three leaves, board edges and turn-ins decoratively tooled in gilt, all edges gilt. Each volume with the original cloth covers and spine bound in at the end. A Christmas Carol with the original green-coated endpapers bound in.
Some very occasional faint foxing or soiling. A Christmas Carol with a short tear to the outer margin of the frontispiece and a tiny tear to the outer margin of the title. The Chimes with a tiny hole in the blank outer margin of the list of illustrations (pp. [vii-viii]). The Cricket on the Hearth with a small paper repair to the outer blank margin of D4 (pp. 39/40). The Haunted Man with a short tear to the lower margin of L1 (pp. 145/146), just touching the lower corner of the wood engraving. Otherwise this finely bound set is in excellent condition. The five volumes are housed together in a full burgundy morocco pull-off case lettered in gilt on the spine.
Eckel. Gimbel A79, A86, A92, A116, and A119. Smith.
Uniformly bound by Bayntun of Bath (stamp-signed in gilt on the front turn-in) in full deep red crushed levant morocco. Covers with gilt single-fillet border enclosing three gilt dots in each corner, spines decoratively paneled and lettered in gilt in compartments with five raised bands ruled in blind on either side of the band, the blind rules extending onto the covers and ending in three leaves, board edges and turn-ins decoratively tooled in gilt, all edges gilt. Each volume with the original cloth covers and spine bound in at the end. A Christmas Carol with the original green-coated endpapers bound in.
Some very occasional faint foxing or soiling. A Christmas Carol with a short tear to the outer margin of the frontispiece and a tiny tear to the outer margin of the title. The Chimes with a tiny hole in the blank outer margin of the list of illustrations (pp. [vii-viii]). The Cricket on the Hearth with a small paper repair to the outer blank margin of D4 (pp. 39/40). The Haunted Man with a short tear to the lower margin of L1 (pp. 145/146), just touching the lower corner of the wood engraving. Otherwise this finely bound set is in excellent condition. The five volumes are housed together in a full burgundy morocco pull-off case lettered in gilt on the spine.
Eckel. Gimbel A79, A86, A92, A116, and A119. Smith.
Charles Dickens. The Cricket on the Hearth. A Fairy Tale of Home. London: Printed and Published for the Author, by Bradbury and Evans, 1846 [i.e., December 1845].
First edition, with the second state of the Oliver Twist ad at [175]. Twelvemo. [i-xi], [1]2-174, [175-176, ads]. Engraved title and frontispiece by Daniel Maclise. Twelve intertextual illustrations by various artists, chiefly John Leech.
Publisher's vertically-ribbed red cloth, covers blocked in blind, gilt lettering and pictorial stamping to the front cover and spine. Pale yellow endpapers. All edges gilt. Housed in a green leather-backed slipcase and chemise with gilt spine titles and rules inside five raised bands. Slightly skewed. Moderate edge wear, especially at the spine ends and corners. Minor dust-soiling to boards. Textblock clean and crisp, with a few small folds to the corners. Rear hinge just starting. A very good copy.
The present volume once belonged to esteemed bibliophile A. Edward Newton, evidenced by his 1909 bookplate affixed to the front pastedown. The book was sold as lot number 533 in Part One of The A. Edward Newton Collection of Books and Manuscripts at Parke-Bernet Galleries in April, 1941, although the M. A. Kent bookplate mentioned in the catalog description is not present in this volume.
Smith, Dickens, II, 6.
First edition, with the second state of the Oliver Twist ad at [175]. Twelvemo. [i-xi], [1]2-174, [175-176, ads]. Engraved title and frontispiece by Daniel Maclise. Twelve intertextual illustrations by various artists, chiefly John Leech.
Publisher's vertically-ribbed red cloth, covers blocked in blind, gilt lettering and pictorial stamping to the front cover and spine. Pale yellow endpapers. All edges gilt. Housed in a green leather-backed slipcase and chemise with gilt spine titles and rules inside five raised bands. Slightly skewed. Moderate edge wear, especially at the spine ends and corners. Minor dust-soiling to boards. Textblock clean and crisp, with a few small folds to the corners. Rear hinge just starting. A very good copy.
The present volume once belonged to esteemed bibliophile A. Edward Newton, evidenced by his 1909 bookplate affixed to the front pastedown. The book was sold as lot number 533 in Part One of The A. Edward Newton Collection of Books and Manuscripts at Parke-Bernet Galleries in April, 1941, although the M. A. Kent bookplate mentioned in the catalog description is not present in this volume.
Smith, Dickens, II, 6.
Charles Dickens. Dombey and Son. London: Bradbury and Evans, [1847-1848].
First edition in parts. Octavo. With 40 illustrations by Phiz (These were supplemented by 12 extra plates, published in two numbers [No. I containing eight plates, and No. II with four plates] in 1848, by Chapman and Hall).
Published in 20 [19] monthly parts in green wrappers, from October 1847 to April 1848, parts xix & xx forming a double number. The front wrapper of No. I has been replaced by a wrapper from part V, with the "V" erased and a "1" inked in, but retaining the tale-tale "February". Housed in a custom half leather slipcase and chemise with gilt spine titles. Noticeable wear to the wrappers. A few volumes rebacked. Some spines perished. Light scattered foxing. Overall, an about very good set of the Dickens' classic in a somewhat worn slipcase.
First edition in parts. Octavo. With 40 illustrations by Phiz (These were supplemented by 12 extra plates, published in two numbers [No. I containing eight plates, and No. II with four plates] in 1848, by Chapman and Hall).
Published in 20 [19] monthly parts in green wrappers, from October 1847 to April 1848, parts xix & xx forming a double number. The front wrapper of No. I has been replaced by a wrapper from part V, with the "V" erased and a "1" inked in, but retaining the tale-tale "February". Housed in a custom half leather slipcase and chemise with gilt spine titles. Noticeable wear to the wrappers. A few volumes rebacked. Some spines perished. Light scattered foxing. Overall, an about very good set of the Dickens' classic in a somewhat worn slipcase.
Charles Dickens. Master Humphrey's Clock. With Illustrations by George Cattermole and Hablot Browne. London: Chapman and Hall, 1840-1841.
First edition, in the original eighty-eight weekly numbers (April 4, 1840-November 27, 1841). Large octavo. vi, 426 pages. With 198 wood-engraved text illustrations, including (according to Hatton and Cleaver) two frontispieces (Volumes II and III), 130 illustrations, and twenty-five decorative initials by H. K. Browne ("Phiz"); one frontispiece (Volume I) and thirty-eight illustrations by George Cattermole; one illustration by Samuel Williams (Volume I, p. 46); and one illustration by Daniel Maclise (Volume II, p. 108).
In the original white printed self-wrappers designed by Cattermole with advertisements on inside front wrappers and inside and outside rear wrappers (with the following exceptions: the back wrapper of No. 26 is the dedication leaf, printed on inside, blank on outside; the inside front wrappers of Nos. 80-83 have an address from the author to the readers; the inside front wrapper of No. 87 has the same address, reset in smaller type, and below, a "Postscript."). Unstitched.
There is some general edge wear and brittleness, but this scarce set is generally quite clean. The wrappers on all but eight numbers are still conjugate and correct. The spines on the wrappers of Nos. 15, 18, 23, and 63 are splitting, but still intact. The wrappers on Nos. 25, 40, 83, 87, and 88 have separated and have been neatly reattached to the first and last text pages. The front wrapper on No. 32 is detached, and the rear wrapper has been reattached, with a pencil note "Back 37"; the front wrapper on No. 33 is detached and the rear wrapper has been reattached, with a pencil note "33"; and both wrappers on No. 38 are detached, with a pencil note on the rear wrapper "116." There is crude early stitching on Nos. 2 5, 7, 9, 12, 16, 17, and 18. Chemised in a pull-off case.
Eckel, pp. 67-70. Gimbel A49. See Hatton and Cleaver, pp. 161-182.
First edition, in the original eighty-eight weekly numbers (April 4, 1840-November 27, 1841). Large octavo. vi, 426 pages. With 198 wood-engraved text illustrations, including (according to Hatton and Cleaver) two frontispieces (Volumes II and III), 130 illustrations, and twenty-five decorative initials by H. K. Browne ("Phiz"); one frontispiece (Volume I) and thirty-eight illustrations by George Cattermole; one illustration by Samuel Williams (Volume I, p. 46); and one illustration by Daniel Maclise (Volume II, p. 108).
In the original white printed self-wrappers designed by Cattermole with advertisements on inside front wrappers and inside and outside rear wrappers (with the following exceptions: the back wrapper of No. 26 is the dedication leaf, printed on inside, blank on outside; the inside front wrappers of Nos. 80-83 have an address from the author to the readers; the inside front wrapper of No. 87 has the same address, reset in smaller type, and below, a "Postscript."). Unstitched.
There is some general edge wear and brittleness, but this scarce set is generally quite clean. The wrappers on all but eight numbers are still conjugate and correct. The spines on the wrappers of Nos. 15, 18, 23, and 63 are splitting, but still intact. The wrappers on Nos. 25, 40, 83, 87, and 88 have separated and have been neatly reattached to the first and last text pages. The front wrapper on No. 32 is detached, and the rear wrapper has been reattached, with a pencil note "Back 37"; the front wrapper on No. 33 is detached and the rear wrapper has been reattached, with a pencil note "33"; and both wrappers on No. 38 are detached, with a pencil note on the rear wrapper "116." There is crude early stitching on Nos. 2 5, 7, 9, 12, 16, 17, and 18. Chemised in a pull-off case.
Eckel, pp. 67-70. Gimbel A49. See Hatton and Cleaver, pp. 161-182.
[Charles Dickens]. Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi. Edited by "Boz." With Illustrations by George Cruikshank. In Two Volumes. London: Richard Bentley, 1838.
First edition, first issue, bound in pink embossed cloth and with the final plate ("The Last Song," facing p. 238 in Volume II) without the added "grotesque" border. Two octavo volumes. xix, [1, blank], [1, "Embellishments"], [1, blank], 288; ix, [1, blank], 263, [1, printer's imprint] pages plus 36-page publisher's catalogue. Engraved frontispiece portrait (with tissue guard) of Grimaldi by W. Greatbatch after a painting by S. Raven in Volume I and twelve etched plates by George Cruikshank. This copy has the correct page listing (p. 182) for the plate "A Startling Effect" in the list of "Embellishments" in Volume I.
Publisher's primary binding of pink vertically-ribbed cloth embossed in a floral design. Spines pictorially stamped and lettered in gilt. Original yellow coated endpapers. Corners lightly rubbed, spine extremities chipped, tiny puncture mark on the front cover of each volume. The gilt on the spine is slightly rubbed. Some light foxing and browning, few short marginal tears. Early ink signature of R. M. Smyth on the front pastedown of each volume. Pencil note at the foot of the final page of text: "read by Montague Smyth." A very good copy. The two volumes individually chemised and housed together in a quarter dark green morocco over green cloth slipcase.
Carr B599. Cohn 237. Eckel, pp. 140-142. Gimbel B64.
First edition, first issue, bound in pink embossed cloth and with the final plate ("The Last Song," facing p. 238 in Volume II) without the added "grotesque" border. Two octavo volumes. xix, [1, blank], [1, "Embellishments"], [1, blank], 288; ix, [1, blank], 263, [1, printer's imprint] pages plus 36-page publisher's catalogue. Engraved frontispiece portrait (with tissue guard) of Grimaldi by W. Greatbatch after a painting by S. Raven in Volume I and twelve etched plates by George Cruikshank. This copy has the correct page listing (p. 182) for the plate "A Startling Effect" in the list of "Embellishments" in Volume I.
Publisher's primary binding of pink vertically-ribbed cloth embossed in a floral design. Spines pictorially stamped and lettered in gilt. Original yellow coated endpapers. Corners lightly rubbed, spine extremities chipped, tiny puncture mark on the front cover of each volume. The gilt on the spine is slightly rubbed. Some light foxing and browning, few short marginal tears. Early ink signature of R. M. Smyth on the front pastedown of each volume. Pencil note at the foot of the final page of text: "read by Montague Smyth." A very good copy. The two volumes individually chemised and housed together in a quarter dark green morocco over green cloth slipcase.
Carr B599. Cohn 237. Eckel, pp. 140-142. Gimbel B64.
Charles Dickens. The Adventures of Oliver Twist. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1846.
"A new edition, revised and corrected." Octavo. viii, 311 pages. Engravings by George Cruikshank.
Later full red morocco over boards by Bayntun-Rivière. Gilt portrait of Dickens on front board. Raised bands, gilt lettering to spine. Inside gilt dentelles All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Near fine.
"A new edition, revised and corrected." Octavo. viii, 311 pages. Engravings by George Cruikshank.
Later full red morocco over boards by Bayntun-Rivière. Gilt portrait of Dickens on front board. Raised bands, gilt lettering to spine. Inside gilt dentelles All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Near fine.
[Charles Dickens]. Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress. By "Boz." In Three Volumes. London: Richard Bentley, 1838.
First edition, first issue, with the "Fireside" plate facing p. 312 in Volume III and with authorship ascribed to "Boz" on each title page. Three twelvemo volumes. [4], 331, [1, blank], [4, advertisements]; [4], 307, [1, blank]; [2, advertisements], 315, [1, blank] pages. Twenty-four etched plates by George Cruikshank.
Publisher's original moderate reddish brown fine-diaper cloth (Carter B). Covers decoratively stamped in blind with an arabesque design. Spine ruled in blind and ruled and lettered in gilt. Crudely rebacked and possibly recased, with original spines laid down (with partial loss to imprint at foot of spine of Volume I and just touching imprint at foot of Volumes II and III). Cloth chipping on spine of Volume III. Corners rubbed. Several areas of discoloration to cloth.
The plates appear to have been reinserted, with some having the volume and page number where they belong written in pencil on the verso. Plates browned at the edges.
Engraved bookplate of Micajah Pratt Clough by Edwin Davis French, 1896, on the front pastedown and early ink signature of John Middleton on the front free endpaper of each volume. A good copy only, but with the "Fireside" plate. Protected in a red cloth chemise and quarter red morocco book-backed slipcase with the spine lettered in gilt with five raised bands.
Carter, Binding Variants, pp. 107-108. Eckel, pp. 59-63. Gimbel A27. Smith I, 4.
First edition, first issue, with the "Fireside" plate facing p. 312 in Volume III and with authorship ascribed to "Boz" on each title page. Three twelvemo volumes. [4], 331, [1, blank], [4, advertisements]; [4], 307, [1, blank]; [2, advertisements], 315, [1, blank] pages. Twenty-four etched plates by George Cruikshank.
Publisher's original moderate reddish brown fine-diaper cloth (Carter B). Covers decoratively stamped in blind with an arabesque design. Spine ruled in blind and ruled and lettered in gilt. Crudely rebacked and possibly recased, with original spines laid down (with partial loss to imprint at foot of spine of Volume I and just touching imprint at foot of Volumes II and III). Cloth chipping on spine of Volume III. Corners rubbed. Several areas of discoloration to cloth.
The plates appear to have been reinserted, with some having the volume and page number where they belong written in pencil on the verso. Plates browned at the edges.
Engraved bookplate of Micajah Pratt Clough by Edwin Davis French, 1896, on the front pastedown and early ink signature of John Middleton on the front free endpaper of each volume. A good copy only, but with the "Fireside" plate. Protected in a red cloth chemise and quarter red morocco book-backed slipcase with the spine lettered in gilt with five raised bands.
Carter, Binding Variants, pp. 107-108. Eckel, pp. 59-63. Gimbel A27. Smith I, 4.
Charles Dickens. The Personal History of David Copperfield. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1850.
First book edition, first printing. Octavo. xiv, 624 pages. Forty plates by Phiz (AKA Hablot Knight Browne).
Later full red morocco over boards. Gilt portrait of Dickens on front board. Raised bands, gilt lettering to spine. Inside gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Binding by Bayntun-Riviere. Near fine.
Eckel. 77. Smith, I:9.
First book edition, first printing. Octavo. xiv, 624 pages. Forty plates by Phiz (AKA Hablot Knight Browne).
Later full red morocco over boards. Gilt portrait of Dickens on front board. Raised bands, gilt lettering to spine. Inside gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Binding by Bayntun-Riviere. Near fine.
Eckel. 77. Smith, I:9.
Charles Dickens. The Personal History of David Copperfield. With Illustrations by H. K. Browne. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1850.
First edition in book form. Octavo. [8], [vii]-xiv, 624 pages. Errata leaf (pp. xv/xvi]) bound following the half-title (pp. [i/ii]). Forty etched plates, including frontispiece and added vignette title, by H. K. Browne ("Phiz"). Later state of the vignette title, without the 1850 date and with the imprint "Chapman & Hall, 193, Piccadilly."
Later (remainder binding?) brown honeycomb-grain cloth with covers decoratively paneled in blind and spine decoratively paneled in blind and lettered in gilt (with "CHAPMAN & HALL" at foot of spine). Sturdily rebacked, with original spine laid down. Original off-white coated endpapers. Corners rubbed, a few small stains to cloth. Upper portion of half-title cut away. Short tear to outer margin of D1 (pp. 33/34). Slight marginal dampstaining to plates. A very good copy.
Eckel, pp. 77-78. Gimbel A122. Smith I, 9.
First edition in book form. Octavo. [8], [vii]-xiv, 624 pages. Errata leaf (pp. xv/xvi]) bound following the half-title (pp. [i/ii]). Forty etched plates, including frontispiece and added vignette title, by H. K. Browne ("Phiz"). Later state of the vignette title, without the 1850 date and with the imprint "Chapman & Hall, 193, Piccadilly."
Later (remainder binding?) brown honeycomb-grain cloth with covers decoratively paneled in blind and spine decoratively paneled in blind and lettered in gilt (with "CHAPMAN & HALL" at foot of spine). Sturdily rebacked, with original spine laid down. Original off-white coated endpapers. Corners rubbed, a few small stains to cloth. Upper portion of half-title cut away. Short tear to outer margin of D1 (pp. 33/34). Slight marginal dampstaining to plates. A very good copy.
Eckel, pp. 77-78. Gimbel A122. Smith I, 9.
[Charles Dickens, editor]. The Pic Nic Papers. By Various Hands. Edited by Charles Dickens, Esq.... With Illustrations by George Cruikshank, Phiz, &c. In Three Volumes. London: Henry Colburn, 1841.
First edition, second issue, with the G. J. Palmer imprint on the verso of the title page of Volume I and the error "publisher young" corrected to "young publisher" on p. [iii] of the Introduction. Three twelvemo volumes. vi, [1, list of illustrations], [1, blank], 323, [1, blank]; [4], 298, [6 (of 8)] pages of publisher's advertisements, dated May, 1841; [2], 378, [4, advertisements] pages. Volume I with two etched plates by George Cruikshank and two by H. K. Browne ("Phiz"), Volume II with four etched plates by H. K. Browne ("Phiz"), and Volume III with six lithographed plates by Day & Haghe after R. J. Hamerton.
Publisher's original green vertically-ribbed cloth with covers decoratively paneled in blind and spines ruled in blind and lettered in gilt. Original yellow coated endpapers. Binding of Volume I cocked. Front hinge of Volumes I and II cracked (Volume I hanging by cords). Repaired tear to plate facing p. 285 in Volume I. Each volume has an armorial bookplate to the front pastedown, another one to the rear pastedown, and inked names. In generally very good condition.
Cohn 236. Eckel, pp. 143-145. Gimbel B109.
First edition, second issue, with the G. J. Palmer imprint on the verso of the title page of Volume I and the error "publisher young" corrected to "young publisher" on p. [iii] of the Introduction. Three twelvemo volumes. vi, [1, list of illustrations], [1, blank], 323, [1, blank]; [4], 298, [6 (of 8)] pages of publisher's advertisements, dated May, 1841; [2], 378, [4, advertisements] pages. Volume I with two etched plates by George Cruikshank and two by H. K. Browne ("Phiz"), Volume II with four etched plates by H. K. Browne ("Phiz"), and Volume III with six lithographed plates by Day & Haghe after R. J. Hamerton.
Publisher's original green vertically-ribbed cloth with covers decoratively paneled in blind and spines ruled in blind and lettered in gilt. Original yellow coated endpapers. Binding of Volume I cocked. Front hinge of Volumes I and II cracked (Volume I hanging by cords). Repaired tear to plate facing p. 285 in Volume I. Each volume has an armorial bookplate to the front pastedown, another one to the rear pastedown, and inked names. In generally very good condition.
Cohn 236. Eckel, pp. 143-145. Gimbel B109.
Charles Dickens. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. London: Chapman and Hall, 1837.
First edition, mixed state with the Phiz plates replacing the Buss plates at pages 73 and 76. Octavo. xiv, [1, directions to the binder], [1, errata], 609, [1, blank] pages. With 43 highly detailed and delightful illustrations by R. Seymoure and Phiz.
Sumptuous green leather binding by Bayntun-Rivière with gilt spine lettering and decorations in compartments, gilt portrait of Dickens in an oval on the front board, and a facsimile of Dickens' signature in gilt on the rear board. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Minimal shelf wear. Minor dampstaining to the front board. Spine sunned. Over-opened at the frontispiece. A clean and bright copy in near fine condition.
Gimbel A16. Smith, pp. 19-27.
First edition, mixed state with the Phiz plates replacing the Buss plates at pages 73 and 76. Octavo. xiv, [1, directions to the binder], [1, errata], 609, [1, blank] pages. With 43 highly detailed and delightful illustrations by R. Seymoure and Phiz.
Sumptuous green leather binding by Bayntun-Rivière with gilt spine lettering and decorations in compartments, gilt portrait of Dickens in an oval on the front board, and a facsimile of Dickens' signature in gilt on the rear board. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Minimal shelf wear. Minor dampstaining to the front board. Spine sunned. Over-opened at the frontispiece. A clean and bright copy in near fine condition.
Gimbel A16. Smith, pp. 19-27.
Charles Dickens. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. With Forty-Three Illustrations, by R. Seymour and Phiz. London: Chapman and Hall, 1837 [i.e., April 1836-November 1837].
First edition, later issue. In the original monthly parts, twenty numbers bound in nineteen. Octavo. xiv, [1, "Directions to the Binder"], [1, errata], 609, [1, blank] pages. Forty-three etched plates by Seymour and "Phiz."
As usual, the first few numbers are later issues with corrected text, no ads, and plates generally from the second steels. The replacement Phiz plates appear in Part III.
Pale green wraps. Occasional light staining to outer wraps. All in very good condition, protected in a worn green cloth clamshell case by Rivière & Son (stamp-signed on liner), lettered in gilt on spine.
Gimbel A15. Hatton and Cleaver, pp. 1-88. Johannsen, pp. 1-75. Smith I, 3.
First edition, later issue. In the original monthly parts, twenty numbers bound in nineteen. Octavo. xiv, [1, "Directions to the Binder"], [1, errata], 609, [1, blank] pages. Forty-three etched plates by Seymour and "Phiz."
As usual, the first few numbers are later issues with corrected text, no ads, and plates generally from the second steels. The replacement Phiz plates appear in Part III.
Pale green wraps. Occasional light staining to outer wraps. All in very good condition, protected in a worn green cloth clamshell case by Rivière & Son (stamp-signed on liner), lettered in gilt on spine.
Gimbel A15. Hatton and Cleaver, pp. 1-88. Johannsen, pp. 1-75. Smith I, 3.
Charles Dickens. Sketches by "Boz," Illustrative of Every-Day Life, and Every-Day People. In Two Volumes. Illustrations by George Cruikshank. London: John Macrone, 1836.
First edition of Dickens' first book. Two twelvemo volumes. viii, 348; [4], 342 pages. Sixteen etched plates by George Cruikshank, including frontispieces (frontispiece in Volume II with original tissue guard).
Publisher's dark grayish-green embossed leaf-patterned morocco-grain cloth. Spine decoratively stamped and lettered in gilt. Later yellow coated endpapers. A few areas of slight discoloration to cloth. Volume I shaken, with corners lightly rubbed, a few tiny chips at head of spine, cloth fraying at foot of spine, and rear joint starting to split. Volume II just slightly skewed, corners lightly rubbed, cloth fraying at head and foot of spine, short split to front hinge at upper edge. Slight offsetting from the plates to the text and the text to the plates, some light foxing and faint marginal soiling or staining, a few corners lightly creased. Volume I with a repaired tear to the outer margin of G9 and G10 (pp. 137/138 and 139/140), just affecting a couple of letters; over-opened between p. viii and p. 1, pp. 326 and 327, and pp. 346 and 347. Volume II with leaves B8 and C1 (pp. 24 and 25) adhered to one another, small portion of upper corner of D9 and D10 (pp. 65/66 and 67/68) torn away when opened. Despite these flaws, this copy shows very well. Each volume with the early ink signature of Tyrconnel at head of title. The volumes are housed together in a dark green buckram clamshell case.
"It is an irrefutable fact that the book first published by an author who subsequently attained great eminence is the most difficult of acquirement in good condition. This is acutely true of Dickens's first book" (Eckel, p. 11).
Sketches by Boz was the first work by Dickens to appear in book form. "Sketches by Boz was first published on February 8, 1836 at one guinea. A second edition with a new preface dated 1st August 1836 was published on August 10, 1836. A third edition, published on March 11, 1837, contained the prefaces to the first and second editions" (Smith).
Eckel, pp. 11-Gimbel A1. Smith I, 1.
First edition of Dickens' first book. Two twelvemo volumes. viii, 348; [4], 342 pages. Sixteen etched plates by George Cruikshank, including frontispieces (frontispiece in Volume II with original tissue guard).
Publisher's dark grayish-green embossed leaf-patterned morocco-grain cloth. Spine decoratively stamped and lettered in gilt. Later yellow coated endpapers. A few areas of slight discoloration to cloth. Volume I shaken, with corners lightly rubbed, a few tiny chips at head of spine, cloth fraying at foot of spine, and rear joint starting to split. Volume II just slightly skewed, corners lightly rubbed, cloth fraying at head and foot of spine, short split to front hinge at upper edge. Slight offsetting from the plates to the text and the text to the plates, some light foxing and faint marginal soiling or staining, a few corners lightly creased. Volume I with a repaired tear to the outer margin of G9 and G10 (pp. 137/138 and 139/140), just affecting a couple of letters; over-opened between p. viii and p. 1, pp. 326 and 327, and pp. 346 and 347. Volume II with leaves B8 and C1 (pp. 24 and 25) adhered to one another, small portion of upper corner of D9 and D10 (pp. 65/66 and 67/68) torn away when opened. Despite these flaws, this copy shows very well. Each volume with the early ink signature of Tyrconnel at head of title. The volumes are housed together in a dark green buckram clamshell case.
"It is an irrefutable fact that the book first published by an author who subsequently attained great eminence is the most difficult of acquirement in good condition. This is acutely true of Dickens's first book" (Eckel, p. 11).
Sketches by Boz was the first work by Dickens to appear in book form. "Sketches by Boz was first published on February 8, 1836 at one guinea. A second edition with a new preface dated 1st August 1836 was published on August 10, 1836. A third edition, published on March 11, 1837, contained the prefaces to the first and second editions" (Smith).
Eckel, pp. 11-Gimbel A1. Smith I, 1.
Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities. With Illustrations by H. K. Browne. London: Chapman and Hall, 1859.
First edition, first issue, with signature "b" present on the List of Plates leaf, and with all of the internal flaws listed by Smith, including "affectionately" on p. 134, line 12, and page 213 incorrectly numbered "113." Octavo. viii, [1, "List of Plates"], [1, blank], 254 pages. This copy without the 32-page publisher's catalogue, dated November, 1859, bound at the end of some copies. Sixteen etched plates by H. K. Browne ("Phiz"), including frontispiece and added vignette title.
Publisher's primary binding of deep red morocco-grain cloth. Covers decoratively paneled in blind, spine ruled in blind and decoratively stamped and lettered in gilt. Original pale yellow coated endpapers. Cloth faded and discolored; joints rubbed, with a few short splits; cloth strengthened at head and foot of spine; hinges repaired. Frontispiece split at the gutter, but still intact; a few plates with stab-holes visible (a few neatly filled in); repaired tear to the outer margin of the plate facing p. 94, just entering the plate caption; a few tiny tears to the outer margin of the plate facing p. 137; repaired tear to the plate facing p. 168; the plate facing p. 225 is tipped to p. 224. Tiny paper flaw to the outer blank margin of B8 (pp. 15/16); small stain to L1 (pp. 133/134); short tear to the lower margin of O8 (pp. 195/196), with a small piece missing; a few marginal stains to p. 240. A good copy, extremely scarce in its original cloth in any condition.
Eckel, pp. 86-90. Gimbel A143. Sadleir 701. Smith I, 13.
First edition, first issue, with signature "b" present on the List of Plates leaf, and with all of the internal flaws listed by Smith, including "affectionately" on p. 134, line 12, and page 213 incorrectly numbered "113." Octavo. viii, [1, "List of Plates"], [1, blank], 254 pages. This copy without the 32-page publisher's catalogue, dated November, 1859, bound at the end of some copies. Sixteen etched plates by H. K. Browne ("Phiz"), including frontispiece and added vignette title.
Publisher's primary binding of deep red morocco-grain cloth. Covers decoratively paneled in blind, spine ruled in blind and decoratively stamped and lettered in gilt. Original pale yellow coated endpapers. Cloth faded and discolored; joints rubbed, with a few short splits; cloth strengthened at head and foot of spine; hinges repaired. Frontispiece split at the gutter, but still intact; a few plates with stab-holes visible (a few neatly filled in); repaired tear to the outer margin of the plate facing p. 94, just entering the plate caption; a few tiny tears to the outer margin of the plate facing p. 137; repaired tear to the plate facing p. 168; the plate facing p. 225 is tipped to p. 224. Tiny paper flaw to the outer blank margin of B8 (pp. 15/16); small stain to L1 (pp. 133/134); short tear to the lower margin of O8 (pp. 195/196), with a small piece missing; a few marginal stains to p. 240. A good copy, extremely scarce in its original cloth in any condition.
Eckel, pp. 86-90. Gimbel A143. Sadleir 701. Smith I, 13.
Charles Dickens. Works. London: Chapman and Hall, n.d. [1874-1876].
Thirty octavo volumes. The "Illustrated Library Edition," printed by J. S. Virtue and Company. With plates after the originals by Cruikshank, Browne, Leech, et al.
Contemporary full tree calf over boards. Morocco title labels with gilt lettering to spines. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. All volumes professionally restored with new joints. Very good.
Gimble D72.
Thirty octavo volumes. The "Illustrated Library Edition," printed by J. S. Virtue and Company. With plates after the originals by Cruikshank, Browne, Leech, et al.
Contemporary full tree calf over boards. Morocco title labels with gilt lettering to spines. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. All volumes professionally restored with new joints. Very good.
Gimble D72.
[Charles Dickens]. John Forster. The Life of Charles Dickens - With a Signed Envelope. London: Chapman and Hall, 1874, 1873, 1874.
Later printings. Three octavo volumes. xvii, 398, [6]; xx, 464; xv, 552 pages. With an envelope addressed to the Garrick Club signed by Dickens laid onto the front free endpaper. Extra-illustrated with an additional 137 engravings.
Full tan calf with gilt spine titles on contrasting leather title labels inside five raised bands, with gilt-ruled and elaborately gilt-tooled devices in compartments. Gilt rules and corner decorations to boards, with gilt-tooled turn-ins. Top edges gilt. Fore and bottom edges untrimmed. All volumes professionally rebacked with original spines laid down. Minor light foxing throughout. Small closed tear to the envelope, not affecting Dickens' signature. A lovely and unique extra-illustrated set with a bold Dickens signature.
Later printings. Three octavo volumes. xvii, 398, [6]; xx, 464; xv, 552 pages. With an envelope addressed to the Garrick Club signed by Dickens laid onto the front free endpaper. Extra-illustrated with an additional 137 engravings.
Full tan calf with gilt spine titles on contrasting leather title labels inside five raised bands, with gilt-ruled and elaborately gilt-tooled devices in compartments. Gilt rules and corner decorations to boards, with gilt-tooled turn-ins. Top edges gilt. Fore and bottom edges untrimmed. All volumes professionally rebacked with original spines laid down. Minor light foxing throughout. Small closed tear to the envelope, not affecting Dickens' signature. A lovely and unique extra-illustrated set with a bold Dickens signature.
[Charles Dickens]. George Baker [editor]. Charles Dickens and Maria Beadnell ("Dora"). Private Correspondence between Charles Dickens and Mrs. Henry Winter (née Maria Beadnell), the Original of Dora Spenlow in "David Copperfield" and Flora Finching in "Little Dorrit." [Boston]: Privately Printed for William K. Bixby, 1908.
"Second edition" (see note below), one of 250 copies. Octavo. [iii]-xxx, 152, [6] pages. Copiously illustrated with engraved plates, a playbill facsimile, and a facsimile printed on two unnumbered pages at the end of the book. Title printed in red and black, tissue guard captions printed in red.
Original half parchment over brown paper boards, smooth spine lettered in gilt. Two bookseller's descriptions and two newspaper clippings affixed to front pastedown. Dickens ALS affixed to the recto of the frontispiece (transcription below). Inscribed at head of title the words "Editorial Copy"; and Baker's signature, dated "Sept. 1908", on the front free endpaper. Affixed to recto of plate opposite page 23 is an ALS to the editor from Beadnell's second cousin, Laura Hathaway; another Hathaway ALS is affixed to rear free endpaper. Affixed to rear pastedown are four pages of manuscript notes relating to the publication, but likely not by Baker. Scattered light foxing. Parchment lightly soiled. Overall a very good copy.
A handsome copy of this important work, with a charming Dickens ALS. In the "Preface to Second Edition" (p. [vii], Baker explains "After the Dickens-Dora papers came into my possession I agreed to allow the Bibliophile Society all the rights to print same that I possessed, with the understanding that, after the edition had been printed by them for the members, I should, omitting their title page, print two hundred and fifty copies as a second edition for my own use, for presentation to friends...."
The Dickens ALS written on the recto of half of a folded leaf of one octavo page with printed letterhead: "Office of Household Words. A Weekly Journal Conducted by Charles Dickens." Transcription:
"Tuesday Twelfth October 1858 / Dear Sir / Will you be so good as to send / a competent person down to my house at / Gad's Hill [word crossed out] to Doctor the clock. It / has suddenly left off striking-to the / great discomfiture of my establishment. / Faithfully Yours / Charles Dickens / [flourish] / Mr. Bennett Esquire."
"Second edition" (see note below), one of 250 copies. Octavo. [iii]-xxx, 152, [6] pages. Copiously illustrated with engraved plates, a playbill facsimile, and a facsimile printed on two unnumbered pages at the end of the book. Title printed in red and black, tissue guard captions printed in red.
Original half parchment over brown paper boards, smooth spine lettered in gilt. Two bookseller's descriptions and two newspaper clippings affixed to front pastedown. Dickens ALS affixed to the recto of the frontispiece (transcription below). Inscribed at head of title the words "Editorial Copy"; and Baker's signature, dated "Sept. 1908", on the front free endpaper. Affixed to recto of plate opposite page 23 is an ALS to the editor from Beadnell's second cousin, Laura Hathaway; another Hathaway ALS is affixed to rear free endpaper. Affixed to rear pastedown are four pages of manuscript notes relating to the publication, but likely not by Baker. Scattered light foxing. Parchment lightly soiled. Overall a very good copy.
A handsome copy of this important work, with a charming Dickens ALS. In the "Preface to Second Edition" (p. [vii], Baker explains "After the Dickens-Dora papers came into my possession I agreed to allow the Bibliophile Society all the rights to print same that I possessed, with the understanding that, after the edition had been printed by them for the members, I should, omitting their title page, print two hundred and fifty copies as a second edition for my own use, for presentation to friends...."
The Dickens ALS written on the recto of half of a folded leaf of one octavo page with printed letterhead: "Office of Household Words. A Weekly Journal Conducted by Charles Dickens." Transcription:
"Tuesday Twelfth October 1858 / Dear Sir / Will you be so good as to send / a competent person down to my house at / Gad's Hill [word crossed out] to Doctor the clock. It / has suddenly left off striking-to the / great discomfiture of my establishment. / Faithfully Yours / Charles Dickens / [flourish] / Mr. Bennett Esquire."
Miscellaneous
[Charles Dickens]. Collection of Seventeen Royal Doulton Dickens Character Figurines and Dickens Plate. Seventeen Royal Doulton figurines of Dickens' best-loved characters, including: Tiny Tim, Fagin, Scrooge, Pickwick, Tony Weller, Sairey Gamp, Mrs. Bardell, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, the Artful Dodger, Charles Dickens himself, and six others. Figurines are approximately four inches tall. Also, a Charles Dickens commemorative plate by Royal Doulton featuring Dickens' portrait in the middle, surrounded by eleven of his characters. Figurines and plate are in immaculate condition.
Books
Emily Dickinson. Poems [First Series]. [with:] Poems. Second Series. [and:] Poems. Third Series. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1890, 1891, 1896.
First editions, first printings. Twelvemo. First Series: xvi, [13]-152 pages. Second Series: viii, [1]-230 pages plus blank leaf. Third Series: viii, [1]-200 pages plus blank leaf.
First Series bound in ivory and gray cloth with gilt titles and silver decorative stamping. Top edge gilt. Second Series and Third Series bound in green cloth with gilt titles and decorative stamping. Beveled boards. Top edges gilt. Third Series reads "Roberts Bros." at the base of the spine. All three volumes housed together in a custom green half-leather clamshell box with gilt spine titles inside four raised bands. Binding of First Series moderately rubbed and spotted. Minor wear to the extremities. Offsetting to pages 72-73 from some previously inserted paper object (no longer present). Tissue guard loose at the title page. Second Series with mild wear and dust-soiling to the boards. Spine somewhat darkened. Rear hinge only just starting. Third Series shows minor wear at the extremities and minimal rubbing to the boards. A very clean copy. Internal contents excellent on all three volumes. A very good set of the rare first printings of Dickinson's first three books.
The First Series is an association copy, having been given as a gift by Pastor J. L. Jenkins, a close and admired friend of the Dickinson family who assisted in officiating Emily Dickinson's funeral. His 1890 inscription has been marked out but is still readable on the front free endpaper.
"She never, like Dr. Johnson, tore the heart out of many books to make a new one and seldom put classical legend, myth, or history - the stock in trade of the Romantic poets - to work in her poems; or if she did, the references are usually fleeting and peripheral. There are no imitations of Spenser or Milton in her canon. She was never the avowed disciple, as far as we know, of anyone." (Sewall: The Life of Emily Dickinson, pp. 668-669)
BAL 4655, 4656, 4661; Clendenning 54-56; Grolier 100 American, 91
First editions, first printings. Twelvemo. First Series: xvi, [13]-152 pages. Second Series: viii, [1]-230 pages plus blank leaf. Third Series: viii, [1]-200 pages plus blank leaf.
First Series bound in ivory and gray cloth with gilt titles and silver decorative stamping. Top edge gilt. Second Series and Third Series bound in green cloth with gilt titles and decorative stamping. Beveled boards. Top edges gilt. Third Series reads "Roberts Bros." at the base of the spine. All three volumes housed together in a custom green half-leather clamshell box with gilt spine titles inside four raised bands. Binding of First Series moderately rubbed and spotted. Minor wear to the extremities. Offsetting to pages 72-73 from some previously inserted paper object (no longer present). Tissue guard loose at the title page. Second Series with mild wear and dust-soiling to the boards. Spine somewhat darkened. Rear hinge only just starting. Third Series shows minor wear at the extremities and minimal rubbing to the boards. A very clean copy. Internal contents excellent on all three volumes. A very good set of the rare first printings of Dickinson's first three books.
The First Series is an association copy, having been given as a gift by Pastor J. L. Jenkins, a close and admired friend of the Dickinson family who assisted in officiating Emily Dickinson's funeral. His 1890 inscription has been marked out but is still readable on the front free endpaper.
"She never, like Dr. Johnson, tore the heart out of many books to make a new one and seldom put classical legend, myth, or history - the stock in trade of the Romantic poets - to work in her poems; or if she did, the references are usually fleeting and peripheral. There are no imitations of Spenser or Milton in her canon. She was never the avowed disciple, as far as we know, of anyone." (Sewall: The Life of Emily Dickinson, pp. 668-669)
BAL 4655, 4656, 4661; Clendenning 54-56; Grolier 100 American, 91
Isak Dinesen. [Karen Blixen]. Out of Africa. New York: Random House, [1938].
First edition. Octavo. 389 pages.
Publisher's black buckram over terra-cotta cloth with gilt titles and decorations. Original price-clipped dust jacket. Deckled fore-edge. Minimal shelf wear to the boards and jacket edges. Light toning to the endpapers. Minor wear to the spine ends of the dust jacket. Small ink smudge to front panel. A near fine copy.
"During her lifetime Isak Dinesen's admirers ranged from Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers, Marianne Moore, and Lawrence Durrell to John Gielgud, Cecil Beaton, and Edmée de la Rochefoucauld. Upon receiving the Nobel prize for literature in 1954, Hemingway said it should have gone to Dinesen. Certainly her stories invite such enthusiastic as well as refined appreciation, but the memoir Out of Africa elicits something more, a kind of holy rapture." (Michael Dirda: Classics for Pleasure, p. 228).
First edition. Octavo. 389 pages.
Publisher's black buckram over terra-cotta cloth with gilt titles and decorations. Original price-clipped dust jacket. Deckled fore-edge. Minimal shelf wear to the boards and jacket edges. Light toning to the endpapers. Minor wear to the spine ends of the dust jacket. Small ink smudge to front panel. A near fine copy.
"During her lifetime Isak Dinesen's admirers ranged from Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers, Marianne Moore, and Lawrence Durrell to John Gielgud, Cecil Beaton, and Edmée de la Rochefoucauld. Upon receiving the Nobel prize for literature in 1954, Hemingway said it should have gone to Dinesen. Certainly her stories invite such enthusiastic as well as refined appreciation, but the memoir Out of Africa elicits something more, a kind of holy rapture." (Michael Dirda: Classics for Pleasure, p. 228).
John Dos Passos. The U.S.A. Trilogy: The 42nd Parallel. [and:] Nineteen Nineteen. [and:] The Big Money. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1946.
Specially-bound limited edition of 365 sets signed by John Dos Passos and illustrator Reginald Marsh on a special limitation page inserted in The 42nd Parallel volume. Three octavo volumes. 481; 545; 645 pages. All volumes illustrated by Reginald Marsh.
Bound in cream buckram over beveled boards, with pictorial endpapers, gilt lettering to the spines, gilt-stamped brown leather labels on the spines and front boards, and a single-rule blind-stamped border on each board. Top edges gilt, other edges untrimmed. Books are protected by cream paper jackets which have clear, acetate spine windows that display the titles and the year 1946. In the publisher's maroon slipcase, now significantly worn. A lovely set in about fine condition.
Specially-bound limited edition of 365 sets signed by John Dos Passos and illustrator Reginald Marsh on a special limitation page inserted in The 42nd Parallel volume. Three octavo volumes. 481; 545; 645 pages. All volumes illustrated by Reginald Marsh.
Bound in cream buckram over beveled boards, with pictorial endpapers, gilt lettering to the spines, gilt-stamped brown leather labels on the spines and front boards, and a single-rule blind-stamped border on each board. Top edges gilt, other edges untrimmed. Books are protected by cream paper jackets which have clear, acetate spine windows that display the titles and the year 1946. In the publisher's maroon slipcase, now significantly worn. A lovely set in about fine condition.
Arthur Conan Doyle. First Editions of the First Two Sherlock Holmes Books, including: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. London: George Newnes, 1892. First edition, first issue with misprint of "Violent Hunter" for "Violet Hunter" on page 317, line 23. Large octavo. 317 pages. Illustrated by Sidney Paget. First state binding with no name on the street sign in the front cover illustration. All edges gilt. Floral endpapers. [and:] The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. London: George Newnes, 1894. First edition. Large octavo. 279 pages. Illustrated by Sidney Paget. Dark blue illustrated cloth over beveled boards with titles and illustration in gilt and black. All edges gilt. Floral endpapers. Both books housed together in a timeworn custom blue cloth slipcase and chemise with gilt spine titles.
Both copies with moderate wear to the bindings. One fingernail abrasion to the front hinge of Adventures. Previous owner's bookplate in Adventures. Small but of crackling to front board of Memoirs, which also shows scattered minor foxing. Rear hinge of Memoirs starting. A very good set of books containing the stories that first made a legend out of an eccentric amateur detective and his loyal doctor-friend.
"The initial twelve tales were collected between covers as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, published in England and America in 1892; and eleven of the second twelve... as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, published in 1894. If any reader be prepared to name two other books that have given more innocent but solid pleasure, let him speak now - or hold his peace!" (Haycraft, 50).
Green and Gibson, A10a and A14a, DeWaal 520 & 596.
Both copies with moderate wear to the bindings. One fingernail abrasion to the front hinge of Adventures. Previous owner's bookplate in Adventures. Small but of crackling to front board of Memoirs, which also shows scattered minor foxing. Rear hinge of Memoirs starting. A very good set of books containing the stories that first made a legend out of an eccentric amateur detective and his loyal doctor-friend.
"The initial twelve tales were collected between covers as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, published in England and America in 1892; and eleven of the second twelve... as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, published in 1894. If any reader be prepared to name two other books that have given more innocent but solid pleasure, let him speak now - or hold his peace!" (Haycraft, 50).
Green and Gibson, A10a and A14a, DeWaal 520 & 596.
Arthur Conan Doyle. The Hound of the Baskervilles. London: George Newnes, Limited, 1902.
First edition in book form (first serialized in the Strand Magazine between August 1901 and April 1902). Octavo. 358 pages. Sixteen plates (including frontispiece) by Sidney Paget.
Publisher's scarlet cloth with decoratively stamped in gilt and black on front and gilt on spine. Gilt is still bright. Modest rubbing and wear to extremities with only minor fading to the spine. Endpapers and page edges have some scattered foxing. A vibrant copy in far superior condition than typically found. Housed in a custom cloth chemise and full leather slipcase. Overall, a much better than very good copy.
The Hound of the Baskervilles "was based on an idea given to [Doyle] by Bertram Fletcher Robinson, who was a nephew of Sir John Robinson and a correspondent for the Daily Express during the Boer War. The two men struck up a friendship when travelling back on the same ship from Cape Town. They spent four days together on a golfing holiday at Cromer in March 1901, and it was then that Robinson mentioned the legend (possibly of the Black Hound of Hergest associated with the Vaughan family of Hergest Court in Herefordshire). Doyle told his mother: "Fletcher Robinson came here with me and we are going to do a small book together The Hound of the Baskervilles-a real creeper"...The serial publication was an unprecedented success. It was the only occasion in the magazine's history that a seventh printing was needed to meet the demand, and the queues at the publisher's offices and throughout the country were extraordinary" (Green and Gibson, pp. 129-130).
Green and Gibson. A Bibliography of A. Conan Doyle. A26a.
First edition in book form (first serialized in the Strand Magazine between August 1901 and April 1902). Octavo. 358 pages. Sixteen plates (including frontispiece) by Sidney Paget.
Publisher's scarlet cloth with decoratively stamped in gilt and black on front and gilt on spine. Gilt is still bright. Modest rubbing and wear to extremities with only minor fading to the spine. Endpapers and page edges have some scattered foxing. A vibrant copy in far superior condition than typically found. Housed in a custom cloth chemise and full leather slipcase. Overall, a much better than very good copy.
The Hound of the Baskervilles "was based on an idea given to [Doyle] by Bertram Fletcher Robinson, who was a nephew of Sir John Robinson and a correspondent for the Daily Express during the Boer War. The two men struck up a friendship when travelling back on the same ship from Cape Town. They spent four days together on a golfing holiday at Cromer in March 1901, and it was then that Robinson mentioned the legend (possibly of the Black Hound of Hergest associated with the Vaughan family of Hergest Court in Herefordshire). Doyle told his mother: "Fletcher Robinson came here with me and we are going to do a small book together The Hound of the Baskervilles-a real creeper"...The serial publication was an unprecedented success. It was the only occasion in the magazine's history that a seventh printing was needed to meet the demand, and the queues at the publisher's offices and throughout the country were extraordinary" (Green and Gibson, pp. 129-130).
Green and Gibson. A Bibliography of A. Conan Doyle. A26a.
Arthur Conan Doyle. The Sign of the Four; or, the Problem of the Sholtos. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, [February 1890].
First edition, printed in Lippincott's Magazine Series [No. 266]. Octavo. [2, title], 147-308 pages (The Sign of the Four concluding on page 223). With engraved frontispiece, 52 pages of ads at front and back, and the eight-page "With the Wits" supplement interspersed.
Original wrappers, with front wrapper lacking. First leaf loose. Spine chipped, with some loss at head and foot. A few instances of light spotting, and dampstaining to top margins of especially the last third of the text block. Overall, a good copy of this exceedingly rare edition. Housed in a folding box of gilt brown leatherette, lined with red paper, with gilt side title and the printed paper bookplate of renowned book collector H. Bradley Martin.
A venerable copy of this scarce edition of the second Sherlock Holmes novel, famously commissioned by Lippincott's managing editor Joseph M. Stoddart at a dinner also attended by Oscar Wilde (who would come to contribute The Picture of Dorian Gray to the July 1890 issue of the magazine). Once part of the library of H. Bradley Martin, and appropriately housed in a custom folding box, this copy also comes with an autograph note signed by Doyle, written on Reform Club stationery: "Dear Sir[:] Many thanks for your very kind invitation. I regret extremely that I will be unable to come. Yours faithfully[,] A[.] Conan Doyle."
Green and Gibson 7A.i.
First edition, printed in Lippincott's Magazine Series [No. 266]. Octavo. [2, title], 147-308 pages (The Sign of the Four concluding on page 223). With engraved frontispiece, 52 pages of ads at front and back, and the eight-page "With the Wits" supplement interspersed.
Original wrappers, with front wrapper lacking. First leaf loose. Spine chipped, with some loss at head and foot. A few instances of light spotting, and dampstaining to top margins of especially the last third of the text block. Overall, a good copy of this exceedingly rare edition. Housed in a folding box of gilt brown leatherette, lined with red paper, with gilt side title and the printed paper bookplate of renowned book collector H. Bradley Martin.
A venerable copy of this scarce edition of the second Sherlock Holmes novel, famously commissioned by Lippincott's managing editor Joseph M. Stoddart at a dinner also attended by Oscar Wilde (who would come to contribute The Picture of Dorian Gray to the July 1890 issue of the magazine). Once part of the library of H. Bradley Martin, and appropriately housed in a custom folding box, this copy also comes with an autograph note signed by Doyle, written on Reform Club stationery: "Dear Sir[:] Many thanks for your very kind invitation. I regret extremely that I will be unable to come. Yours faithfully[,] A[.] Conan Doyle."
Green and Gibson 7A.i.
Arthur Conan Doyle. First Editions of Two Sherlock Holmes Books, including: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. London: George Newnes, 1892. First edition. Large octavo. 317 pages. Many illustrations by Sidney Paget. Light blue illustrated cloth over beveled boards. Later state binding with name added to the street sign on the illustration. Gilt lettering to front board and spine. All edges gilt. Flower-patterned endpapers. [and:] The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. London: George Newnes, 1894. First edition. Large octavo. 279 pages. Many illustrations by Sidney Paget. Dark blue illustrated cloth over beveled boards. Gilt lettering to front board and spine. All edges gilt. Feather-patterned endpapers.
Professionally repaired hinges. The bindings of both books are slightly leaning. Bright, tight books in very good condition. In custom solander box with marbled boards and blue morocco backstrip with raised bands and gilt lettering.
Green and Gibson, A10a and A14a.
Professionally repaired hinges. The bindings of both books are slightly leaning. Bright, tight books in very good condition. In custom solander box with marbled boards and blue morocco backstrip with raised bands and gilt lettering.
Green and Gibson, A10a and A14a.
Theodore Dreiser. Two Signed Sets of An American Tragedy, including: An American Tragedy. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1925. Special limited edition of 795 numbered copies, signed by the author on a special limitation page in front of Volume I. Two octavo volumes. 431; 409 pages. Original tan buckram spine over blue paper boards with titles stamped in red on the front board of each volume and in gilt on the spines. Edges untrimmed. Blue endpapers. Light browning to cloth spines, with minor soiling to boards. Contents sound save for pages 3-8 and 231-231 in Volume I which have some modest staining on the pages. Small bookseller label on the rear pastedown of each volume. Very good in the original slipcase which is complete but broken at all but one corner. [and:] An American Tragedy. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1925. First edition. Signed by the author on the title page of Volume I. Two twelvemo volumes. 431; 409 pages. Original black cloth with vignette stamped in gilt on the front board of each volume and titles in gilt on the spine. Moderate wear to boards with some fading to gilt titles on the spine. Contents sound. Very good.
Dreiser's An American Tragedy is based on the murder case of Chester Gillette who killed his pregnant girlfriend in a small town in upstate New York when the illicit relationship threatened his social and financial advancement. The book dealt with serious subjects such as religion, abortion and capital punishment. "In 1930...the seven judges sitting on the highest court of Massachusetts agreed to a man that Dreiser's 840-page novel An American Tragedy - his most popular book and the one many critics consider Dreiser's best - was 'obscene, indecent and manifestly tending to corrupt the morals of youth'" (de Grazia, 98).
Dreiser's An American Tragedy is based on the murder case of Chester Gillette who killed his pregnant girlfriend in a small town in upstate New York when the illicit relationship threatened his social and financial advancement. The book dealt with serious subjects such as religion, abortion and capital punishment. "In 1930...the seven judges sitting on the highest court of Massachusetts agreed to a man that Dreiser's 840-page novel An American Tragedy - his most popular book and the one many critics consider Dreiser's best - was 'obscene, indecent and manifestly tending to corrupt the morals of youth'" (de Grazia, 98).
John Dryden. The Fables of John Dryden. London: T. Bensley, 1797.
First edition, thus. Folio. xviii, 241 pages. Complete with nine full page plates with tissue guards and fifteen large vignettes drawn by Lady Diana Beauclerc and engraved by Bartolozzi and others.
Early brown full calf over boards. Gilt fillets and blindstamp borders to boards. Raised bands. Gilt embellishments to compartments and gilt lettering. Gilt tooling to turn-ins. Marbled edges. Marbled endpapers. Bookplates on front pastedown of Westport House, and later, W. R. H. Jeudwine. Light foxing. Minor shelf-wear. Overall, an excellent copy in very good condition.
First edition, thus. Folio. xviii, 241 pages. Complete with nine full page plates with tissue guards and fifteen large vignettes drawn by Lady Diana Beauclerc and engraved by Bartolozzi and others.
Early brown full calf over boards. Gilt fillets and blindstamp borders to boards. Raised bands. Gilt embellishments to compartments and gilt lettering. Gilt tooling to turn-ins. Marbled edges. Marbled endpapers. Bookplates on front pastedown of Westport House, and later, W. R. H. Jeudwine. Light foxing. Minor shelf-wear. Overall, an excellent copy in very good condition.
George Eliot. Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1861.
First edition. Octavo. Half-title, title page, 364 pages.
Contemporary three-quarter red morocco over marbled boards with gilt spine titles and five raised bands tooled in gilt. Bound without advertisements. Moderate shelf wear. minor abrading to the leather. Contemporary owner's signature on the front free endpaper. Scattered minor foxing, mostly at the endpapers. Internal text clean and bright. Very good condition.
"Overwhelming are the glorious qualities which make her a supreme novelist in an age of great novelists: her penetrating sympathy, her deep knowledge of humanity, her descriptive power, her lambent humor, the reflection of her extraordinary mind." (Kunitz and Haycraft, 212).
First edition. Octavo. Half-title, title page, 364 pages.
