Gifts - For Her

Nabokov, Vladimir; Introduction by Dmitri Nabokov

The Original of Laura (Dying is Fun): A Novel in Fragments.

New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2009.

First edition of Nabokov’s final and incomplete novel which he was in the process of writing at the time of his death in 1977. Octavo, original pictorial cloth. Signed by Dmitri Nabokov on the title page and additionally signed three times by the jacket designer Chip Kidd, on the title page, front panel and onContinue reading "The Original of Laura (Dying is Fun): A Novel in Fragments."

Holmes, Richard R. [Queen Victoria]

Queen Victoria.

London : Boussod, Valadon & Co, 1897.

First edition, limited issue of this finely illustrated account of the life and reign of Queen Victoria compiled and edited by the librarian to the Queen, Richard Holmes, to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee. Folio, bound in full crushed levant morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands,Continue reading "Queen Victoria."

Flaubert, Gustave

Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners.

Paris : Michel Lévy frères, 1857.

True first edition of the author’s masterpiece. Octavo, two volumes, bound in three quarters leather. In near fine condition. A very sharp example.

McGuffey, William

The Eclectic Fourth Reader: Containing Elegant Extracts in Prose and Poetry, From the Best American and English Writers. With Copious Rules for Reading, and Directions for Avoiding Common Errors.

Cincinnati : Published by Truman and Smith, 1838.

Finely bound sixth edition of the fourth McGuffey Reader. Octavo, bound in full contemporary mottled calf with gilt ruling to the spine, morocco spine label lettered in gilt. In very good condition.

Wilde, Oscar

Ave Imperatrix! A Dirge of Empire by Oscar Wilde.

Washington : Snohomish, 1902.

First edition of Wilde’s classic Hellenic poem. Octavo, original boards, illustrated with engravings and hand painted initials embellished in gilt, frontispiece by John Dennis Clancy. In very good condition.

Flaubert, Gustave

A Simple Heart.

Paris : Societe des Beaux Arts, n.d. [ca. 1895].

The limited Salon edition of Flaubert’s classic novella. Octavo, bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling with red morocco onlays to the spine in five compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt with others untrimmed, with tissue-guarded illustrations by Emile Adan. Limited to five hundredContinue reading "A Simple Heart."

Winfrey, Oprah

Oprah Presents Master Class: Every Life Has a Story, Every Story Has a Lesson.

Auckland, New Zealand : PQ Blackwell Limited/Los Angeles: Harpo, Inc., 2010.

First edition of the book companion to Oprah Winfrey’s Master Class series. Quarto, original cloth, illustrated with color photographs. From the collection of Bill Zwecker. A member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Zwecker was a longtime entertainment and celebrity journalist. A Chicago native and second-generation newspaper star (his late mother, Peg Zwecker, was theContinue reading "Oprah Presents Master Class: Every Life Has a Story, Every Story Has a Lesson."

Thomas, Dylan

The Map of Love: Verse and Prose.

London : J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd, 1939.

First edition, first issue of Thomas’s third book with “Dent” blind-stamped on spine. Octavo, original purple cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, with the frontispiece portrait of Thomas after the painting by Augustus John. Presenation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “Leo & John… From Dylan Thomas OxfordContinue reading "The Map of Love: Verse and Prose."

Andrews, Julie; Dick Van Dyke; Karen Dotrice; Glynis Johns; David Tomlinson [P.L. Travers]

Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins Original Cast Soundtrack Signed LP.

: Walt Disney Productions, 1964.

Rare original LP of the Mary Poppins: Original Cast Soundtrack, boldly signed by Julie Andrews on the front panel. In near fine condition.

Fisher, M.F.K

Here Let Us Feast: A Book of Banquets.

New York : The Viking Press, 1946.

First edition of Fisher’s classic fifth book. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “For Marian Allen de Ford Shipley from M.F.K. Fisher (her affectionate for Mary Frances) 1969.” The recipient, Marian Allen de Ford Shipley was a fellow writer and friend of the Fisher’s. Near fineContinue reading "Here Let Us Feast: A Book of Banquets."

Steinbeck, John

East of Eden.

New York : The Viking Press, 1952.

First edition, first issue of Steinbeck’s epic and moving story of a modern Cain and Abel. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. An exceptionally fresh example.

19th Century Victorian Era Blank Guest Book.

