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Rare Philosophy Books for Sale Online
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“It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied": Rare First Edition of John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism; Signed by Him
MILL, John Stuart.
Utilitarianism.
London: Parker, Son and Bourn, 1863.
First edition of the author’s landmark work. Octavo, original cloth, publisher’s advertisements. Presentation copy, signed by John Stuart Mill on the title page, “From the author.” From the library of Helen and William Belknap with their bookplate to the pastedown and his ownership stamp. William Burke Belknap was an economist and a professor of economics at the University of Louisville. Leading up to and during World War II, he volunteered for service with the Red Cross in Ramsay and Plymouth, England. A trustee of Berea College and a graduate of Yale and Harvard, he served two terms as a representative in the Kentucky General Assembly. We cannot trace another signed first edition in the past 100 years. Rare and desirable.
Price: $72,000.00 Item Number: 124105
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"The most important scientific book of 18th century America": Rare First Complete Edition of Franklin's Experiments and Observations on Electricity, Made at Philadelphia in America
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, 1769.
First complete edition of “the most important scientific book of 18th-century America” and “America’s first great scientific contribution” (PMM). Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf with gilt ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels. With the rarely found half-title. Advertisement & errata leaf bound in following the preface. Illustrated with 7 copper-engraved plates, 4 of which are folding. This, the fourth, first complete, and most desirable edition of Franklin’s important work contains for the first time complete notes on all of the experiments as well as correspondence between Peter Collinson, Franklin, and several other collaborators. The earlier editions, each issued in three parts as separately published pamphlets usually bound together, were carelessly published. Franklin edited this new one-volume edition himself, significantly revising the text, adding for the first time a number of his own philosophical letters and papers, introducing footnotes, correcting errors, and adding an index (Cohen, Benjamin Franklin’s Experiments). In near fine condition. Expertly rebacked. Housed in a custom full morocco clamshell box.
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 125438
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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 so-called Roman family of manuscripts for his translation. The printer’s copy was discovered in Nuremberg by Brigitte Mondrain in 1993 (Scriptorium 49 [1995], pp. 263-273). The History was designed to match the Aldine Thucydides of four months earlier: they share a paper stock, all types and the number of lines per page. Ahmanson-Murphy 50; Isaac 12782; Laurenziana 64; Renouard, Alde 35:8; Sansoviniana 67. In excellent condition with light rubbing and wear, bookplates to the pastedown, some light toning to the text, occasional Greek and Latin annotations in a c.17th-century hand, small repairs to the final four leaves. An exceptional example of this landmark work, rare and desirable in contemporary vellum.
Price: $32,000.00 Item Number: 96588
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Rare first edition of Marshman's The Works of Confucius; complete with his Dissertation on the Characters and Sounds of the Chinese Language
MARSHMAN, Joshua [Confucius].
The Works of Confucius; Containing the Original Text, With a Translation. To Which is Prefixed a Dissertation on the Chinese Language and Character. [The Analects of Confucius].
Serampore: Printed at the Mission Press, 1809.
First English translation of the Analects of Confucius printed at Serampore, the first major center of English printing in Chinese. Quarto, two volumes bound into one in three quarter morocco over marbled boards with gilt titles and raised bands to the spine, illustrated with 2 folding charts on Chinese characters, 4 tables on 2 folding leaves, errata at rear. In very good condition. Exceptionally rare, particularly with Marshman’s separately printed dissertation present including the tables and charts.
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 127538
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Extremely rare first Latin edition of Galileo's revolutionary Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems
GALILEI, Galileo.
Systema Cosmicum in Quo Quatuor Dialogis, de Duobus Maximis Mundi Systematibus, Ptolemaico et Copernicano. [Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems].
Strasbourg: D. Hauttius for the Elzevir, 1635.