Contemporary three-quarter red morocco over marbled boards with gilt spine titles and five raised bands tooled in gilt. Bound without advertisements. Moderate shelf wear. minor abrading to the leather. Contemporary owner's signature on the front free endpaper. Scattered minor foxing, mostly at the endpapers. Internal text clean and bright. Very good condition.
"Overwhelming are the glorious qualities which make her a supreme novelist in an age of great novelists: her penetrating sympathy, her deep knowledge of humanity, her descriptive power, her lambent humor, the reflection of her extraordinary mind." (Kunitz and Haycraft, 212).
Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. New York: Random House, 1952.
First edition, first printing. Octavo. 439 pages. Jacket design by E. McKnight Kauffer. Ellison's portrait on the back panel by Gordon Parks.
Original two-tone cloth, with titles stamped in white on the spine and decoration pressed into the upper spine. Top edge dark blue. Titles slightly flaking, as is common. Moderate soiling and shelf wear to boards. Spine slightly shelf-cocked. Contents bright and clean, with just one four-word ink note to the margin of page 87. Textblock edges a bit dust-soiled. Dust jacket with noticeable wear and some obvious paper loss to the spine ends and corners. Several tape repairs present. A very good copy in a good unrestored dust jacket.
This acclaimed National Book Award-winning novel was Ralph Ellison's first book. Narrated in the first person, Invisible Man explores the social invisibility of mid-20th-century African-Americans. It was to be the only novel Ellison published during his lifetime.
First edition, first printing. Octavo. 439 pages. Jacket design by E. McKnight Kauffer. Ellison's portrait on the back panel by Gordon Parks.
Original two-tone cloth, with titles stamped in white on the spine and decoration pressed into the upper spine. Top edge dark blue. Titles slightly flaking, as is common. Moderate soiling and shelf wear to boards. Spine slightly shelf-cocked. Contents bright and clean, with just one four-word ink note to the margin of page 87. Textblock edges a bit dust-soiled. Dust jacket with noticeable wear and some obvious paper loss to the spine ends and corners. Several tape repairs present. A very good copy in a good unrestored dust jacket.
This acclaimed National Book Award-winning novel was Ralph Ellison's first book. Narrated in the first person, Invisible Man explores the social invisibility of mid-20th-century African-Americans. It was to be the only novel Ellison published during his lifetime.
Ralph Waldo Emerson. Complete Published Works and Journals Bound with Manuscript Page. The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1903-04. [and:] Journals. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1909.
Autograph Centenary Edition limited to 600 sets of which this is number 57. Original manuscript leaf in Emerson's hand tipped into volume 1 of Works. The handwritten narrative expresses Emerson's feelings with regard to the teachings of the theologian, Emanuel Swedenborg, particularly with regard to the resurrection. Twelve octavo volumes of the Works; ten octavo volumes of the Journals.
Uniform half morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt designs and lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Spines modestly faded. Page edges mildly toned. A near fine set.
Autograph Centenary Edition limited to 600 sets of which this is number 57. Original manuscript leaf in Emerson's hand tipped into volume 1 of Works. The handwritten narrative expresses Emerson's feelings with regard to the teachings of the theologian, Emanuel Swedenborg, particularly with regard to the resurrection. Twelve octavo volumes of the Works; ten octavo volumes of the Journals.
Uniform half morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt designs and lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Spines modestly faded. Page edges mildly toned. A near fine set.
[Ralph Waldo Emerson]. James Elliot Cabot. Memoir of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, and Company, 1887.
First edition, first printing. With an original manuscript leaf in Emerson's hand, tipped-into Volume 1 on all four edges, matted to and inset into a front flyleaf, so that both sides of the leaf can be read. Illustrated with numerous full-page plates.
Brown half leather over marbled boards with gilt spine titles inside compartments with five raised bands. Top edges gilt, other edges uncut. Silk ribbon markers. Minor shelf wear. Light foxing to textblock edges. Overall, a near fine set of a great Emerson biography with a two-page leaf in Emerson's hand, in which he discusses proofs for his his essay, "Characters" from his Essays - Second Series.
James Cabot was Emerson's literary executor. In his own words, Cabot says, "The position of Literary Executor to which he appointed me and the desire of his family that I would write a memoir of him have given me access to his unpublished writings (including many letters confided to me by some of his most valued correspondents) and to sources of information in the memories of persons who knew him in his early years and in his home."
First edition, first printing. With an original manuscript leaf in Emerson's hand, tipped-into Volume 1 on all four edges, matted to and inset into a front flyleaf, so that both sides of the leaf can be read. Illustrated with numerous full-page plates.
Brown half leather over marbled boards with gilt spine titles inside compartments with five raised bands. Top edges gilt, other edges uncut. Silk ribbon markers. Minor shelf wear. Light foxing to textblock edges. Overall, a near fine set of a great Emerson biography with a two-page leaf in Emerson's hand, in which he discusses proofs for his his essay, "Characters" from his Essays - Second Series.
James Cabot was Emerson's literary executor. In his own words, Cabot says, "The position of Literary Executor to which he appointed me and the desire of his family that I would write a memoir of him have given me access to his unpublished writings (including many letters confided to me by some of his most valued correspondents) and to sources of information in the memories of persons who knew him in his early years and in his home."
Ralph Waldo Emerson. The Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, [1894].
Standard Library Edition. Fourteen octavo volumes. Frontispieces. Indices. The first appearance of the collected works using the Riverside Edition plates to include the two volumes (here volumes thirteen and fourteen) of Cabot's A Memoir of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Contemporary half morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Sunning to spines. Some spotting to fore-edges. Half-inch closed tear to upper portion of backstrip to volume eleven. Very good.
Standard Library Edition. Fourteen octavo volumes. Frontispieces. Indices. The first appearance of the collected works using the Riverside Edition plates to include the two volumes (here volumes thirteen and fourteen) of Cabot's A Memoir of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Contemporary half morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Sunning to spines. Some spotting to fore-edges. Half-inch closed tear to upper portion of backstrip to volume eleven. Very good.
William Faulkner. Doctor Martino and Other Stories. New York: Harrison Smith and Robert Haas, 1934.
First edition, limited to 360 copies, signed by Faulkner on a limitation page bound in back. Octavo. 371 pages.
Original black and burgundy cloth with titles stamped in gilt on the front board and spine. Front and rear hinges cracked though text block is solid, small one-half-inch piece of cloth missing from the head of the spine panel not affecting titles, moderate scuffing to boards, wear to the edges of the boards, corners lightly bumped, externally good; internally very good.
Faulkner's second collection of short stories.
First edition, limited to 360 copies, signed by Faulkner on a limitation page bound in back. Octavo. 371 pages.
Original black and burgundy cloth with titles stamped in gilt on the front board and spine. Front and rear hinges cracked though text block is solid, small one-half-inch piece of cloth missing from the head of the spine panel not affecting titles, moderate scuffing to boards, wear to the edges of the boards, corners lightly bumped, externally good; internally very good.
Faulkner's second collection of short stories.
William Faulkner. Pylon. New York: Harrison Smith and Robert Haas, 1935.
First edition. Octavo. 315 pages.
Blue and black cloth over boards. Gilt lettering on spine faded. Some discoloration to endpapers showing through from binder's glue. Mild spotting to rear board. Some slight crumbing to head and foot of dust jacket spine. Overall, a very good copy.
First edition. Octavo. 315 pages.
Blue and black cloth over boards. Gilt lettering on spine faded. Some discoloration to endpapers showing through from binder's glue. Mild spotting to rear board. Some slight crumbing to head and foot of dust jacket spine. Overall, a very good copy.
William Faulkner. Requiem for a Nun. New York: Random House, [1951].
First edition. Limited to 750 copies of which this is number 694 and signed by Faulkner on the limitation page. Octavo. 286 pages. Publisher's half black cloth with gilt stamping on spine, marbled paper boards and acetate wrapper. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A fine copy.
First edition. Limited to 750 copies of which this is number 694 and signed by Faulkner on the limitation page. Octavo. 286 pages. Publisher's half black cloth with gilt stamping on spine, marbled paper boards and acetate wrapper. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A fine copy.
William Faulkner. The Unvanquished. New York: Random House, 1938.
First edition. Octavo. Drawings by Edward Shenton. 293 pages.
Bluish gray cloth over boards. Decorative front board. Red and blue lettering to spine. Top edge in red. Binding slightly cocked. Some toning to the pages. Light chipping to the head and foot of the sunned spine of the dust jacket. Very good.
First edition. Octavo. Drawings by Edward Shenton. 293 pages.
Bluish gray cloth over boards. Decorative front board. Red and blue lettering to spine. Top edge in red. Binding slightly cocked. Some toning to the pages. Light chipping to the head and foot of the sunned spine of the dust jacket. Very good.
François Fénelon. Les Aventures de Télémaque. Paris: Didot, 1790.
Two quarto volumes. x, 426; 408 pages. Seven engraved plates, including frontispiece.
Early full red morocco over boards. Blindstamped boards to boards. Raised bands; gilt lettering to spines. All edges gilt. Gilt dentelles. Marbled endpapers. Minor rubbing to the extremities. Near fine.
Two quarto volumes. x, 426; 408 pages. Seven engraved plates, including frontispiece.
Early full red morocco over boards. Blindstamped boards to boards. Raised bands; gilt lettering to spines. All edges gilt. Gilt dentelles. Marbled endpapers. Minor rubbing to the extremities. Near fine.
Henry Fielding. The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling. London: Printed for A. Millar, 1749.
First edition, first issue. One of a first printing run of only 2,000 copies with errata leaf in Volume I, the errata uncorrected, and all cancels and final blanks (K12 in Volume I and R12 in Volume III) as noted in Rothschild 850. Six sixteenmo volumes.
Nineteenth-century full mottled calf with red and black morocco spine labels lettered in gilt inside five raised bands. Gilt dentelles. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Housed in a custom black cloth slipcase. Mild shelf wear with some rubbing to the joints. Volume I rebacked with the spine laid down, and a few other volumes with very minor repairs to joints. Previous owner's bookplates affixed to the front pastedowns of each volume. Pages somewhat toned, but overall a clean, fresh copy in very good condition.
"[Tom Jones] is generally regarded as Fielding's greatest, and as one of the first and most influential of English novels" (Drabble, 988).
Grolier English 48. Randall and Winterich, 1200.
First edition, first issue. One of a first printing run of only 2,000 copies with errata leaf in Volume I, the errata uncorrected, and all cancels and final blanks (K12 in Volume I and R12 in Volume III) as noted in Rothschild 850. Six sixteenmo volumes.
Nineteenth-century full mottled calf with red and black morocco spine labels lettered in gilt inside five raised bands. Gilt dentelles. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Housed in a custom black cloth slipcase. Mild shelf wear with some rubbing to the joints. Volume I rebacked with the spine laid down, and a few other volumes with very minor repairs to joints. Previous owner's bookplates affixed to the front pastedowns of each volume. Pages somewhat toned, but overall a clean, fresh copy in very good condition.
"[Tom Jones] is generally regarded as Fielding's greatest, and as one of the first and most influential of English novels" (Drabble, 988).
Grolier English 48. Randall and Winterich, 1200.
F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925.
First edition, first issue. Octavo. 218 pages.
Green cloth over boards. Lettering blindstamped to front board and gold-stamped to spine. Inked name of previous owner on front pastedown. Binding slightly leaning. Some minor fading to spine. Overall, a tight and attractive copy in very good condition.
First edition, first issue. Octavo. 218 pages.
Green cloth over boards. Lettering blindstamped to front board and gold-stamped to spine. Inked name of previous owner on front pastedown. Binding slightly leaning. Some minor fading to spine. Overall, a tight and attractive copy in very good condition.
Robert Frost. Complete Poems of Robert Frost. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1949.
First edition, first printing, being number 325 of 500 limited edition copies signed by Frost on the limitation page. Octavo. 642 pages.
Publisher's light tan cloth with gilt and green titles to the spine and front board. Green endpapers. Housed in the original publisher's green paper slipcase. Spine somewhat darkened. A near fine copy in a timeworn slipcase. A scarce limited edition signed by the author of "The Road Not Taken."
First edition, first printing, being number 325 of 500 limited edition copies signed by Frost on the limitation page. Octavo. 642 pages.
Publisher's light tan cloth with gilt and green titles to the spine and front board. Green endpapers. Housed in the original publisher's green paper slipcase. Spine somewhat darkened. A near fine copy in a timeworn slipcase. A scarce limited edition signed by the author of "The Road Not Taken."
Robert Frost. North of Boston. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1925.
Later printing of Frost's seminal second volume of poetry. Inscribed and signed by Frost on the front free endpaper with the closing stanza from "The Road Not Taken." Octavo. 137 pages.
Original green cloth spine over green-gray boards with gilt titles. Uncut fore-edge and bottom edge. Housed in a custom quarter leather clamshell case with gilt spine titles. Moderate wear to the boards. Dedicatee's ownership signature above Frost's inscription. Front hinge starting but still strong. A very good copy with a legendary inscription.
Frost writes in his intimate hand on the front free endpaper: "I shall be telling this with a sigh / Somewhere ages and ages hence / Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - / I took the road less travelled by / And that has made all the difference./ Robert Frost / For Eleanor Ober"
Books with an inscription by Frost are rare, especially one quoting from his most famous and enduring poem. "The Road Not Taken" was first published in Mountain Interval (1916), the book that followed North of Boston. About this present work, Frost said, "I think I have made poetry. The language is appropriate to the virtues I celebrate." A rare and possibly unique chance to acquire the last stanza of one of the most beloved American poems ever written in the author's own hand.
Later printing of Frost's seminal second volume of poetry. Inscribed and signed by Frost on the front free endpaper with the closing stanza from "The Road Not Taken." Octavo. 137 pages.
Original green cloth spine over green-gray boards with gilt titles. Uncut fore-edge and bottom edge. Housed in a custom quarter leather clamshell case with gilt spine titles. Moderate wear to the boards. Dedicatee's ownership signature above Frost's inscription. Front hinge starting but still strong. A very good copy with a legendary inscription.
Frost writes in his intimate hand on the front free endpaper: "I shall be telling this with a sigh / Somewhere ages and ages hence / Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - / I took the road less travelled by / And that has made all the difference./ Robert Frost / For Eleanor Ober"
Books with an inscription by Frost are rare, especially one quoting from his most famous and enduring poem. "The Road Not Taken" was first published in Mountain Interval (1916), the book that followed North of Boston. About this present work, Frost said, "I think I have made poetry. The language is appropriate to the virtues I celebrate." A rare and possibly unique chance to acquire the last stanza of one of the most beloved American poems ever written in the author's own hand.
Robert Frost. West-Running Brook. New York: Henry Holt and Company, [1928].
First edition. Number 909 of 1,000 copies specially printed and bound, numbered and signed by the Frost on the limitation page. Octavo. 58 pages. Illustrated with four woodcuts, with tissue guards, each signed in pencil at the bottom by the artist, J. J. Lankes.
Quarter green buckram with gilt spine titles over decorative paper boards illustrated with Autumn leaves. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. No slipcase. Minor wear to the spine ends, corners, and bottom edge. Previous owner's gift inscription on the front free endpaper. Overall, a very good copy of a rare, signed Frost collection.
Frost's fifth collection of poems, and the only book of Frost's to include signed woodcuts by Lankes, one of America's premier woodcut artists.
First edition. Number 909 of 1,000 copies specially printed and bound, numbered and signed by the Frost on the limitation page. Octavo. 58 pages. Illustrated with four woodcuts, with tissue guards, each signed in pencil at the bottom by the artist, J. J. Lankes.
Quarter green buckram with gilt spine titles over decorative paper boards illustrated with Autumn leaves. Top edge gilt. Other two edges uncut. No slipcase. Minor wear to the spine ends, corners, and bottom edge. Previous owner's gift inscription on the front free endpaper. Overall, a very good copy of a rare, signed Frost collection.
Frost's fifth collection of poems, and the only book of Frost's to include signed woodcuts by Lankes, one of America's premier woodcut artists.
Thomas Hardy. Far From the Madding Crowd. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1874.
First American edition, published as part of the Leisure Hours Series. Sixteenmo. 474 pages. Advertisements at endpapers dated December 1, 1874.
Publisher's tan cloth printed in black. Moderate shelf wear. Scattered minor soiling to cloth. Spine somewhat darkened. Previous owner's signature on front pastedown and front flyleaf. A very good copy.
Far From the Madding Crowd was Hardy's fourth novel, and drew favorable comparisons to the novels of George Eliot upon publication. Some even suspected Eliot had written it.
First American edition, published as part of the Leisure Hours Series. Sixteenmo. 474 pages. Advertisements at endpapers dated December 1, 1874.
Publisher's tan cloth printed in black. Moderate shelf wear. Scattered minor soiling to cloth. Spine somewhat darkened. Previous owner's signature on front pastedown and front flyleaf. A very good copy.
Far From the Madding Crowd was Hardy's fourth novel, and drew favorable comparisons to the novels of George Eliot upon publication. Some even suspected Eliot had written it.
Joel Chandler Harris. Uncle Remus His Songs and His Sayings. New York: D. Appleton, 1895.
New and revised edition. Limited to 250 copies of which this is number 87. Signed by Harris at end of preface. Octavo. 265 pages.
Publisher's full vellum with gilt stamped front and spine. General light rubbing and soiling with a few small abrasions along rear joint and upper corner of rear board. Spine has a slight lean and front hinge is shaken. Toning to front and rear end papers. An attractive copy in very good condition.
"The instant success of this first Uncle Remus book caused the greatest flood of dialect literature the country had known" (Grolier, 100 American).
New and revised edition. Limited to 250 copies of which this is number 87. Signed by Harris at end of preface. Octavo. 265 pages.
Publisher's full vellum with gilt stamped front and spine. General light rubbing and soiling with a few small abrasions along rear joint and upper corner of rear board. Spine has a slight lean and front hinge is shaken. Toning to front and rear end papers. An attractive copy in very good condition.
"The instant success of this first Uncle Remus book caused the greatest flood of dialect literature the country had known" (Grolier, 100 American).
Bret Harte. The Twins of Table Mountain. London: Chatto and Windus, [1879].
First edition. Presentation copy to George Eliot, inscribed on the half-title: "Mrs George Henry Lewes/ With best regards of/ Bret Harte/ London/ July 8th, 1880". Octavo. 123 pages. 40 page publisher's catalog.
Original publisher's green decorated cloth over beveled boards. Some toning to the cloth with additional light shelf wear. Contents sound. Small "Lewes Sale/ 1922/ Ex Libris/ George Eliot" sticker on front pastedown; more modern owner's bookplate on the front pastedown; and 1950 Sotheby's catalog citation tipped on to front free endpaper. Front hinge cracked but text block solid. Housed in a custom cloth slipcase. A very good copy.
Important presentation copy to one of the leading novelists of the Victorian era.
First edition. Presentation copy to George Eliot, inscribed on the half-title: "Mrs George Henry Lewes/ With best regards of/ Bret Harte/ London/ July 8th, 1880". Octavo. 123 pages. 40 page publisher's catalog.
Original publisher's green decorated cloth over beveled boards. Some toning to the cloth with additional light shelf wear. Contents sound. Small "Lewes Sale/ 1922/ Ex Libris/ George Eliot" sticker on front pastedown; more modern owner's bookplate on the front pastedown; and 1950 Sotheby's catalog citation tipped on to front free endpaper. Front hinge cracked but text block solid. Housed in a custom cloth slipcase. A very good copy.
Important presentation copy to one of the leading novelists of the Victorian era.
Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Gentle Boy: A Thrice Told Tale; With an Original Illustration. Boston: Weeks, Jordon & Co., 1839.
First separate edition. Oblong quarto. 20 pages. With an illustration by Sophia Peabody, later to become Hawthorne's wife, and to whom Hawthorne dedicated this publication.
Original printed wrappers. Housed in a blue custom half morocco slipcase and chemise with gilt spine titles inside five raised bands. Foxing to covers. Tiny fore-edge marginal stain. Professionally cleaned and restored, front wrapper with a couple of Japanese tissue repairs to verso. Slipcase stained. Very good condition.
This story originally appeared in The Token, and later in Twice Told Tales.
BAL 7587. Clark A2.2a.
First separate edition. Oblong quarto. 20 pages. With an illustration by Sophia Peabody, later to become Hawthorne's wife, and to whom Hawthorne dedicated this publication.
Original printed wrappers. Housed in a blue custom half morocco slipcase and chemise with gilt spine titles inside five raised bands. Foxing to covers. Tiny fore-edge marginal stain. Professionally cleaned and restored, front wrapper with a couple of Japanese tissue repairs to verso. Slipcase stained. Very good condition.
This story originally appeared in The Token, and later in Twice Told Tales.
BAL 7587. Clark A2.2a.
Nathaniel Hawthorne. The House of the Seven Gables, A Romance. Boston: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1851.
First edition, first printing. Small octavo. vi, 344 pages. Four-page publisher's catalog inserted at front.
Publisher's brown T-cloth with gilt spine titles and blind-stamped decorations to boards (BAL Binding E with the A printing of the inserted catalog dated March 1851, the last entry on page 3 reading "Poems of / "). Pale yellow endpapers. Minor rubbing and minimal loss of cloth to extremities. A few small spots to the boards. Slightly shelf-cocked. Front free endpaper missing after the publisher's catalog. Scattered minor foxing. All in all, a very good copy.
One of 1,690 first printing copies of Hawthorne's great gothic romance. The author said of his follow-up to The Scarlet Letter, which took him ten months to write in 1851, that it "sold finely and seems to have pleased a good many people."
BAL 7604.
First edition, first printing. Small octavo. vi, 344 pages. Four-page publisher's catalog inserted at front.
Publisher's brown T-cloth with gilt spine titles and blind-stamped decorations to boards (BAL Binding E with the A printing of the inserted catalog dated March 1851, the last entry on page 3 reading "Poems of / "). Pale yellow endpapers. Minor rubbing and minimal loss of cloth to extremities. A few small spots to the boards. Slightly shelf-cocked. Front free endpaper missing after the publisher's catalog. Scattered minor foxing. All in all, a very good copy.
One of 1,690 first printing copies of Hawthorne's great gothic romance. The author said of his follow-up to The Scarlet Letter, which took him ten months to write in 1851, that it "sold finely and seems to have pleased a good many people."
BAL 7604.
Miscellaneous
[Ernest Hemingway]. Christmas Card from Ernest Hemingway to his Mother, With Handwritten Greeting, Signed "Ernie."
A charming Christmas card from Ernest Hemingway which reads: "Dear Mother: Merry Christmas from Pauline, Pat, Greg and me. Hope you got moved out all right. Good to hear youre [sic] having so much success. We are here for next several months. Give my best to Mr. Thomas Wilson. Much love - Ernie." Then written as a postscript: "Have been swamped with work or would have written before. Thanks for your two good letters. Stuff not yet arrived."
The card is undated, but was probably written between 1931 (the year of younger son Gregory's birth) and 1940 (the year Hemingway and his second wife Pauline were divorced).
A lovely, personal item from Hemingway to his mother, in fine condition.
A charming Christmas card from Ernest Hemingway which reads: "Dear Mother: Merry Christmas from Pauline, Pat, Greg and me. Hope you got moved out all right. Good to hear youre [sic] having so much success. We are here for next several months. Give my best to Mr. Thomas Wilson. Much love - Ernie." Then written as a postscript: "Have been swamped with work or would have written before. Thanks for your two good letters. Stuff not yet arrived."
The card is undated, but was probably written between 1931 (the year of younger son Gregory's birth) and 1940 (the year Hemingway and his second wife Pauline were divorced).
A lovely, personal item from Hemingway to his mother, in fine condition.
Books
Ernest Hemingway. Death in the Afternoon. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1932.
First edition. Octavo. 517 pages. Illustrated with a color frontispiece by Juan Gris and black-and-white photographs by Vandel and Rodero.
Brown modern art binding with gilt spine titles echoing the Gris frontispiece with the covers and spine dominated by a colorful geometric patchwork of leather on-lays. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt, with colorful geometric patterns sprinkled on all edges. Minor foxing to the frontispiece tissue guard and title page. Minimal toning to the textblock. Vertical fold to the contents page and section title. An unusually bright and clean copy. Very good condition in a flawless modern art binding.
First edition. Octavo. 517 pages. Illustrated with a color frontispiece by Juan Gris and black-and-white photographs by Vandel and Rodero.
Brown modern art binding with gilt spine titles echoing the Gris frontispiece with the covers and spine dominated by a colorful geometric patchwork of leather on-lays. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt, with colorful geometric patterns sprinkled on all edges. Minor foxing to the frontispiece tissue guard and title page. Minimal toning to the textblock. Vertical fold to the contents page and section title. An unusually bright and clean copy. Very good condition in a flawless modern art binding.
Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929.
First edition, limited to 525 copies signed by Hemingway, this being copy number 30 of the only signed limited edition of Hemingway's major works. Octavo. 355 pages.
Half parchment over green paper boards, black morocco label on spine. Some fading and light soiling on boards and a faint dampstain at the top of the rear board, spine a bit darkened and soiled. Overall, a very good copy. Housed in a beige cloth clamshell case with a morocco spine label lettered in gilt.
Hanneman A8B.
First edition, limited to 525 copies signed by Hemingway, this being copy number 30 of the only signed limited edition of Hemingway's major works. Octavo. 355 pages.
Half parchment over green paper boards, black morocco label on spine. Some fading and light soiling on boards and a faint dampstain at the top of the rear board, spine a bit darkened and soiled. Overall, a very good copy. Housed in a beige cloth clamshell case with a morocco spine label lettered in gilt.
Hanneman A8B.
Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929.
First edition. Octavo. 355 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with gold paper labels on front and spine. Housed in a custom slipcase. Cloth and labels are lightly rubbed with a slight lean to the spine. Dust jacket has been professionally restored. A very good copy.
First edition. Octavo. 355 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with gold paper labels on front and spine. Housed in a custom slipcase. Cloth and labels are lightly rubbed with a slight lean to the spine. Dust jacket has been professionally restored. A very good copy.
Ernest Hemingway. For Whom the Bell Tolls. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1940.
First edition with Scribner's "A" on the copyright page, in the first issue dust jacket. Octavo. 471 pages.
Publisher's tan cloth with red and black stamping. In the first-issue dust jacket. Only mild edge wear to the cloth, mostly along the bottom edges. Endpapers and textblock edges somewhat toned. First issue dust jacket has no photographer credit on the rear panel with minimal wear at the spine ends and corners, and a few short vertical surface abrasions on the spine and rear panel. Mild toning to the verso. A bright and clean first edition in very good condition.
"Few events in Hemingway's professional career could have been more gratifying than the success of For Whom the Bell Tolls. J. Donald Adams, in the New York Times Book Review, claimed, 'This is the best book Ernest Hemingway has written, the fullest, the deepest, the truest. It will, I think, be one of the major novels in American literature.' In The New Yorker, Clifton Fadiman wrote, 'I do not much care whether or not this is a 'great' book. I feel that it is what Hemingway wanted it to be: a true book. It is written with only one prejudice - a prejudice in favor of the common human being.'" (James R. Mellow: Hemingway: A Life Without Consequences, p. 521-22)
First edition with Scribner's "A" on the copyright page, in the first issue dust jacket. Octavo. 471 pages.
Publisher's tan cloth with red and black stamping. In the first-issue dust jacket. Only mild edge wear to the cloth, mostly along the bottom edges. Endpapers and textblock edges somewhat toned. First issue dust jacket has no photographer credit on the rear panel with minimal wear at the spine ends and corners, and a few short vertical surface abrasions on the spine and rear panel. Mild toning to the verso. A bright and clean first edition in very good condition.
"Few events in Hemingway's professional career could have been more gratifying than the success of For Whom the Bell Tolls. J. Donald Adams, in the New York Times Book Review, claimed, 'This is the best book Ernest Hemingway has written, the fullest, the deepest, the truest. It will, I think, be one of the major novels in American literature.' In The New Yorker, Clifton Fadiman wrote, 'I do not much care whether or not this is a 'great' book. I feel that it is what Hemingway wanted it to be: a true book. It is written with only one prejudice - a prejudice in favor of the common human being.'" (James R. Mellow: Hemingway: A Life Without Consequences, p. 521-22)
Miscellaneous
[Ernest Hemingway]. Autograph Letter Signed by Ernest Hemingway to Esquire Publisher Arnold Gingrich, Recounting Tales and Travails in Africa.
Two-page letter, written on both sides of one sheet of notepaper with letterhead of the New Stanley Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya. Letter is addressed "Dear Arnold" and is signed "Yours always, Ernest Hemingway." Dated "Jan. 18" [1934]. In fine condition, with one horizontal fold at the center. Sheet measures 4.5 x 7 inches. With transmittal envelope, addressed to "Arnold Gingritch [sic], Esq.," presumably in Hemingway's hand, with the return address on the flap reading "E. Hemingway, Care Barclays Bank, Nairobi, Kenya." Envelope with cancelled stamps, postmarked January 19, 1934.
A chatty, somewhat scattershot letter in which Hemingway writes to Arnold Gingrich about recent exploits in East Africa. Arnold Gingrich (1903-1976), founder and editor of Esquire magazine, had asked Hemingway if he would agree to be a regular contributor to the magazine as it was about to be launched in 1933. Hemingway agreed as long as he could write about any topic he wished. This arrangement lasted for three years, during which Hemingway contributed twenty-five essays and six stories to the magazine.
This letter suggests that the two had a congenial relationship (despite the fact that Hemingway misspells Gingrich's name on the envelope). In addition to discussing business matters, Hemingway recommends writer friends Gingrich should hire (Malcolm Cowley, Alfred Vanderbilt, and Evan Shipman), mentions an upcoming vacation of sword- and sailfishing, and discusses his recent hunting exploits ("killed my 2 buffalo with the 30-06 Springfield [...] [g]ot some beauties and some wonderful heads"). He describes (at some length) his recent bout with dysentery, concluding somewhat bitterly with a comment about certain people in the circle of Gertrude Stein: "One of Gertrude's feathered friends told her Papa was always breaking things, getting sick etc. But wonder what would happen to G. and her friends if they went where Papa goes and did what Papa does."
The letter's primary focus, though, is business, with Hemingway updating Gingrich on his progress on the "Letter from Tanganyika" he is writing for Esquire, apologizing for the lateness of his submission due to his illness, and suggesting that instead of writing quarterly pieces for the magazine that he "will do you 12 a year if you want. When get back to Key West will do 3 or 4 so you will have some ahead and not have to worry." He promises he "will write good stuff from Key West."
This is a great letter, full of humor, interesting tidbits and asides, and with an inside look at the way in which Hemingway managed his business obligations.
Two-page letter, written on both sides of one sheet of notepaper with letterhead of the New Stanley Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya. Letter is addressed "Dear Arnold" and is signed "Yours always, Ernest Hemingway." Dated "Jan. 18" [1934]. In fine condition, with one horizontal fold at the center. Sheet measures 4.5 x 7 inches. With transmittal envelope, addressed to "Arnold Gingritch [sic], Esq.," presumably in Hemingway's hand, with the return address on the flap reading "E. Hemingway, Care Barclays Bank, Nairobi, Kenya." Envelope with cancelled stamps, postmarked January 19, 1934.
A chatty, somewhat scattershot letter in which Hemingway writes to Arnold Gingrich about recent exploits in East Africa. Arnold Gingrich (1903-1976), founder and editor of Esquire magazine, had asked Hemingway if he would agree to be a regular contributor to the magazine as it was about to be launched in 1933. Hemingway agreed as long as he could write about any topic he wished. This arrangement lasted for three years, during which Hemingway contributed twenty-five essays and six stories to the magazine.
This letter suggests that the two had a congenial relationship (despite the fact that Hemingway misspells Gingrich's name on the envelope). In addition to discussing business matters, Hemingway recommends writer friends Gingrich should hire (Malcolm Cowley, Alfred Vanderbilt, and Evan Shipman), mentions an upcoming vacation of sword- and sailfishing, and discusses his recent hunting exploits ("killed my 2 buffalo with the 30-06 Springfield [...] [g]ot some beauties and some wonderful heads"). He describes (at some length) his recent bout with dysentery, concluding somewhat bitterly with a comment about certain people in the circle of Gertrude Stein: "One of Gertrude's feathered friends told her Papa was always breaking things, getting sick etc. But wonder what would happen to G. and her friends if they went where Papa goes and did what Papa does."
The letter's primary focus, though, is business, with Hemingway updating Gingrich on his progress on the "Letter from Tanganyika" he is writing for Esquire, apologizing for the lateness of his submission due to his illness, and suggesting that instead of writing quarterly pieces for the magazine that he "will do you 12 a year if you want. When get back to Key West will do 3 or 4 so you will have some ahead and not have to worry." He promises he "will write good stuff from Key West."
This is a great letter, full of humor, interesting tidbits and asides, and with an inside look at the way in which Hemingway managed his business obligations.
Books
Ernest Hemingway. In Our Time. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1925.
First edition in an unclipped jacket marked "Second Edition" on the spine panel. Octavo. 214 pages.
Original publisher's black cloth with titles and rules stamped in gilt on the front board and spine. Slight fading to spine panel, else a solid copy in a jacket with slight wear to the corners and head and foot of the spine panel.
Though his second book published, In Our Time marks Hemingway's first book in America. The short stories in this collection include "Big Two Hearted River - Parts 1 and 2," "My Old Man", "Soldiers Home", "The Battler", and several others. This is one of the hardest of Hemingway's books to find in desirable condition in the dust jacket.
First edition in an unclipped jacket marked "Second Edition" on the spine panel. Octavo. 214 pages.
Original publisher's black cloth with titles and rules stamped in gilt on the front board and spine. Slight fading to spine panel, else a solid copy in a jacket with slight wear to the corners and head and foot of the spine panel.
Though his second book published, In Our Time marks Hemingway's first book in America. The short stories in this collection include "Big Two Hearted River - Parts 1 and 2," "My Old Man", "Soldiers Home", "The Battler", and several others. This is one of the hardest of Hemingway's books to find in desirable condition in the dust jacket.
Miscellaneous
[Ernest Hemingway]. Typed Letter Signed by Ernest Hemingway to His Brother Leicester, Expressing His Concern Over Leicester's Desire to Join-Up to Fight World War II.
One-page typed letter on onionskin paper with "Finca Vigia, San Francisco de Paula, Cuba" printed at the top of the sheet. Letter is addressed to "Baron." Signed in ink "Hemingstein" and below that, also in Hemingway's hand, "From Ernest Hemingway to L. C. Hemingway." Also written in ink by Hemingway is the date "January 24" (no year, but circa 1942) as well as a short note about travel plans, signed "E. H." In very good condition with the usual folds and some areas of light discoloration along part of two of the folds, and a couple of spots of foxing. Sheet measures approximately 8.5 x 11 inches.
This original letter, reprinted in Leicester Hemingway's critically acclaimed memoir, My Brother, Ernest Hemingway (1962) is a serious letter from Ernest Hemingway to his (apparently notoriously careless) brother Leicester (1915-1982), sixteen years his junior. In it, Hemingway lays out all the reasons it would, perhaps, not be in the best interests of Leicester, Leicester's wife and children, and the U.S. military for him to volunteer for the fighting forces during World War II. Hemingway's admonitions to his brother are stern and frank, and even though he apologizes for the "bawling out" he has delivered, he quite plainly meant this letter to be taken seriously. He ends the letter: "Write me always about anything that worries you or on which I can help. Your affectionate Bro. [signed] Hemingstein."
A wonderful informal letter from a concerned and affectionate older brother, filled with interesting misspellings, typos, and cross-outs.
One-page typed letter on onionskin paper with "Finca Vigia, San Francisco de Paula, Cuba" printed at the top of the sheet. Letter is addressed to "Baron." Signed in ink "Hemingstein" and below that, also in Hemingway's hand, "From Ernest Hemingway to L. C. Hemingway." Also written in ink by Hemingway is the date "January 24" (no year, but circa 1942) as well as a short note about travel plans, signed "E. H." In very good condition with the usual folds and some areas of light discoloration along part of two of the folds, and a couple of spots of foxing. Sheet measures approximately 8.5 x 11 inches.
This original letter, reprinted in Leicester Hemingway's critically acclaimed memoir, My Brother, Ernest Hemingway (1962) is a serious letter from Ernest Hemingway to his (apparently notoriously careless) brother Leicester (1915-1982), sixteen years his junior. In it, Hemingway lays out all the reasons it would, perhaps, not be in the best interests of Leicester, Leicester's wife and children, and the U.S. military for him to volunteer for the fighting forces during World War II. Hemingway's admonitions to his brother are stern and frank, and even though he apologizes for the "bawling out" he has delivered, he quite plainly meant this letter to be taken seriously. He ends the letter: "Write me always about anything that worries you or on which I can help. Your affectionate Bro. [signed] Hemingstein."
A wonderful informal letter from a concerned and affectionate older brother, filled with interesting misspellings, typos, and cross-outs.
Books
[Ernest Hemingway]. Matador's Suit of Lights Purchased by Hemingway from Legendary Bullfighter Antonio Ordóñez.
Elaborate matador costume, originally owned - and worn in the bullring - by famed Spanish matador Antonio Ordóñez. The extravagant jacket, trousers, and vest are made of a stiff pale chartreuse silk tabinet, with highly decorative gold embroidery, cording, tassels, and sequins. The costume was custom made by Manfredi, the premier tailor of Seville at the time, with his label in the jacket. It is quite heavy (these outfits can weigh upwards of fourteen pounds) and it appears to be in a very small size. As this costume has been worn in the ring, there are a few small tears and the expected perspiration stains, generally faint, on the inside of the clothing. Also present are stains purported to be bull's blood; these stains are most noticeable on the trouser legs. All three quite impressive pieces are in very good condition.
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), long a passionate fan of bullfighting, had introduced to his legion of readers the centuries-old traditions of the exotic world of the toreros through his books The Sun Also Rises (1926) and Death in the Afternoon (1932), and in an article serialized in Life magazine "The Dangerous Summer" (1959). He probably did more to educate readers about bullfighting and to popularize and romanticize the sport than any other writer in modern times.
In 1959 Hemingway chronicled the season-long battle for superiority between the top two matadors in Spain, Antonio Ordóñez (1932-1998) and his rival (and, incidentally, his brother-in-law) Luis Miguel Dominguín. He was friends with both men, but he was especially close to Ordóñez, whose father, the great bullfighter Cayetano Ordóñez, was essential in the research for The Sun Also Rises. In his book Papa Hemingway, author A. E. Hotchner quotes Hemingway saying of the young matador: "We have been hanging around together and he is a loving, unspoiled kid. Christ, how he can fight bulls! He has the three basics for being a great matador - courage, enormous skill, and grace in the presence of death" (p. 170).
Accompanying Hemingway during this summer was his close friend, the writer A. E. Hotchner (b. 1920) whom he had known since 1948. As Hotchner recounts in Chapter 12 of Papa Hemingway, at some point Hemingway and Ordóñez - no doubt in high spirits at the time - had decided that Hotchner would be made Ordóñez's sobresaliente - his substitute, a sort of matador understudy who would fill in to kill the bull should Ordóñez be unable to finish. Nobody expected that Hotch would ever really be called on to fight in the ring, but this plan still necessitated that Hotchner (aka "El Pecas" - The Freckled One) must look the part, and he was dressed in the matador's elaborate (and skin-tight) traje de luces. As Hotchner writes in a letter of authentication that accompanies this lot: "We went to Antonio's room where the sword handler was ready to dress me in one of Antonio's outfits. I was amazed at how heavy, intricate and costly they are. At that time the suit I wore cost about $3,000 since all of the thousands of gold sequins were sewn on by hand. Hemingway had purchased this suit from Antonio, who was the world's number one bullfighter; he would no longer wear it since it had blood stains on the legs. Matadors are superstitious about wearing a costume that has a bull's blood on it from a previous fight. Subsequently Ernest decided (jokingly) that in case I had a career as a matador I should have a wardrobe of suits, so he purchased two more outfits from Antonio. As it turned out I did indeed go into a bullring again in Ronda, but that was definitely the end of my matador career." (This amusing anecdote was also recounted in Hemingway's The Dangerous Summer as well as Hotchner's very entertaining Papa Hemingway.)
The suit of lights offered here is not the one Hotchner wore in the Ciudad Real bullring, but it is one of the three that Hemingway purchased from Ordóñez and presented to him. The suit is accompanied by a letter of authentication signed by A. E. Hotchner.
Also in this lot are two photographs, including: Photograph of Luis Miguel Dominguín killing a bull in the ring. On the reverse, handwritten by Hemingway: "Try to get better killing shot from Luis Miguel / also placing banderillas al quiebro." Above this notation is written in another hand (purportedly Mary Hemingway's): "L. Miguel - Guadalajara / 1958." This photograph was sent to Hotchner who was helping with the draft revision of The Dangerous Summer. [and:] Photograph of Hemingway kissing Carmen Ordóñez, wife of Antonio Ordóñez, as the famed matador stands to the side smiling. Some discoloration to center of photo.
A fabulous collection of Hemingway-related bullfighting memorabilia.
A. E. Hotchner. Papa Hemingway, A Personal Memoir. New York: Random House, 1966.
Elaborate matador costume, originally owned - and worn in the bullring - by famed Spanish matador Antonio Ordóñez. The extravagant jacket, trousers, and vest are made of a stiff pale chartreuse silk tabinet, with highly decorative gold embroidery, cording, tassels, and sequins. The costume was custom made by Manfredi, the premier tailor of Seville at the time, with his label in the jacket. It is quite heavy (these outfits can weigh upwards of fourteen pounds) and it appears to be in a very small size. As this costume has been worn in the ring, there are a few small tears and the expected perspiration stains, generally faint, on the inside of the clothing. Also present are stains purported to be bull's blood; these stains are most noticeable on the trouser legs. All three quite impressive pieces are in very good condition.
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), long a passionate fan of bullfighting, had introduced to his legion of readers the centuries-old traditions of the exotic world of the toreros through his books The Sun Also Rises (1926) and Death in the Afternoon (1932), and in an article serialized in Life magazine "The Dangerous Summer" (1959). He probably did more to educate readers about bullfighting and to popularize and romanticize the sport than any other writer in modern times.
In 1959 Hemingway chronicled the season-long battle for superiority between the top two matadors in Spain, Antonio Ordóñez (1932-1998) and his rival (and, incidentally, his brother-in-law) Luis Miguel Dominguín. He was friends with both men, but he was especially close to Ordóñez, whose father, the great bullfighter Cayetano Ordóñez, was essential in the research for The Sun Also Rises. In his book Papa Hemingway, author A. E. Hotchner quotes Hemingway saying of the young matador: "We have been hanging around together and he is a loving, unspoiled kid. Christ, how he can fight bulls! He has the three basics for being a great matador - courage, enormous skill, and grace in the presence of death" (p. 170).
Accompanying Hemingway during this summer was his close friend, the writer A. E. Hotchner (b. 1920) whom he had known since 1948. As Hotchner recounts in Chapter 12 of Papa Hemingway, at some point Hemingway and Ordóñez - no doubt in high spirits at the time - had decided that Hotchner would be made Ordóñez's sobresaliente - his substitute, a sort of matador understudy who would fill in to kill the bull should Ordóñez be unable to finish. Nobody expected that Hotch would ever really be called on to fight in the ring, but this plan still necessitated that Hotchner (aka "El Pecas" - The Freckled One) must look the part, and he was dressed in the matador's elaborate (and skin-tight) traje de luces. As Hotchner writes in a letter of authentication that accompanies this lot: "We went to Antonio's room where the sword handler was ready to dress me in one of Antonio's outfits. I was amazed at how heavy, intricate and costly they are. At that time the suit I wore cost about $3,000 since all of the thousands of gold sequins were sewn on by hand. Hemingway had purchased this suit from Antonio, who was the world's number one bullfighter; he would no longer wear it since it had blood stains on the legs. Matadors are superstitious about wearing a costume that has a bull's blood on it from a previous fight. Subsequently Ernest decided (jokingly) that in case I had a career as a matador I should have a wardrobe of suits, so he purchased two more outfits from Antonio. As it turned out I did indeed go into a bullring again in Ronda, but that was definitely the end of my matador career." (This amusing anecdote was also recounted in Hemingway's The Dangerous Summer as well as Hotchner's very entertaining Papa Hemingway.)
The suit of lights offered here is not the one Hotchner wore in the Ciudad Real bullring, but it is one of the three that Hemingway purchased from Ordóñez and presented to him. The suit is accompanied by a letter of authentication signed by A. E. Hotchner.
Also in this lot are two photographs, including: Photograph of Luis Miguel Dominguín killing a bull in the ring. On the reverse, handwritten by Hemingway: "Try to get better killing shot from Luis Miguel / also placing banderillas al quiebro." Above this notation is written in another hand (purportedly Mary Hemingway's): "L. Miguel - Guadalajara / 1958." This photograph was sent to Hotchner who was helping with the draft revision of The Dangerous Summer. [and:] Photograph of Hemingway kissing Carmen Ordóñez, wife of Antonio Ordóñez, as the famed matador stands to the side smiling. Some discoloration to center of photo.
A fabulous collection of Hemingway-related bullfighting memorabilia.
A. E. Hotchner. Papa Hemingway, A Personal Memoir. New York: Random House, 1966.
Ernest Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1952.
First edition, in the first state dust jacket with image on rear panel tinted in blue. Octavo. 140 pages.
Publisher's light blue cloth with blindstamped front and silver spine titles. Dust jacket has mild edge-toning with light rubbing along folds and two small fold-lines to front inner flap. A crisp, near fine copy.
Hanneman, 24.
First edition, in the first state dust jacket with image on rear panel tinted in blue. Octavo. 140 pages.
Publisher's light blue cloth with blindstamped front and silver spine titles. Dust jacket has mild edge-toning with light rubbing along folds and two small fold-lines to front inner flap. A crisp, near fine copy.
Hanneman, 24.
Ernest Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1952.
First edition, in the first state dust jacket with image on rear panel tinted in blue. Octavo. 140 pages.
Publisher's light blue cloth with signature blind stamped on front and silver titles on spine.
Cloth is lightly rubbed on extremities with softly bumped corners. Spine has a minor lean and front board has a small stain and abrasion. Endpapers are mildly toned. Dust jacket is price clipped and lightly edge worn with some small chips at spine ends. Slightly toned along edges. A very good copy.
First edition, in the first state dust jacket with image on rear panel tinted in blue. Octavo. 140 pages.
Publisher's light blue cloth with signature blind stamped on front and silver titles on spine.
Cloth is lightly rubbed on extremities with softly bumped corners. Spine has a minor lean and front board has a small stain and abrasion. Endpapers are mildly toned. Dust jacket is price clipped and lightly edge worn with some small chips at spine ends. Slightly toned along edges. A very good copy.
Ernest Hemingway. The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway - Possibly the Last Book Inscribed by Hemingway. New York: Modern Library, [1942].
First thus. Inscribed by Hemingway on the front free endpaper, "To Jean, very gratefully from her friend Ernest Hemingway." Octavo. 597 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with stamping in gilt and black. Cloth is rubbed with wear to extremities. Upper corner of rear board bumped. Top corners of the pages show shallow bends for the last half of the book. Front board has a few small stains. There is an internal coffee stain on page 335 that diminishes to a small spot by page 339. Previous owner's name ("Michaels") in ink on front pastedown. Adhesive stain and adhesive remnants to verso of dust jacket along the top and bottom edges, causing minor stains to bleed through to the front. Jacket also has a few chips to edges with a half-inch tear and some surface loss at head of the spine, and a quarter-inch tear with surface loss at the tail-end rear joint. Housed in a custom cloth chemise and slipcase. A very good copy.
Accompanying this book is an informative three-page letter from the woman to whom the book is inscribed, describing the circumstances of the friendly relationship she and her family had established with Hemingway during the last weeks of his life. The letter reads, in part: "Ernest Hemingway was a patient at the Mayo Clinic the last 3 months of his life. His psychiatrist was a close friend of my parents who lived outside the city of Rochester in a large home on 4 acres of land with many gardens, a lovely big swimming pool & complete privacy! Mr. Hemingway spent many hours - & days on weekends - at my parents' home & to those of us who were not trained psychiatrists, able to recognize his illness, was a very affable gentleman who enjoyed our family, particularly the many small grandchildren. (My small sons sat at this feet at the pool as he explained to them how he received each of his scars. The gory details of his death were very distressing to them.) [...] He graciously signed my copy of The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway as I told him how it had been read & re-read as I studied his work at Sarah Lawrence. Very soon after that he left, flew home to Idaho the next day & soon took his own life. - Jean R. Michaels"
In his last years, Hemingway had been in several accidents, including two plane crashes, and had suffered serious injuries, including a grave concussion, temporary paralysis, and extremely painful first- and second-degree burns. His overall health was in decline, and his excessive drinking only made his last few years difficult and exacerbated his depression. He received electro-shock therapy, which seems to have led to memory loss and only deepened his depression. After a first unsuccessful suicide attempt, he was admitted to the Mayo Clinic for another round of ECT treatments. It was during this period when Jean Michaels met and became friends with the author. It appears that Hemingway inscribed this book to Ms. Michaels only two or three days before he committed suicide at his home in Ketchum, Idaho on July 2, 1961. It is not inconceivable to conclude that this book was the final book signed by Ernest Hemingway.
A wonderful item, with an exceptional letter of provenance.
First thus. Inscribed by Hemingway on the front free endpaper, "To Jean, very gratefully from her friend Ernest Hemingway." Octavo. 597 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with stamping in gilt and black. Cloth is rubbed with wear to extremities. Upper corner of rear board bumped. Top corners of the pages show shallow bends for the last half of the book. Front board has a few small stains. There is an internal coffee stain on page 335 that diminishes to a small spot by page 339. Previous owner's name ("Michaels") in ink on front pastedown. Adhesive stain and adhesive remnants to verso of dust jacket along the top and bottom edges, causing minor stains to bleed through to the front. Jacket also has a few chips to edges with a half-inch tear and some surface loss at head of the spine, and a quarter-inch tear with surface loss at the tail-end rear joint. Housed in a custom cloth chemise and slipcase. A very good copy.
Accompanying this book is an informative three-page letter from the woman to whom the book is inscribed, describing the circumstances of the friendly relationship she and her family had established with Hemingway during the last weeks of his life. The letter reads, in part: "Ernest Hemingway was a patient at the Mayo Clinic the last 3 months of his life. His psychiatrist was a close friend of my parents who lived outside the city of Rochester in a large home on 4 acres of land with many gardens, a lovely big swimming pool & complete privacy! Mr. Hemingway spent many hours - & days on weekends - at my parents' home & to those of us who were not trained psychiatrists, able to recognize his illness, was a very affable gentleman who enjoyed our family, particularly the many small grandchildren. (My small sons sat at this feet at the pool as he explained to them how he received each of his scars. The gory details of his death were very distressing to them.) [...] He graciously signed my copy of The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway as I told him how it had been read & re-read as I studied his work at Sarah Lawrence. Very soon after that he left, flew home to Idaho the next day & soon took his own life. - Jean R. Michaels"
In his last years, Hemingway had been in several accidents, including two plane crashes, and had suffered serious injuries, including a grave concussion, temporary paralysis, and extremely painful first- and second-degree burns. His overall health was in decline, and his excessive drinking only made his last few years difficult and exacerbated his depression. He received electro-shock therapy, which seems to have led to memory loss and only deepened his depression. After a first unsuccessful suicide attempt, he was admitted to the Mayo Clinic for another round of ECT treatments. It was during this period when Jean Michaels met and became friends with the author. It appears that Hemingway inscribed this book to Ms. Michaels only two or three days before he committed suicide at his home in Ketchum, Idaho on July 2, 1961. It is not inconceivable to conclude that this book was the final book signed by Ernest Hemingway.
A wonderful item, with an exceptional letter of provenance.
Ernest Hemingway. The Sun Also Rises. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1926.
First edition, first issue in the publisher's binding. Octavo. 259 pages.
Original black cloth, gold paper labels on front board and spine. Housed in a beige custom cloth slipcase. Binding rubbed and lightly worn in a couple of places, very slightly skewed, labels with some scratches, previous owner's ink name to bottom of half title. Typed Malcolm Cowley poem tipped onto the rear free endpaper. A still very good, attractive copy of Hemingway's novel of the Lost Generation, one of only 5,090 copies in the first printing.
Hanneman 6A.
First edition, first issue in the publisher's binding. Octavo. 259 pages.
Original black cloth, gold paper labels on front board and spine. Housed in a beige custom cloth slipcase. Binding rubbed and lightly worn in a couple of places, very slightly skewed, labels with some scratches, previous owner's ink name to bottom of half title. Typed Malcolm Cowley poem tipped onto the rear free endpaper. A still very good, attractive copy of Hemingway's novel of the Lost Generation, one of only 5,090 copies in the first printing.
Hanneman 6A.
Ernest Hemingway. Telegram to Arnold Gingrich, Founder and Editor of Esquire Magazine, With Three Issues of Esquire Featuring Hemingway's "Letters from Tanganyika," and a Photo of Hemingway on Safari. This Esquire-related lot includes several items from 1934 when Hemingway was contributing a regular column for the magazine, written as letters from the field. The "Letters" of concern here are his three "Tanganyika Letters" which documented his time hunting in East Africa. This lot includes: Three Issues of Esquire. Issues are dated April, June, and July, 1934. These three issues contain the following: "a. d. in Africa - A Tanganyika Letter" (April); and "Shootism versus Sport - The Second Tanganyika Letter" (June); and "Notes on Dangerous Game - The Third Tanganyika Letter" (July). All three magazines are in generally very good condition. [and:] Original Telegram from Hemingway to Esquire Editor Arnold Gingrich. Dated April 17, 1934, and sent from Key West, this telegram reads in its entirety: "GO AHEAD WITH SHOOTISM STOP WHEN DO YOU WANT AUGUST LETTER BY GOOD LUCK BERMUDA REGARDS = HEMINGWAY." This is in reference to the second Tanganyika letter published in the June, 1934 issue of Esquire. Telegram is toned and with the usual folds. Fine condition. [and:] Photo of Hemingway with Lion He Killed on Safari in Africa. Photo-offset print from a photograph supplied to Esquire by Hemingway. This image accompanied "Shootism versus Sport - The Second Tanganyika Letter" featured in the June, 1934 issue. In a January, 1934 letter to editor Arnold Gingrich, Hemingway writes about the safari photos he is sending: "Use these pics if you want. The lion ones are damned good. I took it [sic] with 4x5 Graflex at about 8 to 10 yards x 1/50th - stop No. 8." This print is likely from the Esquire presses and was probably used in the pre-production editing process of the June issue. Picture image measures 4 x 5.25 inches; full sheet measures 7 x 11 inches. A few shallow bends at lower left corner and along the right side; verso is toned with a strip of offsetting to the left side. Very good condition.
Ernest Hemingway. To Have and Have Not. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1937.
First edition. Octavo. 262 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with gilt stamped front and spine stamped in gilt and green. Cloth has minor wear to extremities and some light soiling. Minor lean to spine. Light, scattered foxing to the endpapers and minimal toning to page edges. Previous owner's name on the half-title page. Dust jacket is rubbed and edge worn with several small chips and tears. Overall, a very good copy.
First edition. Octavo. 262 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with gilt stamped front and spine stamped in gilt and green. Cloth has minor wear to extremities and some light soiling. Minor lean to spine. Light, scattered foxing to the endpapers and minimal toning to page edges. Previous owner's name on the half-title page. Dust jacket is rubbed and edge worn with several small chips and tears. Overall, a very good copy.
[Ernest Hemingway]. Hemingway's Custom-Made Goatskin Shooting Vest, With His Initials and "Ketchum, I." Written in His Hand on the Inside.
