Philosophy
Rare Philosophy Books for Sale Online
Raptis Rare Books is a trusted antiquarian book dealer of rare and first edition philosophy books. You can view our full collection of these rare philosophy books below where you can sort by title, price, or date to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
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First Edition of F.A. Hayek’s Classic Treatise The Constitution of Liberty
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. Near fine in a very good dust jacket, pencil marginalia.
Price: $600.00 Item Number: 143609
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“BUT IS GOD A YALE MAN?”: First Edition of William F. Buckley's Influential First Book God and Man at Yale; Inscribed by Him to William Safire
BUCKLEY JR., William F.
God and Man at Yale: The Superstitions of “Academic Freedom”.
Chicago: Henry Regnery Company, 1951.
First edition of the author's first book and seminal work. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the bound in page, "For Bill Safire with admiration- Bill Buckley." The recipient, William Safire, was an important American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He joined Nixon’s campaign for the 1960 Presidential race, and again in 1968. After…
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 143649
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"One of the 100 best books of any kind of the 20th century": First Edition of Hannah Arendt's Masterpiece The Origins of Totalitarianism
ARRENDT, Hannah.
The Origins of Totalitarianism.
New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1951.
First edition of this masterpiece, by one of the most important and influential thinkers of the twentieth century. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Photograph by Fred Stein. Uncommon in this condition.
Price: $1,750.00 Item Number: 142749
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"There is no other fire but this, This speck of life, this fading spark": The Screwtape Letters; signed by C.S. Lewis with an inscription of his poem The Salamander
LEWIS, C.S.
The Screwtape Letters.
London: Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press, 1945.
Early printing of Lewis' classic novel of spiritual conflict, one of his most celebrated works; signed by him with his poem The Salamader in the year it was published in The Spectator. Octavo, original publisher's cloth. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "C. S. Lewis" and inscribed by him on the final free endpaper with an inscription of his poem The Salamander which was published in the same year (1945) in The Spectator, "The Salamander I stared in to the fire: - blue waves of shuddering hear that rose and fell and blazing ships and binding caves Canyons…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 143837
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A LANDMARK IN THE HISTORY OF PRINTING, AND ONE OF THE GREATEST ILLUSTRATED BOOKS EVER PUBLISHED: FIRST EDITION OF THE MONUMENTAL NUREMBERG CHRONICLE; Published in 1493 and containing over 1800 splendid woodcuts illustrating the history of the world from the Creation of man to the invention of the printing press
SCHEDEL, Hartmann.
Liber Chronicarum [Nuremberg Chronicles].
Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1493.
First edition of the most fully realized illustrated book of the fifteenth century and one of the most impressive volumes ever published. Imperial folio, bound in three quarter calf with five raised bands to the spine, morocco title labels lettered in gilt to the spine and front panel, copiously illustrated with 1,809 splendid woodcuts by Wohlgemuth and Pleydenwurff (the teachers of Durer), some full page, others double-page, illustrating Schedel's year-by-year account of notable events in world history from the Creation to the year of publication, including the creation of Adam and Eve, birth of Jesus Christ, invention of printing at Mainz,…
Price: $92,000.00 Item Number: 143505
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"One of the 100 best books of any kind of the 20th century": First Edition of Hannah Arendt's Masterpiece The Origins of Totalitarianism; Inscribed by Her in the Year of Publication
ARENDT, Hannah.
The Origins of Totalitarianism.
New York: Harcourt Brace, 1951.
First edition of this masterpiece, by one of the most important and influential thinkers of the twentieth century. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed and dated in the year of publication by Hannah Arendt on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with some rubbing and chips. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 143024
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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 near fine dust jacket with the spine lightly toned, contemporary name to the front free endpaper. An exceptional example.
Price: $55,000.00 Item Number: 143075
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"THE KEY FOR THE UNDERSTANDING OF HIS THOUGHT": FIRST EDITION OF THE SENSORY ORDER
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.].
The Sensory Order. An Inquiry Into the Foundations of Theoretical Psychology.
London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1952.
First edition of Hayek's foundational study of cognitive behavior—"an exercise in profound thinking." Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Introduction by Heinrich Kluver.
Price: $650.00 Item Number: 143046
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FIRST EDITION OF HAYEK'S THE COUNTER-REVOLUTION OF SCIENCE
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.].
The Counter-Revolution of Science: Studies on the Abuse of Reason.
Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press, 1952.
First edition of Hayek's critique of reason, written at the same time as The Road to Serfdom. Octavo, original cloth. Fine in a very good dust jacket.
