Featured Books
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Exceptionally rare and spectacular 17th century editions of both volumes of Cervantes’ masterpiece Don Quixote; comprising one of the most desirable pairings of both volumes: Cervantes' final revised third edition of Part I and the scarce first edition of Part II
CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de.
El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Segunda Parte del Ingenioso Cavallero Don Quixote de la Mancha.
Madrid: Por Juan de La Cuesta, vendese en casa de Francisco de Robles, librero del Rey, 1608-1615.
Exceedingly rare and spectacular 17th century editions of both volumes of Cervantes’ prized work, the remarkable Beilby Thompson-Maggs-Ortiz Linares copy with a shared provenance spanning over 320 years, this is among the oldest known sets of both parts paired and uniformly bound in the 18th century, comprising one of the most desirable pairings of the editions of each volume selected for the superior qualities of their respective printings: the third edition of Part I - printed in 1608 - being the last edition corrected and revised by Cervantes himself which remains its definitive form, and the scarce first edition of Part II – printed in 1615 - which is one of the rarest editions of any of Cervantes’ works obtainable. Editions of Don Quixote printed during Cervantes’s lifetime are the crown jewel of Spanish book-collecting, as the four Folios of Shakespeare are to English book-collecting, a complete set in a uniform 18th century binding is of the utmost rarity; a once-in-a-lifetime acquisition. Octavo, two volumes uniformly bound in full 18th century granite basane with burgundy morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, speckled edges, wood engraved headpiec...
Price: $1,900,000.00 Item Number: 142820
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"Who is the most important person I've ever met in a signing queue & the first person ever to see merit in Harry Potter. With huge [underlined 4 times] thanks. J.K. Rowling": First Edition, First Printing of J.K. Rowling's Rare First Book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; Inscribed by Her to Bryony Evens and with a large original illustration by Thomas Taylor
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
London: Bloomsbury, 1997.
First edition, first printing of the rarest book in the Harry Potter series, a cornerstone of young adult literature, and one of the best-selling books of all time. First printing with "First published in Great Britain in 1997", the full number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1", "Joanne Rowling" for "J.K. Rowling", and "Thomas Taylor1997" (lacking the space) on the copyright page and "1 wand" listed twice (as the first item and last item) on the "Other Equipment" list on page 53. Octavo, original laminated pictorial boards, without a dust jacket as issued. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the dedication page, "to Bryony - who is the most important person I've ever met in a signing queue & the first person ever to see merit in Harry Potter. With huge [underlined 4 times] thanks. J.K. Rowling." Additionally signed and with a large original drawing by cover illustrator Thomas Taylor. The recipient, Bryony Evens was one of the first people to read the opening chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first to recognize the work’s inherent value, and perhaps the most instrumental figure in getting the book published. Working at the time at Christopher Little Literary Agency in Scotland, Evens was the first point of contact in receiving and sorting unsolicit...
Price: $1,250,000.00 Item Number: 115640
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"The Best in the World"; First Edition of Graham and Dodd’s Security Analysis; Benjamin Graham's Personal Copy and Inscribed by to Him to His Nephew
GRAHAM, Benjamin & David L. Dodd .
Security Analysis: Principles and Technique.
New York: Whittlesey House/ McGraw Hill Book Company, 1934.
First edition, Benjamin Graham's personal copy and inscribed by him to his nephew, of this seminal work, which is considered the Bible of modern financial analysis. Octavo, original black cloth, gilt titles to the spine. Association copy, his personal copy and signed twice by Graham on the front free endpaper, "Instructors text Benj. Graham" and additionally inscribed below in the year of publication to his closest family member, "Presented to 'Cousin Lou' as a reminder of our good old days together Ben Dec. 1934." Louis Grossbaum was Graham's cousin and closest relative. Graham's original surname was Grossbaum, but he changed it to better fit into Wall Street. Both he and his cousin Lou were brilliant students and competed for a scholarship at Columbia University. Graham was awarded the scholarship instead of Grossbaum due to an error at the registrar’s office. Graham revered his cousin Lou and gave him a major role in his memoirs. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom full morocco clamshell box. Easily the best example ever to exist.
Price: $975,000.00 Item Number: 150350
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Exceedingly rare first edition, first issue presentation copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit; inscribed by Tolkien to the Livesleys who ran the summer guest cottage in the village of Sidmouth which inspired 'The Shire' and where Tolkien did much of his writing and in the original dust jacket
TOLKIEN, J.R.R.
The Hobbit.
London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1937.
First edition, first issue of Tolkien's classic tale, "among the very highest achievements of children’s authors during the 20th century” (Carpenter & Pritchard, 530), one of only a handful of presentation copies reserved for Tolkien to give to family members, colleagues and close friends. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers, frontispiece and 9 full-page uncolored illustrations after drawings by Tolkien. Presentation copy, inscribed by Tolkien on the flyleaf, "Mr. & Mrs. Livesley & Edgar with best wishes from J.R.R. Tolkien." The recipients, the Livesleys and their son Edgar, ran the Kennaway House, a Regency town house in the village of Sidmouth, East Devon which Tolkien used as a summer holiday home and the surrounds of which inspired the landscapes, flora, and fauna of The Shire", the region of Middle-earth inhabited hobbits first introduced in The Hobbit. Situated on the rocky coast of the rustic Devon countryside, the village of Sidmouth has featured in a number of famed literary works, as "Stymouth" in Beatrix Potter's children's story The Tale of Little Pig Robinson (1930), "Idmouth" in Thomas Hardy's Wessex, "Baymouth" in William Makepeace Thackeray's Pendennis, and "Spudmouth" in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle. English poet...
Price: $975,000.00 Item Number: 135801
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First Edition, First Printing of J.K. Rowling's Rare First Book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; Signed by Her and with two large original illustrations by Thomas Taylor
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
London: Bloomsbury, 1997.
First edition, first printing of the rarest book in the Harry Potter series, a cornerstone of young adult literature, and one of the best-selling books of all time. First printing with "First published in Great Britain in 1997", the full number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1", "Joanne Rowling" for "J.K. Rowling", and "Thomas Taylor1997" (lacking the space) on the copyright page and "1 wand" listed twice (as the first item and last item) on the "Other Equipment" list on page 53. Octavo, original laminated pictorial boards, without a dust jacket as issued. Presentation copy, inscribed by the J.K. Rowling on the dedication page and additionally signed with a large drawing by Thomas Taylor on the dedication page and additionally with a full page drawing of the cover illustration to the front free endpaper. At the time of the book’s publication in 1997, illustrator Thomas Taylor had just graduated from art school and was working at Heffers Children’s Bookshop in Cambridge. At Heffers, Taylor educated himself on the children’s book market and its major publishers and decided to submit a portfolio of his illustrations to the offices of Bloomsbury Publishing, including several drawings of dragons and wizards. Taylor heard back from Bloomsbury’s editor, Barry Cunningham (who had recen...
Price: $600,000.00 Item Number: 150920
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“THE MOST IMPORTANT SERIES OF AMERICAN POLITICAL DEBATES”: Exceedingly rare first edition, first issue of The Lincoln-Douglas Debates; inscribed by Abraham Lincoln to long-time political supporter and friend Martin S. Morris and accompanied by the table from the Morris household that Lincoln signed the book on
LINCOLN, Abraham .
Political Debates Between Hon. Abraham Lincoln and Hon. Stephen Douglas, In the Celebrated Campaign of 1858, in Illinois.
Columbus: Follett, Foster and Company, 1860.
First edition, first issue of the most famous debates in American history which cemented Lincoln as a national presidential candidate; inscribed by Lincoln in pencil to close friend Martin S. Morris and accompanied by the table from the Morris household that Lincoln signed the book on. Octavo, original cloth stamped in blind. First issue, with no advertisements, no rule above the publisher’s imprint on the copyright page, and with numeral 2 at the bottom of page 17. Association copy, inscribed by Abraham Lincoln in pencil on the front free endpaper, "M. S. Morris Esq A. Lincoln." The recipient, Martin S. Morris, was was a long-time political supporter and friend of Abraham Lincoln from Menard County, Illinois. In March 1843, Lincoln wrote to Morris, “It is truly gratifying to me to learn that while the people of Sangamon have cast me off, my friends of Menard who have known me longest and best of any, still retain their confidence in me.” Morris was selected as one of the delegates from Menard County to attend the Whig convention in Pekin in May 1843, but was detained by an illness and Francis Regnier attended in his place. The convention selected John J. Hardin rather than Lincoln as the Whig candidate for Congress from that district. In June 1852, Morris's close friend Wh...
Price: $550,000.00 Item Number: 138634
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"To Dr Karl Popper a fellow struggler for freedom": Rare First English Edition of The Road To Serfdom; Inscribed by F.A. Hayek to Karl Popper
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.] [Karl Popper].
The Road To Serfdom.
London: Routledge & Sons, 1944.
First edition of one of the most influential and popular expositions of classical liberalism ever published. Octavo, original black cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Dr Karl Popper a fellow struggler for freedom with friendly greetings from F.H. Hayek." Also included is a letter signed by Karl Popper to his assistant Melitta Mew, presenting her with this book as a birthday gift ("...It is the copy he sent me to New Zealand on publication of the book, with a beautiful dedication. And thank you for everything you are doing for my work (and me)... Karl"), on his stationery of 136 Welcomes Road, Kenley, Surrey, and dated 23 January 1994. While this book was very special to Popper, he had been diagnosed with cancer and passed away from complications in September. Ms. Mew helped to put together Popper's lectures and essays in a book, which was published in 1996: "In search of a better world : lectures and essays from thirty years." Easily the best association copy in existence, as the lives of both of these great economists, Fredrich von Hayek (1899-1992) and Karl Popper (1902-1994) greatly impacted the other and their lives were intertwined. They both experienced the destruction of their Bourgeois Viennese families' savings by hyperinflat...
Price: $400,000.00 Item Number: 123960
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“Man selects only for his own good: Nature only for that of the being which she tends": First Edition of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species
DARWIN, Charles.
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.
London: John Murray, 1859.
First edition of "certainly the most important biological book ever written" (Freeman), one of 1250 copies. Octavo, bound in original cloth, half-title, one folding lithographed diagram, without advertisements. In very good condition with cracks to inner hinges and a touch of shelfwear. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A fine example of this landmark work.
Price: $400,000.00 Item Number: 116380
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Exceptionally rare first edition, presentation copy of Experiments and Observations on Electricity; inscribed by Benjamin Franklin to Prominent Philadelphia Merchant, Colleague, and friend Thomas Livezey
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Experiments and Observations on Electricity, Made at Philadelphia in America, by Benjamin Franklin, L.L.D. and F.R.S. To which are added, Letters and Papers on Philosophical Subjects. The Whole corrected, methodized, improved, and now first collected into one Volume, and Illustrated with Copper Plates.
London: Printed for David Henry; and sold by Francis Newbery, at the Corner of St. Paul's Church-Yard, 1769.
First complete edition of "the most important scientific book of eighteenth-century America" (PMM), inscribed by Benjamin Franklin to prominent Pennsylvania Quaker and merchant Thomas Livezey, Jr. Quarto, bound in full contemporary calf with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt turn-ins. Illustrated with 7 copper-engraved plates, 2 of which are folding. Presentation copy, inscribed by Benjamin Franklin on the front free endpaper, “To Mr. Livesy [sic] From his obliged Friend & humble Servant The Author.” With Thomas Livezey's ownership signature to the second free endpaper, "Thomas Livezey Junior 1810." The recipient, Thomas Livezey Jr. (1723-1790), was a member of the fourth generation of the prominent Pennsylvania Quaker Livezey family. His ancestor, Thomas Livezey, the elder (1627-1691), was among the earliest settlers of Pennsylvania; his land was a portion of William Penn's Pennsylvania colony and was granted to him directly by Penn in an early patent. Thomas Livezey Jr. established one of the largest flour mills in colonial British North America, the Livezey Mill, and rose to prominence as one of the major suppliers of high quality flour to the world during that era. Situated on...
Price: $375,000.00 Item Number: 147283
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A LANDMARK IN THE HISTORY OF PRINTING, AND ONE OF THE GREATEST ILLUSTRATED BOOKS EVER PUBLISHED: Exceptionally rare colored Example of first edition of the monumental Nuremberg Chronicle; Published in 1493 and containing over 1800 splendid woodcuts illustrating the history of the world from the Creation of man to the invention of the printing press
SCHEDEL, Hartmann.
Liber Chronicarum. [The Nuremberg Chronicle].
Nuremberg: Anton Koberger for Sebald Schreyer and Sebastian Kammermeister, 12 July 1493.
