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.
Showing 1–40 of 349 results
-
Browse by Category
- Browse All
- Americana
- Art and Architecture
- Autograph Letters Signed
- Biography and Autobiography
- Children's Books
- Economics and Finance
- Featured Rare Books
- Fine Bindings and Sets
- First Edition
- First Edition>Signed
- Food and Wine
- Framed Autographs and Historical Documents
- Geography
- Gifts
- Gifts - For Her
- Gifts - For Him
- Gifts - Graduation and Celebrations
- Gifts - Holidays
- History, Law, and Politics
- Literature
- Music
- New Arrivals
- Philosophy
- Photography
- Poetry
- Presidents and World Leaders
- Religion
- Science and Natural History
- Science Fiction and Mystery
- Signed
- Signed & Autographed Books
- Sports and Leisure
- Travel and Exploration
- Uncategorized
-
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
-
First Edition of C.S. Lewis' A Christian Behaviour: A Further Series of Broadcast Talks
LEWIS, C.S.
A Christian Behaviour: A Further Series of Broadcast Talks.
London: Geoffrey Bles, 1943.
First edition of the of the second book of Lewis’ BBC radio talks which would later appear in Mere Christianity. Octavo, original cloth. Very good in a very good dust jacket.
Price: $300.00 Item Number: 132613
-
First edition in English of John Calvin's Commentarie upon S. Paules Epistles to the Corinthians
CALVIN, John.
A Commentarie upon S. Paules Epistles to the Corinthians.
London: Imprinted by Thomas Dawson for John Harison and George Byshop, 1577.
First edition in English of John Calvin's commentaries on the Pauline Epistles. Octavo, bound in full speckled calf with raised bands to the spine, all edges red, rebacked. Title within architectual woodcut border, woodcut initials. In very good condition. First editions are rare.
Price: $6,000.00 Item Number: 96188
-
First Edition of John Kotter's Force For Change: How Leadership Differs from Management; Inscribed by Him
KOTTER, John P.
A Force For Change: How Leadership Differs from Management.
New York: The Free Press, 1990.
First edition of this insightful book on leadership. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "For Richard Miller With Best Regards, John Kotter 7/91." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by W. Scot Carouge.
Price: $400.00 Item Number: 106426
-
First edition in English of Sigmund Freud's A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis; In the Rare Original Dust jacket
FREUD, Sigmund.
A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis.
New York: Horace Liveright, 1920.
First edition in English of the most popular and widely translated of Freud's works, containing 28 lectures regarding his views on the unconscious, dreams, and neuroses. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. Authorized translation with a preface by G. Stanley Hall. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket. Bookplate and ownership signature to the pastedown. Rare with only a handful of examples appearing at auction in the last 90 years.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 137144
-
First English edition of Leo Tolstoy's The Great Iniquity
TOLSTOY, Leo. Translated by V. Tchertkoff and I. F. Mayo.
A Great Iniquity.
London: The Free Age Press, n.d.
First English edition of Tolstoy's work on peasant welfare in Russia. Octavo, original wrappers. In very good condition.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 135472
-
“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
-
"Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen": Rare First Edition in English of Leonardo Da Vinci's A Treatise of Painting
DA VINCI, Leonardo.
A Treatise of Painting.
London: Printed for J. Senex; and W. Taylor, 1721.
Rare first edition in English of da Vinci's classic work on painting. Octavo, bound in full calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, front and rear panels, raised bands, marbled endpapers, title page printed in red and black, illustrated with engraved frontispiece portrait facing title, thirty-one full page plates, and three folding (thirty-five in total), final two leaves of publisher's ads present after text. In very good condition, bookplate to the front pastedown. First editions are rare.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 144142
-
“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, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands. 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.
Price: $16,000.00 Item Number: 81182
-
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
-
“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…
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 124556
-
First Edition of A Way Of Seeing; Inscribed by Margaret Mead and Rhoda Metraux
MEAD, Margaret and Rhoda Metraux.
