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"The best of all monopoly profits is a quiet life" First Edition of John Hicks Classic Work Value and Capital; Signed by Him
HICKS, J.R. [John].
Value And Capital.
London: Oxford University Press, 1939.
First edition of the economist's groundbreaking work. Octavo, original black cloth with gilt titles to the spine. Signed by John R. Hicks on the front free endpaper. An excellent example in a very good dust jacket with some light rubbing and wear. Housed in a custom half clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 2935
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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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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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First Editions of Each of F. Scott Fitzgeralds Works; Finely Bound by The Harcourt Bindery
FITZGERALD, F. Scott.
The Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. This Side of Paradise, Flappers and Philosophers, Tales of the Jazz Age, The Beautiful and Damned, The Vegetable, The Great Gatsby, All the Sad Young Men, Taps at Reveille, Tender is the Night, The Last Tycoon.
New York: Charles Scribners, 1920-1941.
First edition, first printings of each of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s works. Octavo, 10 volumes, bound by full green morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, twin rule to turn ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. F. Scott Fitzgerald signature on the front panel of each volume. In fine condition. An exceptional set.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 139788
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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 LEngle
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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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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“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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"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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"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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"I am convinced that invisible & intelligent beings exist who say that they are the spirits of dead persons": rare collection of eight unsigned handwritten manuscripts by Arthur Conan Doyle; containing notes on seances and Spiritualism
CONAN DOYLE, Arthur.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Handwritten Manuscript Collection on Seances and Spiritualism.
c. 1920s.
Rare archive of eight unsigned handwritten manuscripts by Arthur Conan Doyle containing notes on seances and Spiritualism, totaling eleven pages on nine sheets, most undated but circa 1920s. Eleven pages on nine sheets, autograph manuscript ranging in size from 3.5 inches by 5 inches to 8.25 inches x 10.5 inches. For many of his later years, Doyle intensely pursued his interest in paranormal phenomena, and by the end of World War I he identified himself as a Spiritualist, believing in a spirit world and the ability to communicate with those beyond the grave. He established the specialized Psychic Bookshop in 1925, devoted entirely to the sale of spiritualistic and…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 146985
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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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First Edition of Atomic Energy for Military Purposes; Signed by J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, Norris E. Bradbury, the Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory and Henry D. Smyth
SMYTH, Henry DeWolf. [J. Robert Oppenheimer].
Atomic Energy for Military Purposes: The Official Report on the Development of the Atomic Bomb Under the Auspices of the United States Government, 1940-1945.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1945.
First edition of the full text of Smyth's official report on the development of the atomic bomb. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, Norris E. Bradbury, the Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Henry D. Smyth, the author. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery. Founded over a century ago in 1900, the Harcourt Bindery is the oldest and largest traditional bindery in America exclusively devoted to fine traditional leather bookbinding by hand. Rare and desirable.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 143097
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Rare First Edition of The Education of Henry Adams; One of only 40 Examples
ADAMS, Henry.
The Education of Henry Adams.
Washington: Privately Printed, 1907.
Rare first edition, one of only 40 copies printed of this classic work. The text of Education was not made commercially available until 1918, following the author's death, when it was published by Houghton Mifflin. In 1919 it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the Modern Library named it as the best non-fiction book published in English since 1900. BAL 32; Reese Narratives of Personal Experience 2 ("certainly one of the great American biographies"). In near fine condition. Housed in a custom clamshell box.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 140067
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"Dedicated to the millions of persons who are a part of the nonviolent revolution": First Edition, First Printing of The SCLC Story; signed by Martin Luther King, Jr. and containing one of the earliest appearances of his I Have a Dream Speech
KING, Jr. Martin Luther. Editor's note by Ed Clayton.
The SCLC Story in Words and Pictures.
Atlanta, Georgia: Southern Christian Leadership Conference, 1964.