This soft butterscotch-colored leather hunting vest was one of many that Hemingway had custom made for him over the years. It is sleeveless, with a center front zipper, and with two divided pockets for shells, one of which is inside another pocket that closes with a button fashioned from a mountain goat horn. The vest has been worn, and it has several moisture or perspiration stains, as well as several reddish-brown spots, likely blood stains left behind by some unfortunate quarry. "E. H. / Ketchum, I." has been written on the inside right front panel in a black marker; this appears to be in Hemingway's hand.
Ernest Hemingway presented this vest to his close friend, the writer A. E. Hotchner, in 1955 when Hotchner was visiting Ketchum. The two had gone out to shoot and Hemingway gave him the vest, concerned that "Hotch" was not dressed warmly enough. Included with this vest is a letter of authentication from Mr. Hotchner, the author of several books, including the biography Papa Hemingway, A Personal Memoir (Random House, 1966), a very good copy of which is also included in this lot.
This soft butterscotch-colored leather hunting vest was one of many that Hemingway had custom made for him over the years. It is sleeveless, with a center front zipper, and with two divided pockets for shells, one of which is inside another pocket that closes with a button fashioned from a mountain goat horn. The vest has been worn, and it has several moisture or perspiration stains, as well as several reddish-brown spots, likely blood stains left behind by some unfortunate quarry. "E. H. / Ketchum, I." has been written on the inside right front panel in a black marker; this appears to be in Hemingway's hand.
Ernest Hemingway presented this vest to his close friend, the writer A. E. Hotchner, in 1955 when Hotchner was visiting Ketchum. The two had gone out to shoot and Hemingway gave him the vest, concerned that "Hotch" was not dressed warmly enough. Included with this vest is a letter of authentication from Mr. Hotchner, the author of several books, including the biography Papa Hemingway, A Personal Memoir (Random House, 1966), a very good copy of which is also included in this lot.
Ernest Hemingway. Winner Take Nothing. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1933.
First edition. Octavo. 244 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with gold printed labels on front and spine. Cloth is lightly rubbed with some light, scattered foxing to endpapers. Dust jacket is price clipped and has been professionally restored. A very good copy.
First edition. Octavo. 244 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with gold printed labels on front and spine. Cloth is lightly rubbed with some light, scattered foxing to endpapers. Dust jacket is price clipped and has been professionally restored. A very good copy.
Two First Editions from Great Twentieth-Century Authors, including: Ernest Hemingway, editor. Men at War. New York: Crown, 1942. First edition. Octavo. xxxi, 1072. Black cloth over boards. Top edge yellow. Very good in dust jacket. [and:] Thomas Wolfe. You Can't Go Home Again. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1940. First edition. Octavo. viii, 743 pages. Blue cloth over boards. Front hinge cracked. Bookplate of previous owner on front pastedown. Very good in dust jacket.
Victor Hugo. Les Misérables. Translated from the Original French by Chas. E Wilbour. New York: Carleton, Publisher, 1862.
First American edition and first edition in English. Complete in five octavo volumes: Fantine (171 pages plus four-page publisher's advertisement), Cosette (164 pages plus four-page publisher's advertisement), Marius (150 pages plus two-page publisher's advertisement), Saint Denis (184 pages), and Jean Valjean (165 pages plus two-page publisher's advertisement).
Publisher's matching brown embossed cloth with gilt spine titles. Moderate wear to the spine ends, edges and corners of all volumes. Light rubbing to boards. Minimal scattered foxing, mostly to text edges. Marius unevenly faded on the boards with a sunned spine. Very good condition.
Charles E. Wilbour was hired by the Carleton Publishing Company to translate Hugo's grand masterpiece, and he did so very quickly, allowing the first American edition to be published within months of its French release. The intense advertising campaign waged by Carleton resulted in massive sales for Les Misérables, solidifying Hugo's epic in second place (behind only Uncle Tom's Cabin) in pre-Civil War American book sales.
First American edition and first edition in English. Complete in five octavo volumes: Fantine (171 pages plus four-page publisher's advertisement), Cosette (164 pages plus four-page publisher's advertisement), Marius (150 pages plus two-page publisher's advertisement), Saint Denis (184 pages), and Jean Valjean (165 pages plus two-page publisher's advertisement).
Publisher's matching brown embossed cloth with gilt spine titles. Moderate wear to the spine ends, edges and corners of all volumes. Light rubbing to boards. Minimal scattered foxing, mostly to text edges. Marius unevenly faded on the boards with a sunned spine. Very good condition.
Charles E. Wilbour was hired by the Carleton Publishing Company to translate Hugo's grand masterpiece, and he did so very quickly, allowing the first American edition to be published within months of its French release. The intense advertising campaign waged by Carleton resulted in massive sales for Les Misérables, solidifying Hugo's epic in second place (behind only Uncle Tom's Cabin) in pre-Civil War American book sales.
Victor Hugo. Notre-Dame de Paris. Paris: Perrotin and Garnier, 1844.
Early illustrated edition. Small quarto. Illustrated with dozens of engravings.
Later green full morocco over boards. Gilt fillets to boards, spine, and turn-ins. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Offsetting from the turn-ins to the free endpapers. Hinges cracked. Extremities bumped. Some fading to the binding. Very good.
Early illustrated edition. Small quarto. Illustrated with dozens of engravings.
Later green full morocco over boards. Gilt fillets to boards, spine, and turn-ins. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Offsetting from the turn-ins to the free endpapers. Hinges cracked. Extremities bumped. Some fading to the binding. Very good.
John Irving. Setting Free the Bears. New York: Random House, [1968].
First edition, first printing. Octavo. 335 pages.
Publisher's gilt-stamped red cloth over blind-stamped red paper boards. Top edge stained red. Bottom corner of front board lightly bumped. Tips of corners have very minor wear. Publisher's stain to the top edge has faded. There is an area of discoloration measuring 2.5 x 1 inches to front free endpaper which appears to be a glue stain remaining from the adherence of a bookplate (no longer present). Dust jacket is price-clipped and has only very minimal wear to spine ends. A generally clean, tight and bright copy in very good condition.
Irving's first novel, an expanded and revised version of the manuscript he originally submitted as his Master's thesis at the University of Iowa's Writer's Workshop in 1967.
First edition, first printing. Octavo. 335 pages.
Publisher's gilt-stamped red cloth over blind-stamped red paper boards. Top edge stained red. Bottom corner of front board lightly bumped. Tips of corners have very minor wear. Publisher's stain to the top edge has faded. There is an area of discoloration measuring 2.5 x 1 inches to front free endpaper which appears to be a glue stain remaining from the adherence of a bookplate (no longer present). Dust jacket is price-clipped and has only very minimal wear to spine ends. A generally clean, tight and bright copy in very good condition.
Irving's first novel, an expanded and revised version of the manuscript he originally submitted as his Master's thesis at the University of Iowa's Writer's Workshop in 1967.
John Irving. The Water-Method Man. New York: Random House, [1972].
First edition. Octavo. 365 pages.
Publisher's navy cloth over yellow paper boards. Light thumb-soiling to bottom edge. Inked name to front pastedown. A near fine copy in like dust jacket.
Irving's second novel.
First edition. Octavo. 365 pages.
Publisher's navy cloth over yellow paper boards. Light thumb-soiling to bottom edge. Inked name to front pastedown. A near fine copy in like dust jacket.
Irving's second novel.
John Irving. The World According to Garp. New York: E. P. Dutton, [1978].
First edition. Octavo. 437 pages.
Publisher's gilt-stamped navy cloth over mustard paper boards. Ownership label and bookplate to front pastedown. Near fine in dust jacket.
Irving's fourth novel, his first to achieve widespread success.
First edition. Octavo. 437 pages.
Publisher's gilt-stamped navy cloth over mustard paper boards. Ownership label and bookplate to front pastedown. Near fine in dust jacket.
Irving's fourth novel, his first to achieve widespread success.
Samuel Johnson. A Dictionary of the English Language: in Which the Words are Deduced from their Originals, and Illustrated in their Different Significations by Examples from the best Writers, to which are Prefixed, a History of the Language, and an English Grammar. London: Printed by W. Strahan, 1755.
First edition. Two large folio volumes. Unpaginated. Text in double columns. Title pages printed in red and black. Decorative woodcut tailpieces.
Contemporary calf, rebacked to style at an early date. Raised bands. Gilt-stamped design to spines. Leather title labels with gilt lettering. Joints in volume one starting but firm. Some light abrasions and crazing to boards. Slight bumping to the extremities. Affixed to the front pastedowns are armorial bookplates: "The Armorial Bearing of the House of Abercairny." In modern custom boxes. Overall, a handsome, near fine copy.
First edition. Two large folio volumes. Unpaginated. Text in double columns. Title pages printed in red and black. Decorative woodcut tailpieces.
Contemporary calf, rebacked to style at an early date. Raised bands. Gilt-stamped design to spines. Leather title labels with gilt lettering. Joints in volume one starting but firm. Some light abrasions and crazing to boards. Slight bumping to the extremities. Affixed to the front pastedowns are armorial bookplates: "The Armorial Bearing of the House of Abercairny." In modern custom boxes. Overall, a handsome, near fine copy.
Samuel Johnson. The Rambler. London: Payne & Bouquet, 1750-1752.
First edition. Two small folio volumes. Pages numbered 1-598; 598-1244.
Contemporary half-calf, professionally rebacked over marbled boards. Contemporary bookplates to front pastedowns of both volumes. Occasional English translations of Latin and Greek passages in ink by a previous owner. Bindings lightly worn; corners bumped. Mild foxing and age-toning to the pages. Overall, a set in very good condition.
Samuel Johnson's The Rambler, a periodical, came out twice a week, from March 20th, 1750 to March 17th, 1752. Johnson was engaged in writing his pieces for The Rambler while working on his Dictionary of the English Language. "One of the jokes which ran about town was to the effect that Johnson employed hard words in the Rambler in order to render his forthcoming Dictionary indispensable" (Stuart J. Reid, The Essays of Samuel Johnson, p. xv).
First edition. Two small folio volumes. Pages numbered 1-598; 598-1244.
Contemporary half-calf, professionally rebacked over marbled boards. Contemporary bookplates to front pastedowns of both volumes. Occasional English translations of Latin and Greek passages in ink by a previous owner. Bindings lightly worn; corners bumped. Mild foxing and age-toning to the pages. Overall, a set in very good condition.
Samuel Johnson's The Rambler, a periodical, came out twice a week, from March 20th, 1750 to March 17th, 1752. Johnson was engaged in writing his pieces for The Rambler while working on his Dictionary of the English Language. "One of the jokes which ran about town was to the effect that Johnson employed hard words in the Rambler in order to render his forthcoming Dictionary indispensable" (Stuart J. Reid, The Essays of Samuel Johnson, p. xv).
Samuel Johnson. The Works of the English Poets. With Prefaces, Biographical and Critical, by Samuel Johnson. London: H. Hughes, 1779-1781.
First edition. 67 (of 68) volumes, lacking the final (68th) volume. Small octavo (6.25 x 3.5 inches).
Full calf, gilt spine decorations, red and black labels. All volumes show cover and shelf wear, two volumes have the binding slightly split at the spine, a few hinges weak but all sound; some volumes worn at the top and bottom of the spines, half of one label missing; offset to prelims, but most all other text and the twenty-nine engraved plates are fresh and clean. Volumes 1-56 include Biographies and Works of the poets, and volumes 57-58 are the Index to the set; these first 58 volumes published in 1779. Volumes 59-67 contain the Preface, the first four volumes of which were published in 1779, the last six in 1781. A very good set of Johnson's greatest achievement after his Dictionary.
First edition. 67 (of 68) volumes, lacking the final (68th) volume. Small octavo (6.25 x 3.5 inches).
Full calf, gilt spine decorations, red and black labels. All volumes show cover and shelf wear, two volumes have the binding slightly split at the spine, a few hinges weak but all sound; some volumes worn at the top and bottom of the spines, half of one label missing; offset to prelims, but most all other text and the twenty-nine engraved plates are fresh and clean. Volumes 1-56 include Biographies and Works of the poets, and volumes 57-58 are the Index to the set; these first 58 volumes published in 1779. Volumes 59-67 contain the Preface, the first four volumes of which were published in 1779, the last six in 1781. A very good set of Johnson's greatest achievement after his Dictionary.
James Joyce. Ulysses. Paris: Shakespeare and Company, 1922.
First edition, number 255 of 750 numbered copies printed on handmade paper (out of a total edition of 1,000 copies). Octavo. 732 pages.
Publisher's Greek blue wrappers lettered in white. Edges uncut. With the bookplate of Ben Schulberg, legendary Hollywood producer, head of Paramount Pictures, and father of screenwriter Budd Schulberg, affixed to the inside front cover. Housed in a tattered and timeworn slipcase and chemise. Wrappers worn, a bit faded, and tender, with the covers partially split at the spine ends. Minor cloth loss at spine ends. A one-and-one-quarter-inch by two-and-one-quarter-inch rectangular section of the spine has been removed, and also a horizontal sliver below it, possibly to provide fill for a separate copy. Small hole in the rear cover with some minor abrading around it. Wrapper spilt along part of the fore-edge. Internal contents clean, though a touch age-toned. All in all, a very good, unrestored copy of the greatest novel of all time, with a Hollywood provenance.
"Here at last was Ulysses, in a Greek blue jacket, bearing the title and the author's name in white letters. Here were the seven hundred and thirty-two pages 'complete as written,' and an average of one to half-a-dozen typographical errors per page - the publisher apologized for them on a little slip inserted in the copies. The period immediately following the publication of his book was so exciting that Joyce couldn't keep away from his publisher for fear of missing something. He applied himself to helping (?) us with the parcels... Lavishing glue on the labels, the floor, and his hair, he urged me to get a copy to so and so at once if he had already paid... We managed to get some of the glue out of Joyce's hair with a 'remover' we had, and all the copies of Ulysses safely in the hands of subscribers in England and Ireland before the authorities realized it." (Sylvia Beach: Shakespeare and Company, p. 85-86)
First edition, number 255 of 750 numbered copies printed on handmade paper (out of a total edition of 1,000 copies). Octavo. 732 pages.
Publisher's Greek blue wrappers lettered in white. Edges uncut. With the bookplate of Ben Schulberg, legendary Hollywood producer, head of Paramount Pictures, and father of screenwriter Budd Schulberg, affixed to the inside front cover. Housed in a tattered and timeworn slipcase and chemise. Wrappers worn, a bit faded, and tender, with the covers partially split at the spine ends. Minor cloth loss at spine ends. A one-and-one-quarter-inch by two-and-one-quarter-inch rectangular section of the spine has been removed, and also a horizontal sliver below it, possibly to provide fill for a separate copy. Small hole in the rear cover with some minor abrading around it. Wrapper spilt along part of the fore-edge. Internal contents clean, though a touch age-toned. All in all, a very good, unrestored copy of the greatest novel of all time, with a Hollywood provenance.
"Here at last was Ulysses, in a Greek blue jacket, bearing the title and the author's name in white letters. Here were the seven hundred and thirty-two pages 'complete as written,' and an average of one to half-a-dozen typographical errors per page - the publisher apologized for them on a little slip inserted in the copies. The period immediately following the publication of his book was so exciting that Joyce couldn't keep away from his publisher for fear of missing something. He applied himself to helping (?) us with the parcels... Lavishing glue on the labels, the floor, and his hair, he urged me to get a copy to so and so at once if he had already paid... We managed to get some of the glue out of Joyce's hair with a 'remover' we had, and all the copies of Ulysses safely in the hands of subscribers in England and Ireland before the authorities realized it." (Sylvia Beach: Shakespeare and Company, p. 85-86)
James Joyce. Ulysses. Paris: Shakespeare and Company, 1922.
First edition, this copy one of 150 copies printed on vergé d'arches paper. This first edition was limited to 1,000 copies, of which the first 100 copies (numbered 1-100) were signed by Joyce and printed on Dutch handmade paper, the next 150 copies (101-250) were printed on vergé d'arches, and the final 750 copies (251-1,000) were printed on handmade paper and were trade copies. The copy offered here is number 199. Quarto. 732 pages.
Handsomely bound in full polished yellow-brown morocco over boards. Blind fillets to boards. Raised bands; morocco title label with gilt lettering. Blind tooling to turn-ins. Marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt. Deckle edges. Original blue wrappers bound in. Some bumping to the corners of boards, slight sunning to spine, and a scrape to the leather of the rear board. A beautiful copy of this cornerstone of contemporary literature. The original wrappers and contents in pristine, near fine condition.
The initial publication of Joyce's mammoth and complex novel Ulysses was an extraordinary endeavor when one takes into account that Sylvia Beach, with no background in publishing, undertook the daunting task of bringing a 700-plus-page novel into book form under the imprint of her Paris book shop, Shakespeare and Company. The result, a book elegant in its simplicity, has little in the way of front matter, making the caveat on the leaf following the limitation page intriguing in its brevity: "The publisher asks the reader's indulgence for typographical errors unavoidable in the exceptional circumstances." As George Micajah Phillips writes in Hypermedia Joyce Studies, "These 'exceptional circumstances'-among them Joyce's deteriorating eyesight, selling his manuscript piecemeal before its publication to make ends meet, and the disastrous contaminations introduced by non-English-speaking typists in Dijon and led by a 'correcting' foreman (Dalton 108; Driver 33) - applied not only to the publication of Beach's edition, but to the creation and development of Ulysses itself. [...] Even though Beach's cautionary statement was only included in Shakespeare & Co. editions, it should be included in every text of Ulysses. The entire history of the publication of Ulysses is the history of transmitted textual error."
Lacking a definitive and truly authoritative edition, this, Joyce's masterwork, will most certainly continue to beguile and confound readers and scholars alike for years to come.
George Micajah Phillips, The Protean Text of Ulysses and Why All Editions Are Equally "Definitive" (Hypermedia Joyce Studies - Volume 4, Issue 2: Dec. 2003-Jan. 2004).
First edition, this copy one of 150 copies printed on vergé d'arches paper. This first edition was limited to 1,000 copies, of which the first 100 copies (numbered 1-100) were signed by Joyce and printed on Dutch handmade paper, the next 150 copies (101-250) were printed on vergé d'arches, and the final 750 copies (251-1,000) were printed on handmade paper and were trade copies. The copy offered here is number 199. Quarto. 732 pages.
Handsomely bound in full polished yellow-brown morocco over boards. Blind fillets to boards. Raised bands; morocco title label with gilt lettering. Blind tooling to turn-ins. Marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt. Deckle edges. Original blue wrappers bound in. Some bumping to the corners of boards, slight sunning to spine, and a scrape to the leather of the rear board. A beautiful copy of this cornerstone of contemporary literature. The original wrappers and contents in pristine, near fine condition.
The initial publication of Joyce's mammoth and complex novel Ulysses was an extraordinary endeavor when one takes into account that Sylvia Beach, with no background in publishing, undertook the daunting task of bringing a 700-plus-page novel into book form under the imprint of her Paris book shop, Shakespeare and Company. The result, a book elegant in its simplicity, has little in the way of front matter, making the caveat on the leaf following the limitation page intriguing in its brevity: "The publisher asks the reader's indulgence for typographical errors unavoidable in the exceptional circumstances." As George Micajah Phillips writes in Hypermedia Joyce Studies, "These 'exceptional circumstances'-among them Joyce's deteriorating eyesight, selling his manuscript piecemeal before its publication to make ends meet, and the disastrous contaminations introduced by non-English-speaking typists in Dijon and led by a 'correcting' foreman (Dalton 108; Driver 33) - applied not only to the publication of Beach's edition, but to the creation and development of Ulysses itself. [...] Even though Beach's cautionary statement was only included in Shakespeare & Co. editions, it should be included in every text of Ulysses. The entire history of the publication of Ulysses is the history of transmitted textual error."
Lacking a definitive and truly authoritative edition, this, Joyce's masterwork, will most certainly continue to beguile and confound readers and scholars alike for years to come.
George Micajah Phillips, The Protean Text of Ulysses and Why All Editions Are Equally "Definitive" (Hypermedia Joyce Studies - Volume 4, Issue 2: Dec. 2003-Jan. 2004).
James Joyce. Henri Matisse, illustrator. Ulysses. With an introduction by Stuart Gilbert and illustrations by Henri Matisse. New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1935.
The first illustrated edition of Ulysses, and number 99 of only 250 limited edition copies signed by both Joyce and Matisse (the remainder of the total edition of 1,500 numbered copies were signed by Matisse only). Quarto. 363 pages. Twenty-six plates, consisting of six soft-ground etchings, printed by hand, and twenty lithographic drawings, made as studies for the etchings, printed on thin colored papers.
Original brown buckram embossed in gold on front cover and spine from a design by LeRoy H. Appleton. Top edge sprinkled brown, others uncut. Minimal light rubbing to binding, spine slightly dulled, else a fine copy, with the gilt on the front cover medallion bright. In the publisher's cardboard slipcase with light soiling and wear.
"One of the very few American livres de peintres issued before World War II. According to George Macy, who undertook this only American publication of Matisse's illustrations, he asked the artist how many etchings the latter could provide for five thousand dollars. The artist chose to take six subjects from Homer's Odyssey. The preparatory drawings reproduced with the soft-ground etchings (Matisse's only use of this medium) record the evolution of the figures from vigorous sketches to closely knit, if less spontaneous, compositions." (The Artist & the Book).
The Artist & the Book 197. LEC bibliography 71. Slocum and Cahoon A22.
The first illustrated edition of Ulysses, and number 99 of only 250 limited edition copies signed by both Joyce and Matisse (the remainder of the total edition of 1,500 numbered copies were signed by Matisse only). Quarto. 363 pages. Twenty-six plates, consisting of six soft-ground etchings, printed by hand, and twenty lithographic drawings, made as studies for the etchings, printed on thin colored papers.
Original brown buckram embossed in gold on front cover and spine from a design by LeRoy H. Appleton. Top edge sprinkled brown, others uncut. Minimal light rubbing to binding, spine slightly dulled, else a fine copy, with the gilt on the front cover medallion bright. In the publisher's cardboard slipcase with light soiling and wear.
"One of the very few American livres de peintres issued before World War II. According to George Macy, who undertook this only American publication of Matisse's illustrations, he asked the artist how many etchings the latter could provide for five thousand dollars. The artist chose to take six subjects from Homer's Odyssey. The preparatory drawings reproduced with the soft-ground etchings (Matisse's only use of this medium) record the evolution of the figures from vigorous sketches to closely knit, if less spontaneous, compositions." (The Artist & the Book).
The Artist & the Book 197. LEC bibliography 71. Slocum and Cahoon A22.
James Joyce. Ulysses. London: The Bodley Head, 1937.
First British trade edition. Octavo. 766 pages. Appendices.
Green cloth over boards. Gilt-stamped design to front board. Gilt lettering to spine. Top edge green. Some chipping to extremities of the dust jacket. Overall, a bright copy in very good condition.
First British trade edition. Octavo. 766 pages. Appendices.
Green cloth over boards. Gilt-stamped design to front board. Gilt lettering to spine. Top edge green. Some chipping to extremities of the dust jacket. Overall, a bright copy in very good condition.
Franz Kafka. The Castle. London: Martin Secker, 1930.
First British edition. Octavo. 450 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles stamped on front and spine. Yellow top edge. Spine and top edge of boards mildly faded. Foxing to page edges with a hint on endpapers. Front hinge a bit soft. Multi-colored dust jacket is edge toned and lightly rubbed with wear to extremities. Besides darkening, the jacket spine also has a couple of small stains. Exceptionally difficult edition to find in a jacket. A very good copy.
The Castle was Kafka's first book published in English.
First British edition. Octavo. 450 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles stamped on front and spine. Yellow top edge. Spine and top edge of boards mildly faded. Foxing to page edges with a hint on endpapers. Front hinge a bit soft. Multi-colored dust jacket is edge toned and lightly rubbed with wear to extremities. Besides darkening, the jacket spine also has a couple of small stains. Exceptionally difficult edition to find in a jacket. A very good copy.
The Castle was Kafka's first book published in English.
Jack Kerouac. The Dharma Bums. New York: Viking Press, 1958.
First edition. Octavo. 244 pages.
Black cloth over boards. Green and silver lettering. Some rubbing and two closed tears to the dust jacket. Very good condition.
The two main characters are based on Kerouac himself, and poet & essayist Gary Snyder, who told Kerouac, "The Dharma Bums is a beautiful book, and I am amazed and touched that you should say so many nice things about me because that period was for me really a great process of learning from you...."
First edition. Octavo. 244 pages.
Black cloth over boards. Green and silver lettering. Some rubbing and two closed tears to the dust jacket. Very good condition.
The two main characters are based on Kerouac himself, and poet & essayist Gary Snyder, who told Kerouac, "The Dharma Bums is a beautiful book, and I am amazed and touched that you should say so many nice things about me because that period was for me really a great process of learning from you...."
Jack Kerouac. On the Road. New York: Viking Press, 1957.
First edition. Octavo. 310 pages.
Black cloth over boards. White lettering to front board and spine. Top edge red. Binding slightly cocked. Corners bumped. Some chipping to the extremities of the dust jacket. Overall, very good.
Kerouac's second novel which Gilbert Millstein, in his 1957 New York Times review, called "the most beautifully executed, the clearest and the most important utterance yet made by the generation Kerouac himself named years ago as 'beat,' and whose principal avatar he is."
First edition. Octavo. 310 pages.
Black cloth over boards. White lettering to front board and spine. Top edge red. Binding slightly cocked. Corners bumped. Some chipping to the extremities of the dust jacket. Overall, very good.
Kerouac's second novel which Gilbert Millstein, in his 1957 New York Times review, called "the most beautifully executed, the clearest and the most important utterance yet made by the generation Kerouac himself named years ago as 'beat,' and whose principal avatar he is."
Ken Kesey. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. A Novel. New York: The Viking Press, [1962].
First edition, first issue of the author's first book, signed by Kesey on a printed label (reading "This book is especially autographed by") mounted to the front free endpaper. Octavo. 311 pages.
Original bright green cloth lettered in yellow on spine. Top edge stained peach. In the publisher's multi-colored dust jacket. Housed in a custom clamshell case with spine label. A few small light stains and spotting to covers, small faint stain to fore-edge. Jacket chipped and creased, with some loss at the top and bottom of the spine, and a small loss to the rear panel affecting Kesey's biographical blurb, with a few short tears. Overall, very good copy in a somewhat timeworn dust jacket.
First edition, first issue of the author's first book, signed by Kesey on a printed label (reading "This book is especially autographed by") mounted to the front free endpaper. Octavo. 311 pages.
Original bright green cloth lettered in yellow on spine. Top edge stained peach. In the publisher's multi-colored dust jacket. Housed in a custom clamshell case with spine label. A few small light stains and spotting to covers, small faint stain to fore-edge. Jacket chipped and creased, with some loss at the top and bottom of the spine, and a small loss to the rear panel affecting Kesey's biographical blurb, with a few short tears. Overall, very good copy in a somewhat timeworn dust jacket.
Stephen King. Carrie. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1974.
First edition, first impression (with code "P6" printed in the gutter of page 199). Inscribed and signed by King on the half-title page. Octavo. 199 pages.
Publisher's original maroon cloth with gilt spine titles. Deckled fore-edge. Very minimal shelf wear. Previous owner's bookplate affixed to the front free endpaper and ink signature to the front flyleaf. Minimal shelf wear to the dust jacket, with one tiny closed tear to the top edge of the rear panel. A near fine copy of the author's first novel.
From a pre-publication form letter from Doubleday regarding the novel: "We feel it may be the novel of the year - a headlong narrative with the drive and relentless power of The Exorcist, with the high voltage shock of Rosemary's Baby. More than that, it is part of a rare breed in today's fiction market - a good story. Don't start it unless the evening in front of you is free of appointments; this one is a cooker... We think Carrie and Stephen King have a bright future, and we welcome this chance to share both of them with you."
First edition, first impression (with code "P6" printed in the gutter of page 199). Inscribed and signed by King on the half-title page. Octavo. 199 pages.
Publisher's original maroon cloth with gilt spine titles. Deckled fore-edge. Very minimal shelf wear. Previous owner's bookplate affixed to the front free endpaper and ink signature to the front flyleaf. Minimal shelf wear to the dust jacket, with one tiny closed tear to the top edge of the rear panel. A near fine copy of the author's first novel.
From a pre-publication form letter from Doubleday regarding the novel: "We feel it may be the novel of the year - a headlong narrative with the drive and relentless power of The Exorcist, with the high voltage shock of Rosemary's Baby. More than that, it is part of a rare breed in today's fiction market - a good story. Don't start it unless the evening in front of you is free of appointments; this one is a cooker... We think Carrie and Stephen King have a bright future, and we welcome this chance to share both of them with you."
William Kittredge. The Van Gogh Field and Other Stories. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1978.
First edition. Octavo. 147 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with red stamping on the spine. Slightly rubbed on the spine ends and corners. Publisher's promotional card laid in. A fine copy of the author's scarce first book.
First edition. Octavo. 147 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with red stamping on the spine. Slightly rubbed on the spine ends and corners. Publisher's promotional card laid in. A fine copy of the author's scarce first book.
Louis L'Amour. Smoke from this Altar. Oklahoma City: Lusk Publishing, [1939].
First edition. Signed by L'Amour on the front free-endpaper. Octavo. 62 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with gilt stamped front. Cloth is lightly edge rubbed with a few tiny spots of soiling to front board. Previous owner's gift inscription on front free endpaper. Modest spotting to fore-edge. The slightly fragile dust jacket is darkened along edges and spine with light chipping. Overall, a very good copy.
First edition. Signed by L'Amour on the front free-endpaper. Octavo. 62 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with gilt stamped front. Cloth is lightly edge rubbed with a few tiny spots of soiling to front board. Previous owner's gift inscription on front free endpaper. Modest spotting to fore-edge. The slightly fragile dust jacket is darkened along edges and spine with light chipping. Overall, a very good copy.
Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, [1960].
First edition, in the first issue dust jacket. Octavo. 296 pages.
Publisher's light green cloth back over rust paper boards, lettered in a darker green on spine. First issue dust jacket with Capote blurb in green on the front flap, the Jonathan Daniels blurb on the rear flap and Capote portrait of Harper Lee on rear panel. Book has rubbing and light wear to extremities. Spine is leaning and page edges show minor foxing and soiling. Some minor toning and foxing to endpapers. Dust jacket is rubbed and lightly edge worn with a one-half-inch chip at the top of rear fold. Several small damp stains. Front flap has tape pulls and rear flap has several fold lines. There is a tape shadow that runs horizontal length of jacket, probably from a previous jacket protector. Housed in a custom slipcase. Overall, an about very good copy.
An important and scarce book, of which only 5,000 copies were printed. This is Harper Lee's only novel, which won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Literature.
First edition, in the first issue dust jacket. Octavo. 296 pages.
Publisher's light green cloth back over rust paper boards, lettered in a darker green on spine. First issue dust jacket with Capote blurb in green on the front flap, the Jonathan Daniels blurb on the rear flap and Capote portrait of Harper Lee on rear panel. Book has rubbing and light wear to extremities. Spine is leaning and page edges show minor foxing and soiling. Some minor toning and foxing to endpapers. Dust jacket is rubbed and lightly edge worn with a one-half-inch chip at the top of rear fold. Several small damp stains. Front flap has tape pulls and rear flap has several fold lines. There is a tape shadow that runs horizontal length of jacket, probably from a previous jacket protector. Housed in a custom slipcase. Overall, an about very good copy.
An important and scarce book, of which only 5,000 copies were printed. This is Harper Lee's only novel, which won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Literature.
Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia & New York: J. B. Lippincott, 1960.
First edition. Only 5,000 copies were printed. Octavo. 296 pages.
Original brown boards with green cloth spine, titles to spine in brown. With the original dust jacket with photo of Harper Lee on the rear panel (by Truman Capote, who had been her next-door neighbor in Monroeville and remained a close friend all her life.) Binding just a bit skewed. Small stain at the top edge, else a very good copy in a good dust jacket which has moderate edgewear and chipping at the extremities, with some loss at the top and bottom of the backstrip and along the fore-edge folds, and at the top of the rear panel.
First edition. Only 5,000 copies were printed. Octavo. 296 pages.
Original brown boards with green cloth spine, titles to spine in brown. With the original dust jacket with photo of Harper Lee on the rear panel (by Truman Capote, who had been her next-door neighbor in Monroeville and remained a close friend all her life.) Binding just a bit skewed. Small stain at the top edge, else a very good copy in a good dust jacket which has moderate edgewear and chipping at the extremities, with some loss at the top and bottom of the backstrip and along the fore-edge folds, and at the top of the rear panel.
C. S. Lewis. Out of the Silent Planet. London: The Bodley Head, 1951.
Fifth impression. Signed by C. S. Lewis on the title page. Octavo. 182 pages.
Light blue cloth over boards. Dark blue lettering to spine. Edges dusty. Small spot to front board. Mild soiling and chipping to dust jacket. Inked name to front pastedown. Very good.
The first installment in Lewis' Ransom Trilogy, with this novel set on the planet Mars. Out of the Silent Planet, Lewis' second published novel, supposedly came out of a conversation he had with J. R. R. Tolkien regarding the lack of certain Christian and spiritual themes in science fiction works. They decided to try their hand. "Each took the bargain seriously. Tolkien wrote the first part of a story called 'The Lost Road,' and [Lewis] wrote Out of the Silent Planet." (Sayer.)
Currey, 310. Sayer, Jack: a Life of C. S. Lewis, 254.
Fifth impression. Signed by C. S. Lewis on the title page. Octavo. 182 pages.
Light blue cloth over boards. Dark blue lettering to spine. Edges dusty. Small spot to front board. Mild soiling and chipping to dust jacket. Inked name to front pastedown. Very good.
The first installment in Lewis' Ransom Trilogy, with this novel set on the planet Mars. Out of the Silent Planet, Lewis' second published novel, supposedly came out of a conversation he had with J. R. R. Tolkien regarding the lack of certain Christian and spiritual themes in science fiction works. They decided to try their hand. "Each took the bargain seriously. Tolkien wrote the first part of a story called 'The Lost Road,' and [Lewis] wrote Out of the Silent Planet." (Sayer.)
Currey, 310. Sayer, Jack: a Life of C. S. Lewis, 254.
C. S. Lewis. That Hideous Strength. London: The Bodley Head, 1945.
First edition. Signed by C. S. Lewis on the title page. Octavo. 476 pages.
Black cloth over boards. Gilt letter to spine. Rubber stamp on the first page of the preface for the "W. V. S. Centre Office" [Women's Voluntary Service] of Potter's Bar, Middlesex. Some minor shelf-wear. The price-clipped dust jacket has been reinforced with cello tape at the panel folds; some soiling and light chipping. In custom black cloth solander case with gilt lettering to spine. Overall, a very good copy.
Currey, 310.
First edition. Signed by C. S. Lewis on the title page. Octavo. 476 pages.
Black cloth over boards. Gilt letter to spine. Rubber stamp on the first page of the preface for the "W. V. S. Centre Office" [Women's Voluntary Service] of Potter's Bar, Middlesex. Some minor shelf-wear. The price-clipped dust jacket has been reinforced with cello tape at the panel folds; some soiling and light chipping. In custom black cloth solander case with gilt lettering to spine. Overall, a very good copy.
Currey, 310.
C. S. Lewis. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. London: Geoffrey Bles, 1952.
First edition. Signed by C. S. Lewis on the title page. Map to front endpaper. Illustrations by Pauline Baynes. 224 pages.
Pale blue cloth over boards. Silver lettering to spine. Small spot on rear board. Slight fading to head and foot of spine. The dust jacket shows some mild soiling and has been reinforced with cello tape at the panel folds. Overall, very good.
Third book published of The Chronicles of Narnia, and chronologically fifth in the series. First editions of the Narnia books are much sought-after, and rarely are signed copies encountered.
"Lewis was perturbed by the simpering, wishy-washy way goodness was portrayed in most religious teaching, making children inevitably feel that it was much more glamorous to be bad. He agrees with the aesthetic tradition that art should teach by delighting, by making the reader enchanted with an ideal." (Bloom.)
Bloom, Modern Fantasy Writers, 89. Curry, 311.
First edition. Signed by C. S. Lewis on the title page. Map to front endpaper. Illustrations by Pauline Baynes. 224 pages.
Pale blue cloth over boards. Silver lettering to spine. Small spot on rear board. Slight fading to head and foot of spine. The dust jacket shows some mild soiling and has been reinforced with cello tape at the panel folds. Overall, very good.
Third book published of The Chronicles of Narnia, and chronologically fifth in the series. First editions of the Narnia books are much sought-after, and rarely are signed copies encountered.
"Lewis was perturbed by the simpering, wishy-washy way goodness was portrayed in most religious teaching, making children inevitably feel that it was much more glamorous to be bad. He agrees with the aesthetic tradition that art should teach by delighting, by making the reader enchanted with an ideal." (Bloom.)
Bloom, Modern Fantasy Writers, 89. Curry, 311.
Sinclair Lewis. Elmer Gantry. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, [1927].
First edition, first issue, with "Cantry" on the spine. Octavo. [viii], 432 pages.
Original blue cloth, orange-stamped front board and spine. Previous owner's name on front endpaper. Book itself is in beautiful condition. Dust jacket has some light rubbing and wear, including a few chips and short tears around edges, with some loss at the corners; rear panel soiled. Overall, a very good copy in the original dust jacket.
Bruccoli and Clark, 214.
First edition, first issue, with "Cantry" on the spine. Octavo. [viii], 432 pages.
Original blue cloth, orange-stamped front board and spine. Previous owner's name on front endpaper. Book itself is in beautiful condition. Dust jacket has some light rubbing and wear, including a few chips and short tears around edges, with some loss at the corners; rear panel soiled. Overall, a very good copy in the original dust jacket.
Bruccoli and Clark, 214.
Sinclair Lewis. Main Street. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Howe, 1920.
First edition, later printing (broken type on both the page 54 folio and "may" at the bottom of page 387). Presentation copy whimsically inscribed and signed on the front free endpaper: "To Dr. Louis Dick- / stein, this first / edition of the / frivolous mediaeval / romance called / 'Main Street.' / Katonah, N. Y. / July 1, 1925." The inscription continues on a piece of paper tipped-in underneath: "Wouldn't it be easier / to paste below the / inscription. I was / such an idiot as / not to sign this / handsome signature. / Sinclair Lewis." Octavo. 451 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with orange and blue titles. Protective glassine dust jacket. Minor shelf wear, including a small chip or burn at the bottom of the front board. Spine somewhat sunned. Corners rubbed. Small closed tear to the fore-edge of the front free endpaper. Mild dust-soiling to the textblock edges. Spine a touch over-opened at the rear flyleaf. Internal contents clean. A very good copy.
First edition, later printing (broken type on both the page 54 folio and "may" at the bottom of page 387). Presentation copy whimsically inscribed and signed on the front free endpaper: "To Dr. Louis Dick- / stein, this first / edition of the / frivolous mediaeval / romance called / 'Main Street.' / Katonah, N. Y. / July 1, 1925." The inscription continues on a piece of paper tipped-in underneath: "Wouldn't it be easier / to paste below the / inscription. I was / such an idiot as / not to sign this / handsome signature. / Sinclair Lewis." Octavo. 451 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with orange and blue titles. Protective glassine dust jacket. Minor shelf wear, including a small chip or burn at the bottom of the front board. Spine somewhat sunned. Corners rubbed. Small closed tear to the fore-edge of the front free endpaper. Mild dust-soiling to the textblock edges. Spine a touch over-opened at the rear flyleaf. Internal contents clean. A very good copy.
Jack London. The Call of the Wild. New York: Macmillan Company, 1903.
First edition. Octavo. 231 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with gilt, white, red, and black stamping to front and spine. Top edge gilt. White snow is rubbed on front and spine and gilt has dulled on spine. Minor wear and rubbing to extremities with a slight lean to spine. A few pages show scattered foxing. Dust jacket shows toning to the edges and spine. Several tiny stains on front panel, the largest measuring three-eights-inch. Light chipping to spine ends and corners. A bright, attractive copy in very good condition.
First edition. Octavo. 231 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with gilt, white, red, and black stamping to front and spine. Top edge gilt. White snow is rubbed on front and spine and gilt has dulled on spine. Minor wear and rubbing to extremities with a slight lean to spine. A few pages show scattered foxing. Dust jacket shows toning to the edges and spine. Several tiny stains on front panel, the largest measuring three-eights-inch. Light chipping to spine ends and corners. A bright, attractive copy in very good condition.
Jack London. John Barleycorn. New York: Century Co., 1913.
First edition. Octavo. 343 pages.
Publisher's dark green cloth with gilt stamping to front and spine. Mild rubbing on spine ends and corners. Lightly foxed along top page edges with small booksellers label affixed to rear pastedown. Extremely scarce dust jacket has been extensively and professionally restored. An attractive copy of this title seldom found in the original dust jacket. Overall, a very good copy.
London's autobiographical novel dealing with his own fascination and battle with alcohol. Considered to be the first use of pink elephants as the typical hallucination of the drunk. Though recommended reading by Alcoholics Anonymous, it has been a controversial work seen as both reviling and glorifying the use of liquor.
First edition. Octavo. 343 pages.
Publisher's dark green cloth with gilt stamping to front and spine. Mild rubbing on spine ends and corners. Lightly foxed along top page edges with small booksellers label affixed to rear pastedown. Extremely scarce dust jacket has been extensively and professionally restored. An attractive copy of this title seldom found in the original dust jacket. Overall, a very good copy.
London's autobiographical novel dealing with his own fascination and battle with alcohol. Considered to be the first use of pink elephants as the typical hallucination of the drunk. Though recommended reading by Alcoholics Anonymous, it has been a controversial work seen as both reviling and glorifying the use of liquor.
[James Russell Lowell]. Alexander Negris. Orations of Aeschines and Demosthenes on the Crown, with Modern Greek Prolegomena, and English Notes. Boston: Hilliard, Gray, Little, and Wilkins, 1829.
First American edition. James Russell Lowell's copy, with the front free endpaper inscribed by him in pencil, "James R Lowell / Cambridge / Harvard University / April 1835 / Mass." April 1835 was the spring of Lowell's freshman year. Quarto. 296 pages. Text in Greek, notes in Greek and English.
Contemporary calf professionally rebacked with the original spine laid down. Covers bumped and lightly worn, but still handsome. Intermittent light foxing, heavier on the preliminary and terminal leaves. A very good copy.
Lowell has penciled a list of twenty-two students (in the 3d Division, with symbols by their names when they belonged to one of two clubs)on the front free endpaper; marked x's throughout the text on the shoulders; brief annotations on five pages; and some juvenile verse on rear endpaper.
First American edition. James Russell Lowell's copy, with the front free endpaper inscribed by him in pencil, "James R Lowell / Cambridge / Harvard University / April 1835 / Mass." April 1835 was the spring of Lowell's freshman year. Quarto. 296 pages. Text in Greek, notes in Greek and English.
Contemporary calf professionally rebacked with the original spine laid down. Covers bumped and lightly worn, but still handsome. Intermittent light foxing, heavier on the preliminary and terminal leaves. A very good copy.
Lowell has penciled a list of twenty-two students (in the 3d Division, with symbols by their names when they belonged to one of two clubs)on the front free endpaper; marked x's throughout the text on the shoulders; brief annotations on five pages; and some juvenile verse on rear endpaper.
Malcolm Lowry. Ultramarine. London: Jonathan Cape, [1933].
First edition. Octavo. 275 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with titles stamped in white on spine and blindstamped logo on rear. Top corners of boards are very softly bumped. One-half-inch spot of soiling to top page edges. Dust jacket shows only minor rubbing and soiling with light wear to extremities. Overall, a near fine copy.
First edition. Octavo. 275 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with titles stamped in white on spine and blindstamped logo on rear. Top corners of boards are very softly bumped. One-half-inch spot of soiling to top page edges. Dust jacket shows only minor rubbing and soiling with light wear to extremities. Overall, a near fine copy.
Malcolm Lowry. Under the Volcano. New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1947.
Uncorrected proof of the American first edition from the library of H. Bradley Martin. Octavo. 375 pages.
Publisher's beige paper wrappers with black printing to front cover. One-quarter-inch tear at top edge of front cover. Pages are remarkably white with only a hint of toning. Housed in a custom clamshell box bearing the bookplate of noted book collector H. Bradley Martin. A near fine copy of this scarce item.
Uncorrected proof of the American first edition from the library of H. Bradley Martin. Octavo. 375 pages.
Publisher's beige paper wrappers with black printing to front cover. One-quarter-inch tear at top edge of front cover. Pages are remarkably white with only a hint of toning. Housed in a custom clamshell box bearing the bookplate of noted book collector H. Bradley Martin. A near fine copy of this scarce item.
Edgar Lee Masters. Spoon River Anthology. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1915.
First edition, first issue (measuring exactly 0.875 inches across the top), inscribed and signed by Masters. Small octavo. [xviii], 248, [6, publisher's catalog] pages.
Original blue cloth, front cover and spine decoratively stamped in black and lettered in gilt. The inscription on the front free endpaper reads: "To Caroline Blackman / With the sincere friendship / of E. L. Masters / May 3d - 1915." Bookplate of Alfred A. Knopf affixed to front pastedown. Some light rubbing to board extremities. A few leaves standing proud. Front board with a few instances of minor soiling. Lacks jacket, as is almost always the case. Overall, a very good copy housed in a gilt black morocco clamshell box.
A lovely copy of Masters' most famous work, with an excellent provenance. In addition to being inscribed by Masters to Carolyn Blackman, second wife of noted American poet Orrick Glenday Johns, and having once belonged to publisher Alfred A. Knopf, the book comes with two letters written by Masters at the height of his career.
First edition, first issue (measuring exactly 0.875 inches across the top), inscribed and signed by Masters. Small octavo. [xviii], 248, [6, publisher's catalog] pages.
Original blue cloth, front cover and spine decoratively stamped in black and lettered in gilt. The inscription on the front free endpaper reads: "To Caroline Blackman / With the sincere friendship / of E. L. Masters / May 3d - 1915." Bookplate of Alfred A. Knopf affixed to front pastedown. Some light rubbing to board extremities. A few leaves standing proud. Front board with a few instances of minor soiling. Lacks jacket, as is almost always the case. Overall, a very good copy housed in a gilt black morocco clamshell box.
A lovely copy of Masters' most famous work, with an excellent provenance. In addition to being inscribed by Masters to Carolyn Blackman, second wife of noted American poet Orrick Glenday Johns, and having once belonged to publisher Alfred A. Knopf, the book comes with two letters written by Masters at the height of his career.
W. Somerset Maugham. Ah King. London: William Heinemann, Ltd., [1933].
First edition. Signed by Maugham on the half-title page. Octavo. 339 pages.
Publisher's black- and gilt-stamped blue cloth. Spine sunned; head of spine bumped, resulting in lightly wrinkled cloth. Boards rubbed along edges and extremities. Hinges cracked. Front free endpaper shows surface loss to paper, the result of the removal of a bookplate. Dust jacket is rubbed with chipped spine ends; tape repairs to reverse. Good condition. Housed in a beautiful gilt-stamped quarter leather book-backed clamshell case. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A46a.
First edition. Signed by Maugham on the half-title page. Octavo. 339 pages.
Publisher's black- and gilt-stamped blue cloth. Spine sunned; head of spine bumped, resulting in lightly wrinkled cloth. Boards rubbed along edges and extremities. Hinges cracked. Front free endpaper shows surface loss to paper, the result of the removal of a bookplate. Dust jacket is rubbed with chipped spine ends; tape repairs to reverse. Good condition. Housed in a beautiful gilt-stamped quarter leather book-backed clamshell case. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A46a.
W. Somerset Maugham. Cakes and Ale. London: Heinemann, [1930].
First edition, second state. Inscribed by Maugham on half-title page. Octavo. 270 pages. Publisher's blue cloth with gold and black stamping. Cloth lightly rubbed with soft bumping to a couple of corners. Foxing to page edges, mildly affecting the interior. Half-title page has a one-half-inch tear starting at the fore-edge that does not affect the inscription. Dust jacket is darkened along edges and spine and lightly chipped on spine ends and corners. Very good.
Though Of Human Bondage is generally considered his best work, Maugham said that Cakes and Ale was "the book I like the best." The literary merits of this title are often overshadowed by the controversy that erupted upon its publication. Less-than-flattering depictions of characters assumed by many to be based upon Thomas Hardy and Hugh Walpole created a huge scandal at the time, but Maugham always denied any intentional similarities. Though controversial, critics regarded Cakes and Ale as Maugham's most finely-crafted novel.
First edition, second state. Inscribed by Maugham on half-title page. Octavo. 270 pages. Publisher's blue cloth with gold and black stamping. Cloth lightly rubbed with soft bumping to a couple of corners. Foxing to page edges, mildly affecting the interior. Half-title page has a one-half-inch tear starting at the fore-edge that does not affect the inscription. Dust jacket is darkened along edges and spine and lightly chipped on spine ends and corners. Very good.
Though Of Human Bondage is generally considered his best work, Maugham said that Cakes and Ale was "the book I like the best." The literary merits of this title are often overshadowed by the controversy that erupted upon its publication. Less-than-flattering depictions of characters assumed by many to be based upon Thomas Hardy and Hugh Walpole created a huge scandal at the time, but Maugham always denied any intentional similarities. Though controversial, critics regarded Cakes and Ale as Maugham's most finely-crafted novel.
W. Somerset Maugham. The Casuarina Tree. London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1926.
First edition. Inscribed by Maugham on the front free endpaper. Small octavo. 311 pages.
Publisher's black- and gilt-stamped blue cloth. Joints, spine ends and extremities lightly rubbed. Pages somewhat toned throughout. Foxing to endpapers. Small bookplate tipped along left side only to spine edge of front free endpaper. Light chipping to spine ends of dust jacket. Spine of dust jacket darkened; back panel foxed. A very good copy, in the infrequently encountered first edition dust jacket by Ralph Keene.
A collection of six stories, including "The Letter" which was adapted into two popular Hollywood films. Inscribed by Maugham to Paul Moser, likely a relative of Max Moser, one of Maugham's editors. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A34a.
First edition. Inscribed by Maugham on the front free endpaper. Small octavo. 311 pages.
Publisher's black- and gilt-stamped blue cloth. Joints, spine ends and extremities lightly rubbed. Pages somewhat toned throughout. Foxing to endpapers. Small bookplate tipped along left side only to spine edge of front free endpaper. Light chipping to spine ends of dust jacket. Spine of dust jacket darkened; back panel foxed. A very good copy, in the infrequently encountered first edition dust jacket by Ralph Keene.
A collection of six stories, including "The Letter" which was adapted into two popular Hollywood films. Inscribed by Maugham to Paul Moser, likely a relative of Max Moser, one of Maugham's editors. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A34a.
W. Somerset Maugham. Cosmopolitans. London: William Heinemann, Ltd., [1936].
First English edition, third issue (includes cancel leaf containing half-title and list of non-dramatic works ending in Don Fernando). Inscribed by Maugham on the title page, with Maugham crossing through his printed name and signing his name below. Octavo. 302 pages.
Publisher's black- and gilt-stamped blue cloth, with publisher's dark stain to top edge. Extremities rubbed. Minor offsetting to endpapers from dust jacket. Light wear to edges of dust jacket. Very good.
A collection of "very short stories" originally written for Cosmopolitan magazine between 1924 and 1929. The American edition preceded the English edition by one month. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A50b.
First English edition, third issue (includes cancel leaf containing half-title and list of non-dramatic works ending in Don Fernando). Inscribed by Maugham on the title page, with Maugham crossing through his printed name and signing his name below. Octavo. 302 pages.
Publisher's black- and gilt-stamped blue cloth, with publisher's dark stain to top edge. Extremities rubbed. Minor offsetting to endpapers from dust jacket. Light wear to edges of dust jacket. Very good.
A collection of "very short stories" originally written for Cosmopolitan magazine between 1924 and 1929. The American edition preceded the English edition by one month. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A50b.
W. Somerset Maugham. My South Sea Island. Chicago: [Ben Abramson/Black Cat Press], 1936.
First printing, second issue. Twelvemo (approximately 8 x 5.25 inches). 12 pages, with printing on one side of the leaf only.
Publisher's stiff green sewn wrappers, with titles in black and Maugham's Moorish symbol in light green. Top corner of first leaf missing, else fine condition.
This reprint of a newspaper article by Maugham, which originally appeared in a 1922 issue of The Daily Mail, was printed without Maugham's permission and, presumably, without his knowledge. All but two copies of the first issue of the first printing were destroyed when it was discovered that "Somerset" had been misspelled on the title page. The second issue was printed immediately, in a run of only 43 copies. Scarce. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A51a.
First printing, second issue. Twelvemo (approximately 8 x 5.25 inches). 12 pages, with printing on one side of the leaf only.
Publisher's stiff green sewn wrappers, with titles in black and Maugham's Moorish symbol in light green. Top corner of first leaf missing, else fine condition.
This reprint of a newspaper article by Maugham, which originally appeared in a 1922 issue of The Daily Mail, was printed without Maugham's permission and, presumably, without his knowledge. All but two copies of the first issue of the first printing were destroyed when it was discovered that "Somerset" had been misspelled on the title page. The second issue was printed immediately, in a run of only 43 copies. Scarce. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A51a.
W. Somerset Maugham. The Painted Veil. New York: George H. Doran Company, 1925.
Large paper first edition, limited to 250 copies signed by the author, of which this is number 130. Octavo. 289 pages.
Publisher's quarter parchment over pale blue boards. Dark blue leather label on spine with gilt lettering. Top edge gilt. Publisher's cream dust jacket. Minor dampstain to base of parchment spine; tiny amount of surface loss to lower portion of rear joint. Pages lightly toned throughout. A one and one-half-inch closed tear to front free endpaper, at inner margin. Dust jacket is toned, with darkened spine. A near fine copy, in publisher's worn pale blue box.
Adultery and betrayal set against a backdrop of a cholera epidemic in 1920s China. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A33a.
Large paper first edition, limited to 250 copies signed by the author, of which this is number 130. Octavo. 289 pages.
Publisher's quarter parchment over pale blue boards. Dark blue leather label on spine with gilt lettering. Top edge gilt. Publisher's cream dust jacket. Minor dampstain to base of parchment spine; tiny amount of surface loss to lower portion of rear joint. Pages lightly toned throughout. A one and one-half-inch closed tear to front free endpaper, at inner margin. Dust jacket is toned, with darkened spine. A near fine copy, in publisher's worn pale blue box.
Adultery and betrayal set against a backdrop of a cholera epidemic in 1920s China. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A33a.
W. Somerset Maugham. Sheppey, A Play in Three Acts. London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1955.
First edition. Inscribed by Maugham on the half-title page under the play's title: "by W. Somerset Maugham / for Norman /The last play." Twelvemo. 118 pages.
Publisher's gilt-stamped brown cloth. Top edge stained brown. Tiny gouge to back board. Rubbed dust jacket is darkened along the spine; minor wear to spine ends and ends of flap folds. A fine copy.
Maugham's final play, directed by John Gielgud, to whom the book is dedicated. Only 2000 copies printed. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A47.
First edition. Inscribed by Maugham on the half-title page under the play's title: "by W. Somerset Maugham / for Norman /The last play." Twelvemo. 118 pages.
Publisher's gilt-stamped brown cloth. Top edge stained brown. Tiny gouge to back board. Rubbed dust jacket is darkened along the spine; minor wear to spine ends and ends of flap folds. A fine copy.
Maugham's final play, directed by John Gielgud, to whom the book is dedicated. Only 2000 copies printed. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A47.
W. Somerset Maugham. Theatre. London: William Heinemann, [1937].
First English edition, second issue (with the inserted cancel leaf with the phrase "I don't not eat bread"). Inscribed by Maugham on the half-title page. Octavo. 293 pages.
Publisher's black- and gilt-stamped blue cloth. Top edge stained blue. Cloth worn at extremities. Binding cocked. Foxing to fore-edge. First blank leaf has been excised. Lightly worn dust jacket. Generally very good.
