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“THE MOST IMPORTANT SERIES OF AMERICAN POLITICAL DEBATES”: Exceedingly rare first edition, first issue of The Lincoln-Douglas Debates; inscribed by Abraham Lincoln to long-time political supporter and friend Martin S. Morris and accompanied by the table from the Morris household that Lincoln signed the book on
LINCOLN, Abraham .
Political Debates Between Hon. Abraham Lincoln and Hon. Stephen Douglas, In the Celebrated Campaign of 1858, in Illinois.
Columbus: Follett, Foster and Company, 1860.
First edition, first issue of the most famous debates in American history which cemented Lincoln as a national presidential candidate; inscribed by Lincoln in pencil to close friend Martin S. Morris and accompanied by the table from the Morris household that Lincoln signed the book on. Octavo, original cloth stamped in blind. First issue, with no advertisements, no rule above the publisher’s imprint on the copyright page, and with numeral 2 at the bottom of page 17. Association copy, inscribed by Abraham Lincoln in pencil on the front free endpaper, "M. S. Morris Esq A. Lincoln." The recipient, Martin S.…
Price: $550,000.00 Item Number: 138634
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Exceptionally rare first edition, presentation copy of Benjamin Franklin's Experiments and Observations on Electricity; inscribed by him to Prominent Philadelphia Merchant, Colleague, and friend Thomas Livezey
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Experiments and Observations on Electricity, Made at Philadelphia in America, by Benjamin Franklin, L.L.D. and F.R.S. To which are added, Letters and Papers on Philosophical Subjects. The Whole corrected, methodized, improved, and now first collected into one Volume, and Illustrated with Copper Plates.
London: Printed for David Henry; and sold by Francis Newbery, at the Corner of St. Paul's Church-Yard, 1769.
First complete edition of "the most important scientific book of eighteenth-century America" (PMM), inscribed by Benjamin Franklin to prominent Pennsylvania Quaker and merchant Thomas Livezey, Jr. Quarto, bound in full contemporary calf with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt turn-ins. Illustrated with 7 copper-engraved plates, 2 of which are folding. Presentation copy, inscribed by Benjamin Franklin on the front free endpaper, “To Mr. Livesy [sic] From his obliged Friend & humble Servant The Author.” With Thomas Livezey's ownership signature to the second free endpaper, "Thomas Livezey…
Price: $475,000.00 Item Number: 147283
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Exceedingly rare first edition, first issue presentation copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit; inscribed by Tolkien to the Livesleys who ran the summer guest cottage in the village of Sidmouth which inspired 'The Shire' and where Tolkien did much of his writing
TOLKIEN, J.R.R.
The Hobbit.
London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1937.
First edition, first issue of Tolkien's classic tale, "among the very highest achievements of children’s authors during the 20th century” (Carpenter & Pritchard, 530), one of only a handful of presentation copies reserved for Tolkien to give to family members, colleagues and close friends. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers, frontispiece and 9 full-page uncolored illustrations after drawings by Tolkien. Presentation copy, inscribed by Tolkien on the flyleaf, "Mr. & Mrs. Livesley & Edgar with best wishes from J.R.R. Tolkien." The recipients, the Livesleys and their son Edgar, ran the Kennaway House, a Regency town house in the village of Sidmouth,…
Price: $475,000.00 Item Number: 135801
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“Man selects only for his own good: Nature only for that of the being which she tends": First Edition of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species
DARWIN, Charles.
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.
London: John Murray, 1859.
First edition of "certainly the most important biological book ever written" (Freeman), one of 1250 copies. Octavo, bound in original cloth, half-title, one folding lithographed diagram, without advertisements. In very good condition with cracks to inner hinges and a touch of shelfwear. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A fine example of this landmark work.
Price: $400,000.00 Item Number: 116380
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“A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment": Rare First Edition of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
AUSTEN, Jane.
Pride and Prejudice.
London: Printed for T. Egerton, 1813.
First editions of all three volumes of Jane Austen's second novel and most popular. Octavo, three volumes, bound in contemporary three quarter calf over marbled boards with gilt titles to the spine. In very good condition. Armorial bookplates to each pastedown. Period gift inscription from the year of publication to the title page of Vol. I.: "Mary Anne King given her by her mother April 1813." An exceptional example of this landmark work in English literature, rare and desirable bound in contemporary calf.