Rare first Latin edition of Galileo’s epoch-making Dialogo, the summation of the extraordinary mathematician’s astronomical thought and the work which directly precipitated his 1663 trial and judgement for heresy. Preceded only by the 1632 edition in Italian. Small octavo, bound in full contemporary vellum, engraved additional title page, full page engraved frontispiece portrait of Galileo by Jacob van der Heyden, woodcut diagrams, with the final leaf of errata. This Latin edition includes two tracts in the appendix not in the Italian edition of 1632, and it is the only major work of Galileo’s to be published outside Italy during his lifetime. The two added Latin tracts are the introduction to Kepler’s Astronomia nova (pp. 459-464), and a letter by Paolo Antonio Foscarini defending the truth of Copernicanism and rebutting the charge that it conflicted with scripture (pp. 465-495). With the appendix by P.A. Foscarini which contains an attempt to reconcile the Copernican views with the Holy Scripture. In near fine condition. Exceptionally rare, as the work was rigidly suppressed from the start.
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 93890
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THE FIRST JEWISH TRANSLATION OF THE PENTATEUCH INTO ENGLISH
LEESER, Isaac.
The Law of God.
Philadelphia: C. Sherman, 5605, 1845-46.
First edition of the “first English translation of the Pentateuch in America,” the 1845 Hebrew-English Bible by one of the most prominent and influential figures in American Jewish history. Octavo, 5 volumes. Translated by Isaac Leeser. Bound in contemporary polished calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, rebacked. Lightly rubbed, moderate wear. A very nice example of a scarce and important work.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 49020
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“The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat": Rare First Edition of Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich; Signed by Him
HILL, Napoleon.
Think and Grow Rich.
CT: Ralston Society, 1937.
First edition of this classic bestseller, which has sold over 100 million copies. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Napoleon Hill on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. This is the first example of a first printing we have seen signed. Rare and desirable.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 89533
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“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves": First Edition of Viktor Frankl's Classic Work Man's Search For Meaning; Signed by Him
FRANKL, Viktor E.
From Death-Camp To Existentialism [Man’s Search For Meaning].
Boston: Beacon Press, 1959.
First edition in English of Frankl’s classic work, which was later titled Man’s Search For Meaning in 1962. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Viktor Frankl on the title page. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Translated by Ilse Lasch. Preface by Gordon Allport. Originally published in German, in 1946 under the name Ein Psycholog erlecbt das konzentrationslager. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed first editions are exceptionally rare and desirable.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 105790
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“Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought": First Edition of John Rawls Magnum Opus A Theory of Justice; Signed by Him
RAWLS, John.
A Theory of Justice.
Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971.
First edition of the author’s masterpiece. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by John Rawls on the front free endpaper. Near fine in an excellent dust jacket with some rubbing. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Books signed by Rawls are rare.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 99758
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One of the Earliest Calligraphic Works by Thomas Merton
MERTON, Thomas.
Thomas Merton Original Calligraphic Artwork.
Original signed artwork from Thomas Merton. In the last decade of his life, while living as a hermit-monk in dialogue with the world, Thomas Merton created a body of visual art, drawing from the Zen Buddhist tradition. When he was a student at Columbia University, Merton sought out a Hindu monk named Bramachari for counsel. The monk advised Merton to follow his own Christian tradition to find what he was most deeply looking for. A strong admirer of Gandhi, Merton also noted how Gandhi, a Hindu, had found a congenial ‘ second home’ of sorts in the Christian Sermon on the Mount. In the 1950’s Merton began exploring Buddhism, especially Zen Buddhism. He thought he found some resonance between Zen and the Desert Fathers. Merton sent a copy of his study of the Desert Fathers to Daisetsu Suzuki, the leading exponent of Zen in the west. They began a long correspondence in the late 1950’s, and Suzuki’s influence can be seen in Merton’s artwork. Includes a letter from activist W.H. Ferry, which reads, “4/3/68 For Mary Sue Dilliard: Daisetsu Suzuki told Father Tom Merton in 1965 that the only way finally to understand Zen was to practice calligraphy. This is the result: one of Tom’s earliest calligraphs. W.H. Ferry.” On the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions letterhead, which Ferry was the Vice President. Matted and framed, which measures 13 inches by 15 inches. Calligraphy drawing measures 9 inches by 12.5 inches. On the verso of the frame, it includes various Merton material including numerous clippings. Original artwork by Merton is exceptionally rare in the marketplace.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 17032
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First Edition in English of "One of the Most Important Texts of the Twentieth Century" Martin Heidegger's Being and Time; Signed by Him
HEIDEGGER, Martin.
