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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"Who dost though love O seer in thy vision? Women I love, slender and strange and stately waiting untroubled for the years to bear them": First Edition of Sir George Macmunn's Kipling's Women
MACMUNN, Sir George [Rudyard Kipling].
Kipling’s Women.
London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd., n.d..
First edition of the former President of the Kipling Society's study of the women portrayed in Kipling's song and story. Octavo, original publisher's cloth with gilt titles and central gilt emblem to the front panel. Very good in the rare original dust jacket which is in good condition.
Price: $30.00 Item Number: 135257
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"There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open": First Edition of Jawaharlal Nehru's Inside America; Signed by Him
NEHRU, Jawaharlal.
Inside America: A Voyage of Discovery.
New Dehli: National Book Stall, n/d.
First printing of this edition of this collection of speeches by Nehru in America. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. Boldly signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Jawaharlal Nehru Dec 1956." Very good in a very good dust jacket. Uncommon signed, with none appearing at auction in the last 65 years.
Price: $2,800.00 Item Number: 142442
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"My sympathies are with the suffragettes": Rare English parlor game book containing numerous early 20th century signatures
[MACKENZIE, Poppy].
The Truth About My Friends.
London: Dow & Lester, n.d.
Small parlor game book belonging to Poppy Mackenzie, each page with tipped-in printed slip lifting to reveal a self-criticism or "truth" (one of them being "My sympathies are with the suffragettes"), below which the participants have signed their name. In good condition.
Price: $975.00 Item Number: 135645
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Stuart Mason's Bibliography of Oscar Wilde
MASON, Stuart.
Bibliography of Oscar Wilde.
London: T. Werner Laurie Ltd., n.d..
Later printing of Mason's renowned bibliography of the works of Oscar Wilde. Octavo, bound in full cloth, illustrated. With a note by Robert Ross. In very good condition.
Price: $80.00 Item Number: 140208
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The Napoleon Series of the Life of Napoleon; one of only five numbered copies of the extra illustrated edition exquisitely bound by Erbe, Crombie & Lamothe and Extra illustrated by the addition of 32 documents
BONAPARTE, Napoleon; Bourrienne.
Life of Napoleon Bonaparte.
London: H. S. Nichols Co., n.d.
The Napoleon Series extra illustrated edition of the Life of Napoleon, limited to five numbered copies of which this is number 2 and extra-illustrated with the addition of 32 documents and a profusion of engraved plates. Octavo, 32 volumes elaborately bound in contemporary blue crushed levant morocco gilt by Erbe, Crombie & Lamothe with a floral and fleur-de-lis motif and red and tan morocco onlays, gilt titles and tooling to the spines in five compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by Erbe, Crombie & Lamothe, navy and red morocco gilt doublures, silk ribbons bound in, top edges…
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 147417
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John Brown's John Bunyan: His Life, Times and Work; signed and inscribed by John Brown, President Woodrow Wilson, Alexander Stewardt, Charles A. Salmond, James Stark and many other turn of the 20th century American, English, and Scottish educators and ministers
BROWN, John. [Woodrow Wilson; Charles A. Salmond; Alexander Stewart; James Stark; et al].
John Bunyan: His Life, Times and Work.
London: Wm. Ibister Limited, n.d..
Early edition of Reverend John Brown's important biography of his predecessor and the author of Pilgrim's Progress, English Puritan preacher John Bunyan. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "With all fraternal regards John Brown Bedford, England, August 10th 1899" and signed by his wife, "Ada H. Brown." Additionally signed by Robert Christie, "Robert Christie Presbyterian Seminary Allegheny, Pa"; Woodrow Wilson, "Woodrow Wilson, Princeton, New Jersey"; Alexander Stewart "Alexander Stewart D.D. St. Mary's College- St. Andrews- Scotland-"; Charles A. Salmond, "Charles A. Salmond. South Morningside Free Church, Edinburgh-"; James Stark, "James Stark Aberdeen"; and…
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 121964
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First Edition of Orville J. Victor's The History, Civil, Political & Military of the Southern Rebellion
VICTOR, Orville J.
The History, Civil, Political & Military of the Southern Rebellion, From its Incipient Stages to its Close.
