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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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Rare First Edition of Leonard Cohen's First Book, One of 400 copies Let Us Compare Mythologies; Warmly Inscribed by Him
COHEN, Leonard.
Let Us Compare Mythologies.
Montreal: McGill Poetry Series by Contact Press, 1956.
First edition of Cohen's first book, which explores philosophy, sexuality, death, a world of violent contrasts that would define his future literary and musical careers. Octavo, original cloth. With five full-page line illustrations by Freda Guttman. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “For my friend Jo, Leonard January 1957.” Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. An excellent example of this rare first book, which reportedly, fewer than 400 copies of the first edition were printed (Nadel, 45).
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 107435
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Rare Carl Sagan Archive including twenty notes and letters signed by him; from the collection of Sagan's Executive Assistant Shirley Arden
SAGAN, Carl. [Shirley Arden].
Carl Sagan Archive.
c. 1974-1985.
Extensive archive of papers, letters, notes, magazines, articles, press kits and portfolios containing the work of Carl Sagan, including twenty letters and notes signed by him and some additionally by his wife Ann Druyan. From the collection of Sagan's Executive Assistant, Shirley Arden, who was instrumental in Sagan's success and handled all travel arrangements and publications in his most illustrious years which saw the Viking landings on Mars, the Cosmos television series, and the Voyager mission. Sagan's biographer, Keay Davidson, used many of the documents in Arden's archive as sources for his 1999 biography: Carl Sagan: A Life. Ann and…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 115521
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First Edition of Jack Kerouac's Satori in Paris; Inscribed by Him to His Brother-in-law Tony Sampras
KEROUAC, Jack.
Satori In Paris.
New York: Grove Press, 1966.
First edition of Kerouac's penultimate novel. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "Tony's copy- signed by his brother man Jacky Kerouac." The recipient, Tony Sampras was the youngest brother of Kerouac's wife, Stella. Tony and Kerouac were close, Kerouac called Tony two days before his death and the On the Road scroll was left to him by Stella in her will. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Kuhlman Associates. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed and inscribed, especially with such an association.
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 128912
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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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"In this brief life of ours, it is sad to do almost anything for the last time": Large Signed Portrait Photograph Signed by Charles Dickens
DICKENS, Charles.
Charles Dickens Signed Portrait Photograph.
1868.
Large oval portrait photograph measures 20 inches by 16 inches. Matted in a contemporary frame which measures 25.5 inches by 29.5 inches. Signed "Charles Dickens (with a large flourish) Boston Sixth March 1868." In 1867, Charles Dickens began his second American reading tour at Boston's Tremont Temple, where an enthusiastic audience delighted in some of his most notable works, members of the audience included legendary literary stars such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Although Dickens was in declining health, he embarked on an ambitious travel schedule across the United States. Dickens returned to Boston once more before concluding…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 74030
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"Truman hasn't found it out": Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper "Dewey Defeats Truman": Signed by Harry S. Truman and Thomas Dewey
TRUMAN, Harry S.
Dewey Defeats Truman Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper.
1948.
Signed Chicago Daily Tribune with the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman, signed by both Truman and Dewey as follows, "Truman hasn't found it out, Harry S. Truman" and "Thomas E. Dewey." It was an incorrect banner headline on the front page of the Chicago Daily Tribune on November 3, 1948, the day after incumbent United States President, Harry S. Truman, won an upset victory over Republican challenger and Governor of New York, Thomas E. Dewey, in the 1948 presidential election. It was famously held up by Truman at a public appearance following his successful election, smiling triumphantly at the error. The erroneous headline of the…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 141484
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"Nothing in bronze or stone could be a more perfect image than this statue of the living Washington": Fine bronze bust of George Washington after the famed Houdon bust of 1785
HOUDON, Jean-Antoine. [George Washington].
Jean-Antoine Houdon George Washington Bronze Bust.
