Biography and Autobiography
Rare Biography & Autobiography Books for Sale Online
If you are looking for rare or first edition biography or autobiography books look no further than Raptis Rare Books. Browse through our entire collection of rare biographies and autobiographies below, view details about individual books and contact us to ask a question or find out more information.
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"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few": First edition, deluxe signed limited issue of So Few: A Folio Dedicated to All Who Fought and Won the Battle of Britain; one of only 401 numbered copies
PIERCE, Michael; John Golley; Roy Asser; Bill Gunston; Brian Masterton; AVM Freddie Hurrell.
…So Few. A Folio Dedicated to All Who Fought and Won the Battle of Britain 10th July – 31st October 1940.
London: The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, 1990.
First edition, deluxe signed limited issue of this lavishly illustrated folio commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the distinguished RAF pilots who fought in it, the most crucial battle in British history. Quarto, original publisher's full crushed blue morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel, inset embroidered RAF brevet to the front panel, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, illustrated with 25 tissue-guarded color silhouette portraits of distinguished RAF pilots each signed by the featured pilot and artist Michael Pierce with his embossed stamp, additionally illustrated with numerous black-and-white and full color…
Price: $3,800.00 Item Number: 139010
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First Edition of Read My Lips No New Taxes; Signed by Ostrander and President George Bush
OSTRANDER, Dan; Foreword by George Bush.
“Read My Lips No New Taxes.”
Oroville, California: Butte College Press, 1999.
First edition of this work on the Bush administration. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Dan Ostrander and President George Bush on the half-title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Cover design by Patty Melron. Uncommon signed by President Bush.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 76955
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"The eighteenth century proclaimed the rights of man, the nineteenth shall proclaim the rights of woman": First edition of Ray Strachey's "The Cause"
STRACHEY, Ray.
“The Cause” A Short History of The Women’s Movement in Great Britain.
London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd, 1928.
First edition of Strachey's history of women's suffrage in Great Britain. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece portrait of Millicent Fawcett. In good condition. Ownership name.
Price: $600.00 Item Number: 135463
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Rare 1940s Westover Schoolgirl Scrapbook
[PRINCE, Marie].
1940s Westover Schoolgirl Scrapbook.
Rare scrapbook from the collection of Marie Prince, documenting her tenure at The Westover preparatory school for girls in the early 1940s. Quarto, bound in three quarters morocco, the scrapbook contains several letters, notes, and large format photographs. In near fine condition.
Price: $2,250.00 Item Number: 116294
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“People look to the order of numbers when the world falls apart": First Edition of A Beautiful Mind; Signed by Sylvia Nasar and John F. Nash
NASAR, Sylvia; John F. Nash.
A Beautiful Mind.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998.
First edition of this work, basis for the Academy award-winning film. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Signed by Sylvia Nasar and additionally signed by Nobel Laureate and subject John F. Nash on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Timothy Hsu.
Price: $4,000.00 Item Number: 58990
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First edition of Henry N. Hudson's A Chaplain's Campaign with Gen. Butler
[HUDSON, Henry].
A Chaplain’s Campaign with Gen. Butler.
New-York: Printed For The Author, 1865.
First edition of Henry Hudson's account of his imprisonment after publishing his hostile criticism of Butler's military policy in the New York Evening Post. Octavo, modern cloth. Hudson served during the Civil War from 1862 to 1865 as chaplain of the 1st New York Volunteer Engineers, as well as war correspondent for the New York Evening Post. In very good condition.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 139497
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First Edition of Oliver Stone's A Child's Night Dream; signed by him
STONE, Oliver.
A Child’s Night Dream.
New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997.
First edition of Stone's first novel, a fictionalized account of his harrowing experiences in Vietnam. Octavo, original cloth. Inscribed by the author on the title page, "To Joe, Oliver Stone." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Steve Sonder. Jacket illustration by Sergio Premoli.