The American edition preceded the English edition by less than three weeks. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A52b.
First English edition, second issue (with the inserted cancel leaf with the phrase "I don't not eat bread"). Inscribed by Maugham on the half-title page. Octavo. 293 pages.
Publisher's black- and gilt-stamped blue cloth. Top edge stained blue. Cloth worn at extremities. Binding cocked. Foxing to fore-edge. First blank leaf has been excised. Lightly worn dust jacket. Generally very good.
The American edition preceded the English edition by less than three weeks. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A52b.
W. Somerset Maugham. The Trembling of a Leaf, Little Stories of the South Sea Islands. New York: George H. Doran Company, 1921.
First edition, with the "GHD" monogram on the copyright page. Signed by Maugham on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 302 pages.
Publisher's brown cloth with black stamping. Boards worn along the extremities, particularly along the fore-edges and at the corners. Faint moisture staining to front and back boards. Both hinges cracked. Though binding is a bit shaken, the textblock itself is still sturdy and square. Foxing and toning to endpapers. Maugham's signature on the front free endpaper is directly beneath the inked signature of a previous owner. Overall, very good condition.
The first appearance in book form of Maugham's most famous short story, "Rain," in which the infamous Sadie Thompson was introduced. The American edition preceded the English edition by less than three weeks. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A25.
First edition, with the "GHD" monogram on the copyright page. Signed by Maugham on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 302 pages.
Publisher's brown cloth with black stamping. Boards worn along the extremities, particularly along the fore-edges and at the corners. Faint moisture staining to front and back boards. Both hinges cracked. Though binding is a bit shaken, the textblock itself is still sturdy and square. Foxing and toning to endpapers. Maugham's signature on the front free endpaper is directly beneath the inked signature of a previous owner. Overall, very good condition.
The first appearance in book form of Maugham's most famous short story, "Rain," in which the infamous Sadie Thompson was introduced. The American edition preceded the English edition by less than three weeks. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A25.
Miscellaneous
W. Somerset Maugham. Six Items, Including Three Autograph Letters Signed, Two Typed Letters Signed, and One Printed Page Annotated and Signed by Maugham, in Which He Offers His Philosophy and His Advice to Aspiring Writers. Included in this lot are: Autograph Letter Signed by Maugham on blue Villa Mauresque stationery, dated January 3 [1930], addressed to Mr. Foss. Signed "W. S. Maugham." One horizontal fold and one vertical fold. Two holes punched in left margin; pin holes in top left corner and small stain to top left portion of letter. Very good. Maugham thanks Mr. Foss for sending him a copy of his book: "I have only just this minute returned from the Levant & found your book & your charming little note. Thank you very much for both. I shall read the book very soon & write to you again." [and:] Autograph Letter Signed by Maugham on blue Villa Mauresque stationery, dated January 14 [1930], addressed to Mr. Foss. Signed "W. S. Maugham." Two-page letter. One horizontal fold and one vertical fold, and several other shallow creases. Pin holes and paper clip residue to top left corner. Paper toned at top right corner. Tip of bottom right corner torn away. Very good. Maugham continues his correspondence with the unknown author in which he generously praises and critiques Foss's novel: "I like novels that are vivacious & gay & easy to read; & yours is: I hate novels that are intense & drab & long winded; & yours isn't. [...] I think the love scene on the top of the bus quite delightful & living & true, & the father & mother admirable & true too. But then in fiction I have always preferred Shanks's pony to the wings of a dove." [and:] Autograph page proof from the story "The Alien Corn" that appeared in the short story collection East and West (1934) signed by Maugham, undated, addressed to "M." Signed "W. Somerset Maugham." Paper is heavily browned with creases and closed tears and a paper clip indentation; tipped to a slick, partially printed piece of card stock. Very good. On page 773, in the story about a young pianist, Maugham has written in the margins: "Resignation is not the right mood to accept at the age of twenty. Resignation reconciles one to failure. At twenty the possibility of failure should never enter one's mind. To look upon it as possible is to meet it half way." [and:] Typed Letter Signed by Maugham on printed Yemassee, South Carolina stationery, dated February 4, 1946, addressed to Peter in "Jerusalem, Palestine." Signed "W. S. Maugham." One horizontal fold, one vertical fold; paper very lightly toned at edges. With transmittal envelope. Fine. In response to a young writer who has asked advice from Maugham, Maugham writes, in part: " If you want to write and have it in you to write no one can stop you. [...] So my advice to you is to read as much as you can, to write what you fancy without any thought of publication and when you are through with school try to acquire as varied an experience as you can." [and:] Typed Letter Signed by Maugham on white Villa Mauresque stationery, dated April 2, 1964, addressed to Monsieur Jean Jour in Belgium. Signed "W. S. Maugham." One horizontal fold. With transmittal envelope. Fine. In this letter Maugham writes to Belgian poet Jean Jour to thank him for sending a copy of his new book, Les Matin Ivres: "I am leaving for Venice in a few days, I shall take your poems with me and look forward to reading them with very great pleasure." [and:] Typed Letter Signed by Maugham on white Villa Mauresque stationery, dated June 28th, 1965, addressed to Jean Jour in Belgium. Signed "W. S. Maugham." One horizontal fold. With transmittal envelope. Fine. Another letter to the Belgian poet thanking him for sending a copy of his newest book, Les Chiens Malades: "It was extremely kind of you to think of me. I look forward to reading it with very great pleasure. Once again so many thanks; I am much touched and pleased." From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Books
W. Somerset Maugham. Nine Plays, Most First Editions, Including Gilbert Roland's Copy of Our Betters. All books in this lot published in London by William Heinemann. Titles include: Lady Frederick. 1912. First edition. Twelvemo. 163 pages. Publisher's red buckram with black stamping. Lightly sunned spine. Foxed endpapers. Very good. Stott A12. [and:] Jack Straw. 1912. First edition. Twelvemo. 156 pages. Gilt-stamped olive buckram (wrappers bound in buckram). Very good. A13. [and:] Penelope. [1914]. Reprint edition. Twelvemo. 213 pages. Crimson cloth with black stamping. Library discard with all the expected markings. Slightly cocked. Very good, with all faults. Not in Stott. [and:] The Circle. 1921. First edition. Twelvemo. 103 pages. Gilt-stamped olive buckram (this, apparently, the wrappers issue bound in buckram to match Jack Straw above). Endpapers toned. Bookstore sticker to front pastedown. Very good. Stott A24a. [and:] The Land of Promise. 1922. First published edition. Twelvemo. 159 pages. Publisher's red buckram with black stamping. Significant dampstaining and fading to spine and fore-edges of boards. Binding cocked. Good. Stott A20c. [and:] Our Betters. 1923. First edition. Twelvemo. 210 pages. Publisher's red buckram with black stamping. Lightly sunned spine. Minor stains to a couple of pages. Very good. With the bookplate of Hollywood actor Gilbert Roland, best known for his role as The Cisco Kid. Roland and his wife Constance Bennett both appeared in George Cukor's 1933 film version of Our Betters. Stott A29. [and:] The Unattainable. 1923. First edition. Twelvemo. 197 pages. Publisher's red buckram with black stamping. Light moisture staining to boards. Spine sunned. Penciled name to front free endpaper. Very good. Stott A31. [and:] The Letter. [1927]. First edition. Twelvemo. 156 pages. Publisher's red buckram with black stamping. Sunned spine. Cocked binding. Heavy spotting to page edges. Near very good. Stott A36a. [and:] For Services Rendered. 1932. First edition. Twelvemo. 87 pages. Publisher's gilt-stamped rusty brown cloth. Top edge stained red. Fine in dust jacket. From the Collection of Norman F. Moore.
Stott A45a.
Stott A45a.
Cormac McCarthy. Blood Meridian. New York: Random House, 1985.
First edition. Octavo. 337 pages.
Red cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. A wonderful copy in fine condition of one of McCarthy's most sought-after books.
Richard B. Woodward, writing in the New York Times, noted that the "collision between the inflated prose of the 19th-century and nasty reality gives Blood Meridian its strange, hellish character. It may be the bloodiest book since The Iliad."
First edition. Octavo. 337 pages.
Red cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. A wonderful copy in fine condition of one of McCarthy's most sought-after books.
Richard B. Woodward, writing in the New York Times, noted that the "collision between the inflated prose of the 19th-century and nasty reality gives Blood Meridian its strange, hellish character. It may be the bloodiest book since The Iliad."
Cormac McCarthy. Child of God. New York: Random House, 1973.
Uncorrected first proof. Octavo. 197 pages.
Red wraps. Black lettering on front wrapper. Rubber stamp to inside of rear wrapper of Crane Duplicating Service. Some damage to front wrapper caused by the removal of a small strip of cellophane tape. Very good.
Uncorrected first proof. Octavo. 197 pages.
Red wraps. Black lettering on front wrapper. Rubber stamp to inside of rear wrapper of Crane Duplicating Service. Some damage to front wrapper caused by the removal of a small strip of cellophane tape. Very good.
Cormac McCarthy. Suttree. New York: Random House, 1979.
First edition. Octavo. 471 pages.
Black cloth over cream paper boards. Gilt lettering. Small square stain on front free endpaper from removed resale sticker. Red remainder stamp of the Random House logo on bottom edge. Overall, a near fine copy in a nearly flawless dust jacket.
One of only three thousand copies of the first printing.
First edition. Octavo. 471 pages.
Black cloth over cream paper boards. Gilt lettering. Small square stain on front free endpaper from removed resale sticker. Red remainder stamp of the Random House logo on bottom edge. Overall, a near fine copy in a nearly flawless dust jacket.
One of only three thousand copies of the first printing.
Larry McMurtry. Horseman, Pass By. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1961.
First edition. Octavo. 179 pages.
Publisher's quarter mustard cloth with black paper covered boards and black spine stamping. Spine ends lightly rubbed. Top edge dent affecting rear board and page edges. Dust jacket is modestly rubbed and soiled with a one-quarter-inch tear to top edge of rear panel and light wear to spine ends. A near fine copy.
Author's first book, and basis for the Academy Award-winning film Hud.
First edition. Octavo. 179 pages.
Publisher's quarter mustard cloth with black paper covered boards and black spine stamping. Spine ends lightly rubbed. Top edge dent affecting rear board and page edges. Dust jacket is modestly rubbed and soiled with a one-quarter-inch tear to top edge of rear panel and light wear to spine ends. A near fine copy.
Author's first book, and basis for the Academy Award-winning film Hud.
Larry McMurtry. The Last Picture Show. New York: Dial Press, 1966.
Advance reading copy of first edition. Octavo. 280 pages.
Publisher's stiff olive covers in comb binding. Covers toned along edges with wear to extremities. Light soiling and abrasions with minor foxing to page edges. Title and author's name hand-written on front cover. Several pages with underlining. A very good copy of this scarce book.
Advance reading copy of first edition. Octavo. 280 pages.
Publisher's stiff olive covers in comb binding. Covers toned along edges with wear to extremities. Light soiling and abrasions with minor foxing to page edges. Title and author's name hand-written on front cover. Several pages with underlining. A very good copy of this scarce book.
Larry McMurtry. The Last Picture Show. New York: Dial Press, 1966.
First edition. Octavo. 280 pages.
Publisher's tan cloth with spine stamped in red. Slight lean to spine with minor soiling to page edges. Dust jacket is lightly soiled with modest wear to extremities. A near fine copy.
Author's third book, and the basis for the Academy Award-winning film.
First edition. Octavo. 280 pages.
Publisher's tan cloth with spine stamped in red. Slight lean to spine with minor soiling to page edges. Dust jacket is lightly soiled with modest wear to extremities. A near fine copy.
Author's third book, and the basis for the Academy Award-winning film.
Larry McMurtry. Leaving Cheyenne. New York: Harper & Row, 1963.
First edition. Octavo. 298 pages.
Publisher's beige cloth stamped in orange and black. One-inch dampstain to top page edges, does not bleed into pages. Dust jacket is price-clipped with price stamped in red on lower corner of front inner flap. One-inch tear at bottom edge through stamped price, causes a fold line. Fold line at top edge of front flap. Three-inch stain at front fold affecting front panel. Spine is mildly faded. A solid copy in very good condition.
First edition. Octavo. 298 pages.
Publisher's beige cloth stamped in orange and black. One-inch dampstain to top page edges, does not bleed into pages. Dust jacket is price-clipped with price stamped in red on lower corner of front inner flap. One-inch tear at bottom edge through stamped price, causes a fold line. Fold line at top edge of front flap. Three-inch stain at front fold affecting front panel. Spine is mildly faded. A solid copy in very good condition.
Herman Melville. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851.
First edition. Octavo. xxiii, 635 pages.
Custom full dark green leather. Gilt ruled front and rear with decorated corners. Five raised bands with gilt titles and decoration. Marbled endpapers. Original cloth backstrip is bound in at rear. Binding is lightly rubbed and scuffed. Pages are toned along edges with intermittent foxing. There is a three-quarter-inch stain beginning at page 12 that bleeds about ten pages either way. Final leaf has been reinforced on the verso. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A very good copy.
First edition. Octavo. xxiii, 635 pages.
Custom full dark green leather. Gilt ruled front and rear with decorated corners. Five raised bands with gilt titles and decoration. Marbled endpapers. Original cloth backstrip is bound in at rear. Binding is lightly rubbed and scuffed. Pages are toned along edges with intermittent foxing. There is a three-quarter-inch stain beginning at page 12 that bleeds about ten pages either way. Final leaf has been reinforced on the verso. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A very good copy.
Arthur Miller. Death of a Salesman. New York: Viking Press, 1949.
First edition. Signed by Miller on the title page. Octavo. 139 pages.
Orange cloth over boards. Decorative design on front board. Black lettering to spine. Illustrated endpapers. Mildly cocked binding. Some rubbing to dust jacket with chipping to extremities. Later state dust jacket without Miller's photograph on rear flap, but still retaining the original $2.50 price on front flap. Very good.
First edition. Signed by Miller on the title page. Octavo. 139 pages.
Orange cloth over boards. Decorative design on front board. Black lettering to spine. Illustrated endpapers. Mildly cocked binding. Some rubbing to dust jacket with chipping to extremities. Later state dust jacket without Miller's photograph on rear flap, but still retaining the original $2.50 price on front flap. Very good.
Arthur Miller. Three Signed Plays, including: After the Fall. New York: Viking Press, 1964. First edition, limited to 999 copies signed by Miller. This copy unnumbered, with review slip laid in. Small quarto. 129 pages. Salmon cloth over boards. Gilt lettering. Original glassine dust jacket chipping. Mild sunning to slipcase. Book in near fine condition. [and:] Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin, 1999. First thus. 50th anniversary edition. Signed by Miller on title page. Octavo. 142 pages. Blue cloth over blue-gray boards. Silver lettering to spine. Fine in dust jacket. [and:] The Price. New York: Viking, 1968. First edition. Inscribed by Miller on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 116 pages. Black cloth over blue boards. Near fine in dust jacket.
John Milton. The Poetical Works of John Milton, with Notes of Various Authors to Which are Added Illustrations, and Some Account of the Life and Writings of Milton, by the Rev. Henry J. Todd [...]. The Second Edition, with Considerable Additions, and with a Verbal Index to the Whole of Milton's Poetry. London: J. Johnson, et al., 1809.
Seven quarto volumes. xv, 217 plus index; xix, 462; 473; 503; 395; xix, 503; 414 pages. Frontispiece, illustrations, indices.
Contemporary full calf over boards. Gilt borders to boards. Raised bands; gilt lettering and designs to spine. Marbled edges and endpapers. Moderate foxing throughout. Front board separated but binding cords holding. Overall, in very good condition.
Seven quarto volumes. xv, 217 plus index; xix, 462; 473; 503; 395; xix, 503; 414 pages. Frontispiece, illustrations, indices.
Contemporary full calf over boards. Gilt borders to boards. Raised bands; gilt lettering and designs to spine. Marbled edges and endpapers. Moderate foxing throughout. Front board separated but binding cords holding. Overall, in very good condition.
George Orwell. Two First Editions, including: Animal Farm. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1946. First American edition. Octavo. 118 pages. Black cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. First state dust jacket with slight rubbing to extremities. Near fine. [and:] Nineteen Eighty-Four. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1949. First American edition. Quarto. 314 pages. Buff cloth over boards. Red dust jacket with minor chipping to head of spine. Very good.
[Edgar Allan Poe]. The American Review: A Whig Journal of Politics, Literature, Art and Science. New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1845-1846.
In three octavo volumes. 656; 668; 674 pages. Numerous engraved plates by T. Doney, in text and used as frontispieces in Volume I.
Half leather over marbled boards with rules and titles stamped in gilt on the spine. Modest wear at spine ends and corners. Contents mostly bright with some browning to the preliminary and terminal pages. A fine set.
First edition, first printing, of one of the most celebrated poems in American literature. Published under the pseudonym "Quarles," "The Raven" (pages 143-145) brought Poe instant literary fame, quickly becoming one of the most discussed and recited poems in the country. The appearance in the American Review is the accepted first edition - the publication in the New York Mirror on January 29, 1845 was printed from advance sheets of the American Review. Volume I also includes Poe's short story "Some Words with a Mummy" (pages 363-370), and his poems The Valley of Unrest and The City in the Sea (pages 392-393). Other volumes include the first appearance of Poe's Eulalie, Facts of M. Valdemar's Case, and a review of the book Poe's Tales. Also included in Volume III is Charles Winterfield's Adventures on the Frontier of Texas and Mexico, in six parts, apparently not otherwise printed.
In three octavo volumes. 656; 668; 674 pages. Numerous engraved plates by T. Doney, in text and used as frontispieces in Volume I.
Half leather over marbled boards with rules and titles stamped in gilt on the spine. Modest wear at spine ends and corners. Contents mostly bright with some browning to the preliminary and terminal pages. A fine set.
First edition, first printing, of one of the most celebrated poems in American literature. Published under the pseudonym "Quarles," "The Raven" (pages 143-145) brought Poe instant literary fame, quickly becoming one of the most discussed and recited poems in the country. The appearance in the American Review is the accepted first edition - the publication in the New York Mirror on January 29, 1845 was printed from advance sheets of the American Review. Volume I also includes Poe's short story "Some Words with a Mummy" (pages 363-370), and his poems The Valley of Unrest and The City in the Sea (pages 392-393). Other volumes include the first appearance of Poe's Eulalie, Facts of M. Valdemar's Case, and a review of the book Poe's Tales. Also included in Volume III is Charles Winterfield's Adventures on the Frontier of Texas and Mexico, in six parts, apparently not otherwise printed.
Ezra Pound. Confucius: The Great Digest & Unwobbling Pivot. [New York]: New directions, [1951].
First edition. Inscribed by Pound on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 187 pages. Publisher's black cloth with gilt stamping on the front and spine. Lightly rubbed extremities. Dust jacket is edge worn with small chips and tears. A very good copy and seldom found signed.
First edition. Inscribed by Pound on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 187 pages. Publisher's black cloth with gilt stamping on the front and spine. Lightly rubbed extremities. Dust jacket is edge worn with small chips and tears. A very good copy and seldom found signed.
Ayn Rand. Atlas Shrugged. New York: Random House, [1967].
Stated ninth printing, special tenth anniversary edition limited to 2,000 hand-numbered copies signed by Rand on a special limitation page bound in front. Octavo. 1,168 pages.
Original blue cloth, titles to spine gilt on a dark blue background, author's initials to upper board gilt, blue endpapers, and top edge stained blue. Front hinge cracked though contents still sound. Light wear to the boards at the corners. Original mylar protective sheet torn with some loss. In an issue slipcase which is worn, soiled and cracked at the spine. Overall, very good condition.
Atlas Shrugged is Rand's fourth and last novel, and has seen a resurgence in popularity in the last few years as John Galt has become the symbol of resistance for those who see an increasing incursion of government into culture and industry.
Stated ninth printing, special tenth anniversary edition limited to 2,000 hand-numbered copies signed by Rand on a special limitation page bound in front. Octavo. 1,168 pages.
Original blue cloth, titles to spine gilt on a dark blue background, author's initials to upper board gilt, blue endpapers, and top edge stained blue. Front hinge cracked though contents still sound. Light wear to the boards at the corners. Original mylar protective sheet torn with some loss. In an issue slipcase which is worn, soiled and cracked at the spine. Overall, very good condition.
Atlas Shrugged is Rand's fourth and last novel, and has seen a resurgence in popularity in the last few years as John Galt has become the symbol of resistance for those who see an increasing incursion of government into culture and industry.
Ayn Rand. Atlas Shrugged. New York: Random House, [1957].
First edition. Octavo. 1168 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with gilt stamped front, and gilt and black stamped spine. Top edge dark blue. Cloth has a few spots of soiling and mild rubbing to corners. Front hinge is shaken. Dust jacket is rough with some amateur restoration. A very good copy.
First edition. Octavo. 1168 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with gilt stamped front, and gilt and black stamped spine. Top edge dark blue. Cloth has a few spots of soiling and mild rubbing to corners. Front hinge is shaken. Dust jacket is rough with some amateur restoration. A very good copy.
William M. Rossetti, editor. The Collected Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. London: Ellis and Scrutton, 1886.
First collected edition. Four octavo volumes. xlii, 227; 229-528; xl-230; 233-521 pages.
Contemporary half leather over marbled boards. Titles and decoration stamped in gilt in six compartments between five raised bands. Marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt. Pages untrimmed. Light shelf wear to boards, mainly at the edges and corners. Former owner's bookplate on the front free endpaper of each volume. A handsome set in very good condition.
These volumes contain Rossetti's poems, prose tales, literary papers, and prose-notices of fine arts.
First collected edition. Four octavo volumes. xlii, 227; 229-528; xl-230; 233-521 pages.
Contemporary half leather over marbled boards. Titles and decoration stamped in gilt in six compartments between five raised bands. Marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt. Pages untrimmed. Light shelf wear to boards, mainly at the edges and corners. Former owner's bookplate on the front free endpaper of each volume. A handsome set in very good condition.
These volumes contain Rossetti's poems, prose tales, literary papers, and prose-notices of fine arts.
Salman Rushdie. Grimus. London: Victor Gollancz, 1975.
First edition. Signed by Rushdie on the title page. Octavo. 319 pages.
Purple cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Some spotting on top edge. Very good in pristine dust jacket.
Author's first book.
First edition. Signed by Rushdie on the title page. Octavo. 319 pages.
Purple cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Some spotting on top edge. Very good in pristine dust jacket.
Author's first book.
Salman Rushdie. Midnight's Children. London: Jonathan Cape, 1981.
First edition. Signed by Rushdie on the title page. Octavo. 446 pages.
Maroon cloth over light gray boards. Silver lettering. Spine of dust jacket lightly faded. Near fine condition.
Rushdie's second novel won not only the 1981 Booker Prize, but went on to win the "Best of the Booker" prize twice (1993 and 2008).
First edition. Signed by Rushdie on the title page. Octavo. 446 pages.
Maroon cloth over light gray boards. Silver lettering. Spine of dust jacket lightly faded. Near fine condition.
Rushdie's second novel won not only the 1981 Booker Prize, but went on to win the "Best of the Booker" prize twice (1993 and 2008).
J. D. Salinger. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1951.
First edition. Octavo. 277 pages. Classic dust jacket designed by Michael Mitchell.
Publisher's black cloth with gilt stamped spine. Cloth is lightly rubbed with minor wear to the extremities. Bottom page edge appears to have been sanded with other edges lightly soiled. Front and rear pastedowns have glue pull marks where a former dust jacket protector was affixed. Endpapers have mild toning. First state dust jacket with Lotte Jacobi photo credit on the rear panel. Jacket has been professionally restored. Front inner flap has a one-inch spot of glue or paint about mid-panel. Rear inner flap has a similar, smaller spot. Overall, an attractive copy in very good condition.
First edition. Octavo. 277 pages. Classic dust jacket designed by Michael Mitchell.
Publisher's black cloth with gilt stamped spine. Cloth is lightly rubbed with minor wear to the extremities. Bottom page edge appears to have been sanded with other edges lightly soiled. Front and rear pastedowns have glue pull marks where a former dust jacket protector was affixed. Endpapers have mild toning. First state dust jacket with Lotte Jacobi photo credit on the rear panel. Jacket has been professionally restored. Front inner flap has a one-inch spot of glue or paint about mid-panel. Rear inner flap has a similar, smaller spot. Overall, an attractive copy in very good condition.
[J. D. Salinger]. The Crossed Sabres of Nineteen Hundred and Thirty-Six. Wayne: Valley Forge Military Academy, 1936.
First edition. Inscribed and signed by Salinger over his senior portrait, "Best of luck to the guy that will put Hilden out of business, Jerome Salinger". Octavo. 220 pages.
Publisher's black buckram with gilt stamping on the front and spine. Rubbing to the spine ends and corners with some general light soiling to the boards. Endpapers are mildly toned along the edges with previous owner's name in pencil on the front free endpaper and student inscriptions on the rear endpapers. A very good copy.
As a cadet at Valley Forge Military Academy, upon which Holden Caulfield's school Pency Prep is based, Salinger was literary editor of The Crossed Sabres. He contributed the Class Poem and certainly some, if not all, of the text to this yearbook. In a broad context, this could be considered Salinger's first published book. Known today for his reclusive nature, it is fascinating to get a glimpse of Salinger in his younger, more social years as a member of The Mask and Spur dramatic society and the Glee Club. This is Salinger before the fame of The Catcher in Rye drove him into seclusion. The addition of his difficult-to-acquire signature makes this an incredibly rare and desirable item.
First edition. Inscribed and signed by Salinger over his senior portrait, "Best of luck to the guy that will put Hilden out of business, Jerome Salinger". Octavo. 220 pages.
Publisher's black buckram with gilt stamping on the front and spine. Rubbing to the spine ends and corners with some general light soiling to the boards. Endpapers are mildly toned along the edges with previous owner's name in pencil on the front free endpaper and student inscriptions on the rear endpapers. A very good copy.
As a cadet at Valley Forge Military Academy, upon which Holden Caulfield's school Pency Prep is based, Salinger was literary editor of The Crossed Sabres. He contributed the Class Poem and certainly some, if not all, of the text to this yearbook. In a broad context, this could be considered Salinger's first published book. Known today for his reclusive nature, it is fascinating to get a glimpse of Salinger in his younger, more social years as a member of The Mask and Spur dramatic society and the Glee Club. This is Salinger before the fame of The Catcher in Rye drove him into seclusion. The addition of his difficult-to-acquire signature makes this an incredibly rare and desirable item.
J. D. Salinger. Nine Stories. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1953.
First edition. Octavo. 302 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with gilt stamped spine. Minimal wear to extremities with the upper corners softly bumped. The dust jacket has some light rubbing and edge wear with a one-inch tear to the lower edge of the front panel. The spine shows some sunning and has a one-inch abrasion about mid-panel. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A solid, very good copy.
First edition. Octavo. 302 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with gilt stamped spine. Minimal wear to extremities with the upper corners softly bumped. The dust jacket has some light rubbing and edge wear with a one-inch tear to the lower edge of the front panel. The spine shows some sunning and has a one-inch abrasion about mid-panel. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A solid, very good copy.
J. D. Salinger. Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters, and Seymour: An Introduction. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1963.
First edition, first issue with no dedication page. Publisher's letter and review slip (dated with rubberstamp: Jan. 28, 1963) laid-in. Slate blue cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Very minor rubbing and discoloration to dust jacket. In custom clamshell box bound in half black morocco over black cloth boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Near fine condition.
"The publisher stated, shortly after publication, that approximately 20 copies without the dedication page had been released. The remainder of the first edition, constituting a second issue, contains a leaf with the dedication tipped in" (Bixby A5a).
Ahearn 574. Starosciak A42. Bruccoli & Clark I:315.
First edition, first issue with no dedication page. Publisher's letter and review slip (dated with rubberstamp: Jan. 28, 1963) laid-in. Slate blue cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Very minor rubbing and discoloration to dust jacket. In custom clamshell box bound in half black morocco over black cloth boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Near fine condition.
"The publisher stated, shortly after publication, that approximately 20 copies without the dedication page had been released. The remainder of the first edition, constituting a second issue, contains a leaf with the dedication tipped in" (Bixby A5a).
Ahearn 574. Starosciak A42. Bruccoli & Clark I:315.
Walter Scott. The Lady of the Lake; a Poem. Edinburgh: Printed for John Ballantyne and Co. and Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, and William Miller by John Ballantyne and Co., 1810.
First edition and one of only 25 large paper Royal edition copies. Folio. 290, [i]-cxxix pages. Engraved frontispiece portrait of Scott.
Later green cloth spine over blue boards with a crimson leather title label on the spine lettered in gilt. Brown paper dust jacket not original to the book. Moderate edge wear. Rear hinge tender. Scattered minor foxing. Binding a touch shaken. A very good copy.
First edition and one of only 25 large paper Royal edition copies. Folio. 290, [i]-cxxix pages. Engraved frontispiece portrait of Scott.
Later green cloth spine over blue boards with a crimson leather title label on the spine lettered in gilt. Brown paper dust jacket not original to the book. Moderate edge wear. Rear hinge tender. Scattered minor foxing. Binding a touch shaken. A very good copy.
Michael Shaara. The Killer Angels. New York: David McKay, 1974.
First edition. Octavo. 374 pages. With eighteen full-page maps in text.
Original light blue cloth over boards with gilt spine titles. Very good condition.
Shaara's critically acclaimed novel which won him the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
First edition. Octavo. 374 pages. With eighteen full-page maps in text.
Original light blue cloth over boards with gilt spine titles. Very good condition.
Shaara's critically acclaimed novel which won him the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
William Shakespeare. The Dramatic Works of William Shakspeare. Revised by George Stevens. London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co., for John and Joshua Boydell, 1802.
First Boydell edition. Nine Royal folio volumes (16.35 x 12.25 inches) with ninety-seven superb full-page engravings (including the two portraits) after Reynolds, Northcote, Porter, Bunbury, Opie, Westall, Smirke, Stothard, Hamilton, and other eminent British artists. All half-titles present.
Contemporary diced Russia calf, spines in compartments with raised bands and elaborately gilt. Wide gilt borders on covers; gilt inner dentelles; all edges gilt. This set is from the library of Lord Eardley, with his armorial bookplate in each volume. Due to the size and weight of each volume, some joints have become tender and have been repaired or rebacked. Some skillful restoration to the tops and bottoms of some spines. Light occasional foxing in the text, heavier on pages adjacent to the plates and tissue guards. Volume VI with more prominent foxing to the terminal leaves; Volumes VIII and IX with heavier foxing in places. Even with the flaws noted, this is overall an exceptionally clean and tight set in an attractive contemporary full calf binding. A most desirable set.
Among the most celebrated editions of Shakespeare, this huge undertaking put its publisher, Boydell, into bankruptcy due to the excessive cost of the production. At the Lord Mayor of London's suggestion, Parliament passed a special act allowing for a lottery which made it possible to finish the work.
A truly monumental labor of devotion, all aspects of this edition are impressive. "According to the prospectus, issued in 1786, a type foundry, an ink factory, and a printing house were all specially erected for the production of this edition" (Jaggard). While Jaggard calls for 100 plates for this set, complete copies can have anywhere between 95 and 100 plates due to Boydell's inconsistent methods of assembling the volumes.
Jaggard, p. 508. Shaksperiana, III, 34.
First Boydell edition. Nine Royal folio volumes (16.35 x 12.25 inches) with ninety-seven superb full-page engravings (including the two portraits) after Reynolds, Northcote, Porter, Bunbury, Opie, Westall, Smirke, Stothard, Hamilton, and other eminent British artists. All half-titles present.
Contemporary diced Russia calf, spines in compartments with raised bands and elaborately gilt. Wide gilt borders on covers; gilt inner dentelles; all edges gilt. This set is from the library of Lord Eardley, with his armorial bookplate in each volume. Due to the size and weight of each volume, some joints have become tender and have been repaired or rebacked. Some skillful restoration to the tops and bottoms of some spines. Light occasional foxing in the text, heavier on pages adjacent to the plates and tissue guards. Volume VI with more prominent foxing to the terminal leaves; Volumes VIII and IX with heavier foxing in places. Even with the flaws noted, this is overall an exceptionally clean and tight set in an attractive contemporary full calf binding. A most desirable set.
Among the most celebrated editions of Shakespeare, this huge undertaking put its publisher, Boydell, into bankruptcy due to the excessive cost of the production. At the Lord Mayor of London's suggestion, Parliament passed a special act allowing for a lottery which made it possible to finish the work.
A truly monumental labor of devotion, all aspects of this edition are impressive. "According to the prospectus, issued in 1786, a type foundry, an ink factory, and a printing house were all specially erected for the production of this edition" (Jaggard). While Jaggard calls for 100 plates for this set, complete copies can have anywhere between 95 and 100 plates due to Boydell's inconsistent methods of assembling the volumes.
Jaggard, p. 508. Shaksperiana, III, 34.
William Shakespeare. Othello, the Moor of Venice, a Tragedy. London: Printed for R. Wellington, 1705.
Seventh quarto edition. 75 pages. One page of ads and the dramatis personæ follow the title page. One page ads at the rear.
Half calf over marbled boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Later leather and backstrip to early boards. Marbled endpapers. Armorial bookplate on front pastedown of author and Shakespeare scholar, Joseph Parker Norris. Some mild foxing. Slight bumping to corners. Near fine.
Seventh quarto edition. 75 pages. One page of ads and the dramatis personæ follow the title page. One page ads at the rear.
Half calf over marbled boards. Gilt lettering to spine. Later leather and backstrip to early boards. Marbled endpapers. Armorial bookplate on front pastedown of author and Shakespeare scholar, Joseph Parker Norris. Some mild foxing. Slight bumping to corners. Near fine.
[J. Payne Collier, editor]. The Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare, with the Purest Text, and the Briefest Notes. London: Privately Printed for Subscribers, 1878. First, thus. Limited to only fifty-eight sets. Eight small quarto volumes. Bound by Rivière in full scarlet morocco. Gilt fillets and corner designs to boards. Raised bands. Elaborate gilt work to compartments, gilt lettering to spines. All edges gilt. Hinges cracked on two volumes. Headband of one volume loose but still attached. Extremities rubbed. Very good. [together with:] Three Autograph Letters Signed by J. Payne Collier. All on laid stationary paper. In the first, dated Jan. 10, 1875, Collier thanks the recipient for becoming a subscriber of his "projected Shakespeare." (The call for subscribers appeared the previous day in The Athenæum). The second two letters (June 25 and 28 of 1881) concern Collier resolving a shipping issue. (The work was issued in forty-three parts.) Collier also recommends a binder, Rivière; advice which the subscriber seems to have followed.
John Payne Collier's Shakespeare was a new edition based on a copy of the Second Folio (the "Perkins Folio") he acquired which had corrections purported to be added by hand in the middle of the seventeenth century. Collier's reasoning was that such early emendations must point the way towards a more pure form of the texts as intended by Shakespeare. The authenticity of the Perkins Folio was quickly called into question by contemporary scholars, and, subsequently the corrections were proved to have been added in the nineteenth century. There continues to be some speculation as to how great a role (if any) Collier had in the creation of this famous literary forgery; however, his association with the disputed material called into question his entire life's work. "Collier did Shakespeare scholarship an incalculable injury, because unfortunately he was a scholar himself. He died so utterly unnoticed that his funeral was noticed in the newspapers as 'Funeral of John Payne--a Collier.'" (New Shakespeareana, Vol. IX, No. 1).
John Payne Collier's Shakespeare was a new edition based on a copy of the Second Folio (the "Perkins Folio") he acquired which had corrections purported to be added by hand in the middle of the seventeenth century. Collier's reasoning was that such early emendations must point the way towards a more pure form of the texts as intended by Shakespeare. The authenticity of the Perkins Folio was quickly called into question by contemporary scholars, and, subsequently the corrections were proved to have been added in the nineteenth century. There continues to be some speculation as to how great a role (if any) Collier had in the creation of this famous literary forgery; however, his association with the disputed material called into question his entire life's work. "Collier did Shakespeare scholarship an incalculable injury, because unfortunately he was a scholar himself. He died so utterly unnoticed that his funeral was noticed in the newspapers as 'Funeral of John Payne--a Collier.'" (New Shakespeareana, Vol. IX, No. 1).
Wallace Stegner. Remembering Laughter. Boston: Little, Brown, 1937.
First edition. Signed by Stegner on the half-title page. Octavo. 154 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with gilt stamping to the front and spine. Cloth is typically faded along the edges and spine. Dust jacket is lightly edge worn with two one-inch tears to the front panel. A very good copy of the author's first book.
First edition. Signed by Stegner on the half-title page. Octavo. 154 pages.
Publisher's blue cloth with gilt stamping to the front and spine. Cloth is typically faded along the edges and spine. Dust jacket is lightly edge worn with two one-inch tears to the front panel. A very good copy of the author's first book.
John Steinbeck. East of Eden. New York: The Viking Press, 1952.
One of 1,500 limited first edition copies signed by Steinbeck on the limitation page. Quarto. 602 pages.
Publisher's green cloth boards with gilt titles on the front board and gilt titles on the spine inside a maroon background. Housed in a custom crimson cloth slipcase. Minor edge wear; minimal wear to spine titles. Internal contents bright and clean. A near fine copy.
One of 1,500 limited first edition copies signed by Steinbeck on the limitation page. Quarto. 602 pages.
Publisher's green cloth boards with gilt titles on the front board and gilt titles on the spine inside a maroon background. Housed in a custom crimson cloth slipcase. Minor edge wear; minimal wear to spine titles. Internal contents bright and clean. A near fine copy.
John Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: The Viking Press, [1939].
First edition. With a card inscribed and signed by Steinbeck laid in: "For Elyse / from / John Steinbeck." Octavo. 619 pages.
Publisher's brown cloth, decoratively brown-stamped boards and spine. Original dust jacket. Housed in a custom beige cloth slipcase. Backstrip of book lightly browned and with faint spots. Jacket slightly browned and rubbed, with a couple of short tears at the folds, lightly chipped around edges with slight loss at corners and along bottom of rear flap fold. Overall, a handsome very good copy.
First edition. With a card inscribed and signed by Steinbeck laid in: "For Elyse / from / John Steinbeck." Octavo. 619 pages.
Publisher's brown cloth, decoratively brown-stamped boards and spine. Original dust jacket. Housed in a custom beige cloth slipcase. Backstrip of book lightly browned and with faint spots. Jacket slightly browned and rubbed, with a couple of short tears at the folds, lightly chipped around edges with slight loss at corners and along bottom of rear flap fold. Overall, a handsome very good copy.
John Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Viking Press, 1939.
First edition. Octavo. 619 pages.
Decorative cream cloth over boards. Dark red lettering to spine. Top edge yellow. Illustrated endpapers. Some rubbing to the dust jacket with very minor chipping to base of the spine. In a custom solander box with morocco backstrip and gold-stamped lettering. A tight, clean copy in very good condition.
Steinbeck's classic novel of a Depression-era family crossing the American west in search of a better life. This book earned Steinbeck a Pulitzer and a Nobel Prize.
First edition. Octavo. 619 pages.
Decorative cream cloth over boards. Dark red lettering to spine. Top edge yellow. Illustrated endpapers. Some rubbing to the dust jacket with very minor chipping to base of the spine. In a custom solander box with morocco backstrip and gold-stamped lettering. A tight, clean copy in very good condition.
Steinbeck's classic novel of a Depression-era family crossing the American west in search of a better life. This book earned Steinbeck a Pulitzer and a Nobel Prize.
John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men. New York: Covici Friede, 1937.
First edition, first issue, with lines 20 and 21 on p. 9 reading "and only moved because the heavy hands were pendula" and with the bullet between the 8's on page 88. Octavo. 186 pages.
Original beige cloth stamped in terra cotta and black on front cover and spine. Top edge stained blue. In the original dust jacket priced at $2.00. Slight soiling to dust jack. Overall, a crisp, near fine copy.
From Maxine Garrard's contemporary review (Columbus [Ga.] Enquirer-Sun, 1 March 1937): "From the sordid lives of a cocky tramp and a balmy moron, John Steinbeck has written a drama of indescribable magic and heart-breaking futility. Even if you think you are tough and can 'take it,' this book will cause an emotional upheaval. It is strong, it is powerful and it is wonderful, but unless you can swallow raw stuff - lay off."
First edition, first issue, with lines 20 and 21 on p. 9 reading "and only moved because the heavy hands were pendula" and with the bullet between the 8's on page 88. Octavo. 186 pages.
Original beige cloth stamped in terra cotta and black on front cover and spine. Top edge stained blue. In the original dust jacket priced at $2.00. Slight soiling to dust jack. Overall, a crisp, near fine copy.
From Maxine Garrard's contemporary review (Columbus [Ga.] Enquirer-Sun, 1 March 1937): "From the sordid lives of a cocky tramp and a balmy moron, John Steinbeck has written a drama of indescribable magic and heart-breaking futility. Even if you think you are tough and can 'take it,' this book will cause an emotional upheaval. It is strong, it is powerful and it is wonderful, but unless you can swallow raw stuff - lay off."
John Steinbeck. The Red Pony. New York: Covici - Friede Publishers, 1937.
Number 301 of 699 limited first edition copies signed by Steinbeck on the limitation page. Quarto. 81 pages plus limitation. Vignette of a pony in red and gray on the title page.
Publisher's beige cloth with red spine titles, the front and back covers with eight vertical and five horizontal gray rules, which create twelve separate compartments on each cover. Vignette of a red pony on the front cover, with the 1937 date in red roman numerals on the lower front cover. Printed on handmade La Garde paper. Fore-edge and bottom edge uncut. No glassine. Housed in the matching numbered publisher's paper slipcase with the spine lettered in black with the number "301" handwritten in red. Minimal shelf wear to the book. Spine somewhat darkened. A near fine copy in a timeworn but strong matching slipcase.
Goldstone and Payne A9a
Number 301 of 699 limited first edition copies signed by Steinbeck on the limitation page. Quarto. 81 pages plus limitation. Vignette of a pony in red and gray on the title page.
Publisher's beige cloth with red spine titles, the front and back covers with eight vertical and five horizontal gray rules, which create twelve separate compartments on each cover. Vignette of a red pony on the front cover, with the 1937 date in red roman numerals on the lower front cover. Printed on handmade La Garde paper. Fore-edge and bottom edge uncut. No glassine. Housed in the matching numbered publisher's paper slipcase with the spine lettered in black with the number "301" handwritten in red. Minimal shelf wear to the book. Spine somewhat darkened. A near fine copy in a timeworn but strong matching slipcase.
Goldstone and Payne A9a
John Steinbeck. Saint Katy the Virgin. New York: Covici Friede, [1936].
First edition, one of 199 numbered copies, however, this copy is not numbered. Twelvemo. 25 pages.
Original gold cloth backstrip, stamped in red, over gold, white and peach printed boards. With original glassine cover. In custom-made slipcase and chemise. Extremities slightly rubbed, glassine a bit ragged at edges with a bit of loss, else a fine example. This copy does not contain the "Merry Christmas" slip, sometimes found in this title. Two bookplates to the front endpapers, and previous owner's shelf label to rear endpaper.
Goldstone & Payne A6a.
First edition, one of 199 numbered copies, however, this copy is not numbered. Twelvemo. 25 pages.
Original gold cloth backstrip, stamped in red, over gold, white and peach printed boards. With original glassine cover. In custom-made slipcase and chemise. Extremities slightly rubbed, glassine a bit ragged at edges with a bit of loss, else a fine example. This copy does not contain the "Merry Christmas" slip, sometimes found in this title. Two bookplates to the front endpapers, and previous owner's shelf label to rear endpaper.
Goldstone & Payne A6a.
John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts. Sea of Cortez. New York: Viking Press, 1941.
First edition. Amusingly inscribed by Steinbeck to Gene Fowler on the front free endpaper, "For Gene Fowler (with hearty wishes) who pissed while this was signed John Steinbeck". Octavo. 598 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with silver titles on front and spine. Light rubbing to spine ends and corners with a one-half-inch dampstain to top page edges, not affecting internal text. Endpapers mildly toned and fore-edge modestly soiled. Dust jacket is rubbed and edge worn with minor chipping and flaking to extremities. A solid very good copy with a great association inscription.
Gene Fowler, a contemporary of Steinbeck's, was a noted screenwriter, journalist, and member of "The Bundy Drive Boys."
First edition. Amusingly inscribed by Steinbeck to Gene Fowler on the front free endpaper, "For Gene Fowler (with hearty wishes) who pissed while this was signed John Steinbeck". Octavo. 598 pages.
Publisher's green cloth with silver titles on front and spine. Light rubbing to spine ends and corners with a one-half-inch dampstain to top page edges, not affecting internal text. Endpapers mildly toned and fore-edge modestly soiled. Dust jacket is rubbed and edge worn with minor chipping and flaking to extremities. A solid very good copy with a great association inscription.
Gene Fowler, a contemporary of Steinbeck's, was a noted screenwriter, journalist, and member of "The Bundy Drive Boys."
John Steinbeck. The Wayward Bus. New York: Viking Press, 1947.
Association copy of the first edition, inscribed and signed by Steinbeck to his sister, Beth on the front free endpaper, "For Beth with love John". Octavo. 312 pages.
Publisher's rust cloth with gilt titles on front and spine, and blindstamped front decoration. Top edge green. Rubbing to extremities with small bump in bottom edge of front board. Rear hinge cracked. Dust jacket is lightly toned with rubbing and wear to extremities. Internal foxing. A very good copy.
Association copy of the first edition, inscribed and signed by Steinbeck to his sister, Beth on the front free endpaper, "For Beth with love John". Octavo. 312 pages.
Publisher's rust cloth with gilt titles on front and spine, and blindstamped front decoration. Top edge green. Rubbing to extremities with small bump in bottom edge of front board. Rear hinge cracked. Dust jacket is lightly toned with rubbing and wear to extremities. Internal foxing. A very good copy.
John Steinbeck. The Winter of Our Discontent. New York: The Viking Press, 1961.
First edition, signed by the author on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 311 pages.
Original blue cloth, gilt-stamped front board and spine, black printed label on spine. Original dust jacket. Housed in a beige cloth clamshell case with a black morocco lettering label on the spine. Very minimal rubbing to the price-clipped jacket, small bookseller's ticket on rear pastedown endpaper, else a fine copy.
Goldstone & Payne A38a.
First edition, signed by the author on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 311 pages.
Original blue cloth, gilt-stamped front board and spine, black printed label on spine. Original dust jacket. Housed in a beige cloth clamshell case with a black morocco lettering label on the spine. Very minimal rubbing to the price-clipped jacket, small bookseller's ticket on rear pastedown endpaper, else a fine copy.
Goldstone & Payne A38a.
John Steinbeck. Two Books, including: The Long Valley. New York: Viking, 1938. First edition. Octavo. 303 pages. Cream and red cloth over boards. Red lettering to spine. Top edge red. Binding slightly dusty. Dust jacket bright and clean. Overall, a very good copy. [and:] The Red Pony. New York: Viking, 1945. First edition. Small quarto. 131 pages. Color illustrations by Wesley Dennis. Illustrated endpapers. Tan cloth over boards. Decorative front board. All edges green. Some slight wear to slipcase. Glassine dust jacket. Very good.
John Steinbeck. Four Books, including: Cup of Gold. New York: Robert M. McBride, 1929. First edition, first issue. Included with lot is a typed letter presenting this copy to Steinbeck's last wife, Elaine Anderson. Octavo. 269 pages. Publisher's mustard cloth with titles in black. Cloth is rubbed with minor wear to extremities. Spine mildly darkened. Rear panel is water damaged with spotting, mildew stains, and a few pieces of what appear to be newspaper affixed. Lacking dust jacket. Included with lot is a typed letter presenting this copy to Steinbeck's last wife, Elaine Anderson. Nice content to the letter, as the sender is an old friend of Steinbeck's from his hometown of Salinas, California and has several good Steinbeck reminiscences. Sender's mother's signature is on front pastedown with note explaining book was purchased by her at a drug store in Salinas in 1929. Also a note from Elaine included, presumably to a family member or friend. Overall, a good copy with a nice back story. [and:] The Moon is Down. New York: Viking Press, 1942. First edition, second issue lacking period on page 112. Octavo. 188 pages. Top edge dusty with light foxing to all page edges. Dust jacket is price clipped with minor toning and internal foxing. A very good copy. [and:] Cannery Row. New York: Viking Press, 1945. First edition. Clipped signature of Steinbeck tipped onto front free endpaper, which is corner clipped. Octavo. 208 pages. Rubbing to extremities with light soiling to boards. Dust jacket is price-clipped with minor toning and edge wear. Overall, a very good copy. [and:] Sweet Thursday. New York: Viking Press, 1954. First edition. Lightly rubbed ends. Slight toning to endpapers with previous owner's embossment on front free endpaper. Dust jacket is lightly toned with minor edge wear. A very good copy.
Four Great Books by Great Nineteenth-Century Authors, including: Thomas Hardy. The Trumpet-Major. New York: Henry Holt, 1880. First American edition. Octavo. 366 pages. Number 118 in the Leisure Hour Series. Yellow decorative cloth over boards. Some slight soiling to boards and wear to head and foot of spine. Very good. [and:] Rudyard Kipling. "Captains Courageous." New York: The Century Co., 1897. First American edition. viii, 323 pages. Illustrations. Decorative cloth over boards. Top edge gilt. Inked presentation on recto of frontis. Slightly cocked binding. Very good. [and:] Rudyard Kipling: The Light that Failed. London: Macmillan, 1891. First English edition. Octavo. 339 pages. Blue cloth over boards. Binding leaning somewhat. Inked name of previous owner on verso of half-title page. Very good. [and:] Robert Louis Stevenson. Prayers Written at Vailima. London: Chatto & Windus, 1922. Quarto. Third impression. Illuminated by Alberto Sangorski. Cream cloth over boards. Very good in dust jacket.
Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin; or Life Among the Lowly. Boston: John P. Jewett & Company, 1852.
First edition, first issue. Two twelvemo volumes. 312, 322 pages. Engraved vignettes on the title page of each volume.
Publisher's gilt and blind-stamped brown cloth, re-cased with the original cloth laid-down, and preserving the original endpapers. Moderately worn bindings with bumped corners. Both volumes slightly cocked. Faint signs of removal of a personal bookplate on the pastedowns. Contemporary ownership signatures dated April 1852 on the free endpapers. Minimal scattered foxing. A very good copy of the landmark novel of 18th-century American literature.
"In the emotion-charged atmosphere of mid-nineteenth-century America Uncle Tom's Cabin exploded like a bombshell. To those engaged in fighting slavery it appeared as an indictment of all the evils inherent in the system they opposed; to the pro-slavery forces, it was a slanderous attack on 'the Southern way of life.'... Whatever its weaknesses as a literary work - structural looseness and excess of sentiment among them - the social impact of Uncle Tom's Cabin on the United States was greater than that of any book before or since." (Printing and the Mind of Man, Second edition, p. 202-203)
The first printing of Uncle Tom's Cabin consisted of 5,000 copies, of which 3,000 were sold in one day. And according to legend, when Abraham Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe toward the start of the Civil War in 1862, he remarked to her regarding Uncle Tom's Cabin, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this Great War!"
First edition, first issue. Two twelvemo volumes. 312, 322 pages. Engraved vignettes on the title page of each volume.
Publisher's gilt and blind-stamped brown cloth, re-cased with the original cloth laid-down, and preserving the original endpapers. Moderately worn bindings with bumped corners. Both volumes slightly cocked. Faint signs of removal of a personal bookplate on the pastedowns. Contemporary ownership signatures dated April 1852 on the free endpapers. Minimal scattered foxing. A very good copy of the landmark novel of 18th-century American literature.
"In the emotion-charged atmosphere of mid-nineteenth-century America Uncle Tom's Cabin exploded like a bombshell. To those engaged in fighting slavery it appeared as an indictment of all the evils inherent in the system they opposed; to the pro-slavery forces, it was a slanderous attack on 'the Southern way of life.'... Whatever its weaknesses as a literary work - structural looseness and excess of sentiment among them - the social impact of Uncle Tom's Cabin on the United States was greater than that of any book before or since." (Printing and the Mind of Man, Second edition, p. 202-203)
The first printing of Uncle Tom's Cabin consisted of 5,000 copies, of which 3,000 were sold in one day. And according to legend, when Abraham Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe toward the start of the Civil War in 1862, he remarked to her regarding Uncle Tom's Cabin, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this Great War!"
Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly. Boston: John P. Jewett & Company, 1852.
Thirtieth Thousand. Two twelvemo volumes. [iii]-x, 312; iv, [5]-322 pages. Wood-engraved title vignettes and six wood-engraved plates.
Binding B [BAL]. Publisher's brown cloth with blindstamped covers and spine. Gilt scene on front and gilt titles on spine. Cloth is rubbed and extremities worn with boards exposed at corners and areas of bottom edges. Spines are leaning and some pages are lightly soiled. A very good set in original bindings.
BAL 19343.
Thirtieth Thousand. Two twelvemo volumes. [iii]-x, 312; iv, [5]-322 pages. Wood-engraved title vignettes and six wood-engraved plates.
Binding B [BAL]. Publisher's brown cloth with blindstamped covers and spine. Gilt scene on front and gilt titles on spine. Cloth is rubbed and extremities worn with boards exposed at corners and areas of bottom edges. Spines are leaning and some pages are lightly soiled. A very good set in original bindings.
BAL 19343.
Torquato Tasso. La Gerusalemme Liberata. Paris: Didot, n.d. [1785, 1786.]
Two large quarto volumes. 331; 334 pages. Engraved frontispiece and forty plates after drawings by Charles-Nicolas Cochin.
Contemporary full calf over boards. Title labels and gilt lettering to spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Hinges reinforced with brown fabric tape. Joints cracked. Some scuffing to the boards. Slight separation to backstrip. Overall, very good.
The first edition of the Cochin illustrated edition of Tasso ran to only 200 sets and was followed the previous year by this, the second edition.
Two large quarto volumes. 331; 334 pages. Engraved frontispiece and forty plates after drawings by Charles-Nicolas Cochin.
Contemporary full calf over boards. Title labels and gilt lettering to spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Hinges reinforced with brown fabric tape. Joints cracked. Some scuffing to the boards. Slight separation to backstrip. Overall, very good.
The first edition of the Cochin illustrated edition of Tasso ran to only 200 sets and was followed the previous year by this, the second edition.
Torquato Tasso. La Gerusalemme Liberata. Parigi: Delalain, 1776.
First thus. Two twelvemo volumes. 326, 333 pages.
Contemporary full marbled calf bindings. Gilt ruled boards and decorated spine with gilt stamped spine labels. All edges gilt. Light wear and rubbing to extremities. Endpapers with minor foxing. Four leaves in volume two partially sprung. Bookplates to front pastedowns of both. Text in Italian. Overall, a very good set.
First thus. Two twelvemo volumes. 326, 333 pages.
Contemporary full marbled calf bindings. Gilt ruled boards and decorated spine with gilt stamped spine labels. All edges gilt. Light wear and rubbing to extremities. Endpapers with minor foxing. Four leaves in volume two partially sprung. Bookplates to front pastedowns of both. Text in Italian. Overall, a very good set.
William Makepeace Thackeray. The Newcomes. London: Bradbury and Evans, 1854, 1855.
First edition. Two octavo volumes. 380; 375 pages. Forty-six plates and many illustrations in text by Richard Doyle. Original yellow wrappers of the twenty-four serialized issues, with advertisements, bound at the rear of both volumes.
Bound by Bickers and Son in early full navy blue morocco. Gilt fillets to boards. Raised bands. Gilt designs and lettering to spine. Top edge gilt. Armorial bookplates on front pastedowns and front free endpapers of previous owners. Some scuffing to extremities of bindings. Near fine condition.