Exceptionally rare colored example of the first edition of the Nuremberg Chronicle, the most extensively illustrated book of the 15th century. Imperial folio, bound in full 17th-century pigskin over bevelled wooden boards with elaborate blind tooling and scrolling to the spine and panels, brass cornerpieces, 2 fore-edge clasps, 325 leaves (of 328, without blank 55/6 and 61/5-6; fos. 9/3.4, 25/1, 53/6, 54/5 and possibly others supplied from another copy), quire 55 bound at end, fos. CCLVIIII-CCLXI blank except for printed headlines. 1809 woodcut illustrations printed from 645 blocks (S.C. Cockerell's count, some German woodcuts of the fifteenth century, 1897, pp.35-6), by Michael Wolgemut, Wilhelm Pleydenwurff and their workshop, including Albrecht Durer, lombards, woodcuts coloured by a near-contemporary hand, 14-line initial opening text in interlocking red and blue with purple penwork decoration, other initial spaces left blank, red capital strokes. In near fine condition. (Quires 4 and 5 rehinged, some leaves remargined at hinge and upper or lower margin with some loss [primarily of headline, replaced in pen-and-ink], section of Europe map expertly repaired in facsimile, some light browning, minor repairs). Provenance: annotated throughout in Arabic. The first edition of the N...
Price: $350,000.00 Item Number: 146920
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FROM THE LIBRARY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON AT MOUNT VERNON: First edition, presentation copy of Elkanah Watson's Tour in Holland; inscribed by him to George Washington
[WATSON, Elkanah] [George Washington].
Tour in Holland in MDCCLXXXIV. By an American.
Printed at Worcester, Massachusetts: Isaiah Thomas, 1790.
First edition, presentation copy of a scarce volume from George Washington's library at Mount Vernon. Octavo, bound in full contemporary sheep with pine gilt in six compartments within raised bands, burgundy morocco spine label lettered in gilt, type-ornament title-page vignette, head and tailpieces. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author to George Washington on the front pastedown, "From the Author to General Washington" and further inscribed on the front free endpaper, "New York, Feb. 1798. Sir, Please to accept this small production which has stole its way into the world. If it can beguile one moment of that anxiety which doubtless pervades your paternal mind in the present crisis of our affairs, or will create a smile or amuse you for a single evening, I shall put myself doubly compensated and am with profound respect & gratitude. Your fellow Citizen, E. Watson." Elkanah Watson began his professional career working for businessman John Brown in Providence, and during the American Revolution, he represented the firm in Nantes. After the war he opened his own mercantile firm in London with fellow Freemason François Cossoul. In early 1782, the firm proposed to send to General Washington—likewise a Freemason—"elegant Masonic ornaments" in honor of his "glor...
Price: $275,000.00 Item Number: 143919
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“For anyone who loves intensely lives not in himself but in the object of his love, and the further he can move out of himself into his love, the happier he is": Exceptionally Rare first edition in English of Erasmus' in Praise of Folly; elaborately bound in full crushed levant morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe
ERASMUS, Desiderius. Translated by Sir Thomas Chaloner.
In Praise of Folie: Moriae Encomium. A book made in latine by the great clerke Erasmus Roterodame. Enlightened by Sir Thomas Chaloner, knight. [In Praise of Folly].
London: Thomas Berthelet, 1549.
First edition in English of one of the most notable and popular works of the Renaissance which played an important role in the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation and swiftly brought its author international fame. First printing with 'latine' and the printer's initials 'TB.' to the title page. Octavo, bound in full crushed levant morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe, gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, triple gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, wide woodcut border to the title page signed TB., woodcut printer's device to the final page. In near fine condition. Early ownership name to the title page and light marginalia. Small leather bookplate of Francis Kettaneh affixed to the verso of the front free endpaper. Exceptionally rare with only two other examples traced at auction in the last 100 years.
Price: $275,000.00 Item Number: 139476
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"First and greatest classic of modern economic thought": First Edition of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations
SMITH, Adam.
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
London: Printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, 1776.
First edition of Adam Smith's magnum opus and cornerstone of economic thought. Quarto, 2 volumes, bound in full brown calf, elaborately gilt-decorated spines, front and rear panels, red morocco spine labels, marbled endpapers. In near fine condition. Remarkably clean throughout with some light toning. Housed in a custom half morocco calf clamshell box, elaborately gilt decorated spines. An exceptional example of this landmark work.
Price: $275,000.00 Item Number: 144265
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Exceptionally rare First edition of Herman Melville's first and most popular book Typee A Peep at Polynesian Life During a Four Months' Residence in A Valley of the Marquesas; inscribed by him to Captain Charles Ball
MELVILLE, Herman.
Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life. During a Four Months’ Residence in A Valley of the Marquesas.
New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1846.
First edition of Melville's first book and his most popular during his lifetime. Octavo, two volumes bound into one in the original cloth stamped in blind with gilt titles to the spine, frontispiece map, both half-titles and 6 pages of publisher's advertisements at rear. BAL 13653. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper one month after publication, "Captain Ball, With the respects of the author, Westport April 18th 1846." The recipient, Captain Charles Ball was captain of the whaling ship Theophilus Chase, on which Thomas Melville, the author's youngest brother, set sail for the first time at the age of sixteen. Thomas's decision to follow in his older brother's footsteps was likely due to hearing Herman's stories of his time at sea which began in 1841 with his voyage aboard the whaling ship the Acushnet. Thomas set sail aboard the Theophilus Chase on March, 18 1846 for the South Atlantic from Westport but was homeward bound by April, at which point Herman apparently visited Westport and inscribed this copy of Typee, just one month after its American publication on March 17th. In very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Books inscribed by Melville are scarce.
Price: $250,000.00 Item Number: 138349
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Perhaps the only leaf from Washington's diary in private hands: exceptional George Washington autograph diary leaf dated March 1762; the first spring Washington was full owner of Mount Vernon
WASHINGTON, George.
George Washington Autograph Diary Leaf.
[Mount Vernon]: March 1762.
Autograph manuscript, being George Washington's diary entries for a portion of March 1762, detailing the fruit grafts that he has accomplished. 2 pages (5 14/16 x 3 10/16 inches, irregular) on a leaf of laid paper, [Mount Vernon], March 1762; browned, left margin of recto waterstained and abraded causing a loss of text in most lines, small abrasion at center of recto obscuring three words. Accompanied by an autograph note signed by James Kirke Paulding: "Memorandum in the hand of Washington taken from an old almanac for 1762, in the possession of JK Paulding." A rare Washington relic: perhaps the only leaf from Washington's diary in private hands. According to the Washington Papers, these two pages were initially a blank leaf interleaved in a printed almanac that a Mrs. J. Washington gave to novelist and Secretary of the Navy James Kirke Paulding. The balance of the diary, thirteen pages written on interleaved blanks in the Virginia Almanack for the Year of our Lord God 1762, was sold at Sotheby's Parke Bernet, 6 December 1977, lot 35. The identifying note by Paulding accompanying the present leaf indicates that it was him who separated this leaf from the diary. Donald Jackson and Dorothy Twohig, editors of The Diaries of George Washington, state that the entry for 24 March 17...
Price: $250,000.00 Item Number: 142654
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NAPOLEON'S PERSONAL COPY OF VOLNEY'S VOYAGE, FROM HIS LIBRARY IN EXILE AT ST. HELENA, WITH HIS AUTOGRAPH ANNOTATIONS THROUGHOUT and likely the copy which accompanied him during his Egyptian Campaigns
VOLNEY, Constantin Francois. [Napoleon Bonaparte: His Copy].
Voyage en Syrie et en Egypte, Pendant Les Annees 1783, 84, et 85. [Travel to Syria and Egypt, During the Years 1783, 84, and 85].
A Paris: Chez Dugour et Durand, Libraires, Rue et Hotel Serpente, 1799.
Volney's important work on Egypt and Syria, from the library in exile of Napoleon Bonaparte with his annotations and corrections throughout, several made as he was dictating details from the Egyptian Campaign for his own Memoirs. This copy may also have accompanied him during his Egyptian Campaigns; it is known that Napoleon brought along a copy of Volney's book to Egypt, and it served as the standard reference source for the members of the campaign. Octavo, two volumes bound in full contemporary French sprinkled calf with gilt tooling to the spine, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt scrolling to the front and rear panels, with 3 engraved folding maps and 5 folding plates. First published in 1787, this important travel account by the renowned French historian, orientalist, philosopher and politician Constantin Francois de Chasseboeuf, comte de Volney (1757-1820) is considered the best exposition of Egypt from Ottoman Syria in the late eighteenth century. It served as a basis for later Egyptian expeditions, and many scientists, as well as Bonaparte himself, took this work with them on their expeditions. His candid descriptions did not romanticize Egypt's history or its contemporary social and political conditions, but discussed the ills that plagued the country and ...
Price: $250,000.00 Item Number: 146536
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"THE MOST FAMOUS AND INFLUENTIAL AMERICAN POLITICAL WORK”: EXCEPTIONALLY RARE FIRST EDITION OF THE FEDERALIST
[HAMILTON, Alexander; James Madison; 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.
New York: Printed and Sold by J. and A. McLean, 1788.
First edition of The Federalist, one of the rarest and most significant books in American political history. 12mo, two volumes bound into one in half calf over marbled boards with raised bands, gilt titles to the spine. In very good condition with light toning to the pages. Text blocks trimmed. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell and chemise box. An exceptional example of this cornerstone of Americana.
Price: $250,000.00 Item Number: 143916
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"From the day I reported to him from Paducah till his death our relations were as brothers rather than as commander and commanded": Exceedingly Rare First Edition of Grant’s Memoirs; Profusely Annotated by General William Tecumseh Sherman with Additional Reminiscences Laid In
GRANT, Ulysses S. [U.S.] [William Tecumseh Sherman].
General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Annotated Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. [U.S.] Grant.
New York: Charles L. Webster & Company, 1885-86.
Exceedingly rare first edition of the autobiography of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States, which focusing mainly on his military career during the Mexican War and the Civil War, entirely singular, owned and annotated by Grant's close friend and most esteemed general: William Tecumseh Sherman. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in the original full deluxe tree calf with gilt titles and elegant tooling to the spine, gilt ruled borders to the front and rear panels, gilt inner dentelles, all edges gilt, engraved portrait frontispieces, illustrated with numerous facsimile letters [2 folding], maps, and wood engravings. William Tecumseh Sherman evidently read thes volumes in great detail, making marginal notes on at least 18 pages in Vol. I, several of them signed with his initials. On the last page of Vol. I, Sherman wrote: "Read at St. Louis Mo. Dec 5 + 6, 1885. This account of the Civil War is wonderfully accurate and him. W.T.S." Many of the notes are small corrections and additions by Sherman. On a passage regarding the Yazoo Pass Expedition on page 435 of Vol. I, Sherman pointedly writes: "This conforms literally [to my] memoirs on the point most contested by Grant's pretended friends. W.T.S." He provides further thoughts regarding political interference on the next...
Price: $200,000.00 Item Number: 145720
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First French Edition, Presentation copy of the Constitutions of the Thirteen United States of America; inscribed by Benjamin Franklin who requested the book's publication and personally distributed the 600 privately printed first edition copies
[FRANKLIN, Benjamin].
Constitutions des Treize Etats-Unis De L’Amerique. [Constitutions of the Thirteen United States of America].
Paris: D. Pierres/Pissot, Pere & Fils, Libraries, 1783.
First French edition of the Constitution of the United States of America, inscribed by Founding Father Benjamin Franklin who had the translation published and personally distributed each of the 600 copies produced. Octavo, bound in one quarter calf with gilt ruling to the spine, burgundy morocco spine label lettered in gilt. Presentation copy, inscribed by Benjamin Franklin on the front free endpaper, "A Madame, Madame la Presidente de Manieres [sic] de la parte du. B. Franklin." The recipient, Madame Durey de Meinires was a a French writer best known for her translations of Samuel Johnson, David Hume, and Sarah Fielding. On March 24th, 1783, Franklin wrote to the Comte de Vergennes, "I am desirous of printing a translation of the Constitutions of the United States of America, published at Philadelphia, by Order of Congress. Several of these Constitutions have already appeared in the English and American newspapers but there has never yet been a complete translation of them." At Franklin's suggestion, the Duc de La Rochefoucault produced the first French translation, and Franklin is believed to have contributed the fifty-plus footnotes. Franklin had 600 copies of Constitutions des Treize Etats-Unis de l'Amerique privately printed by Philippe-Denis Pierres, first printer ordinar...
