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“Man selects only for his own good: Nature only for that of the being which she tends": First Edition of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species
DARWIN, Charles.
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.
London: John Murray, 1859.
First edition of “certainly the most important biological book ever written” (Freeman), one of 1250 copies. Octavo, bound in original cloth, half-title, one folding lithographed diagram, without advertisements. In fine condition with a touch of shelfwear. Housed in a custom clamshell box. An exceptional example of this landmark work, one of the nicest extant.
Price: $400,000.00 Item Number: 116380
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FIRST EDITION OF ANDREAS VESALIUS'S MAGNUM OPUS, THE MOST MONUMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THE HISTORY OF MEDICAL EDUCATION AND "ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SCIENTIFIC BOOKS EVER PRINTED": DE HUMANI CORPORIS FABRICA LIBRI SEPTUM; ON THE FABRIC OF THE HUMAN BODY IN SEVEN BOOKS
VESALIUS, Andreas.
De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem [On the Fabric of the Human Body in Seven Books].
Basel: Ex Officina Joannis Oporini, 1543.
First edition of the most important and influential book in the study of human anatomy and “one of the most beautiful scientific books ever printed”(Grolier). Folio, bound in full 18th century calf, woodcut title page with Vesalius performing a dissection, woodcut portrait of the author, over 200 woodcut anatomical illustrations, including 21 full page and 2 folding-sheet figural woodcuts of the skeletal, muscular, vascular and nervous systems. In very good condition with some light dampstaining to some page edges. Rare and desirable, especially in contemporary calf. A splendid example of Vesalius’ masterpiece, one of the most monumental achievements in the history of both medical education and printing.
Price: $300,000.00 Item Number: 30020
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Rare Isaac Newton Manuscript highlighting his controversial theological views, which were kept hidden for hundreds of years
NEWTON, Isaac.
Isaac Newton Original Manuscript.
Rare full page folio autograph manuscript entirely in the hand of Isaac Newton, father of physics and modern science and author of important texts such as the Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Opticks, and many more. One folio page with Newton’s handwriting and emendations on both the recto and verso. While Newton is mostly known for his scientific and mathematical pursuits and is considered to be one of the most influential scientists of all time, his controversial theological views, which were kept hidden for centuries, were as brilliant as his science and an extension of his search for truth. Many believe theology was actually his first love, as he wrote more about religion than he did about science. Of Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, he stated, “When I wrote my treatise about our Systeme I had an eye upon such Principles as might work with considering men for the beliefe of a Deity and nothing can rejoyce me more than to find it useful for that purpose”. He wrote in the Principa, “This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent Being. . . . This Being governs all things, not as the soul of the world, but as Lord over all. . . . The Supreme God is a Being eternal, infinite, absolutely perfect.” While he believed in a supreme God, early in his career at Trinity College, his theological research of original texts led him to believe that authentic Christianity had been corrupted by the early church fathers and that the brand of religion that was now accepted as orthodox by the Roman Catholic Church, and to some extent by the Church of England, was not completely true. He discovered that the final phrases of 1 John 5:7 ‘and these three are one’ was not present in any Greek version that he studied and came to the conclusion that it was a deliberate addition to the text to provide justification for the doctrine of the Trinity. He concluded that the orthodox notion of the Trinity was a fictional story that was invented in the early fourth century. This document is very important, as its contents deal with these controversial issues. Written in English and some Latin, he writes concerning an Epistle of Emperor Constantine regarding the Arian debate and the Council of Nicea, which laid out the famous doctrinal statement, the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed was adopted to resolve the Arian controversy. The Arian leader, Arius, a clergyman of Alexandria, “objected to Alexander’s (the bishop of the time) apparent carelessness in blurring the distinction of nature between the Father and the Son by his emphasis on eternal generation”. In reply, Alexander accused Arius of denying the divinity of the Son and also of being too “Jewish” and “Greek” in his thought. Alexander and his supporters created the Nicene Creed to clarify the key tenets of the Christian faith in response to the widespread adoption of Arius’ doctrine, which was henceforth marked as heresy. Because of these views, Newton’s theological writings, were marked “Not fit to be printed”. They were placed in storage and were not made available to the public until the economist John Maynard Keynes and Jewish scholar and businessman, Abraham Yahuda, acquired many of them in 1936. There are very few of these original writings left in private hands, as the majority of the manuscripts are in the permanent collections of the Cambridge University Library, Kings College Library (a gift of John Maynard Keynes), Jewish National and University Library (now National Library of Israel), the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, the Foundation Martin Bodmer in Geneva, and the Grace K. Babson collection now housed in the Huntington Library in California. Matted and framed with both the recto and verso visible. The manuscript measures 11.75 inches by 7.5 inches. The entire piece measures 23.5 inches by 19.5 inches. A scarce piece of history; essential to the collector interested in both Newton’s scientific and theological endeavors.