Fine bronze bust of George Washington, after the famed Houdon bust of 1785 which is considered the most accurate depiction of Washington. Bronze, mounted on a marble pedestal. French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon was revered for his life-like portrayals of numerous notable eighteenth-century philosophers, inventors, and political figures including Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Napoléon Bonaparte, and George Washington. In 1784, the Virginia General Assembly commissioned a statue of George Washington "to be of the finest marble and the best workmanship," necessitating a European craftsman. The Governor of Virginia gave the responsibility of selecting the artist to Thomas Jefferson,…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 123102
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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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"direct observational evidence of the validity of the Big Bang theory": rare silver gelatin galaxy spectra annotated by influential American astronomer Edwin Hubble
[HUBBLE, Edwin].
Edwin Hubble Annotated Virgo and Ursa Major Cluster Spectra.
Two rare silver gelatin galaxy spectra annotated by influential American astronomer Edwin Hubble, offering proof of Hubble's law and direct observational evidence of the validity of the Big Bang theory. Mounted on cardboard, one spectrum reveals the recessional velocity of the Virgo Cluster with Hubble's pencil annotations on the verso, "NGC 4473 Virgo Cluster Velocity = 2,000 kilometers per second." The second shows the recessional velocity of Ursa Major with Hubble's annotations, "Ursa Major Cluster velocity = 15,000 kilometers per second." In showing that the Ursa Major Galaxy Cluster (located at a distance of about 78 million light years away…
Price: $28,500.00 Item Number: 126281
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“To Miss Brown with many thanks for her help in bringing out this book": First Edition of Why England Slept; Inscribed by Kennedy to His Father's Secretary and Who Transcribed this Work
KENNEDY, John F.
Why England Slept.
New York: Wilfred Funk, Inc, 1940.
First edition of John F. Kennedy's first book. Octavo, original red cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Miss Brown with many thanks for her help in bringing out this book Best wishes Jack Kennedy." The recipient, Mona Brown was a personal assistant and secretary to Joseph Kennedy for seven years, a period of time which included his ambassadorship to the United Kingdom. She was part of the Kennedy household's innermost circle and spent a considerable amount of time with the Kennedy children, especially young Jack and Kathleen. She transcribed Why England Slept for…
Price: $28,500.00 Item Number: 82340
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"For my darling Hilary - My God ---- Can you even believe it --- Isn't it wonderful - Oh Hilary - I love you Kay and Me Eloize": First Edition, Association Copy of Eloise; warmly Inscribed by author Kay Thompson to Illustrator Hilary Knight
THOMPSON, Kay. Illustrated by Hilary Knight.
Eloise: A Book For Precocious Grown Ups.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955.
First edition of the sensational first book in Kay Thompson's immensely popular Eloise series. Quarto, original publisher's cream pictorial cloth, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with drawings by Hilary Knight. Association copy, inscribed by the author, Kay Thompson, to the book's illustrator, Hilary Knight on the front free endpaper, "For my darling Hilary - My God ---- Can you even believe it --- Isn't it wonderful - Oh Hilary - I love you Kay and Me Eloize." In an interview with Sam Irvin, the recipient, American artist and illustrator Hilary Knight declared, "Eloise never would have happened as a book had it…
Price: $28,500.00 Item Number: 149560
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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…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 137264
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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,…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 149850
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First edition of Alexander Hamilton's Examination of President Thomas Jefferson's Message at the Opening of Congress December 7, 1801; from the library of Hamilton's close friend and colleague James Kent
HAMILTON, Alexander. [James Kent].
The Examination of the President’s Message at the Opening of Congress December 7, 1801.
Printed and Published at the Office of the New York Evening Post: New York, 1802.
First separate edition of Hamilton's analysis of Jefferson's first Annual Message to Congress which first appeared in the Evening Post, under the signature of Lucius Crassus. Howes H112. Octavo, bound in quarter morocco. Association copy, from the library of American jurist James Kent with his ownership signature to the title page. American jurist, New York legislator and legal scholar James Kent was part of the same legal elite in New York as Hamilton, and an ardent Federalist and admirer of both Hamilton and Jay. At the time of the present publication, he sat on the bench of the New York…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 131843
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First Edition of William Faukner's Soldiers' Pay; In the Original Dust jacket
FAULKNER, William.