Price: $175,000.00 Item Number: 138381
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REVOLUTIONARY WAR-DATE LETTER FROM WASHINGTON TO ROCHAMBEAU ON A PROPOSED EXPEDITION TO PENOBSCOT
WASHINGTON, George.
George Washington Letter Signed.
April 10, 1781.
Highly important letter signed (“Go: Washington”), as Commander-in-Chief, 2 pages folio, “Head Quarters New Windsor April 10 [17]81”, to his French ally Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, the body of the letter in the hand of his trusted aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton; horizontal fold separation repaired, minor tears and chips along margins. In the spring of 1781, officials from Massachusetts approached Rochambeau with a proposal to attack the British post at the mouth of the Penobscot river— established in June 1779 to secure timber for shipyards in Halifax and to protect Nova Scotia from any American advance. On 6 April, Rochambeau informed Washington he was willing to send a detachment of troops and that Admiral Destouches was willing to offer naval assistance. But, observing that he was under Washington's command, he would await his approval before approving the action (Rochambeau to Washington, 6 April 1781, Papers of George Washington, Library of Congress). Washington responds in the present letter offering his gratitude. The Commander-in Chief explains that Destouches, who had only recently lost a naval engagement with the British in an unsuccessful attempt to relieve Lafayette in Virginia, would be willing “to undertake the expedition ...
Price: $165,000.00 Item Number: 125872
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First Edition of Von Neumann and Morgenstern's Classic Work Theory of Games and Economic Behavior; Signed by John von Neumann
VON NEUMANN, John and Oskar Morgenstern.
Theory of Games and Economic Behavior.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1944.
First edition of von Neumann and Morgenstern's landmark work. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by John von Neumann on the title page. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. With the original “Corrigenda” slip laid in. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Books signed by von Neumann are exceptionally rare.
Price: $160,000.00 Item Number: 137277
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Rare original Antoine de Saint-Exupery watercolor study of The Little Prince
SAINT-EXUPERY, Antoine de .
The Little Prince Original Antoine de Saint-Exupery Watercolor Drawing.
[New York]: [1942].
Rare original watercolor study of the beloved protagonist of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince, a timeless masterpiece that has transcended generations and remains the most widely read work of fiction in history, having sold over 150 million copies over the course of the past 80 years. One page, pencil and watercolor on American ‘Fidelity Onion Skin’ paper, the sketch contains three pencil studies of the Little Prince: three portraits and two full figure drawings, the most complete of which is finished in water colors and depicts the Little Prince standing alone in a long grey cloak with his iconic curly, flaxen yellow hair. With light brushstrokes covering the right portion of the page testing the colors of the prince's face, hair and cloak. Saint-Exupéry likely based the prince's looks on his own appearance as a youth. As a child, friends and family often referred to him as le Roi-Soleil (the Sun King) for his golden curly hair. Land Morrow Lindbergh, the young, golden-haired son of fellow aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, whom Saint-Exupéry met during an overnight stay at their Long Island home in 1939, may have also served as a source of inspiration. Saint-Exupéry was known to go through numerous drafts of his work, often staying...
Price: $150,000.00 Item Number: 146264
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Exceptionally rare pair of William and Thomas M. Bardin's New British Terrestrial and Celestial Globes; on the original mahogany tripod stands
Bardin’s New British Terrestrial and Celestial Globes. [Nineteenth Century English Globes].
c. 1800.
Fine pair of two large Regency period globes produced by William and Thomas M. Bardin, two of the most highly regarded globemakers of the period. Both the celestial and terrestrial globe measure 18 inches in diameter and are mounted on the original mahogany tripod stands with central compasses mounted on raised brass casters. Fitted with brass meridian rings, the terrestrial globe with an additional brass hour circle at the north pole. The horizon circles for both globes have engraved paper zodiacal rings with calendar. Each with a cartouche reading, "Sir Joseph Banks, Bart K.B., President of the Royal Society, this New British Terrestrial Globe: 1807; The Rev. Nevil. Maskelyne, D.D.F.R.S, Astronomer royal, This New British Celestial Globe c. 1800. The terrestrial globe's cartouche has additional text reading: "Containing all the latest discoveries and communications from the most correct and authentic observations and surveys to the year 1799 by Capt. Cook.. engraved from an accurate drawing by Mr. Arrowsmith, Geographer...W. & T. M. Bardin. Additions to 1807-1814." The New British celestial globe's cartouche, "Containing the positions of nearly 6000 stars, clusters, nebulae, planetary nebulae & c., correctly laid down to the present period from the latest observations. ...
Price: $150,000.00 Item Number: 129376
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"the first novel in the English language": Exceedingly rare complete first edition set of all three books in Defoe's classic Robinson Crusoe series
DEFOE, Daniel.
The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe; The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe; Serious Reflections During the Life And Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.
London: Printed for W. Taylor at the Ship in Pater-Noster-Row, 1719-1720.
Exceedingly rare complete first edition set of all three books in Defoe's classic Robinson Crusoe series, including the scarce first and only printing of the third book in the series. Octavo, three volumes bound in full crushed red morocco by Francis Bedford with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, triple gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. The set consists of: Vol. I. The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, where-in all the Men perished by himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver'd by Pyrates. Written by Himself. First edition, mixed state with the famed engraved frontispiece portrait of Robinson Crusoe by Clark and Pine, the title in second state with semi-colon after London, third state of the preface with the catchword "apply" correctly spelled, and first state of Z4r with "Pilot" misspelled "Pilate" and "Portugnese" for "Portuguese", four pages of advertisements at rear. Bibliographic note tipped in. Vol. II. ;...
Price: $150,000.00 Item Number: 129597
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First edition of Alhazen's fundamental Book of Optics
ALHAZEN (HASAN IBN AL-HAYTHAM),.
Opticae Thesaurus Alhazeni Arabis. [Alhazen’s Book of Optics].
Basel: Eusebius Episcopius , 1572.
First edition of Alhazen's fundamental work on optics and vision, which influenced Galileo and Kepler and paved the way for the modern science of physical optics. Folio, bound in full contemporary Basel vellum with central arabesques blind-stamped to the front and rear panels, titles stamped in black and five raised bands to the spine, woodcut printer's device to the title page, woodcut initials, diagrams and full page illustration to the verso of the title page. Translated from Arabic into Latin by Gerard of Cremona. In very good condition. From the library of American physician Chester Tilton Stone with his bookplate to the pastedown. A superior example of this significant work, rare and desirable in contemporary vellum.
Price: $142,000.00 Item Number: 90395
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"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife": Rare first edition of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
AUSTEN, Jane.
Pride and Prejudice: A Novel.
London: Printed for T. Egerton, 1813.
First editions of all three volumes of Jane Austen’s masterpiece, her bestselling book during her lifetime which remains a landmark of English literature. 12mo, three volumes bound in full mottled calf with gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, double gilt ruling and botanical gilt scrolling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins, all edges speckled black. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box with gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine. A very attractive example of this significant work in English literature.
Price: $140,000.00 Item Number: 145824
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"You are one of the most special people to me, and you have meant so much to my life": Exceptionally Rare collection of original Harper Lee drawings, a painting, and letters with a first edition of To Kill A Mockingbird in the scarce first issue dust jacket; inscribed by Lee to close colleague and friend Charles Weldon Carruth
LEE, Harper.
To Kill a Mockingbird. Original Harper Lee Drawing, Painting and Letter Collection.
Philadelphia & New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1960.
First edition of perhaps the most important American novel of the 20th century, inscribed by Harper Lee to a close college friend and with a scarce archive of drawings and letters exchanged between the two. Octavo, original green cloth backed brown boards, titles to spine in gilt. Association copy, inscribed by Harper Lee to close University of Alabama college friend, Charles Weldon Carruth, "To my dear friend Charles, with love always — Harper Lee." In the fall term of 1945, Lee and Carruth both enrolled in a Shakespeare course taught by one of the University of Alabama's most famous faculty members, Hudson Strode, who directed the school's theatre troupe and taught several courses in theatre and creative-writing. At the University of Alabama, Lee contributed a regular column to the campus newspaper, 'Caustic Comments for Crimson White', as well as many articles to the university’s humor magazine, Rammer Jammer, of which she became editor in chief in 1946. Lee ultimately dropped out of college before graduation and moved to Manhattan in 1949 to pursue writing as a career; Carruth later moved to New York City as well, where he worked as a radio producer before becoming a writer and editor for the Catholic News. Near fine in the rare first-issue dust jacket which is in very ...
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 1115260
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"Undoubtedly the most influential of all English language versions of the Bible": Rare 1613 folio edition of the GREAT KING JAMES "SHE" BIBLE; extra-illustrated and decorated with a large fore-edge painting
[BIBLE],.
[The King James “She” Bible]. The Holy Bible: Conteyning the Old Testament, and the New: Newly translated out of the Originall Tongues: and with the former Translations diligently compared and reuised by his Maiesties speciall Comandement. Appointed to be Read in Churches.
London: Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings Most Excellent Majestie, 1613.
Rare 1613 folio edition of the great King James "She" Bible", "the true 1613 folio edition of King James' Bible; easily distinguishable from the other large folio editions by its smaller type... The preliminary leaves are set up as in the other large folio editions, but the text is printed in smaller type with 72 instead of 59 lines to the full column" (Herbert; Darlow & Moule). From the library of famed collector Alfred Sutro and decorated with a large fore-edge painting by John T. Beer. Folio, bound in full 19th century paneled calf rebacked with older spine labels preserved, gilt tiles and ruling to the spine in seven compartments within raised banes, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, inner dentelles elaborately stamped in blind, marbled endpapers, text in two columns, 72 lines, black letter, titles within elaborate historiated woodcut borders featuring the twelve tribes, woodcut initials & headpieces, with the opening calendar printed in red and black, the genealogies, and apocrypha, engraved double-page map of the Holy Land by More & Speed, extra-illustrated with 43 engravings by Beilby & Bewick from Ostervald's Bible (Newcastle, 1782) bound at the appropriate chapter and verse. A4 B4 C6 D4 2A-4M6 4N4 plus A-C6 (Speed's Genealogies inser...
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 145500
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"The longest letter signed and entirely in the hand of John Adams obtainable": Exceptionally rare 16-page autograph letter signed by Founding Father John Adams defending the ultimate necessity of American sovereignty
ADAMS, John.
John Adams Autograph Letter Signed.
1809.
Exceptionally rare 16-page autograph letter signed by and entirely in the hand of Founding Father John Adams defending the ultimate necessity of American sovereignty and its precedence over international alliances. Sixteen pages, entirely in the hand of John Adams and written on both the recto and verso of each page, the letter is dated January 9, 1809 and addressed to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Joseph Bradley Varnum. Although France and America shared a strong alliance which proved crucial to winning the Revolutionary War, at the onset of the French Revolution in 1789, Washington's fear that American involvement would weaken the new nation before it had firmly established itself created tensions and a new war between England and France broke out in 1793. The British Navy soon began targeting French vessels and trading interests across the Atlantic, and although many Federalists thought that America should aid its ally, Washington proclaimed that the United States would be “friendly and impartial toward the belligerent parties.” The Neutrality Proclamation was ignored by Britain and angered France, which then allowed its navy and privateers to prey on American trade. To protect American sailors and merchants without provoking Britain, in March 1794, Congress pas...
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 121560
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"To J. Edgar Hoover- a public servant of the highest courage- with the admiration of the author": First Edition of John F. Kennedy's Profiles In Courage; Inscribed by Him to J. Edgar Hoover
KENNEDY, John F.
Profiles In Courage.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1956.
First edition of Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning work. Octavo, original half cloth, with eight pages of black-and-white photogravures. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To J. Edgar Hoover- a public servant of the highest courage- with the admiration of the author- John Kennedy." The recipient, J. Edgar Hoover served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States for nearly 48 years, being first appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation – the FBI's predecessor – in 1924 and was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director for another 37 years until his death in 1972. Hoover's controversial anti-communist agenda as FBI director led him to be an ally of JFK's father, Joe Kennedy, who was a successful businessman, an ideal capitalist, and a self-proclaimed enemy of communism. While JFK was also anti-communist, both he and his brother Robert clashed with Hoover over any number of issues, such as Civil Rights and organized crime, and Hoover supported Nixon during the Presidential campaign against JFK. A television docuseries was even made in the 80's titled Hoover vs. The Kennedys: The Second Civil War, which follows the Hoover reign through an eight-year period, from JFK's nomi...
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 134320
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From the library of Charles Darwin: First edition of Herbert Spencer's The Study of Sociology; with a presentation inscription from Spencer to Darwin
SPENCER, Herbert.
The Study of Sociology.
London: Henry S. King & Co, 1873.
