Gifts
Looking for a unique and personal gift? A rare book is a gift they will treasure for a lifetime. There are few gifts that are as lasting and appreciated as a rare book. They hold within its pages not only historical and cultural significance, but often also a personal significance to the recipient. Whether it is a beloved childhood book that turned them on to the joys of reading or a favorite title they read in high school or college, people treasure these books like a close friend.
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Title Page of 'Quatrevingt-Treize'; Inscribed by Victor Hugo
HUGO, Victor.
Victor Hugo Inscribed Title Page.
Paris: 1874.
Framed title page of 'Quatrevingt-Treize (Ninety-Three),' inscribed by Victor Hugo. Title page of Hugo's 'Quatrevingt-Treize' inscribed by Victor Hugo, "M. Louis Leroy Victor Hugo." Double matted and framed with a black and white photograph of Victor Hugo. In near fine condition with a crease to the lower portion of the title page and some toning. The entire piece measures 16.25 inches by 11.25 inches.
Price: $1,750.00 Item Number: 145283
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The Phantom Tollbooth; Signed by Norton Juster
JUSTER, Norton and Jules Feiffer.
The Phantom Tollbooth.
New York: Random House, 1996.
Early printing of the 35th Anniversary edition of this classic work. Octavo, original half cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated by Jules Feiffer. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "For the Ahrens Family, Norton Juster." Fine in a near fine dust jacket. With an appreciation by Maurice Sendak.
Price: $350.00 Item Number: 145678
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William T. Sherman Autograph Letter Signed to Mary Audenried
SHERMAN, William T.
William T. Sherman Autograph Letter Signed.
St. Louis, Missouri: May 21, 1885.
Autograph letter signed by William T. Sherman to the widowed Mary Audenried, whom he is rumored to have had a decade-long affair with. In this personal letter, William T. Sherman advises Mary Audenried, the widow of his former aide-de-camp Joseph C. Audenried, on how to manage her underage daughter's restless behavior. He shares that his wife and daughter may be leaving town and mentions the name of a local hotel, possibly hinting at a rendezvous. One page, bifolium, large duodecimo, the letter reads in part, "It is of hard course that one so loving as you should be lonely but…
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 145302
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William M. Thackeray Autograph Letter Signed to Lady John Russell
THACKERAY, William M.
William M. Thackeray Autograph Letter Signed.
Autograph letter signed by William M. Thackeray to Lady John Russell, wife of the Prime Minister. One page, the letter reads, "I have an engagement contracted 3 weeks ago unfortunately, or I should have had the greatest pleasure in coming to Richmond on Friday." Matted and framed with two engravings, one of Thackeray and the other of Colonel Newcome (a character from Thackeray's 'The Newcomers'). In very good condition with toning to the letter and very light folds. The entire piece measures 17.5 inches by 10.25 inches. A charming presentation.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 145284
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First Edition of Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters; Signed by Rick Riordan
RIORDAN, Rick.
Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters.
London: Puffin Books, 2006.
First English edition of the second book in the beloved 'Percy Jackson' series. Octavo, original teal boards. Boldly signed by Rick Riordan on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Paul Young.
Price: $400.00 Item Number: 145278
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First Edition of Jefferson The Virginian; Inscribed Twice by Dumas Malone
MALONE, Dumas.
Jefferson the Virginian.
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1948.
First edition of the first volume in Malone's landmark work on Jefferson, from the library of Archibald Bolling Shepperson. Octavo, original navy cloth with gilt titles to the spine and Thomas Jefferson's seal in gilt to the front panel, frontispiece of The Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs and portraits. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Philippa and Shep, gratefully and affectionately, Dumas April 13, 1948," and again on the flyleaf after the title page, "For Philippa and Shep, gratefully and affectionately, Dumas Malone." The recipient, Archibald Bolling Shepperson was…
Price: $600.00 Item Number: 145266
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"Time is a gift, given to you, given to give you the time you need, the time you need to have the time of your life": First Edition of The Phantom Tollbooth; Signed by Norton Juster
JUSTER, Norton; Feiffer.
Phantom Tollbooth.