Price: $35.00 Item Number: 115105
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First Edition of Madeleine L'Engle's A Circle of Quiet; Inscribed by Her
L'ENGLE, Madeleine.
A Circle of Quiet.
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1972.
First edition of the author's classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "For Irene- joy in your own Circle- Madeleine L'Engle." Near fine in a very good dust jacket, owner inscription to the front free endpaper. Jacket design by Charles Skaggs. First editions are uncommon signed.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 138849
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First Edition of A Golfers Life; Signed by Arnold Palmer
PALMER, Arnold .
A Golfer’s Life.
New York: Ballantine Books, 1999.
First edition of the golfing legend's autobiography. Octavo, original half cloth, with 16 black-and-white photographic plates. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "To Jack Best Wishes Arnold Palmer." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Written with James Dodson.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 140389
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Arthur Elson's A History of Opera: Giving an Account of the Rise and Progress of the Different Schools, with a Description of the Master Works of Each
ELSON, Arthur.
A History of Opera: Giving an Account of the Rise and Progress of the Different Schools, with a Description of the Master Works of Each.
Boston: L. C. Page & Company, 1906.
Early printing of Elson's critical history of Opera. Octavo, original publisher's cloth decorated in gilt, pictorial onlay to the front panel, top edge gilt, illustrated, tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait of Verdi, index. In near fine condition. A very nice example.
Price: $75.00 Item Number: 142583
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"I HAVE FOUND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CARRY THE HEAVY BURDEN": A KING'S STORY, Inscribed by THE DUKE OF WINDSOR to Ambassador Henry Taylor
WINDSOR, Duke of [King Edward].
A King’s Story.
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1951.
First edition of King Edward's classic autobiography. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers, frontispiece, illustrated. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the his official letterhead pasted to the half-title page, "To Henry N. Taylor with best wishes and congratulations on winning the Sullivan Award of the University of Virginia Edward May 1951." The recipient, Henry Junior Taylor was an economist, author, radio broadcaster and former United States Ambassador to Switzerland He served as a foreign correspondent for the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain in the early years of World War II. After the war, Taylor hosted the General Motors-sponsored radio program Your…
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 144116
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Leonard Bernstein's assistant and editor Jack Gottlieb's personal copy of the December 1997 Sotheby's auction catalog of the estate of Leonard Bernstein
[BERNSTEIN, Leonard; Jack Gottlieb].
A Legend: Property from the Estate of Leonard Bernstein Sotheby’s December 1997 Catalog.
New York: Sotheby's, Inc, 1997.
Leonard Bernstein's assistant and editor Jack Gottlieb's personal copy of the December 1997 Sotheby's auction catalog of the estate of Leonard Bernstein. Quarto, original pictorial wrappers. With Gottlieb's notes throughout including the hammer price for each lot that sold in the auction. He has also marked the page that has a lengthy quote from him describing a French provincial walnut style folding table in the catalog, "In the inner sanctum - the staging area for super-human accomplishment - stood that table, where the Maestro marked up his performing scores in crystal-clear intricate detail, like a a fine jeweler polishing precious…
Price: $400.00 Item Number: 135684
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First Edition of Thomas Buergenthal's A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy; Inscribed by Him
BUERGENTHAL, Thomas.
A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy.
New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009.
First edition of this "incredible tale" (The Free Lance-Star). Octavo, original boards. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Marle Cohen appreciation and best regards Thomas Buergenthal." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Keith Hayes. Foreword by Elie Wiesel.
Price: $375.00 Item Number: 142462
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“In this age of ours it's hard to say with certainty that having lived was better than not having been born in the first place": First Edition of Oe's A Personal Matter; Warmly Inscribed by him to Translator Howard Hibbett
OE, Kenzaburo.
A Personal Matter.
New York: Grove Press, 1968.