First edition, association copy of famed English philosopher Herbert Spencer's classic work on the evolution of society; presented and inscribed by him to Charles Darwin. Octavo, original publisher's cloth with gilt titles to the spine, dark green endpapers. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "Charles Darwin with the Author's kind regards." English philosopher, biologist, sociologist, and anthropologist Herbert Spencer invented the expression "survival of the fittest" which he coined in his Principles of Biology (1864) after reading Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859). A description of the mechanism of natural selection, in Principles of Biology, Spencer drew parallels between his own economic theories and Darwin's biological ones: "This survival of the fittest, which I have here sought to express in mechanical terms, is that which Mr. Darwin has called 'natural selection', or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life." Darwin responded positively to Alfred Russel Wallace's suggestion of using Spencer's new phrase "survival of the fittest" as an alternative to "natural selection", and adopted the phrase in The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication published in 1868. In On the Origin of Species, he introduced t...
Price: $110,000.00 Item Number: 141586
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The Catcher In The Rye; Inscribed and dated by J.D. Salinger in the Year of Publication
SALINGER, J.D.
The Catcher In The Rye.
Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1951.
Early printing, printed in the year of publication of the author's classic novel. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "December 24, 1951 To Elizabeth Fueller- with best wishes J.D. Salinger." Salinger's signature is scarce and signed examples of The Catcher in the Rye are rare. Very good in a very good supplied dust jacket. Jacket design by Michael Mitchell. Photograph of Salinger by Lotte Jacobi. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Exceptionally scarce, most rare and desirable inscribed and in the year of publication.
Price: $98,000.00 Item Number: 140488
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Scarce 1792 printing of An Act to extend the Time limited for settling the Accounts of the United States with the Individual States; signed by Thomas Jefferson
[JEFFERSON, Thomas].
Second Congress of the United States: At the First Session, begun and held at the City of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, on Monday the twenty-fourth of October one thousand seven hundred and ninety-one. An Act to extend the Time limited for settling the Accounts of the United States with the Individual States.
Philadelphia: Childs & Swaine, 1792.
Scarce printing of an early United States law providing for the funding of the national debt, signed by Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State. Folio, one page. The document, which also carries the printed signatures of President George Washington, Vice President John Adams, and House Speaker Jonathan Trumbull, was approved January 23, 1792. Individual acts and bills of the first Congresses were routinely printed for public consumption. A provision was made, however, to print a few copies of each act for dissemination to the states, and to have each copy signed by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. One of the main priorities of the federal government in the early national period was to pay down the debt of the United States. The national debt was incurred during the Revolution and augmented in 1790 when the Congress passed the Assumption Act, in accordance with a plan devised by Alexander Hamilton. Because contacting the numerous and geographically dispersed holders of the debt proved more difficult than expected, it became necessary to extend the time allowed by law for making the relevant financial arrangements. The present act accomplished this, and made a special extension of five months for Vermont, which gave the new state time to calculate the amount of debt. Despite Jef...
Price: $82,000.00 Item Number: 125388
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“DEMOCRACY IS ESSENTIALLY A MEANS, A UTILITARIAN DEVICE FOR SAFEGUARDING INTERNAL PEACE AND INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM”: RARE FIRST EDITION OF THE ROAD TO SERFDOM; INSCRIBED BY F.A. HAYEK
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.].
The Road to Serfdom.
Chicago: University of Chicago, 1944.
First edition of one of the most influential and popular expositions of classical liberalism. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Mr. Allan T. Preyer at the Luncheon of the 'Ad ' Club New York April 11, 1945 with cordial regards of F. A. Hayek." Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Foreword by John Chamberlain. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery. First editions are rare, presentation copies exceptionally so.
Price: $82,000.00 Item Number: 130745
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FROM THE LIBRARY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON: First edition of Jacques Corbin's ordinances issued during the reign of Louis XIII
CORBIN, Jacques. [George Washington].
Le Code Louis XIII. Roy De France Et De Navarre. [From the Library of George Washington].
A Paris: Chez Pierre Billaine, 1628.
First edition of Corbin's legal compilation of ordinances and judgments issued during the reign of Louis XIII of France, from the library of General George Washington. Folio, bound in full mottled calf, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt ruling and scrolling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner denelles, marbled endpapers, title page printed in red and black, engraved vignette to the title page, illustrated with numerous wood-engraved initials and headpieces. From the library of General George Washington with a notation to the title page, "Formerly the property of Gen. Washington" and subsequently the Library of the New York Law Institute Special Collections (early notation on title-page near gutter, stamps). According to the Mount Vernon Library, George Washington signed many books in his library in the upper corner of the title-page, but not all of his books have signatures or bookplates. Upon Washington's death, his library was left to his nephew, Bushrod Washington. When Bushrod died, the books and papers were passed to Bushrod's two nephews, George Corbin Washington and John Augustine Washington II. In 1834, George Corbin sold the presidential papers and military...
Price: $80,000.00 Item Number: 149725
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“And it's finally only in the woods you get that nostalgia for "cities" at last, you dream of long gray journeys to cities where soft evenings'll unfold like Paris": FIRST EDITION OF BIG SUR; SIGNED BY JACK KEROUAC
KEROUAC, Jack.
Big Sur.
New York: Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, 1962.
First edition of Kerouac's poignant masterpiece of self-reflection. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Jack Kerouac on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Janet Halverson. Exceptionally rare with no other signed examples traced at auction since publication, while signed copies of On the Road have rarely appeared at auction, no signed examples of Big Sur have appeared since publication.
Price: $75,000.00 Item Number: 150040
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“The object of the artist is the creation of the beautiful. What the beautiful is is another question": First Edition of James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; In the rare original dust jacket
JOYCE, James.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
New York: Huebsch, 1916.
First edition of Joyce’s classic stream-of-consciousness work, his first novel, in the exceptionally rare dust jacket. Octavo, original blue cloth with titles to the spine in gilt. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with small chips and wear to the extremities. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare especially in this condition, without any of the usual restoration usually encountered.
Price: $72,000.00 Item Number: 129144
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"I would always rather be happy than dignified": First Edition of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
BRONTE, Charlotte; Edited by Currer Bell.
Jane Eyre: An Autobiography.
London: Smith, Elder, & Co, 1847.
Rare first edition of this revolutionary feminist romance, of which reportedly only about 500 copies were printed in the first edition. Octavo, three volumes, finely bound in full calf with gilt titles and elaborate tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt tooling to the front and rear panels, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled. Housed in a custom half calf clamshell box. An exceptional example.
Price: $72,000.00 Item Number: 146830
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"It is not down on any map; true places never are": Rare First Edition Of Herman Melville's Moby Dick
MELVILLE, Herman.
Moby Dick; Or, The Whale.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851.
First edition, first issue binding, with the circular Harper's device of Melville's masterpiece. Octavo, original purple-brown cloth (BAL's A grain), covers stamped in blind with the publisher's circular device at the center within a heavy blind rule frame, original orange-coated endpapers. Of the 2,951 copies printed, 125 were review copies. About 1,500 sold in 11 days, but then sales slowed to less than 300 the next year. After two years copies of the first edition were still available, and almost 300 were destroyed in the 1853 fire of Harper's warehouse. In near fine condition with some of the usual light foxing and light shelfwear to the spine tips. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A completely unrestored example of this cornerstone. A superior example.
Price: $65,000.00 Item Number: 99735
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"let those who are really inclinable to buy, come forward, like men that are in earnest, and say what they will give": Rare Autograph Letter Signed by George Washington as the First President of the United States of America
WASHINGTON, George.
George Washington Autograph Letter Signed.
January 24, 1790.
Rare autograph letter signed by George Washington as the first President of the United States. Quarto, one page, the letter reads in full, "New York Jany 24th 1790 Sir Capt. Burnett delivered me your letter of the 18th and is so obliging as to take charge of this answer - It is my sincere opinion that the land mentioned in it is worth what I asked for it--to wit four dollars per acre and once would have sold for it; but if, in the present scarcity of cash it rather fetch that sum, let those who are really inclinable to buy, come forward, like men that are in earnest, and say what they will give--If they, or their Agent have seen the land, (and without this it is useless to name any price) have examined its qualities and improvements, they can say what they will give, and ought to act with candour. -On these terms I am ready to treat with them. It is not my intention to dispose of the land for a song, nor is it my wish to higgle, or make many words to the bargain--for which reason I pray them to come to a decision at once, and that you would inform me of the result. At any rate it would be proper for you to write to me, & soon, that I may not miss any other offer should any be made to. Sir, Yr most Obed. Hble Serv G Washington." In very good condition, silked on recto and vers...
Price: $65,000.00 Item Number: 141583
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"The Bible Of Investing"; Graham and Dodd’s Security Analysis; Inscribed by Benjamin Graham
GRAHAM, Benjamin & David L. Dodd.
Security Analysis: Principles and Technique.
New York: Whittlesey House/ McGraw Hill, 1934.
First edition, second printing of Graham and Dodd's seminal work, considered the Bible of modern financial analysis. Octavo, original black cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Melbourne S. Moyer with the best wishes of Benj. Graham Jan 1935." The recipient, Melbourne Moyer was a contemporary of Graham and a Wall Street trader at Fulton Trust Company of New York. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Signed examples of Security Analysis are of the utmost rarity.
Price: $60,000.00 Item Number: 99745
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“Nothing is so indecent that it cannot be said to another person if the proper words are used to convey it": Rare First Edition in English of Boccaccio's Decameron
BOCCACCIO, Giovanni.
The Decameron.
London: Isaac Jaggard, 1620.
First edition in English of Boccaccio's masterpiece, published by Jaggard published three years prior to his printing of the Shakespeare First Folio. Boccaccio's masterpiece. Folio, 2 volumes, bound in full morocco by Riviere, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, all edges gilt, errata leaf at end of volume one, B1 is a cancellans, woodcut titles each with 6 vignettes, 98 woodcut vignettes in text chiefly repeating the title vignettes, woodcut initials, head- and tail-pieces. In near fine condition. First editions are rare.
Price: $60,000.00 Item Number: 128726
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Rare collection of the works of Thomas Paine; finely bound with a rare early printing of John Quincy Adams' response to Paine's Rights of Man
PAINE, Thomas.
Common Sense: Addressed to the Inhabitants of America, Plain Truth, Rights of Man Parts I & II, and An Answer to Pain’s Rights of Man.
J. Almon, J.S. Jordan, and J. Stockdale: London, 1776-1793.
Finely bound collection of the works of Thomas Paine, including the rare first British editions of Common Sense and Plain Truth (London: J. Almon, 1776), second editions of Rights of Man Parts I & II (London: J.S. Jordan, 1791-1792), complete with half-titles present, and a rare early printing of John Quincy Adams' response to Paine's Rights of Man (London: J. Stockdale, 1793), attributed to his father John Adams and written when John Quincy Adams was 26 years old. Octavo, bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, red morocco spine label, all edges speckled black. In near fine condition. A rare and desirable collection.
Price: $60,000.00 Item Number: 96237
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"Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth": First edition of Gandhiji: His Life and Work; signed by Mahatma Gandhi and John Kenneth Galbraith
[GANDHI, Mohandas Karamchand] [Mahatma]. Edited by D.G. Tendulkar; M. Chalapathi Rau; et al. A Word for the Readers by Mohandas Gandhi; Introduction by Jawaharlal Nehru. [John Kenneth Galbraith].
Gandhiji: His Life and Work. Published on His 75th Birthday.
Bombay: Keshav Bhikaji Dhawale, October 2, 1944.
First unabridged edition of this tribute to Gandhi, with introductions by Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru and a biographical essay by Albert Einstein. Quarto, original publisher's half cloth, patterned endpapers, illustrated with black and white photographs and tipped-in color plates, frontispiece. Boldly signed by Mahatma Gandhi on the half-title page. Association copy, additionally signed by John Kenneth Galbraith opposite the copyright page, "John Kenneth Galbraith 1987 -- Ambassador to India, 1961-1963." Although he remains best known as an iconoclast in the field of economics, John Kenneth Galbraith was very active in Democratic Party politics, serving in the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson. During his time as an adviser to President John F. Kennedy, Galbraith was appointed United States Ambassador to India from 1961 to 1963. Kennedy considered India to be important not just in its own right, but also because an Indian diplomat always served as the chief commissioner of the International Control Commission (ICC). Thus, Galbraith came to be involved in American policy towards Southeast Asia from his perch as an ambassador in New Delhi. During his tenure in India, Galbraith developed close ties with Prime Minister J...
Price: $60,000.00 Item Number: 149272
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Exceptional first Edition, association copy of Cormac McCarthy's Masterpiece Blood Meridian; inscribed by McCarthy to his second wife Anne DeLisle
MCCARTHY, Cormac.