New York: Epstein & Carroll, 1961.
First edition of this modern classic. Octavo, original blue cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated by Jules Feiffer. Boldly signed by Norton Juster on the title page. Fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable in this condition and signed.
Price: $6,000.00 Item Number: 145819
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"To a dear colleague and esteemed scholar": FIRST EDITION OF ALBERT EINSTEINS "ONE AND ONLY INTELLECTUAL BIOGRAPHY"; inscribed by Paul Schilpp
EINSTEIN, Albert. Edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp.
Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist.
Evanston: The Library of Living Philosophers, Inc., 1949.
First edition of Einstein's singular autobiography. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Einstein by Yousuf Karsh. Presentation copy, inscribed by editor Paul Arthur Schilpp on the front free endpaper, "To a dear colleague and esteemed scholar with the best wishes of Paul A. Schilpp." Edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Uncommon signed and in this condition.
Price: $1,200.00 Item Number: 145894
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First Edition of Berenice Abbott's Changing New York; Inscribed by Her in the Year of Publication
ABBOTT, Berenice.
Changing New York.
New York: E.P. Dutton & Company, 1939.
First edition stated on copyright page; first issue with blue topstain of Abbott's landmark work on New York. Quarto, original cloth, illustrated with 97 halftone plates that display "the historical importance of the documentary mode… its power as a medium of personal expression" (Parr & Badger). Text by Elizabeth McCausland. Presentation copy, inscribed by the photographer in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "To Mrs. Susan Sherman With most cordial regards Berenice Abbott April 4, 1939." Some rubbing to the corners of the cloth, an excellent example in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing and wear. Scarce and desirable,…
Price: $6,800.00 Item Number: 57048
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First Edition of The Merry Men From the Library of Herbert John Gladstone; Signed by Robert Louis Stevenson
STEVENSON, Robert Louis.
The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables.
London: Chatto & Windus, 1887.
First edition of this collection of stories. Octavo, original blue cloth with gilt titles to the spine, decoratively stamped with florals and stars in black and silver to the front panel and spine, floral endpapers, thirty-two pages of publisher's advertisements dated September 1886. Signed by Robert Louis Stevenson on the title page. In very good condition with some rubbing to the extremities and a few closed tears to the top edge of the text block. Bookseller relief to the front free endpaper, ownership initial to the half title page, and bookplate to the front pastedown from the library of Herbert…
Price: $2,250.00 Item Number: 145264
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Finely Bound Set of Lewis and Clarke's History of The Expedition uniformly bound with four similar works of Americana including The Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin
LEWIS, Meriwether; William Clarke; Prepared for the press by Paul Allen; Revised and abridged by Archibald M'Vickar.
History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clarke.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1858.
Revised and abridged edition of “the definitive account of the most important exploration of the North American continent” (Wagner-Camp), a cornerstone in Americana. Octodecimo, two volumes uniformly bound with four similar works of Americana each in two volumes for a total of ten volumes, bound in three quarter calf over marbled boards with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, folding map of Lewis and Clark's track across the Western portion of North America to Vol. I. Uniformly bound with Indian Traits Being Sketches…
Price: $1,800.00 Item Number: 145258
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First Edition of Jonathan Schorr's Hard Lessons with Autographed Letter; FROM THE LIBRARY OF AMERICAN JOURNALIST WILLIAM SAFIRE
SCHORR, Jonathan [William Safire].
Hard Lessons: The Promise of an Inner City Charter School.
New York: Ballantine Books, 2002.
First edition of this journalistic analysis of charter school life from the library of American journalist William Safire. Octavo, original half cloth. Autographed letter to American journalist William Safire laid in. As thanks for his thoughtful announcement in the word column, the note reads in part, "I am touched by the effort and generosity that went into the plug you gave my book. I hope you know what an enormous difference it makes in the trajectory of the book's life. I'll not soon forget this kindness." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket photograph by Jonathan Schorr. Jacket…
Price: $125.00 Item Number: 145238
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"Listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life": First Edition of Mary Oliver's West Wind: Poems and Prose Poems
OLIVER, Mary.
West Wind: Poems and Prose Poems.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997.