First edition in English (preceding the British edition by one year) of the Nobel Prize-winning author's classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, warmly inscribed by the author in Japanese on the front free endpaper to Howard Hibbett. The recipient, Howard Hibbett was a prominent Harvard scholar, translator of Japanese literature and friend of Oe's. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, with Hibbett's occasional marginalia. Jacket design by Kuhlman Associates. Translated from the Japanese by John Nathan. An exceptional association, uncommon signed and inscribed.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 139621
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First Edition of A Pictorial History of the Negro in America; Lengthily Inscribed by Langston Hughes
HUGHES, Langston and Milton Meltzer.
A Pictorial History of the Negro in America.
New York: Crown Publishers, Inc, 1956.
First edition of this important compilation on the history of African Americans. Quarto, original half cloth, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Especially for Laura and Louise Fields, as a gift at Christmas from Mabel Smythe- Sincerely, Langston Hughes New York 1957." In near fine condition.
Price: $1,850.00 Item Number: 135491
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First Edition of A Pictorial History of the Negro in America; Signed by Langston Hughes and Milton Meltzer
HUGHES, Langston and Milton Meltzer.
A Pictorial History of the Negro in America.
New York: Crown Publishers, Inc, 1956.
First edition of this important compilation on the history of African Americans. Quarto, original half cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by Langston Hughes and Milton Meltzer on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket. Uncommon signed.
Price: $1,850.00 Item Number: 140222
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"All good things-trout as well as eternal salvation-come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy": A River Runs Through It; Signed by Norman Maclean
MACLEAN, Norman.
A River Runs Through It and Other Stories.
Chicago: The University of Chicago, 1976.
First edition, early printing of Maclean's first book. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Norman Maclean on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket photograph by Joel Snyder. A very sharp example.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 144498
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Winston Churchill's Acclaimed autobiography A Roving Commission: My Early Life
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
A Roving Commission: My Early Life.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1941.
New American edition of Churchill’s acclaimed autobiography, recounting the first 25 years of his life. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth, illustrated with plates and maps. Introduction by Dorothy Thompson. Good in a good dust jacket with chipping to the spine and extremities. Full-page gift inscription to the front free endpaper.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 145062
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"We had survived, and that was our only victory": Avanced Reading Copy of Philip Caputo's A Rumor of War; Warmly Inscribed by Him
CAPUTO, Philip.
A Rumor of War.
New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.
Advanced reading copy of the first edition of this classic work which the Los Angeles Times Book Review called "heartbreaking, terrifying, and enraging. It belongs to the literature of men at war." Octavo, original wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "May 2, 2005 For Bob Rockofield, One of my teachers, With all best wishes, Philip Caputo." In very good condition.
Price: $550.00 Item Number: 140064
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First Edition of John McPhees First Book A Sense of Where You Are: A Profile of Princetons Bill Bradley; Warmly Inscribed by Him In the Year of Publication
MCPHEE, John.
A Sense of Where You Are: A Profile of Princeton’s Bill Bradley.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1965.
First edition of the author's first book. Octavo, original black cloth. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication, "For Hazel and Louis Landa I can hear you saying to one another: "Has he some quelque chose of his own upon the anvil?" "I expect it from him since poor Bradley helped to make him rich." With much affection, John McPhee December 25, 1965." Louis Landa was a close colleague of McPhee’s at Princeton, where he taught English and was also an authority on Jonathan Swift. Some sunning to the spine cloth, near fine in a bright near fine…
Price: $1,750.00 Item Number: 3974
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First Edition of A Song Flung Up to Heaven; Inscribed by Maya Angelou
ANGELOU, Maya.
A Song Flung Up To Heaven.
New York: Random House, 2002.
First edition of the final volume in Angelou's autobiography series. Octavo, original half cloth. Warmly inscribed by Maya Angelou. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Andy Carpenter. Jacket photograph by Dwight Carter.
Price: $150.00 Item Number: 3251
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“The world, we are told, was made especially for man — a presumption not supported by all the facts": First Edition of John Muir's A Thousand-Mile Walk To the Gulf; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
MUIR, John.
A Thousand-Mile Walk To the Gulf.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916.