Being and Time.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1962.
First edition in English of the book that “changed the course of philosophy” (Richard Rorty). Octavo, original cloth. Signed by Martin Heidegger on the front free endpaper. Fine in a very good dust jacket with some wear to the rear panel. Translated by John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Exceptionally rare signed, as no signed examples have appeared at auction in the last 50 years.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 35056
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The Indian War of Independence of 1857; signed by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and from the famed library of Raja Shamraj Rajwant Bahadur
SAVARKAR, Vinayak Damodar.
The Indian War of Independence of 1857.
, c. 1909.
First edition in English of this highly influential work on the history of the 1857 rebellion by “one of the makers of free India.” Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, patterned endpapers, folding map. Signed by the author on the half-title page. From the famed library of Raja Shamraj Rajwant Bahadur with his ownership initials and library notes to the front free endpaper noting that the book was “purchased on 1-3-1943” (prior to Gandhi’s assassination) and that the author’s autograph was obtained subsequently on 23-12-1957 in Bombay. Indian nobleman Raja Shamraj Rajwant Bahadur assembled India’s greatest library, famed for its diverse collection of rare antiquarian manuscripts and important books. Tipped in is a 1958 newspaper clipping from The Times of India adhered to the pastedown which reads in part, “Dr. C.P. Ramaswami Alyar said here today that the Indian people owed a debt of gratitude to Mr. V.D. Savarkar for his contribution to revolutionary thought and as such he was entitled as being one of the makers of free India.” In very good condition. Uncommon, the only signed example of this work we have seen.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 106594
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“All the sacred rights of humanity are violated by insisting on blind obedience”: First edition of Mary Wollstonecraft's landmark work A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
WOLLSTONECRAFT, Mary.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects.
London: J. Johnson, 1792.
Rare first edition of this landmark work in both Enlightenment philosophy and the history of feminism. Octavo, bound in full morocco, marbled endpapers. In near fine condition with some light toning to the text, contemporary name to the title page. Housed in a custom slipcase. An exceptional example.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 110854
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Rare second Latin edition of Galileo's revolutionary Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems
GALILEI, Galileo. Foscarni.
Systema Cosmicum in Quo Quatuor Dialogis, de Duobus Maximis Mundi Systematibus, Ptolemaico et Copernicano. [Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems].
Lyon: Joannes Antonius Huguetan, 1641.
Rare second Latin edition of Galileo’s epoch-making Dialogo, the summation of the extraordinary mathematician’s astronomical thought and the work which directly precipitated his 1663 trial and judgement for heresy. Preceded by the 1632 edition in Italian and 1635 first Latin edition. Octavo, bound in full contemporary vellum, engraved title page, full page engraved frontispiece portrait of Galileo by Jacob van der Heyden, woodcut diagrams, with the final leaf of errata. The Latin edition includes two tracts in the appendix not in the Italian edition of 1632, and it is the only major work of Galileo’s to be published outside Italy during his lifetime. The two added Latin tracts are the introduction to Kepler’s Astronomia nova (pp. 459-464), and a letter by Paolo Antonio Foscarini defending the truth of Copernicanism and rebutting the charge that it conflicted with scripture (pp. 465-495). With the appendix by P.A. Foscarini which contains an attempt to reconcile the Copernican views with the Holy Scripture. In near fine condition. From the library of French geophysicist, astronomer and most notably, chronobiologist, Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan (1678-1771), with his signature to both title pages. Over the course of his scientific career, de Mairan was elected into numerous scientific societies and made key discoveries in a variety of fields including ancient texts and astronomy. His observations and experiments also inspired the beginning of what is now known as the study of biological circadian rhythms. In 1731, he published “Traite Physique et Historique De l’Aurore Boreale” (a short summary appeared in the Philosophical Transactions) in which he put up a novel hypothesis that the Northern Lights are caused by the Sun, as the interaction of the atmosphere with the zodiacal light. At the time, the aurorae were thought to be ‘flames’ caused by sulfurous effluvia emanating from the Earth. Bookplate to the pastedown. Exceptionally rare, as the work was rigidly, suppressed from the start.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 125993
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"War is the continuation of politics by other means": Scarce First Edition 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.