Price: $150,000.00 Item Number: 119750
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First edition of Alhazen's fundamental Book of Optics
ALHAZEN (HASAN IBN AL-HAYTHAM),.
Opticae Thesaurus Alhazeni Arabis. [Alhazen’s Book of Optics].
Basel: Eusebius Episcopius , 1572.
First edition of Alhazen’s fundamental work on optics and vision, which influenced Galileo and Kepler and paved the way for the modern science of physical optics. Folio, bound in full contemporary Basel vellum with central arabesques blind-stamped to the front and rear panels, titles stamped in black and five raised bands to the spine, woodcut printer’s device to the title page, woodcut initials, diagrams and full page illustration to the verso of the title page. Translated from Arabic into Latin by Gerard of Cremona. In very good condition. From the library of American physician Chester Tilton Stone with his bookplate to the pastedown. A superior example of this significant work, rare and desirable in contemporary vellum.
Price: $142,000.00 Item Number: 90395
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"With love, Stephen": Extraordinarily rare presentation copy of Stephen Hawking's The Occurrences of Singularities in Cosmology; warmly inscribed by him
HAWKING, Stephen.
The Occurrences of Singularities in Cosmology.
Extraordinarily rare presentation copy of one of Hawking’s most important papers, one of a very small number of his works that he signed before his worsening motor neuron disease made it impossible for him to sign. Octavo, four pages, signed by Stephen Hawking in the upper left corner, “With love, Stephen.” The occurrence of singularities in cosmology was the second paper Hawking published on the occurrences of singularities, or black holes, following the submission of his PhD thesis, Properties of Expanding Universes, in which he examined the implications and consequences of the expansion of the universe. In the final chapter of his thesis, Hawking concluded, “It is shown that a singularity is inevitable provided that certain very general conditions are satisfied.” This conclusion established the trajectory of his future work, as well as his style of combining popularizing flair with a willingness to challenge received wisdom. Hawking published the present paper in 1966 during his research fellowship at Gonville and Caius in addition to his extended essay Singularities and the geometry of space-time which would win the Adams Prize, one of the University of Cambridge’s most prestigious awards, and contained his assessment: “Undoubtedly, the most important results are the theorems in Chapter 5 on the occurrence of singularities. These seem to imply either that the General Theory of Relativity breaks down or that there could be particles whose histories did not exist before (or after) a certain time. The author’s own opinion is that the theory probably does break down but only when quantum gravitational effects become important.” In very good condition with light staining to the lower portion of the paper. From the personal collection of Stephen Hawking.
Price: $95,000.00 Item Number: 119730
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First Octavo Edition of the The Birds of America from Drawings Made in the United States and Their Territories; In the Rare Original Publisher's Morocco
AUDUBON, John James.
The Birds of America from Drawings Made in the United States and Their Territories.
New York: Published by J.J. Audubon, 1840.
First octavo edition of this landmark work. Octavo, bound in original publisher’s morocco, 7 volumes, gilt titles and ruling to the spine, marbled endpapers, complete with 500 hand-colored lithographed plates by J.T. Bowen after J.J. Audubon; woodcuts in the text. From the library of Boston businessman and Ambassador T. Jefferson Coolidge, with his bookplate to the front pastedown. Coolidge was born to a prominent Boston Brahmin family and was a great-grandson of the 3rd United States President Thomas Jefferson, through his maternal grandparents, Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. and Martha Jefferson Randolph. His uncles were Thomas Jefferson Randolph, George Wythe Randolph, Andrew Jackson Donelson, and a relative of Calvin Coolidge. He was an uncle to Archibald Cary Coolidge through his older brother, Joseph Randolph Coolidge. He was appointed by President Benjamin Harrison as United States Ambassador to France on May 12, 1892, a role his great-grandfather had held from May 1785 to September 1789. Coolidge presented his credentials on June 10, 1892 and he presented his recall on May 4, 1893, terminating his mission. In 1898 and 1899, he was a member of the American delegation to the commission to resolve the Alaska boundary dispute. Historian Ernest May says Coolidge was, “a prototype member of what today we call the foreign policy establishment.” In 1898, Coolidge donated a collection of Thomas Jefferson’s personal papers to the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston. The collection contained more than 8,000 items: Correspondence, including 3,280 letters that Jefferson had written and 4,630 letters that he had received; Jefferson’s garden book (1766-1824) and farm book (1774-1824); annotated almanacs from 1771-1776; account books for 1783-1790; manuscript expense accounts from 1804-1825; notes on the weather spanning the years 1782-1826; plans of American forts in 1765; law treatises, 1778-1788; legal papers, 1770-1772; and Jefferson’s 1783 catalog of his personal library. In near fine condition. An exceptional set with noted provenance, rare in the original publisher’s morocco.