First edition, first printing of The SCLC Story containing one of the first appearances in print of Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech. Quarto, original illustrated wrappers as issued, illustrated with photographs including a full-page photograph of King, photographs of the officers, executive board, regional, and secretarial staffs of the SCLC. Signed by Martin Luther King, Jr. on the front panel, "Best Wishes Martin Luther King." With a letter of provenance that relays that the magazine was signed at an event where King spoke in Atlanta in 1964 and that it may have been first obtained when…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 141073
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"AND FOR ALL I KNOW HE IS SITTING THERE STILL, UNDER HIS FAVORITE CORK TREE, SMELLING THE FLOWERS JUST QUIETLY" exceptionally rare FIRST EDITION, advance review copy OF THE STORY OF FERDINAND; signed by both Robert Lawson and Munro Leaf
LEAF, Munro; Illustrated by Robert Lawson.
The Story of Ferdinand.
New York: The Viking Press, 1936.
First edition, first printing, advance review copy of Munro Leaf’s beloved children’s classic, one of the most popular and enduring children's books ever published. Octavo, original half tan cloth, pictorial endpapers, illustrated by Robert Lawson. Signed by both the author and illustrator opposite the title page, "Robert Lawson" "and Munro Leaf." From the library of American publisher Charles C. Fleming with a memorandum on his Whittet Printing Co. letterhead to the front free endpaper, stamped "Received Sep 23 1936 C.C.F." indicating that the book was received in the month of publication which is stated on the copyright page. The first…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 147285
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First Edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Vegetable; Inscribed by Him to Legendary Actor and co-founder of Goldwyn Pictures Edgar Selwyn and in the rare original dust jacket
FITZGERALD, F. Scott.
The Vegetable: Or, From President To Postman.
New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1923.
First edition of what Fitzgerald called, "undoubtedly the best thing I have ever written." Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Dear Mr. Swelwynn (sic)- Here's the new version of the play. Sincerely F. Scott Fitzgerald." The recipient, prominent figure in American theatre and film in the first half of the 20th century. An actor, playwright, director and producer on Broadway, he founded a theatrical production company with his brother, Archibald Selwyn, and owned a number of Selwyn Theatres in the United States. He transferred his talents from the stage to motion pictures,…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 134567
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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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"OF EXCEPTIONAL RARITY": 1814 FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST HEBREW BIBLE PUBLISHED IN AMERICA; In Contemporary Binding
VAN DER HOOGHT, Everardo.
Biblia Hebraica, Secundum Ultimam Editionem Jos. Athiae, a Johanne Leusden, Denuo Recognitum, Recensita Variisque Notis Latinis Illustrata, ab Everardo Van Der Hooght. Editio Prima Americana, Sine Punctis Masorethicis.
Philadelphia: Printed by William Fry for Thomas Dobson, 1814.
Very rare first edition of the first Hebrew Bible published in America. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in full contemporary calf, including half-titles and front and rear blanks, as well as scarce publisher's notice in volume one (not found in all examples); Van der Hooght's four leaf Preface bound in at front of second volume, morocco spine labels. In very good condition. An exceptionally clean example, most rare and desirable in contemporary binding.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 147438
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First Edition of The Worst Journey in the World; Inscribed by the Author in Each Volume
CHERRY-GARRARD, Apsley.
The Worst Journey in the World.
London: Constable & Company, 1922.
First edition of this classic memoir of the 1910–1913 British Antarctic Expedition. Octavo, two volumes, original half white cloth, gray paper boards. Inscribed by Apsley Cherry-Garrard in each each volume. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. In near fine condition with light rubbing to the extremities. First editions signed and inscribed are of exceptional rarity.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 33035
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Scarce Original Photograph of a Lion on Safari; taken and signed by Ernest Hemingway
HEMINGWAY, Ernest.
Ernest Hemingway Original African Safari Photograph Signed.
Original glossy black and white photograph of a lion in the distance of the African savanna, taken by Ernest Hemingway and signed by him on the verso, "Copyright by Ernest Hemingway No. 5." In fine condition. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 15.5 inches by 18.1 inches. Exceptionally rare and desirable.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 145731
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"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, exhibit number one is what the seraphs, the misinformed, simple, noble-winged seraphs, envied. Look at this tangle of thorns": Vladimir Nabokov's masterpiece Lolita; signed by him with an original drawing of a butterfly
NABOKOV, Vladimir.