Price: $175,000.00 Item Number: 133221
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“YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE: ONCE WHEN YOU ARE BORN AND ONCE WHEN YOU LOOK DEATH IN THE FACE”: COMPLETE SET OF IAN FLEMING'S JAMES BOND NOVELS; IN THE RARE ORIGINAL DUST JACKETS
FLEMING, Ian.
Complete Set of 14 First Edition James Bond Novels: Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds are Forever, From Russia with Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger, For Your Eyes Only (short stories including A View to a Kill and Quantum of Solace), Thunderball, The Spy Who loved Me, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, You Only Live Twice, The Man with the Golden Gun, Octopussy and The Living Daylights.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1953-66.
First editions of each volume in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. Octavo, 14 volumes, original cloth. Each volume is fine in near fine to fine first-issue dust jackets. Each volume is housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional collection of first editions, most rare in this condition.
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 132739
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"SO WE BEAT ON, BOATS AGAINST THE CURRENT, BORNE BACK CEASELESSLY INTO THE PAST": FIRST EDITION OF THE GREAT GATSBY; IN THE SCARCE ORIGINAL FIRST ISSUE DUST JACKET
FITZGERALD, F. Scott.
The Great Gatsby.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925.
First edition, first printing of Fitzgerald's masterpiece with "chatter" on p. 60, line 16; "northern" on p. 119, line 22; "it’s" on p. 165, line 16; "away" on p. 165, line 29; "sick in tired" on p. 205, lines 9-10; and "Union Street station" on p. 211, lines 7-8. Octavo, original dark green cloth with gilt titles to the spine. Near fine in a very good first issue dust jacket, with the lowercase "j" in "jay Gatsby" on the back panel, hand-corrected in ink. The dust jacket has had expert restoration, which appears to be trimmed. Jacket art by Francis…
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 141091
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From the library of Charles Darwin: First edition of Herbert Spencer's The Study of Sociology; with a presentation inscription from Spencer to Darwin
SPENCER, Herbert.
The Study of Sociology.
London: Henry S. King & Co, 1873.
First edition, association copy of famed English philosopher Herbert Spencer's classic work on the evolution of society; presented and inscribed by him to Charles Darwin. Octavo, original publisher's cloth with gilt titles to the spine, dark green endpapers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "Charles Darwin with the Author's kind regards." English philosopher, biologist, sociologist, and anthropologist Herbert Spencer invented the expression "survival of the fittest" which he coined in his Principles of Biology (1864) after reading Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859). A description of the mechanism of natural selection, in Principles of…
Price: $110,000.00 Item Number: 141586
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The Catcher In The Rye; Inscribed and dated by J.D. Salinger in the Year of Publication
SALINGER, J.D.
The Catcher In The Rye.
Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1951.
Early printing, printed in the year of publication of the author's classic novel. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "December 24, 1951 To Elizabeth Fueller- with best wishes J.D. Salinger." Salinger's signature is scarce and signed examples of The Catcher in the Rye are rare. Very good in a very good supplied dust jacket. Jacket design by Michael Mitchell. Photograph of Salinger by Lotte Jacobi. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Exceptionally scarce, most rare and desirable inscribed and in the year of…
Price: $98,000.00 Item Number: 140488
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"Undoubtedly the most influential of all English language versions of the Bible": THE GREAT KING JAMES "SHE" BIBLE
[BIBLE],.
[The King James “She” Bible]. The Holy Bible: Conteyning the Old Testament, and the New: Newly translated out of the Originall Tongues: and with the former Translations diligently compared and reuised by his Maiesties speciall Comandement. Appointed to be Read in Churches.
London: Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings Most Excellent Majestie, 1611.
Rare first edition, second issue of the King James Bible with the erroneous phrase found in the first issue “and he went into the citie” in Ruth 3:15 corrected to “…she went…” Folio, bound in full early calf with gilt ruling and stamping to the spine, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, lacking the title page to The Old Testament, The New Testament title page with elaborate historiated woodcut border dated 1611 with the words "Appointed to be read in churches" and "Cum priuilegio" at the foot, woodcut initials & headpieces, with the opening calendar printed in red…
Price: $95,000.00 Item Number: 139786
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Elaborately bound collection of Presidential autographs; containing the autograph of each of the first 34 Presidents of the United States from George Washington to Dwight D. Eisenhower
WASHINGTON, George; John Adams; Thomas Jefferson; James Madison; James Monroe; John Quincy Adams; Andrew Jackson; Martin Van Buren; William Henry Harrison; John Tyler; James Polk; Zachary Taylor; Millard Fillmore; Franklin Pierce; James Buchanan; Abraham Lincoln; Andrew Johnson; Ulysses S. Grant; Rutherford B. Hayes; James Garfield; Chester A. Arthur; Grover Cleveland; William McKinley; Theodore Roosevelt; William H. Taft; Woodrow Wilson; Warren G. Harding; Calvin Coolidge; Herbert Hoover; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Harry Truman; Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Autographs of the Presidents of the United States of America.