New York: James D. Torrey, Publisher, [1861].
Complete first edition set of one of the earliest histories of the American Civil War. Octavo, four volumes, original publisher's full pebbled morocco decorated in gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, illustrated with steel engraved plates, additional vignette title pages. frontispieces, and maps. In good condition. A rare complete set, we have never seen another one.
Price: $2,800.00 Item Number: 133063
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A New, Authentic, and Complete Edition of Captain James Cook's Voyages Round the World
COOK, James.
A New, Authentic, and Complete Edition of Voyages Round the World, Undertaken and Performed by Royal Authority. Captain Cook’s First, Second, Third and Last Voyages.
London: Alex Hogg, c.1784-1786.
The authentic and complete edition of the official accounts of Captain James Cook’s voyages, “the foundation of modern knowledge of the Pacific and a cornerstone of the literature of travel and exploration” (Beddie 648, 1216, 1543; Hill 782, 358, 361). Folio, bound in full contemporary calf with gilt titles to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, engraved frontispiece, one large folding map, 157 black and white engraved plates with maps, charts, and illustrations. In good condition with rubbing to the extremities, rebacked and reinforced.
Price: $3,800.00 Item Number: 147944
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First edition of William Dennison Bickham's Rosecrans' Campaign with the Fourteenth Army Corps
BICKHAM, William Dennison.
Rosecrans’ Campaign with the Fourteenth Army Corps, of the Army of the Cumberland: A Narrative of Personal Observations, with a Appendix, Consisting of Official Reports of the Battle of Stone River.
Cincinnati: Moore, Wilstach, Keys & Co, Moore, Wilstach, Keys & Co..
First edition of William Dennison Bickham's Civil War memoir. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. In good condition. Ex-library.
Price: $100.00 Item Number: 132443
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Rare unauthorized edition of Mark Twain's Autobiography (Burlesque) First Romance, and Memoranda
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
Autobiography (Burlesque) First Romance, and Memoranda.
Toronto: James Campbell & Son, [1871].
Rare unauthorized edition of Twain's witty collection of satirical sketches; this edition possibly containing the first appearance of My Late Senatorial Secretaryship. BAL 3334. Octavo, original publisher's cloth. In very good condition. Rare.
Price: $375.00 Item Number: 137267
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"Mary Wollstonecraft started the demand of women for political liberty in England, Condorcet in France, and the heroic group of anti-slavery agitators in the United States": First edition of Millicent Garrett Fawcett's Women's Suffrage: A Short History of a Great Movement
GARRETT FAWCETT, Millicent.
Women’s Suffrage: A Short History of a Great Movement.
London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, [1912].
First edition of Millicent Garrett Fawcett's history of the women's suffrage movement. Octavo, original cloth, publisher's advertisements at rear. English politician, writer and feminist Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett led Britain's largest women's rights association, the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) from 1897 to 1919. In 2018, a century after the Representation of the People Act, she was the first woman honored with a statue in Parliament Square. In very good condition.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 134219
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"THE MOST CELEBRATED BIOGRAPHY IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE": BOSWELL'S THE LIFE OF JOHNSON
BOSWELL, James.
The Life of Samuel Johnson. [Boswell’s Life of Johnson].
London: Office of the National Illustrated Library, n.d. [c. 1880].
Finely bound 19th century illustrated printing of the most celebrated biography in the English language, elucidated by copious notes. Octavo, four volumes bound into two in contemporary three quarters calf over marbled boards, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, illustrated. In very good condition.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 141549
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First edition of the story of harley-davidson; signed by both John and William Davidson
DAVIDSON, William H.; John A. Davidson.
The Story of Harley-Davidson.
Milwaukee, WI: Harley-Davidson Motor Co, Inc, [1970s].
First edition of this history of the legendary motorcycle company published by Harley-Davidson. Quarto, original brown pictorial wrappers, illustrated with black and white photographs. Signed on the title page by both William H. Davidson and John A. Davidson. In near fine condition. Exceptionally rare and desirable signed by both John and William Davidson, who both served as longtime presidents of the iconic company, from the 1940s through the 1970s.
