Literature
Showing 21–40 of 3814 results
-
Browse by Category
- Browse All
- Americana
- Art and Architecture
- Autograph Letters Signed
- Biography and Autobiography
- Children's Books
- Economics and Finance
- Featured Rare Books
- Fine Bindings and Sets
- First Edition
- First Edition>Signed
- Food and Wine
- Framed Autographs and Historical Documents
- Geography
- Gifts
- Gifts - For Her
- Gifts - For Him
- Gifts - Graduation and Celebrations
- Gifts - Holidays
- History, Law, and Politics
- Literature
- Music
- New Arrivals
- Philosophy
- Photography
- Poetry
- Presidents and World Leaders
- Religion
- Science and Natural History
- Science Fiction and Mystery
- Signed
- Signed & Autographed Books
- Sports and Leisure
- Travel and Exploration
- Uncategorized
-
"All human wisdom is contained in these two words--"Wait and Hope": The Manney Copy of the First Edition in English of Dumas’ The Count of Monte-Cristo; In the Rare Original Cloth
DUMAS, Alexandre [Alexander].
The Count of Monte-Cristo.
London: London: Chapman and Hall, 1846.
First edition in English of the author’s masterpiece, published just one year after the original French edition and before the American first, the Manney copy. Octavo, 2 volumes, original publisher's terracotta cloth, decoratively blind-embossed, gilt titles to the spine. Twenty wood-engraved plates after Henry Valentin. In near fine condition with only light rubbing to the extremities and toning, with the bookplate of legendary collector Richard Manney. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell and chemise box. A superior example, scarce in the original cloth, with exceptional provenance.
Price: $82,000.00 Item Number: 129384
-
“The supreme question about a work of art is out of how deep a life does it spring”: First Edition of James Joyce's masterpiece Ulysses; number 276 of 750 Numbered Copies
JOYCE, James.
Ulysses.
Paris: Shakespeare and Company, 1922.
First edition of Joyce's masterpiece, one of 750 numbered copies printed on handmade paper from a total edition of 1000 copies, this is number number 276. Thick quarto, original blue and white wrappers. In near fine condition, square and tight with a touch of rubbing to the crown and foot of the spine. Housed in a custom slipcase. An exceptional example.
Price: $75,000.00 Item Number: 126933
-
"ALL 'CLASSES' FOR EXPERIENCE AND LEARNING – BUT I DO PREFER 'NON-LITERARY' PEOPLE LIKE WAITERS, TRUCKDRIVERS, GIRLS, CARPENTERS, CLAM DIGGERS, RAILROAD MEN, SEA MEN, OLD MILLIONAIRES, ALL THE 'CHARACTERS'”; SCARCE JACK KEROUAC AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED LETTER
KEROUAC, Jack.
Jack Kerouac Autographed Manuscript.
1964.
Jack Kerouac’s candid handwritten reply to a young man’s questions about being a “Beatnik,” his life philosophy, his thoughts on Montana, and more. Students in Robert Dodd’s ninth-grade class were given an assignment to contact their favorite writer with their own unique series of questions relating specifically to that writer. The young Dodd chose Jack Kerouac, and the author replied at length to his questionnaire, which includes queries about his classification as a “Beatnik” (his answer: “I never was a Beatnik – it was the newspapers and critics who tagged that label on me….”), life philosophy (“My philosophy is ‘No…
Price: $75,000.00 Item Number: 79098
-
"Taking the pledge will not make bad liquor good, but it will improve it": The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; inscribed by Mark Twain
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade).
New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1886.
Early printing of Twain's masterpiece, inscribed by Mark Twain. Octavo, bound in half buckram by Roycroft with paper labels to the spine, tissue-guarded frontispiece photogravure plate of Gerhardt's bust of Clemens, one hundred and seventy-four illustrations by E. W. Kemble. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "To Mr. Garth W. Cate: Taking the pledge will not make bad liquor good, but it will improve it. Truly Yours, Mark Twain, Nov. 25/06." With a lengthy letter of provenance dated October 14, 1964 and signed by the recipient which reads in part, "Dear Mr. Jacobs, If I had been younger…
Price: $75,000.00 Item Number: 123083
-
"To Barbara- for a very heroic achievement- with love- Ayn": Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead; Inscribed by Her to Barbara Branden
RAND, Ayn.
The Fountainhead.
Indianapolis and New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1943.
First edition, early printing of Rands’s breakthrough work and her first major literary success. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Barbara- for a very heroic achievement- with love- Ayn April 9,1956." Born in Winnipeg, Barbara Weidman met Nathaniel Branden because of their mutual interest in Ayn Rand's works. They became personal friends of Rand in 1950, and when they married in 1953, Rand and her husband, Frank O'Connor, served as the matron of honor and best man. She earned her M.A. in philosophy, and authored a thesis on free will, under the direction of Sidney Hook at…
Price: $75,000.00 Item Number: 138297
-
Rare Uncorrected Proof of the First edition of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird
LEE, Harper.