Soldiers’ Pay.
New York: Boni & Liveright, 1926.
First edition of Faulkner's first book in the rare first state dust jacket with An American Tragedy as the first of five titles listed on the rear jacket panel. Octavo, original cloth. Bookplate, near fine in an exceptional dust jacket with light toning and wear. From the library of Virginia bibliophile and historian Christopher Clark Geest with his bookplate. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Scarce in this condition.
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 89328
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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…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 149190
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"THE LAST COLLECTION OF FRANKLIN'S WRITINGS TO APPEAR IN HIS LIFETIME": First edition of Benjamin Franklin's Philosophical and Miscellaneous Papers
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Philosophical and Miscellaneous Papers. Lately written by B. Franklin, LL. D. Fellow of the Royal Society of London; Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris; President of the American Philosophical Society at Philadelphia.
London: Printed for C. Dilly, in the Poultry, 1787.
First edition of the last collection of Franklin's writings to appear during his lifetime; a major collection of his political, philosophical and scientific writings, a second volume of which was planned but never published. First issue with page 25 mispaginated "52." Octavo, bound in full contemporary tree calf with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt Greek key ruling to the front and rear panels. With four copper-engraved folding plates including diagrams of the Franklin stove and the earliest published map of the Gulf Stream. In very good condition. Armorial bookplate and early…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 125345
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"One Of The Most Important Books Of The Twentieth Century": First American Edition Of Karl Popper’s The Open Society; Signed By Him
POPPER, Karl R.
The Open Society And Its Enemies.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950.
First American edition of Popper's magnum opus. Octavo, original black cloth. Boldly signed by Karl Popper on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. First editions are rare and desirable signed.
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 137328
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William Paley's The Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy; General William Tecumseh Sherman's Copy
PALEY, William [William Tecumseh Sherman].
The Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy.
New York: Collins, Keese, & Co, 1839.
Later edition of this classic book on moral and political philosophy; used by William Tecumseh Sherman while a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Octavo, original calf. General Sherman and his son's bookplates to the front pastedown. Intentionally scratched with "S" multiple times on the front panel by General Sherman. Inscribed by Sherman as a cadet on the front flyleaf, "Sherman Nov. 1st/39." The date indicates that Sherman was in his third year at the academy upon signing this book. While at West Point, Sherman excelled academically, described by fellow cadet William Rosecrans as "one of…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 145971
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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. Exceptionally rare and desirable signed.
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 147887
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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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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, Mosquitos, 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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"REDESIGNING THE SHAPE OF HISTORY AUGUSTINE WOULD DOMINATE WESTERN THOUGHT FOR THE NEXT MILLENNIUM": RARE FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH OF AUGUSTINE’S CITIE OF GOD
SAINT AUGUSTINE,.
Of the Citie of God: With the Learned Comments of Jo. Lod. Vives. [The City of God].
London: George Eld, 1610.
Rare first edition in English of Augustine's monumental work. Translated by John Healey. Folio, bound in full contemporary brown calf, gilt titles to the spine, rebacked. Large woodcut printer's device on title (McKerrow 375). Decorative woodcut head-pieces and decorative and woodcut initials, including three twelve-line initials. In very good condition, ownership signature on title page dated 1790, stamp and bookplates on front endpapers, later endpapers. First editions are rare.
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 149448
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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…
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 140490
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"As art it is perfection" (Dostoevsky); Rare First Russian Edition Of Tolstoy’s Masterpiece Anna Karenina
TOLSTOY, Leo. [Count Lyof N Tolstoi].
Anna Karenina.
Moscow: T. Ris, 1878.
First edition in Russian of Tolstoy's masterpiece. Octavo, 3 volumes, bound in three quarters calf, gilt titles, raised bands. Housed in a custom box. In near fine condition. First editions in Russian are rare.