A Way Of Seeing.
New York: The McCall Publishing Company, 1970.
First edition of this work by these two legendary anthropologists. Quarto, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by both authors in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "For Lola and Ted affectionately- Rhoda and Margaret Mead February 1970." The recipient was an assistant to Margaret Mead. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Tere LoPrete.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 122386
-
"Long before the emergence of Hitler I made the cause of Zionism mine because through it I saw a means of correcting a flagrant wrong": Rare first edition of Albert Einstein's About Zionism
EINSTEIN, Albert. Introduction by Leon Simon.
About Zionism: Speeches and Letters by Professor Albert Einstein.
London: The Soncino Press, 1930.
First British edition (which precedes the American edition by one year) of this volume of Einstein's speeches and letters concerning his views on Zionism. Octavo, original cloth. Very good in the scarce original dust jacket which is lacking the spine.
Price: $1,150.00 Item Number: 126038
-
Etching of Albert Einstein by Hermann Struck; Signed by Both Struck and Einstein
EINSTEIN, Albert; Hermann Struck.
Albert Einstein Signed Etching.
1923.
Etch bust of Albert Einstein done by well-known artist Hermann Struck. Signed by both Einstein and Struck, numbered 49/150. In fine condition. Double matted and framed, the entire piece measures 12.25 inches by 15 inches. An exceptional piece.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 95890
-
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
-
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
-
Original Photograph signed by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Albert Schweitzer
SCHWEITZER, Albert.
Albert Schweitzer Autograph Signed Photograph.
Large photograph of Albert Schweitzer in Lambarene purchasing supplies for the hospital, signed and inscribed by him. The entire piece measures 13 inches by 11 inches. One of the largest signed photographs we have seen or handled.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 117846
-
Large Lithograph of Nobel Peace Prize-Winner Albert Schweitzer; Signed by Him and Artist William Sharp
SCHWEITZER, Albert; Artist William Sharp.
Albert Schweitzer Signed Lithograph.
Signed by the artist William Sharp in pencil. Inscribed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer, "A Mr John Zuber avec mes bonnes pensees Albert Schweitzer. Lambarene 13. Juin 1960." The translation reads, "To Mr John Zuber with my good wishes Albert Schweitzer Lambarene 13th June 1960." Schweitzer received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy of “Reverence for Life”, expressed in many ways, but most famously in founding and sustaining the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, now in Gabon, west central Africa. The lithograph measures 14.5 inches by 11.5 inches. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures…
Price: $3,800.00 Item Number: 41060
-
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. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional example.
Price: $55,000.00 Item Number: 143075
-
First Edition of All Things Bright and Beautiful; Inscribed by James Herriot
HERRIOT, James.
All Things Bright and Beautiful.
London`: Michael Joseph, 1976.
First edition of this classic, the sequel to All Creatures Great and Small. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "To Bob and Nancy with best wishes and thanks James Herriot." Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Camera Press.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 144243
-
First edition, first state of David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals
HUME, David.
An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals.
London: Printed for A. Millar, 1751.
First edition, first state of what Hume, himself, considered his masterpiece with leaf L3 uncancelled and with the catchword "than" on recto. Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf with five raised bands to the spine, burgundy morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt-turn ins. Half-title, errata, and advertisements at rear. In very good condition. Ownership signature. Housed in a custom folding chemise slipcase. Exceptionally clean internally, most rare and desirable bound in a contemporary binding.
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 129419
-
First Edition of An Essay on Civil Government: In Two Parts
An Essay on Civil Government In Two Parts: Part I: An Enquiry into the Ends of Government, and the Means of Attaining Them. Part II: On the Government and Commerce of England; with Reflections on Liberty, and the Method of Preserving the present Constitution.
London: Printed for R. Willock, At Sir Isaac Newton's Head, 1743.