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Elaborately bound 19th century Victorian era guest book. Large folio, elaborately bound in full morocco with gilt titles to the spine and front panel reading “Liber Salutatorum [Book of Salutations] London 1848,” elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling and scrolling to the front and rear panels,Continue reading "19th Century Victorian Era Blank Guest Book."

Shakespeare, William

The Works of William Shakespeare.

Stratford-on-Avon : The Shakespeare Head Press, 1904.

The Shakespeare Head Press limited edition of the complete works of William Shakespeare. Octavo, ten volumes bound in full crushed levant morocco by Brentanos, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, allContinue reading "The Works of William Shakespeare."

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 laidContinue reading "To Kill A Mockingbird."

Cervantes, Miguel de

The History of the Valorous and Witty Knight Errant Don Quixote of the Mancha.

London : Macmillan and Co, 1908.

Finely bound English translation of Cervantes’ masterpiece. Octavo, three volumes, bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers. In fine condition. Translated by Thomas Shelton. A very attractive set.

Churchill, Sarah [Winston S. Churchill]

A Thread in the Tapestry.

London : Andre Deutsch, 1967.

First edition, early printing of the author’s deeply moving eulogy of her father, Sir Winston Churchill. Octavo, bound in three quarters morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe, gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers. In fine condition.

Mitchell, Margaret

Gone With the Wind.

New York : The Macmillan Company, 1936.

First edition of Margaret Mitchell’s masterpiece which remains one of the fastest selling novels in the history of American publishing, with 50,000 copies sold in a single day. Octavo, original cloth. First printing, with “Published May 1936” on the copyright page and no mention of other printings. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on theContinue reading "Gone With the Wind."

Dorr, Nell. [Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis]

Mother and Child.

New York : Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1954.

First edition of Nell Dorr’s personal and moving photobook. Octavo, original half cloth over pictorial boards, pictorial endpapers, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the dedication page, “To Jacqueline Kennedy who speaks to the world in the common language of Mother and child. Mine is just one of the grateful hearts. Nell Dorr.Continue reading "Mother and Child."

Kingdon Ward, Frank

The Romance of Plant Hunting.

London : Edward Arnold & Co, 1924.

First edition of Kingdon-Ward’s work on the love of flowers and plant hunting. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, illustrated. In good condition.

Morris, William. Introduction by Joseph Jacobs

Old French Romances Done into English.

New York : Charles Scribners' Sons, 1896.

First American edition of Morris’s fine translation of the great French Romances. Octavo, original cloth. In very good condition.

Freer, Martha Walker

The Life of Jeanne D’Albert Queen of Navarre.

London : Hurst and Blackett, Publishers, 1855.

First edition of Freer’s appreciation of Jeanne Baptiste d’Albert de Luynes. Octavo, bound in three quarters emerald green crushed levant morocco, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece portrait. In very good condition.

Robuchon, Joel with Catherine Michel

Ma Cuisine Pour Vous: Les Recettes Originales de Joel Robuchon.

Paris : Robert Laffont, 1986.

First edition of Robuchon’s classic cook book. Octavo, original pictorial boards, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with full-page color photographs by Corrinne Ryman and Pierre Cabannes. Lengthily inscribed by the chef/author on the half-title page. In near fine condition. Cover design by George Lemoine. Books signed by Robuchon are rare.

Freer, Martha Walker

The Married Life of Anne of Austria, Queen of France, Mother of Louis XIV, and Don Sebastian, King of Portugal [with] The Regency of Anne of Austria, Queen Regency of France, Mother of Louis XIV.

London : Tinsley Brothers, 1865-1866.

Finely bound set of Freer’s authoritative biography of Anne of Austria. Octavo, four volumes bound in three quarter morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, ribbons bound in, tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece portraits of Queen Anne. The Regency is a first edition;Continue reading "The Married Life of Anne of Austria, Queen of France, Mother of Louis XIV, and Don Sebastian, King of Portugal [with] The Regency of Anne of Austria, Queen Regency of France, Mother of Louis XIV."

Alexander, William

Picturesque Representations and the Dress and Manners of the Chinese. Illustrated with Fifty Coloured Engravings, with Descriptions.

London : Printed for James Goodwin, c. 1829.

Finely bound example of Alexander’s profusely illustrated work on t19th century China. Octavo, original full straight-grain morocco richly decorated in gilt, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, illustrated with fifty hand-colored engravings. In good condition. Rare.