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 126365
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First edition of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird; with an autograph note signed by her
LEE, Harper.
To Kill A Mockingbird.
Philadelphia & New York: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1960.
First edition 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. With an autograph postcard signed by and entirely in the hand of Harper Lee laid in. Addressed to Stewart Richardson, Executive Editor of Doubleday & Company, the postcard reads in full, "Monroeville, Ala. September 5, 1970 Dear Sandy: No, I didn't receive galleys on James Purdy's - but I'd like to. They're probably sitting in New York somewhere. I'll be…
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 139543
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Rare collection of correspondence between C.S. Lewis and his PhD student Anthony Colin Spearing; including an autograph letter signed by and entirely in the hand of C.S. Lewis
LEWIS, C.S. [Anthony Colin Spearing].
C.S. Lewis and Anthony Spearing Autograph Correspondence Collection.
Rare collection of correspondence between C.S. Lewis and his PhD student Anthony Colin Spearing including an autograph letter signed by and entirely in the hand of C.S. Lewis. Folio, the collection includes the original composition of Spearing's 1957 English Tripos essay: "The Translation of English Verse (An Essay with some Specimen Translations)" which he sent to Lewis for edits and contains Lewis' marginal notes; two pages of critical notes entirely in Lewis' hand on his Magdalene College Cambridge letterhead containing 28 numbered notes and suggestions for edits to the Spearing's composition; an autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand…
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 134067
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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…
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 144594
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First Edition of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead
RAND, Ayn.
The Fountainhead.
Indianapolis and New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1943.
First edition of Rands’s breakthrough work and her first major literary success. Octavo, original cloth. Very good in a very good first-issue first issue dust jacket with light restoration to the extremities, contemporary inscription to the front free endpaper. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. A very sharp example.
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 142040
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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…
Price: $27,000.00 Item Number: 142623
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First editions of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Little Women Part Second, and Little Men; each in the original publisher's emerald green cloth
ALCOTT, Louisa May.
Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. [with] Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy Part Second. [with] Little Men: Life at Plumfield with Jo’s Boys.
Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1868-1871.
First editions of Louisa May Alcott's "outstanding achievement of 19th-century American literature” together with its sequels. Octavo, three volumes, original publisher's emerald green gilt decorated cloth, each volume illustrated with tissue-guarded frontispiece and three plates; those in the first part of Little Women were created by the author’s sister, May. First issue of Little Women with all points including Little Women priced at $1.25 in terminal advertisements, one of 2,000 copies printed with 250 sets of sheets shipped to England for issue by Sampson, Low; Part Second is first edition, early-state, with notice about Part First on page [iv] and with “Handy…
Price: $26,000.00 Item Number: 149518
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First Edition of The Scots Musical Museum; Inscribed by the national poet of Scotland Robert Burns
JOHNSON, James [Editor]; Robert Burns [Contributor].
The Scots Musical Museum, Humbly Dedicated to the Catch Club. Instituted at Edinr. June 1771.
Edinburgh: James Johnson, 1787 and 1790.
First edition, first issue of this influential collection of traditional folk music of Scotland. Octavo, two volumes comprised of volumes one and three out of six, bound in full contemporary calf with gilt ruling to the spines, vignettes to the title pages, engraved throughout with musical stanzas. Presentation copy, inscribed by Robert Burns on the title page of volume one, "To Mr. Whyter from Robt. Burns" and on the verso of the title page of volume three, "Remember me! Ro. B." Robert Burns contributed some 200 songs, new or adapted to the successive volumes of The Scots Musical Museum. In good…
Price: $26,000.00 Item Number: 147856
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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, raised gilt bands, 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. Period bookplate to the front pastedown, in very good condition with some loss to a few pages. Housed in a custom half…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 88658
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"By mail I send you a small volume, some portions of which": Rare Herman Melville Autographed Letter Signed to his wife's cousin Ellen Marrett Gifford
MELVILLE, Herman.