1783-1956.
Elaborately bound collection of Presidential autographs, containing the autograph of each of the first 34 Presidents of the United States from George Washington to Dwight D. Eisenhower. Quarto, bound in full red morocco by Riviere & Son with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt presidential seal to the front panel with white and blue morocco onlays, gilt arms and motto of George Washington to the rear panel with white and blue morocco onlays and his gilt signature in facsimile, centerpieces within quintuple gilt ruling with star emblems at each corner, blue…
Price: $80,000.00 Item Number: 125384
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"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
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First Edition of Atomic Energy for Military Purposes; signed by top Manhattan Project scientists Enrico Fermi, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Samuel K. Allison, George B. Kistiakowsky, Kenneth T. Bainbridge, and William S. "Deak" Parsons
SMYTH, Henry DeWolf. [J. Robert Oppenheimer; Enrico Fermi].
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 by the U.S. Government. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by top Manhattan Project scientists on the front free endpaper, Enrico Fermi, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Samuel K. Allison, George B. Kistiakowsky, Kenneth T. Bainbridge, and William S. "Deak" Parsons. From the library of Manhattan Project colleague and missiles expert Laurence Cherry. Theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was the wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory and is among those who are credited with being the "father of the atomic bomb" for their role…
Price: $60,000.00 Item Number: 143078
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“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
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"I want to be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren": Rare First Editions, First Printings of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
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, 1954-55.
First editions, first states of each title comprising the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Octavo, 3 volumes, original red cloth, folding map in the rear of each volume. Near fine in excellent dust jackets with light rubbing and wear. An exceptional set.
Price: $55,000.00 Item Number: 136748
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Theodor Herzl's Altneuland; inscribed by him to fellow prominent Zionist Heinrich Elchanan York-Steiner
HERZL, Theodor.
Altneuland. [Old-New Land].
Leipzig: Hermann Seemann Nachfolger, 1902.
Third edition of Herzl's classic Zionist novel envisioning the future Jewish state as a socialist utopia. Octavo, recased with the original publisher's illustrated front wrapper laid down. Association copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the title page, "Dem Zionisten Heinrich Steiner 11 X 1902 Th. Herzl." The recipient, Hungarian author and publisher Heinrich Elchanan York-Steiner was a prominent Zionist. He participated in all phases of early Zionist activity and was instrumental in convening the First Zionist Congress as well as conceptualizing and organizing the publication of Die Welt, the newspaper that became the official organ…
Price: $55,000.00 Item Number: 143520
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“Give me liberty, or give me death": Scarce 1776 separate edition of Large Additions to Common Sense
PAINE, Thomas.
Large Additions to Common Sense; Addressed to the Inhabitants of America.
Philadelphia: Printed and sold, by R. Bell in Third-Street, 1776.
Scarce 1776 separate edition of the Large Additions to Common Sense. The title reads in full: Large Additions To Common Sense: Addressed To The Inhabitants Of America On The Following Interesting Subjects. I. The American Patriot’s Prayer. II. American Independancy, defended by Candidus. III. The Propriety of Independancy, by Demophilus The dread of Tyrants, and the sole resource Of those that under grim Oppression groan. Thomson. IV. A Review of the American Contest with some Strictures on the King’s Speech. Addressed to All Parents in the Thirteen United Colonies by a Friend To Posterity And Mankind. V. Letter to Lord…
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 106523
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"Great men are not born great, they grow great": FIRST EDITION OF THE GODFATHER; SIGNED BY MARIO PUZO AND MARLON BRANDO
PUZO, Mario [Marlon Brando].
The Godfather.
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969.
First edition of Puzo's definitive novel of the Mafia underworld, signed by him and legendary Academy Award-winning actor Marlon Brando. Octavo, original half black cloth. Boldly signed by both Mario Puzo and Marlon Brando on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket art by S. Neil Fujita. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. We have never seen another first edition signed by Brando and Puzo.
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 136975
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“When you get an idea into your head you find it in everything": Rare First Edition of Victor Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris; One of only 1100 examples
HUGO, Victor.
Notre-Dame de Paris.