Price: $75,000.00 Item Number: 111832
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“AMERICA’S FIRST GREAT SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION”: 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… 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 contemporary half calf over marbled boards, morocco spine label. Advertisement & errata leaf inserted following preface. Illustrated with 7 copper-engraved plates, 2 of which are folding. In very good condition. First editions are rare, exceptionally so in a contemporary binding.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 116750
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Rare First Edition of Mathematical Collections and Translations, which includes the first translation in English of Galileo's System of the World" (Dialogo)
GALILEI, Galileo; Salusbury.
Mathematical Collections and Translations.
London: William Leybourn, 1661.
First edition of Thomas Salusbury’s Mathematical Collections and Translations. Salusbury compiled and translated important writings by Archimedes, Descartes, Galileo, Kepler, Tartaglia, Torricelli into English for the first time, greatly influencing the English-speaking world. This volume contains the first English translation of Galileo’s 1632 The Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo). Also included is Galileo’s 1615 letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, published in 1636 as Nov-antiqua sanctissimorum patrum et probatorum theologorum doctrina, which asserted the independence of science from religious authority. This short but important Epistle to the Grand Dutchesse Mother concerning the Authority of Holy Scripture in Philosophical Controversies (known today as the Letter to Christina), was only the second work of Galileo’s to be published in England. It preceded the Latin edition, published in London by Thomas Dicas, by two years and remained the only vernacular translation for two centuries. Apart from the two works by Galileo, Salusbury included other translations from Italian and Latin in this volume of his Collections, such as Johannes Kepler’s and Didacus a Stunica’s “Reconcilings of Scripture Texts,” and Foscarinus’ Epistle to Father Fantonus reconciling the Authority of Scripture. Folio, bound in full calf, with 4 engraved plates. Lacking the half-title, contents leaf, fly-title to The System of the World, and the errata leaf found at the end of the first part in some copies. 2 parts in one volume. In very good condition with the contents showing some light browning in the upper margins. First editions are exceptionally rare.
Price: $38,000.00 Item Number: 73025
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"The first atlas of the new world": First complete edition in Italian of Ptolemy's La Geographia, the earliest and most comprehensive small-format world atlas published
PTOLEMY, Claudius.
Le Geographia di Claudio Ptolemeo Alessandrino, Con alcuni comenti & aggiunte fattevi da Sebastiano munstero, Con le tavole non solamente antiche & moderne solite di staparsi.
Venice: G. B. Pedrezano, 1547.
First complete edition in Italian of Ptolemy’s “first atlas of the new world” (Nordenskiöld) and the most detailed and comprehensive world atlas published prior to Ortelius’s Theatrum in 1570. Small octavo, bound in full vellum with gilt morocco spine label, all edges speckled red, woodcut border to the title page, woodcut initials and illustrations throughout the text including a portrait of an astronomer and 60 double-page engraved maps designed by Giacomo Gastaldi. The majority of the 34 maps of the modern world are entirely new first appearances, including 7 maps of the Americas. Among the maps of the Americas is the Nueva Hispania tabula nova which shows the Mississippi and Florida area and is the first separate printed map of the region. Also included is the landmark Tierra Nueva map of the North American coast from Florida to Labrador. In fine condition. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell box. An exceptional example of this landmark work.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 95367
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"Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these": Exquisite first edition large paper set of Loddiges' Botanical Cabinet; containing 2000 numbered hand-colored botanical plates by George Cooke
LODDIGES, George. Plates by George Cook.
The Botanical Cabinet Consisting of Coloured Delineations of Plants, from all Countries.
London: John & Arthur Arch; Hackney: Conrad Loddiges & Sons, et al, 1818–1833.
Rare first edition, large paper issue set of Loddiges’ renowned Botanical Cabinet with 2000 numbered hand-colored plates by George Cooke. Octavos, 20 volumes bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, red morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, all edges marbled. Illustrated with 2000 numbered hand-colored botanical plates by George Cooke. In near fine condition. Armorial bookplates. An exceptional collection, most rare and desirable in a complete set.