Herman Melville Autograph Letter Signed.
1888.
Herman Melville autographed letter signed to his wife's cousin Ellen Marrett Gifford completely in his hand, which reads, "164 E. 26th St. Nov. 6th 1888 My Dear Mrs. Gifford: By mail I send you a small volume, some portions of which, I hope may prove more or less interesting to you- Lissie tells me she is about writing you, so I leave her to hell you whatever news there may be. Your friend H. Melville." In near fine condition. Housed in a custom chemise and clamshell box. Melville signed letters are rare.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 129820
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“Sometimes, I feel the past and the future pressing so hard on either side that there's no room for the present at all": First Edition of Brideshead Revisited; Signed by Evelyn Waugh
WAUGH, Evelyn.
Brideshead Revisited.
London: Chapman and Hall, 1945.
First edition of Waugh's masterpiece. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Evelyn Waugh on the title page. Waugh issued a pre-publication edition of the novel in a run of 50 copies. These were printed and specially bound to distribute among friends for Christmas and to solicit any revisions. Several changes were made as a result of his friends' comments, including suggested alterations by Fr. Martin D'Arcy, Cyril Connolly, and Nancy Mitford. A letter from Graham Greene, Waugh's friend and recipient of one of the 50 copies had indicated that Waugh may have only inscribed 19 of the 50 copies (Jeffrey…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 145489
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Karl Polanyi's landmark work Origins of Our Time: The Great Transformation; Inscribed by Him to Peter and Doris Drucker
POLANYI, Karl [Peter F. Drucker].
Origins of Our Time: The Great Transformation.
London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1946.
First edition, early printing of Polanyi's landmark work, which many consider to be one of the twentieth century’s most incisive and prophetic works of scholarship. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "To Peter and Doris With Love Karl." The recipients, Peter Drucker and his wife Doris were close friends and colleagues of Polyani. Born in Budapest, Polanyi moved to Vienna, where he met Drucker while he worked as senior editor of The Austrian Economist. In July 1940, the President of Bennington College, Robert Leigh, wrote to the publisher W.W. Norton, asking him to…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 118455
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Rare Original Goldfinger Dust Jacket Design Printing Proof; signed by Dust Jacket Designer Richard Chopping and from his personal collection
CHOPPING, Richard. [Ian Fleming].
Goldfinger. [Original Richard Chopping Signed Printing Proof].
Rare original progressive color printing proof for the iconic dust jacket design of Ian Fleming's Goldfinger, designed by Richard Chopping. Chopping's copy, retained for his personal collection and signed by him in the lower right corner. One page on archival printer's paper, this is a yellow and magenta ink progressive plate proof (printed using two of four plates combined to create the final full color image). The seventh novel in Fleming's bond series, Goldfinger was the second book with a dust jacket designed by Richard Chopping, the first being From Russia, With Love. Chopping would design all subsequent James Bond…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 124288
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"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
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Rare first edition of one of the earliest chess manuals; Pietro Carrera's Game of Chess
CARRERA, Pietro.
Il Gioco De Gli Scacchi Di D. Pietro Carrera Diviso in Otto Libri. (The Game of Chess).
Militello: Giovanni de' Rossi, 1617.
Rare first edition of one of the early chess manuals, and the first book printed in Militello at Prince Francesco Branciforte's private press. Octavo, bound in full contemporary vellum with ink titles to the spine, large engraving of the Branciforte coat of arms opposite the dedication page, woodcut illustrations throughout the text. In near fine condition. First editions are of exceptional rarity, with only three appearing at auction in the past 90 years.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 96172
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"one of the most important Scottish novels of the 20th century" The Quairs Trilogy; Each Inscribed by Him to George Malcolm Thomson
GIBBON, Lewis Grassic [James Leslie Mitchell].
A Scots Quair Trilogy. Including: Sunset Song, Cloud Howe, and Grey Granite.