Blood Meridian or The Evening Redness in the West.
New York: Random House, 1985.
First edition of Cormac McCarthy's fifth novel, widely considered his masterpiece and among the greatest novels of the 20th century. Octavo, original half cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Anne With Love Cormac." The recipient, Anne DeLisle was McCarthy's second wife. McCarthy published his debut novel, The Orchard Keeper, in 1965, earning the William Faulkner Award for Best First Novel and a Rockefeller Grant. With his grant money, he traveled aboard the Sylvania, where he met singer and dancer Annie DeLisle of The Healy Sisters duo. The two fell in love and married on May 14, 1966, in Annie’s hometown of Hamble, England. Using their combined incomes, the couple traveled through Paris and Geneva before settling on Ibiza, where they joined the island’s vibrant artistic community. There, McCarthy completed Outer Dark while bonding with fellow novelist Leslie Garrett. In 1967, they returned to the U.S., settling first on a Tennessee farm and later in a restored barn in Louisville, funded by McCarthy’s Guggenheim Fellowship. During this period, McCarthy wrote Suttree and completed Child of God in 1973. Annie recalled these times fondly, despite their modest means, noting McCarthy’s reclusive nature and dedication to his craft. ...
Price: $55,000.00 Item Number: 149734
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First Edition of Nathanael West's Miss Lonelyhearts; In the exceptionally rare Dust Jacket
WEST, Nathanael .
Miss Lonelyhearts.
New York: Liveright, 1933.
First edition, first issue of this humorous tale of alienation and advice in Depression era New York which was well-received, but the publisher went bankrupt almost immediately and bookshops were unable to source copies. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing and wear. Easily one of the nicest examples extant, with most examples in the original dust jacket well worn. The publisher, Liveright went bankrupt as the novel was being published, however, and the printer refused to release most of the copies. Despite favorable reviews, copies were unavailable to bookshops. In early June, Harcourt Brace took over the edition (their imprint comprises the second issue) but, by then, demand had diminished and the book was remaindered by Greenberg in 1934 (the third issue). Connolly 76. Jacket art by Boris Aronson. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery. Founded over a century ago in 1900, the Harcourt Bindery is the oldest and largest traditional bindery in America exclusively devoted to fine traditional leather bookbinding by hand. One of the most elusive of twentieth century highspots in American Literature. Rare.
Price: $55,000.00 Item Number: 140436
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Rare First Edition, First Issue of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony; From the Library of bassoonist and musicologist William Waterhouse
BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van.
Sinfonie mit Schluss-Chor uber Schillers Ode: “An die Freude” fur grosses Orchester, 4 Solo- und 4 Chor-Stimmen componirt und Seiner Majestaet dem Konig von Preussen Friedrich Wilhelm III in tiefster Ehrfurcht kugeeignet von Ludwig van Beethoven. [The Ninth Symphony].
Mainz and Paris: B. Schotts Sohnen, 1826.
Exceptionally rare first edition, first issue of one of the most frequently performed symphonies in the world, containing the subscribers' list, but not the composer's notorious metronome markings which were added in later issues. Quarto, bound in nineteenth-century marbled boards with a blank label to the front panel, all edges yellow, printed with plate number 2322, subscribers' list present, illustrated with a lithographic title page and engraved with music throughout. Inscribed by William Waterhouse on the front free endpaper, "from Robert Hermann London..." William Waterhouse was an English bassoonist and musicologist who played with notable orchestras in the twentieth century and recorded all the wind chamber music by Beethoven with the Melos Ensemble. In near fine condition with some rubbing to the extremities and traces of the original pale blue wrappers to outer pages, no plate number to page 191, and blank final leaf missing. An excellent example with remarkably deep, clean impressions.
Price: $55,000.00 Item Number: 146837
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Review Copy of the First edition of To Kill A Mockingbird; Inscribed by Harper Lee in the year of publication
LEE, Harper.
To Kill A Mockingbird.
Philadelphia & New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1960.
First edition with the review slip of one of the most important American novels of the 20th century which had an initial first printing of 5,000 copies and went on to earn Harper Lee the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "To Irma Lou and Alfred With my best wishes Nelle Harper Lee September 2, 1960." Review copy, with the slip laid in, near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Shirley Smith. Author photograph by Truman Capote. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Most rare and desirable signed and inscribed less than two months after the date of publication.
Price: $55,000.00 Item Number: 148867
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“Give me liberty, or give me death": Scarce 1776 separate edition of Large Additions to Common Sense
PAINE, Thomas.
Large Additions to Common Sense; Addressed to the Inhabitants of America.
Philadelphia: Printed and sold, by R. Bell in Third-Street, 1776.
Scarce 1776 separate edition of the Large Additions to Common Sense. The title reads in full: Large Additions To Common Sense: Addressed To The Inhabitants Of America On The Following Interesting Subjects. I. The American Patriot’s Prayer. II. American Independancy, defended by Candidus. III. The Propriety of Independancy, by Demophilus The dread of Tyrants, and the sole resource Of those that under grim Oppression groan. Thomson. IV. A Review of the American Contest with some Strictures on the King’s Speech. Addressed to All Parents in the Thirteen United Colonies by a Friend To Posterity And Mankind. V. Letter to Lord Dartmouth, by an English American. VI. Observations on Lord North’s Conciliatory Plan, by Sincerus. To Which Is Added And Given An Appendix to Common Sense; Together with an Address to the People Called Quakers on their Testimony concerning Kings and Government and the Present Commotions in America. Octavo, bound in three quarter morocco over boards, gilt titles and five raised bands to the spine, marbled endpapers. In very good condition, internally very clean. Rare with only two examples appearing at auction in the last 80 years.
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 106523
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"God is Truth": Exceptionally rare Etching Signed by Gandhi and Illustrator Fritz Eichenberg
GANDHI, Mohandas K. [Mahatma].
Mohandas K. Gandhi Signed Engraving Portrait.
Wood engraving of a bust-length portrait of one of the most famous graphic images of Gandhi by illustrator Fritz Eichenberg; signed by Gandhi, "God is Truth MK Gandhi." Below Gandhi's inscription in a pencil inscription by Fritz Eichenberg, "To Eva Aug. 16th, 1948 with love from Fritz" and additionally signed "Fritz Eichenberg." The engraving is a proof impression on Japanese paper. The portrait by Eichenberg was originally created for The Catholic Worker, a newspaper in the cause of social justice, and was subsequently used in multiple other publications. "The word satya (Truth) is derived from Sat which means 'being'. Nothing is or exists in reality except Truth. That is why Sat or Truth is perhaps the most important name of God [...] In such selfless search for Truth nobody can lose his bearings for long. Directly he takes to the wrong path he stumbles, and is thus redirected to the right path. Therefore the pursuit of Truth is true bhakti (devotion). It is the path that leads to God" (Gandhi, January 1st, 1927). The engraving measures 12 inches by 9 inches. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 22 inches by 20 inches. Signed examples are exceptionally rare and desirable with the core tenet of Gandhi's religious philosophy.
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 103540
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"Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience": First edition of Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman; in the scarce original boards
WOLLSTONECRAFT, Mary.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects.
London: Printed For J. Johnson, 1792.
First edition of this landmark work—among the earliest and most influential feminist manifestos—presenting a groundbreaking critique of the social and educational structures that enforced women’s subordination. Octavo, original boards, sympathetically rebacked, printed spine label. [Windle A5a; PMM 242; Goldsmiths' 15367]. In very good condition with scattered toning. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Exceptionally rare in the original boards.
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 149731
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"to George You're Great And Always will be!": Bob Dylan's Lyrics; Inscribed by Him to George Harrison
DYLAN, Bob.
Bob Dylan Lyrics 1962-1985.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985.
First printing of the second edition of this compilation of Dylan's lyrics. Quarto, original glossy illustrated boards. Association copy, inscribed by Dylan to close friend and fellow legendary musician, George Harrison on the front free endpaper: "To George [surrounded by a sun] You're Great And Always will be! Best wishes Bob Dylan/3/'86." George Harrison wrote the lyrics to the Beatles hit, "Here Comes the Sun" and Dylan was a major catalyst for Harrison as a musician. They met in person for the first time in August of 1964 at the Delmonico Hotel in New York City, where Dylan, after misinterpreting ‘It’s A Hard Day’s Night’ lyric “I get high”, offered Harrison and his fellow Beatles their first marijuana joint. After this meeting, the friendship between the Beatles and Dylan grew and his influence allowed them to expand past the conventions of pop music, with an increased use of acoustic rather than electric instruments in their recordings and more of a focus on craftsmanship vs. music for the mass market. In the fall of 1968, Harrison came to Dylan's home in upstate New York, where they co-wrote the song, "I'd Have you Anytime", which is recognized as a statement of friendship between the two musicians. The song was released on Harrison's first solo album, "All Th...
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 80146
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"The Novel that Launched King's Career": First Edition, association copy of Stephen King’s First Book Carrie; inscribed by King to his favorite English professor in the month of publication
KING, Stephen.
Carrie.
Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1974.
First edition of the novel that launched King's career, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page and 'P6' in the gutter of page 199. Octavo, original maroon cloth. Association copy, boldly inscribed by the author on the second endpaper in the month of publication, "For Burt Hatten - the first real thinker I encountered at the University of Maine - possibly still the best! Thanks for the intelligent review - Best regards Stephen King April 12, 1974." The recipient, distinguished professor of English at the University of Maine at Orono Burt Hatlen, played a pivotal role in shaping Stephen King's literary development. As King’s favorite professor during his undergraduate years, Hatlen not only inspired his intellectual curiosity but also encouraged his early efforts at serious writing. Their relationship extended beyond the classroom; Hatlen became a mentor and lasting influence, helping to cultivate King's critical engagement with literature and his evolving narrative voice. King’s later success as a novelist remained deeply rooted in the academic and personal guidance he received from Hatlen during his formative years at the university. While Hatlen did not publish a commercial review of Carrie, he wrote about the novel in an academic and deeply thoughtful context—p...
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 149230
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First editions of each volume in C.S. Lewis' acclaimed space trilogy; including the dedicatee's copy of Out of the silent planet; inscribed by C.S. Lewis' brother Warren Hamilton Lewis
LEWIS, C.S.
The Space Trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength.
London: John Lane The Bodley Head, 1938-1945.
First editions of each volume in C.S. Lewis' important space trilogy including the dedicatee's (Lewis' brother's) copy of Out of the Silent Planet, the rarest book in the series. Octavo, three volumes, original cloth. Inscribed by C.S. Lewis' brother Warren Hamilton Lewis on the front free endpaper to whom the book is dedicated, "This book. Well, speaking as dedicatee I felt that it was up to me to buy it. What's more, I also think that you, as being friendly to us two, should try it. But if you should dislike the tale, Don't say so and thus spoil its sale: Keep quiet! W.H.L. to H.D.P. 10/10/38." The dedicatee, Warren Hamilton Lewis, was a British historian and officer in the British Army. He wrote on French history, and served as his brother's secretary in the later years of C.S. Lewis's life. Lewis referred to his older brother Warren ("Warnie") as "my dearest and closest friend," their lifelong friendship was formed as the boys played together in their home Little Lea, on the outskirts of Belfast, writing and illustrating stories for their created world called "Boxen" (a combination of India and a previous incarnation called "Animal-Land"). In 1908, their mother died from cancer and as their father mourned her, C. S. ("Jack") and Warren Lewis had only each other for comfort an...
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 132054
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"Great men are not born great, they grow great": FIRST EDITION OF THE GODFATHER; SIGNED BY MARIO PUZO AND MARLON BRANDO
PUZO, Mario [Marlon Brando].
The Godfather.
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969.
First edition of Puzo's definitive novel of the Mafia underworld, signed by him and legendary Academy Award-winning actor Marlon Brando. Octavo, original half black cloth. Boldly signed by both Mario Puzo and Marlon Brando on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket art by S. Neil Fujita. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. We have never seen another first edition signed by Brando and Puzo.
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 136975
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"I am enormously pressed for time this vacation, and I am ever afraid no such thing will have been done by me in time to be of use to you": Rare autograph letter signed by J.R.R. Tolkien with his list of Old English Literature Questions with annotations and corrections in his hand
TOLKIEN, J.R.R.
J.R.R. Tolkien Autograph Letter Signed and Annotated Old English Literature Questionnaire.
1920.