To Kill a Mockingbird.
Barnstable, MA: Crane’s Duplicating Service, for J.B. Lippincott Company,, 1960.
Rare uncorrected proof of the first edition of Lee's classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Octavo, original spiral-bound printed wrappers marked in type “uncorrected proof,” printed and typed label pasted on upper cover. In the over sixty years since publication only one other proof has surfaced and it was badly stained and read, much inferior to this example. In near fine condition. Originally published on July 11th, 1960, it has since been translated into 40 languages, and has sold more than 30 million copies. An exceptional example of this rarity, produced prior to it status as one of the greatest American novels…
Price: $75,000.00 Item Number: 123892
-
"To Una who will at last get to the end!": First edition of From Russia, With Love; inscribed by Ian Fleming to his real-life Miss Moneypenny
FLEMING, Ian.
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957.
First edition, first state of the fifth James Bond novel and what Fleming considered one of his best books and listed in Life magazine as one of US President John F. Kennedy's top ten favorite books. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles to the spine, gilt rose and gun emblem to the front panel. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Una who will at last get to the end! from Ian Fleming." The recipient, Una Trueblood, whose surname was later appropriated by Fleming for the character of Mary Trueblood in Dr. No. Una started…
Price: $75,000.00 Item Number: 133890
-
“Integrity is the ability to stand by an idea": First Edition of Ayn Rand's Magnum Opus The Fountainhead; Inscribed by Her
RAND, Ayn.
The Fountainhead.
Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1943.
First edition, first issue with first edition stated on the copyright page of the author's first major novel, as well as her first best-seller. Octavo, original red cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "To Gertrude Lynneberg- - with my best wishes for long years of happiness- Ayn Rand November 16, 1943." The recipient, Gertrude Lynneberg was the sister-in- law to Linda Lynneberg, also known as Aslaug Lynneberg, a lifelong friend of Rand. Near fine in a very good first issue dust jacket with some chips and wear. Housed in…
Price: $75,000.00 Item Number: 121447
-
"I want to be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren": The Lord of the Rings Trilogy; Inscribed by Him in Volume One and signed by him in Volumes Two and Three
TOLKIEN, J.R.R.
The Lord of The Rings Trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King.
London: George Allen and Unwin, 1967.
Second editions of the author's classic trilogy, signed by Tolkien in each volume. Octavo, 3 volumes, original cloth, folding maps. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "Signed for Ethel May with love J. R. R. Tolkien." Volumes two and three are signed by J.R.R. Tolkien on the half-title page. The recipient, Ethel Burchfield was the wife of Robert Burchfield, a lexicographer and scholar who was mentored by Tolkien. Burchfield studied at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was tutored by Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Burchfield would go on to develop a Tolkien-like fascination with linguistics and would become the editor of the Supplement…
Price: $75,000.00 Item Number: 134590
-
First Edition of H.G. Wells' The First Men in the Moon; In the Exceptionally Rare Dust Jacket
WELLS, H.G.
The First Men in the Moon.
London: George Newnes, Limited, 1901.
First edition, first issue binding of Wells’ classic work. Octavo, original cloth, 12 plates by Claude Shepperson. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Exceptionally rare in the original dust jacket, especially in this condition.
Price: $72,000.00 Item Number: 124595
-
“The object of the artist is the creation of the beautiful. What the beautiful is is another question": First Edition of James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; In the rare original dust jacket
JOYCE, James.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
New York: Huebsch, 1916.
First edition of Joyce’s classic stream-of-consciousness work, his first novel, in the exceptionally rare dust jacket. Octavo, original blue cloth with titles to the spine in gilt. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with small chips and wear to the extremities. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare especially in this condition, without any of the usual restoration usually encountered.
Price: $72,000.00 Item Number: 129144
-
Exceptionally rare first English edition of Mark Twain's The Gilded Age
TWAIN, Mark and Charles Dudley Warner. [Samuel L. Clemens].
The Gilded Age: A Novel.
London: George Routledge and Sons, 1874.
First English edition of the rarest of Mark Twain's works: the only novel he wrote with a collaborator and the book that gave the era its name in history. Octavo, three volumes, original publishers green cloth, gilt titles to the spine, illustrated. The only multi-volume work Clemens produced, except for the two-volume Tramp Abroad (London, 1880), the first English edition of The Gilded Age is the rarest of Mark Twain's major works and the most difficult to obtain. Its rarity is due largely to its format, three volume sets were quite expensive and were produced almost solely for circulating libraries…
Price: $65,000.00 Item Number: 133018
-
FIRST EDITION OF IAN FLEMING’S GOLDFINGER; INSCRIBED BY HIM TO HIS REAL LIFE MISS MONEYPENNY
FLEMING, Ian.
Goldfinger.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1959.