First edition of this work by Muir. Octavo, original green cloth, color pictorial cover label, lettered in white, top edge gilt. Edited with an introduction by William Frederic Badè. Illustrated with several plates from photographs, including a frontispiece portrait with tissue guard; map. Fine in the rare original dust jacket, which is in near fine condition. Uncommon in this condition.
Price: $1,850.00 Item Number: 114781
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First Edition of John Muir's A Thousand-Mile Walk To the Gulf; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
MUIR, John.
A Thousand-Mile Walk To the Gulf.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916.
First edition of this work by Muir. Octavo, original green cloth, color pictorial cover label, lettered in white, top edge gilt. Edited with an introduction by William Frederic Badè. Illustrated with several plates from photographs, including a frontispiece portrait with tissue guard; map. Fine in the rare original dust jacket, which is in very good condition. Uncommon in this condition.
Price: $1,400.00 Item Number: 124411
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First Edition of A Tiger By the Tail; Inscribed by Nobel Prize-winning economist F.A. Hayek
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.].
A Tiger by the Tail: The Keynesian Legacy of Inflation.
San Francisco : Cato Institute , 1979.
First edition of this collection of writings on Keynesian economics by the Nobel Prize-winning economist. Octavo, original wrappers as issued. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To George Meyer with best wishes 1-12-82 F.A. Hayek." Compiled and introduced by Sudha R. Shenoy. With a foreword by Leland B. Yeager. In fine condition. Rare signed and inscribed.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 77024
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First Edition of A Time To Heal; Signed by Gerald R. Ford and Justice John Paul Stevens
FORD, Gerald R. [John Paul Stevens].
A Time To Heal.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1979.
First edition of the 38th president of the United States' autobiography. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by Gerald Ford and additionally signed by Justice John Paul Stevens. In 1970, President Richard Nixon appointed Stevens to the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Five years later, President Gerald Ford successfully nominated Stevens to the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Justice William O. Douglas. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Lawrence Ratzkin. Desirable signed by Ford and Stevens.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 132474
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"WE WENT SLIPPING SILENTLY ALONG, BETWEEN THE GREEN AND FRAGRANT BANKS, WITH A SENSE OF PLEASURE AND CONTENTMENT THAT GREW AND GREW": FIRST EDITION OF MARK TWAIN'S A TRAMP ABROAD
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
A Tramp Abroad.
Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company, 1880.
First edition, first state of Twain's classic fictionalized account of his walking tour of central and southern Europe. Octavo, original publisher's pictorial gilt-stamped brown cloth, with 328 illustrations by Walter Francis Brown, True Williams, W.W. Denslow, and with four 'pictures made by the author of this book, without outside help' with the first state frontispiece captioned “Moses” and state A of the text-block. BAL 3386. In fine condition. Small bookplate and ownership name. Housed in a custom slipcase. An exceptional example of this American classic, easily the nicest we have seen.
Price: $5,000.00 Item Number: 136080
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"WE WENT SLIPPING SILENTLY ALONG, BETWEEN THE GREEN AND FRAGRANT BANKS, WITH A SENSE OF PLEASURE AND CONTENTMENT THAT GREW AND GREW": FIRST EDITION OF MARK TWAIN'S A TRAMP ABROAD
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
A Tramp Abroad.
Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company, 1880.
First edition of Twain's classic fictionalized account of his walking tour of central and southern Europe, early issue with the portrait in BAL state B (no priority), frontispiece in the first state (captioned "Moses"), state A of the text block (no priority), and the cover stamping in state A. Octavo. 631, [1, ad] pages. Octavo, original publisher's pictorial gilt-stamped brown cloth, with 328 illustrations by Walter Francis Brown, True Williams, W.W. Denslow. BAL 3386. In very good condition.
Price: $975.00 Item Number: 144227
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First edition of Jack Valenti's A Very Human President; inscribed by him to American journalist William Safire
VALENTI, Jack. [William Safire].
