First Edition
First Edition Books for Sale Online
Raptis Rare Books maintains an extensive collection of rare and first-edition books from a variety of authors and publishers. Navigate through our full selection of first-editions below to find a particular item you're looking for, ask a question, or order online today!
Showing 1–20 of 7530 results
-
Browse by Category
- Browse All
- Americana
- Art and Architecture
- Autograph Letters Signed
- Biography and Autobiography
- Children's Books
- Economics and Finance
- Featured Rare Books
- Fine Bindings and Sets
- First Edition
- First Edition>Signed
- Food and Wine
- Framed Autographs and Historical Documents
- Geography
- Gifts
- Gifts - For Her
- Gifts - For Him
- Gifts - Graduation and Celebrations
- Gifts - Holidays
- History, Law, and Politics
- Literature
- Music
- New Arrivals
- Philosophy
- Photography
- Poetry
- Presidents and World Leaders
- Religion
- Science and Natural History
- Science Fiction and Mystery
- Signed
- Signed & Autographed Books
- Sports and Leisure
- Travel and Exploration
- Uncategorized
-
Johann Christoph Volkamer Hand-Colored Engraved Botanical Plate of Arbutus im Wörnlischen Garten
VOLKAMER, Johann Christoph.
Arbutus im Wörnlischen [Tree in Wörnlischen Garden] Garten Hand-Colored Engraved Botanical Plate.
Nuremberg: Nürnbergische Hesperides, c. 1710.
Hand-colored engraved botanical plate from Johann Christoph Volkamer's 'Nürnbergische Hesperides.' Hand-colored engraved botanical plate of Arbutus im Wornlischen Garten, or the tree in Wörnlischen Garden. In near fine condition. Double matted with a gilt ornamental border and framed. This piece measures 21.5 inches by 16.75 inches.
Price: $600.00 Item Number: 145526
-
"China, with her five thousand years of history, her vast territory and her enormous population stands like a mountain peak among the nations of the world": Photographic View Book of China, Manchuria, and Korea during the period of Japanese occupation
Photographic View Book of China, Manchuria, and Korea.
Japan: c. 1930.
First edition, oblong quarto, original boards. Gilt-lettered cloth, string-bound. Text in Japanese with captions in both Chinese and English. Illustrated with photographs throughout, large folding panorama of the Great Wall of China; folding map of Korea, Manchuria and portions of northeastern China. A unique record of history.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 60076
-
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
-
Rare Eighteenth Century Map Of the mouth of the Pearl River by renowned French cartographer Jacques-Nicolas Bellin
BELLIN, Jacques-Nicolas.
Carte Des Isles Qui Sont a l’Embouchure de la Riviere de Canton. [Eighteenth Century Map Of The Islands Which Are At The Mouth Of The Canton River].
Paris: c. 1750.
Eighteenth century map of the isles of the Pearl River (formerly the Canton River) by French cartographer Jacques-Nicolas Bellin. One page, hand-colored, central fold. In very good condition. Later hand-coloring. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 18.25 inches by 14 inches.
Price: $400.00 Item Number: 137244
-
First edition, first issue of Mark Twain's King Leopold's Soliloquy: A Defense of His Congo Rule
TWAIN, Mark [Samuel L. Clemens].
King Leopold’s Soliloquy: A Defense of His Congo Rule.
1905: The P. R. Warren Co, Boston, Massachusetts.
First edition, first issue of Twain's work of political satire harshly condemning King Leopold's rule over the Congo Free State. Small octavo, original wrappers as issued. In very good condition. Housed in a custom cloth and chemise case with a second edition third printing of the pamphlet which contains the publisher's later advisory, "The publishers desire to state that Mr. Clemens declines to accept any pecuniary return from this booklet, as it is his wish that all proceeds of sales above the cost of publication shall be used in furthering the effort for relief of the people of the Congo State.…
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 95339
-
Le Globe Classique, Nouvelle Edition: Rare 19th Century French Celestial Globe
DIEN, Charles.
Rare 19th Century Charles Dien Celestial Table Globe.
Paris: Sold by W. & S. Jones, c. 1845.
Rare mid-19th century Charles Dien celestial table globe. The globe measures 11.5 inches in diameter with an engraved longitude ring and brass latitude ring. Mounted on brass and mahogany stand. The globe contains twelve bodies including the sun and earth with its moon. The entire piece measures 18 inches in height. French astronomer and cosmographer Charles Dien published highly detailed atlases, works on astronomy, and both celestial and terrestrial globes in Paris throughout the 1840s and 1850s. Dien was also renowned for the sophisticated engravings he designed for the many books produced by his father's publishing house Delamarche. In very good…
Price: $6,200.00 Item Number: 97888
-
Supreme Court Justice Photograph Signed by Justices Warren Burger, William Rehnquist, William J. Brennan, Thurgood Marshall, Potter Stewart, Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr., William O. Douglas, Harry Blackmun, and Bryon White
BURGER, Warren; William Rehnquist; William J. Brennan; Thurgood Marshall; Potter Stewart; Lewis Franklin Powell; William O. Douglas; Harry Blackmun; and Bryon White.