First edition of the seventh novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. Octavo, original black cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Una, who again wrote the whole thing! from Ian Fleming." The recipient, Una Trueblood, whose surname was later appropriated by Fleming for the character of Mary Trueblood in Dr. No. Una started working in 1948 at Kemsley Newspapers and The Sunday Times where she was soon appointed secretary to Ian Fleming, where he worked throughout the 1950s. She recalled that Fleming "always said he only wrote Casino Royale, the first Bond book,…
Price: $65,000.00 Item Number: 133728
-
"It is not down on any map; true places never are": Rare First Edition Of Herman Melville's Moby Dick
MELVILLE, Herman.
Moby Dick; Or, The Whale.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851.
First edition, first issue binding, with the circular Harper's device of Melville's masterpiece. Octavo, original purple-brown cloth (BAL's A grain), covers stamped in blind with the publisher's circular device at the center within a heavy blind rule frame, original orange-coated endpapers. In near fine condition with some of the usual light foxing and light shelfwear to the spine tips. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A completely unrestored example of this cornerstone. A superior example.
Price: $65,000.00 Item Number: 99735
-
"If you liked The Great Gatsby, for God's sake read this. Gatsby was a tour de force but this is a confession of faith": First Edition of Tender Is the Night; Inscribed by F. Scott Fitzgerald
FITZGERALD, F. Scott.
Tender Is The Night. A Romance. Decorations by Edward Shenton.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1934.
First edition of the work which Fitzgerald considered to be his finest. Octavo, original green cloth. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For the unknown, unmet parents of Clare (note: double underlined). Knowing her, I hope you will find something to like in this present. Best wishes, F. Scott Fitzgerald." A very good example with some wear to the crown and foot of the spine, extremities of the cloth in a very good unrestored first issue dust jacket that has some rubbing and wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell and chemise case.
Price: $62,000.00 Item Number: 3071
-
First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
WILSON, William [Bill W.].
Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism.
New York: Alcoholics Anonymous, 1939.
First edition of Bill Wilson’s classic work, one of the best-selling books of all time, having sold 30 million copies. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a fine dust jacket. This volume is also accompanied by a typed note signed, stating: "This book was given to me by my father Henry G. Parkhurst, Jr. who told me that it was given to him by his father, Henry G. Parkhurst, Sr." Hank Parkhurst, a successful businessman in the early part of the 20th century, is regarded as the first alcoholic to recover through following Bill Wilson. Housed in a custom half…
Price: $60,000.00 Item Number: 133900
-
“Nothing is so indecent that it cannot be said to another person if the proper words are used to convey it": Rare First Edition in English of Boccaccio's Decameron
BOCCACCIO, Giovanni.
The Decameron.
London: Isaac Jaggard, 1620.
First edition in English of Boccaccio's masterpiece, published by Jaggard published three years prior to his printing of the Shakespeare First Folio. Boccaccio's masterpiece. Folio, 2 volumes, bound in full morocco by Riviere, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, all edges gilt, errata leaf at end of volume one, B1 is a cancellans, woodcut titles each with 6 vignettes, 98 woodcut vignettes in text chiefly repeating the title vignettes, woodcut initials, head- and tail-pieces. In near fine condition. First editions are rare.
Price: $60,000.00 Item Number: 128726
-
“What does the brain matter compared with the heart?”: First Edition of Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
WOOLF, Virginia.
Mrs Dalloway.
London: Hogarth Press, 1925.
First edition of one of Woolf's best-known novels, one of only 2000 copies. Octavo, original orange cloth. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with some light wear to the extremities. From the library of Virginia bibliophile and historian Christopher Clark Geest with his bookplate to the pastedown. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example, scarce and desirable in the original dust jacket and in this condition.
Price: $56,000.00 Item Number: 99750
-
"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird"; First edition of To Kill A Mockingbird; Signed by Harper Lee and Truman Capote
LEE, Harper (Truman Capote).
To Kill a Mockingbird.
London: Heinemann, 1960.
First British edition of Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by both Harper Lee and Truman Capote on the front free endpaper. Truman Capote’s friendship with Harper Lee began in the summer of 1929 when the two became next door neighbors in Monroeville, Alabama; both were the age of five. They shared a love of reading and began collaborating when Lee was gifted a typewriter by her father as a child. Lee drew on their friendship as inspiration for the characters Lee and Scout in her masterpiece To Kill A Mockingbird; Capote based his tomboy character Idabel Thompkins…
Price: $55,000.00 Item Number: 138302
-
First Edition of Nathanael West's Miss Lonelyhearts; In the exceptionally rare Dust Jacket
WEST, Nathanael .
Miss Lonelyhearts.
New York: Liveright, 1933.
First edition, first issue of this humorous tale of alienation and advice in Depression era New York which was well-received, but the publisher went bankrupt almost immediately and bookshops were unable to source copies. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing and wear. Easily one of the nicest examples extant, with most examples in the original dust jacket well worn. The publisher, Liveright went bankrupt as the novel was being published, however, and the printer refused to release most of the copies. Despite favorable reviews, copies were unavailable to bookshops. In early June, Harcourt Brace took…
Price: $55,000.00 Item Number: 140436