Price: $32,500.00 Item Number: 109061
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"Science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be, and outside of its domain value, elly judgments of all kinds remain necessary": First Edition of Albert Einstein’s The Evolution of Physics; Inscribed by Him to Dr. Leonard Rowntree
EINSTEIN, Albert & Infeld.
The Evolution of Physics: The Growth of Ideas from Early Concepts to Relativity and Quanta.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1938.
First edition of this classic work, which traces the development of ideas in physics. Octavo, original blue cloth. Association copy, inscribed by Albert Einstein on the front free endpaper, “To Dr. Rowntree with kindest regards A. Einstein 1941.” The recipient, Dr. Leonard Rowntree is most well known for pioneering kidney research including the Rowntree test for kidney function; dialysis; the intravenous pyelogram and plasmapheresis. He joined Dr. John J. Abel at Johns Hopkins University in 1907, and in 1912 they developed the first artificial kidney, in the form of the dialysis machine. Rowntree would later move to the Mayo Clinic and is widely credited with creating the research tradition there. In 1946, President Harry Truman awarded Rowntree the Medal for Merit for his work as chief of the medical division of the Selective Service System from 1940 to 1945. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket. An exceptional association.
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 116740
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"The Greatest Story Ever Told": First Edition of The Double Helix; Signed by James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins
WATSON, James D.; (Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins).
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA.
New York: Atheneum, 1968.
First edition of Watson’s ground breaking work regarding the discovery of DNA for which the author, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962. Signed by all three laureates on the title page, James D. Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins. Octavo, original blue cloth, with numerous diagrams and photographic illustrations. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Jeanyee Wong. Foreword by Sir Lawrence Bragg. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. We have never seen another example signed by all three contributors; exceptionally rare.
Price: $28,500.00 Item Number: 96790
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Rare 1617 Edition of Vesalius's Epitome containing 39 full-page anatomically illustrated plates
VESALIUS, Andreas. (Thomas Geminus).
Anatomia in Quat Tota Humani Corporis Fabrica. (Anatomy in Total of the Fabric of the Human Body).
Amsterdam: Joannes Janssonius, 1617.
Rare edition of the Epitome of Vesalius, first published in 1543 as an abbreviated dissection room manual to accompany his masterpiece De Humani Corporis Fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body). Folio, bound in full contemporary calf, gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, red spine label, raised tooled bands, marbled endpapers, engraved pictorial title page. Engraved portrait of Vesalius, engraved folding plate of Adam and Eve after that in the epitome before the main text. Containing 39 full-page anatomically illustrated plates, woodcut headpieces and initials. In near fine condition. Captions in both Latin and German, having been otherwise taken directly from Thomas Geminus’ first copy of 1545, Compendiosa Toitus Anatomie Delineato Aere Exarata. German text taken from Baumann’s German edition of 1551 (Keynes, 171; Krivatsy, 12321; Waller, 9919).
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 74638
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Scarce Presentation copy of the Symposium on The Dynamics of Crystal Lattices; inscribed by Sir Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman to Raja Shamraj Rajwant Bahadur who assembled India’s greatest library
RAMAN, Sir Chandrashekhara Venkata.
Symposium on The Dynamics of Crystal Lattices.
Bangalore: Reprinted from Proceedings of The Indian Academy of Sciences, 1943.
Rare compendium of papers by Sir Chandrashekhara Raman, winner of the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics. Quarto, bound in full leatherette with titles lettered in gilt, illustrated with charts and photographs. Presentation copy, inscribed by Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman to Raja Shamraj Rajwant Bahadur, “To Raja Shamraj Rajwant Bahadur with the highest regards of C.V. Raman 3.5.1946.” The recipient, Indian nobleman Raja Shamraj Rajwant Bahadur assembled India’s greatest library, famed for its diverse collection of rare antiquarian manuscripts and important books. With the Raja’s ownership signature and inscription which notes that the book was received from Sir C.V. Raman by registered book post on 6.5.1946, but Sir Raman paid a personal visit in 4-4-46 from 3:30pm- 5:30pm. In very good condition. Laid in is a collection of clippings related to The Raman Research Institute and a Brief Biographical Sketch produced by The Bangalore Press. Scarce with only one other book signed by Raman recorded.