Warren E. Burger Supreme Court Signed Photograph.
[1972-1975].
Large photograph of the Burger Court, signed by nine justices below their portrait. Large black and white photograph depicting the Supreme Court in robes seated or standing. The justices are Potter Stewart, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William O. Douglas ("W O Douglas"), Thurgood Marshall, Warren E. Burger, Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan ("WmJBrennanJr"), William H. Rehnquist, Byron R. White. Stamp signed by Warren E. Burger on the verso. In fine condition. The entire piece measures 11 inches by 14 inches. Accompanied by a Supreme Court of the United States visiting card, inscribed by Warren E. Burger, "For Philip Rizik with appreciation…
Price: $4,500.00 Item Number: 147471
-
Rare 18th Century Map of Canada by French cartographer Robert de Vaugondy
DE VAUGONDY, Robert.
A New Map of Canada, Also the North Parts of new England and New York: with Nova Scotia and Newfound Land. [18th Century Map of Canada].
London: c. 1766.
Rare 18th century printing of Robert de Vaugondy's map of 1755 updated to indicate changes resulting from the Treaty of Utrecht. The hand-colored map includes a large inset map of the Great Lakes and is embellished with a large title cartouche. In near fine condition. Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 15.5 inches by 12.5 inches.
Price: $600.00 Item Number: 138933
-
Rare autograph note signed by famed English writer Rudyard Kipling
KIPLING, Rudyard.
Rudyard Kipling Autograph Note Signed.
Sept. 2, 1917.
Rare autograph note signed by and in the hand of Rudyard Kipling. 12mo, one page on Kipling's Bateman's house letterhead, the note reads in full, "Sep. 2, 1917 Dear Dr. Curtiss, Would you please come down to Bateman's as soon as may be to see Mrs. Kipling who is suffering from a sudden attack of illness that I cannot make out the nature of. Very sincerely, Rudyard Kipling." A 17th-century house located in Burwash, East Sussex, Bateman's was the home of Rudyard Kipling from 1902 until his death in 1936. Kipling wrote some of his finest works at the house…
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 142237
-
"The craft that we call modern, the crimes that we call new, John Bunyan had 'em typed and filed in sixteen eighty-two": First separate edition of Rudyard Kipling's The Holy War
KIPLING, Rudyard.
The Holy War.
London: Methuen & Co. Ltd, [1917].
First separate British edition of Kipling's homage to John Bunyan which first appeared in Land and Water Magazine, December 1917, printed by Methuen and Co. to secure copyright protection. Small octavo, original wrappers with elaborate woodcut borders to the front panel. In fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco and chemise case. A superior example.
Price: $450.00 Item Number: 121059
-
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…
Price: $250,000.00 Item Number: 142654
-
Rare De Witt Clinton High School Class of 1941 Yearbook; signed by James Baldwin as a graduating senoir
[BALDWIN, James].
James Baldwin Signed De Witt Clinton High School Class of 1941 Yearbook.
Bronx, New York: Published by the Senior Class of De Witt Clinton High School, June 1941.
Rare De Witt Clinton High School Class of 1941 Yearbook signed by James Baldwin as a graduating senior. Quarto, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with photographs. Signed by James Baldwin to the right of his senior photograph of page 36, "James Baldwin." His accolades read: JAMES A. BALDWIN "Baldy" Magpie Editorial Boards; Student Court. Novelist-Playwright. 'Fame is the spur and - ouch!' Additionally signed by dozens of other graduating seniors. With copies of the Commencement Exercises, List of Awards and Prizes and June 1941 'Class-Nite' program laid in. In very good condition. Exceptionally rare, one of the earliest Baldwin autographs…
Price: $16,000.00 Item Number: 130241
-
Rare May 27, 1922 Edition of Collier's Magazine; Featuring the First Appearance of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
FITZGERALD, F. Scott.
Collier’s The National Weekly [The Curious Case of Benjamin Button].
New York: P.F. Collier & Son Company, May 27, 1922.
First edition of volume 69 of this weekly general interest magazine, with the first appearance of Fitzgerald's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Small folio, original wrappers, illustrated with black and white photographs, advertisements, and illustrations by H. M. Stoops, R.F. Schabelitz, Jack Flanagan, and others. Scarce first appearance of Fitzgerald's 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,' illustrated by James Montgomery Flagg, beginning at page 5 and continuing from page 22 to page 28. In near fine condition, an antiquarian library label and embossment to the front panel. Rare.
Price: $950.00 Item Number: 145484
-
Scarce complete First edition, first issue of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities; in the original monthly parts; with three variant issues of part 1
DICKENS, Charles.
A Tale of Two Cities.