First edition of this collection of moving poems. Octavo, original blue half cloth. Very good in a very good dust jacket. Closed tear to the rear pastedown with a small red mark to the top edge. Jacket design by Anne Chalmers.
Price: $50.00 Item Number: 145156
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S. K. Uyenishi's Text-Book of Ju-Jutsu As Practised in Japan; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
UYENISHI, S.K. [Raku]; Word Portrait of the author by Percy Longhurst.
The Text-Book of Ju-Jutsu As Practised in Japan: Being a Simple Treatise on the Japanese Method of Self-Defence.
London: Athletic Publications Ltd, c. 1940.
Later edition of this comprehensive wrestling text-book. Octavo, original green cloth with black lettering and decoration, illustrated with several black-and-white plates. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Uncommon in the original dust jacket.
Price: $300.00 Item Number: 145250
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"I'm drawn to characters who see the future, or think they do": First Edition of Avenue of Mysteries; Signed by John Irving
IRVING, John.
Avenue of Mysteries.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015.
First edition of the award-winning author's fourteenth title. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by John Irving on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Emily Pracher. Jacket photograph by Karina Juárez. Author photograph by Everett Irving.
Price: $125.00 Item Number: 145157
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First American Edition of One Hundred Years of Solitude
GARCIA MARQUEZ, Gabriel. Translated by Gregory Rabassa.
One Hundred Years of Solitude.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1970.
First American edition of the author's magnum opus. Octavo, original green cloth. Near fine in a very good first issue dust jacket with the exclamation point at the end of the first paragraph on the front flap of the jacket. Jacket design by Guy Fleming.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 145926
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35th Anniversary Edition of To Kill A Mockingbird; Signed by Legendary Actor Gregory Peck
LEE, Harper [Gregory Peck].
To Kill A Mockingbird.
New York: HarperCollins, 1995.
First edition, early printing of the 35th Anniversary edition of the author’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, basis for the classic film starring Gregory Peck. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed and dated by Academy-Award winning actor Gregory Peck on the dedication page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Suzanne Noli.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 145873
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Finely Bound Example of Hermann Oldenberg's Buddha
OLDENBERG, Hermann.
Buddha.
London: Arthur L. Humphreys, 1904.
Finely bound example of the German scholar of Indiology's influential study on Buddhism based on the Pali texts. Octavo, bound in three quarter crushed levant morocco by the Atelier Bindery for Charles Scribners Sons with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, top edge gilt, title page in red and black. In near fine condition. Rare.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 145240
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John Bunyan's Grace Abounding and The Pilgrim's Progress
BUNYAN, John; Edited with Introduction by Roger Sharrock.
Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners and The Pilgrim’s Progress from this World to that which is to come.
London: Oxford University Press, 1966.
Finely bound Oxford University Press printing of the author's famous allegory and spiritual autobiography. Octavo, bound in full polished calf by Bayntun with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt 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, all edges gilt, tissue-guarded frontispiece of John Bunyan from the pencil drawing by Robert White in the British Museum. Presentation stamp to the front free endpaper. In fine condition.
Price: $600.00 Item Number: 145239
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Harry Vardon's Progressive Golf
VARDON, Harry.
Progressive Golf.
London: Hutchinson & Company, 1920.
Third edition of this work by the legendary golfer. Octavo, original green cloth, illustrated with six folding plates containing a total of thirty action-shot photographs. Very good in a good dust jacket. Uncommon in the original jacket.
Price: $300.00 Item Number: 145235
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"Its just that Id rather die of drink than of thirst": First edition of Ian Fleming's Thunderball
FLEMING, Ian.
Thunderball.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1961.
First edition of the ninth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. Octavo, original black cloth. Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Jacket art by Richard Chopping. A very sharp example.
Price: $1,200.00 Item Number: 145620
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"Science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be, and outside of its domain value, elly judgments of all kinds remain necessary": First Edition of Albert Einsteins The Evolution of Physics
EINSTEIN, Albert & Infeld.
The Evolution of Physics: The Growth of Ideas from Early Concepts to Relativity and Quanta.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1938.