Price: $3,800.00 Item Number: 147523
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Rare December 29, 1975 Time Magazine Cover featuring a portrait of Mother Teresa; inscribed by her
BOJAXHIU, Mary Teresa. [Mother Teresa].
Mother Teresa Signed Time Magazine Cover.
New York: Time, December 29, 1975.
Rare cover from the December 29, 1975 issue of Time Magazine featuring a portrait of Mother Teresa by Bob Peak and inscribed by her, "God bless you M Teresa MC." In near fine condition. Double matted and framed with the original transmittal envelope inserted into a pocket on the verso of the frame showing the printed Missionaries of Charity return address and postmarked Bronx, 3 April 1986. The entire piece measures 17 inches by 14 inches.
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 133441
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Lord Balfour's Speech In The House of Commons on Women's Suffrage
BALFOUR, Arthur James.
Speech In The House of Commons on Women’s Suffrage.
London: Published by The Central Society For Women's Suffrage, [c.1892].
Rare printing of Lord Balfour's speech supporting the Women's Franchise Bill, which proposed extending the parliamentary vote to women. Octavo, original wrappers. In near fine condition.
Price: $850.00 Item Number: 135551
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Extensive collection of over fifty first edition Civil War era pamphlets
DODGE, W.C.; Andrew Johnson; Henry J. Raymond; et al.
Civil War Political Pamphlet Collection.
Various publishers, c. 1861-1865.
Extensive collection of over fifty first edition Civil War era pamphlets on topics including politics, battles, foreign relations, debt, and the draft. Octavo, 52 volumes, original wrappers. The collection includes first editions of: Memorial to the Hon. Secretary of War, or, How to Strengthen our Army and Crush the Rebellion, with a Saving of Life and Treasure [Dodge, W.C. Washington DC: McGill & Witherow, 1864. From the collection of James W. Grimes (1816-1872), Governor of Iowa and United States Senator from Iowa with his ownership inscription]; Correspondence between John H. Gilmer and Honorable Hugh McCulloch, Secretary of the Treasury [Richmond:…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 135127
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Albert Alberg's Gustavus Vasa and His Stirring Times; finely bound in full period calf
ALBERG, Albert.
Gustavus Vasa and His Stirring Times.
London: W. Swan Sonnenschein & Co, c. 1885.
Finely bound example of Alberg's biography of Gustav I of Sweden. Octavo, bound in full polished calf by Relfe Brothers of London with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, illustrated. In very good condition. Period ownership inscription.
Price: $975.00 Item Number: 139738
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"This book is offered to those women on the fighting line who have had the courage to face ridicule, and the wit to turn the laugh upon their enemies by their indifference to derision": Rare first edition of Constance Smedley's Woman: A Few Shrieks!
X. [SMEDLEY, Constance]; Appendix by Mrs. Philip Snowden [Ethel Snowden].
Woman: A Few Shrieks!
Letchworth Herts: Garden City Press , [1907].
First edition of Constance Smedley's rare feminist tract, published under the pseudonym X and with an appendix by Ethel Snowden. Octavo, original cloth, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, patterned endpapers. Appendix by Ethel Snowden. In good condition. Stamps throughout including to the front and rear panels and top edge. Bookplates to the pastedown.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 134985
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First edition of Frederick W. Pethick Lawrence's Women's Fight For The Vote
PETHICK LAWRENCE, Frederick W.
Women’s Fight For The Vote.
London: The Woman's Press, [1910].
First edition of the definitive collection Pethick Lawrence's articles promoting Women's Suffrage. Octavo, original wrappers. In good condition. Rare.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 135198
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MARK TWAIN'S (BURLESQUE) AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND FIRST ROMANCE
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
Mark Twain’s (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance.
New York: Sheldon & Company, n.d.
First edition, second issue of Twain's third book with the Ball, Black, & Co. advertisement on verso of the title page (BAL 3326). Octavo, bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles to the spine, illustrated and extra-illustrated with a tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece of Twain. In good condition.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 138264
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Col. I Winslow Ayer's The Great Treason Plot in the North During the War
AYER, I. Winslow.
The Great Treason Plot in the North During the War. Most Dangerous, Perfidious, Extensive and Startling Plot Ever Devised! Imminent Hidden Perils of the Republic. Astounding Developments Never Before Published.