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 108563
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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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"For Francis, the first of us to think sensibly as to what the Central Dogma tells us about the origin of life, from Jim, upon the 35th anniversary of the Double Helix": First Edition of Evolution of Catalytic Function: Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology; inscribed by James D. Watson to Francis Crick
WATSON, James D. (Francis Crick).
Evolution of Catalytic Function: Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology.
Cold Spring, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1987.
First edition of the collected speeches of the 52nd Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology. Foreword by James D. Watson. Quarto, original red cloth, illustrated with photographs, diagrams. Association copy, inscribed by James Watson to Francis Crick on the front free endpaper, “For Francis, the first of us to think sensibly as to what the Central Dogma tells us about the origin of life, from Jim, upon the 35th anniversary of the Double Helix. April 10, 1988.” Also signed by Francis Crick. A unique piece of history between arguably the two most influential scientists of the twentieth century, co-discoverers of the structure of DNA. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom slipcase. An exceptional association linking the discoverers of the molecular structure of DNA.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 41053
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Early Printings of The Feynman Lectures On Physics; inscribed by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman to Alfred Paul Seckel
FEYNMAN, Richard P.; Robert P. Leighton; Matthew Sands.
The Feynman Lectures On Physics.
Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company for California Institute of Technology, 1975-76.
Early printings of each volume of one of the greatest physics books ever written. Quarto, original red printed wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in the volume one, “May 5, 1982, To my friend, Al Seckel.” The recipient, Alfred Paul Seckel, authored several books on the nature of illusion and perception and edited two of Bertrand Russell’s works. An active figure in the Freethought movement, Seckel co-designed the “Darwin fish” logo in response to the proliferation of “Jesus fish” logos used on bumper stickers and t-shirts. Each volume is in very good condition. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell box. Exceptionally rare and desirable, only a handful or inscribed copies of Feynman’s Lectures On Physics are known to exist.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 95373
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Rare Carl Sagan Archive including twenty notes and letters signed by him; from the collection of Sagan's Executive Assistant Shirley Arden
SAGAN, Carl. [Shirley Arden].
Carl Sagan Archive.
c. 1974-1985.
Extensive archive of papers, letters, notes, magazines, articles, press kits and portfolios containing the work of Carl Sagan, including twenty letters and notes signed by him and some additionally by his wife Ann Druyan. From the collection of Sagan’s Executive Assistant, Shirley Arden, who was instrumental in Sagan’s success and handled all travel arrangements and publications in his most illustrious years which saw the Viking landings on Mars, the Cosmos television series, and the Voyager mission. Sagan’s biographer, Keay Davidson, used many of the documents in Arden’s archive as sources for his 1999 biography: Carl Sagan: A Life. Ann and Carl dedicated their book Comet (1995) to Arden, and she acted as the matron of honor in their wedding. In fine condition. An exceptional collection offering unprecedented insight into one of the most incredible periods of modern astronomy and its leading voice.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 115521
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"The first surgical work by an American and printed in North America": John Jones' Plain Concise Practical Remarks, on the Treatment of Wounds and Fractures
JONES, John.
Plain Concise Practical Remarks, on the Treatment of Wounds and Fractures.
Philadelphia: Robert Bell, 1776.
Exceptionally rare edition of the first surgical work by an American and printed in North America. Octavo, bound in nineteenth century three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, frontispiece. Jones’ work was the accepted guide to surgical practice during the American Revolutionary War” G&M 2155; Austin 1843; Evans 15100 and 14814; Sabin 94063 and 36524. In near fine condition.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 91322
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Rare First Edition of Cerf and Kahn's A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication; Signed twice by Each
CERF, Vinton G. and Robert E. Kahn .
A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication.
New York: IEEE, 1974.
First edition of this landmark paper. IEEE Transactions and Communications, Volume Com-22, Number 5, May 1974, pages 589–733. Quarto, original wrappers. Signed by both Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn on the front panel and also at their contribution in the article. In near fine condition with some light touch up to the front panel, rebacked. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Rare, especially signed.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 26035
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"All my time is now taken up with very pressing work and I can only hope for a more favourable opportunity": Exceptionally rare autograph note signed by Nikola Tesla
TESLA, Nikola.
Nikola Tesla Autograph Note Signed.
1904.