Lolita.
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1955.
First edition, early impression of Nabokov's lyrical masterwork. Octavo, original half cloth. Signed by Vladimir Nabokov on the half-title page with an additional drawing of a butterfly. An accomplished lepidopterist, Nabokov only included butterfly drawings in books presented to those especially important to him. Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Author photograph by Maclean Damcron. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 137049
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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
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"Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December; And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor": First appearance in print of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven; In the Rare Original Wrappers
POE, Edgar Allan.
The Raven. [In The American Review: A Whig Journal of Politics, Literature, Art and Science. No. II February, 1845.
New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1845.
First appearance in print of The Raven, one of the most famous and recognizable poems ever written, which Poe considered his finest poem, calling it “the greatest poem that was ever written.” Octavo, original wrappers. In keeping with the policy of The American Review which required that poems be published anonymously or with a pseudonym, the poem, which appears on page 143 is credited to 'Quarles.' In very good condition. Rare in the original wrappers.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 136274
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"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new": First edition of Out of My Later Years; Inscribed by Albert Einstein to his former lover Estella Katzenellenbogen
EINSTEIN, Albert [Estella Katzenellenbogen].
Out of My Later Years.
New York: Philosophical Library, 1950.
First edition of Einstein's collection of social science-related articles, addresses and speeches. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Einstein. Association copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "Estella mit herzlichen Grussen A. Einstein. 50." The recipient, Estella Katzenellenbogen was Einstein's former lover in the 1920s. The pair were often seen attending concerts together, and she was known to have visited Einstein at his summer housed in Caputh. She was best known as a major collector of East Asian art as well as German and French Impressionism and Expressionism. Although baptized as a Protestant,…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 147896
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"Long before the emergence of Hitler I made the cause of Zionism mine because through it I saw a means of correcting a flagrant wrong": Rare first edition of About Zionism; Signed and dated by Albert Einstein in the Year of Publication
EINSTEIN, Albert.
About Zionism: Speeches and Letters.
New York: The MacMillan Company, 1931.
First edition of this volume of Einstein's speeches and letters concerning his views on Zionism. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed and dated in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "Albert Einstein 1931." Near fine with light toning to the endpapers in the scarce original dust jacket which is in good condition with some wear. Translated and edited with an introduction by Leon Simon. Exceptionally rare signed.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 146050
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“I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen": Rare FIRST EDITIONS OF BOTH PARTS OF LITTLE WOMEN, IN ORIGINAL CLOTH
ALCOTT, Louisa May.
Little Women and Little Women, Part the Second.
Boston: Robert Brothers, 1868-69.
First editions of both volumes of Alcott's most coveted work. Octavo, two volumes in the original green cloth with gilt titles and decorations to the spine and front panel, each volume illustrated with four plates including frontispiece; those in the first part created by the author’s sister, May. Little Women is first issue with all points including Little Women priced at $1.25 in terminal advertisements. Little Women, Part Second is mixed state. Both volumes are in near fine condition with light rubbing to the extremities, contemporary inscription to volume one. Housed in a custom half morocco and chemise clamshell box.…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 147420
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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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Rare First Edition of Henry Hazlitts Classic Economics In One Lesson; Inscribed by Him to Fellow Journalist Benjamin Stolberg
HAZLITT, Henry.
Economics In One Lesson.
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1946.
First edition of the author’s seminal work. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author to fellow journalist and close friend on the front free endpaper, "To Ben Stolberg with warm regards Harry Hazlitt." Stolberg worked as editor of The Bookman, as well as a columnist for leading newspapers, such as the New York Times and the New York Herald Tribune. Both he and Hazlitt were contributors to The New York Times. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a few closed tears. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A nice association copy of a book…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 41012
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First Edition of this seminal Work Cybernetics; Inscribed by Norbert Weiner to Colleague Karl Wildes
WIENER, Norbert.
Cybernetics or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine.