Vom Kriege. Hinterlassenes Werk. [On War].
Berlin: Ferdinand Dümmler, 1832-34.
Scarce first edition of arguably the most important treatise on political-military analysis and strategy ever written. Octavo, three volumes bound in contemporary half cloth over marbled boards with gilt titles and ruling to the spine. In near fine condition with light rubbing to the extremities.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 123578
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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 Item Number: 96203
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“All the sacred rights of humanity are violated by insisting on blind obedience”: First edition of Mary Wollstonecraft's landmark work A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
WOLLSTONECRAFT, Mary.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1792.
Rare first edition of this landmark work in both Enlightenment philosophy and the history of feminism. Octavo, bound in three quarter morocco over marbled boards by Randolph & English. From the library of Virginia chancery lawyer Henry G. Cannon with his ownership inscription to the pastedown and that of his father, the book’s previous owner, to the top portion of the title page which has been excised and supplied. Period notation from presumably a member of the Cannon household to the first page of the dedication to M. Talleyrand-Périgord, Late Bishop of Autun, “This Talleyrand is the man who said that Language was given to man to conceal his thoughts And his Grace of Autun certainly acted up to his favorite sentiment E.G.C.” Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord was Napoleon’s chief diplomat during the years when French military victories brought one European state after another under French hegemony. Wollstonecraft was prompted to write the Rights of Woman after reading Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord’s 1791 report to the French National Assembly, which stated that women should only receive a domestic education; from her reaction to this specific event, she launched a broad attack against sexual double standards, indicting men for encouraging women to indulge in excessive emotion. In very good condition with some intermittent foxing. An nice example with unique provenance. Overall, exceptionally clean internally.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 124556
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“Though freedom is not a state of nature but an artifact of civilization, it did not arise from design: FIRST EDITION OF THE ECONOMIST’S CLASSIC WORK, THE CONSTITUTION OF LIBERTY; SIGNED BY F.A. HAYEK
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.].
The Constitution of Liberty.
London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1960.
First edition of Hayek’s classic statement on the ideals of freedom and liberty. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by F.A. Hayek on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 3502
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“In any society freedom of thought will probably be of direct significance only for a small minority": First Edition of F.A. Hayek's The Road To Serfdom; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.].
The Road To Serfdom.
London: Routledge & Sons, 1944.
First British edition of one of the most influential and popular expositions of classical liberalism ever published. Octavo, original black cloth. Very good in the rare original dust jacket with some rubbing and wear to the extremities. The British edition was published in March of 1944, preceding its American counterpart, which was published later that same year in September. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 105942
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THE FIRST JEWISH TRANSLATION OF THE PENTATEUCH INTO ENGLISH
LEESER, Isaac.
The Law of God.
Philadelphia: C. Sherman, 5605, 1845-46.
First edition of the “first English translation of the Pentateuch in America,” the 1845 Hebrew-English Bible by one of the most prominent and influential figures in American Jewish history. Octavo, 5 volumes. Translated by Isaac Leeser. Bound in full contemporary calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine. In near fine condition. A nice example, rare in contemporary binding.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 78547
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First Edition of F.A. Hayek’s Classic Treatise The Constitution of Liberty; Signed by Him
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.].