London: Jarrolds Publishers, 1932-1934.
First editions of each volume of Gibbon's classic trilogy describing the life of Chris Guthrie, a woman from the north-east of Scotland during the early 20th century, each volume inscribed by him to George Malcolm Thomson. Octavo, original cloth, 3 volumes. Sunset Song is inscribed on the title page, "For G. Malcolm Thomson, L. Grassic Gibbon." Cloud Howe is the dedication copy, inscribed on the title page, "For the 'dedicatee' with kind regards. L. Grassic Gibbon." Grey Granite is inscribed on the title page, "For George Malcolm Thomson with good wishes L. Grassic Gibbon." Each are in very good condition.…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 124744
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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
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"They were so close to each other that they preferred death to separation": First Edition of One Hundred Years of Solitude; Signed by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and lengthily signed by Translator Gregory Rabassa
GARCIA MARQUEZ, Gabriel.
One Hundred Years of Solitude.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1970.
First American edition of the author's magnum opus. Octavo, original green cloth. Boldly signed by Gabriel Garcia Marquez on the dedication page and additionally lengthily signed by the translator on the title page as follows, "They were so close to each other that they preferred death to separation Gregory Rabassa. Near fine in a near fine first issue dust jacket. Jacket design by Guy Fleming. Translated by Gregory Rabassa. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. A unique example.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 136198
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“The world is so full of people who have been put in boxes, who have been made to believe that they are less than they are": First edition set of the complete works of Margaret Atwood; each volume signed by Atwood and finely bound in full red levant morocco by the Harcourt Bindery
ATWOOD, Margaret.
The Complete Works of Margaret Atwood. [The Edible Woman, Surfacing, Lady Oracle, Life Before Man, Bodily Harm, The Handmaid’s Tale, Cat’s Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, MaddAddam, The Heart Goes Last, Hag-Seed, and The Testaments].
Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Limited/Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 1969-2019.
Complete true first edition set of the novels of Margaret Atwood, finely bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery. Octavo, 16 volumes bound in full red crushed levant morocco by the Harcourt Bindery with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in five compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt signature to the front panel of each volume, gilt scrolled inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Each volume is signed or inscribed by Margaret Atwood. In fine condition. Founded over a century ago in 1900, the…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 149507
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"For Mother & Dad with my Love": First edition of Arthur Miller's The Crucible; inscribed by him to his parents
MILLER, Arthur.
The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts.
New York: The Viking Press, 1953.
First edition of Miller's Tony Award-winning play, a bitter satire inspired by the heightened political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals during the McCarthy era. Octavo, original half cloth over patterned boards, top edge red. Association copy, inscribed by Arthur Miller on the front free endpaper to his mother and father, "To Mother & Dad With my love Arthur." Arthur Miller was the second of three children of Augusta (Barnett) and Isidore Miller. His father was born in Radomyśl Wielki, Galicia (then part of Austria-Hungary, now Poland), and his mother was a native of New York whose parents had immigrated…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 140347
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Rare Original Goldfinger Dust Jacket Design Printing Proof; signed by Dust Jacket Designer Richard Chopping and from his personal collection
CHOPPING, Richard. [Ian Fleming].
Goldfinger. [Original Richard Chopping Signed Printing Proof].
Rare original progressive color printing proof for the iconic dust jacket design of Ian Fleming's Goldfinger, designed by Richard Chopping. Chopping's copy, retained for his personal collection and signed by him in the lower right corner. One page on archival printer's paper, this is the magenta ink progressive plate proof (printed using one of four plates combined to create the final full color image). The seventh novel in Fleming's bond series, Goldfinger was the second book with a dust jacket designed by Richard Chopping, the first being From Russia, With Love. Chopping would design all subsequent James Bond dust jackets…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 124559
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"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?": Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland; inscribed by him
CARROLL, Lewis. [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson].
Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.
London: MacMillan and Co, 1879.