New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1948.
First edition of "this seminal work...comparable in ultimate importance to...Galileo or Malthus or Rousseau or Mill" (Saturday Review). Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "From Norbert Wiener To Karl Wildes In honor of our long friendship." Wiener presented this copy to Wildes who was long associated with the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. First editions are rare signed, association copies exceedingly so.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 142984
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"You only live twice: Once when you're born And once when you look death in the face": First Edition of You Only Live Twice; Inscribed by Ian Fleming
FLEMING, Ian.
You Only Live Twice.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965.
First edition, first state with "First published 1964" on the copyright page of the last James Bond novel published in Fleming's lifetime and the eleventh in the series. Octavo, original black cloth. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For James You have my best wishes from Ian Fleming." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Richard Chopping. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Uncommon signed and inscribed as Fleming passed away in the year of publication.
Price: $24,000.00 Item Number: 19060
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“It’s a Snark! was the sound that first came to their ears, And seemed almost too good to be true": Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark; in the scarce original dust jacket, of which only a few are known to exist
CARROLL, Lewis. [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson].
The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1876.
First edition of Carroll's whimsical nonsense poem. Octavo, original publisher's decorated cloth, all edges gilt, with nine illustrations by Henry Holiday. Near fine in the scarce original dust jacket. The jacket is complete with the top third of the front panel bent behind, hence the different shade of color. Copies of the first edition of Hunting of the Snark in the dust jacket of the utmost scarcity, with no more than a handful of copies known.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 130492
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"The Bible Of Investing"; First Edition of Graham and Dodds Security Analysis
GRAHAM, Benjamin & David L. Dodd .
Security Analysis: Principles and Technique.
New York: Whittlesey House/ McGraw Hill Book Company, 1934.
First edition of Graham and Dodd's seminal work, considered the Bible of modern financial analysis. Octavo, original cloth. In near fine condition. A very sharp example.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 133112
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Rare First Latin Edition of Galileo Galilei's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems; the summation of his astronomical thought and the work which directly precipitated his 1663 trial
GALILEI, Galileo. Translated by Matthias Berneger.
Systema Cosmicum, Authore Galilaeo Galilaei… in quo Quatuor Dialogis, de Duobus Maximus Mundi Systematibus, Ptolemaico & Copernicano. [Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems].
Strassburg: Impensis Elzeviriorum, Typis Davidis Hautti, 1635.
First Latin edition of the Dialogo, the summation of Galileo's astronomical thought and the work which directly precipitated his 1663 trial and judgement for heresy. Preceded only by the first Italian edition, published in Florence in 1632. Quarto, bound in full red Jansenist morocco by Marius Michel with gilt titles and five raised bands to the spine, double gilt ruled turn-ins and elaborately gilt ruled and scrolled inner dentelles stamp-signed by Michel, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Additional engraved title page depicting a dialogue between Aristotle, Ptolemy and Copernicus, engraved portrait of Galileo by Jacob van der Heyden, errata leaf.…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 149168
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First Edition of All Quiet On The Western Front; Signed by Eric Maria Remarque
REMARQUE, Erich Maria.
All Quiet On The Western Front.
Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1929.
First American edition of this landmark novel of the 20th century. Octavo, original beige cloth. Signed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "1st June Eric Maria Remarque." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Paul Wenck. Translated by A.W. Wheen. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery. Signed and inscribed first editions are rare.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 136034
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Rare First Edition of the John Le Carres First Book; Signed by Him
LE CARRE, John.
Call For The Dead.
London: Victor Gollancz, 1961.
First edition of the author's first book, which introduced the world to the recurring protagonist, George Smiley. Octavo, original red cloth. Signed by John le Carre on the title page. Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket with light expert restoration. With a signed letter from le Carre's secretary stating that he will sign this first edition. A sharp example, uncommon signed.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 142398
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Rare First Edition of John Bunyan s The Holy War, made by Shaddai upon Diabolus
BUNYAN, John.
The Holy War, made by Shaddai upon Diabolus.
London : Printed for Dorman Newman and Benjamin Alsop, 1682.