First edition. Two octavo volumes. 380; 375 pages. Forty-six plates and many illustrations in text by Richard Doyle. Original yellow wrappers of the twenty-four serialized issues, with advertisements, bound at the rear of both volumes.
Bound by Bickers and Son in early full navy blue morocco. Gilt fillets to boards. Raised bands. Gilt designs and lettering to spine. Top edge gilt. Armorial bookplates on front pastedowns and front free endpapers of previous owners. Some scuffing to extremities of bindings. Near fine condition.
B. Traven. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. New York: Knopf, 1935.
First American edition. Octavo. 366 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with blindstamped front board and gilt stamped spine. Very minor wear to extremities. Previous owner's name on the front free endpaper and bookplate on front pastedown. Dust jacket has been professionally restored. A very good copy.
The mysterious and enigmatic author's most famous novel. This is Traven's second novel published in America. His previous novel, Death Ship had also been published by Knopf. Roy Pateman, in his biography of Traven (The Man Nobody Knows), writes that the "renowned American publisher Alfred Knopf had been in the business for over twenty years, but not until a visit to Berlin in 1932 was he made aware of the existence of Traven who by then had sold millions of books in Europe." John Huston's Oscar-winning 1948 film helped to establish this deserving novel as a literary classic.
First American edition. Octavo. 366 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with blindstamped front board and gilt stamped spine. Very minor wear to extremities. Previous owner's name on the front free endpaper and bookplate on front pastedown. Dust jacket has been professionally restored. A very good copy.
The mysterious and enigmatic author's most famous novel. This is Traven's second novel published in America. His previous novel, Death Ship had also been published by Knopf. Roy Pateman, in his biography of Traven (The Man Nobody Knows), writes that the "renowned American publisher Alfred Knopf had been in the business for over twenty years, but not until a visit to Berlin in 1932 was he made aware of the existence of Traven who by then had sold millions of books in Europe." John Huston's Oscar-winning 1948 film helped to establish this deserving novel as a literary classic.
Mark Twain. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Hartford: The American Publishing Company, 1876.
First edition, second printing. Octavo. xiii, 275, plus 4 pages of advertisements. Many illustrations. Laid in are two First Day of Issue Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn stamped envelopes, postmarked Hannibal, Mo.
Gilt-decorated blue cloth over boards. Printed on laid paper. Preliminary pagination indicates a second printing, issue A, in accordance with the BAL. Ads in back are dated December 1st, 1876. Rear hinge repaired. Scuffing to boards. Spine sunned with fraying to head and foot. Overall, a very good copy.
BAL 3369.
First edition, second printing. Octavo. xiii, 275, plus 4 pages of advertisements. Many illustrations. Laid in are two First Day of Issue Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn stamped envelopes, postmarked Hannibal, Mo.
Gilt-decorated blue cloth over boards. Printed on laid paper. Preliminary pagination indicates a second printing, issue A, in accordance with the BAL. Ads in back are dated December 1st, 1876. Rear hinge repaired. Scuffing to boards. Spine sunned with fraying to head and foot. Overall, a very good copy.
BAL 3369.
Mark Twain. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and Other Sketches. Edited by John Paul [pseudonym of Charles Henry Webb]. New York: C. H. Webb, Publisher, 1867.
First edition of author's first published book, first issue, with the following points: single leaf of advertising on cream-yellow paper inserted between the preliminary flyleaf and the title; p. 21, the "1" in the page number is unbroken; p. 66, last line, the "e" in "life" is unbroken; p. 198, last line, the "i" in "this" is unbroken). Mounted on the front pastedown is a card inscribed in ink by Mark Twain: "Yours truly / S L Clemens / Mark Twain." Twelvemo. 198 pages. Decorative woodcut initials.
Publisher's green sand-grain cloth over bevelled boards. Front cover lettered in gilt with gilt jumping frog in a diagonal position in the lower left corner, rear cover stamped in blind with jumping frog in same position, spine ruled and lettered in gilt with gilt publisher's device at foot. Brown coated endpapers. Small piece missing from cloth on rear joint, upper front joint and lower rear joint strengthened, with some recoloring, a few small chips to spine extremities, board edges and corners lightly rubbed, a few small stains to covers, spine very slightly darkened, hinges repaired. Bookplate removed from front pastedown. Pencil annotations erased from verso of front free endpaper.
Slightly shaken, a few gatherings almost sprung. Some light foxing and faint dampstaining, primarily to the lower margin. Short tear to upper blank margin of contents leaf (pages [5]-[6]), short tear to outer blank margin of pages 139/140 and pages 151/152. Tiny portion of lower corner of pages 27/28 torn away. A few corners creased. A few scattered pencil markings. Still, a respectable copy in very good condition. Housed in a half dark green morocco over marbled board clamshell case with spine ruled and lettered in gilt with four raised bands.
"Perhaps no short sketch of Twain's so quickly won wide popularity as did 'The Jumping Frog.' Calaveras County, California, is known to thousands who have never seen the Golden State simply because of this gem of humor. This little volume, the author's first published book, came into being under the sponsorship of Charles Henry Webb-who also edited it under his pseudonym of 'John Paul.' To accompany 'The Jumping Frog' he chose twenty-six other sketches, of which at least two, 'Curing a Cold' and 'The Story of the Bad Little Boy Who Didn't Come to Grief,' later attained the distinction of being incorporated into recitation books for the delectation of even wider audiences" (Zamorano Eighty).
BAL 3310. Cowan II, p. 130. Johnson, Twain, pp. 3-9. Streeter 2910. Wheat, Gold Rush, 43. Zamorano Eighty 17.
First edition of author's first published book, first issue, with the following points: single leaf of advertising on cream-yellow paper inserted between the preliminary flyleaf and the title; p. 21, the "1" in the page number is unbroken; p. 66, last line, the "e" in "life" is unbroken; p. 198, last line, the "i" in "this" is unbroken). Mounted on the front pastedown is a card inscribed in ink by Mark Twain: "Yours truly / S L Clemens / Mark Twain." Twelvemo. 198 pages. Decorative woodcut initials.
Publisher's green sand-grain cloth over bevelled boards. Front cover lettered in gilt with gilt jumping frog in a diagonal position in the lower left corner, rear cover stamped in blind with jumping frog in same position, spine ruled and lettered in gilt with gilt publisher's device at foot. Brown coated endpapers. Small piece missing from cloth on rear joint, upper front joint and lower rear joint strengthened, with some recoloring, a few small chips to spine extremities, board edges and corners lightly rubbed, a few small stains to covers, spine very slightly darkened, hinges repaired. Bookplate removed from front pastedown. Pencil annotations erased from verso of front free endpaper.
Slightly shaken, a few gatherings almost sprung. Some light foxing and faint dampstaining, primarily to the lower margin. Short tear to upper blank margin of contents leaf (pages [5]-[6]), short tear to outer blank margin of pages 139/140 and pages 151/152. Tiny portion of lower corner of pages 27/28 torn away. A few corners creased. A few scattered pencil markings. Still, a respectable copy in very good condition. Housed in a half dark green morocco over marbled board clamshell case with spine ruled and lettered in gilt with four raised bands.
"Perhaps no short sketch of Twain's so quickly won wide popularity as did 'The Jumping Frog.' Calaveras County, California, is known to thousands who have never seen the Golden State simply because of this gem of humor. This little volume, the author's first published book, came into being under the sponsorship of Charles Henry Webb-who also edited it under his pseudonym of 'John Paul.' To accompany 'The Jumping Frog' he chose twenty-six other sketches, of which at least two, 'Curing a Cold' and 'The Story of the Bad Little Boy Who Didn't Come to Grief,' later attained the distinction of being incorporated into recitation books for the delectation of even wider audiences" (Zamorano Eighty).
BAL 3310. Cowan II, p. 130. Johnson, Twain, pp. 3-9. Streeter 2910. Wheat, Gold Rush, 43. Zamorano Eighty 17.
Mark Twain. Following the Equator. Hartford: The American Publishing Company, 1897. First edition. Octavo. 712 pages. Frontispiece, plus 192 illustrations, many full-page plates. Decorative blue cloth over boards. Gilt lettering and decorations to spine. Rear hinge repaired. Front hinge broken. Over all, a very good copy. [and:] Following the Equator. Salesman's dummy. Octavo. Many illustrations. Sample of three variant bindings - one cloth and two leather. Samples of the leather backstrips are affixed to the front pastedown resulting in offset discoloration to the front free endpaper. The ruled pages in the rear of the book show eight names and addresses of customers who ordered the book. Very good condition.
BAL 3451.
BAL 3451.
Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. The Gilded Age. Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1874.
First edition, with all early states of text per BAL except for repeated lines on pages 351 and 353. Octavo. xvi, 574 pages. 211 illustrations, plus frontispiece.
Original brown half-morocco. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine. Marbled edges. Marbled endpapers. Inked name of previous owner on front free endpaper. Very good.
Variants abound of the first edition of The Gilded Age, including the printed publication date. Published a few weeks prior to Christmas 1873, there are copies dated on the title page for both 1873 as well as 1874. Most copies appeared in cloth bindings, but American Publishing Company - which only sold to subscribers - offered more deluxe versions such as this leatherbound copy.
BAL 3357.
First edition, with all early states of text per BAL except for repeated lines on pages 351 and 353. Octavo. xvi, 574 pages. 211 illustrations, plus frontispiece.
Original brown half-morocco. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spine. Marbled edges. Marbled endpapers. Inked name of previous owner on front free endpaper. Very good.
Variants abound of the first edition of The Gilded Age, including the printed publication date. Published a few weeks prior to Christmas 1873, there are copies dated on the title page for both 1873 as well as 1874. Most copies appeared in cloth bindings, but American Publishing Company - which only sold to subscribers - offered more deluxe versions such as this leatherbound copy.
BAL 3357.
Mark Twain. E. W. Kemble [illustrator]. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer¹s Comrade). With one hundred and seventy-four illustrations. New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.
First American edition, first issue, with the following points: the title-page is a cancel, with the copyright notice dated 1884 (BAL second state, with the first state only noted in publisher's prospectuses and advanced sheets); p. [13], the illustration captioned "Him and another Man" is incorrectly listed as at p. 88 (BAL first state); p. 57, the eleventh line from the bottom reads "with the was" instead of "with the saw" (BAL first state); p. 155, the final "5" is lacking in the pagination (BAL first or second state); the final leaf (238) is present as a blank leaf; and the frontispiece portrait has the imprint of the Heliotype Printing Co., the tablecloth, or scarf, is clearly visible (BAL first state). Octavo. 366 pages. Inserted frontispiece portrait and wood-engraved text illustrations.
In publisher¹s full sheep binding, with black and red gilt stamped spine labels. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A very good, restored copy. Reinforced joints and corners with replaced backstrip. Some bowing to boards. Page edges toned with light foxing to endpapers and preliminary pages. A few scattered pages show light thumb soiling.
BAL 3415.
First American edition, first issue, with the following points: the title-page is a cancel, with the copyright notice dated 1884 (BAL second state, with the first state only noted in publisher's prospectuses and advanced sheets); p. [13], the illustration captioned "Him and another Man" is incorrectly listed as at p. 88 (BAL first state); p. 57, the eleventh line from the bottom reads "with the was" instead of "with the saw" (BAL first state); p. 155, the final "5" is lacking in the pagination (BAL first or second state); the final leaf (238) is present as a blank leaf; and the frontispiece portrait has the imprint of the Heliotype Printing Co., the tablecloth, or scarf, is clearly visible (BAL first state). Octavo. 366 pages. Inserted frontispiece portrait and wood-engraved text illustrations.
In publisher¹s full sheep binding, with black and red gilt stamped spine labels. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A very good, restored copy. Reinforced joints and corners with replaced backstrip. Some bowing to boards. Page edges toned with light foxing to endpapers and preliminary pages. A few scattered pages show light thumb soiling.
BAL 3415.
Mark Twain. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer's Comrade). With one hundred and seventy-four illustrations. New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.
First American edition, first printing, issued a few weeks (February 1885) after Chatto and Windus's London edition (December 1884). This copy has the following "traditional" or commonly identified bibliographical points: the title-page is a cancel, with the copyright notice dated 1884 (BAL second state, with the first state only noted in publisher's prospectuses and advanced sheets); p. [13], the illustration captioned "Him and another Man" is incorrectly listed as at p. 88 (BAL first state); p. 57, the eleventh line from the bottom reads "with the was" instead of "with the saw" (BAL first state); p. 283 is a cancel, with the engraving redone and the line indicating the fly on Silas Phelps's trousers a straight vertical line (BAL third state, the earliest known to appear in cloth-bound copies of the book); p. 155, the final "5" in the pagination is of a different font and extends slightly below the line of the figures that precede it (BAL third state); the final blank leaf (23/8) has been excised; the frontispiece portrait has the imprint of the Heliotype Printing Co. and the tablecloth, or scarf, on which the bust rests is clearly visible (BAL first state). Octavo. 366 pp. Inserted photogravure frontispiece of a portrait bust of Mark Twain by Karl Gerhardt, with tissue guard, and wood-engraved text illustrations by E. W. Kemble.
Original dark green diagonally-ribbed cloth pictorially stamped and lettered in gilt and black on front cover and spine. Pale peach endpapers. Protected in a half dark green calf over marbled board book-back clamshell case with black calf label on front cover ruled and lettered in gilt and spine ruled and lettered in gilt with four raised bands. Cloth lightly rubbed at head of spine, with one tiny chip, cloth fraying at foot of spine with small splits at joints, and at lower corner of front cover, with board exposed, lower board edges rubbed. A few small areas of slight discoloration to cloth on rear cover. Tiny ding to outer edge of front board. The text is generally very clean, with only some occasional very minor marginal staining or soiling. Some occasional faint offsetting from some of the darker illustrations. Two tiny chips and slight crease at the top edge of pages 35/36 and 37/38. A few leaves creased at the lower edge (pages 63/64 and 99/100). Tiny stain on the fore-edge of pages 335-344. Small faint yellow stain in the illustration on page 361. A few scattered pencil markings on the pages with issue points. A few corners creased. A very bright and clean copy.
BAL 3415. Grolier, 100 American, 87. Johnson, Twain, pp. 43-50. McBride, pp. 92-112.
First American edition, first printing, issued a few weeks (February 1885) after Chatto and Windus's London edition (December 1884). This copy has the following "traditional" or commonly identified bibliographical points: the title-page is a cancel, with the copyright notice dated 1884 (BAL second state, with the first state only noted in publisher's prospectuses and advanced sheets); p. [13], the illustration captioned "Him and another Man" is incorrectly listed as at p. 88 (BAL first state); p. 57, the eleventh line from the bottom reads "with the was" instead of "with the saw" (BAL first state); p. 283 is a cancel, with the engraving redone and the line indicating the fly on Silas Phelps's trousers a straight vertical line (BAL third state, the earliest known to appear in cloth-bound copies of the book); p. 155, the final "5" in the pagination is of a different font and extends slightly below the line of the figures that precede it (BAL third state); the final blank leaf (23/8) has been excised; the frontispiece portrait has the imprint of the Heliotype Printing Co. and the tablecloth, or scarf, on which the bust rests is clearly visible (BAL first state). Octavo. 366 pp. Inserted photogravure frontispiece of a portrait bust of Mark Twain by Karl Gerhardt, with tissue guard, and wood-engraved text illustrations by E. W. Kemble.
Original dark green diagonally-ribbed cloth pictorially stamped and lettered in gilt and black on front cover and spine. Pale peach endpapers. Protected in a half dark green calf over marbled board book-back clamshell case with black calf label on front cover ruled and lettered in gilt and spine ruled and lettered in gilt with four raised bands. Cloth lightly rubbed at head of spine, with one tiny chip, cloth fraying at foot of spine with small splits at joints, and at lower corner of front cover, with board exposed, lower board edges rubbed. A few small areas of slight discoloration to cloth on rear cover. Tiny ding to outer edge of front board. The text is generally very clean, with only some occasional very minor marginal staining or soiling. Some occasional faint offsetting from some of the darker illustrations. Two tiny chips and slight crease at the top edge of pages 35/36 and 37/38. A few leaves creased at the lower edge (pages 63/64 and 99/100). Tiny stain on the fore-edge of pages 335-344. Small faint yellow stain in the illustration on page 361. A few scattered pencil markings on the pages with issue points. A few corners creased. A very bright and clean copy.
BAL 3415. Grolier, 100 American, 87. Johnson, Twain, pp. 43-50. McBride, pp. 92-112.
Mark Twain. E. W. Kemble [illustrator]. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer¹s Comrade). With one hundred and seventy-four illustrations. New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.
First American edition, third issue, with the following points: the title-page is a cancel, with the copyright notice dated 1884 [BAL second state, with the first state only noted in publisher's prospectuses and advanced sheets]; p. [13], the illustration captioned "Him and another Man" is correctly listed as at p. 87 [BAL second state]; p. 57, the eleventh line from the bottom reads "with the saw" instead of "with the was" [BAL second state]; p. 155, the final "5" is extended below in the pagination [BAL third state]; and the frontispiece portrait has the imprint of Photo-Gravure Co., the tablecloth, or scarf, is not visible [BAL third state]. Octavo. 366, [2, blank] pages. Inserted frontispiece portrait and wood-engraved text illustrations.
In publisher¹s green full cloth pictorial binding, stamped and lettered in gilt and black. Lightly rubbed with moderate wear to extremities. Some toning and soiling to preliminary pages. A bright, very good copy.
BAL 3415.
First American edition, third issue, with the following points: the title-page is a cancel, with the copyright notice dated 1884 [BAL second state, with the first state only noted in publisher's prospectuses and advanced sheets]; p. [13], the illustration captioned "Him and another Man" is correctly listed as at p. 87 [BAL second state]; p. 57, the eleventh line from the bottom reads "with the saw" instead of "with the was" [BAL second state]; p. 155, the final "5" is extended below in the pagination [BAL third state]; and the frontispiece portrait has the imprint of Photo-Gravure Co., the tablecloth, or scarf, is not visible [BAL third state]. Octavo. 366, [2, blank] pages. Inserted frontispiece portrait and wood-engraved text illustrations.
In publisher¹s green full cloth pictorial binding, stamped and lettered in gilt and black. Lightly rubbed with moderate wear to extremities. Some toning and soiling to preliminary pages. A bright, very good copy.
BAL 3415.
Mark Twain. The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson and the Comedy Those Extraordinary Twins. Hartford: American Publishing, 1894.
First American edition, first state, with state A of the frontispiece portrait (no priority). Octavo. 432 pages.
Publisher's brown cloth intricately stamped in gilt and black. Very softly bumped on lower corner of front board. Housed in a perished slipcase. An immaculate copy in fine condition.
BAL 3442.
First American edition, first state, with state A of the frontispiece portrait (no priority). Octavo. 432 pages.
Publisher's brown cloth intricately stamped in gilt and black. Very softly bumped on lower corner of front board. Housed in a perished slipcase. An immaculate copy in fine condition.
BAL 3442.
Mark Twain. The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson and the Comedy of Those Extraordinary Twins. Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1894.
First edition, first state. Octavo. 432 pages. Marginal illustrations on all pages. Frontispiece.
Decorated reddish brown cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to front board and spine. Rear hinge repaired. A tight, clean copy in very good condition.
BAL 3442.
First edition, first state. Octavo. 432 pages. Marginal illustrations on all pages. Frontispiece.
Decorated reddish brown cloth over boards. Gilt lettering to front board and spine. Rear hinge repaired. A tight, clean copy in very good condition.
BAL 3442.
Mark Twain. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. New York: Charles L. Webster & Company, 1889.
First edition, first issue, with a small "S-like" ornament between the two words in the caption "The King" for the illustration on p. 59. Square octavo. xvi, [1, blank], 17-575, [1, blank], [2, publisher's advertisements] pages. Text illustrations by Dan Beard.
Original olive green fine diagonally-ribbed cloth with front cover pictorially stamped in gilt, gray, and black and lettered in gilt and spine pictorially stamped, ruled, and lettered in gilt. Corners and spine extremities rubbed, a bit of general rubbing and soiling. Front hinge shaken. Small ticket of the "Publishers' & Booksellers' Protective Ass'n." with ink stamp "A / 2628" on rear free endpaper. A very good copy.
"The illustrations by Dan Beard, in his own right a writer of reform tales, added greatly to the author's ideas. An unusual feature of the illustrations was the use of then living industrialists and rulers as 'models' for the depicted characters" (Johnson, Twain, p. 52).
"Most copies of the 'Yankee' have a stamp, similar in size and shape to the ordinary postage stamp, affixed to the 'lower hinge-corner' of the final end paper. These stamps were numbered, each copy having its individual number, and were designed to prevent agents from selling the book to bookstores without detection" (Johnson, Twain, p. 52).
BAL 3429. Johnson, Twain, pp. 50-52.
First edition, first issue, with a small "S-like" ornament between the two words in the caption "The King" for the illustration on p. 59. Square octavo. xvi, [1, blank], 17-575, [1, blank], [2, publisher's advertisements] pages. Text illustrations by Dan Beard.
Original olive green fine diagonally-ribbed cloth with front cover pictorially stamped in gilt, gray, and black and lettered in gilt and spine pictorially stamped, ruled, and lettered in gilt. Corners and spine extremities rubbed, a bit of general rubbing and soiling. Front hinge shaken. Small ticket of the "Publishers' & Booksellers' Protective Ass'n." with ink stamp "A / 2628" on rear free endpaper. A very good copy.
"The illustrations by Dan Beard, in his own right a writer of reform tales, added greatly to the author's ideas. An unusual feature of the illustrations was the use of then living industrialists and rulers as 'models' for the depicted characters" (Johnson, Twain, p. 52).
"Most copies of the 'Yankee' have a stamp, similar in size and shape to the ordinary postage stamp, affixed to the 'lower hinge-corner' of the final end paper. These stamps were numbered, each copy having its individual number, and were designed to prevent agents from selling the book to bookstores without detection" (Johnson, Twain, p. 52).
BAL 3429. Johnson, Twain, pp. 50-52.
Mark Twain. [Samuel L. Clemens]. Two First Editions, including: The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson and the Comedy Those Extraordinary Twins. Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1894. First edition, first state (the text block measuring one-and-one-eighth inches, the title page is bound-in, and the frontispiece shows a facsimile signature of Twain measuring one-and-seven-sixteenths wide). Octavo. 432 pages. With marginal illustrations on virtually every page. Original brown decorated cloth with titles and decoration stamped in black and gilt on the front board and spine. Shelf wear at the edges of the boards and significant loss of cloth along the spine. Cloth on boards rubbed. Corners bumped and rubbed. Internal contents bright and clean. Previous owner's gift inscription on front free endpaper. Very good condition. In addition to being Twain's most in-depth treatment of race relations, the story is also an early contribution to the burgeoning detective genre. [and:] Following the Equator. A Journey Around the World. Hartford: The American Publishing Company, 1897. First edition, first issue with signature marked "11" on page 161 and single line Hartford imprint on the title page. Octavo. 712 pages. Illustrations in text. Publisher's blue cloth with beautiful elephant vignette in light blue, gray, orange, pink and gilt on the front board and titles and decoration stamped in gilt on the spine. Minor shelf wear to the cloth. Front hinge starting, else a near fine copy. A wonderful pair of Twain classics.
Anne Tyler. If Morning Ever Comes. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964.
First edition. Octavo. 265 pages.
Publisher's black cloth over blue paper boards. Top edge stained red. Top and bottom edges of boards faded. Two short tears at top edge of leaf containing "A Note on the Type." Minor staining to a couple of pages. Two short tears at head of dust jacket spine. Minor surface loss to flaps. Very good condition.
Tyler's first novel, published when she was just 22.
First edition. Octavo. 265 pages.
Publisher's black cloth over blue paper boards. Top edge stained red. Top and bottom edges of boards faded. Two short tears at top edge of leaf containing "A Note on the Type." Minor staining to a couple of pages. Two short tears at head of dust jacket spine. Minor surface loss to flaps. Very good condition.
Tyler's first novel, published when she was just 22.
Anne Tyler. The Tin Can Tree. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965.
First edition. Signed by Tyler on the title page. Octavo. 273 pages.
Publisher's gilt-stamped maroon cloth over blue paper boards. Top edge stained yellow. Price-clipped dust jacket is lightly chipped at spine ends; dampstaining to darkened jacket spine. Very good.
Tyler's second book, published when she was still in her early twenties.
First edition. Signed by Tyler on the title page. Octavo. 273 pages.
Publisher's gilt-stamped maroon cloth over blue paper boards. Top edge stained yellow. Price-clipped dust jacket is lightly chipped at spine ends; dampstaining to darkened jacket spine. Very good.
Tyler's second book, published when she was still in her early twenties.
John Updike. Rabbit, Run. New York: Knopf, 1960.
First edition. Signed by Updike on the title page. Octavo. 307 pages.
Green cloth over blue boards. Top edge green. Some sunning and light chipping to dust jacket. Very good.
First edition. Signed by Updike on the title page. Octavo. 307 pages.
Green cloth over blue boards. Top edge green. Some sunning and light chipping to dust jacket. Very good.
Jules Verne. For The Flag. Translated from the French by Mrs. Cashel Hoey. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company Limited, 1897.
First British edition. Twelvemo. 312 pages. With 41 full-page black-and-white illustrations including the frontispiece.
Publisher's orange cloth decoratively stamped in gilt, black, and white on the spine and front board. Extremities lightly bumped and rubbed. Spine lightly sunned. Light scattered dust-soiling on the boards and around the edges. Textblock edges lightly dust-soiled. Mild foxing to the endpapers. Internal contents clean. Overall a tight and bright copy in very good condition.
This edition was published nine months earlier than the American edition, which was titled Facing the Flag.
First British edition. Twelvemo. 312 pages. With 41 full-page black-and-white illustrations including the frontispiece.
Publisher's orange cloth decoratively stamped in gilt, black, and white on the spine and front board. Extremities lightly bumped and rubbed. Spine lightly sunned. Light scattered dust-soiling on the boards and around the edges. Textblock edges lightly dust-soiled. Mild foxing to the endpapers. Internal contents clean. Overall a tight and bright copy in very good condition.
This edition was published nine months earlier than the American edition, which was titled Facing the Flag.
Jules Verne. Le Tour du Monde, en Quatre-Vingts Jours. Paris: Editions du Cadran, 1988, 1989.
First edition, thus. Two small folio volumes. 175; 163 pages. Limited to 1,500 sets (of which this copy is number 438) printed on Lana paper with illustrations in their final state. With forty-six color illustrations by Henry Lemarie, including sixteen watercolor reproductions, and thirty camaieu drawings. Text in French.
Full original dark blue morocco with decorative blind-stamped designs. Gilt lettering. Inset color illustrations to front boards. Gilt fillets to turn-ins; silk moiré endpapers. Top edges gilt. Slipcases with marbled design and leather lips. Some very moderate shelf-wear to slipcases. Publisher's tri-fold prospectus laid-in. Near fine condition.
First edition, thus. Two small folio volumes. 175; 163 pages. Limited to 1,500 sets (of which this copy is number 438) printed on Lana paper with illustrations in their final state. With forty-six color illustrations by Henry Lemarie, including sixteen watercolor reproductions, and thirty camaieu drawings. Text in French.
Full original dark blue morocco with decorative blind-stamped designs. Gilt lettering. Inset color illustrations to front boards. Gilt fillets to turn-ins; silk moiré endpapers. Top edges gilt. Slipcases with marbled design and leather lips. Some very moderate shelf-wear to slipcases. Publisher's tri-fold prospectus laid-in. Near fine condition.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Cat's Cradle. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston [1963].
First edition. Octavo. 233 pages.
Publisher's green cloth over blue boards with blue lettering on spine and front cover. Bumps on corners and at foot of spine. The dust jacket is very good with some wear, small tears, and some loss at the base of the spine and from the bottom corner of the front flap. Overall, a very good copy.
In 1971, this brilliant novel earned Kurt Vonnegut his Masters degree in anthropology from the University of Chicago, after his thesis had been rejected. Nothing is sacred, as the author tackles religion, science, technology, and such topical issues as the nuclear arms race.
First edition. Octavo. 233 pages.
Publisher's green cloth over blue boards with blue lettering on spine and front cover. Bumps on corners and at foot of spine. The dust jacket is very good with some wear, small tears, and some loss at the base of the spine and from the bottom corner of the front flap. Overall, a very good copy.
In 1971, this brilliant novel earned Kurt Vonnegut his Masters degree in anthropology from the University of Chicago, after his thesis had been rejected. Nothing is sacred, as the author tackles religion, science, technology, and such topical issues as the nuclear arms race.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York: Delacorte, 1969.
First edition. Signed by Vonnegut on the half-title page. Octavo. 186 pages.
Blue cloth over boards. Gilt and red lettering. First state dust jacket with the number 0369 on rear flap. Near fine condition.
Kurt Vonnegut combines time-travel, extraterrestrials, social satire, and pop culture to write about his own experiences in World War II witnessing the Allied bombing of Dresden.
First edition. Signed by Vonnegut on the half-title page. Octavo. 186 pages.
Blue cloth over boards. Gilt and red lettering. First state dust jacket with the number 0369 on rear flap. Near fine condition.
Kurt Vonnegut combines time-travel, extraterrestrials, social satire, and pop culture to write about his own experiences in World War II witnessing the Allied bombing of Dresden.
Kurt Vonnegut. Two Books, including: Bagombo Snuff Box. New York: Putnam, 1999. First edition. Signed by Vonnegut on the title page. Octavo. 295 pages. Black cloth over white boards. Green lettering to spine. Fine in dust jacket. [and:] Hocus Pocus. New York: Putnam, 1990. First edition. Inscribed by Vonnegut and dated (Sept. 28, 1990) on the front free endpaper - continuing onto the front pastedown is a sketch by Vonnegut, presumably a self-portrait. Octavo. 302 pages. White cloth over white boards. Red designs and lettering to front board. Red lettering to spine. Near fine in dust jacket.
Three Kurt Vonnegut Signed Editions, including: Slapstick. [New York]: Delacorte Press, [1976]. First edition. Octavo. 243 pages. Limited to 250 copies of which this is number 103. Signed by Vonnegut on limitation page. Housed in publisher's slipcase. Modest soiling to spine with slightly dulled gilt. A near fine copy. [and:] Jailbird. [New York]: Delacorte Press, [1979]. First edition. Octavo. 246 pages. Limited to 500 copies of which this is number 339. Signed by Vonnegut on the limitation page. Housed in publisher's slipcase. A fine copy. [and:] Deadeye Dick. [New York]: Delacorte Press, [1982]. First edition. Octavo. 240 pages. Limited to 350 copies of which this is number 170. Signed by Vonnegut on the limitation page. Housed in publisher's slipcase. A fine copy.
Walt Whitman. Leaves of Grass. Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1881-82.
Seventh edition, known generally as the "suppressed Boston edition." One of 1,010 first printing copies of such with Whitman portrait at page 28. Twelvemo. 382 pages.
Publisher's original mustard cloth with gilt titles and spine decoration. Minimal shelf wear, dust-soiling, rubbing, and spotting to boards and textblock edge. Cloth bubbling in a few tiny areas on the boards. Spine somewhat darkened. All in all, a tight copy in near fine condition.
Previous owner Daniel Parkhurst's signature dated 1881 on the title page and front flyleaf, where he has additionally written out eleven lines of Whitman's "To a Certain Civilian." Parkhurst was an artist and author of art instruction books.
"Whitman's bad luck with Boston publishers held until the end, for soon after James R. Osgood and Company brought out the 1881-82 edition of Leaves of Grass the District Attorney of Boston threatened prosecution if the book were not withdrawn from the mails or expurgated. When Whitman refused permission to delete any lines whatever, Osgood abandoned publication and turned the plates over to the author, who soon secured a new publisher in Rees Walsh and Company, Philadelphia, and the book was reissued in 1882." (Gay Wilson Allen: The New Walt Whitman Handbook, p. 147)
BAL 21418
Seventh edition, known generally as the "suppressed Boston edition." One of 1,010 first printing copies of such with Whitman portrait at page 28. Twelvemo. 382 pages.
Publisher's original mustard cloth with gilt titles and spine decoration. Minimal shelf wear, dust-soiling, rubbing, and spotting to boards and textblock edge. Cloth bubbling in a few tiny areas on the boards. Spine somewhat darkened. All in all, a tight copy in near fine condition.
Previous owner Daniel Parkhurst's signature dated 1881 on the title page and front flyleaf, where he has additionally written out eleven lines of Whitman's "To a Certain Civilian." Parkhurst was an artist and author of art instruction books.
"Whitman's bad luck with Boston publishers held until the end, for soon after James R. Osgood and Company brought out the 1881-82 edition of Leaves of Grass the District Attorney of Boston threatened prosecution if the book were not withdrawn from the mails or expurgated. When Whitman refused permission to delete any lines whatever, Osgood abandoned publication and turned the plates over to the author, who soon secured a new publisher in Rees Walsh and Company, Philadelphia, and the book was reissued in 1882." (Gay Wilson Allen: The New Walt Whitman Handbook, p. 147)
BAL 21418
Oscar Wilde. The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People by the Author of Lady Windemere's Fan. London: Leonard Smithers and Co., 1899.
First edition. Limited to 1,000 numbered copies, this being number 181. Octavo. 152 pages.
Lavender cloth over boards. Gilt designs to boards and spine with gilt lettering to spine. Some rubbing and slight dislocation to front board. Mild sunning to spine. Very good condition.
Mason 381.
First edition. Limited to 1,000 numbered copies, this being number 181. Octavo. 152 pages.
Lavender cloth over boards. Gilt designs to boards and spine with gilt lettering to spine. Some rubbing and slight dislocation to front board. Mild sunning to spine. Very good condition.
Mason 381.
Thornton Niven Wilder. The Cabala. New York: Albert and Charles Boni, 1926.
First edition. Gift inscription by the publishers, Albert Boni and Charles Boni, on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 230 pages.
Tan decorative cloth over boards, with red backstrip. In custom half leather clamshell box. Dust jacket shows some slight fading to spine and a few closed tears have been reinforced with clear tape on the obverse. Near fine condition.
First edition. Gift inscription by the publishers, Albert Boni and Charles Boni, on the front free endpaper. Octavo. 230 pages.
Tan decorative cloth over boards, with red backstrip. In custom half leather clamshell box. Dust jacket shows some slight fading to spine and a few closed tears have been reinforced with clear tape on the obverse. Near fine condition.
Thornton Wilder. Our Town. A Play in Three Acts. New York: Coward McCann, Inc., [1938].
First edition of the play that brought Wilder his second Pulitzer Prize. Octavo. 128 pages.
Publisher's brown cloth with blue paper labels lettered in white. Pictorial endpapers. Original dust jacket. Mild toning to the boards edges. Slightly shelf-cocked. Light rubbing to front board. Light wear to the edges of the price-clipped dust jacket, with mild paper loss at the corners and spine ends. Internal contents bright and clean. Overall, a very good copy of Wilder's first theatrical success.
Our Town blazed a trail for minimalist theater by presenting no scenery, few props and following no clear traditional plot structure.
First edition of the play that brought Wilder his second Pulitzer Prize. Octavo. 128 pages.
Publisher's brown cloth with blue paper labels lettered in white. Pictorial endpapers. Original dust jacket. Mild toning to the boards edges. Slightly shelf-cocked. Light rubbing to front board. Light wear to the edges of the price-clipped dust jacket, with mild paper loss at the corners and spine ends. Internal contents bright and clean. Overall, a very good copy of Wilder's first theatrical success.
Our Town blazed a trail for minimalist theater by presenting no scenery, few props and following no clear traditional plot structure.
Thomas Wolfe. Look Homeward, Angel. A Story of a Buried Life. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929.
First edition in the first state dust jacket with the Doris Ulmann photograph of the author on the rear panel. Octavo. 626 pages.
Publisher's dark blue cloth with gilt spine titles. Original $2.50 dust jacket. Housed in a custom white cloth solander box with a blue leather spine label lettered in silver. Moderate wear to the edges. Bottom corners bumped. Light spotting to small area on the rear board. Dust jacket exhibits the usual toning and minor foxing, some loss along the edges, with tape reinforcements to the verso of the spine ends and flap fold ends. A four-inch light surface abrasion to the verso of the rear panel does not affect the recto of the rear panel. Overall, a very good copy of Wolfe's first novel in a somewhat timeworn dust jacket.
Look Homeward, Angel was edited by Scribner's legendary Maxwell Perkins and released to almost universal critical acclaim. Wolfe's autobiographical romance of his Asheville, North Carolina roots drew praise from readers and critics alike for its powerful prose and stream-of-consciousness style at a time when the latter was gaining popularity through the works of William Faulkner and others.
First edition in the first state dust jacket with the Doris Ulmann photograph of the author on the rear panel. Octavo. 626 pages.
Publisher's dark blue cloth with gilt spine titles. Original $2.50 dust jacket. Housed in a custom white cloth solander box with a blue leather spine label lettered in silver. Moderate wear to the edges. Bottom corners bumped. Light spotting to small area on the rear board. Dust jacket exhibits the usual toning and minor foxing, some loss along the edges, with tape reinforcements to the verso of the spine ends and flap fold ends. A four-inch light surface abrasion to the verso of the rear panel does not affect the recto of the rear panel. Overall, a very good copy of Wolfe's first novel in a somewhat timeworn dust jacket.
Look Homeward, Angel was edited by Scribner's legendary Maxwell Perkins and released to almost universal critical acclaim. Wolfe's autobiographical romance of his Asheville, North Carolina roots drew praise from readers and critics alike for its powerful prose and stream-of-consciousness style at a time when the latter was gaining popularity through the works of William Faulkner and others.
Thomas Wolfe. Of Time and the River. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1935.
First edition. Octavo. 912 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with gilt titles, ruled in green and gilt. Original dust jacket. Boards lightly dust-soiled along the spine, upper boards, and top textblock edge. The stylish dust jacket is price-clipped, with the spine slightly faded, minimal loss at the corners, and moderate edge wear. A very good copy.
This sequel to Wolfe's landmark Look Homeward, Angel took the author five years to complete and was met with critical acclaim upon its publication, prompting Malcolm Cowley to write in The New Republic that "Thomas Wolfe at his best is the only contemporary American writer who can be mentioned in the same breath with Dickens and Dostoevsky."
First edition. Octavo. 912 pages.
Publisher's black cloth with gilt titles, ruled in green and gilt. Original dust jacket. Boards lightly dust-soiled along the spine, upper boards, and top textblock edge. The stylish dust jacket is price-clipped, with the spine slightly faded, minimal loss at the corners, and moderate edge wear. A very good copy.
This sequel to Wolfe's landmark Look Homeward, Angel took the author five years to complete and was met with critical acclaim upon its publication, prompting Malcolm Cowley to write in The New Republic that "Thomas Wolfe at his best is the only contemporary American writer who can be mentioned in the same breath with Dickens and Dostoevsky."
Virginia Woolf. Street Haunting. San Francisco: Westgate Press, 1930.
First edition. Limited to 500 copies of which this is number 98 and signed by Woolf on the limitation page. Octavo. 35 pages. Publisher's quarter blue leather with gilt stamping on spine and paper covered boards. Light rubbing with darkening to the spine. Housed in the publisher's paper slipcase. Overall, a very good copy.
In this essay, Virginia Woolf describes an errand to acquire a lead pencil, and the sights of the London street in winter.
First edition. Limited to 500 copies of which this is number 98 and signed by Woolf on the limitation page. Octavo. 35 pages. Publisher's quarter blue leather with gilt stamping on spine and paper covered boards. Light rubbing with darkening to the spine. Housed in the publisher's paper slipcase. Overall, a very good copy.
In this essay, Virginia Woolf describes an errand to acquire a lead pencil, and the sights of the London street in winter.
William Butler Yeats. The Trembling of the Veil. London: Privately Printed for Subscribers only by T. Werner Laurie, Ltd., 1922.
Number 30 of 1,000 limited edition copies signed by W. B. Yeats on the limitation page. Octavo. 247 pages.
Publisher's quarter vellum over light green cloth boards with a paper title label affixed to the spine and lettered in brown. Text printed on handmade paper. Original light green cloth with matching title label on its spine. All edges uncut. Some pages unopened. Minor shelf wear. Spine slightly darkened. Textblock edges somewhat dust-soiled. Spine and folds of dust jacket mildly darkened. A near fine copy of a rare signed limited edition.
"W. B. Yeats is Ireland's greatest poet, and he has for many years past been assured of an immortality of fame. He has had the distinction of being awarded (in 1923) the Nobel Prize for Literature. Nothing that he has done has been accomplished by chance, but by inspired imagining and the most exquisite handicraft." (Drinkwater: The Outline of Literature, pp. 1,079-1,080)
Number 30 of 1,000 limited edition copies signed by W. B. Yeats on the limitation page. Octavo. 247 pages.
Publisher's quarter vellum over light green cloth boards with a paper title label affixed to the spine and lettered in brown. Text printed on handmade paper. Original light green cloth with matching title label on its spine. All edges uncut. Some pages unopened. Minor shelf wear. Spine slightly darkened. Textblock edges somewhat dust-soiled. Spine and folds of dust jacket mildly darkened. A near fine copy of a rare signed limited edition.
"W. B. Yeats is Ireland's greatest poet, and he has for many years past been assured of an immortality of fame. He has had the distinction of being awarded (in 1923) the Nobel Prize for Literature. Nothing that he has done has been accomplished by chance, but by inspired imagining and the most exquisite handicraft." (Drinkwater: The Outline of Literature, pp. 1,079-1,080)
Three Fabulous Nineteenth-Century Sets of Literature, including: E. C. Gaskell. The Life of Charlotte Brontë. London: Smith, Elder, and Company, 1857. Second edition. Two octavo volumes. Contemporary half morocco over marbled boards. Raised bands. Gilt lettering to spines. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. [and:] Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Marble Faun. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1860. First edition, first issue. Two octavo volumes. Original cloth over boards. Very good. [and:] James Fenimore Cooper. The Works of James Fenimore Cooper. The Beacon Edition. Boston: Colonial Press Company, n.d. Thirty-two octavo volumes. Some sunning to spines. Very good.
Four Books of Poetry and Prose, including: Robert Browning. The Poetical Works of Robert Browning. London: Smith, Elder, and Company, 1902. Two octavo volumes in one. xvi, 748, vii, 786 pages. Early full polished morocco. Green and brown inlaid morocco peacock designs and title label to front board and spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Inked sentiment of previous owner. Foxing to endpapers. Very good. [and:] Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Courtship of Miles Standish. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1858. First edition. Octavo. iv, 215. Ad for Waverley novels bound in front. Twelve pages of ads at rear. Original blind-stamped cloth over boards. Very good. [and:] Jonathan Swift. A Tale of a Tub. London: Thomas Tegg, 1811. Octavo. 322 pages. Six engraved illustrations and frontispiece by Rhodes after Thurston, all hand-colored. Some foxing throughout. Contemporary full polished calf over boards. New backstrip with raised bands and gilt lettering; later endpapers. Very good. [and:] [William Butler Yeats, editor]. Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry. London: Walter Scott, 1888. First edition. Octavo. xviii, 326 pages. Six pages of ads at rear. Lacking errata sheet. Rubber presentation stamp to front pastedown. Original dark blue cloth over boards. Slightly cocked binding. Hinges cracked but holding. Chipping to portions of the spine. Very good.
Four Signed Modern First Editions, including: Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Harper Collins, 1995. Later printing. Signed by Harper Lee on the half-title page. Octavo. 323 pages. Fine in dust jacket. [and:] Salman Rushdie. The Moor's Last Sigh. London: Jonathan Cape, 1995. First edition. Signed by Salman Rushdie on the title page. Octavo. 437 pages. Fine in dust jacket. [and:] Tennessee Williams. Grand. New York: House of Books, 1964. First edition, limited to 300 numbered copies (this being number eleven), signed by Tennessee Williams on the limitation page. Octavo. Unpaginated. Stain to rear panel of original glassine jacket. Publisher's announcement letter laid in. Near fine. [and:] Herman Wouk. The Caine Mutiny. Garden City: Doubleday, 1952. First deluxe illustrated edition. Signed by Herman Wouk on preliminary page. Publisher's presentation slip laid in. Slight staining to boards. Very good in dust jacket.
Gustavo Baz, and Eduardo. L. Gallo. History of the Mexican Railway. Wealth of Mexico, in the Region Extending from the Gulf to the Capital of the Republic, Considered in its Geological, Agricultural, Manufacturing and Commercial Aspect: With Scientific, Historical and Statistical Notes by Gustavo Baz & E. L. Gallo. Translated into English by George F. Henderson. Mexico [City]: Gallo & Co. Editors, 1876.
First edition in English (first published in Spanish in 1874 as Historia del ferrocarril mexicano). Large folio (14.875 x 10.375 inches; 378 x 263 mm.). [4], 9-211, [1, blank] pages. Complete with added chromolithographed title drawn on stone by S. Hernandez and printed by H. Iriarte, thirty-two tinted lithographed plates drawn on stone by S. Hernandez, A. Orellana F. Poceros, Adolfo R. Sanchez, and J. Villasana, and printed by H. Iriarte and Llano y Cía., and folding lithographed map ("Plan and Profile of the Mexican Railway. And former Project of Colonel Talcott C. E.") by H. Iriarte. Text in double columns. Wood-engraved vignette on title and decorative wood-engraved initials. Printer's imprint on verso of title: "Printing Office of F. Escalante. Bajos S. Agustin Street.-Mexico."
Original brown morocco-grain cloth over boards. Covers decoratively stamped in blind, front cover lettered in gilt: Scientific, Historical, and Statistical Notes on Mexico. The binding is somewhat rubbed and worn, with a few small stains or areas of discoloration, the cloth spine has perished, the front joint is cracked and barely holding, the rear joint is still holding. Some foxing and browning, as is to be expected, and slight offsetting from the plates to the text. Added chromolithographed title with a short tear to the outer blank margin, not affecting the image, and a slight vertical abrasion to the image, short tear to the outer blank margin of the plate facing page 98. Some light staining to pages 154/155, a few small stains on the fore-edge, just visible on the edge of a few leaves. Overall, a very good copy.
Compiled to celebrate to completion of the first Mexican railway from Veracruz on the Atlantic to Mexico City high in the interior. The text follows the route with detailed descriptive, historical, and scientific accounts of the cities and areas passed, including the branch lines to Jalapa and Puebla. The striking lithographs include two plates of portraits of the "Engineers and Projectors of the Mexican Railway," scenes along the railway's route, including bridges, stations, and tunnels, and city views, including a stunning panorama bird's-eye view of Mexico.
Palau 25914. See Mathes, Mexico on Stone, pp. 39-41 and 59.
First edition in English (first published in Spanish in 1874 as Historia del ferrocarril mexicano). Large folio (14.875 x 10.375 inches; 378 x 263 mm.). [4], 9-211, [1, blank] pages. Complete with added chromolithographed title drawn on stone by S. Hernandez and printed by H. Iriarte, thirty-two tinted lithographed plates drawn on stone by S. Hernandez, A. Orellana F. Poceros, Adolfo R. Sanchez, and J. Villasana, and printed by H. Iriarte and Llano y Cía., and folding lithographed map ("Plan and Profile of the Mexican Railway. And former Project of Colonel Talcott C. E.") by H. Iriarte. Text in double columns. Wood-engraved vignette on title and decorative wood-engraved initials. Printer's imprint on verso of title: "Printing Office of F. Escalante. Bajos S. Agustin Street.-Mexico."
Original brown morocco-grain cloth over boards. Covers decoratively stamped in blind, front cover lettered in gilt: Scientific, Historical, and Statistical Notes on Mexico. The binding is somewhat rubbed and worn, with a few small stains or areas of discoloration, the cloth spine has perished, the front joint is cracked and barely holding, the rear joint is still holding. Some foxing and browning, as is to be expected, and slight offsetting from the plates to the text. Added chromolithographed title with a short tear to the outer blank margin, not affecting the image, and a slight vertical abrasion to the image, short tear to the outer blank margin of the plate facing page 98. Some light staining to pages 154/155, a few small stains on the fore-edge, just visible on the edge of a few leaves. Overall, a very good copy.
Compiled to celebrate to completion of the first Mexican railway from Veracruz on the Atlantic to Mexico City high in the interior. The text follows the route with detailed descriptive, historical, and scientific accounts of the cities and areas passed, including the branch lines to Jalapa and Puebla. The striking lithographs include two plates of portraits of the "Engineers and Projectors of the Mexican Railway," scenes along the railway's route, including bridges, stations, and tunnels, and city views, including a stunning panorama bird's-eye view of Mexico.
Palau 25914. See Mathes, Mexico on Stone, pp. 39-41 and 59.
Preceptive Illustrations of the Bible. Fifty-Two Hand-Colored Plates. London: Thomas Varty, [ca. 1850].
First thus. Folio. 52 pages.
Publisher's half-calf with cloth boards and gilt stamping to front. Leather perished with scuffing and soiling. Endpapers are foxed with some insect damage. Plates are bright with mild edge toning and lightly thumbed fore-edges. Though the binding is only good, the wonderful hand-colored plates are in near fine condition.
First thus. Folio. 52 pages.
Publisher's half-calf with cloth boards and gilt stamping to front. Leather perished with scuffing and soiling. Endpapers are foxed with some insect damage. Plates are bright with mild edge toning and lightly thumbed fore-edges. Though the binding is only good, the wonderful hand-colored plates are in near fine condition.
Richard Dighton. Characters at the West End of Town. London: Thomas M'Lean, 1825.
First edition. Folio. Unpaginated bound portfolio of thirty-seven hand-colored etchings by Dighton, as well as the frontispiece, "The Dandy Club."
Early half morocco over marbled boards. Leather title label to front board. Gilt lettering to spine. Hinges cracked but holding firm. Minor damp-staining to rear end sheets, not affecting plates. Off-setting from the prints to facing tissue guards. Moderate foxing. Some damage to paper covering of rear board. Very good condition.
A very rare collection of satiric full-page portraits of contemporary London notables. Though not so successful as his father, Robert Dighton (also known for his satirical caricatures), Richard Dighton created several series in the vein of Characters at the West End of Town, such as his A London Nuisance. His work has been favorably compared to contemporaries such as Thomas Rowlandson and George Cruikshank.
First edition. Folio. Unpaginated bound portfolio of thirty-seven hand-colored etchings by Dighton, as well as the frontispiece, "The Dandy Club."
Early half morocco over marbled boards. Leather title label to front board. Gilt lettering to spine. Hinges cracked but holding firm. Minor damp-staining to rear end sheets, not affecting plates. Off-setting from the prints to facing tissue guards. Moderate foxing. Some damage to paper covering of rear board. Very good condition.
A very rare collection of satiric full-page portraits of contemporary London notables. Though not so successful as his father, Robert Dighton (also known for his satirical caricatures), Richard Dighton created several series in the vein of Characters at the West End of Town, such as his A London Nuisance. His work has been favorably compared to contemporaries such as Thomas Rowlandson and George Cruikshank.
James E. Doyle. A Chronicle of England B.C. 55 - A.D. 1485. London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts & Green, 1864.
First edition. Large quarto. viii, 462 pages. Index. Dozens of illustrations by the author, many in full color.
Bound by Charles E. Lauriat in full green morocco over boards. Double gilt border fillets with gilt floral motifs within. Gilt lettering to spine. Raised bands. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. In custom green cloth, felt-lined solander box. A short crack to base of front joint; lower corner of front free endpaper has been folded back. Otherwise, a near fine copy, with no foxing, soiling, or rubbing.
Edmond Evans, the esteemed engraver, rendered the color engravings from Doyle's original artwork. In English Colored Books, Martin Hardie writes: "For each of the eighty-one illustrations nine or ten colour-blocks were engraved, and the whole work was done on a hand-press, employed on this book for the last time. [...] Colour illustrations are almost invariably on separate plates, and it is a striking feature of this book that all the illustrations are in the text. Mr. Evans told me that he considered this the most carefully executed book he had ever printed."
Hardie, p. 269.
First edition. Large quarto. viii, 462 pages. Index. Dozens of illustrations by the author, many in full color.
Bound by Charles E. Lauriat in full green morocco over boards. Double gilt border fillets with gilt floral motifs within. Gilt lettering to spine. Raised bands. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. In custom green cloth, felt-lined solander box. A short crack to base of front joint; lower corner of front free endpaper has been folded back. Otherwise, a near fine copy, with no foxing, soiling, or rubbing.
Edmond Evans, the esteemed engraver, rendered the color engravings from Doyle's original artwork. In English Colored Books, Martin Hardie writes: "For each of the eighty-one illustrations nine or ten colour-blocks were engraved, and the whole work was done on a hand-press, employed on this book for the last time. [...] Colour illustrations are almost invariably on separate plates, and it is a striking feature of this book that all the illustrations are in the text. Mr. Evans told me that he considered this the most carefully executed book he had ever printed."
Hardie, p. 269.
Thomas Gainsborough. A Collection of Prints Illustrative of English Scenery, from the Drawings and Sketches of Thos. Gainsborough, R. A.... Engraved by W. F. Wells and J. Laporte. London: H. R. Young, 1819.
Later edition, after the 1805 edition. Title page watermarked 1818. Illustrated with 60 soft-ground etchings, 37 of which are hand-tinted via watercolor wash. Folio.
Modern half brown polished morocco over light brown cloth with gilt spine titles and decorative tooling in gilt and black inside compartments with four raised bands. All edges gilt. Only minimal bottom edge wear to the binding. Very minor scattered foxing and some fingerprint staining throughout the text. Minor marginal dampstaining to a few pages. Mild offsetting at most plates. Overall, a lovely copy in near fine condition.
Later edition, after the 1805 edition. Title page watermarked 1818. Illustrated with 60 soft-ground etchings, 37 of which are hand-tinted via watercolor wash. Folio.
Modern half brown polished morocco over light brown cloth with gilt spine titles and decorative tooling in gilt and black inside compartments with four raised bands. All edges gilt. Only minimal bottom edge wear to the binding. Very minor scattered foxing and some fingerprint staining throughout the text. Minor marginal dampstaining to a few pages. Mild offsetting at most plates. Overall, a lovely copy in near fine condition.
John Guille Millais. Game Birds and Shooting Sketches; Illustrating the Habits, Modes of Capture, Stages of Plumage, and the Hybrids and Varieties Which Occur Amongst Them. London: Henry Sotheran & Co., 1892.
First edition. Folio. 72 pages. Illustrated with 16 full-page color lithographed plates, 18 full-page tinted autotypes and numerous woodcuts in the text.
Publisher's red three-quarter straight-grained morocco over pebbled cloth with gilt titles. Top edge gilt. Moderate wear to the binding. Scattered foxing throughout. Overall, a very good copy of a beautifully illustrated bird book.
First edition. Folio. 72 pages. Illustrated with 16 full-page color lithographed plates, 18 full-page tinted autotypes and numerous woodcuts in the text.
Publisher's red three-quarter straight-grained morocco over pebbled cloth with gilt titles. Top edge gilt. Moderate wear to the binding. Scattered foxing throughout. Overall, a very good copy of a beautifully illustrated bird book.
J. C. Prichard. Histoire Naturelle De L'Homme... Paris: Chez J. - B. Bailliere, 1843.
Two large octavo volumes. 416, 404 pages. With thirty-nine plates, thirty-four of which are hand-colored, five uncolored, and numerous black-and-white text illustrations. Text in French.
Red quarter leather over marbled paper boards with gilt titles, ruling, and decorations to spine in compartments. All edges speckled red. Marbled endpapers. Silk ribbon markers.
Extremities lightly bumped, rubbed and worn. Spines lightly sunned and starting to chip. Boards lightly scuffed and soiled. Edges and pages lightly toned with light scattered foxing and staining. Very good condition.