Early edition with sixty-second thousand stated on the title page of this classic work, boldly inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "Edith Mary Alice Berkeley from the Author, May 15/80." Octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine, all edges gilt, publisher's cloth s, all edges gilt, housed in a modern scarlet morocco slipcase and chemise. 7 1/8 x 4 1/2 inches (18 x 12 cm); 192 pp., [2] pp. ads, half-title; electrotyped frontispiece, and 42 illustrations from the woodcuts by Dalziel after John Tenniel. In near fine condition. From the library of actor William E. Self, with his book…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 142979
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First edition of Oscar Wilde: His Life and Confessions; From the collection of young Ernest Hemingway with his ownership inscriptions to each volume
HARRIS, Frank. [Ernest Hemingway].
Oscar Wilde: His Life and Confessions.
New York: Printed and Published by the Author, 1918.
First edition of Shaw's appreciation of Wilde. Octavo, original publisher's cloth. From the library of young Ernest Hemingway with his ownership name and address to the pastedown of each volume, "Ernest Hemingway Windemere Walloon Lake Michigan" and additional ownership name to volume one, "Hemingway." Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois, an affluent suburb just west of Chicago about which resident Frank Lloyd Wright said, "So many churches for so many good people to go to." He was the second child of Clarence Edmonds Hemingway, a physician, and Grace Hall Hemingway, a musician. Each summer the…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 141864
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“Solitude produces originality, bold & astonishing beauty, poetry": First Edition of Der Tod in Venedig; Inscribed by Thomas Mann to close friend and confidant Ernst Bertram
MANN, Thomas.
Der Tod in Venidig [Death in Venice].
Berlin: S. Fischer, Verlag, 1913.
First trade edition of one of the greatest novellas of the twentieth century. Octavo, original publisher's quarter vellum over marbled boards. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "An Ernst Bertram in herzlicher Wertschatzung Thomas Mann" (To Ernst Bertram in heartfelt appreciation Thomas Mann). One of the best possible association copies, as Bertram was Mann's closest friend from the late 1900s through the 1930s, when their politics separated them. Bertram was deeply influential on Mann's thinking and literary direction during the time when he was somewhat artistically lost and suffered his own writer's block. It was…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 98970
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“Dilemma of civilized man; body mobilized, but danger obscure": First Edition of Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle; Signed by Him
DICK, Philip K.
The Man in the High Castle.
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1962.
First edition of Philip K. Dick's Hugo Award-winning novel. Octavo, original cloth. Bodly signed by Philip K. Dick on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Jacket design by Robert Galster. Photograph by Arthur Knight. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 99635
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“I’ve just had the happiest day of my life": Royal Companion of Honour Appointment: Presented to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II and signed by her
HAYEK, Friedrich von [F.A.]. [Queen Elizabeth II].
Royal Companion of Honour Appointment: Presented to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II.
Original Royal Companion of Honour Appointment presented to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II. One page, with the Royal Companion of Honour Seal stamped in the upper right corner. Signed by Queen Elizabeth II at the head of the appointment, "Elizabeth R." In fine condition.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 100139
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Peter Force's 1833 printing of the Declaration of Independence, from William J. Stone's 1823 plate
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. [The Force Declaration of Independence].
Washington, D.C: Engraved by William J. Stone for Peter Force, [1833].
Rare engraved copy of Peter Force's 1833 printing of the Declaration of Independence, from William J. Stone's 1823 plate. One page, folio broadside. In 1823, with the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaching, Congress commissioned Stone to produce a high-quality, actual-size replica of the original engrossed Declaration. The signatures of the 56 delegates were to be carefully copied. Stone spent two years perfecting the plate and after he had printed the 200 copies ordered, his original engraved plate remained with the Department of State. A decade later, Peter Force (1790-1868), historian, publisher and mayor of Washington D.C., conceived…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 143242
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"BY FAR THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN ABOUT AMERICA”: RARE FIRST EDITIONS IN ENGLISH OF BOTH VOLUMES OF TOCQUEVILLE’S MASTERPIECE DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA; IN THE RARE ORIGINAL PUBLISHER'S CLOTH
TOCQUEVILLE, Alexis de. Translated by Henry Reeve.