First edition of this bold attack on the Whig administration of Robert Walpole. Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf with gilt tooling to the spine, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, all edges speckled red, rebacked. In very good condition. Armorial and contemporary bookplates to the pastedown. Exceedingly rare.
Price: $4,500.00 Item Number: 90461
-
"Reader if thou wilt do the fame, thy profit will be as great as mine": Exceptionally rare printing of Benjamin Franklin's An Old Man's Experience, or Poor Richard's Maxims Improved
SAUNDERS, Richard [Benjamin Franklin].
An Old Man’s Experience, or Poor Richard’s Maxims Improved.
: , .
Rare printing of Benjamin Franklin's An Old Man's Experience, or Poor Richard's Maxims Improved, published under the pseudonym Richard Saunders in full, "An Old Man's Experience, or, Poor Richard's Maxims Improved. Reader, if you buy this Book, and seriously consider its contents, though it cost thee but a Trifle, it may save thee Many Pounds." Small octavo, original wrappers as issued. No publisher or date listed. In very good condition with tape repair to the spine and rear panel. Exceptionally rare, no other copies matching this title and pagination have come to auction.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 96182
-
“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
-
“Anarchism stands for the liberation of the human mind from the dominion of religion and liberation of the human body from the coercion of property": Emma Goldman's Anarchism and Other Essays; Signed by Her
GOLDMAN, Emma.
Anarchism and Other Essays.
New York: Mother Earth Publishing Association, 1911.
Second revised edition of Goldman's most important collection of essays. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Goldman. Boldly signed by Emma Goldman on the front free endpaper. In very good condition. With biographical sketch by Hippolyte Havel. Books signed by Goldman are rare.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 144296
-
Rare early 16th century Venetian printing of ARISTOTLE'S INFLUENTIAL WORK ON ZOOLOGY: THE HISTORY OF ANIMALS
ARISTOTLE,.
Aristoteles de Animalibus.
Venetiis: Octaviani Scoticiuis, 1525.
Rare early 16th century Venetian printing of Aristotle's pioneering work on zoology which had a powerful influence on zoology for over two thousand years. Folio, bound in full vellum, illustrated with woodcut initials. In very good condition. Deaccessioned from the Harvard College Library with their stamps and bookplate.
Price: $4,000.00 Item Number: 133419
-
Rare 16th century French printing of Aristotle's influential work of zoology: The History of Animals
ARISTOTLE. TRANSLATED BY THEODORO GAZA,.
Aristotelis De Historia Animalium Libri. IX. [Bound with] De Partibus Animalium, & Earu Causis, Libri IIII; De Generatione Animalium Libri V; Hoc Volumine Continentur.
Parisiis: Ex officina Prigentii Caluarini ad Geminas Cyppas in Clauso Brunello, 1542.
Rare 16th century French printing of Aristotle's pioneering work on zoology which had a powerful influence on zoology for over two thousand years. Octavo, bound in full polished calf, engraved title pages. Rebacked. In very good condition.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 133014
-
FIRST SCALIGERO EDITION OF ARISTOTLE'S INFLUENTIAL WORK OF ZOOLOGY: THE HISTORY OF ANIMALS
ARISTOTLE. TRANSLATED BY JULIUS CAESAR SCALIGER,.
Aristotelis Historia de Animalibus, Ivlio Caesare Scaligero Interprete, cum Ejusdem Commentariis.
Tolosae [Toulouse]: Apud Dominicum & Petrum Bosc, 1619.
First Scaliger edition of Aristotle’s pioneering work on zoology which had a powerful influence on zoology for over two thousand years. Folio, bound in full contemporary vellum-covered boards, engraved vignette title page, in-text woodcut illustrations, and numerous woodcut initials throughout. Julius Caesar Scaliger was an Italian scholar and physician, who spent a major part of his career in France. He employed the techniques and discoveries of Renaissance humanism to defend Aristotelianism against the New Learning. In spite of his contentious disposition, his contemporary reputation was high. Jacques Auguste de Thou claimed that none of the ancients could be placed above him…
Price: $3,500.00 Item Number: 133054
-
First Edition of Attention and Effort; Inscribed by Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Daniel Kahneman
KAHNEMAN, Daniel.