Two large octavo volumes. 416, 404 pages. With thirty-nine plates, thirty-four of which are hand-colored, five uncolored, and numerous black-and-white text illustrations. Text in French.
Red quarter leather over marbled paper boards with gilt titles, ruling, and decorations to spine in compartments. All edges speckled red. Marbled endpapers. Silk ribbon markers.
Extremities lightly bumped, rubbed and worn. Spines lightly sunned and starting to chip. Boards lightly scuffed and soiled. Edges and pages lightly toned with light scattered foxing and staining. Very good condition.
Antiques
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Spermophilus Tridecemlineatus - Plate XXXIX (Bowen Edition).
A wonderfully engaging lithograph of the Leopard Spermophile, or the Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1844, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In very good condition. Paper is toned; edges browning. A few short tears to edges, a few repaired on the reverse. Light soiling. The very tips of all corners are chipped. Light penciled notations. 26.75 x 21.25 inches.
A wonderfully engaging lithograph of the Leopard Spermophile, or the Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1844, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In very good condition. Paper is toned; edges browning. A few short tears to edges, a few repaired on the reverse. Light soiling. The very tips of all corners are chipped. Light penciled notations. 26.75 x 21.25 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). American Flamingo - Plate 375 (Bien Edition).
One of Audubon's most popular and striking prints, this one a chromolithograph by Julius Bien, with some hand-coloring, dated 1860, from the double-elephant folio reprint edition of Audubon's The Birds of America (New York: 1858-1860). In generally good condition, this print has been fully mounted on board, with some puckering to the left side. Paper is toned and mat-burned. Closed tears and some chips to the perimeter. A few areas of paper loss, most noticeably in the bottom margin. Many closed tears and wrinkles across the print, some of which intrude into the image area. Dampstaining to lower left corner and to upper right margin. There has been recent amateur overpainting to the clouds in the center of the print, with some flaking of this new paint. 26 x 38.75 inches.
One of Audubon's most popular and striking prints, this one a chromolithograph by Julius Bien, with some hand-coloring, dated 1860, from the double-elephant folio reprint edition of Audubon's The Birds of America (New York: 1858-1860). In generally good condition, this print has been fully mounted on board, with some puckering to the left side. Paper is toned and mat-burned. Closed tears and some chips to the perimeter. A few areas of paper loss, most noticeably in the bottom margin. Many closed tears and wrinkles across the print, some of which intrude into the image area. Dampstaining to lower left corner and to upper right margin. There has been recent amateur overpainting to the clouds in the center of the print, with some flaking of this new paint. 26 x 38.75 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Canis Familiaris - Plate CXIII (Bowen Edition).
Lithograph of the Esquimaux Dog, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1847, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). Print has been fully mounted to lightweight cardboard. In generally very good condition, with light toning and foxing. A one-inch tear at bottom edge. Lower corners chipped. Approximately 27 x 20.5 inches.
Lithograph of the Esquimaux Dog, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1847, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). Print has been fully mounted to lightweight cardboard. In generally very good condition, with light toning and foxing. A one-inch tear at bottom edge. Lower corners chipped. Approximately 27 x 20.5 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Felis Onca - Plate CI (Bowen Edition).
A superb lithograph of the female Jaguar, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1846, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In generally very good condition, with light toning, a faint mat burn, and mild foxing. Several short tears around the edges; two longer tears (a one-inch tear and a one-and-one-half-inch tear) at the right side, both repaired on the reverse. One chip to bottom edge, measuring approximately one inch wide by a half-inch high); tips of upper corners and lower left corner chipped. Shallow creases to lower right corner. Approximately 27.75 x 21.75 inches.
A superb lithograph of the female Jaguar, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1846, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In generally very good condition, with light toning, a faint mat burn, and mild foxing. Several short tears around the edges; two longer tears (a one-inch tear and a one-and-one-half-inch tear) at the right side, both repaired on the reverse. One chip to bottom edge, measuring approximately one inch wide by a half-inch high); tips of upper corners and lower left corner chipped. Shallow creases to lower right corner. Approximately 27.75 x 21.75 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Fiber Zibethicus - Plate XIII (Bowen Edition).
Lithograph featuring a playful image of the Musk-Rat, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1843, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In generally excellent condition except for some minor toning at the edges, a couple of tiny chips, and a short tear. 27.25 x 21.25 inches.
Lithograph featuring a playful image of the Musk-Rat, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1843, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In generally excellent condition except for some minor toning at the edges, a couple of tiny chips, and a short tear. 27.25 x 21.25 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Forked-Tail Flycatcher - Plate 53, No. 8-7 [with] Tyrant Fly-catcher - Plate 56, No. 8-8 (Bien Edition).
One sheet featuring two separate images of Flycatchers, chromolithographed by Julius Bien, with some hand-coloring, dated 1860, from the double-elephant folio reprint edition of Audubon's The Birds of America (New York: 1858-1860). In generally very good condition, with some toning to paper and browned edges. Chipping and short tears around edges. Several tears repaired on reverse, causing an acidic reaction which has resulted in some bleaching to corresponding areas on the front. Lengthy but inoffensive crease across top right corner of Plate 56. Minor spotting. Light penciled notations. 39 x 26.25 inches.
One sheet featuring two separate images of Flycatchers, chromolithographed by Julius Bien, with some hand-coloring, dated 1860, from the double-elephant folio reprint edition of Audubon's The Birds of America (New York: 1858-1860). In generally very good condition, with some toning to paper and browned edges. Chipping and short tears around edges. Several tears repaired on reverse, causing an acidic reaction which has resulted in some bleaching to corresponding areas on the front. Lengthy but inoffensive crease across top right corner of Plate 56. Minor spotting. Light penciled notations. 39 x 26.25 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Fork-Tailed Flycatcher - Plate CLXVIII - Uncolored Original Proof (Havell Edition).
An uncolored original aquatint engraving by R. Havell from the first edition of The Birds of America (London: 1827-1838). Watermarked "J Whatman 1836." Plate dated 1833. Printer's credit reads: "Engraved, Printed, & Coloured, by R. Havell." This Havell print is in good condition, with toned paper, foxing, and spotting. Several chips and tears around edges. Many tears around the perimeter have been amateurishly repaired on the reverse with cello tape, causing stains to the front and the back of the sheet. Whatman watermark and the platemark depression are both present. Sheet has been trimmed and now measures approximately 24 x 32 inches.
Robert Havell, a perfectionist, was known for his superb artistry and exacting precision, and his work went through several closely-supervised steps of quality control before final publication. As it would frequently take a year or more between the original engraving of the plate and the ultimate publication, dates were generally not etched into the plate until Havell had run a series of uncolored proofs and then a series of colored proofs as tests. Only when everything was deemed perfect would Havell engrave the date in the plate and allow printing to commence. This is an original Havell proof on original Whatman paper. An unusual item in an uncommon state.
Ron Flynn, The Audubon Price Guide.
An uncolored original aquatint engraving by R. Havell from the first edition of The Birds of America (London: 1827-1838). Watermarked "J Whatman 1836." Plate dated 1833. Printer's credit reads: "Engraved, Printed, & Coloured, by R. Havell." This Havell print is in good condition, with toned paper, foxing, and spotting. Several chips and tears around edges. Many tears around the perimeter have been amateurishly repaired on the reverse with cello tape, causing stains to the front and the back of the sheet. Whatman watermark and the platemark depression are both present. Sheet has been trimmed and now measures approximately 24 x 32 inches.
Robert Havell, a perfectionist, was known for his superb artistry and exacting precision, and his work went through several closely-supervised steps of quality control before final publication. As it would frequently take a year or more between the original engraving of the plate and the ultimate publication, dates were generally not etched into the plate until Havell had run a series of uncolored proofs and then a series of colored proofs as tests. Only when everything was deemed perfect would Havell engrave the date in the plate and allow printing to commence. This is an original Havell proof on original Whatman paper. An unusual item in an uncommon state.
Ron Flynn, The Audubon Price Guide.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Great Tern - Plate CCCIX (Havell Edition).
A hand-colored aquatint engraving by R. Havell from the first edition of The Birds of America (London: 1827-1838). Watermarked "J Whatman 1836." Plate dated 1836. In good condition, with general toning to paper and browning to edges. Mat burn and offsetting. A long closed tear measuring approximately four and one-half inches in the left margin. One-and-one-half-inch area of discoloration at center of bottom edge. Sheet has been trimmed substantially; some of the paper at the margins has been folded over behind the print. Light penciled notations. 22.5 x 28.25 inches.
A hand-colored aquatint engraving by R. Havell from the first edition of The Birds of America (London: 1827-1838). Watermarked "J Whatman 1836." Plate dated 1836. In good condition, with general toning to paper and browning to edges. Mat burn and offsetting. A long closed tear measuring approximately four and one-half inches in the left margin. One-and-one-half-inch area of discoloration at center of bottom edge. Sheet has been trimmed substantially; some of the paper at the margins has been folded over behind the print. Light penciled notations. 22.5 x 28.25 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Green Heron - Plate 367 (Bien Edition).
A charming chromolithograph by Julius Bien, with some hand-coloring, dated 1860, from the double-elephant folio reprint edition of Audubon's The Birds of America (New York: 1858-1860). In very good condition with wide margins of toning around edges (possible mat burn). Tears and chipping to edges of the somewhat brittle paper. Three-inch tear from top edge. A few tape repairs to the reverse have caused discoloration to the front, along the edges. A crease, approximately two-thirds of the way down the print, runs the entire horizontal length of the sheet. Light penciled notations. 39.25 x 26 inches.
A charming chromolithograph by Julius Bien, with some hand-coloring, dated 1860, from the double-elephant folio reprint edition of Audubon's The Birds of America (New York: 1858-1860). In very good condition with wide margins of toning around edges (possible mat burn). Tears and chipping to edges of the somewhat brittle paper. Three-inch tear from top edge. A few tape repairs to the reverse have caused discoloration to the front, along the edges. A crease, approximately two-thirds of the way down the print, runs the entire horizontal length of the sheet. Light penciled notations. 39.25 x 26 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Pteromys Volucella - Plate XXVIII (Bowen Edition).
A delightful lithograph of the Common Flying Squirrel, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1843, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In generally very good condition, with several short tears around the edges, and a few longer tears repaired with cello tape on the reverse (a one-and-three-quarters-inch tear at the bottom edge, a one-and-one-quarter-inch tear at the left side, and a one-inch tear at the top edge). Mat burn. Left side shows binding edge. Light penciled notations. 21.5 x 27.25 inches.
A delightful lithograph of the Common Flying Squirrel, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1843, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In generally very good condition, with several short tears around the edges, and a few longer tears repaired with cello tape on the reverse (a one-and-three-quarters-inch tear at the bottom edge, a one-and-one-quarter-inch tear at the left side, and a one-inch tear at the top edge). Mat burn. Left side shows binding edge. Light penciled notations. 21.5 x 27.25 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Purple Martin - Plate 22 (Havell Edition).
Hand-colored aquatint engraving by R. Havell from the first edition of The Birds of America (London: 1827-1838). Watermarked "J Whatman / Turkey Mill / 1827." Plate not dated. In generally very good condition, with light overall toning and some browning and minor chipping to edges. Light foxing. Some moisture-related puckering along the left side. Four puncture holes along the top edge have been repaired on the reverse with an adhesive that has caused minor discoloration to the top edge. Light penciled notations. 25.5 x 37.75 inches.
Hand-colored aquatint engraving by R. Havell from the first edition of The Birds of America (London: 1827-1838). Watermarked "J Whatman / Turkey Mill / 1827." Plate not dated. In generally very good condition, with light overall toning and some browning and minor chipping to edges. Light foxing. Some moisture-related puckering along the left side. Four puncture holes along the top edge have been repaired on the reverse with an adhesive that has caused minor discoloration to the top edge. Light penciled notations. 25.5 x 37.75 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Rusty Grackle - Plate CLVII (Havell Edition).
A lovely hand-colored aquatint engraving by R. Havell from the first edition of The Birds of America (London: 1827-1838). Watermarked "J Whatman" with no date visible. Plate dated 1833. In good condition, with general toning to paper and browning to edges. Some light offsetting across image area. A few minor spots. Closed tear measuring three-quarters of an inch to right side. A small bleached area measuring a quarter-inch in diameter at bottom edge. Margins of the full sheet have been folded with "excess" folded behind print, resulting in the current measurement of approximately 23.25 x 28.25 inches.
A lovely hand-colored aquatint engraving by R. Havell from the first edition of The Birds of America (London: 1827-1838). Watermarked "J Whatman" with no date visible. Plate dated 1833. In good condition, with general toning to paper and browning to edges. Some light offsetting across image area. A few minor spots. Closed tear measuring three-quarters of an inch to right side. A small bleached area measuring a quarter-inch in diameter at bottom edge. Margins of the full sheet have been folded with "excess" folded behind print, resulting in the current measurement of approximately 23.25 x 28.25 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Sciurus Cinereus - Plate XVII (Bowen Edition).
A wonderful lithograph of the Cat Squirrel, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1843, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In excellent condition except for very faint toning around edges and a smudge below the title. 21 x 27.25 inches.
A wonderful lithograph of the Cat Squirrel, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1843, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In excellent condition except for very faint toning around edges and a smudge below the title. 21 x 27.25 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Sciurus Rubricaudatus - Plate LV (Bowen Edition).
An appealing lithograph of the Red-Tailed Squirrel, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1844, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In generally very good condition. Paper is toned; edges browned. Foxing in image area. Faint dampstain to bottom right corner. A few short tears to edges, and a longer horizontal tear measuring one-and-one-quarter inches at the top right corner, repaired on the reverse. Chip to top edge and bottom left corner. Light penciled notations. 21.75 x 28 inches.
An appealing lithograph of the Red-Tailed Squirrel, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1844, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In generally very good condition. Paper is toned; edges browned. Foxing in image area. Faint dampstain to bottom right corner. A few short tears to edges, and a longer horizontal tear measuring one-and-one-quarter inches at the top right corner, repaired on the reverse. Chip to top edge and bottom left corner. Light penciled notations. 21.75 x 28 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Spermophilus Lateralis - Plate CXIV (Bowen Edition).
A charming and delightful lithograph of Say's Marmot Squirrel, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1847, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In excellent condition except for a tiny chip to the lower right corner and a shallow crease to the lower left corner. Approximately 27 x 20.5 inches.
A charming and delightful lithograph of Say's Marmot Squirrel, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1847, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In excellent condition except for a tiny chip to the lower right corner and a shallow crease to the lower left corner. Approximately 27 x 20.5 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Vulpes Lagopus - Plate CXXI (Bowen Edition).
Lithograph of the Arctic Fox, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1847, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In generally very good condition with light toning and a few areas of foxing; one prominent spot at top right corner. Chips to edges and corners, including one large chip at lower left corner, with a one-inch closed tear radiating from it. 27.25 x 21.25 inches.
Lithograph of the Arctic Fox, hand-colored by J. T. Bowen and dated 1847, from the imperial folio edition of Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (Philadelphia: 1845-1848). In generally very good condition with light toning and a few areas of foxing; one prominent spot at top right corner. Chips to edges and corners, including one large chip at lower left corner, with a one-inch closed tear radiating from it. 27.25 x 21.25 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Two Prints: Herring Gull - Plate CCXCI [and:] Brasilian Caracara Eagle - Plate CLXI (Amsterdam Edition).
Two beautiful color photolithographs from the full-size facsimile reproduction of the original Havell Edition of Audubon's Birds of America (Amsterdam: 1971-1972), printed in an edition of only 250 copies. These stunning reproductions are on full double-elephant folio-sized wove paper, with the "G. Schut & Zonen" watermark. Both in excellent condition, with only a very shallow indentation near the lower left corner of the Eagle print. Both approximately 26.5 x 39.5 inches.
Two beautiful color photolithographs from the full-size facsimile reproduction of the original Havell Edition of Audubon's Birds of America (Amsterdam: 1971-1972), printed in an edition of only 250 copies. These stunning reproductions are on full double-elephant folio-sized wove paper, with the "G. Schut & Zonen" watermark. Both in excellent condition, with only a very shallow indentation near the lower left corner of the Eagle print. Both approximately 26.5 x 39.5 inches.
John James Audubon (1785-1851). Three Prints: Winter Hawk - Plate LXXI [and:] Cock of the Plains - Plate CCCLXXI [and:] Black-Throated Divers - Plate CCCXLVI (Amsterdam Edition).
Three wonderful color photolithographs from the full-size facsimile reproduction of the original Havell Edition of Audubon's Birds of America (Amsterdam: 1971-1972), printed in an edition of only 250 copies. These stunning reproductions are on full double-elephant folio-sized wove paper, with the "G. Schut & Zonen" watermark. All are in excellent condition except for a few shallow bends at the lower edge of the Winter Hawk. All measure approximately 39.5 x 26.5 inches.
Three wonderful color photolithographs from the full-size facsimile reproduction of the original Havell Edition of Audubon's Birds of America (Amsterdam: 1971-1972), printed in an edition of only 250 copies. These stunning reproductions are on full double-elephant folio-sized wove paper, with the "G. Schut & Zonen" watermark. All are in excellent condition except for a few shallow bends at the lower edge of the Winter Hawk. All measure approximately 39.5 x 26.5 inches.
Jacques Barraband (1767-1809). Femelle du petit Oiseau de paradis Emeraude, No. 5.
A handsome stipple engraving, printed in color and finished by hand, from François Le Vaillant's Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux de Paradis (Paris: 1801-1806). In very good condition, with toning around edges and faint foxing. Right side shows binding edge. Light penciled notations. 17 x 22.75 inches.
A handsome stipple engraving, printed in color and finished by hand, from François Le Vaillant's Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux de Paradis (Paris: 1801-1806). In very good condition, with toning around edges and faint foxing. Right side shows binding edge. Light penciled notations. 17 x 22.75 inches.
Jacques Barraband (1767-1809). Le Perroquet Cendré, Pl. 99.
A lively stipple engraving, printed in color and finished by hand, from François Le Vaillant's Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets (Paris: 1801-1805). In excellent condition. Left side shows binding edge. Light penciled notations. 11.75 x 16.25 inches.
A lively stipple engraving, printed in color and finished by hand, from François Le Vaillant's Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets (Paris: 1801-1805). In excellent condition. Left side shows binding edge. Light penciled notations. 11.75 x 16.25 inches.
Jacques Barraband (1767-1809). 3me Variété du Perroquet cendré, Pl. 103.
A stipple engraving, printed in color and finished by hand, from François Le Vaillant's Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets (Paris: 1801-1805). In very good condition, with mild toning. Tiny chip to lower left corner. Light penciled notations. 11.5 x 16.25 inches.
A stipple engraving, printed in color and finished by hand, from François Le Vaillant's Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets (Paris: 1801-1805). In very good condition, with mild toning. Tiny chip to lower left corner. Light penciled notations. 11.5 x 16.25 inches.
Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723-1799). Four Prints: Chætodon Marginatus. [and:] Chætodon Chirurgas. [and:] Chætodon Ocellatus and Chætodon Plumieri. [and:] Chætodon Vagabundus and Chætodon Argus.
Four hand-colored prints on watermarked laid paper from Bloch's landmark work on fish, Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische (Berlin: 1782-1797). Tiny pin hole and small blotch of color to image area of the Vagabundus/Argus print. Mounting tape present on the front, along the top edge, of all prints in this lot. Otherwise, all prints in excellent condition. All measure approximately 18.75 x 10.75 inches.
Four hand-colored prints on watermarked laid paper from Bloch's landmark work on fish, Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische (Berlin: 1782-1797). Tiny pin hole and small blotch of color to image area of the Vagabundus/Argus print. Mounting tape present on the front, along the top edge, of all prints in this lot. Otherwise, all prints in excellent condition. All measure approximately 18.75 x 10.75 inches.
Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803-1857). Three Prints: Globicera Tarrali - Plate 38. [and:] Globicera Myristicivora - Plate 34. [and:] Zenaida Hypoleuca - Plate 134.
Three wonderful hand-colored lithographs from Bonaparte's Iconographie des Pigeons (Paris: 1857-1858). All are in generally very good condition. Globicera Tarrali and Globicera Myristicivora are both fully mounted on heavy cardboard. Both are toned, have some foxing and mat burns. Remnants of paper from previous mats are adhered to front of prints at top and bottom edges. [and:] Zenaida Hypoleuca is mildly toned with some mild dampstaining and a water droplet stain in the lower margin. Mounting tape on front of print at upper corners. All have light penciled notations. All approximately 14 x 21.5 inches.
Three wonderful hand-colored lithographs from Bonaparte's Iconographie des Pigeons (Paris: 1857-1858). All are in generally very good condition. Globicera Tarrali and Globicera Myristicivora are both fully mounted on heavy cardboard. Both are toned, have some foxing and mat burns. Remnants of paper from previous mats are adhered to front of prints at top and bottom edges. [and:] Zenaida Hypoleuca is mildly toned with some mild dampstaining and a water droplet stain in the lower margin. Mounting tape on front of print at upper corners. All have light penciled notations. All approximately 14 x 21.5 inches.
Hans Burgkmair (1473-1531) and others. Seven Prints from The Triumphal Procession of Maximilian I.
Seven very large woodcut prints from The Triumphs of Maximilian I, a landmark in the history of wood engraving, originally published in the late 1520s in tribute to the late Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. These hand-colored prints on watermarked laid paper are from the edition published in 1796. Contained in this lot are the following plates: 5, 11, 15, 27, 30, 43 (corrected to "44" in red, and on wove paper), and 75. All are in generally very good condition.
All sheets are toned, with some sheets browning at edges. Some spotting and light soiling. Short tears and occasional chips around the perimeters. Plate 15 has a two and one-quarter-inch closed tear at the right edge. Plate 30 has what appears to be a crease or a repair to the paper, running the entire vertical length of the paper, at the very center of the sheet; two holes, measuring about a quarter of an inch in diameter are in this center strip. The colors of the plates are bright and vibrant. Binding edge of all plates is visible along the top edge. All measure 22.75 x 16.25 inches.
Hans Burgkmair and others were commissioned in 1512 by Emperor Maximilian to create a grand work of art celebrating and paying tribute to ... himself. The final work was not completed and published until after Maximilian's death. This procession - full of knights and jesters and musicians and horses and costumes and armor and other assorted trappings of Renaissance culture - was rendered in 135 separate very large wood engravings. (Theoretically, the full procession could be viewed in its entirety if the plates were joined together, with the resulting parade stretching almost sixty yards.) Burgkmair was a student of Albrecht Dürer, and Dürer is said to have leant his hand to some of these engravings. The mammoth work was not reprinted until 1796.
"The ideal of worldly power and splendour, the spirit of pleasure and festival, is shown forth in this marvellously varied march of laurelled horses and horsemen, whose trappings and armour have the beauty and glitter of peaceful parade. There is nowhere else a work which so presents at once the feudal spirit and feudal delights in such exuberance of picturesque and feudal display"(Joseph Cundall, A Brief History of Wood-Engraving, From Its Invention).
Seven very large woodcut prints from The Triumphs of Maximilian I, a landmark in the history of wood engraving, originally published in the late 1520s in tribute to the late Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. These hand-colored prints on watermarked laid paper are from the edition published in 1796. Contained in this lot are the following plates: 5, 11, 15, 27, 30, 43 (corrected to "44" in red, and on wove paper), and 75. All are in generally very good condition.
All sheets are toned, with some sheets browning at edges. Some spotting and light soiling. Short tears and occasional chips around the perimeters. Plate 15 has a two and one-quarter-inch closed tear at the right edge. Plate 30 has what appears to be a crease or a repair to the paper, running the entire vertical length of the paper, at the very center of the sheet; two holes, measuring about a quarter of an inch in diameter are in this center strip. The colors of the plates are bright and vibrant. Binding edge of all plates is visible along the top edge. All measure 22.75 x 16.25 inches.
Hans Burgkmair and others were commissioned in 1512 by Emperor Maximilian to create a grand work of art celebrating and paying tribute to ... himself. The final work was not completed and published until after Maximilian's death. This procession - full of knights and jesters and musicians and horses and costumes and armor and other assorted trappings of Renaissance culture - was rendered in 135 separate very large wood engravings. (Theoretically, the full procession could be viewed in its entirety if the plates were joined together, with the resulting parade stretching almost sixty yards.) Burgkmair was a student of Albrecht Dürer, and Dürer is said to have leant his hand to some of these engravings. The mammoth work was not reprinted until 1796.
"The ideal of worldly power and splendour, the spirit of pleasure and festival, is shown forth in this marvellously varied march of laurelled horses and horsemen, whose trappings and armour have the beauty and glitter of peaceful parade. There is nowhere else a work which so presents at once the feudal spirit and feudal delights in such exuberance of picturesque and feudal display"(Joseph Cundall, A Brief History of Wood-Engraving, From Its Invention).
Mrs. Edward Bury (née Priscilla Susan Falkner) (circa 1790s-1869). Crinum Cruentum - Plate 22.
A lovely aquatint engraving by R. Havell, with hand-coloring, from Mrs. Bury's A Selection of Hexandrian Plants, Belonging to the Natural Orders Amaryllidae and Liliacae (London: 1831-1834). Watermarked "J Whatman." In very good condition, with general toning to the paper, and some smudges, light creases, and a small area of discoloration along the top edge; tip of upper left corner is missing. Light penciled notations. The sheet has been trimmed and measures approximately 15.75 x 21.5 inches.
A lovely aquatint engraving by R. Havell, with hand-coloring, from Mrs. Bury's A Selection of Hexandrian Plants, Belonging to the Natural Orders Amaryllidae and Liliacae (London: 1831-1834). Watermarked "J Whatman." In very good condition, with general toning to the paper, and some smudges, light creases, and a small area of discoloration along the top edge; tip of upper left corner is missing. Light penciled notations. The sheet has been trimmed and measures approximately 15.75 x 21.5 inches.
Mrs. Edward Bury (née Priscilla Susan Falkner) (circa 1790s-1869). Crinum Declinatum - Plate 43.
An absolutely beautiful aquatint engraving by R. Havell, with hand-coloring, from Mrs. Bury's A Selection of Hexandrian Plants, Belonging to the Natural Orders Amaryllidae and Liliacae (London: 1831-1834). In excellent condition except for a couple of tiny spots and two unobtrusive shallow horizontal wrinkles to the center of the left side of the sheet. Light penciled notations. The sheet appears to be untrimmed and measures approximately 17.75 x 24.75 inches.
An absolutely beautiful aquatint engraving by R. Havell, with hand-coloring, from Mrs. Bury's A Selection of Hexandrian Plants, Belonging to the Natural Orders Amaryllidae and Liliacae (London: 1831-1834). In excellent condition except for a couple of tiny spots and two unobtrusive shallow horizontal wrinkles to the center of the left side of the sheet. Light penciled notations. The sheet appears to be untrimmed and measures approximately 17.75 x 24.75 inches.
Mark Catesby (1682-1749). Two Prints: Anguis gracilis cæruleo-viridis - Plate 47. [and:] Anguis gracila fuscus - Plate 50.
Two delightful hand-colored copper engravings of snakes from the first or second edition of Catesby's landmark publication, The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (London: 1731-1743). Both prints are on watermarked laid paper, and both are in excellent condition. Both are mildly toned with some browning at the edges. A couple of faint smudges in the left margin of Plate 47. Both have light penciled notations. Both measure 14.25 x 20.5 inches.
Two delightful hand-colored copper engravings of snakes from the first or second edition of Catesby's landmark publication, The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (London: 1731-1743). Both prints are on watermarked laid paper, and both are in excellent condition. Both are mildly toned with some browning at the edges. A couple of faint smudges in the left margin of Plate 47. Both have light penciled notations. Both measure 14.25 x 20.5 inches.
Mark Catesby (1682-1749). Two Prints: Anguis viridis - Plate 53. [and:] Anguis gracillis masculatus - Plate 51.
Two wonderful hand-colored copper engravings of snakes from the first or second edition of Catesby's landmark publication, The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (London: 1731-1743). Both prints are on watermarked laid paper, and both are in excellent condition. They are mildly toned with some browning at the edges. Both have light penciled notations. 20.5 x 14.25 inches, and 14.25 x 20.5 inches.
Two wonderful hand-colored copper engravings of snakes from the first or second edition of Catesby's landmark publication, The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (London: 1731-1743). Both prints are on watermarked laid paper, and both are in excellent condition. They are mildly toned with some browning at the edges. Both have light penciled notations. 20.5 x 14.25 inches, and 14.25 x 20.5 inches.
Mark Catesby (1682-1749). Two Prints: Ardea Stellaris minima/The Small Bittern. [and:] Ispida/The King-Fisher.
Two very appealing hand-colored copper engravings from the first or second edition of Catesby's landmark publication, The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (London: 1731-1743). Both prints are on watermarked laid paper. Ardea Stallaris is mildly toned; there is some foxing, almost all of which is outside the platemark. Bottom of sheet shows partial binding edge (left half shows stitching holes, right half has been unevenly trimmed just above stitching holes). 20.5 x 14.25 inches. [and:] Ispida has some minor speckling inside the platemark. 14.25 x 20.5 inches. Both prints have light penciled notations.
Two very appealing hand-colored copper engravings from the first or second edition of Catesby's landmark publication, The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (London: 1731-1743). Both prints are on watermarked laid paper. Ardea Stallaris is mildly toned; there is some foxing, almost all of which is outside the platemark. Bottom of sheet shows partial binding edge (left half shows stitching holes, right half has been unevenly trimmed just above stitching holes). 20.5 x 14.25 inches. [and:] Ispida has some minor speckling inside the platemark. 14.25 x 20.5 inches. Both prints have light penciled notations.
Antoine Chazal (1793-1854). Two Flower Prints: Iris d'Allemagne. [and:] Oreille d'Ours.
Two lovely hand-colored stipple engravings from Antoine Chazal, a French artist who studied under Gerard van Spaendonck. The prints are from Chazal's book Flore Pittoresque (Paris: 1818-1825), and both are in excellent condition. Both prints have a few light spots within the platemark. Both have light penciled notations, and both measure approximately 10.25 x 14.5 inches.
Two lovely hand-colored stipple engravings from Antoine Chazal, a French artist who studied under Gerard van Spaendonck. The prints are from Chazal's book Flore Pittoresque (Paris: 1818-1825), and both are in excellent condition. Both prints have a few light spots within the platemark. Both have light penciled notations, and both measure approximately 10.25 x 14.5 inches.
Books
William Curtis. The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed. London: Stephen Couchman, 1793-1828.
Forty-eight volumes (Volumes I-III, and Volumes X-LV) in twenty-six. More than 2,800 hand-colored plates, measuring approximately 9.5 x 5.5 inches, with some folding plates measuring approximately 9.5 x 11.5 inches.
Uniformly bound in half leather over marbled paper boards. Gilt-stamped leather labels to spines. All volumes are heavily worn, many with perished spines and evidence of insect and vermin damage. Numerous boards are detached. Many plates foxed and toned. Pages and plates show general toning and some foxing and heavy offsetting from plates. There is some minor dampstaining. Each volume has a bookplate pasted to its front pastedown. Plates in this lot can be considered in overall good or better condition; the bindings are in poor condition.
Forty-eight volumes (Volumes I-III, and Volumes X-LV) in twenty-six. More than 2,800 hand-colored plates, measuring approximately 9.5 x 5.5 inches, with some folding plates measuring approximately 9.5 x 11.5 inches.
Uniformly bound in half leather over marbled paper boards. Gilt-stamped leather labels to spines. All volumes are heavily worn, many with perished spines and evidence of insect and vermin damage. Numerous boards are detached. Many plates foxed and toned. Pages and plates show general toning and some foxing and heavy offsetting from plates. There is some minor dampstaining. Each volume has a bookplate pasted to its front pastedown. Plates in this lot can be considered in overall good or better condition; the bindings are in poor condition.
William Curtis. The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed. London: Stephen Couchman, 1793-1806.
Twenty-four volumes in twelve. 966 hand-colored plates, measuring approximately 9.25 x 5.25 inches, with some folding plates measuring approximately 9.25 x 11.5 inches. (Leaves in all volumes appear to have been trimmed slightly from their original size when bound.)
Recently bound in uniform red cloth with gilt-stamped spines. Patterned endpapers. Red sprinkled edges. Some insect damage to bindings. Heavy damage to head of spine of the last volume. Pages and plates show general toning and some foxing. Each volume has a bookplate pasted to the verso of the title page. Each volume has an inked name, dated 1881, on title page, many of which have fallen victim to page-trimming. A hand-written passage from Sir Thomas Browne's Religio Medici is in ink on the second flyleaf of the first volume. The books are in generally very good condition, with the plates in good or better condition.
From the title page: "In Which the most Ornamental Foreign Plants, cultivated in the Open Ground, the Green-House, and the Stove, are accurately represented in their natural Colours. [...] A Work Intended for the Use of such Ladies, Gentlemen, and Gardeners, as with to become scientifically acquainted with the Plants they cultivate."
Twenty-four volumes in twelve. 966 hand-colored plates, measuring approximately 9.25 x 5.25 inches, with some folding plates measuring approximately 9.25 x 11.5 inches. (Leaves in all volumes appear to have been trimmed slightly from their original size when bound.)
Recently bound in uniform red cloth with gilt-stamped spines. Patterned endpapers. Red sprinkled edges. Some insect damage to bindings. Heavy damage to head of spine of the last volume. Pages and plates show general toning and some foxing. Each volume has a bookplate pasted to the verso of the title page. Each volume has an inked name, dated 1881, on title page, many of which have fallen victim to page-trimming. A hand-written passage from Sir Thomas Browne's Religio Medici is in ink on the second flyleaf of the first volume. The books are in generally very good condition, with the plates in good or better condition.
From the title page: "In Which the most Ornamental Foreign Plants, cultivated in the Open Ground, the Green-House, and the Stove, are accurately represented in their natural Colours. [...] A Work Intended for the Use of such Ladies, Gentlemen, and Gardeners, as with to become scientifically acquainted with the Plants they cultivate."
Antiques
Georg Dionysius Ehret (1708-1770). Magnolia - Plate LXII.
A lovely hand-colored engraving from Trew's Plantae Selectae (Nuremberg: 1750-1773) on watermarked laid paper. In very good condition, with toning, a few light smudges, and a few spots (including one in the flower's center). Light penciled notations. 13.75 x 19.75 inches.
A lovely hand-colored engraving from Trew's Plantae Selectae (Nuremberg: 1750-1773) on watermarked laid paper. In very good condition, with toning, a few light smudges, and a few spots (including one in the flower's center). Light penciled notations. 13.75 x 19.75 inches.
Georg Dionysius Ehret (1708-1770). Two Prints: Musæ fructu longiori spadicis fructiferi verticillus primus et ex parte secundus tertiusque in naturali magnitudine - Plate XIX. [and:] Title page of Plantae Selectae.
A hand-colored engraving of bananas and the title page of Christoph Trew's Plantae Selectae (Nuremberg: 1751) on watermarked laid paper. The print of bananas is in very good condition, with mild toning and light foxing. Two moisture droplet stains, visible only when print is held up to the light. [and:] Plantae Selectae title page, dated MDCCLI, printed in black with red and gold highlights to letters applied by hand, is in excellent condition with a few areas of light foxing and a shallow horizontal bend across the middle of the sheet. Both have light penciled notations. Both approximately 13.5 x 19.5 inches.
A hand-colored engraving of bananas and the title page of Christoph Trew's Plantae Selectae (Nuremberg: 1751) on watermarked laid paper. The print of bananas is in very good condition, with mild toning and light foxing. Two moisture droplet stains, visible only when print is held up to the light. [and:] Plantae Selectae title page, dated MDCCLI, printed in black with red and gold highlights to letters applied by hand, is in excellent condition with a few areas of light foxing and a shallow horizontal bend across the middle of the sheet. Both have light penciled notations. Both approximately 13.5 x 19.5 inches.
Daniel Giraud Elliot (1835-1915). Euplocomus Albo-Cristatus.
A charming hand-colored lithograph from Elliot's Monograph of the Phasianidae, or Family of the Pheasants (New York: 1870-1872). In very good condition, with toning around the edges. One small chip to left side and to tip of top left corner. Bottom of sheet shows binding edge. Light penciled notations. 23.5 x 18.75 inches.
A charming hand-colored lithograph from Elliot's Monograph of the Phasianidae, or Family of the Pheasants (New York: 1870-1872). In very good condition, with toning around the edges. One small chip to left side and to tip of top left corner. Bottom of sheet shows binding edge. Light penciled notations. 23.5 x 18.75 inches.
Daniel Giraud Elliot (1835-1915). Polyplectron Germaini.
A delightful hand-colored peacock lithograph from Elliot's Monograph of the Phasianidae, or Family of the Pheasants (New York: 1870-1872). In very good condition, with light toning at the margins and some minor scraping to the right edge. Bottom of sheet shows binding edge. Light penciled notations. 23.5 x 18.75 inches.
A delightful hand-colored peacock lithograph from Elliot's Monograph of the Phasianidae, or Family of the Pheasants (New York: 1870-1872). In very good condition, with light toning at the margins and some minor scraping to the right edge. Bottom of sheet shows binding edge. Light penciled notations. 23.5 x 18.75 inches.
Giovanni Battista Ferrari (1583-1655). Three Prints: Aurantium Sicciore Medulla Hibernum, Plate 379. [and:] Aliæ Formæ Citrati Limonis Alios Includentis, Plate 271. [and:] Limon Racemosus, Plate 243.
Three hand-colored engravings by Cornelis Bloemaert on laid paper, from Ferrari's Hesperides sive de Malorum Aureorum cultura et usu (Rome: 1646), the first scholarly work on citrus fruits. All prints are in very good to excellent condition, with some mild browning to the edges of the first two plates. Two tiny chips to the third print. Left sides show binding edge. Light penciled notations. All 9.5 x 13.75 inches.
Three hand-colored engravings by Cornelis Bloemaert on laid paper, from Ferrari's Hesperides sive de Malorum Aureorum cultura et usu (Rome: 1646), the first scholarly work on citrus fruits. All prints are in very good to excellent condition, with some mild browning to the edges of the first two plates. Two tiny chips to the third print. Left sides show binding edge. Light penciled notations. All 9.5 x 13.75 inches.
John Gould (1804-1881). Nyctea Nivea.
A lovely hand-colored lithograph of the Snowy Owl from Gould's Birds of Great Britain (London: 1862-1873). In very good condition with general toning to the sheet and light browning around the edges. Right side shows binding edge. Light penciled notations. 14.75 x 21.75 inches.
A lovely hand-colored lithograph of the Snowy Owl from Gould's Birds of Great Britain (London: 1862-1873). In very good condition with general toning to the sheet and light browning around the edges. Right side shows binding edge. Light penciled notations. 14.75 x 21.75 inches.
John Gould (1804-1881). Two Prints: Eurylaimus Ochromalus. [and:] Cymbirhynchus Affinis.
Two charming hand-colored lithographs from Gould's Birds of Asia (London: 1850-1883). Both prints are in very good condition. Eurylaimus Ochromalus is lightly toned with a spot in the center of the left side, in the image area. [and:] Cymbirhynchus Affinis is lightly toned with a few faint spots. Binding edge on right side of both prints. Both measure 14.75 x 21.75 inches.
Two charming hand-colored lithographs from Gould's Birds of Asia (London: 1850-1883). Both prints are in very good condition. Eurylaimus Ochromalus is lightly toned with a spot in the center of the left side, in the image area. [and:] Cymbirhynchus Affinis is lightly toned with a few faint spots. Binding edge on right side of both prints. Both measure 14.75 x 21.75 inches.
John Gould (1804-1881). Two Prints: Panoplites Flavescens. [and:] Florisuga Ater.
A pair of beautiful hand-colored lithographs of hummingbirds, with iridescent highlights, from Gould's Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming Birds (London: 1849-1861). Both prints are in very good condition. Panoplites Flavescens is toned with foxing. Right side shows binding edge. 14.25 x 21.25 inches. [and:] Florisuga Ater is lightly toned around the edges. There are a few spots of foxing and a small stain in the lower half of the print on the right side. 14 x 21.25 inches.
A pair of beautiful hand-colored lithographs of hummingbirds, with iridescent highlights, from Gould's Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming Birds (London: 1849-1861). Both prints are in very good condition. Panoplites Flavescens is toned with foxing. Right side shows binding edge. 14.25 x 21.25 inches. [and:] Florisuga Ater is lightly toned around the edges. There are a few spots of foxing and a small stain in the lower half of the print on the right side. 14 x 21.25 inches.
John Gould (1804-1881). Three Prints: Caprimulgus Mahrattensis. [and:] Anthus Spinoletta. [and:] Merops Viridis.
Three very appealing hand-colored lithographs in very good condition, including: Caprimulgus Mahrattensis, from Gould's Birds of Asia (London: 1850-1883). Light toning, a little darker around the edges, with some foxing. Right side shows binding edge. 15 x 21.75 inches. [and:] Anthus Spinoletta, from Birds of Great Britain (London: 1862-1873). Light toning, a little darker around the edges. Light penciled notations. 14.75 x 21.5 inches. [and:] Merops Viridis, from Birds of Asia (London: 1850-1883). Light toning, darker around the edges, with some smudges. Right side shows binding edge. 14.75 x 21.75 inches.
Three very appealing hand-colored lithographs in very good condition, including: Caprimulgus Mahrattensis, from Gould's Birds of Asia (London: 1850-1883). Light toning, a little darker around the edges, with some foxing. Right side shows binding edge. 15 x 21.75 inches. [and:] Anthus Spinoletta, from Birds of Great Britain (London: 1862-1873). Light toning, a little darker around the edges. Light penciled notations. 14.75 x 21.5 inches. [and:] Merops Viridis, from Birds of Asia (London: 1850-1883). Light toning, darker around the edges, with some smudges. Right side shows binding edge. 14.75 x 21.75 inches.
John Gould (1804-1881). Three Prints: Nyctiornis Athertoni. [and:] Nucifraga Multipunctata. [and:] Corvus Cornix.
Three wonderful hand-colored lithographs in very good condition, including: Nyctiornis Athertoni, from Gould's Birds of Asia (London: 1850-1883). Light toning, darker along the edges. Minor foxing. Right side shows binding edge. 15 x 21.75 inches. [and:] Nucifraga Multipunctata, from Birds of Asia (London: 1850-1883). Light toning, darker along the edges. Minor foxing; area of discoloration at the upper left side. Right side shows binding edge. 15 x 21.75 inches. [and:] Corvus Cornix, from Birds of Great Britain (London: 1862-1873). Light toning and some heavy foxing in image area. Right side shows binding edge. 14.75 x 21.25 inches.
Three wonderful hand-colored lithographs in very good condition, including: Nyctiornis Athertoni, from Gould's Birds of Asia (London: 1850-1883). Light toning, darker along the edges. Minor foxing. Right side shows binding edge. 15 x 21.75 inches. [and:] Nucifraga Multipunctata, from Birds of Asia (London: 1850-1883). Light toning, darker along the edges. Minor foxing; area of discoloration at the upper left side. Right side shows binding edge. 15 x 21.75 inches. [and:] Corvus Cornix, from Birds of Great Britain (London: 1862-1873). Light toning and some heavy foxing in image area. Right side shows binding edge. 14.75 x 21.25 inches.
John Gould (1804-1881). Two Prints: Lophornis Delattrei. [and:] Calothorax Decoratus.
A pair of delightful hand-colored lithographs of hummingbirds, with iridescent highlights, from Gould's Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming Birds (London: 1849-1861). Both prints are in excellent condition. Right sides show binding edge. Both have light penciled notations, and both measure approximately 14.5 x 21.25 inches.
A pair of delightful hand-colored lithographs of hummingbirds, with iridescent highlights, from Gould's Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming Birds (London: 1849-1861). Both prints are in excellent condition. Right sides show binding edge. Both have light penciled notations, and both measure approximately 14.5 x 21.25 inches.
Saverio Manetti (1723-1784). Two Prints: Pallo Pavone. [and:] Falco di color castagno col capo bianco.
Two hand-colored prints on watermarked laid paper from Storia natural degli uccelli (Florence: 1776). Both prints are in very good condition: both are lightly toned, with some minor thumb-soiling at the margins. Left side of falcon print shows binding edge and some stitching holes. Half-inch closed tear and a notch to left edge; shallow crease to bottom right corner. The turkey print measures 14 x 18.25 inches, and the falcon print measures 15 x 19.25 inches.
Two hand-colored prints on watermarked laid paper from Storia natural degli uccelli (Florence: 1776). Both prints are in very good condition: both are lightly toned, with some minor thumb-soiling at the margins. Left side of falcon print shows binding edge and some stitching holes. Half-inch closed tear and a notch to left edge; shallow crease to bottom right corner. The turkey print measures 14 x 18.25 inches, and the falcon print measures 15 x 19.25 inches.
Abraham Munting (1626-1683). Five Botanical Prints.
Five lovely hand colored copper engravings on laid paper from Munting's Phytographia Curiosa, the first Latin edition of his 1696 work Naauwkeurige Beschryving Aardgewassen (Leiden and Utrecht: 1702), including: Aloe Vera Vulagaris. [and:] Luteola Cannabinoides Cretica. [and:] Arundo Americana Striata. [and:] Gramen Plumeum. [and:] Sedum Crispum. [and:] All are in generally excellent condition except for minor toning and very occasional foxing; mild browning around edges. A couple of tiny wormholes are present at the margin, outside the platemark. All have light penciled notations. All measure approximately 10 x 15.25 inches.
Five lovely hand colored copper engravings on laid paper from Munting's Phytographia Curiosa, the first Latin edition of his 1696 work Naauwkeurige Beschryving Aardgewassen (Leiden and Utrecht: 1702), including: Aloe Vera Vulagaris. [and:] Luteola Cannabinoides Cretica. [and:] Arundo Americana Striata. [and:] Gramen Plumeum. [and:] Sedum Crispum. [and:] All are in generally excellent condition except for minor toning and very occasional foxing; mild browning around edges. A couple of tiny wormholes are present at the margin, outside the platemark. All have light penciled notations. All measure approximately 10 x 15.25 inches.
Abraham Munting (1626-1683). Five Botanical Prints.
Five hand colored copper engravings on laid paper from Munting's Phytographia Curiosa, the first Latin edition of his 1696 work Naauwkeurige Beschryving Aardgewassen (Leiden and Utrecht: 1702), including: Cyclamen Rotundifolium Maius Autumnale. [and:] Struthiofera. [and:] Guajacum Minus Verum Sive Lignum Sanctum. [and:] Linaria Valentina Trifolia. [and:] Gnaphalium Americanum Minus Flore Rubro. [and:] All are in generally very good condition with minor toning and very occasional foxing. A couple of tiny wormholes are present at the margin, outside the platemark. Lower right corner of Linaria Valentina Trifolia is chipped. All have light penciled notations. All measure approximately 10 x 15.25 inches.
Five hand colored copper engravings on laid paper from Munting's Phytographia Curiosa, the first Latin edition of his 1696 work Naauwkeurige Beschryving Aardgewassen (Leiden and Utrecht: 1702), including: Cyclamen Rotundifolium Maius Autumnale. [and:] Struthiofera. [and:] Guajacum Minus Verum Sive Lignum Sanctum. [and:] Linaria Valentina Trifolia. [and:] Gnaphalium Americanum Minus Flore Rubro. [and:] All are in generally very good condition with minor toning and very occasional foxing. A couple of tiny wormholes are present at the margin, outside the platemark. Lower right corner of Linaria Valentina Trifolia is chipped. All have light penciled notations. All measure approximately 10 x 15.25 inches.
Books
[Flora Danica]. Georg Christian von Oeder, editor. Icones plantarum sponte nascentium in regnis Daniae et Norvegiae, in ducatibus Slesvici et Holsatiae, et in comitatibus Oldenburgi et Delmenhorstiae, ad illustrandum opus de iisdem Plantis, Regio jussu exarandum, Florae Danicae nomine inscriptum; - Editae ab ejus operis auctore, Georgio Christiano Oeder. Copenhagen: Nicolas Möller [and others], [1761-] 1763-1797.
Volumes I-VII (Volume VII has Fascicule 20 only, and lacks the title and Fascicule 21) bound in eight folio volumes. (15 x 9 3/16 inches; 380 x 230 mm.). Illustrated with 1,200 hand-colored engraved botanical plates on fine Honig paper. The coloring was accomplished at the time of publication.
Modern half green morocco over green cloth boards, spines lettered and ruled in gilt. Edges sprinkled. Pale yellow endpapers. Title and last plate in each volume backed. Ex-library copy, with unobtrusive library blind-stamp on plates. Engraved bookplates for the City of Liverpool Public Libraries on the pastedown endpapers. Ink stamps for the same library on the verso of the title pages. Altogether, a very clean, handsome set of this important botanical work in excellent condition.
A large and beautifully colored group of plates from one of the greatest of all European Flora publications. The Flora Danica was published over a 125 year period and includes the plants of Norway, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, much of Northern Germany and some Swedish flora, besides Denmark itself, and includes flowers, grasses and fungi.
Dunthorne, 218. Great Flower Books (1990), p. 69. Hunt, 594. Nissen, BBI, 2249.
Volumes I-VII (Volume VII has Fascicule 20 only, and lacks the title and Fascicule 21) bound in eight folio volumes. (15 x 9 3/16 inches; 380 x 230 mm.). Illustrated with 1,200 hand-colored engraved botanical plates on fine Honig paper. The coloring was accomplished at the time of publication.
Modern half green morocco over green cloth boards, spines lettered and ruled in gilt. Edges sprinkled. Pale yellow endpapers. Title and last plate in each volume backed. Ex-library copy, with unobtrusive library blind-stamp on plates. Engraved bookplates for the City of Liverpool Public Libraries on the pastedown endpapers. Ink stamps for the same library on the verso of the title pages. Altogether, a very clean, handsome set of this important botanical work in excellent condition.
A large and beautifully colored group of plates from one of the greatest of all European Flora publications. The Flora Danica was published over a 125 year period and includes the plants of Norway, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, much of Northern Germany and some Swedish flora, besides Denmark itself, and includes flowers, grasses and fungi.
Dunthorne, 218. Great Flower Books (1990), p. 69. Hunt, 594. Nissen, BBI, 2249.
Antiques
Antoine Poiteau (1766-1854) and Pierre Jean François Turpin (1775-1840). Four Prints: Griotte à ratafia. [and:] Cerise à bouquets. [and:] Fraise des Alpes. [and:] Fraisier hétérophylle.
Four hand-colored stipple engravings of luscious cherries and strawberries, most likely from Pomologie française; recueil des plus beaux fruits cultivés en France (Paris: 1846). All are in generally very good condition. Griotte à ratafia (the only print in this lot attributed to Turpin) has a pin-hole in the image area, some offsetting to top and right margins, and tape repairs to the reverse. Cerise à bouquets has darkened edges, shallow creasing to top right corner, and tape repairs to reverse. Fraise des Alpes has a large area of faint foxing just below the bottom platemark, a couple of tiny pin holes at the bottom platemark, a three-inch folded notch at the top edge without any paper loss, and tape repairs to reverse. Fraisier hétérophylle has a thin mat burn and a half-inch closed tear to the right side. All prints have very minor spotting and somewhat ragged edges with several short tears around the perimeters. All measure approximately 14.25 x 21.5 inches.
Four hand-colored stipple engravings of luscious cherries and strawberries, most likely from Pomologie française; recueil des plus beaux fruits cultivés en France (Paris: 1846). All are in generally very good condition. Griotte à ratafia (the only print in this lot attributed to Turpin) has a pin-hole in the image area, some offsetting to top and right margins, and tape repairs to the reverse. Cerise à bouquets has darkened edges, shallow creasing to top right corner, and tape repairs to reverse. Fraise des Alpes has a large area of faint foxing just below the bottom platemark, a couple of tiny pin holes at the bottom platemark, a three-inch folded notch at the top edge without any paper loss, and tape repairs to reverse. Fraisier hétérophylle has a thin mat burn and a half-inch closed tear to the right side. All prints have very minor spotting and somewhat ragged edges with several short tears around the perimeters. All measure approximately 14.25 x 21.5 inches.
Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840). Globba Nutans.
A beautiful stipple engraving with hand-coloring, from Les Liliacées (Paris: 1802-1816). In excellent condition except for a few spots of foxing. Sheet has been trimmed rather close to the image area. Light penciled notations. 13.25 x 20.25 inches.
A beautiful stipple engraving with hand-coloring, from Les Liliacées (Paris: 1802-1816). In excellent condition except for a few spots of foxing. Sheet has been trimmed rather close to the image area. Light penciled notations. 13.25 x 20.25 inches.
Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840). Strelitzia reginæ.
A dazzling stipple engraving with hand-coloring, from Les Liliacées (Paris: 1802-1816). In very good condition, with faint browning at the edges and some light foxing. There is a shallow bend near the bottom of the sheet, extending slightly into the image area. Right and bottom edges a bit ragged. Light penciled notations. 13.75 x 21 inches.
A dazzling stipple engraving with hand-coloring, from Les Liliacées (Paris: 1802-1816). In very good condition, with faint browning at the edges and some light foxing. There is a shallow bend near the bottom of the sheet, extending slightly into the image area. Right and bottom edges a bit ragged. Light penciled notations. 13.75 x 21 inches.
Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840). Two Prints: Mimosa Decurrens. [and:] Mimosa Longifolia.
Two lovely mimosa stipple engravings with hand-coloring, from Description des Plantes Rares Cultivées á Malmaison et á Navarre (Paris: 1812-1814). Both are in generally excellent condition except for toning to edges and some faint foxing. Light penciled notations. Approximately 13.75 x 21.25 inches, and 14 x 21.25 inches.
Two lovely mimosa stipple engravings with hand-coloring, from Description des Plantes Rares Cultivées á Malmaison et á Navarre (Paris: 1812-1814). Both are in generally excellent condition except for toning to edges and some faint foxing. Light penciled notations. Approximately 13.75 x 21.25 inches, and 14 x 21.25 inches.
Prideaux John Selby (1788-1867). Common Cinereous Crane - Plate I.
An impressive hand-colored engraving from the second edition of Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846). Watermarked "J Whatman 1846." In excellent condition except for a couple of minor spots and a few shallow bends in the upper right quadrant. The sheet does not appear to have been trimmed, but there is no platemark depression to the upper or left sides. Light penciled notations. 20.75 x 26.25 inches.
An impressive hand-colored engraving from the second edition of Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846). Watermarked "J Whatman 1846." In excellent condition except for a couple of minor spots and a few shallow bends in the upper right quadrant. The sheet does not appear to have been trimmed, but there is no platemark depression to the upper or left sides. Light penciled notations. 20.75 x 26.25 inches.
Prideaux John Selby (1788-1867). Common Cormorant - Plate LXXXIV.
Hand-colored engraving from the second edition of Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846). Watermarked "J Whatman 1846." In excellent condition except for a tiny tear at the right edge. Mounting tape to reverse. Light penciled notations. 20.75 x 26.25 inches.
Hand-colored engraving from the second edition of Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846). Watermarked "J Whatman 1846." In excellent condition except for a tiny tear at the right edge. Mounting tape to reverse. Light penciled notations. 20.75 x 26.25 inches.
Prideaux John Selby (1788-1867). Common Heron - Plate II.
A wonderful hand-colored engraving from Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology. Watermarked "J Whatman 1854." In generally excellent condition except for some minor toning and a couple of areas of light dampstaining. A short tear to top edge; small chips to right side. Light penciled notations. 21.75 x 26.5 inches.
A wonderful hand-colored engraving from Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology. Watermarked "J Whatman 1854." In generally excellent condition except for some minor toning and a couple of areas of light dampstaining. A short tear to top edge; small chips to right side. Light penciled notations. 21.75 x 26.5 inches.
Prideaux John Selby (1788-1867). Golden Eagle, Young - Plate II.
