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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"It’s just that I’d rather die of drink than of thirst": First edition of Ian Fleming's Thunderball; Inscribed by Fleming to OSS and CIA Agent Charles Jackson
Fleming, Ian.
Thunderball.
London: Jonathan Cape 1961.
First edition of the ninth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. Octavo, original black cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To C.D. Jackson who says nice things! from Ian Fleming.” The recipient Charles Douglas Jackson joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in 1943 and the following year he was appointed Deputy Chief at the Psychological Warfare Division at Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), and it was during this time Fleming, working for Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division, likely would have met Jackson. After the war, Jackson worked for Life Magazine, and at the time of Thunderball‘s publication, had become the magazine’s publisher. Several years after Jackson’s death in 1964 it was revealed that he had been a CIA agent since 1948. An exceptional association of two important figures in the British/American nexus of World War II and Cold War intelligence operatives given its fullest embodiment in the popular imagination through Fleming’s enduring spy avatar James Bond. Gilbert A9a (1.1). Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Jacket art by Richard Chopping.
Price: $30,000.00
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“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying": The Works of Oscar Wilde; One of 80 Sets Bound in Japanese Vellum
Wilde, Oscar.
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde.
London: Methuen & Co 1908.
First collected edition, one of 80 sets on Japanese vellum, the rarest and most desirable of Wilde’s works. Octavo, 14 volumes, bound in original vellum, gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel with the design by Charles Ricketts, top edge gilt. “The text is taken in most instances from the last editions issued under the superintendence of the author. In some cases the volumes contain additional matter which had not previously been reprinted, while some of the volumes contain matter here published for the first time” (Mason). In near fine condition. Rare and desirable, especially in this condition.
Price: $28,000.00
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“I AM NOT AFRAID OF STORMS, FOR I AM LEARNING HOW TO SAIL MY SHIP": FIRST EDITION, FIRST STATE 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 edition, first state of both volumes with all issue points, in the original green cloth. In near fine condition with light rubbing to the extremities. From the library of Virginia bibliophile and historian Christopher Clark Geest with his bookplate to the pastedown of each volume. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable in the original cloth, as most examples have been rebound.
Price: $25,000.00
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"Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it": First Edition of Anne of Green Gables in the Rare Brown Cloth
Montgomery, L.M.
Anne of Green Gables.
Boston: L.C. Page 1908.
First edition dated “April 1908” on the verso of title page. Octavo, original brown cloth, titles to the spine in gilt and front panel. Mounted pictorial label on front panel. Illustrations by M.A. and W.A.J. Claus. First edition copies are generally found in the more common green cloth bindings. (Peter Parley to Penrod, p. 124) In excellent near fine condition, showing some light wear to the extremities and front panel. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $22,000.00
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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
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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 leather clamshell box. First editions are of the utmost scarcity.
Price: $20,000.00
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Complete Set of First Editions of Isaac Leeser's Discourses on the Jewish Religion
Leeser, Isaac.
Discourses on the Jewish Religion.
Philadelphia: Sherman & Co 1866-68.
First editions of one of the ‘major builders of American Judaism’, Isaac Leeser’s Discourses on the Jewish Religion. Octavo, 10 volumes, bound in full leather, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands. In near fine condition. Complete sets are of the utmost rarity.
Price: $20,000.00
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“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye": Signed Limited Edition of Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince; One of 525 Numbered Copies
Saint-Exupery, Antoine De.
The Little Prince.
New York: Reynal and Hitchcock 1943.
Signed limited first edition, one of 525 signed numbered copies, this is number 66. Signed by Antoine De Saint-Exupery. Small quarto, original salmon cloth, illustrated. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very sharp example.
Price: $20,000.00
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"Indisputably the most influential book on investing ever written": First Edition of Graham & Dodd's Security Analysis; Signed by Warren Buffett
Graham, Benjamin & David L. Dodd.
Security Analysis: Principles and Technique.
New York: Whittlesey House/ McGraw Hill 1934.
First edition of this foundational work on value investing. Octavo, bound full morocco by Bayntun Bindery, gilt titles and ruling to the spine, raised bands, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, inner dentelles. Boldly signed by legendary investor Warren Buffett on the half-title page. Small stamp on the title page. Rare and desirable signed by Buffett, Graham and Dodd’s most famous adherent.
Price: $20,000.00
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“The timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness. And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream": Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet; lengthily inscribed by him
Gibran, Kahlil.
The Prophet.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf 1923.
First edition, early printing of the author’s masterpiece. Octavo, original cloth, with illustrations by the author. Association copy, lengthily inscribed by Kahlil Gibran on the title page, “This is for Elenor Fisch, who lives in the world of beautiful understanding. Kahlil Gibran, 1926.” From the library of D. Rajagopal with his library stamp to the front pastedown. Rajagopal was the lifelong friend and editor of Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, the leader of the Theosophy movement in the early 20th century, and one of its most famous figures. In his teachings, Krishnamurti stressed the necessity for a revolution of human consciousness, which could only occur with radical religious, political, and social change. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed and with noted provenance.