The Constitution of Liberty.
Chicago: The University of Chicago, 1960.
First edition of Hayek’s classic statement on the ideals of freedom and liberty. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by F.A. Hayek on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust price-clipped jacket with a few small closed tears. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 99700
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“Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human": Exceptionally Rare First Edition in English of Aristotle's A Treatise on Government
ARISTOTLE; TRANSLATED BY WILLIAM ELLIS,.
A Treatise on Government. Translated From The Greek of Aristotle.
London: T. Payne, 1776.
First edition in English of this important work on government by Aristotle. Quarto, bound in three quarters leather over marbled boards. In very good condition with light toning to the text and wear. Bookseller plate of George Gregory, Bath, Sept. 22, 1936 on the front pastedown. Translated by William Ellis. First editions are rare, with the last example appearing at auction in 1914.Price: $16,000.00 Item Number: 81182
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"Mary Baker Eddy was far ahead of her time in the emphasis she placed upon positive thinking, a force which modern psychology was belated in recognizing": Mary Baker Eddy's Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures; inscribed by her to her cousin, the daughter of President Franklin Pierce
EDDY, Mary Baker.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
Boston: Published by the Author, 1886.
Early printing of the central text of the Christian Science which continues to rank as a best-seller to this day. Octavo, bound in contemporary three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the second free endpaper in the year of publication, “Mrs. F. McNeil Potter, with love from the Author, 1886.” The recipient, Frances Maria McNeil Potter was the niece of President Franklin Pierce and his sometimes hostess in the White house, assisting First Lady Jane Pierce after the death of the president’s son Benny. In the winter of 1882, Mary Baker Eddy visited Washington, where “Mrs. Potter caller on [her] several times and showed considerable interest in Christian Science. Together they drove to the Botanical Gardens, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Congressional Cemetery where they knelt at the grave of General John McNeil, Mrs. Potter’s father and the cousin of Mrs. Eddy’s grandmother, Maryann McNeil Moore” (Peel, Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Discovery). Potter and Eddy’s correspondence continued until Potter’s death and Potter remained one of Eddy’s biggest supporters when many distanced themselves from the religious leader and the founding of the Church of Christ, Scientist. In very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Books signed and inscribed by Mary Baker Eddy are rare.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 90463
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Etching of Albert Einstein by Hermann Struck; Signed by Both Struck and Einstein
EINSTEIN, Albert; Hermann Struck.
Albert Einstein Signed Etching.
1923.
Lithograph portrait of “the father of modern physics”, Albert Einstein by well-known artist Hermann Struck. Signed by Einstein, “Albert Einstein 1923” and Struck, “Herman Struck 138/150”. In fine condition. Matted and framed, the entire piece measures 19.75 inches by 15.5 inches. An exceptional piece.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 127204
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“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety": Rare First Edition of Benjamin Franklin's Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces; Arranged under the Following Heads and Distinguished by Initial Letters in each Leaf: General Politics; American Politics before the Troubles; American Politics during the Troubles; Provincial or Colony Politics; Miscellaneous and Philosophical Pieces.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1779.
First edition of “the only edition of Franklin’s writings (other than his scientific) printed during his lifetime” (Ford). Octavo, bound half diced calf over marbled boards with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt. With the engraved frontispiece portrait of Franklin, three engraved plates (one folding), and folding table of the reformed alphabet. In near fine condition. Complete with index, addenda and corrigenda. An exceptional example.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 125035
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"what first attracts our interest in the person of Moses is his name": First Edition of Freud's Moses And Monotheism; Inscribed by Him To His Niece
FREUD, Sigmund.
Moses And Monotheism.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1939.