First edition of this classic work, which traces the development of ideas in physics. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a very good dust jacket, contemporary name to the half-title page. A bright example.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 145647
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"ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS": FIRST EDITION OF GEORGE ORWELLS MASTERPIECE ANIMAL FARM; in the rare original dust jacket
ORWELL, George.
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story.
London: Secker & Warburg, 1945.
First edition of Orwell's timeless allegorical novel— a scathing satire on a downtrodden society’s blind march towards totalitarianism - with "First Published May 1945" on the copyright page. Fenwick A.10a. Octavo, original publisher's green cloth. Very good in a very good dust jacket with the 6s price to front flap, "Searchlight Books—each 2s net" and the train engine printed in blue on verso. Bookplate.
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 142745
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First Edition of Anthony Powell's The Military Philosophers
POWELL, Anthony.
The Military Philosophers.
London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1968.
First edition of the ninth novel in the 'A Dance to the Music of Time' series. Octavo, original red cloth. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Light rubbing to the extremities of the cloth and jacket. Jacket design by Broom-Lynne. Housed in a custom half morroco and folding chemise clamshell box.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 145149
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First Edition of Anthony Powell's The Soldier's Art
POWELL, Anthony.
The Soldier’s Art.
London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1966.
First edition of the eighth novel in the 'A Dance to the Music of Time' series and second volume in the 'War' trilogy. Octavo, original red cloth. Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Light rubbing to the extremities of the cloth and jacket. Jacket design by Broom-Lynne. Housed in a custom half morroco and folding chemise slipcase.
Price: $650.00 Item Number: 145148
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First Edition of The Cider House Rules; Warmly inscribed by John Irving
IRVING, John.
The Cider House Rules.
New York: William Morrow , 1985.
First edition of Irving's sixth novel. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "For Rob with my appreciation John Irving." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, mark to the top edge. Jacket design by Honi Werner.
Price: $850.00 Item Number: 145774
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Signed Limited First Edition of A Prayer For Owen Meany; Signed by John Irving
IRVING, John.
A Prayer For Owen Meany.
Franklin Center, PA: The Franklin Library, 1989.
Signed limited first edition of the author's seventh novel and what many consider his finest. Octavo, bound in full morocco, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, front and rear panels, all edges gilt, frontispiece by Cary Henrie. Boldly signed by John Irving. In fine condition.
Price: $650.00 Item Number: 132114
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"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get": First edition of Tap Dancing To Work; Signed by Warren Buffett and Carol Loomis
BUFFETT, Warren E. & Collected and Expanded by Carol Loomis.
Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything.
New York: Portfolio / Penguin, 2013.
First edition of this collection of writings by and about Warren Buffett. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by both Warren Buffett and Carol Loomis on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Joseph Perez.
Price: $5,000.00 Item Number: 145816
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First Edition of The Party: A Guide to Adventurous Entertaining; Inscribed by Sally Quinn
QUINN, Sally.
The Party: A Guide to Adventurous Entertaining.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997.
First edition of this practical and witty guide to the party scene. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrations by Susan Davis. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed by the author on the flyleaf, "To Bill and Idelene, you don't need any guidance from me about being great hosts or great guests - you're the best! Much love Sally Q." Near fine in a fine price-clipped dust jacket. Jacket design by Jackie Seow. Author photograph by Sigrid Estrada.
Price: $50.00 Item Number: 145210
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First Edition of Gotham; Signed by Edwin G. Burrows
BURROWS, Edwin G. and Mike Wallace.
Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
First edition of this vast and varied epic of New York's past. Super octavo, original half cloth, illustrated with black-and-white images. Boldly signed by Edwin G. Burrows on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Kathleen M. Lynch. Jacket illustration hand-coloring by Cathy Saksa. Authors photograph by Bruce Davidson.
Price: $650.00 Item Number: 145185
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"No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear": First Edition of C.S. Lewis' A Grief Observed
LEWIS, C.S.
A Grief Observed.
London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1961.
First edition of this universal meditation on grief, published under the pseudonym N. W. Clerk. Octavo, original gray cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Uncommon in this condition.