Price: $19,500.00
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"Where A Man Feels At Home, Outside Of Where He’s Born, Is Where He’s Meant To Go": First Edition Of Green Hills Of Africa; Inscribed By Hemingway
Hemingway, Ernest.
Green Hills of Africa.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1935.
First edition of Hemingway’s second work of nonfiction, an account of a month on safari he and his wife took in East Africa during December 1933. Octavo, original green cloth, decorations by Edward Shenton. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To Gweneth P. Beam wishing her plenty of luck Ernest Hemingway.” The recipient was a secretary at Scribners at the time of publication when Hemingway inscribed this copy to her. Some light fading to the cloth as usual in a bright near fine dust jacket with light rubbing. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very sharp example.
Price: $18,500.00
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“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye": Signed Limited Edition of Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince; One of 525 Numbered Copies
Saint-Exupery, Antoine De.
The Little Prince.
New York: Reynal and Hitchcock 1943.
Signed limited first edition, one of 525 signed numbered copies, this is number 236. Signed by Antoine De Saint-Exupery. Small quarto, original salmon cloth, illustrated. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $18,500.00
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"But man is not made for defeat," he said. "A man can be destroyed but not defeated": Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea; inscribed by him in the year he received the nobel prize in literature
Hemingway, Ernest.
The Old Man and the Sea.
New York: Charles Scribner's & Sons 1952.
First edition, early printing of Hemingway’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and one of his most famous works. Octavo, original blue cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by Ernest Hemingway on the half-title page in the year he received the Nobel Prize in Literature, “For Adele Ervin with sincere good wishes Ernest Hemingway Finca Vigía 1954.” Finca Vigía was Hemingway’s home in the San Francisco de Paula Ward in Havana, Cuba. He purchased the property in 1940 at the request of his third wife Martha Gellhorn who had become tired of the small room he was renting at the Hotel Ambos Mundos. It was at Finca Vigía that Hemingway wrote much of For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea in its entirety. Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example, most rare and desirable signed and inscribed.
Price: $18,000.00
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“I SWEAR BY MY LIFE AND MY LOVE OF IT THAT I WILL NEVER LIVE FOR THE SAKE OF ANOTHER MAN, NOR ASK ANOTHER MAN TO LIVE FOR MINE": FIRST EDITION OF AYN RAND'S ATLAS SHRUGGED; INSCRIBED BY HER TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO PUBLICATION
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 two months prior to the publication date, “To Ray and Betty Nelson (and to Ev Suffens) – – affectionately – Ayn Rand 8/22/57.” The recipient, Ray Nelson (who went by the on-air name ‘Ev Suffens’) was the host of the late night jazz radio program Midnight Jamboree on radio station WEVD. Rand’s assistant and close personal friend, Barbara Branden wrote of Rand, “…jazz had a kind of symbolic significance to Rand…Rand once said that what she would love more than anything is to never have to think about politics, because it wouldn’t be necessary. She loved what she saw as the frivolous in America, that this was a country where you didn’t have to be concerned whether you were going to to starve to death before tomorrow, or freeze to death, or to be put in prison, or sent to Siberia. You could be concerned with things like lipstick and silk stockings. And jazz.” An excellent example in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by George Salter. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional association copy.
Price: $17,500.00
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Rare first American edition, first printing, first state, of one of the Masterpieces of American literature, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Twain, Mark (Samuel L. Clemens).
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Hartford: American Publishing Company 1876.
First edition, first printing, first state (with “THE” on half title in 10-point rather than 14-point type) of one of the great masterpieces of American literature. Octavo, original blue cloth, peach endpapers, top edge gilt, illustrations in text by True Williams and others, printed on wove paper, with preliminary matter paginated [I]-XVI and front and rear triple flyleaves of laid paper. BAL 3369. Johnson, 27-30. MacDonnell, 39-40. MacBride, 40. In very good condition with some very light rubbing to the cloth. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A nice example of an important book.
Price: $17,500.00
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SIGNED LIMITED EDITION OF ALBERT EINSTEIN’S "ONE AND ONLY INTELLECTUAL BIOGRAPHY": SIGNED AND DATED BY HIM; IN THE ORIGINAL PUBLISHER'S CARDBOARD
Einstein, Albert.
Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist.
Evanston: Library of Living Philosophers 1949.
Signed limited first edition, one of 760 copies signed and dated “Albert Einstein ‘49.” Octavo, original brown cloth, top edge gilt, original slipcase. The book is in fine condition, the slipcase is in fine condition. Housed in the original publisher’s cardboard. An absolute pristine example, which has been stored in the original cardboard box since publication. Edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp. Frontispiece portrait of Einstein by Yousef Karsh. Rare and desirable in this condition.
Price: $16,000.00