Hand-colored engraving from Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology. Plate is fully mounted on heavy cardboard. Remnants of glue and matting material from matting adhesive and mat (no longer present) on board and on sheet just outside the platemark; surface is also abraded and discolored. Image area is in very good condition. A great candidate for matting and framing. Print measures 17.75 x 25.5, backing board measures 24.5 x 32 inches.
Hand-colored engraving from Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology. Plate is fully mounted on heavy cardboard. Remnants of glue and matting material from matting adhesive and mat (no longer present) on board and on sheet just outside the platemark; surface is also abraded and discolored. Image area is in very good condition. A great candidate for matting and framing. Print measures 17.75 x 25.5, backing board measures 24.5 x 32 inches.
Prideaux John Selby (1788-1867). Little Egret Heron - Plate V.
A lovely hand-colored engraving from the second edition of Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846). Watermarked "J Whatman 1846." In excellent condition except for a shallow crease to the lower left corner. Mounting tape to reverse. Light penciled notations. 26.25 x 20.75 inches.
A lovely hand-colored engraving from the second edition of Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846). Watermarked "J Whatman 1846." In excellent condition except for a shallow crease to the lower left corner. Mounting tape to reverse. Light penciled notations. 26.25 x 20.75 inches.
Prideaux John Selby (1788-1867). Night Heron - Plate VII.
Hand-colored engraving from the second edition of Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846). Watermarked "J Whatman 1846." In excellent condition except for a couple of light spots in the lower margin. Slight anomaly in the printing of the words "Night Heron," with unevenly applied ink. Light penciled notations. 20.75 x 26.25 inches.
Hand-colored engraving from the second edition of Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846). Watermarked "J Whatman 1846." In excellent condition except for a couple of light spots in the lower margin. Slight anomaly in the printing of the words "Night Heron," with unevenly applied ink. Light penciled notations. 20.75 x 26.25 inches.
Robert Thornton (1768-1837). The American Aloe.
A striking mezzotint engraving with hand-coloring, from Thornton's The Temple of Flora (London: 1799-1807). In very good condition. Paper is toned with faint soiling and foxing. Light dampstaining to bottom side and right side, intruding past the platemark. Light penciled notations. 18.25 x 23.25 inches.
A striking mezzotint engraving with hand-coloring, from Thornton's The Temple of Flora (London: 1799-1807). In very good condition. Paper is toned with faint soiling and foxing. Light dampstaining to bottom side and right side, intruding past the platemark. Light penciled notations. 18.25 x 23.25 inches.
Robert Thornton (1768-1837). Cupid Inspiring the Plants With Love.
A lush and beautiful image, from Thornton's masterpiece, The Temple of Flora (London: 1799-1807). This color-printed aquatint with stipple and line engraving is finished with hand-coloring. The print is in excellent condition except for light toning to the paper and very mild browning to edges. The color is bright and vivid. Light penciled notations. 18.25 x 23.25 inches.
A lush and beautiful image, from Thornton's masterpiece, The Temple of Flora (London: 1799-1807). This color-printed aquatint with stipple and line engraving is finished with hand-coloring. The print is in excellent condition except for light toning to the paper and very mild browning to edges. The color is bright and vivid. Light penciled notations. 18.25 x 23.25 inches.
Elizabeth Twining (1805-1889). Three Prints: Bignoniaceæ (The Trumpet Flower Tribe). [and:] Leguminosæ (The Pea Tribe). [and:] Fucaceæ (The Sea-weed Tribe).
Three bright and delicate hand-colored lithographs by Elizabeth Twining (a member of the illustrious Twinings Tea family) from her book Illustrations of the Natural Order of Plants (London: 1849-1855). All prints are in generally excellent condition. The Sea-weed Tribe print has a half-inch closed tear to the bottom edge and a tiny notch to the top edge. All three prints have remnants of mounting tape along the very edge of the left side. Left side shows binding edge and stitching holes. All measure 13 x 19 inches.
Three bright and delicate hand-colored lithographs by Elizabeth Twining (a member of the illustrious Twinings Tea family) from her book Illustrations of the Natural Order of Plants (London: 1849-1855). All prints are in generally excellent condition. The Sea-weed Tribe print has a half-inch closed tear to the bottom edge and a tiny notch to the top edge. All three prints have remnants of mounting tape along the very edge of the left side. Left side shows binding edge and stitching holes. All measure 13 x 19 inches.
Unattributed. Print Featuring Marsupials, Snake, Bird, and Botanicals.
Lively and charming hand-colored etching with engraving on laid paper, from an unknown, probably eighteenth-century, source. This plate, featuring a snake, a bird, flowering botanicals, and four somewhat crudely drawn marsupials, is identified only as Tab. XXXVI and is in very good condition. Paper is lightly toned, with two vertical, parallel creases running from top to bottom at center of sheet, with some discoloration at creases. A couple of tiny chips along edges. Left side shows binding edge. 23.5 x 19.5 inches.
Lively and charming hand-colored etching with engraving on laid paper, from an unknown, probably eighteenth-century, source. This plate, featuring a snake, a bird, flowering botanicals, and four somewhat crudely drawn marsupials, is identified only as Tab. XXXVI and is in very good condition. Paper is lightly toned, with two vertical, parallel creases running from top to bottom at center of sheet, with some discoloration at creases. A couple of tiny chips along edges. Left side shows binding edge. 23.5 x 19.5 inches.
Berthe Hoola van Nooten (1840-1885). Two Prints: Spathiphyllopsis Minahassæ. [and:] Anona Muricata.
Two chromolithographs, finished by hand, from van Nooten's Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java (Brussels: 1863-1880), lithographed by Severeyns. Spathiphyllopsis Minahassæ is in excellent condition except for a few faint spots. [and:] Anona Muricata is in very good condition with toning and foxing; pin holes in both upper corners. Both have light penciled notations. Both measure 14.25 x 19.75 inches.
Two chromolithographs, finished by hand, from van Nooten's Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java (Brussels: 1863-1880), lithographed by Severeyns. Spathiphyllopsis Minahassæ is in excellent condition except for a few faint spots. [and:] Anona Muricata is in very good condition with toning and foxing; pin holes in both upper corners. Both have light penciled notations. Both measure 14.25 x 19.75 inches.
Berthe Hoola van Nooten (1840-1885). Three Prints: Theobroma Cacao. [and:] Carica Papaya. [and:] Citrus Sarcodactylis.
Three chromolithographs, finished by hand, from van Nooten's Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java (Brussels: 1863-1885). All in generally very good condition. Theobroma Cacao (lithographed by Depannemaeker, 1885). Lightly toned, with pin holes in the upper corners, and a couple of other small holes in the print area. Approximately 14 x 19.75 inches. [and:] Carica Papaya (lithographed by Severeyns). Occasional foxing; a few short tears and tiny nicks around the edges. Pin holes in the upper corners. This paper noticeably whiter, slicker, and of lighter weight than the other two prints in this lot. 14.25 x 19.75 inches. [and:] Citrus Sarcodactylis (lithographed by Depannemaeker, 1885). Lightly toned, with pin holes in the upper corners, and a couple of other small holes in the print area. Approximately 14 x 19.75 inches. All have light penciled notations.
Three chromolithographs, finished by hand, from van Nooten's Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java (Brussels: 1863-1885). All in generally very good condition. Theobroma Cacao (lithographed by Depannemaeker, 1885). Lightly toned, with pin holes in the upper corners, and a couple of other small holes in the print area. Approximately 14 x 19.75 inches. [and:] Carica Papaya (lithographed by Severeyns). Occasional foxing; a few short tears and tiny nicks around the edges. Pin holes in the upper corners. This paper noticeably whiter, slicker, and of lighter weight than the other two prints in this lot. 14.25 x 19.75 inches. [and:] Citrus Sarcodactylis (lithographed by Depannemaeker, 1885). Lightly toned, with pin holes in the upper corners, and a couple of other small holes in the print area. Approximately 14 x 19.75 inches. All have light penciled notations.
[Vues d'Optique]. Three European Views, With Cut-Outs.
Three eighteenth-century hand-colored optique prints with intricate cut-outs, mostly in windows, meant to be viewed in front of a light source, including: Johann Georg Merz (1694-1762). Veduta della Villa la Pezze è Giardino di Son a Royal. This wonderfully attractive view of the Pitti Palace in Florence is in excellent condition. Cut-outs in the palace windows and in two reflecting pools; cut-out areas are covered with a variety of colored textured cloth on the verso. Print mounted on black cardboard, as issued, with contemporary writing in ink on reverse. Print measures approximately 11.5 x 7.75 inches. [and:] Johann Georg Merz (1694-1762). Innerlicher Prospect des Stieffts Gottwich in Nieder Oesterreich. This colorful view of Göttweig Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Lower Austria is in excellent condition, with some foxing in the image area. Cut-outs - some incredibly tiny - in the monastery windows; cut-out areas are covered with a variety of colored textured cloth on the verso. Print is mounted on black cardboard, as issued, with contemporary writing in ink on reverse. Paper has some puckering. Print measures approximately 11.5 x 7.75 inches. [and:] Johann Christoph Nabholz (1752-1796). Vue de la Place ou Marche aux Bêtes a Prague (with title printed in reverse above the image). This view of Prague is in good to very good condition, with toning, light soiling and staining. Some minor puckering. Cut-outs in windows; cut-out areas are covered with a variety of colored textured cloth on the verso. Print mounted to card stock, presumably as issued. Print measures approximately 16.25 x 12.75 inches.
Vues d'Optique, also known as "perspective views" or "prospects," were popular in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. These hand-colored engravings of picturesque views such as town scenes, landscapes, and foreign and exotic architectural delights were widely collected, and viewing them was all the rage among the upper-classes as after-dinner entertainment. They were meant to be viewed through a zograscope (or "perspective glass"), a simple device comprised of a curved lens and a mirror, resulting in almost three-dimensional images. Similar prints were produced to be viewed though "peep show boxes" (also called "raree boxes"). Prints were inserted into these enclosed boxes, then viewed through a convex lens placed in a hole (or holes) in the box. As many of these prints had cut-out areas which were covered by colored paper or textured cloth on the verso, candles were necessary to provide a light source behind the prints; when viewed, it appeared as if colored lights were emanating from the almost three-dimensional prints. The popularity of these delightful prints was widespread, and these are examples of a fascinating cultural phenomenon that is now almost completely unknown.
Three eighteenth-century hand-colored optique prints with intricate cut-outs, mostly in windows, meant to be viewed in front of a light source, including: Johann Georg Merz (1694-1762). Veduta della Villa la Pezze è Giardino di Son a Royal. This wonderfully attractive view of the Pitti Palace in Florence is in excellent condition. Cut-outs in the palace windows and in two reflecting pools; cut-out areas are covered with a variety of colored textured cloth on the verso. Print mounted on black cardboard, as issued, with contemporary writing in ink on reverse. Print measures approximately 11.5 x 7.75 inches. [and:] Johann Georg Merz (1694-1762). Innerlicher Prospect des Stieffts Gottwich in Nieder Oesterreich. This colorful view of Göttweig Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Lower Austria is in excellent condition, with some foxing in the image area. Cut-outs - some incredibly tiny - in the monastery windows; cut-out areas are covered with a variety of colored textured cloth on the verso. Print is mounted on black cardboard, as issued, with contemporary writing in ink on reverse. Paper has some puckering. Print measures approximately 11.5 x 7.75 inches. [and:] Johann Christoph Nabholz (1752-1796). Vue de la Place ou Marche aux Bêtes a Prague (with title printed in reverse above the image). This view of Prague is in good to very good condition, with toning, light soiling and staining. Some minor puckering. Cut-outs in windows; cut-out areas are covered with a variety of colored textured cloth on the verso. Print mounted to card stock, presumably as issued. Print measures approximately 16.25 x 12.75 inches.
Vues d'Optique, also known as "perspective views" or "prospects," were popular in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. These hand-colored engravings of picturesque views such as town scenes, landscapes, and foreign and exotic architectural delights were widely collected, and viewing them was all the rage among the upper-classes as after-dinner entertainment. They were meant to be viewed through a zograscope (or "perspective glass"), a simple device comprised of a curved lens and a mirror, resulting in almost three-dimensional images. Similar prints were produced to be viewed though "peep show boxes" (also called "raree boxes"). Prints were inserted into these enclosed boxes, then viewed through a convex lens placed in a hole (or holes) in the box. As many of these prints had cut-out areas which were covered by colored paper or textured cloth on the verso, candles were necessary to provide a light source behind the prints; when viewed, it appeared as if colored lights were emanating from the almost three-dimensional prints. The popularity of these delightful prints was widespread, and these are examples of a fascinating cultural phenomenon that is now almost completely unknown.
[Vues d'Optique]. Four Perspective Views, Including Three of Paris, and One of Edinburgh.
Four lovely hand-colored optiques, circa 1750-1810, on laid paper, featuring picturesque views of Paris and Edinburgh. All are in generally very good or better condition. Prints in this lot include: Vue des Montagnes de Belleville Près Paris. Attributed to Courvoisier and to Michon. Les Montagnes Russes à Belleville (the "Russian Mountains of Belleville") was an amusement ride in Paris that many consider to be the first ever roller coaster. Print is tipped to a sheet of heavy paper. Minor soiling with a couple of stains at the top corners. Half-inch tear at bottom edge, repaired on reverse. Approximately 18 x 12 inches. [and:] Vue du Jardin des Plantes prise du cabinet d'Histoire Naturelle. (Paris: Chez J. Chéreau, Rue St. Jacques.) A view of the gardens of Paris' Museum of Natural History. Print is tipped to a sheet of heavy paper. Some mild soiling and spotting, some of which is inside the platemark. Approximately 18.25 x 12.5 inches. [and:] Le Jardin, et le Palais du Luxembourg, a Paris. (Presentement chés Lachaussée, Rue St. Jacques; Paris: Chez Daumont, Rue St. Martin.) An attractive view of the Luxembourg Palace and Garden in Paris. Very light foxing; semi-circular area of discoloration at lower right corner. Print is tipped to a sheet of heavy paper. Approximately 17.25 x 12 inches. [and:] Vue de la Grande Rue et du Château à Édimbourg (title printed both below the image and, in reverse, above the image). (Paris: Chez Basset, Rue St. Jacques.) A lovely view of Edinburgh, the Castle and Princes Street in the background, and a boy flying a kite in the foreground. A couple of shallow creases to lower right corner. Approximately 17.75 x 12.25 inches. Colors of all prints are quite bright. All have light penciled notations.
Four lovely hand-colored optiques, circa 1750-1810, on laid paper, featuring picturesque views of Paris and Edinburgh. All are in generally very good or better condition. Prints in this lot include: Vue des Montagnes de Belleville Près Paris. Attributed to Courvoisier and to Michon. Les Montagnes Russes à Belleville (the "Russian Mountains of Belleville") was an amusement ride in Paris that many consider to be the first ever roller coaster. Print is tipped to a sheet of heavy paper. Minor soiling with a couple of stains at the top corners. Half-inch tear at bottom edge, repaired on reverse. Approximately 18 x 12 inches. [and:] Vue du Jardin des Plantes prise du cabinet d'Histoire Naturelle. (Paris: Chez J. Chéreau, Rue St. Jacques.) A view of the gardens of Paris' Museum of Natural History. Print is tipped to a sheet of heavy paper. Some mild soiling and spotting, some of which is inside the platemark. Approximately 18.25 x 12.5 inches. [and:] Le Jardin, et le Palais du Luxembourg, a Paris. (Presentement chés Lachaussée, Rue St. Jacques; Paris: Chez Daumont, Rue St. Martin.) An attractive view of the Luxembourg Palace and Garden in Paris. Very light foxing; semi-circular area of discoloration at lower right corner. Print is tipped to a sheet of heavy paper. Approximately 17.25 x 12 inches. [and:] Vue de la Grande Rue et du Château à Édimbourg (title printed both below the image and, in reverse, above the image). (Paris: Chez Basset, Rue St. Jacques.) A lovely view of Edinburgh, the Castle and Princes Street in the background, and a boy flying a kite in the foreground. A couple of shallow creases to lower right corner. Approximately 17.75 x 12.25 inches. Colors of all prints are quite bright. All have light penciled notations.
Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741). Three Botanical Prints: Chrysanthemum Indicum, Plate 371. [and:] Caranna, Caragne, Caran, Plate 304. [and:] Tulipa major ex albo et rubro variegate.
Three lovely examples of early color engraving with additional color added by hand, from Weinmann's Phytanthoza Iconographia (Regensburg: 1737-1745). All prints in very good or better condition. Chrysanthemum Indicum has light toning, a couple of very faint spots, and some shallow bends to the lower margin. 9.75 x 15.75 inches. [and:] Caranna has light foxing and a couple of spots. Short tear and shallow bend to top right corner. Stitching holes visible along the left side. 10 x 15.25 inches. [and:] Tulipa major has some foxing and light wrinkling around the left and right edges. 9.25 x 15 inches. All with light penciled notations.
Three lovely examples of early color engraving with additional color added by hand, from Weinmann's Phytanthoza Iconographia (Regensburg: 1737-1745). All prints in very good or better condition. Chrysanthemum Indicum has light toning, a couple of very faint spots, and some shallow bends to the lower margin. 9.75 x 15.75 inches. [and:] Caranna has light foxing and a couple of spots. Short tear and shallow bend to top right corner. Stitching holes visible along the left side. 10 x 15.25 inches. [and:] Tulipa major has some foxing and light wrinkling around the left and right edges. 9.25 x 15 inches. All with light penciled notations.
Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741). Three Coral Prints: Corallium album, etc. - Plate 426. [and:] Corallina Spinosa, etc. - Plate 428. [and:] Corallina Corralen, etc. - Plate 427.
Three striking color engravings of coral, with additional color added by hand, on laid paper, from Weinmann's Phytanthoza Iconographia (Regensburg: 1737-1745). All are in excellent condition. Corallium album has a couple of tiny stains at the top edge, and a minor wrinkle to the right margin. Corallina Spinosa has been trimmed unevenly along the right side. Light penciled notations. Plates 426 and 427 measure 9.75 x 15.75 inches; Plate 428 measures 9.5 x 15.75 inches.
Three striking color engravings of coral, with additional color added by hand, on laid paper, from Weinmann's Phytanthoza Iconographia (Regensburg: 1737-1745). All are in excellent condition. Corallium album has a couple of tiny stains at the top edge, and a minor wrinkle to the right margin. Corallina Spinosa has been trimmed unevenly along the right side. Light penciled notations. Plates 426 and 427 measure 9.75 x 15.75 inches; Plate 428 measures 9.5 x 15.75 inches.
Adam Ludwig Wirsing (1733-1797). Three Prints: Stigeliz - Plate LX. [and:] Canarien Vogel - Plate XXIX. [and:] Wachtel - Plate XXXV.
Three very charming hand-colored engravings on watermarked laid paper from Günther and Wirsing's Sammlung von Nestern und Eyern verschiedener Vögel (Nuremberg: 1772-1786). All are in very good condition with mild toning. The two bird prints have some minor thumb-soiling in the top and bottom margins and a few tiny pin holes in the top margins. All three have light penciled notations. All approximately 10.25 x 17 inches.
Three very charming hand-colored engravings on watermarked laid paper from Günther and Wirsing's Sammlung von Nestern und Eyern verschiedener Vögel (Nuremberg: 1772-1786). All are in very good condition with mild toning. The two bird prints have some minor thumb-soiling in the top and bottom margins and a few tiny pin holes in the top margins. All three have light penciled notations. All approximately 10.25 x 17 inches.
Gerard van Spaendonck (1746-1822). [and:] A. L. Wirsing (1733-1797). Two Tulip Prints.
Gerard van Spaendonck. Tulipe des Jardines, a stipple engraving with hand-coloring, on laid paper, from his Fleurs Dessinees d'apres Nature (Paris: 1799-1801). In generally excellent condition except for some mild toning, light foxing, and a couple of areas of discoloration at the edges caused by cello tape on the reverse. Approximately 12.5 x 19.25 inches. [and:] A. L. Wirsing. Tulipa IX - Plate 56, a hand-colored engraving on watermarked laid paper, from Trew's Hortus Nitidissimis (Nuremberg: 1750-86). The print (dated 1766) is in excellent condition except for mild toning and an unevenly trimmed left side. Approximately 12.5 x 18.25 inches. Both have light penciled notations.
Gerard van Spaendonck. Tulipe des Jardines, a stipple engraving with hand-coloring, on laid paper, from his Fleurs Dessinees d'apres Nature (Paris: 1799-1801). In generally excellent condition except for some mild toning, light foxing, and a couple of areas of discoloration at the edges caused by cello tape on the reverse. Approximately 12.5 x 19.25 inches. [and:] A. L. Wirsing. Tulipa IX - Plate 56, a hand-colored engraving on watermarked laid paper, from Trew's Hortus Nitidissimis (Nuremberg: 1750-86). The print (dated 1766) is in excellent condition except for mild toning and an unevenly trimmed left side. Approximately 12.5 x 18.25 inches. Both have light penciled notations.
Session 3
Books
Acts Passed at the Second Session of the Second Legislature of the Territory of Orleans. New Orleans: Louisiana Courier, 1809. 85 pages. English and French. Disbound. Reinforced with paper backstrip and rear wrapper. Inked date to fore-edge. Very good.
Mons. Jean Bernard Bossu. Nouveaux Voyages aux Indes Occidentales. Amsterdam: Changuion, 1769. Twelvemo. Two volumes bound as one. 187, 193, three pages ads. Four plates. Later full green morocco over boards. Very good.
Moritz Busch. Wanderungen zwischen Hudson und Mississippi 1851 und 1852. Stuttgart: J. G. Cotta, 1854. First edition. Two octavo volumes. 390; 381. Near fine.
Mather Byles. The Vanity of Every Man at His Best Estate. A Funeral Sermon on the Honorable William Dummer, Esq. Late Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief, over the Province of the Massachusetts-Bay in New-England. Boston: Green & Russell, 1761.
Michael Chevalier. Society, Manners and Politics in the United States: Being a Series of Letters on North America. Boston: Weeks, Jordan and Company, 1839. Translated from the third Paris edition. Recent half-bound brown morocco. Light foxing. Very good.
Jefferson Davis. The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1881. First edition. Two octavo volumes. xxi, 707; xvii, 808 pages. Nineteen plates, inclusive of frontispieces. Eighteen maps. Near fine.
Henry W. De Puy. Ethan Allen and the Green-Mountain Heroes of '76, With a Sketch of Early Vermont. Buffalo: Phinney & Co., 1853. First edition. Octavo. 428 pages.
Die Calligraphie in Ihrem Ganzen Umfance Geschrieben in Stein Gestochen und Gedruckt von Anton Kuchenreiter Lithograph. 1831. 33 loose folio plates in portfolio. Ex-library. Very good.
Amelia Earhart. Lot of Four Biographies. A comprehensive selection of biographies chronicling the life of Amelia Earhart and the mystery of her disappearance while on a round the world flight with navigator Fred Noonan in 1937.
W. H. Emory. Notes of a Military Reconnaissance, from Fort Leavenworth, in Missouri, to San Diego, in California. Washington: Wendell and Van Benthuysen, 1848. Two folding maps. Recent calf. Very heavy foxing and tanning throughout. Bookplate. Overall very good.
Family Cook Book. New Haven: Healy & Bigelow, Publishers, 1891. First edition. Octavo. 49 pages. Very good.
Grace Raymond Hebard. Sacajawea... Glendale, California: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1933. First edition. Octavo. 340 pages. Numerous black-and-white illustrations. Modern dark brown three-quarter morocco over brown cloth boards. A near fine copy.
John Howard Hinton. History of the United States from the Earliest Period. Boston: Samuel Walker, 1869. Twenty quarto parts. 702 pages. Many steel engravings. The serialized monthly parts in original wrappers. Some wrappers chipped and tearing. Very good.
Semper Idem. The "Blue Book" - A Bibliographical Attempt to Describe the Guide Books to the Houses of Ill Fame in New Orleans. [N.p.]: privately printed, 1936. 77 pages. Illustrated. Gilt-stamped blue cloth. Very good.
[George W. Jeffreys]. A Series of Essays on Agriculture & Rural Affairs; in Forty-Seven Numbers. By "Agricola," a North-Carolina Farmer. Raleigh: Joseph Gales, 1819. Twelvemo. 223 pages. Illustrations. Index. Very good.
John F. Kennedy. Profiles in Courage. New York: Harper & Row, [1964]. Signed by Robert F. Kennedy. Very good condition.
William Kingdom. America and the British Colonies - Kingdom's emigrant guide to the US and UK Colonies. London: Whittaker, 1820. First edition. Octavo. Quarter calf to style over boards, very good.
[Charles Lindbergh]. Lot of Nine Books Concerning the "Lone Eagle", Charles Lindbergh. A nice survey of biographies and memoirs.
Benson J. Lossing. Washington and the American Republic. New York: Virtue & Yorston, n.d. (circa 1870). Three octavo volumes issued in thirty-four serialized parts in orange decorative wrappers. Very good.
Douglas MacArthur. Reminiscences. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964. First edition. Limited to 1750 numbered copies signed by MacArthur, of which this is number 754.
Kelly Miller. As to the Leopard's Spots: An Open Letter to Thomas Dixon, Jr. Washington, D.C.: Hayworth Publishing House, 1905. Second ten thousand. Octavo. 31 pages. Very good.
The New-England Primer, Improved; For the More Easy Attaining the True Reading of English. To Which is Added the Assembly of Divines' Catechism. Lansignburgh: Tracy & Bliss, 1816. 72 pages. Printed wraps, stitched. Toned and slightly tatty along the edges, else very good.
Richard Nixon. Memoirs of Richard Nixon - Special collector's edition, signed by President Nixon. Norwalk, CT: Easton Press, [1978]. Signed by the author. 1,118 pages. Octavo. Dark blue full leather. All edges gilt. Very good.
Phelps' Guide Through the United States. New York: Thayer, Bridgman, and Fanning, 1854. New and Improved Edition. Black leather pocket guide with folding map. Pages toned; map with numerous cellophane tape repairs. Overall, very good.
Francis and Theresa Pulszky. White Red Black. Sketches of Society in the United States During the Visit of Their Guest. London: Trubner and Co., 1853. Complete in three volumes. Recent half navy leather over patterned paper boards. Very good.
Jigsaw Puzzle of US Map from 1895. 20.5 x 12.5 inches. Some chipping and wear to original box. Has Oklahoma in two parts, Oklahoma and Indian Territory. Very good.
Ronald Reagan. Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989. Bookplate signed by Reagan affixed to one of the preliminary pages. Fine in dust jacket.
Charles B. Richardson. Our Great Captains. Grant, Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan, and Farragut. New York: Charles B. Richardson, 1865. First edition. Octavo. 251 pages. Very good.
(Sojurn for Truth and Justice). A Call to Negro Women. 4 page brochure recruiting for the Sojurn in Washington, DC, September 29 through October 1, 1951. Very good.
Henry R. Stiles. A History of the City of Brooklyn. Brooklyn, 1867-1870. First edition. Three quarto volumes. Contemporary half calf over marbled boards. Very good.
Memorial Addresses on the Life and Character of Charles Sumner. Washington: GPO, 1874. Octavo. 112 pages. Buckram over boards. Very good. [and:] Seventeen More Bound Congressional Memorial Addresses. Washington: GPO, 1889-1914. Very good.
Charles Sumner. Speech of Hon. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, on the Cession of Russian America to the United States. Washington: Printed at the Congressional Globe Office, 1867. First edition. Octavo. 48 pages. Missing map.
Emory Upton. A New System of Infantry Tactics Double and Single Rank. New York: D. Appleton, 1868. Later issue. Inscribed by Upton on second free endpaper. Full leather with gilt. A very good copy.
[Benjamin Wilson, translator]. The Emphatic Diaglott. New York: Samuel R. Wells, New York, 1870. Second edition. Publisher's green cloth. Small split to cloth along upper front joint. A very good copy.
Carson City, Nevada Chamber of Commerce Tourist Guide Circa 1930. While there is no printing information on this delightful little brochure, the photographs likely date it to the late 1920s or 1930s. Very good.
Lot of Six Books About Alaska. Including Agnes Rush Burr. Alaska: Our Beautiful Northland of Opportunity. [and] four issues of Alaska Geographic. [and] Alaska: North to the Future, Volume II. Ltd. first inscribed by then-governor Frank H. Murkowski.
Lot of Five Books About the Spanish Missions of California.
Friderici Sylburgii [translator]. Aristotelis Politica et Oeconomica. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1810. First edition. Two octavo volumes. cxi, [1, blank], 304; 305-757 pages. Very good.
William Camden. Remaines of a Greater Worke, Concerning Britaine. London: Printed by G. E. for Simon Waterson, 1605. First edition. Small quarto. [vi], 235, [1], 59 pages. Very good.
John Campbell. Lives of the British Admirals. London: C. J. Barrington, 1817. Eight octavo volumes. Contemporary half morocco over boards. Bookplates. Moderate foxing throughout. Some scuffing and bumping to extremities. Overall, very good condition.
Volume of Bound Issues of Illustrated Catholic Missions. London: J. Donovan. Includes Volume I-IV, 1886-1890.
Les Commentaires de Cesar, en Latin et en Francois. de la Traduction de N. Perrot, Sieur d'Ablancourt. Nouvelle Edition, Reveüe & Corrigée. Lyon: Antoine et Horace Molin, 1689. Two twelvemo volumes. Two folding plates. One folding map. Very good.
Winston Churchill. Marlborough His Life and Times. London: George G. Harrap, 1933-1938. First editions. Four octavo volumes. Volume one somewhat cocked, with a cracked hinge. Bookplate to two volumes. Some scuffing, slight soiling. Very good.
The Book of Common Prayer. London: Charles Bill, 1704. Small twelvemo. Original full leather over boards. Marbled endpapers. Pewter edges to several board edges; remnants of pewter clasps. Front joint splitting. Some crumbling to spine. Very good.
J. L. A. Loiseleur Deslongchamps. Flora Gallica seu Enumeratio Plantarum. Paris: J. B. Ballière, 1928. Two octavo volumes. Contemporary full calf over boards. Very good.
Wilhelm Diez, C. Frohlich, C. Haberlin, et al [illustrators]. Zur Geschichte der Costüme. Munich: Verlag von Braun & Schneider, circa 1880.
Evert A. Duyckinck. Portrait Gallery of Eminent Men and Women of Europe and America. New York: Johnson, Wilson and Company, 1873. Two quarto volumes. Illustrated. Bound in publisher's full morocco. Very good.
George F. Eaton. The Collection of Osteological Material From Machu Picchu. New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor Company, 1916.
Alexander Fisher. Journal of a Voyage of Discovery to the Arctic Regions in His Majesty's Ships Hecla and Griper. London: Longman, etc., 1821. Recent half bound green calf over patterned paper boards. Foxing throughout. Map repaired with tape. Overall, very good.
[Lieut. Colonel Gurwood, ed.] The Dispatches of the Field Marshal The Duke of Wellington, During his Various Campaigns in India, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, the Low Countries, and France, from 1799 to 1818. London: John Murray, 1837, 1838. Twelve octavo volumes. Modern half calf. Near fine.
Inscribed Copy of A Noble Fragment Being A Leaf of the Gutenberg Bible 1450-1455 With a Bibliographical Essay by A. Edward Newton. New York: Gabriel Wells, 1921. Minus the important fragment, portfolio only.
Y. G. Krishnamurti. His Majesty King Mahendra Bir Bikrm Shaha Deva (An Analytical Biography). [and] King Mahendra Poetic Values and Technique Based on the Kashmiri Pandit Tradition.
Austen P. Layard. Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon; With Travels in Armenia, Kurdistan and the Desert. New York: G. P. Putnam, 1853. Front hinge broken. Good condition.
[Louisiana]. Notice sur l'etat Actuel de la Mission de la Louisiane. Paris: Adrien le Clere, 1820. First edition. Octavo. 58 pages. Contemporary plain wrappers. Light soiling to a few leaves. Very good.
H. H. Milman. The History of the Jews. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1843. Three twelvemo volumes. Index. Six folding maps. Full polished calf over boards. Morocco title labels with gilt lettering to spines. Hinges tender. Mild foxing throughout. Very good.
Maria Montessori. Pedagogical Anthropology. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1913. First American edition. Octavo. xi, 508 pages.
Edouard. [de] Montule. A Voyage to North America, and the West Indies, in 1817. London: Sir Richard Phillips and Co., 1821. Later half red morocco over marbled paper boards. Leather quite worn. Foxing throughout. In generally very good condition.
Joseph Moxon. A Tutor to Astronomy and Geography. London: S. Roycroft, 1686. Octavo. 272 pages. Illustrations. Contemporary full calf over boards. Rebacked. Loss to lower half of two leaves. Preliminary pages browning and brittle. Good.
Horton Rhys. A Theatrical Trip for a Wager! Through Canada and the United States. London: Charles Dudley, 1861. First edition. Octavo. 140 pages. Frontispiece, three color plates. Very good.
[Bruce Rogers, editor]. A History of the English Bible As Shown in Facsimile Pages From 1525 to 1611. New York: American Bible Society, [1925]. Nine facsimile plates, lacking one. Plates in fine condition. In split and worn slipcase.
Dean Snift [Benson Earl Hill]. A Pinch of Snuff: Composed of Curious Particulars and Original Anecdotes of Snuff Taking. London: Robert Tyas, 1840. First edition. Sixteenmo. vii, 152 pages. Very good.
Lionel Strachey [translator]. Memoirs of an Arabian Princess. New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1907. First edition. 227 pages. Illustrated. Publisher's blue-green cloth with gilt and silver illustration stamped on the front board and gilt spine titles. Top edge gilt. Moderate shelf wear. Binding cracked at page 144. Otherwise, a very good copy.
Richard Strauss. Der Rosenkavalier: Komodie fur Musik von Hugo von Hofsmannsthal. (English version by Alfred Kalisch). Berlin: Adolph Furstner, [N.d., ca. 1920]. Signed by Richard Strauss on the front free endpaper. Very good.
Autographs
Richard Strauss Typed Letter Signed. A one-page typed letter signed "Yours most Sincerely Richard Strauss." 1924. Letter on Staatsoper stationery dated Vienna, 5 May 1924. Translation of the German text: "Dear Frau Strauss, Warmest thanks for kindly finding us a cook. Admittedly she is rather expensive but if she should fulfill all our requirements she will be welcome. She will though have no court dinners to cook in Garmisch, but instead all kinds of cakes and snack baking. The main question will be how she gets on with our plain Bavarian cooking. As she will work in Garmisch only till the autumn a passport certificate will probably be unnecessary. Many thanks and a good cure in Marienbad. A pity that you cannot be here for the Strauss week. With best regards from all or family to yours, Yours most sincerely Richard Strauss." Letter has been folded for mailing, but clean and crisp. Near fine condition.
Books
A New Catalogue of the Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts, Barons, of England, Scotland, and Ireland, with the Times of Their Creations. [...] Collected by T. W. London: Thomas Walkley, 1658. Twelvemo. 175 pages. Very good.
John Wise. A System Of Aeronautics... Philadelphia: Joseph A. Speel, 1850. First edition. Octavo. 310 pages. With twelve inserted plates and a portrait frontispiece. Modern blue half morocco over blue cloth. Top edge gilt. Very good condition.
Mr. Wynne [John Huddlestone]. A General History of the British Empire in America. London: W. Richardson and L. Urquhart, 1770. First edition, second state. Complete in two octavo volumes. Folding map. Recent half leather. Very good.
Five Middle East Titles, including: John W. Dulles. The Ride Through Palestine. [and:] James W. Hott. Journeys in the Old World. [and:] John Fulton. Palestine: The Holy Land. [and:] W. D. McCrackan. The New Palestine. [and:] Charles M Doughty. Travels in Arabia Deserta. All good or better.
The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments. Oxford: Thomas Baskett, 1749. Octavo. Unpaginated. Index. Good.
[Bible]. A History of the English Bible as Shown in Facsimile Pages from 1525 to 1611. Elephant folio. 11 facsimile plates in 10 board bi-folios with descriptive text, folding board chemise. Lacks slipcase with printed label. Very good.
Facsimiles of Historic French Documents, including: Reliques Èmouvantes ou Curieuses de l'Histoire. [and:] Quelques Reliques Èmouvantes du Passé. [and:] Quelques Reliques Èmouvantes de l'Histoire de France. Paris: Maurice Devries, n.d. Quarto. Very good.
Allmählige Entwickelungs - und Ausbildungs-Phasen der Deutchen, Lateinifchen und Griechifchen Schriftzeichen.... Leipzig: Ponide und Sohn, 1839. Folio. Printed wraps. Ten plates demonstrating alphabets in German, Latin, and German. Ex -library. Very good.
Bernard Buffet. Le Cirque - Signed and Inscribed by the Artist. [Paris]: Art et Style, [1956]. First edition. Quarto. Eight page of text in French. With numerous full-page illustrations. Ivory cloth backed over paper boards. About very good condition.
Jane Gottlieb. Presentation Copy of Monuments. Monterey: Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, 1989. First edition. Inscribed to actress Gena Rowlands. Oblong folio. Very good.
Stephen Longstreet. Storyville to Harlem: Fifty Years in the Jazz Scene. New Brunswick: Rutgers, 1986. First edition. Signed by Longstreet on the title page; also, inscribed with two original drawing by Longstreet on preliminary pages.
[Peter Max] L. D. Black. Peter Max. [Beverly Hills]: [Hanson Galleries], [1989]. First edition. Inscribed by Max. Additionally inscribed by Victor Zurbel, book's designer. Front hinge soft. In dust jacket. A very good copy.
[Henry Moore]. Two Signed Henry Moore Books, including: Henry Moore. Thomas Nelson, 1968. First edition. Signed by Moore. Scuffed slipcase. [and:] Henry Moore, Unpublished Drawings. Turin: Pozzo, 1971. First edition. Signed. Dust jacket. Very good.
Der Schreibmeister, Driffes Heft.... Berlin: Carl Jäck, 1799. Oblong quarto. Printed wrappers. 13 pages on verso only. Handwriting book. Text in French. Ex library. Very good.
Two Books of German Monograph Lettering. Vorlegelätter aller Schriftarten. Mainz: Joseph Scholz, n.d. [and:] Schönschreiben. Mainz: Joseph Scholz, n.d. Both oblong quartos in printed wrappers. Very good.
French Monograms. Collection de Chiffres, Composéa par H. Desnoyers. Paris: l'Auteur, n.d. Two oblong quarto volumes. Printer salmon wrappers. Twenty-seven plates of monogram lettering. Ex library. Very good.
Giovanni Boccaccio. The Decameron. Philadelphia: J. P. Horn, 1928. Two quarto volumes. Full morocco over boards. The Certaldo Edition, limited to 750 numbered sets.
Daniel Defoe. The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. London: Cochrane and Pickersgill, 1831. Two quarto volumes. Fine.
M. Le Grand. Fabliaux or Tales. London: J. Rodwell, 1815. Three quarto volumes. Full morocco over boards. Near fine.
George Grote. A History of Greece. London: John Murray, 1869. Twelve octavo volumes. Contemporary full morocco over boards. Near fine.
Henrik Ibsen. Two Plays, including: Hedda Gabler. London, 1891. Octavo. xv, 256. Number 95 of 100 numbered copies. [bound with:] The Master Builder. London, 1895. Octavo. 256 pages. Number 2 of 60 numbered copies. Morocco over boards. Near fine.
Thomas à Kempis. Of the Imitation of Christ. London: Chatto and Windus, 1908. Octavo. Eight color plates by W Russell Flint. Bound by Sangorski and Sutcliffe in full blue calf. Near fine.
Paul Lacroix. The Arts in the Middle Ages, and at the Period of the Renaissance. London: Chapman and Hall, 1870. Octavo. Full morocco. Very good.
Lord Macaulay. Lays of Ancient Rome. London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green, 1863. Small square quarto. Bound by Rivière in full dark green crushed levant over boards. Near fine.
[Baron Munchausen]. The Travels and Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen. London: William Tegg, 1868. Octavo. Beautifully bound by Bayntun in full red morocco. Near fine. .
Samuel Pepys. Everybody's Pepys. London: G. Bells and Sons, 1935. Octavo. Beautifully bound by Rivière and Son in full green morocco. Fine.
[Willy Pogany, illustrator]. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Faust. London: Hutchinson, 1908. First edition, thus. Quarto. Thirty color plates by Pogany. Contemporary full scarlet morocco over boards by Bayntun-Rivière. Near fine.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. New York: Brentano's, 1928. Two volumes. Contemporary full red morocco over boards. Near fine.
[Tobias Smollett, translator]. Alain-René Lesage. The Adventures of Gil Blas de Santillane. London: Thomas McLean, et al., 1819. Three octavo volumes. Bound by Sangorski and Sutcliffe in full red morocco. Fifteen hand-colored aquatints. Near fine.
James Stephens. Crock of Gold. London: Macmillan, 1912. First edition. Octavo. Bound by Bayntun-Rivière in green full morocco. Near fine.
F. G. Stephens. Memoirs of Sir Edwin Landseer. A Sketch of the Life of the Artist, Illustrated with Reproductions of Twenty-Four of His Most Popular Works. George Bell and Sons, 1874. First thus. Octavo. Full morocco. Very good.
Bayard Tuckerman. Life of General Lafayette. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington, 1889. Two octavo volumes. Bound in full blue crushed morocco. Extra-illustrated copy with over thirty engravings. Near fine.
M. de Voltaire. Romances, Novels, and Tales. Lackington, Allen, and Company, 1806. Two octavo volumes. Twenty-two full-page engraved plates. Later full tan crushed morocco. Near fine.
Izaak Walton. The Compleat Angler. Bloomsbury: The Nonesuch Press, 1929. 987 of 1600 copies. Quarto. Original tan full morocco over boards. Near fine.
[Pocket World Atlas]. Atlas de Poche de Geographie Moderne... Paris: Chez Tardieu Deuesle, Libraire, [n.d., 1815]. Twentyfourmo. Unpaginated. With 32 maps in full color and a table of contents at the rear. Modern red half leather. Very good condition.
Miscellaneous
Blaeu. Four Hand-Colored Maps of the New World, ca. 1630-1640. All maps have original hand coloring, uniform toning of paper, and central fold. Some with tearing at the fold and light staining; else near fine or better.
Frederik de Wit. Three Excellent Hand-Colored Maps of Germany, ca. 1670. All maps with original hand coloring, uniform toning of paper, and central fold. The first map has a small tear at the lower left corner, else all very good.
Frederik de Wit. Three Hand-Colored Maps of Germany and the Netherlands, ca. 1670. All maps with original hand coloring, uniform toning of paper, and central fold. Minor soiling and a tear along the fold at bottom of second map; else, all are near fine.
Frederik de Wit. Four Superb Hand-Colored Maps of Germany, ca. 1670-1700. All maps with original hand coloring, uniform toning of paper, and central fold. All are near fine or better.
Books
[Map of Ascot Gold and Mining Company]. Ascot Gold Fields: Lower Canada. Drawn, engraved by G. W. & C. B. Colton, 1865. 16 x 20 inches. Hand-colored boundary lines. Ink from contemporary hand has outlined two sections of land within inset. Very good.
[Map of Maui]. Hawaiian Government Survey. W. D. Alexander. Surveyor-General. Maui, Hawaiian Islands. Map by F. S. Dodge, 1885. 36.5 x 31 inches. Scale 1:90,000. Topography noted; boundaries defined by color. Very good.
Miscellaneous
Nicolaas Visscher. Four Outstanding Hand-Colored Maps of the Netherlands, ca. 1680. All maps with original hand coloring, uniform toning of paper, and central fold. All are near fine or better.
Books
[German Nineteenth Century School Alphabet Boards]. Seven educational panels of letters and words in German script, one with pictorial etchings. Two sizes: 13.5 x 24.5; 13.5 x 16.5 inches. Paper mounted on cardboard. Fabric loops. Some soiling. Very good.
Hans Christian Andersen. Norwegian Edition of Andersen's Fairy Tales Eventyr I Utvalg. Oslo: N. W. Damm & Son, 1926. Norwegian jubilee edition. Two octavo volumes. With tipped-in color illustrations by Axel Mathiesen. Very good.
Marguerite de Angeli. Yonie Wondernose. Garden City: Doubleday Doran & Company, 1944. First edition. Octavo. Unpaginated. Very good.
Helen Bannerman. A New Story of Little Black Sambo. Racine: Whitman Publishing Co., [1926]. First edition thus. Twelvemo. Unpaginated. Color illustrations by Clara Bell Thurston. Very good.
L. Frank Baum. The Songs of Father Goose For Kindergarten, the Nursery and the Home. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company Publishers, [no date]. First edition. Quarto. 83 pages.
Mary Graham Bonner. Mrs. Cucumber Green. Springfield [Massachusetts]: Milton Bradley Co., 1927. First edition. Octavo. Unpaginated. Very good.
Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Philadelphia & London: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1923. Later printing illustrated by Gertrude Kay and John Tenniel.
Geoffrey Chaucer Translation From the French of The Romaunt of the Rose. London: Chatto & Windus, 1911. First edition. Octavo. 108 pages. Illustrated by Keith Henderson and Norman Wilkinson.
Harry Clarke. Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault. The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault Illustrated by Harry Clarke. Cleveland and New York: The World Publishing Company, First edition thus. Very good.
Roald Dahl. Lot of Five Roald Dahl Children's Books Including James and the Giant Peach.
[Edmund Dulac, illustrator]. Four Illustrated Books, including: A Fairy Garland. [and:] John Milton. The Masque of Comus. [and:] The Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales. [and:] Stories from the Arabian Nights. All but Comus in dust jacket. All very good or better.
S. Louis Giraud, editor. The Daily Express Children's Annual, Introducing Self-Erecting Models, No. 3. London, [1931]. First edition. Illustrated, with seven color pop-ups. Boards worn. Text block skewed. All pop-ups in working order.
Kenneth Grahame. The Golden Age. London and New York: John Lane: The Bodley Head, 1900. First illustrated edition. Octavo. 252 pages. Illustrated by Maxfield Parrish.
Kate Greenaway. Language of Flowers. London: George Routledge and Sons, [1884]. First thus. Small twelvemo. 80 pages. Publisher's green quarter cloth with pictorial paper boards. Rubbed and edge worn with minor soiling. A very good copy.
Eulalie Osgood Grover [editor]. Mother Goose. New York: P. F. Volland Company, 1921. 4th printing, Volland Popular Edition. Quarto. Unpaginated. Illustrated by Frederick Richardson.
Berta and Elmer Hader. Cock-A-Doodle-Doo: The Story of a Little Red Rooster. New York, 1939. First edition. Illustrations. Original cloth. Extremities worn. Very good in a tatty and soiled dust jacket.
Michael Hague [illustrator]. Five Children's Classics Illustrated by Michael Hague. Including Kenneth Grahame. The Wind in the Willows. [and] two copies of Michael Hague's Favorite Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales. [and] Kenneth Grahame. The Reluctant Dragon. [and] Oscar Wilde. The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde.
Thomas Ingoldsby. The Jackdaw Of Rheims [With]: Misadventures At Margate [With]: The Knight And The Lady. London: Eyre & Spottingwoode, [no dates, circa 1880s].
Jessie M. King. The City of the West. London and Edinburgh: T. N. Foulis, 1911. First edition. Octavo. Illustrated by Jessie M. King. Very good.
Walter de La Mare. Down-Adown-Derry, A Book of Fairy Poems by Walter de La Mare Illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop. London: Constable & Co., 1922. First edition. Octavo. 190 pages. Illustrations by Dorothy P. Lathrop.
Helen Mackay. Stories For Pictures. New York: Duffield and Company, 1912. First edition. Octavo. 168 pages. With eight beautiful color plates and additional black-and-white illustrations by Dugald Stewart Walker.
Henry Mayer. The Adventures of a Japanese Doll. London: Grant Richards and New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1901. First edition. Oblong quarto. 127 pages.
Frank Edwin Peat [compiler]. Fern Bisel Peat Illustrated Christmas Carols. Akron [Ohio]: The Saalfield Publishing Company, 1932. First edition. Quarto. Unpaginated.
Fern Bisel Peat [illustrator]. Lot of Six Saalfield Children's Books Illustrated by Fern Bisel Peat.
[Fern Bisel Peat, illustrator]. Helen Bannerman. Fern Bisel Peat Illustrated Edition of Little Black Sambo. Cleveland: The Harter Publishing Company, 1931.
Fern Bisel Peat [illustrator]. Frank R. Leet. Purr and Miew Kitten Stories Illustrated by Fern Bisel Peat. Akron [Ohio]: The Saalfield Publishing Company, 1931. First edition. Folio. 60 pages.
Fern Bisel Peat [illustrator]. Marion L. McNeil. Round the Mulberry Bush Illustrated by Fern Bisel Peat. Akron [Ohio]: The Saalfield Publishing Company, 1933. First edition. Folio. Unpaginated.
Fern Bisel Peat [illustrator]. Eugene Field. The Sugar-Plum Tree and Other Verses Illustrated by Fern Bisel Peat. Akron [Ohio]: The Saalfield Publishing Company, 1930. First edition. Octavo. Unpaginated.
[Beatrix Potter]. Pair of Slipcases For the Peter Rabbit Miniature Collection. These slipcases are for the original issue of the Peter Rabbit tales as issued in a diminutive version. Very good condition.
Clara Childs Puckette. Old Mitt Laughs Last. New York Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company Publishers, [1944]. Limited first edition signed by the author. Octavo. 217 pages. Illustrated by Sandra James. Brown cloth with gilt lettering. Very good.
Arthur Quiller-Couch. The Twelve Dancing Princesses. New York: George H. Doran, n.d. x, 244 pages. Illustrated with color plates by Kay Nielsen. Cracked hinges. Damp-staining to top edge, not affecting prints. Good.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. Eden Phillpotts. A Dish of Apples. London & New York: Hodder & Stoughton, [no date, circa 1921]. First trade edition. Octavo. Very good.
Arthur Rackham [illustrator]. Harriet Martineau [author]. Feats on the Fiord. London: J. M. Dent & Sons Limited, [1914]. First edition thus. Octavo. 128 pages. With eight color illustrations by Arthur Rackham.
[Arthur Rackham, Illustrator]. The Land of Enchantment. London: Cassell and Company, 1907. First edition. Quarto. 144 pages. Thirty-six illustrations by Rackham. Fine.
[Arthur Rackham, illustrator]. William Shakespeare. A Midsummer-Night's Dream. London: William Heinemann, 1908. First trade edition. Quarto. Forty color plates and thirty drawings in black and white. Bound by Bayntun-Rivière in full morocco. Fine.
W. Heath Robinson. My Line of Life. London and Glasgow: Blackie & Son Limited, 1938. First edition. Signed by the author on the title page. Octavo. 198 pages. Illustrated by the author.
W. Heath Robinson [illustrator]. Two Beautifully Illustrated Books, including: Shakespeare's Comedy of Twelfth Night. [and:] Rudyard Kipling. A Song of the English. Both very good.
[William Shakespeare]. The Merchant of Venice Illustrated by Sir James Linton. New York and London: Hodder & Stoughton, First edition, thus. Quarto. 144 pages. With 35 of 36 tipped-in color plates illustrated by Sir James Linton.
William Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night's Dream Illustrated by Robert Anning Bell. London: J. M. Dent & Co., 1895. First edition thus. Very good.
[William Shakespeare]. Charles and Mary Lamb. Tales From Shakspeare. Illustrated by George Soper. New York: Baker & Taylor Co., [no date]. Very good.
H. de Vere Stacpoole. Poppyland Illustrated by Leighton Pearce. London: John Lane, the Bodley Head, 1914. First edition. Octavo. 219 pages. With 18 color plates.
Diana Thorne [illustrator]. Trio of Children's Animal Books Illustrated by Diana Thorne.
Lynne Tinley. Inscribed and with an original watercolor drawing by the author. Drawn From the Plains. Life in the Wilds of Southern Africa. London: Collins, 1979. First edition. Inscribed and with an original watercolor. Octavo. 191 pages. Illustrated.
Two Tip + Top Pop-Up Books, including: Tip + Top Go Flying. [and:] Tip + Top and the Moon Rocket. Both published in London in 1964. Some repairs. All pop-ups in working order. Very good.
Carolyn Treffinger. Rag-Doll Jane, Her Story. Illustrated by Fern Bisel Peat. Akron [Ohio]: The Saalfield Publishing Company, 1935. First edition. Folio. Unpaginated.
Blanche Elizabeth Wade. Ant Ventures. Chicago and New York: Rand McNally & Company, 1924. First edition. Octavo. 246 pages. Illustrated by Harrison Cady.
Elizabeth Woodruff. Stories From a Magic World Illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. Springfield [Massachusetts]: McLoughlin Brothers, Inc., 1938.
Two Children's Books With a Moon Theme, including: Edith Ogden Harrison. The Moon Princess. 1905. Illustrations by Lucy Fitch Perkins. Very good. [and:] Josephine Lawrence. Man in the Moon Stories Told Over the Radio-Phone. 1922. Illustrations by Johnny Gruelle. Good. Both first editions in their original cloth bindings which are worn and faded.
A Square [pseudonym of Edwin Abbott]. Flatland, A Romance of Many Dimensions. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1885. First American edition. Small octavo. 155 pages. Publisher's pictorial blue cloth. Rubbed and edge worn. Very good.
Ray Bradbury. The Golden Apples of the Sun - Signed and Inscribed by the Author. Drawings by Joe Mugnaini. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1953. First edition in dust jacket. Very good.
Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1914. First edition, second state binding. Octavo. 401 pages.
August Derleth. Twelve Books Relating to August Derleth. All in good or better condition.
Three Finney Books, including: Charles G. Finney. The Circus of Doctor Lao. [and:] Charles G. Finney. The Unholy City. [and:] Jack Finney. Time and Again. All are first editions in dust jackets. All very good or better.
A. B. Guthrie Jr. The Big Sky. New York: William Sloane, [1947]. First edition. Limited to 500 copies of which this is number 125 and signed by Guthrie on the limitation page. This copy is accompanied by all three variations of the dust jacket. Very good.
Robert A. Heinlein. The Door Into Summer. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1957. First edition. Light wear. Very good in dust jacket.
Stephen King & Peter Straub. Black House. Hampton Falls: Donald M. Grant, [2002]. First edition. Limited to 1520 copies of which this is number 340. Signed by Stephen King and Peter Straub. Still sealed in publisher's shrinkwrap and housed in original shipping carton from Grant. A fine, unopened copy.
Stephen King. Desperation. Hampton Falls: Donald M. Grant, 1996. First edition. This is copy 50 of 2,050 limited copies signed by King on limitation page. Housed in publisher's clamshell box. A fine copy.
Ira Levin. Rosemary's Baby. New York: Random House, [1967]. First edition. Octavo. 245 pages. Leaning spine with toned page edges. Dust jacket has edge wear and darkening. A very good copy.
[H. P. Lovecraft]. Jonathan E. Hoag. The Poetical Works of Jonathan E. Hoag. New York, 1923. First edition. Inscribed by Hoag. Preface as well as six poems by H. P. Lovecraft. Very good. Scarce early Lovecraft item.
George Orwell. Nineteen Eighty-Four. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, [1949]. Advance Review Copy. Octavo. 314 pages. Toning to covers and spine. Lightly edge worn and soiled. Dampstain on bottom edge. A good copy.
Fletcher Pratt and L. Sprague De Camp. Two titles, including: The Carnelian Cube. [and:] Land of Unreason. Both in dust jackets. Both generally very good.
Philip Pullman. Two titles, including: Count Karlstein. London: Chatto & Windus, 1982. In dust jacket. Library discard. Very good. [and:] Lyra's Oxford. Oxford: David Fickling Books, [2003]. Signed by Pullman. Folding map. Fine.