Attention and Effort.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1973.
First edition of this influential work, which claimed that attention can be identified with effort, cemented the association as a research paradigm in the cognitive sciences. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on title page, "For William D. Kahneman." Near fine in a very good dust jacket, name to the front free endpaper. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $5,500.00 Item Number: 140270
-
“The deeper the Self-realization of a man, the more he influences the whole universe by his subtle spiritual vibrations, and the less he himself is affected by the phenomenal flux": First Edition of Autobiography of A Yogi; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
YOGANANDA, Paramhansa.
Autobiography of a Yogi.
New York: The Philosophical Library, 1946.
First edition of one of the most important spiritual books of the twentieth century, Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. Very good in a very good dust jacket. Preface by Walter Evans-Wentz. Uncommon in the original dust jacket.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 130643
-
“The deeper the Self-realization of a man, the more he influences the whole universe by his subtle spiritual vibrations, and the less he himself is affected by the phenomenal flux": Autobiography of A Yogi
YOGANANDA, Paramhansa.
Autobiography of a Yogi.
New York: The Philosophical Library, 2005.
Reprint of one of the most important spiritual books of the twentieth century, Octavo, original wrappers. In near fine condition.
Price: $75.00 Item Number: 135452
-
“The deeper the Self-realization of a man, the more he influences the whole universe by his subtle spiritual vibrations, and the less he himself is affected by the phenomenal flux": First Edition of Autobiography of A Yogi; Inscribed by Yogananda Paramhansa
YOGANANDA, Paramhansa.
Autobiography of a Yogi.
New York: The Philosophical Library, 1946.
First edition of one of the most important spiritual books of the twentieth century, Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. Signed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "With blessings Paramhansa Yogananda Dec 10, 46. LA." Preface by Walter Evans-Wentz. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Exceptionally rare signed and in the original dust jacket.
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 144018
-
First Edition of the 50th Anniversary Edition of John Stott's Basic Christianity; Inscribed by Him
STOTT, John R.W.
Basic Christianity.
Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2008.
First edition of the 50th Anniversary edition of the Stott's classic work, originally published in 1958. Octavo, original black boards. Inscribed by the author on the title page, "For ____ with best wishes from John Stott." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Books signed by John Stott are uncommon.
Price: $650.00 Item Number: 2246
-
First Edition of Burton Richter's Beyond Smoke and Mirrors; Inscribed by Him
RICHTER, Burton.
Beyond Smoke and Mirrors.
New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
First edition of this insightful overview of climate change science by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Burton Richter. Octavo, original glossy boards. Inscribed by Burton Richter on the front free endpaper. In near fine condition, without the dust jacket as issued.
Price: $275.00 Item Number: 34014
-
Rare first edition of Christian Martyrdom in Russia
TOLSTOY, Leo. Vladimir Tchertkoff.
Christian Martyrdom in Russia: Persecution of the Spirit-Wrestlers (or Doukhobortsi) in the Caucus.
London: The Brotherhood Publishing Co, 1897.
First edition of Tchertkoff's work on the persecution of the Doukhobors. Octavo, original wrappers. In good condition.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 135138
-
First edition, first issue of Mark Twain's Christian Science
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
Christian Science.
New York and London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1907.
First edition, first issue of Clemens' collected essays on Christian Science with frontispiece dated 1906, preliminaries with 17 titles on list of "Uniform Editions" on the copyright page, and the list of illustrations on page (iii) set in six lines (including the heading). BAL 3497. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated, tissue-guarded frontispiece. From the library of William Safire with his bookplate to the pastedown. William Safire was an important American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter and a close friend of the then Librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin. Safire joined Nixon’s campaign for the 1960 Presidential race, and again in 1968.…
Price: $125.00 Item Number: 132377