Rare autograph note signed by and entirely in the hand of brilliant inventor, Nikola Tesla. On Waldorf Astoria letterhead, the letter is dated December 2, 1904 and reads in full, “Dear Mrs. Dodge, Please accept my thanks for your kind thought. I’m very sorry to miss the pleasure yesterday. All my time is now taken up with very pressing work and I can only hope for a more favourable opportunity. Yours sincerely, N. Tesla.” From 1900 to 1922, Tesla resided at the Waldorf Astoria and made the rounds of New York looking for investors for what he thought would be a viable system of wireless transmission using electrical energy, wining and dining them at the hotel’s famed Palm Garden, Players Club and Delmonicos. In March of 1901, he was successful in obtaining $150,000 from J.P Morgan in return for a 51% share of any generated wireless patents and so began the race between Tesla and rival Guglielmo Marconi to develop the first wireless transmitter, a race Tesla would lose in December of that same year when Marconi successfully transmitted the letter ‘S’ from England to Newfoundland using a radio-based system. In fine condition. Exceptionally rare and desirable.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 114948
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First Edition of Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman; Signed by Richard Feynman
FEYNMAN, Richard P.
“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” Adventures of a Curious Character.
New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1985.
First edition of this collection of reminiscences by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and one of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century. Octavo, original half cloth. Signed by Richard Feynman on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Jacket design by Mike McIver. Told to Ralph Leighton. Edited by Edward Hutchings. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed first editions are exceptionally rare and desirable.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 90244
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“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration”: Rare Nikola Tesla Autographed Letter Signed
TESLA, Nikola.
Nikola Tesla Autographed Letter Signed.
Autographed letter signed by brilliant inventor, Nikola Tesla. The letter reads, “New York, July 30th, 1898. #46 & 48 E. Houston Str. Snowden Ward, Esq., Editor of the Photogram, 6 Faringdon Ave., London, Engl. Dear Sir:- I have your favor of July 23rd, and regret not to be able to oblige you in the matter at present. It will give me pleasure to comply with your request at the next favorable opportunity. Believe me to be, Yours very truly, N. Tesla.” The recipient, Snowden Ward was an English photographer and author, who produced several periodicals and technical handbooks on photography in collaboration with his wife, accomplished American photographer Catharine Weed Barnes. A photograph of Nikola Tesla’s hand was featured as the frontispiece to the August 1898 volume of The Photogram, annotated “The hand of Nikola Tesla, taken by his wonderful artificial daylight, just perfected. This is the first photograph made by the light of the future.” The following issue in September revisited the subject with an lengthy interview with Tesla in which he explained his experimentation with phosphorescent vacuum tube lights and photographic exposures in great detail. This correspondence was likely in regards to Tesla supplying this interview. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 18 inches by 22.5 inches. Letters signed by Tesla are rare.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 65015
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Rare First edition in English of Sir Isaac Newton's Two Treatises of the Quadrature of Curves and Analysis by Equations of an Infinite Number of Terms
NEWTON, Sir Isaac. Translated by John Stewart.
Sir Isaac Newton’s Two Treatises of the Quadrature of Curves, and Analysis by Equations of an Infinite Number of Terms, Explained.
London: Printed by James Bettenham for the Society for the Encouragement of Learning, 1745.
First edition in English of the mathematical appendixes to Newton‘s fundamental 1704 Opticks, one of the greatest works of science ever published. Translated from the Latin by James Bettenham, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Aberdeen. Quarto, bound in contemporary calf, gilt titles to the spine, burgundy morocco spine label, rebacked, woodcut diagrams throughout the text, engraved tailpiece. In very good condition with some light wear and browning to the text, with wide margined text. Exceptionally rare and desirable, first editions are scarce with only four appearing at auction in the last 90 years.
Price: $17,500.00 Item Number: 95840
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“It is a curious fate to be objectified alive. Think with humor while reading": First Edition of Anton Reiser's Albert Einstein: A Biographical Portrait; Inscribed by Albert Einstein with an original poem
REISER, Anton. [Albert Einstein].
Albert Einstein: A Biographical Portrait.
New York: Albert & Charles Boni, 1930.