Bram Stoker. Three First Editions, including: The Jewel of Seven Stars. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1904. Lacking endpaper. [and:] Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving. London: Heinemann, 1906. Two volumes. [and:] The Lady of the Shroud. London: Heinemann, 1909. All good or better.
Peter Straub. Three First Editions, including: Ghost Story. [and:] Floating Dragon. Limited to 500 signed copies. [and:] The General's Wife. Limited to 1,200 signed copies. All very good or better condition.
Theodore Sturgeon. Seven Books, including: Without Sorcery. Signed. [and:] The Dreaming Jewels. [and:] A Way Home. Two inscribed copies. [and:] More Than Human. [and:] Venus Plus X. Proof. [and:] Godbody. Signed. All good or better.
J. R. R. Tolkien. Three titles, including: The Silmarillion. Book club edition, in dust jacket. Very good. [and:] The Fellowship of the Ring. [and:] The Two Towers. The latter two books are later editions, in good condition.
A. E. van Vogt. Twelve First Editions, Two Signed, published between 1951 and 1975. All in very good condition.
Jules Verne. The Tour of the World in 80 Days. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1873. First American edition, later issue. Twelvemo. 291 pages. Publisher's rust cloth with soiling and edge wear. A good copy.
Lot of Two Western Titles, including: William MacLeod Raine. The Fighting Tenderfoot. Garden City: Doubleday, Doran, [1929]. First edition. Inscribed by Raine. [and:] Ernest Haycox. Man in the Saddle. Boston: Little, Brown, 1938. First edition. Signed by Haycox. The lot in dust jackets in good or better condition.
Lot of Three Western Titles, including: Frederick F. Manfred. Lord Grizzly. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1954. First edition. Inscribed by Manfred. [and:] Frederick Manfred. Riders of Judgment. New York: Random House, [1957]. First edition. Inscribed by Manfred. [and:] Oakley Hall. Warlock. New York: Viking Press, [1958]. First edition. Inscribed by Hall. The lot in dust jackets in very good or better condition.
Lot of Three Western Titles, including: William Colt MacDonald. The Three Mesquiteers. Garden City: Doubleday, Doran, 1944. First edition. Inscribed by MacDonald. [and:] Luke Short. High Vermilion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1948. First edition. Inscribed by Short. [and:] Luke Short. Vengeance Valley. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1950. First edition. Inscribed by Short. The lot in dust jackets in good or better condition.
[Western Literature]. Walter D. Edmonds. Drums Along the Mohawk. Boston: Little, Brown, 1936. First thus. Signed by Edmonds. "Published May, 1936" on copyright page and map endpapers. Dust jacket illustrated by Henry Pitz. Bookplate on front pastedown. Housed in a deteriorating publisher's slipcase. A near fine copy.
Lot of Three Western Titles, including: John Cunningham. Warhorse. New York: Macmillan, 1956. First edition. [and:] Will Henry. The Seven Men at Mimbres Springs. New York: Random House, [1958]. First edition. Inscribed by Henry. [and:] Glendon Swarthout. They Came to Cordura. New York: Random House, [1959]. Inscribed by Swarthout. The lot in dust jackets in very good condition.
Three Science Fiction Books, including: James Blish. Doctor Mirabilis. New York: James Blish, 1968. Copyright edition housed in a custom chemise and slipcase. [and:] John Brunner. The Sheep Look Up. New York: Harper & Row, [1972]. First edition. Signed by Brunner. In dust jacket. [and:] Ursula K. Le Guin. The Compass Rose. Portland: Pendragon Press, 1982. Limited to 550 copies and signed by Le Guin on the limitation page. In dust jacket. All volumes in this lot in very good or better condition.
Four Arkham House First Edition Books, including: Walter de la Mare. Eight Tales. Sauk City: 1971. [and:] Donald S. Fryer. Songs and Sonnets Atlantean. Sauk City: 1971. [and:] Denys Val Baker. The Face in the Mirror. Sauk City: 1971. [and:] Phyllis Eisenstein. Born to Exile. Sauk City: 1978. Inscribed by Eisenstein on title page. All volumes in dust jacket and in very good or better condition.
Five Science Fiction First Editions, including books by: L. Sprague De Camp. [and:] A. E. van Vogt. [and:] John D. MacDonald. [and:] H. P. Lovecraft. [and:] Henry L. P. Beckwith, Jr. All in dust jackets. All very good or better.
Five Science Fiction Books, including: Evangeline Walton. Witch House. [and:] Michael Moorcock. The Stealer of Souls. [and:] H. P. Lovecraft. The Dunwich Horror and Others. [and:] Harlan Ellison. The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World. Book club edition. Inscribed. [and:] Dean Koontz. Nightmare Journey. All in dust jackets. All good or better.
Six Science Fiction Books, including books by: Ray Cummings. [and:] Hugo Gernsback. [and:] Jack Williamson. Two titles. [and:] Edward E. Smith.[and:] Lewis Padgett. All good or better.
Jean M. Auel. The Complete Earth's Children Series. This complete set of first editions of Auel's popular Earth's Children series, beginning with The Clan of the Cave Bear, consists of five books. All are in very good to fine condition.
Samuel Beckett. Waiting for Godot. New York: Grove Press, 1954. First thus. Octavo. 61 pages. Illustrated wraps. Very minor chipping to spine. Inked production notations on rear leaf. Very good.
Gwendolyn Brooks. Riot. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1969. First edition. Inscribed by Brooks. Printer wrappers. 22 pages. Very good.
Lord Byron. The Prisoner of Chillon, and Other Poems. London: John Murray, 1816.
Truman Capote. Other Voices, Other Rooms. New York: Random House, 1948. First edition. Very good.
Lewis Carroll & Mervyn Peake. Peake's Alice: Mervyn Peake's Drawings. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass. Marlborough: Libanus Press, 2001. First thus. Limited to 60 sets of which this is number 44. Quarto. Unpaginated. Book and print set housed together in publisher's clamshell box. A fine set.
Forrest Carter. Gone to Texas. New York: Delacorte Press, [1973]. First thus. Inscribed by Carter on half-title page. Rear hinge a bit soft. Overall, a near fine copy. Originally published as The Rebel Outlaw, Josey Wales. Basis for film starring Clint Eastwood.
Colly Cibber. Plays Written by Cibber. In Two Volumes. London: Printed for Jacob Tonson, 1721. First edition. Two quarto volumes. [and] An Apology. London: Printed by John Watts for the author, 1740. First edition.
Tom Clancy. The Hunt For Red October. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1984. First edition, first issue with only six (later issues have eight) book endorsements on back panel of the jacket. Signed on the half-title page. Octavo. 387 pages.
[James Fennimore Cooper]. The Prairie; A Tale. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Carey, 1827. First American edition. Very good.
[George Cruikshank, illustrator]. A Mashup of Cruikshank Miscellany with a Cut Signature. [Various places, publishers, and dates]. Red three-quarter morocco over marbled boards. A delightful compendium of a previous collector's assortment of Cruikshankiana. Very good condition. For a more complete description, see the online catalog.
Peter Cunningham. The Story of Nell Gwyn: and the Sayings of Charles the Second. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1852. First edition. Extra-illustrated with 73 wonderful additional plates. Fine custom full brown morocco binding by Riviere and Sons (stamp-signed on the front turn in) with gilt titles and decoration, and gilt extra on the spine. A fine copy.
Barton Currie. Fishers of Books. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1931. Limited edition presentation copy signed by the author. Two volumes. Very good, in a worn slipcase. Much on Dickens.
Charles Dickens. Volumes IV-XV of The Complete Works of Charles Dickens. New York & London: George D. Sproul, 1903-1908. Autograph Edition. Various volumes signed by Dickens' artists. Eight large octavo volumes. All very good or better.
[Charles Dickens]. The Loving Ballad of Lord Bateman. London: Charles Tilt, 1839. First edition, first issue. Ten (of eleven) illustrations George Cruikshank. Limp green cloth. Inexpert restoration to spine. Good.
[Charles Dickens]. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blanchard, 1837. Mixed edition. Five twelvemo volumes. Bindings worn. Overall good condition.
[Charles Dickens]. Sketches by Boz. London: John Macrone, 1836. Second edition. Two volumes. Illustrations by George Cruikshank. Binding rubbed, worn, and chipped. Occasional dampstaining. Good.
[Charles Dickens]. Boz. The Tuggs's at Ramsgate. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blanchard, 1837. Front board almost completely detached; back hinge broken. Significant water damage. Pencil markings. Poor.
Charles Dickens. The Two Daughters from The Martin Chuzzlewit of Charles Dickens. 1862. First American edition. Publisher's lavender cloth. Binding worn with several spots of staining. Spine sunned. Good.
[Charles Dickens]. Five Bibliographic Works on Dickens. All in very good or better condition.
[Charles Dickens]. Lot of Five Charles Dickens Biographies and One Anthology. All in good or better condition.
[Charles Dickens]. Six Books About Charles Dickens. All in dust jackets. All very good.
[Charles Dickens]. Lot of Eight Dickens-Related Works, including catalogs of the Suzannet, A. Edward Newton, and British Museum collections. All items in good or better condition.
[Charles Dickens]. Seven Auction Catalogs and One Exhibition Catalog for Collections Including Charles Dickens. All items in good or better condition.
[Charles Dickens]. Nine Bibliographical Works on Charles Dickens. All in very good or better condition.
[Charles Dickens]. Twelve Dickens Titles. All items in good or better condition.
[Charles Dickens]. Three Comic Almanacks Bound Together in One Volume. Two from 1838, one from 1842. Good condition.
[Charles Dickens]. Walter E. Smith. Charles Dickens in the Original Cloth. A Bibliographical Catalogue of the First Appearance of His Writings in Book Form in England. Two volumes. Fine.
[Charles Dickens]. John C. Eckel. Prime Pickwicks in Parts. 1928. Edition limited to 440 copies, of which this is number 61. Illustrated. Prominent discoloration to front cover. Original glassine wrappers. Very good, in box.
[Charles Dickens]. Thomas Hatton and Arthur H. Cleaver. A Bibliography of the Periodical Works of Charles Dickens. 1933. First edition. Gift inscription. Minor wear to binding and dust jacket. Very good.
[Charles Dickens]. John B. Podeschi. Dickens and Dickensiana. New Haven: Yale University Library, 1980. First edition. Inscribed by the author. Publisher's green cloth. Very good.
[Charles Dickens]. Timothy Sparks. Sunday, Under Three Heads. London: J. W. Jarvis & Son, 1884. Reprint edition. Publisher's light blue wrappers. Significant tape reinforcement of the spine. Good.
Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. London: George Newnes, Limited, 1894. First edition. Very good.
Arthur Conan Doyle. Two Books, including: The Lost World. Binding worn; rear joint splitting. Good. [and:] The Poison Belt. Very good.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Strand Magazine Original Publication of 24 Sherlock Holmes Serialized Stories. London: George Newnes, Ltd., 1891-1893.
Theodore Dreiser. Jennie Gerhardt. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1911. First edition, first printing. Original light blue mottled cloth. Spine slightly faded; otherwise, a fine copy, in a custom chemise and slipcase.
[Samuel Johnson]. Whimsical enameled vignette of Dr. Samuel Johnson seated with associates on porcelain roundel mounted in circular wooden frame. Metal hanging loop fixed to rear. Image, four inches in diameter; frame, six inches. Very good.
George Du Maurier. All Three Novels in Uniform Bayntun Bindings, including: The Martian. London, 1898. [and:] Peter Ibbetson. London, 1898. [and:] Trilby. London, 1895. Very good.
Ralph Waldo Emerson. Essays: Second Series. Boston: James Munroe, 1845. Quarto. 313 pages. Two pages of ads. Hinges cracked. Scuffing to boards. Very good.
Ronald A. Fair. World of Nothing: Two Novellas Publisher's Proof Copy. New York: Harper & Row, 1970. Advanced publisher's proof copy. Octavo. Very good condition.
C. S. Forester. Six Hornblower Books. All are first editions in fair or better condition.
Jean de la Fountaine. Tales and Novels in Verse of J. de la Fountain. Paris: J. Lemonnyer; New York: E.-F. Bonaventure, 1883. Number 299 of 300 numbered copies, signed by the American publisher, Bonaventure. Two octavo volumes. Bound by Tout. Fine.
Robert Frost. A Further Range. New York: Henry Holt, [1936]. First edition. Limited to 803 copies of which this is number 640 and signed by Frost on the limitation page. Octavo. 102 pages. Publisher's beige linen with gilt stamped leather spine label. A fine copy in acetate wrapper and housed in a near fine publisher's slipcase.
Robert Frost. In the Clearing. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, [1962]. First edition. Limited to 1500 copies of which this is number 306 and signed by Frost on the limitation page. Octavo. 101 pages. Publisher's tan cloth with gilt stamped spine. A fine copy housed in a near fine publisher's slipcase.
Robert Frost. A Witness Tree. New York: Henry Holt & Company, 1942. Limited to 735 copies of which this is number 142 and signed by Frost on the limitation page. Octavo. 91 pages. Publisher's green quarter cloth with decorative green boards and gilt stamping. A fine copy housed in a near fine publisher's slipcase.
Zane Grey. Tappan's Burro and Other Stories. New York and London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1923. First edition. Signed by the author. Octavo. 253 pages.
Joel Chandler Harris. The Tar Baby and Other Rhymes of Uncle Remus. New York: D. Appleton, 1904. First edition.
Ernest Hemingway. Bullfighting, Sport & Industry. Sacramento: Meeker Publications, 1999. Limited to 26 lettered copies with this copy being undesignated. Signed on the limitation page by illustrator, Barnaby Conrad. Fine in slipcase.
Miscellaneous
[Ernest Hemingway]. Ernest Hemingway Envelope Addressed in His Hand to his son John (Jack) H. N. Hemingway, With his signature "E. Hemingway" over the printed San Francisco de Paula, Cuba return address on the verso. Postmarked November 10, 1959, Habana, Cuba. Very good condition with only a few shallow creases.
Books
Hermann Hesse. Siddhartha. Translated by Hilda Rosner. [New York]: New Directions, [1951]. First edition, first issue in all points. Small octavo. 153 pages. Publisher's green cloth over mustard boards and matching yellow cloth slipcase. Near fine.
James Hogg. The Songs of the Ettrick Shepherd. London and Edinburgh: T. N. Foulis, [1912]. First edition. Octavo. 152 pages. Very good.
John Irving. The Cider House Rules. New York: William Morrow and Company, [1985]. First trade edition. Signed by Irving on a bookplate. Publisher's gilt-stamped purple cloth over paper boards. Near fine in dust jacket.
John Irving. The Hotel New Hampshire. New York: E. P. Dutton, [1981]. First edition. Publisher's white cloth over paper boards. Top right corner of front board lightly bumped. Inked name of previous owner to front free endpaper. Near fine in dust jacket.
John Irving. Four Signed First Editions, including: A Widow For One Year. [and:] My Movie Business, A Memoir. [and:] The Fourth Hand. [and:] Until I Find You. All published by Random House. All signed by Irving on the title page. All fine in dust jackets.
John Irving. Six First Editions, including: The 158-Pound Marriage. [and:] A Prayer For Owen Meany. [and:] A Son of Circus. [and:] The Imaginary Girlfriend. [and:] Trying to Save Piggy Sneed. [and:] Until I Find You. All in fine condition, in dust jackets.
James Joyce. Ulysses. Hamburg: Odyssey Press, 1932. First edition, first impression of the Odyssey Press edition. Two small octavo volumes. Cream wrappers. Very good.
John Keats. Isabella or the Pot of Basil. Philadelphia: George W. Jacobs & Co., [circa 1914]. First edition. Sixteenmo. 39 pages. Four color illustrations by Jessie M. King. Very good.
Alan Le May. The Searchers. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1954. First edition. One of 800 unnumbered presentation copies. Signed by Le May on the presentation page. Minor wear. Very good in dust jacket.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Courtship of Miles Standish and Other Poems. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1858. First edition, first issue. Publisher's brown cloth. Light wear to spine ends; front hinge starting. Very good.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Tales of a Wayside Inn. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1863. First edition, first state. Publisher's brown cloth. Spine slightly sunned, front hinge just starting. Else fine, in a custom box.
[E. Powys Mathers, translator]. J. C. Mardus. The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night. London: Casanova, 1929. Eight octavo volumes. Plates by Roderick McRae. Green cloth. Gilt lettering to titles. Top edges gilt. Some hinges cracked. Very good.
W. Somerset Maugham. Ah King. London: William Heinemann, 1933. Limited edition of 175 copies, this being number 136, signed by Maugham. Boards lightly stained; spine darkened. Very good, in slipcase.
[W. Somerset Maugham]. Frederick T. Bason. A Bibliography of the Writings of William Somerset Maugham. London: The Unicorn Press, 1931. Limited edition of 50 copies, signed by Maugham. Sunned spine; else fine.
W. Somerset Maugham. Cosmopolitans. London: William Heinemann, 1936. Limited edition of 175 copies signed by the author. Publisher's red buckram. Spine lightly sunned. Else, fine.
W. Somerset Maugham. Don Fernando. London: William Heinemann, 1935. Limited edition of 175 copies, of which this is number 154, signed by Maugham. Minor offsetting to endpapers. Bookplate. Near fine, in slipcase.
Miscellaneous
W. Somerset Maugham. Two Autograph Letters Signed and One Typed Letter Signed, including a very warm response to a fan letter by an academic.
W. Somerset Maugham. Three Autograph Letters Signed to Art Dealer Sir Hugh Lane. Three art-related letters from Maugham to his art dealer, an influential and prescient collector whose opinion Maugham trusted implicitly.
W. Somerset Maugham. Two Autograph Quotations Signed and One Signed Program.
Books
W. Somerset Maugham. Liza of Lambeth. London: William Heinemann, 1947. Jubilee Edition, limited to 1,000 copies, signed by Maugham. Original quarter vellum. Vellum browned. Boards slightly bowed. Foxing. Price-clipped dust jacket. Overall, very good.
W. Somerset Maugham. The Making of a Saint. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1898. First English edition, first issue. Publisher's dark green cloth. Front hinge starting; front board loose. Overall, very good.
W. Somerset Maugham. The Making of a Saint. Boston: L. C. Page and Company, 1898. First edition, third state binding. Publisher's gray cloth with pictorial cover; all lettering in black. Front hinge broken. In overall very good condition.
W. Somerset Maugham. Of Human Bondage. New York: George H. Doran, [1915, i.e. 1919]. A later binding with first edition sheets. Publisher's green cloth. Boards rubbed and with a few white spots. Very good. Laid in is a sheet of paper signed by Maugham.
W. Somerset Maugham. Orientations. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1899. First edition, remainder binding. Publisher's olive cloth, with black lettering. Boards rubbed. Corners worn. Hinges broken. Endpapers heavily toned. Good.
W. Somerset Maugham. The Razor's Edge. Garden City: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1944. First trade edition. Publisher's black cloth. Previous owner's name and a short original verse written in ink. Dust jacket. A previous owner has touched up the jacket with ink in a few spots. The ink is visible on the reverse, in a few small areas along the front flap, the front joint, the spine ends, and along a crease and two short closed tears at the top edge of the front panel. The touch-ups are almost invisible on the outside of the jacket. Very good. Stott A63b.
Miscellaneous
W. Somerset Maugham. Two Signed Letters to Canadian Writer Francis Dickie. Two letters, circa 1933, to the newspaperman from British Columbia, in which Maugham rhapsodizes about the beauty of British Columbia and commends Dickie for an article.
W. Somerset Maugham. Typed Letter Signed by Maugham, With Photograph. Warm note expressing his appreciation for a kind letter. Framed. Fine.
Books
W. Somerset Maugham. The Vagrant Mood, Six Essays. London: William Heinemann, [1952]. First and limited edition of 500 copies signed by the author. Quarter mushroom calf over navy calf boards. Wear to spine ends. Near fine in a rubbed slipcase.
W. Somerset Maugham. A Writer's Notebook. London: William Heinemann, [1949]. Limited edition of 1,000 copies signed by Maugham, of which this is number 480. Publisher's quarter vellum over navy cloth boards. Fine.
W. Somerset Maugham. Eight Titles. All in generally very good condition.
W. Somerset Maugham. Ten Books. All in good or better condition.
W. Somerset Maugham. Ten Books, including: Merry-Go-Round. [and:] Of Human Bondage. [and:] Hour Before Dawn. [and:] Catalina. [and:] Moon & Sixpence, The Opera. [and:] Points of View. [and:] The Kite. [and:] Lure of Tahiti. [and:] Short Stories. [and:] Ashenden. All generally very good.
W. Somerset Maugham. Eleven Titles. All in very good or better condition.
W. Somerset Maugham. Eleven Titles, Including Bernie Taupin's Copy of Theatre. In generally good to very good condition.
Miscellaneous
W. Somerset Maugham. Seventeen Miscellaneous Maugham Items, including black and white photographic portraits, cigarette cards, a brass medallion, and postcards. All very good or better.
Books
W. Somerset Maugham. Nineteen Titles. All good or better.
W. Somerset Maugham. Nineteen Volumes, including volumes from Heinemann's Travellers' Library series and Pocket Edition series, as well as five Armed Services editions. All good or better.
W. Somerset Maugham. Twenty-Three Books. All in good or better condition.
W. Somerset Maugham. Twenty-Three Plays. Most in very good condition.
W. Somerset Maugham. Twenty-Four Volumes. including several short story anthologies with contributions from Maugham. All very good or better.
W. Somerset Maugham. Twenty-Five Books with Contributions from Maugham. All very good or better.
W. Somerset Maugham. Two Titles, One Signed, including: Of Human Bondage, With a Digression on the Art of Fiction. Signed by Maugham. Washington: GPO, 1946. Very good. [and:] Of Human Bondage. Norwalk: The Easton Press, [n.d.]. Full leather. Fine.
W. Somerset Maugham. Two Titles, including: Of Human Bondage, the two-volume LEC edition. Signed by illustrator John Sloan. In slipcase. [and:] An Address on Of Human Bondage delivered by Maugham at the Library of Congress. All volumes in fine condition.
W. Somerset Maugham. Lot of Thirty-Two Maugham-Related Publications. Most in very good or better condition.
W. Somerset Maugham. Thirty-Nine Foreign and Foreign-Language Editions of Maugham's Works.
Miscellaneous
W. Somerset Maugham. Lot of Thirty-Nine Periodicals Containing Maugham Contributions or Maugham-Related Material. All in generally very good condition.
Photography
W. Somerset Maugham. Three Maugham Portraits, Signed by Maugham.
Miscellaneous
W. Somerset Maugham. Lot of Forty Periodicals Containing Maugham Contributions or Maugham-Related Material. All in good or better condition.
Books
W. Somerset Maugham. Four First Editions, Two Signed, including: Cakes and Ale. [and:] The Book-Bag. Signed. [and:] For Services Rendered. [and:] The Judgement Seat. Signed by both Maugham and Ulrica Hyde, the illustrator. All very good or better.
W. Somerset Maugham. Six Books, Including Five Proof Copies. All published by Heinemann, all in wraps: The Bread-Winner. [and:] The Summing Up. [and:] Books and You. [and:] Creatures of Circumstance. [and:] A Writer's Notebook. [and:] The Travel Books. All good or better.
W. Somerset Maugham. Six Books, including: The Making of a Saint. [and:] The Explorer [and:] The Moon and Sixpence. [and:] Of Human Bondage. [and:] Ashenden. [and:] A Second Baker's Dozen.
W. Somerset Maugham. First American Editions of Seven Plays, including: Penelope. [and:] Smith. Two copies in different bindings. [and:] The Unknown. [and:] The Circle. [and:] The Letter. [and:] The Breadwinner. All in hardcover, all very good or better.
W. Somerset Maugham. Eight Books, including: The Explorer. [and:] Gentleman in the Parlour. [and:] Summing Up. [and:] W. Somerset Maugham Sampler. [and:] The Unconquered. [and:] An Address. [and:] Purely For My Pleasure. [and:] A Traveller in Romance. All good or better.
Miscellaneous
W. Somerset Maugham. Very Large Lot of Primarily Maugham-Related Movies and Movie Ephemera. This lot contains over one hundred items, most in very good or better condition.
Books
Henry Miller. Order and Chaos Chez Hans Reichel. New Orleans: Loujon Press, [1966]. First edition. Inscribed by Miller to publisher Jon Webb. Publisher's quarter leather with cloth boards. Housed in publisher's slipcase. A very good copy.
John Milton. The Noel Douglas Replicas: Areopagitica; A Speech of Mr. John Milton For the Liberty of Vnlicenc'd Printing, to the Parlament [sic] of England. London: Noel Douglas, 1927. Very good.
John Milton. Il Paradiso Perduto ... Traduto in Verso Italiano da Felice Mariottini. London: G. Polidori, 1796. First Italian edition in octavo. Contemporary full marbled calf, expertly rebacked to style. Overall, a very good copy.
Thomas Moore. The Poetical Works of Thomas Moore Complete. London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer, 1866.
Mrs. [Amelia] Opie. New Tales. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1818. First edition. Four twelvemo volumes. Very good.
Thomas Pynchon. The Crying of Lot 49. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1965. First edition. Very good.
Francis Rabelais. The Works of Mr. Francis Rabelais Illustrated by Heath Robinson. London: Privately printed for the Navarre Society Limited, [1921]. First edition thus. Two octavo volumes. Very good.
Frederick S. Robinson. Inscribed Copy of The Connoisseur. Essays on the Romantic and Picturesque Associations of Art and Artists. London: George Redway, 1897.
Walter Scott. The Lord of the Isles, a Poem. Boston: Wells and Lilly, 1815. First American edition. Twelvemo. 165 pages. Very good.
Karl Shapiro. Inscribed copies of Essay on Rime. [and:] Trial of a Poet and Other Poems. Very good.
Percy Bysshe Shelley. The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. London: Reeves & Turner, 1886. Two volumes.
John Steinbeck. East of Eden. New York: The Viking Press, 1952. First edition. Octavo, 602 pages. Original cloth, dust jacket. Near fine copy.
Robert Louis Stevenson. Ballads. London: Chatto & Windus, 1890. First edition. Octavo. 137 pages. Very good.
Amy Tan. Two First Editions, One Signed, including: The Joy Luck Club. G. P. Putnam's Sons, [1989.] Signed. Light wear; slight lean to spine. Very good. [and:] The Kitchen God's Wife. 1991. Near fine. Both in dust jackets.
Jim Thompson. The Getaway. London: W. H. Allen, 1972. First edition thus. Near fine in a lightly worn dust jacket.
Mark Twain. Death-Disk. New York: Edgar S. Werner, 1913. First separate edition, reprinted from My Debut as a Literary Person (1903). Printed wraps. Small octavo. Unpaginated (five pages of text).
Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad, or the New Pilgrims' Progress. San Francisco: H. H. Bancroft and Company; Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1869. First edition, later issue. Octavo. 651 pages.
Mark Twain. Tom Sawyer Abroad. New York: Charles L. Webster, 1894. First edition.
Mark Twain. A Tramp Abroad. London: Chatto & Windus, 1880. First British edition. Publisher's red cloth. Generally very good.
Mark Twain. A Tramp Abroad. Hartford: America Publishing Company, 1880. First edition, second state. Quarto. Rebound in full calf over boards. Very good.
Mark Twain. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. New York: Charles L. Webster, 1889. First edition. Later state of first edition, lacking the half-title and the embellishment between the two words on page 59. Octavo. xvi, 575, plus two pages of ads. Many illustrations. Decorative green cloth over boards. Gilt letter to spine. Very good. BAL 3429.
Mark Twain. Three Books, including: A Double Barrelled Detective Story. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1902. First edition. [and:] Life on the Mississippi. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1883. First edition, first state, intermediate "A," per BAL. Minor snags to foot of spine. Corners bumped. [and:] The Prince and the Pauper. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1882. First edition. Contemporary half calf over marbled boards. All very good.
Mark Twain. Three Books, including: A Double Barrelled Detective Story. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1902. First edition. [and:] Life on the Mississippi. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1883. First edition, second state. [and:] The Prince and the Pauper. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1882. First edition, binding state "B" (per BAL). All very good.
Mark Twain. Three First Editions, including: How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1897. [and:] Merry Tales. New York: Charles L. Webster, 1892. [and:] The Stolen White Elephant. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1882. All in very good condition.
Mark Twain. Six English Editions, all in the original decorated red cloth, published between 1880 and 1893. In good or better condition.
Anne Tyler. The Accidental Tourist. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985. First edition. Publisher's gilt-stamped terracotta cloth over beige paper boards. Boards rubbed. Lower corners bumped. Some discoloration to page edges. Very good in dust jacket.
Anne Tyler. Celestial Navigation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1974. First edition. Publisher's goldenrod cloth. Top edge stained green. Inked name. Very good in dust jacket.
Anne Tyler. The Clock Winder. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1972. First edition. Publisher's full green gilt-stamped cloth. Spine and board edges faded. Rubbed dust jacket is lightly chipped with a few closed tears and darkened spine. Very good.
Anne Tyler. Searching for Caleb. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1976. First edition. Publisher's beige cloth over blue paper boards. Discoloration to head of both cloth spine and dust jacket spine. Very good.
Anne Tyler. A Slipping-Down Life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1970. First edition. Publisher's gray cloth over yellow paper boards. Bookplate to front free endpaper, with some attendant glue stains and offsetting to front pastedown. Very good in dust jacket.
Anne Tyler. Three Signed First Editions, including: A Patchwork Planet. [and:] Back When We Were Grownups. [and:] The Amateur Marriage. All are first editions published by Knopf. All signed by Tyler on the title page. All fine in dust jackets.
Anne Tyler. Seven First Editions, including: Earthly Possessions. [and:] Morgan's Passing. [and:] Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. [and:] Breathing Lessons. [and:] Saint Maybe. [and:] Tumble Tower. [and:] Ladder of Years. Generally fine, in dust jackets.
Kurt Vonnegut. Three Signed First Editions, including: Bagombo Snuff Box. New York: Putnam, 1999. [and:] Timequake. New York: Putnam, 1997. [and:] Wampeters, Foma And Granfalloons. New York: Delacorte, 1974. All in fine condition in dust jackets.
Oscar Wilde. Salome. London: John Lane, 1912. Illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley. Olive green cloth with ornate gilt decorations. Some puckering to back board. Front free endpaper excised. A lovely book. Very good.
Josef Augusta and Zdenek Burian. Prehistoric Sea Monsters. London: Paul Hamlyn, 1964. First edition. Folio. 64 pages and 22 color plates (some double).
N. L. Britton and J. N. Rose. The Cactaceae: Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family. [Pasadena]: [Scott E. Haselton], [1937]. First thus. Four quarto volumes. Very good.
William Curtis. Curtis's Botanical Magazine, Comprising the Plants of the Royal Gardens of Kew. London: Lovell Reeve, 1858-1860. Volumes 14-16 of the third series. 197 total hand-colored plates. Plates in overall good condition, bindings in poor condition.
Joseph Harrison. The Floricultural Cabinet, and Florist's Magazine. London: Whittaker and Co., 1833-1843. Eleven volumes. 148 hand-colored plates. In custom half leather binding. Bindings in fair or better condition, plates very good or better.
Robert Marnock. The Floricultural Magazine, and Miscellany of Gardening. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., 1836-1842. Volumes 1-6. Approximately 74 hand-colored plates, measuring 5.25 x 8.5 inches, with some double plates. Plates in overall good or better condition; bindings in poor condition.
Sacheverell Sitwell. Pair of Beautifully Illustrated Books including: Fine Bird Books 1700-1900. [and:] Great Flower Books 1700-1900.
Howard Stansbury. Exploration and Survey of the Valley of the Great Salt Lake of Utah. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo, 1852. First edition. Octavo. 487 pages. Publisher's green cloth with blind stamped front and gilt stamped spine. Cloth is rubbed. Scattered foxing throughout. A very good copy.
Charles E. Weaver. Paleontology of the Jurassic and Cretaceous of West Central Argentina. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1931. First edition. Folio. 594 pages.
J. G. Wood. Animate Creation ... A Natural History. New York: Selmar Hess, 1885. Complete in three volumes. Numerous illustrations, including twenty-six full color plates (four are missing). Full brown cloth with general wear. Contents bright. Overall, very good.
Antiques
Jean-Baptiste Audebert. Le Hausse-col doré - Plate 9. A hand-colored etching from Oiseaux Dorés ou à Reflets Métalliques (Paris: 1802), this print from the edition with gold-printed titles. In generally very good condition.
Jacques Barraband. L'Ara Canga mâle, Pl. 2. A stipple engraving, printed in color and finished by hand, from Le Vaillant's Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets (Paris: 1801-1805). This print from the large paper edition. In generally very good condition.
Marcus Elieser Bloch. Two Fish Prints. Two hand-colored prints from Bloch's Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische (Berlin: 1782-1797). Both very good.
Cornelis de Bruin: 1711 Copper Engraved Plate with letters and hieroglyphics. Plate size: 28.75 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin: 1711 Copper Engraved Plate of a bas relief of a procession on an archaeological ruin with hieroglyphics. Plate size: 29.5 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin. Excellent Double-page Copper Engraving with Views of a Samoyed Woman and Man from 1711. 18.5 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin. Excellent Double-page Copper Engraving with Views of Sailing Ships on the river Archangel and Samoyed Tents from 1711. 18.5 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin: 1711 Double-Page Copper Engraved Plate of Khaju Bridge in Isfahan Iran. Plate size: 18.5 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin: 1711 Double-Page Copper Engraved Plate of a bas-relief of a procession on an archaeological ruin in Persepolis Iran. Plate size: 19 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin. Excellent Copper Engraving with Views of a Samoyed Sled and Reindeer and Arkhangel'sk in Russia from 1711. 18.5 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin. Excellent Copper Engraving with Two Views of a Russian Woman from 1711. 19 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Books
Cornelis de Bruin: Two 1711 Copper Engraved Illustrations with Views of Ardevil [Persia], Kohm, and Kasjan. Plate sizes: 18.75 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin: Two 1711 Copper Engraved Illustrations with Six Views. Plate sizes: 18.75 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin: Two 1711 Copper Engraved Plates with Eight Views. Plate sizes: 18.75 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin: Two 1711 Copper Engraved Plates with Seven Views. Plate sizes: 18.75 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin: Two 1711 Copper Engraved Plates with Various Views of Archaeological Ruins. Plate sizes: 18.75 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin: Two 1711 Copper Engraved Plates with Various Views of Archaeological Ruins. Plate sizes: 18.75 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin: Two 1711 Copper Engraved Plates with Various Views, including River Views. Plate sizes: 18.75 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Cornelis de Bruin: Two 1711 Copper Engraved Plates with Various Views of Archaeological Ruins, Including Persepolis. Plate sizes: 18.75 x 16 inches overall. Fine condition.
Antiques
Mark Catesby. Two Prints: American Bison - Plate 20. [and:] Flying Squirrel with Persimmon - Plate 76. Two hand-colored copper engravings from The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (London: 1731-1743). Both generally very good.
Mark Catesby. Two Prints: Centipede. [and:] Green Turtle. Two hand-colored copper engravings from The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (London: 1731-1743). Both generally very good.
Mark Catesby. Two Fish Prints. Two hand-colored copper engravings from The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (London: 1731-1743). Both generally very good.
Mark Catesby. Two Bird Prints: Die Seelerche - Tab. XLIV. [and:] Die purpurfarbe Dohle - Tab. XXIV. Two hand-colored engravings from The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (London: 1754). Both in excellent condition.
William Curtis. Three Botanical Prints from Flora Londinensis. Three hand-colored copper engravings, including works by James Sowerby and Sydenham Edwards, from Curtis' great work originally published in London, 1777-1798. All in very good or better condition.
John Doyle (aka H.B.). Five Prints of Political Satire. Five lithographs, colored by hand, printed in London by T. McLean, ca. 1829. Two of the five prints have been folded several times. Otherwise, all are in very good to fine condition.
Henry E. Dresser. Four Falcon Prints: Four hand-colored stipple engravings from Birds of Europe (London: 1875). All very good or better.
Henry E. Dresser. Four Water Bird Prints. Four hand-colored stipple engravings from Birds of Europe (London: 1875). All in very good condition.
Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceau. Four Fruit Prints. Four hand-colored engravings from Duhamel's Traité des arbres fruitiers (Paris: 1768). All in very good condition.
Georg Dionysius Ehret. Two Prints: Pancratium - Plate XXVII. [and:] Acacia - Plate XXXVI. Two hand-colored etchings from Trew's Plantae Selectae (Nuremberg: 1750-1773). In very good condition.
Daniel Giraud Elliot. Exanthemops Rossii. Hand-colored lithograph from Elliot's The New and Heretofore Unfigured Species of the Birds of North America (New York: 1866-1869). Very good condition.
Daniel Giraud Elliot. Richardson's Grouse. Hand-colored lithograph from Elliot's A Monograph of the Tetraoninae, or Family of Grouse (Philadelphia: 1865). In very good condition.
Daniel Giraud Elliot. Spitzbergen Ptarmigan. Hand-colored lithograph from Elliot's A Monograph of the Tetraoninae, or Family of Grouse (Philadelphia: 1865). In generally very good condition.
Giovanni Battista Ferrari. Three Citrus Fruit Prints. Three hand-colored engravings from Hesperides, Sive, de Malorum Aureorum Cultura et Usu (Rome: 1646). All are in excellent condition.
Walter Hood Fitch. Two Lily Prints. Two hand-colored stipple engravings from Elwes' A Monograph of the Genus Lillium (London: 1880). Both in generally excellent condition.
Mary Gartside. Untitled Floral Still Life. Hand-colored aquatint engraving by R. & D. Havell, dated 1811, most likely from Gartside's Ornamental Groups, Descriptive of Flowers, Birds, Shells, Fruit, Insects, etc. Watermarked "J Whatman 1810." In very good condition.
John Gould. Selasphorus Floresii. A charming hand-colored lithograph with iridescent highlights from Gould's Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming Birds (London: 1849-1861). Toning and mat burn. In generally very good condition.
John Gould. Two Prints: Magpie. [and:] Fuligula Marila. Two hand-colored lithographs from Gould's Birds of Great Britain (London: 1862-1873). In very good or better condition.
John Gould. Two Prints: Suthora Webbiana. [and:] Glareola Melanoptera. Two hand-colored lithographs from Gould's Birds of Asia (London: 1850-1883). Both in very good condition.
Eugene Grobon. Five Grape Prints: Five beautiful hand-colored lithographs from Rendu's Ampélographie française (Paris: 1857). In generally excellent condition.
Exceptional Group of Five Engraved Illustrations Dealing with Love. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 17 inches x 11.5 inches (landscape). Paris and London: Librairie de L'Art, 1877. Fine condition
Edward Lear. Chough. A hand-colored lithograph by Lear from John Gould's Birds of Europe (London: 1832-37). Some areas of discoloration at the edges. Very good condition.
[Luigi Marta, editor]. Two Costume Prints. Two chromolithographs highlighted with gum Arabic, from Costumi della Festa (Naples, 1854). Both are in generally very good condition with foxing, tears, and some paper loss outside the image area.
François-Nicolas Martinet. Femelle du Souchet - Plate 972. A hand-colored etching from Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux (Paris: 1770-1786). In excellent condition.
Phillip Miller. Four Botanical Prints. Four hand-colored copperplate engravings from Miller's Figures of the Most Beautiful, Useful, and Uncommon Plants (London: 1755-1760), by Richard Lancake and Georg Dionysius Ehret. All very good or better.
Philip Miller. Four Botanical Prints. Four hand-colored prints from Miller's Figures from the Most Beautiful, Useful, and Uncommon Plants Described in the Gardener's Dictionary (London: 1755-1760), all in generally excellent condition.
William Miller. Five Russian Costumes Prints. Five hand-colored stipple engravings from The Costume of the Russian Empire (London: 1817). All very good or better.
William Miller . Five Russian Costumes Prints. Five hand-colored stipple engravings from The Costume of the Russian Empire (London: 1817). All very good or better.
Abraham Munting (1626-1683). Three Botanical Prints. Three hand colored copper engravings on laid paper from Munting's Phytographia Curiosa (Leiden and Utrecht: 1702). All are in generally very good condition.
Joseph Nash. Two Prints of the London Exhibition. Two color lithographs from Dickinson's Comprehensive Pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851 (London: 1854): Stained Glass Gallery; and Medieval Court. Paper browning. Both in generally very good condition.
George Perry. Three Shell Prints: Three hand-colored aquatints, from Conchology (London: 1811). All in very good condition.
George Perry. Four Shell Prints: Four hand-colored aquatints, from Conchology (London: 1911). All in very good condition.
George Perry. Four Shell Prints: Four hand-colored aquatints, from Conchology (London: 1811). All in very good condition.
Bernard Picart. One Engraving: Achelous in the Shape of a Bull, is Vainquished by Hercules. Good condition.
Bernard Picart. One Engraving: Arethusa Pursued by Alpheus, and Turned to a Fountain. Good condition.
Bernard Picart. One Engraving: The Chaos. Good condition.
Bernard Picart. One Engraving: Clytia Chang'd into a Turnesole. Good condition.
Bernard Picart. One Engraving: The Death of Hercules. Good condition.
Bernard Picart. One Engraving: The Golden Fleece Won by Jason. Good condition.
Bernard Picart. One Engraving: Ixion's Wheel. Good condition.
Bernard Picart. One Engraving: The Palladium. Good condition.
Bernard Picart. One Engraving: Pan Pursues Syrinx; She is Metamorphosed into a Reed. Good condition.
Bernard Picart. One Engraving: Sisyphus's Stone. Good condition.
Pierre-Antoine Poiteau. Three Prints: Avant-pêche rouge. [and:] Royale d'Angleterre. [and:] Martin Sec. Three stipple engravings with hand-coloring, most likely from Pomologie française (Paris: 1846). All very good.
Pierre-Antoine Poiteau. Three Prints: Damas d'Espagne. [and:] Virginale. [and:] Petit Damas noir. Three stipple engravings with hand-coloring, most likely from Pomologie française (Paris: 1846). All very good.
Pierre-Antoine Poiteau. Four Citrus Prints. Four hand-colored, stipple engravings from Histoire Naturelle des Orangers (Paris: 1818-1822). All in very good condition.
Pierre-Antoine Poiteau. Four Citrus Prints. Four hand-colored, stipple engravings from Histoire Naturelle des Orangers (Paris: 1818-1822). All in very good condition.
Pierre-Antoine Poiteau. Four Citrus Prints. Four hand-colored, stipple engravings from Histoire Naturelle des Orangers (Paris: 1818-1822). All in very good condition.
Jean Louis Prevost. Etude d'Imperiale et violette - Plate 34. A hand-colored stipple engraving from Collection des Fleurs et des Fruits (Paris: 1805). Good condition.
William Henry Pyne . Five British Costumes Prints. Five hand-colored etchings from The Costumes of Great Britain (London: 1808). In very good or better condition.
Books
Hartmann Schedel. Three Hand-Colored Leaves from Liber chronicarum. Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1493. Four leaves from the Latin edition of the Nuremberg Chronicle, one with contemporary inked annotations. All very good.
Hartmann Schedel. Seven Leaves from Liber chronicarum, Three With Hand-Colored Woodcuts. Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1493. Leaves from the Latin edition of the Nuremberg Chronicle. All in generally very good condition.
Antiques
Prideaux John Selby. Black Throated Diver - Plate LXXVII. Hand-colored engraving from Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846). Excellent condition.
Prideaux John Selby. Common Buzzard, Female - Plate VI - Uncolored. Engraving from the first edition of Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1821-1834). Very good condition.
Prideaux John Selby. Common Buzzard, Female - Plate VI. Hand-colored engraving from the second edition of Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846). Excellent condition.
Prideaux John Selby. Male Bustard - Plate LXIV. Hand-colored engraving from Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846). Excellent condition.
Prideaux John Selby. Snowy Owl - Plate XXIII. Hand-colored engraving from Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology. Excellent condition.
Prideaux John Selby. Tawny Owl - Plate XXV. Hand-colored engraving from Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology. Very good condition.
Gerard van Spaendonck. Maïs, Blé de Turquie. An uncolored stipple engraving from Spaendonck's Fleurs Dessinees d'apres Nature (Paris: ca. 1800). In generally very good condition.
Pierre Jean François Turpin. Pin/Pignon - Plate 125. A hand-colored stipple engraving from Duhamel's Traité des Arbres Fruitiers, Nouvelle Edition (Paris: 1807-1835). Very good.
F. R. Tussac. Artocarpus Integrifolia. A fantastic picture of the Jakfruit, a stipple-engraving, printed in color and finished by hand, from Tussac's Flore des Antilles (Paris: 1808-1827). This print has had major repairs to the reverse and is in good condition.
Berthe Hoola van Nooten. Two Botanical Prints. Two chromolithographs, finished by hand, from van Nooten's Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java (Brussels: 1863-1880). In generally very good condition with some foxing.
Berthe Hoola van Nooten. Two Botanical Prints. Two chromolithographs, finished by hand, from van Nooten's Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java (Brussels: 1863-1880). Both prints are in very good condition.
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot. La Collurie ardoisée - Plate 51. A hand-colored etching from Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de l'Amérique septentrionale (Paris: 1807-08). Very good.
[Vues d'Optiques]. Georg Balthasar Probst. Two Vues d'Optique of Ancient Palmyra. Two 18th century hand-colored optiques featuring views of ancient Syria. Both in generally very good condition.
[Vues d'Optique]. Three Prints of Parisian Scenes. Three 18th century hand-colored optiques on laid paper featuring the following views: Le Pont Notre Dame, a boulevard view, and a depiction of a 1785 procession. All are in very good condition.
Johann Wilhelm Weinmann. Two Cactus Prints. A pair of hand-colored etchings from Phytanthoza Iconographia (Germany: 1734-1745). Both in very good condition.
Johann Wilhelm Weinmann. Two Clematis Prints. A pair of hand-colored etchings from Phytanthoza Iconographia (Germany: 1734-1745). Both are in excellent condition.
Johann Wilhelm Weinmann. Two Fruit Prints and One Botanical Print. Three hand-colored etchings from Phytanthoza Iconographia (Germany: 1734-1745). All in very good condition.
Alexander Wilson. Two Bird Prints. Two hand-colored etchings from American Ornithology; or the Natural History of the Birds of the United States (Philadelphia: 1808-1814). Both very good.
Two Botanical Prints, One of Grapes by George Brookshaw, and one of Strawberries by John Edwards. Both in generally very good condition, with mat burn and cello tape stains to the latter.
Jan Commelin.[and:] Pancrace Bessa. Two Botanical Prints. Two hand-colored engravings, one of cactus, one of a palm tree. In good or better condition.
John Edwards. [and:] An Unknown Artist. Two Flower Prints. Two hand-colored aquatint etchings. Both good or better.
Giorgio Gallesio. [and:] Eugene Grobon. Two Fruit Prints: Mela Panaja. [and:] Ugni blanc. Both in very good or better condition.
Margaret Meen. [and] Mary Lawrence. Two Flower Prints. Two hand-colored aquatint etchings printed in the 1790s. Both very good.
J. M. Seligmann. [and:] Johann Wilhelm Weinmann. Two Flower Prints. Two lovely hand-colored etchings. Both in generally very good condition.
English School. Two Simian Prints. Two lithographs, one hand-colored, by unknown artists. Both in very good condition with mild toning and light foxing. Trimmed along left-side binding edge. Both measure 8.25 x 13 inches.
Three Bernard Picart Engravings Depicting Scenes From Classical Mythology. Plate imprint 10 inches x 14 inches, overall 12 inches x 18 inches. Extracted from the Temple of the Muses (Neu-Eröfneter Musen-Tempel), Amsterdam: Zachariah Chatelain, 1733.
Trio of Bernard Picart Engravings Depicting Scenes From Classical Mythology. Plate imprint 10 inches x 14 inches, overall 12 inches x 18 inches. Extracted from the Temple of the Muses (Neu-Eröfneter Musen-Tempel), Amsterdam: Zachariah Chatelain, 1733.
Three Bernard Picart Engravings Depicting Scenes From Classical Mythology. Plate imprint 10 inches x 14 inches, overall 12 inches x 18 inches. Extracted from the Temple of the Muses (Neu-Eröfneter Musen-Tempel), Amsterdam: Zachariah Chatelain, 1733.
Three Bernard Picart Engravings Depicting Scenes From Classical Mythology. Plate imprint 10 inches x 14 inches, overall 12 inches x 18 inches. Extracted from the Temple of the Muses (Neu-Eröfneter Musen-Tempel), Amsterdam: Zachariah Chatelain, 1733.
Three Bernard Picart Engravings Depicting Scenes From Classical Mythology. Plate imprint 10 inches x 14 inches, overall 12 inches x 18 inches. Extracted from the Temple of the Muses (Neu-Eröfneter Musen-Tempel), Amsterdam: Zachariah Chatelain, 1733.
Lot of Three Bernard Picart Engravings Depicting Scenes From Classical Mythology. Plate imprint 10 inches x 14 inches, overall 12 inches x 18 inches.
Exceptional Group of Four Engraved Illustrations of Women in Repose. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 11.5 inches x 17 inches (portrait) or 17 inches x 11.5 inches (landscape).
Group of Five Engraved Dressage Prints Circa 1678. Plate mark 11.25 inches x 7.5 inches, overall size 13 inches x 8.25 inches. Extracted from Georg Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Bellerophon, sive eques peritus, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Group of Five Copper Plate Engraved Illustrations of Bridles, Bits, and Other Horse Related Equipment Circa 1678. Illustration on a page measuring 8 inches x 13 inches. Extracted from Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Hippiater Expertus Seu Medicina Equorum Absolutissima, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Group of Five Double Page Copper Plate Engraved Illustrations of Horse Bridles Circa 1678. Double-page copper plate engraving measuring 13 inches x 15 inches. Extracted from Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Hippiater Expertus Seu Medicina Equorum Absolutissima, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Group of Five Double Page Copper Plate Engraved Illustrations of Horse Bridles Circa 1678. Double-page copper plate engraving measuring 13 inches x 15 inches. Extracted from Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Hippiater Expertus Seu Medicina Equorum Absolutissima, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Group of Five Double Page Copper Plate Engraved Illustrations of Horse Bridles Circa 1678. Double-page copper plate engraving measuring 13 inches x 15 inches. Extracted from Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Hippiater Expertus Seu Medicina Equorum Absolutissima, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Group of Five Double Page Copper Plate Engraved Illustrations of Horse Bridles Circa 1678. Double-page copper plate engraving measuring 13 inches x 15 inches. Extracted from Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Hippiater Expertus Seu Medicina Equorum Absolutissima, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Group of Five Double Page Copper Plate Engraved Illustrations of Horse Bridles Circa 1678. Double-page copper plate engraving measuring 13 inches x 15 inches. Extracted from Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Hippiater Expertus Seu Medicina Equorum Absolutissima, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Group of Six Copper Plate Engraved Illustrations Related to Horses Circa 1678. Illustration size 6 inches x 4.5 inches, on a page measuring 8 inches x 13 inches. Extracted from Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Hippiater Expertus Seu Medicina Equorum Absolutissima, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Group of Six Copper Plate Engraved Illustrations Related to Horses Circa 1678. Illustration size 6 inches x 4.5 inches, on a page measuring 8 inches x 13 inches. Extracted from Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Hippiater Expertus Seu Medicina Equorum Absolutissima, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Group of Six Copper Plate Engraved Illustrations Related to Horses Circa 1678. Illustration size 6 inches x 4.5 inches, on a page measuring 8 inches x 13 inches. Extracted from Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Hippiater Expertus Seu Medicina Equorum Absolutissima, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Group of Six Double Page Copper Plate Engraved Illustrations of Horse Bridles Circa 1678. Double-page copper plate engraving measuring 13 inches x 15 inches. Extracted from Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Hippiater Expertus Seu Medicina Equorum Absolutissima, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Group of Six Double Page Copper Plate Engraved Illustrations of Horse Bridles Circa 1678. Double-page copper plate engraving measuring 13 inches x 15 inches. Extracted from Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Hippiater Expertus Seu Medicina Equorum Absolutissima, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Exceptional Group of Six Engraved Illustrations Depicting Mythological Subjects. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 11.5 inches x 17 inches (portrait) or 17 inches x 11.5 inches (landscape). Extracted from L'Art, Revue Hebdomadaire Illustrée, Paris and London: Librairie de L'Art, 1877, edited by A. Ballue.
Exceptional Group of Six Engraved Seaside and River Illustrations. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 11.5 inches x 17 inches (portrait) or 17 inches x 11.5 inches (landscape). Extracted from L'Art, Revue Hebdomadaire Illustrée, Paris and London: Librairie de L'Art, 1877, edited by A. Ballue.
Exceptional Group of Six Engraved Seaside Illustrations. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 11.5 inches x 17 inches (portrait) or 17 inches x 11.5 inches (landscape). Extracted from L'Art, Revue Hebdomadaire Illustrée, Paris and London: Librairie de L'Art, 1877, edited by A. Ballue.
Exceptional Group of Eight Engraved Illustrations Depicting Religious Subjects. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 11.5 inches x 17 inches (portrait) or 17 inches x 11.5 inches (landscape).
Group of Eight Copper Plate Engraved Illustrations Related to Horses Circa 1678. Illustration size 6 inches x 4.5 inches, on a page measuring 8 inches x 13 inches. Extracted from Simon Winter von Adlersflügel's Hippiater Expertus Seu Medicina Equorum Absolutissima, published in Nuremberg, 1678.
Exceptional Group of Nine Engraved Portraits of 19th Century Women. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 11.5 inches x 17 inches. Extracted from L'Art, Revue Hebdomadaire Illustrée, Paris and London: Librairie de L'Art, 1877, edited by A. Ballue.
Exceptional Group of Nine Engraved Illustrations of Sculpture. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 11.5 inches x 17 inches (portrait) or 17 inches x 11.5 inches (landscape). Extracted from L'Art, Revue Hebdomadaire Illustrée, Paris and London: Librairie de L'Art, 1877, edited by A. Ballue.
Exceptional Group of Ten Engraved Illustrations Featuring Miscellaneous Animals. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 11.5 inches x 17 inches (portrait) or 17 inches x 11.5 inches (landscape).
Exceptional Group of Ten Engraved Landscape Illustrations. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 11.5 inches x 17 inches (portrait) or 17 inches x 11.5 inches (landscape).
Exceptional Group of Ten Engraved Portraits of Madams and Mademoiselles. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 11.5 inches x 17 inches. Extracted from L'Art, Revue Hebdomadaire Illustrée, Paris and London: Librairie de L'Art, 1877, edited by A. Ballue.
Exceptional Group of Eleven Engraved Portraits of 19th Century Men. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 11.5 inches x 17 inches. Extracted from L'Art, Revue Hebdomadaire Illustrée, Paris and London: Librairie de L'Art, 1877, edited by A. Ballue.
Exceptional Group of Eleven Engraved Portraits of Various Men. Various plate imprint sizes, page size overall 11.5 inches x 17 inches. Extracted from L'Art, Revue Hebdomadaire Illustrée, Paris and London: Librairie de L'Art, 1877, edited by A. Ballue.
Group of Twenty 1654 Copperplate Illustrations Depicting Medieval Subjects. 7.75 inches x 11.25 inches. Extracted from Nicholas Upton's Di Studio Militaria, London: R. Norton, 1654.
Group of Twenty 1654 Copperplate Illustrations Depicting Medieval Subjects. 7.75 inches x 11.25 inches. These incredible engravings, most engraved by Robert Vaughan, are extracted from Nicholas Upton's Di Studio Militaria, London: R. Norton, 1654.
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1-800-872-6467 / (214) 528-3500 / Fax: (214) 443-842
Mailing Address:
PO Box 619999
Dallas, TX 75261-6199
Street Address:
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, Texas 75261-4127
(Northwest corner of W. Airport Freeway & Valley View Lane)
All Rights Reserved
1-800-872-6467 / (214) 528-3500 / Fax: (214) 443-842