Exceptionally rare first edition of this allegorical epic, which Macaulay said "if The Pilgrim's Progress had not been written, The Holy War would have been the greatest English allegory" (Cambridge History of English Literature). Octavo, engraved portrait frontispiece by R. White. In very good condition, final advertisement leaf present, sig.B damp-stained at lower outer corners, corner torn away from E6, small hole in G8 slightly affecting text, printing flaw on H3v affecting sidenote, short tear at head of R5, folding engraved plate, which has been skilfully remargined. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 148135
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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
GIBBON, Edward .
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
London: Printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, In The Strand, 1776-1788.
First edition, first state of Gibbon's "masterpiece of historical penetration and literary style" (PMM). Quarto, six volumes, bound in modern half calf over marbled boards by Bayntun-Riviere with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, all edges speckled red, engraved frontispiece portrait of Gibbon by John Hall after Sir Joshua Reynolds in Vol. II, three engraved folding maps, half-titles in vols. I-III and V, all 4 errata leaves (lacking half-titles in vols. IV and VI, vol. I with half-title. Strahan predicted the popularity of Gibbon's History and doubled the print run…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 145050
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"I have never advocated war except as a means of peace": Rare Henry Shrady Ulysses S. Grant Bronze Bust
GRANT, Ulysses S.] Henry Merwin Shrady.
Ulysses S. Grant Bronze Bust.
Original bronze bust of Ulysses S. Grant by Henry Shrady, the famed sculptor of the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial on the west front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Mounted on socle and base, the entire piece measures 18.5 inches in height, the base measures 9.5 inches square. In fine condition. An exceptional piece of Americana.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 102885
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THE FIRST JEWISH TRANSLATION OF THE PENTATEUCH INTO ENGLISH
LEESER, Isaac.
The Law of God.
Philadelphia: C. Sherman, 5605, 1845-46.
First edition of the “first English translation of the Pentateuch in America,” the 1845 Hebrew-English Bible by one of the most prominent and influential figures in American Jewish history. Octavo, 5 volumes. Translated by Isaac Leeser. Bound in contemporary polished calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, rebacked. Lightly rubbed, moderate wear. A very nice example of a scarce and important work.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 49020
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First Edition of William Percey's The Compleat Swimmer: Or, The Art of Swimming
PERCEY, William.
The Compleat Swimmer: Or, The Art of Swimming: Demonstrating The Rules and Practice thereof, in an Exact, Plain, and Easie Method. Necessary to be Known and Practiced by All Who Studie or Desire their own Preservation.
London: Printed by J. C. for Henry Fletcher, 1658.
First and only edition of one of the earliest treatises on swimming, preceded only by Sir Everard Digby's short Latin tract, published in 1589 and translated into English in 1595; and the Dutchman Nicholas Wynman's De arte natandi, 1538. 12mo, bound in full 19th century calf with gilt titles and tooling the spine, gilt ruling to the panels, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, engraved frontispiece. In very good condition. Exceptionally rare with only a handful of copies having appeared at auction in the past century.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 125337
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Exceptional association copy of The Great State; inscribed by H.G. Wells to fellow writer and mistress Rebecca West and with over 40 pages of ink drawings and doodles by him
WELLS, H.G.; Frances Evelyn Warwick; L.G. Chiozza Money; E. Ray Lankester; C.J. Bond; et al. [Rebecca West].
The Great State: Essays in Construction.
London and New York: Harper & Brothers, 1912.
Exceptional association copy of this compilation of political essays by H.G. Wells, Frances Evelyn Warwick and many others. Octavo, original cloth. Later printing. Association copy, inscribed by H.G. Wells on the front free endpaper, "Rebecca West from H.G. Wells 1913 There are some pictures inside (Personal & Confidential only to be shown to really safe people like Taylor)." Wells has added original drawings and doodles to over 40 pages of the book, mostly cartoons drawn on blanks, in margins, or in blank spaces before or after chapter headings, often expressing humorous and sometimes cheeky comments on nearby printed text, occasionally…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 147763
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"BUT HE NEVER KNEW THAT REALLY IT WAS HIS OWN BUNNY, COME BACK TO LOOK AT THE CHILD WHO HAD FIRST HELPED HIM TO BE REAL": FIRST EDITION OF MARGERY WILLIAMS' BELOVED CHILDREN'S CLASSIC THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
BIANCO, Margery Williams.