Rare autograph letter signed by the author of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien regarding a list of 50 questions he has composed examining Old English Literature. The one-page autograph letter signed by Tolkien reads in full, "1 Alfred Street St. Giles Oxford Mar: 17th 1920. Dear Miss Duncan, I enclose a 'mixed bag' of 50 questions on the OE period - some of them on 'Beowulf' (exclusive of special points of commentary), some more general. A few may be of use to you (many are culled from past papers etc.: those of last year are marked). They are not intended to by models of clear questioning , but to suggest enquiries. The easily available critical writings that might help are all 150 few. I hoped some time to make out something like a select bibliography but I am enormously pressed for time this vacation, and I am ever afraid no such thing will have been done by me in time to be of use to you. I am yours sincerely JRR Tolkien." The three-page typed list of 50 questions with autograph emendations by Tolkien is entitled "Old English Literature Questions." Tolkien has inserted a comedic addition "lumbering about in potbellied equanimity" to the question: "A gluttonous race of Jutes and Angles, capable of no grand combinations not dreaming of heroic toll, and sile...
Price: $48,000.00 Item Number: 121974
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“Danger, like a third man, was standing in the room": First edition of From Russia, With Love; inscribed by Ian Fleming
FLEMING, Ian.
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957.
First edition, first state of the fifth James Bond novel and what Fleming considered one of his best books and listed in Life magazine as one of US President John F. Kennedy's top ten favorite books. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles to the spine, gilt rose and gun emblem to the front panel. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Dan from Ian Fleming." Near fine in a near fine price-clipped first issue dust jacket. Jacket design by Richard Chopping. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Uncommon signed.
Price: $48,000.00 Item Number: 131400
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Rare first edition, first impression of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations; bound in full royal blue crushed levant morocco by Bayntun Bindery
DICKENS, Charles.
Great Expectations.
London: Chapman and Hall, 1861.
First edition, first impression of Dickens' rarest novel. Octavo, three volumes bound in full royal blue crushed levant morocco by Bayntun Bindery with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and wide gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by Bayntun, all edges gilt. The earliest impression of Dickens' rarest novel. This copy agrees in all points with Margaret Caldwell's extensive analysis of the differing impressions in the Clarendon edition of Great Expectations. As in the Lawrence Drizen copy sold in 2019 at Sotheby’s and in the Clarendon edition, the third volume here contains the numeral “3” in the pagination on p. 103, and the initial “i” in “inflexible” on p. 193, which are sometimes missing in copies of the first impression of the third volume, indicating that the present copy is among the earlier printings of the first impression. Smith comments that “the rarity of the first issue of Great Expectations has been attributed to the probable small binding-up of copies with the first title-page, coupled with the fact (according to C.P. Johnson, “Hints to Collectors”) that “the first edition was almost entirely taken up by the libraries.” Only 1,000 co...
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 142357
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“thinking is always thinking of a potential action": First Edition of Human Action: A Treatise On Economics; Inscribed by Ludwig Von Mises
VON MISES, Ludwig.
Human Action: A Treatise on Economics.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 1949.
First edition of the economist's magnum opus. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Mr. Stephen M. du Bruch with kindest regards L. Mises." Near fine in the rare original dust jacket with a few chips and wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed first editions are exceptionally rare.
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 139419
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Exceedingly rare new and revised edition of M. de Bourrienne's Life of Napoleon extra-illustrated with additional portraits and views and over 50 autograph letters and notes signed by Napoleon I, members of his family, and royal associates
DE BOURRIENNE, Fauvelet. [Napoleon].
Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte.
London: Richard Bentley and Son, 1885.
Exceedingly rare edition of M. de Bourrienne's Life of Napoleon extra-illustrated with additional portraits and views and over 50 autograph letters and notes signed by Napoleon I, members of his family, associates, and the author bound in. Octavo, bound in three quarters scarlet morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt with others uncut, tissue-guarded frontispiece and full color portrait to each volume, illustrated with engravings issued in the initial publication and over 100 extra portraits and views bound in. With over 50 autograph letters signed bound in including 3 autograph letters signed by Napoleon I (bound into Vol. I page 201, Vol. I page 369, and Vol. III page 530), and autograph letters signed by Charles J. Bernadotte, King of Spain; Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain; Fauvelet de Bourrienne; A.A.L. Caulincort, Duc de Vicenza; Marquis Emmanuel Grouchy; Napoleon's second wife Marie Louise. Duchess of Parma; Joachim Murat, King of Naples; Comte Horace Sebastiani, and Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington among others. With the original compiler's printed catalog of extra material detailing the location (volume and page number) of each added engraving and autograph letter signed. ...
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 117078
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Rare First Edition in Spanish of the Author’s Masterpiece Cien Anos de Soledad; Inscribed by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in the Year of Publication
GARCIA MARQUEZ, Gabriel.
Cien Anos de Soledad [One Hundred Years of Solitude].
Buenos Aires: Editorial Sudamericana, 1967.
First edition of the author's masterpiece which is recognized as one of the most significant works in the Spanish literary canon. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed and dated in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "Para Susi, con la amistad de Gabo 1967." In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable in this condition and signed in the year of publication.
Price: $42,000.00 Item Number: 137469
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“I always deserve the best treatment because I never put up with any other": Rare First Edition of Jane Austen's Emma
AUSTEN, Jane.
Emma: A Novel. By the Author of “Pride and Prejudice.”
London: Printed for John Murray, 1816.
First edition of the final novel published during Austen's lifetime, one of only 2000 copies printed. Small octavo, three volumes finely bound in three quarter leather over marbled boards by Birdsall & Son with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, top edge gilt, front pastedowns stamp-signed by Birdsall & Son, Northampton. Without half-titles. In very good condition with toning throughout, armorial bookplate to each pastedown. An exceptional example of one of the most highly coveted titles in English literature.
Price: $42,000.00 Item Number: 149280
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"Madam, you inrich the very cloaths and jewels you wear! You brighten all the Hemisphere about you, like the dazling sun in its full meridian!": Exceptionally rare first edition of James Bland's An Essay in Praise of Women
BLAND, James.
An Essay in Praise of Women: Or, A Looking-glass for Ladies to See Their Perfections In.
London: Printed for the Author, and Sold by J. Batley, 1733.
First edition of the English physician's immensely popular early 18th century essay. Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf with a burgundy morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, elaborate woodcut initials, headpieces and tailpieces. There were two issues of the first edition of Bland's Essay published in 1733, one sold by J. Batley adn the other by J. Roberts. Both issues are scarce, with no copies appearing in auction records. The work proved so popular upon publication in 1733 that a second edition was published in 1735 and a third in 1767. In good condition with an ownership inscription and neat errata throughout in a contemporary hand. Exceptionally rare, with no copies traced in auction records and only one other copy cited in North America at Duke University.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 139649
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First edition of the Ian Fleming’s first book Casino Royale which introduced the world to 007; Signed by Him
FLEMING, Ian.
Casino Royale.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1953.
First edition of the first novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. Octavo, original black cloth. Boldly signed by the author “from Ian Fleming” on a card mounted to the front free endpaper.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 142789
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"Once there was a little tree ... and she loved a little boy": First Edition of The Giving Tree; Signed by Shel Silverstein with a Large Drawing of the Giving Tree
SILVERSTEIN, Shel.
The Giving Tree.
New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1964.
First edition with all the first issue points to both the book and dust jacket. Octavo, original illustrated boards, illustrated. Boldly signed by Shel Silverstein, who has drawn a large picture of The Giving Tree on the half-title page. Near fine in a very good first-issue price-clipped dust jacket with the full torso picture of Shel Silverstein, with hair, covering top left half of back of the dust jacket, three reviews of Lafcadio, by Kirkus. The New York Times and Publisher’s Weekly. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Exceptionally rare and desirable with a signed sketch of one of the most iconic books of the second half of the twentieth century.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 147001
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“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves": True First Edition of Viktor Frankl's Classic Work Man's Search For Meaning; Inscribed by Him in the year of publication
FRANKL, Viktor E.
Ein Psycholog erlebt das Konzentrationslager [Man’s Search For Meaning].
Vienna: Verlag Jugend und Volk, 1946.
True first edition of Frankl's classic work, which was later titled Man's Search For Meaning. Octavo, original wrappers. Association copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the half-title page, "Für Frau Grete Krotschak in herzlicher Freundschaft V. E. Frankl 6/9/46." Which translates, "For Ms. Grete Krotschak in cordial friendship V. E. Frankl 6/9/46." The recipient, Grete Krotschak served as the maid of honor at Frankl's wedding with Eleonore Elly Katharina Schwindt. (Frankl: Gesammelte Werke, Bd. 1, 2005, S. 159). Frankl was freed from Türkheim in April 1945, with this example signed a little over one year later. In very good condition, spine with light restoration. An exceptional association copy, most rare and desirable signed and inscribed of the true first edition of this work.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 135369
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"To President William H. Taft with the highest appreciation of Booker T. Washington": First edition, association copy of The Story of the Negro; inscribed by Booker T. Washington to William Howard Taft as his advisor in the first year of Taft's presidency
WASHINGTON, Booker T. [William Howard Taft].
The Story of the Negro: The Rise of the Race from Slavery and The Negro as a Freeman.
New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1909.
First edition, association copy of Booker T. Washington's significant history of Americans of African descent, inscribed by him to William Howard Taft as his advisor in the first year of Taft's presidency. Octavo, two volumes, original publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to the spine, top edge gilt, tissue-guarded photographic frontispiece portrait of Booker T. Washington by George G. Rockwood. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper of in the year of publication and first year of Taft's presidency in volume 1, "To President William H. Taft with the highest appreciation of Booker T. Washington Tuskegee, Alabama. Dec. 9, 1909." As president of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, Washington played a pivotal role in shaping the educational framework for African Americans, focusing on industrial and agricultural skills. Washington's influence extended beyond education into the political sphere, where he became a trusted advisor to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. His advisory role was instrumental in advocating for policies that promoted Black economic progress, though his philosophy of gradualism and accommodation toward racial inequality drew criticism from figures like W. E. B. Du Bois. Washington’s invitation to the Wh...
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 149850
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“Because races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth”: Rare First Edition in Spanish of the Author’s Masterpiece Cien Anos de Soledad; Inscribed by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
GARCIA MARQUEZ, Gabriel.
Cien Anos de Soledad [One Hundred Years of Solitude].
Buenos Aires: Editorial Sudamericana, 1967.
First edition of the author's masterpiece which is recognized as one of the most significant works in the Spanish literary canon. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed and dated by the author on the dedication page, "Para Pablo, conversando en el parque Gabriel Garcia Marquez '95." In near fine condition with a touch of rubbing small name on the front free endpaper. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box mimicking the front panel of the book. An exceptional example.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 115638
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"There is no other fire but this, This speck of life, this fading spark": The Screwtape Letters; signed by C.S. Lewis with an inscription of his poem The Salamander
LEWIS, C.S.
The Screwtape Letters.
London: Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press, 1945.
Early printing of Lewis' classic novel of spiritual conflict, one of his most celebrated works; signed by him with his poem The Salamader in the year it was published in The Spectator. Octavo, original publisher's cloth. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "C. S. Lewis" and inscribed by him on the final free endpaper with an inscription of his poem The Salamander which was published in the same year (1945) in The Spectator, "The Salamander I stared in to the fire: - blue waves of shuddering hear that rose and fell and blazing ships and binding caves Canyons and street and hills of hell. The presently amidst it all I saw a living creature crawl. Foreword it crept, and shoved its snout Between the bars, and with sad eyes Into my quiet room look out As men look out upon the skies, And from its scalding throat there came A faint voice hissing like a flame;- 'This is the end, the stratosphere, The rim of the world where all life dies. The vertigo of space, the fear of nothingness before me lies, gazing through distances untold of unimaginative cold. 'Faint lights that fitfully appear Far off in the immense abyss are but reflections cast from here, There is no other fire but this, This speck of life, this fading spark Enlisted in the unbounded dark. 'Long since (though wi...
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 143837
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“The object of the artist is the creation of the beautiful. What the beautiful is is another question": First English Edition of James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; Inscribed by Him
JOYCE, James.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
London: The Egoist Ltd, 1916.
First English edition, second printing of Joyce’s classic stream-of-consciousness work, his first novel. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Beatrice Randegger. James Joyce. 25 Novembre 1919. Trieste." The recipient was a private student's of Joyce in Italy. In excellent condition with light rubbing and wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 109550
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First edition of Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon; inscribed by Johnson to close friend and fellow Children's Book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak
JOHNSON, Crockett. [Maurice Sendak].
Harold and the Purple Crayon.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1955.