First American edition of last book written and published in Sigmund Freud’s lifetime. Presentation copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper, “To dear Poppy from Uncle Sigm. London 1939.” The eldest daughter of Freud’s elder brother, Philipp, Pauline “Poppy” Freud was born in 1873 when Sigmund was seventeen years old. Freud visited Pauline and her parents in Manchester, England periodically throughout her childhood and maintained correspondence with Pauline well into her adulthood, visiting her and her husband, Frederick Oswald Hartwig, in London in 1939. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with some wear to the extremities. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Freud association copies of this magnitude seldom enter the marketplace.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 67018
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“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety": Rare First Edition of Benjamin Franklin's Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces; Arranged under the Following Heads and Distinguished by Initial Letters in each Leaf: General Politics; American Politics before the Troubles; American Politics during the Troubles; Provincial or Colony Politics; Miscellaneous and Philosophical Pieces.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1779.
First edition of “the only edition of Franklin’s writings (other than his scientific) printed during his lifetime” (Ford). Octavo, bound in three quarters leather, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands. With the engraved frontispiece portrait of Franklin, three engraved plates (one folding), and folding table of the reformed alphabet. In near fine condition. Complete with index, addenda and corrigenda. A very nice example.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 125950
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“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change”: Presentation Copy of The First Edition of Stephen Hawking's The Universe In A Nutshell
HAWKING, Stephen .
The Universe In A Nutshell.
London: Bantam, 2001.
First British edition of Hawking’s sequel to A Brief History of Time. Quarto, original boards, illustrated. Presentation copy, with Stephen Hawking’s thumbprints on the title page. Witnessed by K. Thurkettle, and dated 21.07.14 and inscription from Hawking in Thurkettle’s hand, “To Jimmy Bridson “Look up at the stars and not down at your feet…” Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $13,500.00 Item Number: 102988
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"People go off to marvel at the height of mountains and the great waves of the sea and the broad courses of rivers, and the flow of the ocean, and the circuits of the stars: but they neglect themselves": C.S. Lewis' copy of Sir Thomas Browne's highly influential 17th century Christian confessional Religio Medici; with Lewis' ownership signature and notes throughout
BROWNE, Thomas. [C.S. Lewis].
Religio Medici and Other Essays by Sir Thomas Browne.
London: Chapman & Hall, Ltd, [1911].
C.S. Lewis’ copy of Browne’s celebrated 17th century “confession of Christian faith qualified by an eclectic and generally skeptical attitude” (The Oxford Companion). Octavo, original boards, paper spine label, gilt vignette to the front panel, tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece portrait of Browne. British author and theologian C.S. Lewis’ copy with his ownership signature to the front free endpaper, “C.S. Lewis April 1919”, underlines, marks, and footnotes to several pages, most notably a lengthy quote from The Confessions of St. Augustine to page 29: “(1) Et eunt homines mirari alta montium et ingentes fluctus maris et latissimos lapsus fluminum et oceani ambitum et gynos siderum et relinquunt se ipsos nec mirantur. (Augustin.Conf.X.viii.15). Cf Davies Nosce Teipsum. Introd.p.49”, which translates as: “People go off to marvel at the height of mountains and the great waves of the sea and the broad courses of rivers, and the flow of the ocean, and the circuits of the stars: but they neglect themselves”, which Lewis has added as a footnote to the passage, “we carry with us the wonders we seek without us: there is all Africa and her prodigies in us “(1)” We are that bold and adventurous piece of nature, which he that studies wisely learns, in compendium, what others labour at in a divided piece and endless volume.” Lewis has also noted “Antimonies p. 41” on the verso of the rear endpaper and left marginal pencil marks next to several passages including, “As for those wingy mysteries in divinity and airy subtleties in religion which have unhinged the brains of better heads, they have never stretched the pia mater of mine. Methinks there be not impossibilities enough in religion for an active faith; the deepest mysteries ours contains have not only been illustrated, by maintained, by syllogism and the rule of reason” and “There is therefore some other hand that twines the thread of life than that of nature: we are not only ignorant in antipathies and occult qualities: our ends are as obscure as our beginnings: the line of our days is drawn by night, and the various effects therein by a pencil that is invisible.” Regarded by many as one of the most influential Christian apologists of his time, C.S. Lewis has been referred to as “The Apostle to the Skeptics” due to his early approach to religious belief as a sceptic, and his following conversion. Lewis was very interested in presenting an argument from reason against metaphysical naturalism and for the existence of God. His works Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, and Miracles were all concerned, to one degree or another, with refuting popular objections to Christianity. His autobiography, Surprised by Joy, recounted his conversion and his most famous work, Chronicles of Narnia contained strong allegorical Christian messages. In near fine condition. A remarkable example linking two great intellectual theologians and exhibiting Browne’s direct influence on Lewis’ thinking.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 122430
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"What worries you, masters you": Rare First Edition of The Works of John Locke
LOCKE, John.