The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real.
London: Heinemann, 1922.
First edition, English issue (published simultaneously with the American issue) of this beloved children’s classic, “one of the first modern picture books, a perfect combination of story and pictures” (Mahony, 234), with seven beautiful color illustrations by William Nicholson. Quarto, original paper-covered pictorial boards and cloth spine, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with seven color illustrations (three double-page) by William Nicholson. In very good condition. Uncommon.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 138402
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Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins Signed Apollo 11 Lunar Module 'Eagle' Photograph
ARMSTRONG, Neil; Buzz Aldrin; Michael Collins.
Apollo 11 Lunar Module ‘Eagle’ Signed NASA Photograph.
Rare official NASA photograph of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module 'Eagle.' Oversized glossy color photograph of Lunar Module 'Eagle' soaring above the moon with the Earth visible in the background. Boldly signed on the mount in by all three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. From the personal collection of NASA employee John Peterson, who served in various capacities of media relations at NASA and the Manned Spacecraft Center from about 1961 to about 1973. He first served as the head of News and Media Relations and later as a special assistant to several of the chief astronauts,…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 147582
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Queen Elizabeth II Hand-Drawn and -Colored Christmas Card Signed to Her Governess, Marion Crawford
QUEEN ELIZABETH II,.
Queen Elizabeth II Hand-Drawn and -Colored Christmas Card
c. 1930.
Queen Elizabeth II hand-drawn and colored Christmas card signed to her governess, Marion Crawford. One page, folded, illustrated with a Christmas tree traced and colored with crayon and a golden horseshoe wrapped in holly, the card reads, "To Crawfie From Lilibet." Elizabeth was given the nickname, 'Lilibet,' which was used primarily by her immediate family members with the exception of her nanny and tutor, Marion Crawford. Crawford served the royal household from 1932 to 1947 but allegedly fell out of favor with the family after the release of her memoir, 'The Little Princess: The Story of the Queen's Childhood by…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 145365
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“THE PROBLEM WITH THE WORLD IS THAT EVERYONE IS A FEW DRINKS BEHIND”: FIRST EDITION OF ONE OF THE EARLIEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL DETECTIVE NOVELS EVER WRITTEN; DASHIELL HAMMETT'S THE MALTESE FALCON
HAMMETT, Dashiell.
The Maltese Falcon.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1930.
First edition, first printing of one of the earliest and most influential detective stories of all time. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a very good second state dust jacket with professional restoration. Housed in a custom clamshell box.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 139591
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“And all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees and changing leaves": First Edition of Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
WOOLF, Virginia.
To the Lighthouse.
London: Leonard & Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, 1927.
First edition of one of Woolf’s most popular and acclaimed major novels, in the extremely rare original dust jacket designed by Vanessa Bell, Woolf’s sister. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in the rare original dust jacket with light rubbing and wear to the crown of the spine. Jacket design by Vanessa Bell. From the library of Elizabeth Paepcke, with her signature in pencil to the front free endpaper. Paepcke, along with her husband Walter were philanthropists best noted for founding the Aspen Institute and the Aspen Skiing Company in the early 1950s, both of which helped transform the town of…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 116345
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"Every strike brings me closer to the next home run": Rare black and white Photograph signed by babe ruth
RUTH, Babe [George Herman].
George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth Signed Photograph.
c. 1930s.