Price: $600.00 Item Number: 145202
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"I think all those rules are boring. About what people can and can't wear. Surely everyone should be able to wear whatever they like": First Edition of David Walliams' The Boy in the Dress
WALLIAMS, David.
The Boy in the Dress.
London: HarperCollins Children's Books, 2008.
First edition of the award-winning sketch actor's first children's book. Octavo, original pictorial boards, illustrations by Quentin Blake. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
Price: $30.00 Item Number: 145190
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RARE HANDWRITTEN ETHIOPIAN COPTIC GE’EZ BIBLE ILLUMINATED WITH TWO FULL-PAGE MINIATURE PAINTINGS
Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible.
Ethiopia: C. 18th Century.
Rare illustrated Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible. Small octodecimo, original leather boards, parchment manuscript in black and red ink, with full-page hand-painted miniatures depicting Saint George slaying the dragon, the Madonna and child, Jesus and Mary, and Jesus preaching. Housed in the original leather chemise slipcase with twine carrying handle.
Price: $2,800.00 Item Number: 145189
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"Waves can't be the god of the sport ... It has to be getting out in it that counts": First Edition of You Should Have Been Here An Hour Ago; Inscribed by Phil Edwards
EDWARDS, Phil with Bob Ottum.
You Should Have Been Here an Hour Ago: The Stoked Side of Surfing or How to Hang Ten Through Life and Stay Happy.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1967.
First edition of this classic profile of 'the surfer's surfer.' Octavo, original sky blue cloth, illustrated with full-page photographs. Lengthily signed by the author opposite the copyright page: "You should have been here .... Phil Edwards." Very good in a very good dust jacket, with dampstaining to the book. Jacket photograph by Lynn Pelham-Rapho-Guillumette. Photograph of Bob Ottum by Jerry Cooke.
Price: $3,000.00 Item Number: 145184
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First Edition of Mortal Engines; Signed by Philip Reeve
REEVE, Philip.
Mortal Engines.
London: Scholastic Press, 2001.
First edition of the award-winning author's debut novel. Octavo, original red boards. Signed by Philip Reeve on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by David Frankland.
Price: $95.00 Item Number: 145188
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“Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets": First Edition of Arthur Miller's The Ride Down Mt. Morgan
MILLER, Arthur.
The Ride Down Mt. Morgan.
New York: Penguin Books, 1992.
First American edition of this incredibly entertaining play. Octavo, original black half cloth. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket photograph by Inge Morath.
Price: $25.00 Item Number: 145186
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"Don't be so sure, Kevin, my boy, don't be so sure": First Edition of Six Days of the Condor; Lengthily Inscribed by James Grady
GRADY, James.
Six Days of the Condor.
New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 1974.
First edition of the author's first thriller, basis for the classic film film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, and Max von Sydow. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed by the author on the title page with a quote from the novel, "For John, 'Don't be so sure, Kevin, my boy, don't be so sure.' Thank you! James Grady Feb. 2023." Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Jacket design by Bob Antler. Author photograph by S. Hodgson.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 145182
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Fine nineteenth century oil painting of a View of the Birthplace of George Washington
[CHAPMAN, John Gadsby; George Washington].
View of the Birthplace of George Washington.
Rare nineteenth century oil painting after John Gadsby Chapman (New York/Italy, 1808-1889) depicting the birthplace of President George Washington in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Oil on canvas, the painting depicts the inlet of the Potomac River which divides the site of the Washington family home at Pope's Creek Plantation in the foreground from the Maryland shore and farmyard visible in the distance. A stone marker in the extreme foreground reads: "Here on the 22 February AD 1732 Geo Washington was Born." Likely an early copy of the engraving after John Gadsby Chapman's painting of the same scene, now in the collection…
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 145244
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“Not only do we live among the stars, the stars live within us:" First Edition of Neil deGrasse Tyson's Death by Black Hole
TYSON, Neil deGrasse.
Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries.
New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2007.
First edition of this vibrant collection of essays from America's best-known astrophysicist. Octavo, original half cloth. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Keenan. Jacket photograph by NASA. Author photograph courtesy of Dan Deitch.
Price: $35.00 Item Number: 145179