Price: $950.00 Item Number: 143049
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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 full contemporary calf, gilt titles to the spine, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, morocco spine label, raised bands. In very good condition, name to the title page. Translated by William Ellis.
Price: $16,000.00 Item Number: 143050
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“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell": C.S. Lewis' The Problem of Pain
LEWIS, C.S.
The Problem of Pain.
London: The Centenary Press, 1940.
Early printing of this classic work. Octavo, original cloth. In near fine condition, contemporary name to the front free endpaper.
Price: $100.00 Item Number: 143627
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Rare pen and ink portrait signed by Nobel Prize-winning author Rabindranath Tagore
TAGORE, Rabindranath.
Rabindranath Tagore Signed Portrait.
1930.
Pen and ink portrait signed by Nobel Prize-winning author Rabindranath Tagore. One page, signed by Tagore "Rabindranath Tagore" and the unknown artist, "EM." Accompanied by a leaf from a scrapbook on which is pasted a printed portrait of Tagore, a reproduction of a manuscript poem by him, and an original postal receipt for an item delivered to Tagore during his trip to Germany accomplished in unknown hand and stamped in Schönberg on May 14, 1930. In near fine condition.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 142453
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“Talk to someone about themselves and they'll listen for hours”: Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People; Signed by Him
CARNEGIE, Dale.
How to Win Friends and Influence People.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1937.
Early printing of one of the best-selling books of all time. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Dale Carnegie on the title page. In very good condition. Name to the front pastedown.
Price: $975.00 Item Number: 142439
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“In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence": The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong; Inscribed by Laurence Peter
PETER, Laurence J. and Raymond Hull.
The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong.
New York: William Morrow and Company, 1969.
First edition, early printing of this classic #1 New York Times bestseller that answers the age-old question: Why is incompetence so maddeningly rampant and so vexingly triumphant? Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Gerald and Marie Underwood, Best wishes and please avoid the final placement syndrome Laurence J. Peter." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, name to the front pastedown. Jacket design by S.A. Summit. Uncommon signed and inscribed.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 142463
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First Edition of Aldous Huxley's The Perennial Philosophy
HUXLEY, Aldous.
The Perennial Philosophy.
New York and London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1945.
First British edition of this classic work by Huxley. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a very good dust jacket.
Price: $600.00 Item Number: 142467
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Peter Drucker's Landmark Work Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices; Inscribed by Him
DRUCKER, Peter F.
Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1974.
First edition, early printing of this management classic. Octavo, original red cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Jack Nold with warmest regards Peter F. Drucker." Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket, date to the front free endpaper. Jacket design by Roy La Grone. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 142075
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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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"True wealth is of the heart, not of the purse”: Og Mandino's The Greatest Salesman In The World; Signed by Him
MANDINO, Og.
The Greatest Salesman In The World.
New York: Frederick Fell, Inc, 1973.
Early printing Mandino's classic work on salesmanship and success. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Og Mandino on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket.
Price: $400.00 Item Number: 142029
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RARE FIRST EDITION OF JONATHAN EDWARDS TWO DISSERTATIONS
EDWARDS, Jonathan.
Two Dissertations, I. Concerning the End For Which God Created the World. II. The Nature of True Virtue.
Boston: S. Kneeland, 1765.
First edition of this important work by Edwards. Small octavo, bound in half calf over marbled boards, raised bands, morocco spine label. In very good condition. Rare.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 142014
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First Edition of "one of the most influential books of the 20th Century" The Lonely Crowd; Signed by David Riesman
RIESMAN, David with Reuel Denney and Nathan Glazer.
The Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American Character.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 1950.
First edition of this landmark work. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by David Riesman on the title page. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Scarce and desirable signed.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 140940
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First Edition of John Milnor's From the Differentiable Viewpoint; Signed by Him
MILNOR, John W.
From the Differentiable Viewpoint.
Charlottesville, VA: The University Press of Virginia, 1965.
First edition of this work by the famed mathematician. Octavo, original. Boldly signed by John Milnor on the title page. Based on notes by David W. Weaver. Fine in the original glassine jacket.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 141351
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First edition of C.S. Lewis's Broadcast Talks; in the rare original dust jacket
LEWIS, C.S.
Broadcast Talks: Reprinted with Some Alterations from Two Series of Broadcast Talks (Right and Wrong: A Clue to the Meaning of the Universe and What Christians Believe) Given in 1941 and 1942.
London: Geoffrey Bles, 1942.