Paris: Charles Gosselin, 1831.
First edition, first printing of Hugo's masterpiece, one of only 1,100 examples. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in half calf. The publisher Charles Gosselin published the novel on 16 March 1831 in an edition of 1,100 copies as was his usual practice. It was such a sensation that an additional three printings had to be published the same year. The first impression of 1100 copies was separated into four groups, each bearing a fictitious edition statement on the title-page, a scheme designed to make the public believe that the novel was selling rapidly. "This first edition is the rarest of all…
Price: $48,000.00 Item Number: 139559
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Rare first edition, first impression of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations; bound in full royal blue crushed levant morocco by Bayntun Bindery
DICKENS, Charles.
Great Expectations.
London: Chapman and Hall, 1861.
First edition, first printing of Dickens' rarest novel. Octavo, three volumes bound in full royal blue crushed levant morocco by Bayntun Bindery with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and wide gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by Bayntun, all edges gilt. This copy agrees in all points with Margaret Caldwell's analysis of the differing impressions in the Clarendon edition of Great Expectations. The third volume contains the numeral "3" in the pagination on p. 103, and the initial "i" in "inflexible" on p. 193,…
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 142357
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Complete Set of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Deluxe Editions; Each Signed by Her
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter Series Complete Deluxe Set. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows.
London: Bloomsbury, 1997-2007.
First editions of the deluxe edition of each book in Rowling's Harry Potter series. Octavo, 7 volumes, original decorative cloth as issued. Each volume is signed by J.K. Rowling and were collected in person by the previous owner. The Prisoner of Azkaban is inscribed. In fine condition. No dust jackets were issued for these volumes. Scarce and desirable.
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 81035
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"In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer": First American Edition of Albert Camus’ Classic Novel The Stranger; Inscribed by Him to fellow novelist Vincent Sheean
CAMUS, Albert.
The Stranger.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1946.
First American edition of Camus' first novel and masterpiece. Octavo, original beige cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "A Vincent Sheean pour le remercier de savoir si bien parler de Stendhal Sympathiquement Albert Camus." The recipient, Vincent Sheean was an American journalist and novelist. Sheean's most famous work was Personal History, which won one of the inaugural National Book Awards: the Most Distinguished Biography of 1935. Film producer Walter Wanger acquired the political memoir and made it the basis for his 1940 film production Foreign Correspondent, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Sheean wrote the narration for…
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 97850
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"There are cases in which the greatest daring is the greatest wisdom": FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH OF ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT TREATISE ON POLITICAL-MILITARY ANALYSIS AND STRATEGY EVER WRITTEN; CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ'S ON WAR
VON CLAUSEWITZ, Carl Philipp Gottfried.
On War.
London: N. Trubner & Co., 1873.
First edition in English of arguably the most important treatise on political-military analysis and strategy ever written. Small quarto, three volumes complete in one, original cloth, frontispiece portrait of Clausewitz. Translated by Colonel J. J. Graham from the third German edition. In near fine condition. From the library of Lt. Colonel Walter Pipon Braithwaite with his bookplate and ownership signature. General Sir Walter Pipon Braithwaite was a British Army officer who held senior commands during the First World War. After being dismissed from his position as Chief of Staff for the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, he received some acclaim as a…
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 127055
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“HILARIOUS, CHILLING, SEXY, PROFOUND, MANIACAL, BEAUTIFUL AND OUTRAGEOUS” (THOMAS PYNCHON): FIRST EDITION OF RICHARD FARINA’S FIRST NOVEL; inscribed by him to close friend Richard Gillespie only days prior to Farina's tragic death
FARINA, Richard.
Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me.
New York: Random House, 1966.
First edition of the author and songwriter’s first novel, warmly praised by his friend Thomas Pynchon; the only novel published in Fariña’s lifetime, as he tragically died in a motorcycle accident two days after its publication. Octavo, original half green cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "G - Recognize any of these events. We had fun. Dick." The likely recipient, Richard Gillespie, was a close personal friend and colleague of both Richard Fariña and Thomas Pynchon at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The three shared the same residence and Gillespie and Pynchon attended a…
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 141590
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First Edition in English of Albert Camus’ Classic Novel The Stranger; Inscribed by Him
CAMUS, Albert.
The Stranger.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1946.
First American edition of Camus' first novel and masterpiece. Octavo, original beige cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "A Muriel Sutman nous ne sommes pas des étrangers, Albert Camus." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Warren Chappell. Translated by Stuart Gilbert. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Presentation copies of The Stranger are rare, with only one appearing at auction in the past 70 years.