Chicago: U.S. Publishing Co, n.d..
Early printing of Ayer's Civil War account. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. In good condition.
Price: $125.00 Item Number: 132537
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Scarce first edition and only printing of Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story; signed by both Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King
HASSLER, Alfred and Benton Resnik. [Martin Luther King Jr.; Coretta Scott King].
Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story: How 50,000 Negroes Found a New Way to End Racial Discrimination.
Nyack, N.Y: The Fellowship of Reconciliation, [1957].
First and only edition of this highly influential and historic comic book used to teach the tactics and power of nonviolent resistance during the Civil Rights Movement. Quarto, original pictorial wrappers, the text is presented as a graphic novel illustrated in color. Boldly signed by Martin Luther King on the front panel, "Best Wishes Martin L. King" and additionally signed by Coretta Scott King. With annotations in blue pen noting that King signed the book in 1958 and Coretta in 1985. Illustrated by Sy Barry, text by John Duffy. In very good condition. Very rare. Copies of the original comic…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 138337
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Margaret Dilke's Women's Suffrage
DILKE, Margaret.
Women’s Suffrage.
London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., n.d..
Stereotyped edition of English suffragette Margaret Dilke's treatise on women's suffrage. Octavo, bound in full cloth, original wrappers bound in. In good condition. Stamps.
Price: $400.00 Item Number: 135204
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Rare first edition of Mary Phillips' The Militant Suffrage Campaign in Perspective
PHILLIPS, Mary.
The Militant Suffrage Campaign in Perspective.
London: Latimer Trend & Co, [1957].
Rare first edition of Mary Phillips' personal account of the militant suffragette movement. Octavo, original wrappers. Foreword by the Right Hon. Lord Pethick-Lawrence. Mary Elizabeth Phillips joined the radical Women's Social & Political Union in 1907 and established a Glasgow branch of the WSPU. In March 1908 she was sentenced to six weeks in Holloway Prison following a demonstration outside the House of Commons. She remains the longest prison serving suffragette. In near fine condition.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 135293
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Special Edition of Charles A. Lindbergh's The Spirit of St. Louis
LINDBERGH, Charles A.
The Spirit of St. Louis.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, [1953].
Special slipcase edition of Lindbergh's autobiographical account about the events leading up to and including his 1927 solo trans-Atlantic flight. Octavo, original gold half cloth, illustrated with black and white photographs, blue top stain, pictorial slipcase. Fine in a near fine slipcase.
Price: $375.00 Item Number: 147646
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Rare Civil War Pocket Diary Kept by Assistant Surgeon Robert P. Davis, 84th Indiana Regiment
[DAVIS, Robert P.] .
Pocket Diary of Assistant Surgeon Robert P. Davis, 84th Indiana Regiment.
[1863].
The Civil War pocket diary of Assistant Surgeon Robert P. Davis, 84th Indiana Regiment. 16mo, original wrappers, the diary is printed with blank three days per page, entries have been recorded intermittently beginning on January 1, 1863 and include brief accounts of skirmishes at Resaca, Hooker's rescue of the Indiana Regiment and reports of duties and the diarist's own illness: May 27: “I am on duty at the Hospital handing instruments for amputation.” The next day: “At same duty as yesterday.” June 1: the sick and wounded are moved to a more permanent hospital and their field tents are moved…
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 132395
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"Every history that has been written since has derived all its light from this, and followed its guidance in every question of importance": Rare first edition, first issue of Francis Bacon's The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh
BACON, Sir Francis.
The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh.
London: Printed by Stansby for Matthew Lownes and William Barret, 1622.
Scarce first edition, first issue of Sir Francis Bacon's influential history of the reign of King Henry VII with "Highnesse" at the conclusion of the dedication and “souldiers” (3, line 12) (Pforzheimer 32; STC 1159). Quarto, bound in three quarters calf over marbled boards with tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt, all edges red, woodcut frontispiece portrait of Henry VII, elaborate architectural borders to the title page, woodcut headpieces and initials. From the library of book collector Frederick Spiegelberg with his bookplate to the pastedown. In near fine condition,…
Price: $5,500.00 Item Number: 114526
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Early English translation of Frederick II, King of Prussia's history of the Brandenburg Dynasty
FREDERICK II, King of Prussia.