A Very Human President.
New York: W.W. Norton & Compan Inc, 1975.
First edition of Valenti's intimate biography of Lyndon Johnson. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with photographs. Association copy, lengthily inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Bill Safire - a wise and eloquent 'old pro' - and me dear and valued friend Jack Valenti." The recipient, William Safire was an important American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He joined Nixon’s campaign for the 1960 Presidential race, and supported him again in 1968. After Nixon’s 1968 victory, Safire served as a speechwriter for him and Spiro Agnew. He authored several political columns in addition to his weekly column…
Price: $400.00 Item Number: 135521
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First edition of John Kenneth Galbraith's A View From the Stands; inscribed by him to Elaine Steinbeck
GALBRAITH, John Kenneth.
A View From the Stands of People, Politics, Military Power and the Arts.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1986.
First edition of Galbraith's retrospective collection. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper in the year of publication to Elaine Steinbeck, "For Elaine with love... John G - 1986." From the library of Elaine Steinbeck. Galbraith and John Steinbeck met in the early 1950s while on a holiday on St. John in the Virgin Islands. They enjoyed talking and both liked to have a drink at the end of the day, which Steinbeck referred to as “Milking Time” and Galbraith called “The Liberal Hour.” While the content of this book has nothing to…
Price: $650.00 Item Number: 128099
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First edition of George H. Gordon's A War Diary of Events in the War of the Great Rebellion
GORDON, George H.
A War Diary of Events in the War of the Great Rebellion. 1863-1865.
Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1882.
First edition of the historian and Union General's American Civil War Memoir. Octavo, original cloth. In good condition.
Price: $300.00 Item Number: 131769
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FIRST EDITION OF W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM'S A WRITER'S NOTEBOOK.; INSCRIBED BY HIM TO AMERICAN JOURNALIST BILL SAFIRE
MAUGHAM, W. Somerset. [William Safire].
A Writer’s Notebook.
Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1949.
First trade edition of Maugham's semi-autobiographical confessional. Octavo, bound in three quarter morocco with gilt titles and raised bands to the spine, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "by W. Somerset Maugham For Bill Safire in recollection of a pleasant chat." The recipient, William Safire, was an important American author, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He joined Nixon’s campaign in the 1960 Presidential race, and again in 1968. Following Nixon’s 1968 victory, Safire served as a presidential speechwriter for both Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew. He was a…
Price: $2,250.00 Item Number: 127338
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First edition of Emanuel Hertz's Abraham Lincoln: The Tribute of the Synagogue.
HERTZ, Emanuel. [Abraham Lincoln].
Abraham Lincoln: The Tribute of the Synagogue.
New York: Bloch Publishing Company, 1927.
First edition of Hertz’s compilation of tributes delivered upon the occasion of the death of President Lincoln. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece portrait of Lincoln, illustrated. In very good condition.
Price: $975.00 Item Number: 131608
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First edition of Across The Atlantic With Ara, Summer of 1924; inscribed by William K. Vanderbilt
VANDERBILT, William K.
Across The Atlantic With Ara, Summer of 1924.
New York: Brentano's, Publishers, 1925.
First edition of Vanderbilt's account of his 1924 three-month summer cruise aboard the diesel yacht Ara. Octavo, original publisher's cloth, illustrated with plates and maps. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper in the year of publication, "To C. M. ... from W. K. Vanderbilt June 26th 1925." In very good condition. Uncommon signed and inscribed.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 143551
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First editions of all three volumes in Albert Camus' Actuelles Chroniques
CAMUS, Albert.
Actuelles Chroniques 1944-1948; Actuelles Chroniques 1948-1953; Actuelles, III Chronique Algerienne 1939-1958.
Paris: Gallimard, 1950-1958.
First editions of all three volumes in Camus's collected articles and commentaries. Octavo, original wrappers as issued. Each volume is fine condition. A rare complete set in exceptional condition.
Price: $600.00 Item Number: 137591