Price: $37,500.00 Item Number: 116373
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"The Bible degrades Woman from Genesis to Revelation & yet women believe it was written by the fingers of God"; The Woman's Bible; inscribed by American suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton
[STANTON, Elizabeth Cady].
The Woman’s Bible.
New York: European Publishing Company, 1898.
Rare early printings of The Woman's Bible, both volumes lengthily inscribed by famed American suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton who chaired the committee that published the work. Octavo, two volumes, Part I: third edition - ten thousand, Part II: first edition - ten thousand. Both parts are presentation copies, lengthily inscribed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Part I is inscribed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, "Miss Mary .... compliments of Elizabeth Cady Stanton 250 West 94th New York 1899 We much read the Bible as we do all other books that have emanated from the brain of man with no special divine authority."…
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 142839
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First Edition of STEPHEN HAWKING'S LANDMARK WORK A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME; Signed by Him
HAWKING, Stephen W.
A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes.
London: Bantam Press, 1988.
First edition of Hawking’s groundbreaking work. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated by Ron Miller. Presentation copy, signed by Stephen Hawking on the title page with his thumbprint, "For John Simpson, this unique signature has been printed by Stephen Hawking." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Author photograph by David Gamble. First printings are exceptionally rare and desirable signed.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 133889
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"Faulkner was breathtaking in the accuracy of his observations": Rare advance reading copy of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird; signed by three actors from the 1962 film and with a two page autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of harper lee declining the invitation to participate in a documentary film about her novel
LEE, Harper.
To Kill a Mockingbird.
Barnstable, MA: Crane’s Duplicating Service, for J.B. Lippincott Company,, 1960.
Rare advance reading copy of the first edition of Harper Lee's classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel signed by three actors from the 1962 film and with a two page autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of Harper Lee declining the invitation to participate in a documentary film about her novel. Octavo, original wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by three actors from the film on the pastedown and front free endpaper, "Bonnie Great Weekend My Best Wishes Phillip Alford 'Jem'", "To Bonnie Sincere regards Brock Peters 'Tom Robinson'", and "Bonnie, Thank you so much for all your help this week. Please…
Price: $32,500.00 Item Number: 133817
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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 Editions of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven and Tales; in the rare original publisher's cloth
POE, Edgar Allan.
The Raven and Other Poems. [Bound With] Tales.
New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1845.
Rare first editions of Poe's two great collections of stories and poems, bound together in the original publisher's cloth. Octavo, original publisher's dark green cloth elaborately stamped in blind with gilt titles to the spine, publisher's advertisements at rear of each volume which are most often lacking with both volumes bound together. Wiley and Putnam issued both titles separately in paper wrappers, but bound the two together for additional appeal to readers. The Raven is bound first in this copy (the order varies); that work is arguably the widest read and best-known in the American canon. Tales includes "The "The…
Price: $32,000.00 Item Number: 139816
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Rare First Edition of Herodotus' Historiae, in Greek
HERODOTUS; EDITED BY ALDUS MANUTIUS,.
Historiae, In Greek.
Venice: Aldus Manutius, September, 1502.
Rare first edition of Herodotus' history of the Persian Wars, one of the most important texts edited by the great scholar-printer-publisher. Folio, bound in contemporary vellum, woodcut title in Greek and Roman letter, verso with dedication in Latin, text in Greek letter throughout with spaces for capital letters, woodcut device on title and last page. Aldus claims in the dedication that he corrected the text from multiple exemplars, one of the few instances where such a claim by him is justified and can be verified. He was the first to have access to the 'Florentine' codices, where Valla had used the…
Price: $32,000.00 Item Number: 96588
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Samuel Johnson Pratt's Family Secrets; from the library of President George Washington; with a small note in his hand tipped in
PRATT, Samuel Johnson. [George Washington].
Family Secrets: By Mr. Pratt. Volume III. [From the Library of George Washington].
London: Printed for T.N. Longman, Paternoster-Row, 1798.
Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf with a burgundy morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the spine. Vol. III of the original five volumes. Tipped in to the pastedown is a small clipped note in the hand of George Washington which reads, "with the said" and the bookplate of Benjamin Lincoln Lear. The set in which this volume originated was listed in a manuscript by Washington's private secretary Tobias Lear titled 'Catalogue of Books received from Washington' and bears the bookplate of Lear's son Benjamin Lincoln Lear. Tobias Lear served as Washington's personal secretary from 1784 until…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 139518
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Mark Twain's Roughing It; Inscribed by him to Mrs. P. T. Barnum
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
Roughing It.
Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1874.
Early printing of Twain’s first semi-autobiographical work of travel literature, essentially a prequel to The Innocents Abroad. Octavo, bound in three quarter morocco with gilt titles to the spine, fully illustrated by eminent artists with wood engravings throughout. Association copy, inscribed by Mark Twain on the fly-leaf, "For Mrs. P. T. Barnum with kindest wishes of Samuel L. Clemens Oct. 1875." The recipient, Nancy Fish, was the second wife of American showman P. T. Barnum. Twain and Barnum were, by various accounts, friends, mutual admirers and rivals. After visiting Barnum’s American Business Museum in New York City as a teenager,…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 133025
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"With all my heart, the flower beyond": Rare First Edition of the Author’s Masterpiece Cien Anos de Soledad; Inscribed by Gabriel Garcia Marquez to close friend Juana Munoz
GARCIA MARQUEZ, Gabriel.
Cien Anos de Soledad [One Hundred Years of Solitude].
Buenos Aires: Editorial Sudamericana, 1967.
First edition of the author's masterpiece which is recognized as one of the most significant works in the Spanish literary canon. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed and dated by the author on the dedication page with a large drawing of a flower, "Para Juana, con todo el corazon, la flor mas alla, Gabo." [For Juana, with all my heart, the flower beyond]. The recipient, Juana Munoz, was a close friend of Marquez and wife of Sergio Munoz. They met in 1964 in Mexico City in the home of author Carlos Fuentes, who often hosted a literary open house…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 132338
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First Edition of That Hideous Strength; Inscribed by C.S. Lewis to George Orwell
LEWIS, C.S.
That Hideous Strength.
London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, 1945.
First edition of the final novel in Lewis' acclaimed Space Trilogy. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by C.S. Lewis to fellow writer and journalist George Orwell and his wife (Eric and Eileen Blair) on the front free endpaper, "To the Blairs, with kind regards, C.S. Lewis Aug. 1945." This is the review copy used in George Orwell's literary review of the book which was published in the Manchester Evening News on August 16th 1945. Also with three hand-corrections to the text in Lewis' hand which he made in all review copies before personally sending to critics. Although Lewis and Orwell…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 81218
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First edition of Alexander Hamilton's Examination of President Thomas Jefferson's Message at the Opening of Congress December 7, 1801; from the library of Hamilton's close friend and colleague James Kent
HAMILTON, Alexander. [James Kent].
The Examination of the President’s Message at the Opening of Congress December 7, 1801.
Printed and Published at the Office of the New York Evening Post: New York, 1802.
First separate edition of Hamilton's analysis of Jefferson's first Annual Message to Congress which first appeared in the Evening Post, under the signature of Lucius Crassus. Howes H112. Octavo, bound in quarter morocco. Association copy, from the library of American jurist James Kent with his ownership signature to the title page. American jurist, New York legislator and legal scholar James Kent was part of the same legal elite in New York as Hamilton, and an ardent Federalist and admirer of both Hamilton and Jay. At the time of the present publication, he sat on the bench of the New York…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 131843
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Rare 1617 Edition of Vesalius's Epitome containing 39 full-page anatomically illustrated plates
VESALIUS, Andreas. (Thomas Geminus).
Anatomia in Quat Tota Humani Corporis Fabrica. (Anatomy in Total of the Fabric of the Human Body).
Amsterdam: Joannes Janssonius, 1617.
Rare edition of the Epitome of Vesalius, first published in 1543 as an abbreviated dissection room manual to accompany his masterpiece De Humani Corporis Fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body). Folio, bound in full contemporary calf, gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, red spine label, raised tooled bands, marbled endpapers, engraved pictorial title page. Engraved portrait of Vesalius, engraved folding plate of Adam and Eve after that in the epitome before the main text. Containing 39 full-page anatomically illustrated plates, woodcut headpieces and initials. In near fine condition. Captions in both Latin and German, having been otherwise taken directly from…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 74638
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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…
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 103150
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First edition of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird; with an autograph note signed by her
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 laid in. Addressed to Stewart Richardson, Executive Editor of Doubleday & Company, the postcard reads in full, "Monroeville, Ala. September 5, 1970 Dear Sandy: No, I didn't receive galleys on James Purdy's - but I'd like to. They're probably sitting in New York somewhere. I'll be…
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 139543