First edition, first issue of the first book in Crockett Johnson’s charming Harold series, first issue with "30-60" and "No. 5671A" to the front flap of the dust jacket. 12 mo, original cloth, illustrated. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper to fellow children's book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, "To Maury, with fond regards, Crockett Johnson." The recipient, Maurice Sendak, is best known for his immensely popular illustrated children's book, Where the Wild Things Are, which was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1964 and gained him international fame. Sendak, Johnson, and Johnson's wife Ruth Krauss were introduced by Harper & Row publisher and editor-in-chief of juvenile books Ursula Nordstrom in 1952. Nordstrom facilitated the partnership of Krauss and Sendak as author and illustrator of Krauss' A Hole Is to Dig (1952), which launched Sendak's career and was published 3 years before Harold and the Purple Crayon. Sendak would go on to illustrate seven additional Krauss titles, and their collaborations became something of a cultural phenomenon, spawning a host of imitators of their "unruly" and "rebellious" child protagonists. These "good books for bad children" became Nordstrom's trademark, who disliked the genteel, sentimental tone of...
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 135433
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Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman; Lengthily Inscribed by Richard Feynman to His Cousin
FEYNMAN, Richard P.
“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” Adventures of a Curious Character.
New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1985.
First edition, early printing of this collection of reminiscences by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and one of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century. Octavo, original half cloth. Association copy, lengthily inscribed by the author to his cousin on the half-title page, "To Frances Lewine Hi Franky - send me your book -- you ought to write one- it's easy, all you have to do is tell all those wonderful stories of yours to some friend with an open tape recorder. Richard." The recipient, Frances Lewine was known as a champion for the rights of women journalists throughout the 1950's, 60's, and 70s and worked to fight discrimination. Growing up near Feynman and his sister in Far Rockaway, Lewine was assigned to the White House in 1956 as a reporter covering the activities of first ladies and Washington society. In 1965, the same year Feynman won the Nobel Prize for Physics, Lewine became the first full-time female White House correspondent. Just over a decade later, she joined the administration of President Jimmy Carter and became the Department of Transportation's deputy director of public affairs in 1977. After Carter left office, Lewine joined the Cable News Network as an assignment producer and field producer at the age of 60. As her professional career, ...
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 140950
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Autographed Signed Letters From Mohandas Gandhi
GANDHI, Mohandas K. [Mahatma].
Mohandas K. Gandhi Autograph Note Collection.
1926.
Rare autograph note collection in the hand of the Father of the Nation of India, Mahatma Gandhi, written at the height of the struggle for Indian Independence. The collection includes two autograph notes, two autograph letters, and three autograph postcards with Gandhi's "Blessings" inscribed at the conclusion of each. The postcards are postmarked May 27, June 26, and July 25 1926. Gandhi took leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921 and led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women’s rights, and, above all, achieve Indian independence from British rule. In the wake of World War II, Gandhi opposed providing any help to the British war effort and campaigned against any Indian participation in the war. As the war progressed, Gandhi intensified his demand for independence, calling for the British to Quit India in a 1942 speech in Mumbai, hours after which he was arrested by the British government. Gandhi’s imprisonment lasted two years, although he was initially sentenced to six. He was released in May of 1944 due to failing health. Following the end of WWII, the new British government passed the Indian Independence Act of 1947, partitioning the British Indian Empire was into two dominions, a Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. In very good cond...
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 114068
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“He dont have to move very far to go nuts in the first place and so he dont have so far to come back": Rare original carbon typescript of Faulkner's Pylon
FAULKNER, William.
Pylon.
Oxford, Mississippi: N/P, c. 1934.
Rare original carbon typescript of the novel Pylon, with title in ink in the author's hand on the first page, a few leaves repaginated in the author's hand, 344 pages, each of the six chapters held together with a paper clip, [Oxford, Mississippi, ca. December 1934]. Newly discovered by the family and one of only two known typescripts of Pylon, it is the only one left entirely as Faulkner wrote it and is the only one in private hands. William Faulkner's retained unedited carbon typescript of his 1935 aviation novel, Pylon. This copy corresponds to the typescript setting copy in the collection of the Alderman Library, University of Virginia. The present copy is important in that it shows Faulkner's text in its unedited state. In his introduction to the facsimile of the typesetting copy, Noel Polk writes, "According to Faulkner's date on the final page of the holograph manuscript at the University of Mississippi, he completed the writing on November 26, 1934; but he had already sent [publisher Harrison] Smith the typescript of the first chapter before November 5, the second by November 23, and the third by November 30; the fourth bears the editorial date 12/5, the fifth 12/10, and the sixth and seventh 12/15. As was to the case with Absalom, Pylon underwent extensive editorial...
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 140100
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"High School introduced at young age (15 & 16) to Emily Dickinson, who is probably greatest American poet I realize now": Rare Graduate Student Questionnaire Completed and Signed by Jack Kerouac with a lengthy inscription
KEROUAC, Jack.
Jack Kerouac Autograph Questionnaire Signed.
1960.
Rare mimeographed questionnaire sent by a graduate student of City College of New York to Jack Kerouac; completed and signed twice by him with a lengthy inscription in conclusion. Two pages, partially printed the questionnaire begins with a typed letter signed by James A. Sherlock politely requesting Kerouac's response which reads in part: "Dear Mr. Kerouac, I am a graduate student of City College of New York, working upon an original research project aimed at uncovering certain educational factors in the lives of successful writers. As you undoubtedly know, there always has been considerable interest in analyzing the psychological make-up of the writer, but seldom has the more prosaic factor of the writer's education been taken into consideration. Through this questionnaire, I would like to find out if the average successful writer considers his high school education in English a help or a hindrance in preparing him for his profession. Did frequent composition assignments aid the writer in improving his skill? Did reading - either outside reading or reading assigned in the classroom - play a small or large part in preparing the writer for his work?" Completed by Kerouac, in his hand, the questionnaire reads: Reading During High School: 1. In your high school days, did you prefer...
Price: $38,000.00 Item Number: 117950
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"Memory believes before knowing remembers": First Edition of Light In August; Inscribed by William Faulkner
FAULKNER, William.
Light In August.
New York: Harrison Smith & Robert Haas, 1932.
First edition, first issue, with first printing statement on copyright page, and “Jefferson” for “Mottstown” on page 340, line 1; first-issue binding, lettered in blue and orange. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Eric Dawson William Faulkner Oxford 3 October 1934." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Petersen A13a; Howard A13.1a; Massey 103. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable signed and inscribed, with only two examples appearing at auction in the last 90 years.
Price: $38,000.00 Item Number: 135388
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Leo Tolstoy's Childhood, Boyhood, Youth; Inscribed by Him to His Doctor
TOLSTOY, Leo.
Sochinenia Grafa L.N. Tolstogo [Childhood, Boyhood, Youth].
Moscow: Typ. I.N. Kushnerev i Ko, 1893.
Early Russian printing of Tolstoy’s trilogy Childhood, Boyhood, Youth. Quarto, original half leather. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page to his doctor, “To Dmitry Vasil’evich Nikitin. Leo Tolstoy. 28 March 1903.” With an original photograph of Tolstoy with Dmitry Nikitin opposite the title page. The recipient, Dmitry Nikitin was Tolstoy’s family doctor who described him as ‘‘a very attentive person [who] knows everything that medicine knows now.” The son of a priest from a small village, served as Tolstoy’s first family and later treated M. Gorky. Beginning in the 1850s, Tolstoy had to turn to doctors for both his own illnesses and the illnesses of his children, yet he believed that traditional medicine did not solve the essence of the problem, a problem with the person themselves, and their soul. He preferred to rely on the spiritual and natural defenses of the body and tried to dispense with traditional medicine. In 1902, Tolstoy fell seriously ill with pneumonia. With his life in danger, he needed vigilant medical supervision and a permanent doctor. Nikitin came highly recommended and quickly became involved with the Tolstoy family. They characterized him in letters to friends as a nice, pleasant person, and competent doctor. Nikitin,...
Price: $38,000.00 Item Number: 133583
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FIRST EDITION OF IAN FLEMING’S GOLDFINGER; INSCRIBED BY HIM To Newspaper Editor Lionel Berry, 2nd Viscount Kemsley
FLEMING, Ian.
Goldfinger.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1959.
First edition of the seventh novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. Octavo, original black cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Lionel, Something more to read! From Ian." The recipient, Lionel Berry, 2nd Viscount Kemsley was a politician and newspaper editor. His father, the 1st Viscount Kemsley, had given Ian Fleming his first job as a journalist when he employed him as the Foreign Manager for the Kemsley newspaper group. It was this role, with its contracted three month break every winter to allow Fleming to holiday in Jamaica, that gave Fleming the opportunity to write the planned spy novel that would become Casino Royale. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Richard Chopping. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A nice association.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 140248
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"One of the 100 best books of any kind of the 20th century": First Edition of the author's Masterpiece The Origins of Totalitarianism; Inscribed by Hannah Arendt
ARENDT, Hannah.
The Origins of Totalitarianism.
New York: Harcourt Brace, 1951.
First edition of this masterpiece, by one of the most important and influential thinkers of the twentieth century. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed and dated by Hannah Arendt on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery. Exceptionally rare and desirable signed.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 147887
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"Don't try to comprehend with your mind. Your minds are very limited. Use your intuition": First editions of each volume in the Wrinkle In Time quintet; each volume Signed or inscribed by Madeleine L’Engle
L'ENGLE, Madeleine.
The Wrinkle in Time Quintet: A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind In The Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, An Acceptable Time.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1962-1989.
First editions of each volume in the author’s iconic and genre-defining Wrinkle in Time quintet, including one of the most celebrated Newbery Award-winning novels of all time. Octavo, five volumes, original publisher's full and half cloth. A Wrinkle in Time is boldly signed by Madeleine L'Engle in a contemporary hand on the title page and accompanied by signed black and white photograph of Madeleine L'Engle. Near fine in the rare original dust jacket without the Newbery sticker to the front panel which is price-clipped and in very good condition, name to the half-title page. Jacket design by Ellen Raskin. An exceptional signed first edition. A Wind In The Door is inscribed by the author on the title page, "For another Meg - Be a Namer - Madeleine L'Engle." Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Jacket design by Richard Cuffari. A Swiftly Tilting Planet is inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Mother Maria Joseph - with love & ananda Madeleine." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Suzanne Haldane. Many Waters is inscribed by the author on the title page, "For Adrienne Stewart [Many Waters] cannot quench love - Madeleine L'Engle." Fine in a fine dust jacket. 'By the author of A Wrinkle in Time' sticker to the front panel. Sma...
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 147616
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“All for one and one for all, united we stand divided we fall”: Rare First Edition In English of Dumas' The Three Musketeers
DUMAS, Alexandre.
The Three Musketeers; or, the Feats and Fortunes of a Gascon Adventurer.
London: Bruce and Wyld, 1846.
First edition in English of Dumas’ masterpiece. Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf, gilt titles to the spine, marbled endpapers. Translated from the French by William Barrow. Barrow’s translation was the first of three English translations published in 1846 and is considered the most faithful to the original text. To conform to nineteenth century English standards other translations removed many of the explicit and implicit references to sexuality which adversely affected the readability of many scenes. In near fine condition.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 129365
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First Edition of Feynman's QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter; Inscribed by Him to His Sister
FEYNMAN, Richard P.
QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1985.
First edition of this work by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist regarding quantum electrodynamics, which James Gleick calls it "a model of science writing." Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author to his sister on the half-title page, "Dedicated to my dear sister, Joan. Richard P. Feynman." The recipient, Joan Feynman was Feynman's younger sister and grew to be a world-renowned astrophysicist in her own right. As children, Richard was Joan's first teacher and constantly advised her to challenge herself. Today, she is known for her work on the origin of auroras (i.e., the polar lights) as well as significant contributions to magnetospheric physics and the study of solar wind particles. In 1974, Joan Feynman became the first woman elected an officer of the American Geophysical Union and was recognized by NASA with an Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 2000. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Preface by Ralph Leighton. An exceptional association linking two brilliant titans of physics and astrophysics, most likely the finest extant.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 140430
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“Hilarious, chilling, sexy, profound, maniacal, beautiful and outrageous” (Thomas Pynchon): First edition of Richard Farina’s first novel; inscribed by him to close friend Richard Gillespie only days prior to Farina’s tragic death
FARINA, Richard.
Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me.
New York: Random House, 1966.