Photograph of George Herman 'Babe' Ruth, boldly signed by him. Sepia-toned glossy photograph of George Herman 'Babe' Ruth. Signed by Babe Ruth near the bottom of the photograph. Matted and framed with a plaque describing Ruth's claim to fame which reads, "George Herman 'Babe' Ruth 1895-1948 'Babe' Ruth won fame as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. His record of 714 home runs stood for 39 years until Hank Aaron beat the record in 1974. In 1914, Ruth joined the Boston Red Sox and became a successful pitcher. In 1920, he was traded to the New York…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 145338
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First Edition of First on the Moon; Signed by the First Person to touch the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Charles Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan L. Bean
ARMSTRONG, Neil; Michael Collins; Edwin [Buzz] E. Aldrin.
First On The Moon: A Voyage With Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1970.
First edition of this work, signed by each of the Apollo XI and XII astronauts, which describes the events leading up to and during the Apollo 11 mission, the first manned landing on the Moon. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Signed by each astronaut of both Apollo XI and Apollo XII to two time Oscar winner Leslie Bricusse on the half-title page, "Best Wishes From Apollo II Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, To Leslie With best wishes from Apollo XII Charles Conrad, Dick Gordon, Alan L. Bean." The recipient, Leslie Bricusse was a composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 147910
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Rare first edition of the official account of Lord Macartney's voyage and embassy to the Qianlong emperor of 1792; with the rare folio atlas volume
STAUNTON, Sir George. [Sir George Macartney].
An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China; Including Cursory Observations Made, and Information Obtained, In Travelling Through That Ancient Empire, and a Small Part of Chinese Tartary.
London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. for G. Nicol, 1797.
Rare first edition of the official account of Lord Macartney's voyage and embassy to the Qianlong emperor in 1792-94, the failure of which led to the establishment of the British trading post at Hong Kong. Three volumes (two quarto volumes of text and one folio atlas volume of plates) bound by Clarke Preston in full diced calf with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers. Quarto volumes illustrated with engraved portrait frontispieces of Emperor Tchien Lung and the Earl of Macartney, one plate and 26 engraved tailpiece illustrations. The atlas volume contains 44 engraved plates, maps and charts, including one folding, and 7…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 149247
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First Edition of Damon Runyon's Guys and Dolls; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
RUNYON, Damon.
Guys and Dolls.
New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 1931.
First edition of this classic work, basis for the film starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra. Octavo, original cloth. A pre-publication example, with the date of August 20, 1931 stamped to the front free endpaper, very good in a very good dust jacket with some chips and wear. Introduction by Heywood Broun. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. First editions in the original dust jacket are scarce.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 98358
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"No one should be entirely judged by their past": Signed Limited Edition of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband
WILDE, Oscar.
An Ideal Husband.
London: Leonard Smithers and Co, 1899.
First edition, signed limited edition. Octavo, original lavender publisher's cloth. One of 100 large paper copies signed by Oscar Wilde. In very good condition with some light rubbing and darkening to the extremities. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 16085
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First Edition of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged; Inscribed by Her
RAND, Ayn.
Atlas Shrugged.
New York: Random House, 1957.
First edition of one of the most influential novels of the twentieth century. Large octavo, original green cloth, frontispiece stamped in gilt, spine stamped in black and gilt. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Lillian Davison- with my best wishes- Cordially, Ayn Rand December 19, 1960." Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelf wear. Jacket design by George Salter. Housed in a custom full morocco clamshell box with inlay to the front panel. A superior example.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 138060
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"For Francis, the first of us to think sensibly as to what the Central Dogma tells us about the origin of life, from Jim, upon the 35th anniversary of the Double Helix": First Edition of Evolution of Catalytic Function: Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology; inscribed by James D. Watson to Francis Crick
WATSON, James D. [Francis Crick].
Evolution of Catalytic Function: Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology.
Cold Spring, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1987.
First edition of the collected speeches of the 52nd Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology. Foreword by James D. Watson. Quarto, original red cloth, illustrated with photographs, diagrams. Association copy, inscribed by James Watson to Francis Crick on the front free endpaper, "For Francis, the first of us to think sensibly as to what the Central Dogma tells us about the origin of life, from Jim, upon the 35th anniversary of the Double Helix. April 10, 1988." Also signed by Francis Crick. A unique piece of history between arguably the two most influential scientists of the twentieth century, co-discoverers…
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 41053
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“I know who I am and who I may be, if I choose": Deluxe illustrated Ibarra Edition of Don Quixote
CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de .