First edition of the transcripts of Lewis's Right and Wrong: A Clue to the Meaning of the Universe and What Christians Believe; part of his series of BBC radio talks made between 1941 and 1944 during the Second World War. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a good dust jacket, name to the title page.
Price: $300.00 Item Number: 141309
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First Edition of John C. Maxwell's 5 Levels of Leadership; Inscribed by Him in the year of Publication
MAXWELL, John C.
5 Levels of Leadership.
New York: Center Street, 2011.
First edition of this inspirational work. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the title page, "To Melody J. Maxwell 12.11." Very good in a very good dust jacket, marginalia. Jacket design by Brand Navigation.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 141311
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“A DISTINCT STAGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EMPIRICAL SCHOOL”: FIRST EDITION OF JAMES MILL’S MAGNUM OPUS, ANALYSIS OF THE PHENOMENA OF THE HUMAN MIND; WITH A 4 PAGE AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED LETTER TO LORD ASHLEY IN THE YEAR OF PUBLICATION
MILL, James.
Analysis of the Phenomena of the Human Mind.
London: Baldwin and Cradock, 1829.
First edition of this classic exploration of the processes of human thought by the father of John Stuart Mill, whose own “logical and ethical doctrines are evidently suggested” by this work. Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf, armorial stamp to the front panel of the Earl of Shaftesbury, with a four page autographed letter signed by James Mill discussing his interest in the book to Lord Ashley dated 8 July 1829, the year of publication of this volume. Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury was a British politician, philanthropist, and a social reformer. He was the eldest son of…
Price: $7,200.00 Item Number: 141327
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Signed Photograph of Albert Einstein in Jerusalem; The Only One Known to Exist
EINSTEIN, Albert.
Albert Einstein Signed Photograph.
1923.
Extremely rare original photograph boldly signed "Albert Einstein Jersusalem 1923" during his only trip to Palestine in 1923. Einstein's return voyage from his tour of Japan and China took him via the Red Sea and Suez Canal which allowed him to accept the invitation of Arthur Ruppin, the director of the Palestine office of the Zionist Organization in Jaffa to visit the region for twelve days. Einstein arrived in Port Said on February 1, 1923, and from there he traveled to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Haifa. The photographer, Zvi Oron, began his career in Warsaw and the United States…
Price: $60,000.00 Item Number: 141301
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Etching of Albert Einstein by J.J. Muller; Signed by Both Muller and Einstein
EINSTEIN, Albert; J.J. Muller.
Albert Einstein Signed Etching.
1933.
Lithograph portrait of "the father of modern physics", Albert Einstein by well known artist J.J. Muller boldly signed by both the artist and Albert Einstein. 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: 141399
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From the collection of Joan Didion: First edition of Michael D'Antonio's Heaven on Earth
D'ANTONIO, Michael. [Joan Didion].
Heaven on Earth: Dispatches From America’s Spiritual Frontier.
New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1992.
First edition of the journalist's objective exploration of "New Age" spirituality. Octavo, original half cloth. From the library of Joan Didion with the original typed transmittal letter signed by the Senior Editor of Crown Publishers to Joan Didion laid in. The recipient, American journalist and novelist Joan Didion gained a reputation in the 1960s and 70s as a pioneer of the New Journalism style of news writing. Her articles and political writing engaged audiences in the realities of the counterculture of the 1960s, the Hollywood lifestyle, California culture, and California history. She also gained recognition for her sensational novels, including…
Price: $300.00 Item Number: 141834
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First Edition of Irvin D. Yalom's Inpatient Group Psychotherapy; Inscribed by Him
YALOM, Irvin D.
Inpatient Group Psychotherapy.
New York: Basic Books, 1983.
First edition of this classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "For Pat Irvin D. Yalom." Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Vincent Torre.
Price: $975.00 Item Number: 141494
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“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right": First Edition of Henry Ford's My Philosophy of Industry; Signed by Him
FORD, Henry.
My Philosophy of Industry.
New York: Coward, McCann, Inc, 1929.
First edition of this classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Henry Ford on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. With a letter from Ford's secretary stating that Mr. Ford has signed and returned the book. Rare signed and in the original dust jacket.
Price: $3,500.00 Item Number: 140988
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Finely Bound Set of Plato's Dialogues
PLATO,.
Plato’s Dialogues.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1892.
Finely bound set contains Plato's Dialogues. Octavo, five volumes, bound in full morocco, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands, gilt portrait to the front and rear panels of each volume, all edges gilt, inner dentelles. Translated by Benjamin Jowett. In fine condition. An exceptional set.