London: Chapman and Hall, June-December 1859.
First edition, first issue of one of Dickens’ most enduring works, with p.213 in part 7/8 mispaginated "113", and signature mark 'b' present on List of Plates at end, etched frontispiece, additional title and 14 plates by "Phiz" (Hablot K. Browne). Octavo, original blue-green wrappers. Complete with all the advertisements called for by Hatton & Cleaver, and the two rare slips in parts 1 and 5. Includes three variant issues of part 1, one with Morison's 'premises' advert, the second with Morison's 'lion' advert, and the third with the rare French version of the Morison's 'lion' advert. In near fine…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 131460
-
George Frideric Handel's XXIV Overtures for Violins, &c. in Eight Parts as they were Perform'd at the King's Theatre
HANDEL, George Frideric.
XXIV Overtures for Violins, &c. in Eight Parts as they were Perform’d at the King’s Theatre [AND] Six Overtures for Violins, &c. in Eight Parts from the Oratorios.
London: Printed for I. Walsh, c. 1760.
Rare second and third edition collection of overtures by the greatest composer of the "high baroque" style. Quarto, five volumes, original half calf over marbled boards with hand-written paper labels to the front panel, engraved throughout with sheet music. The collection includes three volumes containing a second edition of XXIV Overtures as they were Perform'd at the King's Theatre, a second set of XXIV Overtures for Violins &c. in Eight Parts from the Oratorios, and the 9th and 10th collections of Six Overtures; one volume containing just the second edition of XXIV Overtures at the King's Theatre and the second…
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 146573
-
First edition of James Goodwin's Burwash and the Sussex Weald
GOODWIN, James [Rudyard Kipling].
Burwash and the Sussex Weald. (“An English History in Miniature.”).
Turnbridge Wells: Printed for the Author by The Courier Printing & Publishing Co. Ltd., n.d.
First edition of work on the history and landscape of the Sussex Weald where Rudyard Kipling resided from 1902 until his death in 1936. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. In very good condition.
Price: $25.00 Item Number: 136107
-
"Members of the general public, such as myself, have a right to form and express their own opinions on the relationship between science and society": Rare typed letter signed by George Orwell regarding his views on science, scientists, and society
ORWELL, George.
George Orwell Typed Letter Signed.
January 9, 1946.
Rare typed letter signed by the acclaimed author of Nineteen-Eighty Four, George Orwell; part of a long correspondence with scientist Edward R. Ward regarding his views on science. One page, typescript, the letter reads: '9th January 1946 Dear Mr. Ward, Your letter has been passed on to be by "Tribune". I am sorry that in their correspondence columns I should have answered what was really an abridgement of your original letter; but I had not seen the latter, and I did not know that what was printed was a shortened version. I cannot enter into what might become a prolonged…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 133445
-
Rare 17th century map of America and the state of Florida by Dutch cartographer Pieter van der Aa
VAN DER AA, Pieter.
La Floride, Suirvant les Nouvelles Observations de Messrs de l’Academie Royale des Sciences, etc. [17th Century Map of Florida and America].
Leiden: Pieter van der Aa, [1713].
Rare 17th century hand-colored engraved map of Florida and 17th century America by Dutch cartographer Pieter van der Aa. One page, the engraved hand-colored map features Florida, part of Mexico, the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland and Illinois, Native American territories of Conchaques, Apalachicoli, and Apalache, Villages of the Chaktas Indians, and the Bahamas. Embellished cartouche. In near fine condition. Matted and framed. A very nice example.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 138431
-
Rare Typed Letter Signed by Winston Churchill
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Winston S. Churchill Typed Letter Signed.
10 Downing Street, Whitehall: October 15, 1954.
Rare typed letter signed by Winston Churchill as Prime Minister to "Mrs. Martin." Octavo, one page on Prime Minister Downing Street headed paper, the letter reads in full, "15" 'October, 1954 Dear Mrs. Martin, I am honoured that you should have sent me the bronze which was treasured by your late Husband, the famous jockey, and I am indeed happy to accept it. I should like to thank you and Mr. Martin very much. I hope you will allow me to send you these small tokens of my recognition of your goodwill [not present]. Yours sincerely,' "Winston S. Churchill." In…
Price: $2,200.00 Item Number: 146845
-
Finely bound edition of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam; with twelve remarkably intricate full color illustrations by E. Geddes
FITZGERALD, Edward; Introduction by A. C. Benson; Illustrated by E. Geddes.
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
London: Siegle, Hill & Co, c. 1919.
Finely bound edition of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, rendered into English Verse by Edward Fitzgerald and reproduced from a manuscript written and illuminated by F. Sangorski & G. Sutcliffe. Quarto, bound in full deerskin with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, gilt borders and blind stamping to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, illustrated with twelve full-color drawings by E. Geddes and engraved borders, initials, and writing by A. Sutcliffe. In very good condition.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 146936