El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha: Nueva Edicion, Corregida Por La Real Academia Española.
Madrid: Don Joaquin Ibarra, 1780.
The deluxe illustrated Ibarra edition of Cervantes' masterpiece. Quartos, 4 volumes. Bound in full 19th century green morocco with central motif and cornerpieces stamped in blind to the panels, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, elaborate double-ruled gilt borders, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, engraved frontispiece to each volume and 31 engraved plates throughout, 2-page folding engraved map of Don Quixote's travels to the rear of volume 1. Spanish printer Joaquín Ibarra made several important technical developments in press printing, book-making, typography and paper-making. In his printed work, Ibarra sought to achieve a perfect flow of harmonious type, inks, illustration,…
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 97654
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“Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought": First Edition of The Philosopher's Magnum Opus A Theory of Justice; Signed by John Rawls
RAWLS, John.
A Theory of Justice.
Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971.
First edition of the author’s masterpiece. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by John Rawls on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Books signed by Rawls are rare.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 148130
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First Editions of F.A. Hayek's Masterpiece Law, Legislation and Liberty; Each Volume Signed or Inscribed by Him
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.].
Law, Legislation and Liberty. A New Statement of the Liberal Principles of Justice and Political Economy.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973-1979.
First editions of the economist's magnum opus. Octavo, 3 volumes, original black cloth. Volume one is inscribed on the front free endpaper by F.A. Hayek to his colleague and legal scholar, Theo Mayer-Maly with his bookplate below. Mayer-Maly's work Rechtsgeschichte der Freiheitsidee in Antike und Mittelalter is cited in volume one of Law, Legislation and Liberty. Both volumes two and three are also signed by Hayek. Each volume is fine in near fine dust jackets. We have never seen or handled a complete set signed of this cornerstone work. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A fine association.…
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 22040
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"THE FINEST SCIENTIFIC TRAVEL BOOK EVER WRITTEN": Rare First Edition, First Issue of Alfred Russel Wallace's The Malay Archipelago, In Fine Condition
WALLACE, Alfred Russel.
The Malay Archipelago: The Land of the Orang-utan, and the Bird of Paradise. A Narrative of Travel, with Studies of Man and Nature.
London: Macmillan and Co, 1869.
First edition, first issue of one of the greatest travel narratives of the nineteenth century and one of the most important early contributions to the theory of evolution. Octavo, 2 volumes, original publisher's gilt-decorated green cloth with gilt central vignette of an orangutan to each front panel, tissue-guarded wood-engraved frontispiece to each volume, pictorial vignette to each title page, illustrated with six engraved plates, two lithographed folding maps tracing Wallace's journey, and numerous in-text maps and illustrations. In near fine condition, bookplates to the pastedown of Vol. I. and verso of the frontispiece of Vol. II. First editions are rare,…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 149354
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Rare first edition of N.H. Purple's A Compilation of the Statutes of the State of Illinois; from the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office Library with Herndon's ownership signature for the firm to both volumes
PURPLE, N. H. [Abraham Lincoln; William Herndon].
A Compilation of the Statutes of the State of Illinois, of a General Nature, In Force January 1, 1856. Collated with Reference to Decisions of the Supreme Court of Said State, and to Prior Laws Relating to the Same Subject Matter.
Chicago: Published by Keen & Lee, 1856.
First edition of Purple's Statutes from the law library of Abraham Lincoln and William Herndon. Large octavo, 2 volumes, bound in full contemporary calf with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt. With Herndon's ownership signature on behalf of the firm to the front pastedown of Vol. I, "A. Lincoln W. Herndon Lincoln & Herndon Springfield" and Vol. II, "Lincoln-Herndon." Additionally with what are likely Lincoln's scribbles to several pages including page 531 and 590-591. Lincoln was known to doodle in squiggly lines in his books and papers; in 2006 David Greenberg published Presidential Doodles: Two Centuries of Scribbles, entirely devoted…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 124498