Memoirs of the House of Brandenburg.
London: Printed for R. Dodsley, 1748.
Early English translation of Frederick II, King of Prussia's history of the Brandenburg Dynasty. Dedicated to his Royal Highness to Prince of Wales. Authors Preface. Initially published in three installments by Frederick II's private press at the palace of Sanssouci near Berlin, the volumes were read as part of the curriculum at the Prussian Academy of Sciences and considered as the fourth volume of Frederick's Oeuvres du Philosophe de Sans Souci (The works of the philosopher of Sans Souci). Small octavo, disbound with part of the original gilt spine intact. In very good condition. A nice example.
Price: $650.00 Item Number: 92480
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Historiesch Verhaal; Early example in Dutch of Jonathan Edwards' biography of american missionary David Brainerd; the most reprinted of all of Edwards' works
EDWARDS, Jonathan.
Historisch Verhaal: An Account of the Life of the Late Reverend David Brainerd.
The Netherlands: T'Utrecht, 1756.
Early example of "one of America's most important and original philosophical theologians" American theologian Jonathan Edwards' biography of Reverend David Brainerd. Title reads in full: An Account of the Life of the Late Reverend Mr. David Brainerd, Missionary to the Indians, from the Honorable Society in Scotland, for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge, and Pastor of a Church of Christian Indians in New Jersey. Octavo, bound in quarter calf over marbled boards with gilt titles to the spine in five compartments in raised bands, blue speckled edges, translated to Dutch. David Brainerd was a missionary to Native Americans in colonial…
Price: $600.00 Item Number: 147984
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Voltaire's Vie de Moliere; finely bound
VOLTAIRE (AROUET, François-Marie).
Vie de Moliere.
Lausanne: Chez Francois Grasset & Comp, 1772.
Early edition of Voltaire's biography of one of the most influential and widely translated writers of all time. Octavo, bound in full sprinkled sheepskin. Gilt titles and tooling to the spine, pictorial endpapers, all edges red, ribbon bound in. In very good condition with some rubbing to the extremities. Tasteful period bookplate.
Price: $350.00 Item Number: 95126
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First edition of Eugenia Stanhope's Letters Written by the Late Right Honourable Philip Dormer Stanhope; from the library of Sir Edwyn Francis Stanhope
STANHOPE, Eugenia.
Letters Written by the Late Right Honourable Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, to His Son, Philip Stanhope, Esq; Together with Several Other Pieces on Various Subjects.
London: Printed for J. Dodsley, 1774.
First edition of one of the great classics of English letters. Quarto, period quarter calf over marbled boards with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, engraved portrait frontispiece. Second state of volume one, page 55 (line 16 corrected to "qui auroit"). From the library of Sir Edwyn Francis Stanhope with his bookplate to the pastedown of each volume. Sir Edwyn Francis Stanhope, 2nd Baronet (1793 -1874), was the only son of Sir Henry Edwyn Stanhope, 1st Baronet of Stanwell, a distinguished naval commander, and Margaret (Peggy), daughter of Francis Malbone Esq. of Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A. Stanhope served as a…
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 141377
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“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety": Rare First Edition of Benjamin Franklin's Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces; Arranged under the Following Heads and Distinguished by Initial Letters in each Leaf: General Politics; American Politics before the Troubles; American Politics during the Troubles; Provincial or Colony Politics; Miscellaneous and Philosophical Pieces.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1779.
First edition of "the only edition of Franklin's writings (other than his scientific) printed during his lifetime" (Ford). Octavo, bound half diced calf over marbled boards with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt. With the engraved frontispiece portrait of Franklin, three engraved plates (one folding), and folding table of the reformed alphabet. In near fine condition. Complete with index, addenda and corrigenda. An exceptional example.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 125035
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“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety": Rare First Collected Edition of Benjamin Franklin's Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces; Arranged under the Following Heads and Distinguished by Initial Letters in each Leaf: General Politics; American Politics before the Troubles; American Politics during the Troubles; Provincial or Colony Politics; Miscellaneous and Philosophical Pieces.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1779.