The Works of John Locke [Including: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Some Thoughts Concerning Education, Some Considerations of the Consequences of Lowering the Interest, and Raising the Value of Money, An Essay for the Amendment of the Silver Coin, Some Thoughts Concerning Education, Etc.]
London: John Churchill and Sam. Manship, 1714.
Rare first edition of the collected works of John Locke, “the most worthy… of the indisputably great philosophers.” Folio, three volumes, bound in full contemporary brown calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, morocco spine labels, raised bands, rebacked. Frontispiece of John Locke to volume one. In very good condition.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 122652
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First Edition of "of this classic account of the human tendency to follow orders" Obedience To Authority; Inscribed by Stanley Milgram To His Mother
MILGRAM, Stanley.
Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1974.
First edition of the author’s classic work. Octavo, original cloth. The dedication copy, inscribed by Stanley Milgram to his Mother on the front free endpaper, “Dear Mom, This book would certainly not have been possible without you! With all my love to a wonderful mother, who is a wonderful grandmother too. Your son, Stanley 10 December 1973.” Milgram has drawn a picture of an angel below the inscription. Laid in is a note from Stanley Milgram’s brother attesting to this being in his mother’s collection. Fine in a fine dust jacket. An exceptional association. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 62022
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First Edition of Alfred North Whitehead's Classic Text Process and Reality; Signed by Him
WHITEHEAD, Alfred North.
Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology.
New York: Macmillan & Company, 1929.
First edition of Alfred North Whitehead’s magnum opus. Octavo, original blue cloth. Signed by Alfred North Whitehead on the title page. From the Library of Henry David Aiken, with his signature dated 1943 on the front free endpaper. Aiken was a student of Ralph Barton Perry’s at Harvard when Whitehead also was a professor there from 1924 through 1937 and was a participant at Whiteheads’ famous Cambridge Sunday afternoon open houses, which ran until Whitehead’s death in 1947. Aiken was a Harvard philosophy professor from 1946 through 1965 and along with W. V. Quine, his friend and colleague, and Mortin White had shepherded the transformation of the Harvard Philosophy Department with the addition of philosophers John Rawls, Hilary Putnam, and Robert Nozick, into a strong and significant presence of Analytic Philosophy in the United States. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Books signed by Alfred North Whitehead are scarce.
Price: $11,500.00 Item Number: 34005
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Rare fourth edition of Sir Thomas Elyot's The boke named the Governour
ELYOT, Sir Thomas.
The Boke Named The Governour Devised by Sir Thomas Elyot Knyght. [The Book of the Governor].
Londini: Thomæ Bertheleti, 1544.
Rare fourth edition of “this book is not only the earliest treatise on moral philosophy in English but the first of an imposing array which introduced into England the cultural and political ideals of the Renaissance” (Pforzheimer). Small octavo, bound in full levant morocco by Henderson and Bissett with gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in five compartments within raised gilt bands, quadruple gilt ruling and central gilt motif to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, extra-illustrated with Holbein’s portraits of Sir Thomas and Lady Elyot bound in. ESTC S100426. Ownership inscription to the final leaf on the table of contents which reads, “From the horns of unicorns and the roaring of lions, good Lord, save thy poor handmaiden m. a.” The author of the inscription was quite possibly the author’s wife, Lady Elyot, whose maiden name was Margaret Aborough (initials M.A.). Margaret Elyot, née Aborough, was personally tutored by Sir Thomas More, in whose house she was brought up. The inscription itself, taken from Psalm 22, v.21, would also indicate that its author had knowledge of the Miles Coverdale Bible (1535), the first complete Bible in Modern English, significantly comparable with her husband’s “The Governour.” The author of the inscription has also added a portrait of a lady which echoes Holbein’s portrait of Margaret Elyot. In near fine condition with restoration to a few leaves, not affecting the text. It was reprinted several times before 1600, and it is rare to find good complete copies of any of these editions.