First edition of the author and songwriter’s first novel, warmly praised by his friend Thomas Pynchon; the only novel published in Fariña’s lifetime, as he tragically died in a motorcycle accident two days after its publication. Octavo, original half green cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "G - Recognize any of these events. We had fun. Dick." The likely recipient, Richard Gillespie, was a close personal friend and colleague of both Richard Fariña and Thomas Pynchon at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The three shared the same residence and Gillespie and Pynchon attended a course together entirely dedicated to James Joyce's Ulysses (Schaub, Playing Bridge with Thomas Pynchon). The inscription in red pencil was likely made prior to Fariña's book signing at the Thunderbird book store in Carmel, California on April 30th 1966 (the few copies he signed there were done in ink) whereafter, later that same day and only two days after the novel's publication, he tragically died in a motorcycle accident. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Eric Von Schmidt. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Exceptionally rare, with no other signed copies traced in auction records; a 1960s...
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 141590
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“My work is not a piece of writing designed to meet the needs of an immediate public, but was done to last for ever": Rare First Edition in English of Thucydides The History of the Peloponnesian War
THUCYDIDES,.
The Hystory, Writtone by Thucidides the Athenyan, of the Warre, Whiche was Betwene the Peloponesians and the Athenyans [The History of the Peloponnesian War].
London: William Tylle, 1550.
First edition of one one of the greatest of classic historical works. Folio, bound in 19th century full vellum, morocco spine label, marbled endpapers, title-page with elaboarate historiated woodcut border. In very good condition with light toning to the text. Rare and desirable in this condition.
Price: $32,500.00 Item Number: 111546
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Rare Partial Document Signed by George Washington in 1799 Regarding the Sale of Land; Signed by him Eleven Months Before His Death on December 14, 1799
WASHINGTON, George.
George Washington Signed Partial Document.
January 21, 1799.
Rare partial document signed by George Washington on January 21, 1799, eleven months before his death on December 14, 1799. Octavo, the partial manuscript document reads, "I do acknowledge that this is the Platt referred to in the Deeds made for the Lands of George Mercer." Signed by Washington, "Go. Washington" and countersigned by three witnesses. Accompanied by a typed letter signed by Dorothy Twohig, editor-in-chief of the The Papers of George Washington which reads in part, "The note on Mercer explains Washington's involvement in the whole affair which started before the Revolution. After the war Washington tried to extricate himself from the problems resulting from the power of attorney given him by George Mercer, who had died in 1784, and indeed a decree of the Virginia Court of Chancery had removed Mercer's affairs from his control, but ramifications from land sales followed him even into his years of retirement after his presidency. I am also inclosing transcriptions of three letters between Washington and Raleigh Colston involving Mercer's land. We think that your document was issued by Washington to reassure Colston in regards to his purchase of Mercer land. It was all an extremely complicated affair that plagued Washington for much of his public life." George Mercer...
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 142623
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THE FIRST ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF ULYSSES: SIGNED BY JAMES JOYCE AND HENRI MATISSE
JOYCE, James and Henri Matisse.
Ulysses.
New York : Limited Editions Club, 1935.
First illustrated edition of Joyce’s landmark Ulysses, one of only 250 examples signed by James Joyce in pen and Henri Matisse in pencil, with 26 illustrations by him, one of the 20th-century’s most desirable illustrated books, combining the work of two great modern artists. Large quarto, original gilt-stamped pictorial brown cloth, original slipcase. In fine condition with the rare original slipcase which is in good condition and original glassine jacket. With an introduction by Stuart Gilbert. An exceptional example, most rare in this condition and in the seldom seen glassine jacket.
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 140072
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“THE FATHER OF MODERN DEMOCRACY”: First edition in English of Aristotle's Masterpiece Politiques, or Discourses of Government
ARISTOTLE,.
Politiques, or Discourses of Government.
London: Adam Islip, 1598.
Rare first edition in English of one of the world’s most important and influential political texts, “the most valuable work on that branch of philosophy that has descended to us from antiquity.” Small folio, bound in full leather, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, front and rear panels. In near fine condition, bookplate, small name to the title page, small paper repair to the first few pages. First editions are exceptionally rare.
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 138658
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“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts": Rare first edition, presentation copy of The Abolition of Man; inscribed by C.S. Lewis
LEWIS, C.S.
The Abolition of Man or Reflections on Education with Special Reference to the Teaching of English in the Upper Forms of Schools.
London: Oxford University Press, 1943.
First edition of Lewis's powerful essay, original delivered as three speeches in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1943 in which he "defends the objectivity of values such as goodness and beauty over against the modern view that these qualities are in the mind of the beholder." Octavo, original publisher's printed wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "K. Young with compliments and greeting from C.S.L." With a portion of the original transmittal envelope in Lewis hand tipped in to the title page, addressed by Lewis, "From C.S. Lewis, Magdalen College, Oxford" and with a penciled notation in another hand "Posted Ja. 15. '44." In very good condition with some edgewear and small chips to the extremities of the wrappers. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell box with a morocco spine label lettered in gilt. Exceptionally rare and desirable signed and inscribed.
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 149260
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“thinking is always thinking of a potential action": First Edition of Human Action: A Treatise On Economics; Signed by Ludwig Von Mises
VON MISES, Ludwig.
Human Action: A Treatise on Economics.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 1949.
First edition of the economist's magnum opus. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Ludwig von Mises on the title page. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Signed first editions are rare.
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 137484
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First Edition Of the author's Masterpiece Blood Meridian; Inscribed by Cormac McCarthy to Longtime Friends
MCCARTHY, Cormac.
Blood Meridian, or The Evening Redness in the West.
New York: Random House, 1985.
First edition of the author's fifth novel and masterpiece. Octavo, original half red cloth. Association copy, warmly inscribed on the front free endpaper, "For John & Lanelle With much love Cormac." The recipients were close friends of McCarthy during his time spent in Knoxsville, Tennessee. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Richard Adelson. Jacket painting by Salvador Dali. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 144532
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"Science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be, and outside of its domain value, elly judgments of all kinds remain necessary": First Edition of The Evolution of Physics; Inscribed by Albert Einstein
EINSTEIN, Albert & Infeld.
The Evolution of Physics: The Growth of Ideas from Early Concepts to Relativity and Quanta.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1938.
First edition of this classic work, which traces the development of ideas in physics. Octavo, original blue cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by Albert Einstein on the half-title page, "To Dr. Montrell Albert Einstein Princeton 1943." Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket.
Price: $28,500.00 Item Number: 150250
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"It's the best book we've had... There was nothing before. There has been nothing since": FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE OF MARK TWAIN'S ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN; IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade).
New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.
First edition, first issue of Mark Twain’s masterpiece, a justifiable contender for the title of "the Great American Novel" and arguably "the most praised and most condemned 19th-century American work of fiction" (Legacies of Genius, 47). Octavo, original publisher’s gilt and black stamped pictorial green cloth, with 174 illustrations by Edward W. Kemble. Contains all of the agreed upon first issue points for the clothbound book: page 9 with “Decided” remaining uncorrected (to “Decides”); page 13, illustration captioned “Him and another Man” listed as on page 88; page 57, 11th line from bottom reads “with the was,” instead of “with the saw." Other points of bibliographical interest included in this copy are the frontispiece portrait in first state with the cloth table cover under the bust, bearing the Heliotype Printing Co. imprint; copyright page dated 1884; page 143 with “l” missing from “Col.” at top of illustration and with broken “b” in “body” on line seven; page 155 with a larger final “5”; page 161, no signature mark “11”. As to issue points resulting from damaged plates (e.g. the dropped “5” on p 155), MacDonnell concludes, “they are of no significance in determining the sequence of the printing of the sheets. All of the...
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 149190
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“He felt all at once like an ineffectual moth, fluttering at the windowpane of reality, dimly seeing it from outside": First Edition of Philip K. Dick's Ubik; Signed by Him
DICK, Philip K.
Ubik.
Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1969.
First edition of one of Philip K. Dick's most acclaimed novels. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Philip K. Dick on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing. Jacket design by Peter Rauch. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 98978
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"SHE WANTS LIFE TO BE EASY AND FULL OF PLEASANT REMINISCES": FIRST EDITION OF ZELDA FITZGERALD'S SAVE ME THE WALTZ; IN THE RARE ORIGINAL DUST JACKET AND WITH AN ORIGINAL PAINTING SIGNED BY HER WITH HER INITIALS
FITZGERALD, Zelda.
Save Me The Waltz.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1932.
First edition of Zelda Fitzgerald’s only novel, a semi-autobiographical account of her life and marriage to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Octavo, original cloth. Laid in is a card with an original gouache painting of a flower painted by Fitzgerald and signed by her with her initials, "Z S.F." Zelda began painting while on holiday in Rome and Capri with Scott in 1924, where they received the proofs of The Great Gatsby. In 1932, while being treated at the Phipps Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, she had a burst of creativity which produced Save Me the Waltz as well as the beginnings of a small body of work that would be produced in and out of sanatoriums over the course of the next decade. Some of her works were exhibited in 1934 to disappointing reviews. The New Yorker described them merely as "Paintings by the almost mythical Zelda Fitzgerald; with whatever emotional overtones or associations may remain from the so-called Jazz Age." No actual description of the paintings was provided in the review. As with Save Me The Waltz, Zelda's paintings have seen a critical reappraisal, particularly with the publication of Nancy Milford's 1970 biography, Zelda. A review of a contemporary exhibition by curator Everl Adair noted the influence of Vincent van Gogh and Georgia O'Keeffe on ...
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 137264
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First Editions of Each Novel By William Faulkner; Finely Bound by The Harcourt Bindery
FAULKNER, William.
The Complete Novels of William Faulkner. [Soldier’s Pay, Mosquitoes, Sartoris, The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, Sanctuary, Light in August, Pylon, Absalom, Absalom!, The Unvanquished, The Wild Palms, The Hamlet, Go Down Moses, Intruder in the Dust, Requiem For a Nun, A Fable, The Town, The Mansion, The Reivers].
New York: Various Publishers, 1926-1962.
First editions of each novel by the Nobel Prize-winning author. Octavo, 19 volumes, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt stamped signature to the front panel, gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In fine condition. An exceptional set, rare and desirable.
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 142531
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“Hate is a lack of imagination": First Edition of Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
GREENE, Graham.
The Power and the Glory.
London: William Heinemann, 1940.
First edition of Greene's masterpiece. Octavo, original yellow cloth. Near fine in the rare original dust jacket with light shelfwear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example.
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 130369
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A fine set of the works of Theodoretus; Each Beautifully Painted on the front and back of each panel
Opera Omnia. Ed. Jac. Sirmond (Volumes 1-4), and J. Garnier (Volume 5).
Paris: Sebastian and Gabriel Cramoisy, 1682-84.
A fine set of the works of Theodoretus, Bishop of Cyrus, beautifully painted on each panel. Quarto, five volumes, bound in full 17th-century vellum, both covers on each volume fully painted with a scene from the life of Christ, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, brown and black morocco lettering pieces. The first four volumes were edited by J. Sirmond and were published in 1642. The fifth volume, not published until 1684, was completed by Sirmond's fellow Jesuit Garnier and contains an auctarium, comprising fragments of commentaries and sermons and some additional letters, together with Garnier's five learned but most one sided dissertations on Theodoretus and his writings. The bindings are decorated with a series of 10 paintings, one on each cover, which show scenes from the life of Christ. Provenance: E.F.W. Hudson (signature on titles); St. Germain de Pres, monastic library (inscription on title in volume 5 dated 1689); with J. Motley Stark, London (ticket on pastedown); purchased from Emil Offenbacher, 3 July 1962. In near fine condition. Each volume housed in a custom slipcase.
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 140490
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“THE GREATEST HISTORICAL WORK EVER WRITTEN”: Rare complete first edition set of Edward Gibbon's Masterpiece The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; with a rare first edition, first issue of Vol. I
GIBBON, Edward.
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
London: Printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, 1776-1788.
Rare complete first edition set, including the rare first state of volume one, of Gibbon's landmark work of historiography. Quarto, 6 volumes bound in full contemporary mottled calf, with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, gilt turn-ins, three engraved folding maps by Kitchin of the Western and Eastern Roman Empire and of Constantinople. First edition, first issue of vol. 1 with errata uncorrected, [one of 500 copies], half-titles (that in vol. 1 a tipped-in later facsimile), 3 folding engraved maps, engraved portrait frontispiece after Reynolds and vol. 1 *a4-*b2 (Contents) bound in vol. 2, vol. 1 with later engraved portrait laid down as frontispiece, with all cancels and errata as called for, engraved bookplate, later ink ownership name S. de Giles to rear pastedowns. While the first volume was on the press, Strahan decided to increase the print run from 500 to 1000 copies; the second 500 or so copies, constituting the second state, have the errata corrected through p.183 (here uncorrected). In very good condition with highly skilful repairs to spine ends and joints. A rare and very handsome complete first edition set of Gibbon’s masterpiece.
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 144594