Democracy in America.
New York: George Dearborn and J. & H.G. Langley, 1838 and 1840.
First edition in English, of Tocqueville’s magnum opus. Octavo, 2 volumes, original publisher's cloth. Without the blank leaf between the appendix and notes in volume one. Likely a review copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "Editor of the North American Review, with respects of Weeks Jordan & Co. Boston, Publisher." The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. It was founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others. It was published continuously until 1940, after which it was inactive until revived at Cornell College in Iowa under Robert Dana in 1964.…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 137299
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"Don't try to comprehend with your mind. Your minds are very limited. Use your intuition": A Wrinkle In Time; Signed by Madeleine L’Engle
L'ENGLE, Madeleine.
A Wrinkle In Time.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1962.
First edition of the author's Newbery award-winning novel. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by Madeleine L'Engle in a contemporary hand on the title page. Accompanied by an autograph black and white photograph of Madeleine L'Engle. Near fine in the rare original jacket without the Newbery sticker to the front panel, which is near fine, name to the half-title page, price-clipped. Jacket design by Ellen Raskin. An exceptional signed first edition.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 147616
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“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance": Signed Limited Edition of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband
WILDE, Oscar.
An Ideal Husband.
London: Leonard Smithers and Co, 1899.
First signed limited edition of Wilde's classic comedic stage play. Octavo, original lavender publisher's cloth with gilt titles to the spine and gilt flourishes to the spine and front panel. One of 100 large paper copies signed by Oscar Wilde, this is number 85. In near fine condition with a touch of toning. Housed in a custom half morocco slipcase. A superior example.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 96121
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"The first surgical work by an American and printed in North America": John Jones' Plain Concise Practical Remarks, on the Treatment of Wounds and Fractures
JONES, John.
Plain Concise Practical Remarks, on the Treatment of Wounds and Fractures.
Philadelphia: Robert Bell, 1776.
Exceptionally rare edition of the first surgical work by an American and printed in North America. Octavo, bound in nineteenth century three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, frontispiece. Jones' work was the accepted guide to surgical practice during the American Revolutionary War" G&M 2155; Austin 1843; Evans 15100 and 14814; Sabin 94063 and 36524. In near fine condition.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 91322
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Rare First Edition of Thomas Paine's Dissertations on Government, the Affairs of the Bank, and Paper-Money
PAINE, Thomas.
Dissertations on Government, the Affairs of the Bank, and Paper-Money.
Philadelphia: Printed by Charles Cist, 1786.
First edition of Paine's defense of the Bank of North America. Small octavo, bound in three quarters leather over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine. Rare.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 104062
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First Edition of Thomas Pynchon's Second Novel The Crying of Lot 49; Inscribed by Him
PYNCHON, Thomas.
The Crying of Lot 49.
Philadelphia and New York: J.B. Lippincott, 1966.
First edition of Pynchon's classic post-modern satire, which tells the wonderfully unusual story of Oedipa Maas. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Herb Yellin Good Luck Thomas Pynchon." Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light wear to the extremities. Jacket design by Milton Charles. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 7204
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Secretary of State William P. Rogers 'Pen that Ended the Vietnam War'
ROGERS, William P. [Richard Nixon].
Secretary of State William P. Rogers’ Pen Used to Sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement.
Paris: January 27, 1973.
The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, ending the Vietnam War, Paris, 27 January 1973. Sheaffer fountain pen with 14 karat gold tip, housed in an adjustable gold pen holder, wooden base, brass hardware including etched plaque. The plaque reads, "To the Association of the Bar of the City of New York / Pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to Sign the Viet-Nam Peace Agreements / Paris January 27, 1973." During his tenure as Secretary of State under President Nixon, William P. Rogers was involved in multiple matters…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 145329