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 127553
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Silver Gelatin Print of Albert Einstein; Signed and dated by Him
EINSTEIN, Albert.
Albert Einstein Signed Photograph.
1952.
Black and white silver gelatin photograph of Albert Einstein. Signed “A Einstein 52.” Full-length group portrait showing Albert Einstein standing with Hadassah National President Rebecca Beldner Shulman and others at his Princeton home in June of 1952 during a celebration marking the commencement of building of the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem. The photograph measures 8 inches by 9.5 inches. The entire piece measures 19 inches by 20.5 inches. An exceptional piece.
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 72091
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“One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman": First Edition of Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex; Signed by Her
DE BEAUVOIR, Simone.
The Second Sex.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1953.
First edition in English of the author’s masterpiece. Octavo, original half cloth. Signed by Simone de Beauvoir on the title page. Fine in a very good dust jacket with light rubbing and wear to the extremities. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed first editions of this classic work are rare and none have appeared at auction in the last sixty years.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 21090
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Rare First Edition of Thomas Hobbes' The Moral and Political Works
HOBBES, Thomas.
The Moral and Political Works.
London: 1750.
First edition of the collected works of Hobbes. Folio, bound in full calf to period style, raised bands, gilt spine emblems, red morocco title label, marbled endpapers, frontispiece engraved title page. In very good condition. Containing Leviathan, De Corpore, Human Nature, Behemoth (1679) and other key writings. xxviii, (2) ii, 697 (3) pp. Macdonald & Hargreaves 107. CBEL I:871. See Lowndes, 1077. First editions are rare.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 121929
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Silver Gelatin Print of Albert Einstein; Signed and dated by Him
EINSTEIN, Albert.
Albert Einstein Signed Photograph.
1952.
Black and white silver gelatin photograph of Albert Einstein. Signed “A Einstein 52.” Group portrait showing Einstein standing between Talmudic scholar Tamar de Sola Pool and Hadassah National President Rebecca Beldner Shulman at his Princeton home in June of 1952 during a celebration marking the commencement of building of the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem. The photograph measures 8 inches by 10 inches. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 13.5 inches by 15.5 inches. An exceptional photograph of Einstein, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 51046
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Rare first edition in English of Machiavelli's fundamental Discourses
MACHIAVELLI, Niccolo. Translated by Edward Dacres.
Machiavels Discourses upon the First Decade of T. Livius translated out of the Italian; With some marginall animadversions noting and taxing his errors. [Machiavelli’s Discourses].
London: Printed for Thomas Paine for William Hills and Daniel Pakeman, 1636.
Rare first edition in English of Machiavelli’s fundamental work of political history and philosophy. 12mo, bound in one quarter morocco over marbled boards with an earlier morocco spine label lettered in gilt. Translated by Edward Dacres. Ownership signature. Rare and desirable.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 124249
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Etching of Albert Einstein by Lionel S. Reiss; Signed by Both Reiss and Einstein
EINSTEIN, Albert; Lionel S. Reiss.
Albert Einstein Signed Etching.
1921.
Etched portrait of Albert Einstein by well-known Polish-American Jewish artist Lionel S. Reiss. Signed by both Einstein and Reiss. In fine condition. Double matted and framed, the entire piece measures 13.5 inches by 16.5 inches. An exceptional piece.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 87430