Price: $3,500.00 Item Number: 140887
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"We do not think and talk about what we see; we see what we are able to think and talk about": First edition of Edgar Schein's Coercive Persuasion; inscribed by him
SCHEIN, Edgar H. with Inge Schneier and Curtis H. Barker.
Coercive Persuasion: A Socio-psychological Analysis of the “Brainwashing” of American Civilian Prisoners by the Chinese Communists.
New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 1961.
First edition of Schein's analysis of the socio-psychological effects of "brainwashing" on American POWs during the Korean War. Octavo, original publisher's cloth. Lengthily signed by the author on the half-title page, "We do not think and talk about what we see; we see what we are able to think and talk about. Ed Schein Author of Humble Inquiry." In very good condition with underlining in pencil.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 141036
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“HAPPINESS IS NOT SOMETHING READY MADE”: First Edition of The Art of Happiness At Work; Signed by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA AND HOWARD C. CUTLER,.
The Art of Happiness At Work.
New York: Riverhead Books, 2003.
First edition of this beloved classic. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by His Holiness The Dalai Lama on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Lisa Amoroso.
Price: $2,250.00 Item Number: 140812
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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. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "For H.L. Severance with all best wishes May 8, 1975 F.A. Hayek." Very good in a very good dust jacket, original clipping from the review of this title to the front free endpaper and rear endpaper. With a review by Henry Hazlitt laid in. Rare and desirable signed and inscribed.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 140907
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"Considered the greatest single contribution to logic to appear since Aristotle": Russell and Whitehead's work Principia Mathematica
RUSSELL, Bertrand and Alfred North Whitehead.
Principia Mathematica.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1950.
First edition of volume one and second editions of volumes two and three, in the rare dust jackets of Russell and Whitehead's monumental work. Octavo, three volumes, original cloth. Rare and desirable.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 140610
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First Edition of Daniel Keyes' The Minds of Billy Milligan; Signed by Him
KEYES, Daniel.
The Minds of Billy Milligan.
New York: Random House, 1981.
First edition of "this fascinating work" (Los Angeles Times). Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by Daniel Keyes on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, bookplate. Jacket painting and interior painting by Billy Milligan. Jacket design by Lawrence Ratzkin. Uncommon signed.
Price: $650.00 Item Number: 140602
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Rare Subscribers Issue: First editions of the celebrated translations of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey by Alexander Pope in Rare Contemporary Calf Binding
HOMER; TRANSLATED BY ALEXANDER POPE,.
The Iliad of Homer & The Odyssey of Homer.
London: Bernard Lintot, 1715-26.
First editions of Alexander Pope’s monumental illustrated translations of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Quarto, 11 volumes, uniformly bound in full contemporary calf, gilt tooling to the spine with red morocco labels. In very good condition with some usual rubbing to the extremities and joints. Scarce and desirable in bound contemporary calf.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 140656
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First edition of Oprah Presents Master Class: Every Life Has a Story, Every Story Has a Lesson
WINFREY, Oprah.
Oprah Presents Master Class: Every Life Has a Story, Every Story Has a Lesson.
Auckland, New Zealand: PQ Blackwell Limited/Los Angeles: Harpo, Inc., 2010.
First edition of the book companion to Oprah Winfrey's Master Class series. Quarto, original cloth, illustrated with color photographs. From the collection of Bill Zwecker. A member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Zwecker was a longtime entertainment and celebrity journalist. A Chicago native and second-generation newspaper star (his late mother, Peg Zwecker, was the fashion editor of the Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News), Zwecker began his journalism career in the 1980s and has since interviewed some of the most renowned celebrities across a breadth of industries. He has been a frequent contributor to numerous national news and entertainment programs…
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 140634
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“When you expect the best, you release a magnetic force in your mind which by a law of attraction tends to bring the best to you": First Edition of The Power of Positive Thinking; Signed by Norman Vincent Peale
PEALE, Norman Vincent.
The Power of Positive Thinking.
New York: Prentice-Hall, 1952.
First edition of Norman Vincent Peale's enduring classic. Octavo, original boards. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Norma-Jean Roth with best wishes Norman Vincent Peale." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. First printings are uncommon, especially signed.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 140273
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First Edition of Erich Fromm's The Art of Loving
FROMM, Erich.
The Art of Loving.
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1956.
First edition of this groundbreaking international bestseller that has shown millions of readers how to achieve rich, productive lives by developing their capacities for love. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket.
Price: $300.00 Item Number: 140445