First collected edition of "the only edition of Franklin's writings (other than his scientific) printed during his lifetime" (Ford). Octavo, bound in three quarter olive crushed levant morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in three compartments within raised bands, all edges speckled blue, engraved frontispiece portrait of Franklin, three engraved plates (one folding), and folding table of the reformed alphabet. . Complete with index, addenda and corrigenda. In near fine condition. Contemporary ownership inscription to the frontispiece verso.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 147735
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"the most celebrated biography in the English language": Rare First Edition, First Issue of Boswell's The Life of Johnson
BOSWELL, James.
The Life of Johnson.
London: Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, in The Poultry, 1791.
First edition, first issue of both volumes of the most celebrated biography in the English language, which was published on May 16, 1791 in a print run of only 1,750 copies. Quarto, bound in full morocco by Birdsall, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, inner dentelles, all edges gilt. Frontispiece portrait of Samuel Johnson, engraved by J. Heath after the Sir Joshua Reynolds (1756) painting. Housed in a custom clamshell box. In fine condition. An excellent example of this landmark work.
Price: $16,500.00 Item Number: 120374
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"the most celebrated biography in the English language": Rare First Edition of Boswell's The Life of Johnson
BOSWELL, James.
The Life of Johnson.
London: Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, in The Poultry, 1791.
First edition, first issue of both volumes of the most celebrated biography in the English language, which was published on May 16, 1791 in a print run of only 1,750 copies. Quarto, bound in contemporary half calf over marbled boards. Frontispiece portrait of Samuel Johnson, engraved by J. Heath after the Sir Joshua Reynolds (1756) painting. Volume one is the first state with the word “give” reading on page 135, line 10. First state of volume two, with two engraved illustrations, “The Round Robin” at p. 92, and the “facsimiles” of Dr. Johnson's handwriting on p. 588. In near fine condition with light toning,…
Price: $17,500.00 Item Number: 80005
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“THE MOST WIDELY READ OF ALL AMERICAN AUTOBIOGRAPHIES": TRUE FIRST EDITION OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Mémoires de la Vie Privée de Benjamin Franklin, Écrits Par Lui-Même, et Adressés à Son Fils, Suivis d’un Précis Historique de Sa Vie Politique, et de Plusieurs Pièces, Relatives à Ce Père de la Liberté. [Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin].
Paris: Chez Buisson, Libraire, 1791.
True first edition of the first part of Franklin’s famed autobiography which preceded the first English edition by two years. Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf with a morocco spine label lettered in gilt, elaborate period gilt tooling to the spine, ribbon bound in. In very good condition. A nice example.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 139755
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First edition of The Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon; elaborately bound
GIBBON, Edward.
Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon, Esquire. With Memoirs of His Life and Writings, Composed by Himself: Illustrated from His Letters, with Occasional Notes and Narrative by John Lord Sheffield.
London: Printed for A. Strahan, and T. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies, 1796.
First edition of Gibbon’s memoirs, letters, and additional works, posthumously collected and published by his closest friend, John Baker Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield. Quarto, bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, engraved frontispiece portrait of Gibbon. In near fine condition. A very attractive example of one of the first modern autobiographies published in the English language.
Price: $3,000.00 Item Number: 135133
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First Edition of John Francis Rigaud's English translation of A Treatise on Painting by Leonardo Da Vinci
RIGAUD, John Francis. [Leonardo Da Vinci].
A Treatise on Painting, by Leonardo Da Vinci. Faithfully Translated from the Original Italian, and Now First Digested Under Proper Heads.
London: Printed for J. Taylor, 1802.
First edition thus of English painter and Royal Academician John Francis Rigaud's English translation of Leonardo da Vinci's Treatise on Painting, compiled from manuscripts written during his lifetime, but only first published in Italian in 1651. Octavo, bound in three quarter contemporary calf over marbled boards with gilt ruling to the spine, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, illustrated with twenty-three copper-plates and other figures, engraved frontispiece portrait of Da Vinci from a picture in the Florentine Museum. New Life of the Author by John Sidney Hawkins. In very good condition, bookplate to the front free endpaper.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 147281