First edition of this Einstein biography written by Rudolf Kayser, a German literary historian and husband to Albert Einstein’s stepdaughter Ilse under the pseudonym Anton Reiser. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Einstein. Inscribed by Albert Einstein with an original poem on the front free endpaper in German, which translates as, “It is a curious fate to be objectified alive. Think with humor while reading. A. Einstein.” From the library of Alexandre and Catherine Barjansky with her ownership signature to the verso of the front panel and notation below Einstein’s inscription, “S.S. ‘Belgenland,’ New-York, 14/XII/30.” Russian sculptress Catherine Barjansky, her celebrated cellist husband, and Einstein were all close friends of King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. Barjansky described her experiences creating the now famed and very intimate sculptural portraits of Elizabeth and Albert in her 1947 joint memoir with her husband Portraits with Backgrounds. Catherine had an international career, living at times in Rome, Berlin, New York, Vienna, Paris, and Brussels. Einstein was in New York at the time he inscribed the present volume, having arrived aboard the Belgenland three days earlier. Einstein travelled aboard the Belgenland several times. He was on the ship in March 1933, intending to return home to Germany, when he learned the alarming news that the Nazis had ransacked his summer cottage in Caputh. He soon decided it was too dangerous to return to Germany and when the ship docked in Antwerp, Belgium, he immediately reported to the German consulate in Brussels, where he turned in his German passport and renounced his citizenship. Einstein returned to America in October, beginning a new life as a member of the faculty of Princeton University’s Institute for Advanced Study. In near fine condition. A complex and desirable association.
Price: $17,500.00 Item Number: 90431
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First Edition of The Nobel Lectures in Medicine 1942-1962; Signed by Francis Crick, James D. Watson and Maurice Wilkins
WATSON, James D; Francis Crick; Maurice Wilkins; Arthur Kornberg.
Nobel Lectures: Physiology or Medicine 1942-1962.
Amsterdam: Elsevier Publishing Company, 1964.
First edition of this collection of Nobel Lectures in physiology or medicine from the years 1942-1962. Thick Octavo, original yellow cloth. Signed by all three Nobel Prize-winning scientists Francis Crick, James D. Watson and Maurice Wilkins on the title page. They were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962, “for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material.”Fine in a very good dust jacket with some closed tears and toning to the spine. An exceptional piece signed by these Nobel Prize-winning scientists.
Price: $16,000.00 Item Number: 95688
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First Edition of Burney's Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean
BURNEY, Capt. James.
A Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean. Illustrated with Charts.
London: Printed by Luke Hansard, 1803.
Rare first edition of “the most important general history of early South Seas discoveries, containing practically everything of importance on the subject; collected from all sources, with the most important remarks concerning them. Many of the early voyages to California would be inaccessible were they not collected herein” (Hill). Quarto, 5 volumes bound in full calf with red morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, botanical ruling stamped in blind to the front and rear panels, marbled endpapers. Containing 28 engraved maps (15 folding), 13 plates (1 folding), woodcut illustrations throughout text. In near fine condition. Perforated library stamps to the title pages. Rare and desirable, published in a format intended to complement Cook’s Voyages on the library shelf.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 117105
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"No one quality by itself makes a good man or woman; many are essential; but three especially - courage, straightforward honesty, and common sense": Rare autograph quotation book lengthily inscribed by Theodore Roosevelt as President in addition to many others including William Howard Taft, John Muir, John Burroughs, and Bernard Baruch
ROOSEVELT, Theodore; William Howard Taft; John Muir; John Burroughs; Bernard Baruch et al. [Olga Roosevelt].
Theodore Roosevelt Signed and Inscribed Autograph Quotation Book.
c. 1903.
Olga Roosevelt’s autograph book, lengthily inscribed and signed by Theodore Roosevelt as President of the United States, William Howard Taft as Vice President of the United States and several other famous figures of the era, including naturalists John Muir and John Burroughs and financier Bernard Baruch. Octavo, bound in full vellum with hand painted decorations to the spine and panels, patterned endpapers. Inscribed and signed by Theodore Roosevelt with a lengthy quotation, “No one quality by itself makes a good man or woman; many are essential; but three especially – courage, straightforward honesty, and common sense. Theodore Roosevelt July 23rd 1903.” Inscribed by William Howard Taft “For Miss Olga Roosevelt with best wishes of William H. Taft May 23 1910.” Inscribed by American naturalist John Burroughs, “The most precious things of life are without money & without price John Burroughs Sept 8, 1903.” Inscribed by the President of Cornell University and United States Ambassador to Germany Jacob Gould Schurman, “Beauty, graceful manners, good temper, common sense, and a kind heart: these are the qualities that make a woman to be beloved and powerful. J.G. Schurman East Hampton September 14th 1903.” Additionally inscribed by Alfred W.S. Garden, American diplomat Robert Underwood Johnson, American screenwriter Daniel Carson Goodman, and American naval officer Leigh Carlyle Palmer. Signed by John Muir and signed and dated by Bernard Baruch “B. Baruch Jan 20th 1920.” From the collection of Theodore Roosevelt’s niece, Olga Roosevelt. Roosevelt was the heiress to a fortune of several million dollars left her by her mother. She made her debut in Washington in 1908 and married Dr. Breckenridge Bayne in 1911. In very good condition. An exceptional collection of signatures with noted provenance.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 116342
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SIGNED LIMITED EDITION OF ALBERT EINSTEIN’S "ONE AND ONLY INTELLECTUAL BIOGRAPHY": SIGNED AND DATED BY HIM; IN THE ORIGINAL PUBLISHER'S CARDBOARD
EINSTEIN, Albert.
Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist.
Evanston: Library of Living Philosophers, 1949.
Signed limited first edition, one of 760 copies signed and dated “Albert Einstein ‘49”, this is number 499. Octavo, original brown cloth, top edge gilt, original slipcase. The book is in fine condition, the slipcase is in fine condition. Housed in the original publisher’s cardboard. An absolute pristine example, which has been stored in the original cardboard box since publication. Edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp. Frontispiece portrait of Einstein by Yousef Karsh. Rare and desirable in this condition.
Price: $14,500.00 Item Number: 35020
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First Edition of The Double Helix; Signed by Both James Watson and Francis Crick
WATSON, James D. [Francis Crick].
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA.
New York: Atheneum, 1968.
First edition of Watson’s ground breaking work regarding the discovery of DNA for which the author, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962. Signed by both James Watson and Francis Crick on the title page. Octavo, original blue cloth, with numerous diagrams and photographic illustrations. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Jeanyee Wong. Foreword by Sir Lawrence Bragg. Rare and desirable signed by both Watson and Crick.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 112545
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Etching of Albert Einstein by Erich Buttner; Signed by Both Einstein and Buttner
EINSTEIN, Albert; Erich Buttner.
Albert Einstein Signed Etching.
1917.
Rare large etching of Albert Einstein done by well-known artist Erich Buttner. Signed by both Einstein and Buttner. In fine condition. Double matted and framed, the entire piece measures 12.25 inches by 15 inches. An exceptional piece. In the 1920s he created a series of portraits of his friends and fellow artists including Lovis Corinth, George Grosz, Arno Holz and Heinrich Zille. He produced a very fine book of exlibris (bookplates) in Berlin 1921. This very rare book contains the exlibris of Albert Einstein 1917, probably Einstein’s only bookplate. The etching measures 12.5 inches by 9.5 inches. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 18.75 inches by 15.75 inches.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 112748
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First Edition of The Astronauts; Signed by All of the Mercury Seven
CAIDIN, Martin; Scott Carpenter.
The Astronauts: The Story of Project Mercury, America’s Man-In-Space Program.
New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, 1960.
First edition of this introduction to Project Mercury. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with drawings by Fred L. Wolf and photographs. Signed by all seven of NASA’s original Project Mercury astronauts on the front free endpaper, using their full signatures. Signed by Walter M Schirra Jr, Donald K. Slayton, Alan B Shepard Jr, Virgil I. Grissom, John H. Glenn, Jr., M. Scott Carpenter and Leroy G. Cooper Jr. It is inscribed above by Alan Shepard: “To Lewis S. Baer with warm regards The Astronauts.” Light rubbing, near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Books with all of the Project Mercury’s signatures are rare, especially with full signatures. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $13,500.00 Item Number: 18045
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First Edition of The Astronauts; Signed by All of the Mercury Seven and twice by Gus Grissom
CAIDIN, Martin; Scott Carpenter.
The Astronauts: The Story of Project Mercury, America’s Man-In-Space Program.
New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, 1960.
First edition of this introduction to Project Mercury. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with drawings by Fred L. Wolf and photographs. Signed by all seven of NASA’s original Project Mercury astronauts on the front free endpaper, using their full signatures. Signed by John H. Glenn, Jr., Walter M Schirra Jr, M. Scott Carpenter, Virgil I. Grissom, Donald K. Slayton, Leroy G. Cooper, and Alan B Shepard Jr. It is inscribed above: “To Pearl Salvick with best wishes from Mercury Astronauts.” Additionally signed by Virgil Grissom on the half-title page. Laid in is an original first day issue card from Cape Canaveral dated February 20, 1962. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Books with all of the Project Mercury’s signatures are rare, especially with full signatures.
Price: $12,800.00 Item Number: 95986
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First Edition of Feynman's QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter; Signed by Him
FEYNMAN, Richard P.
QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1985.
First edition of this work by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist regarding quantum electrodynamics. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by the author on the title page, “Richard P. Feynman.” Fine in a fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Preface by Ralph Leighton.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 96977
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"The Greatest Work In The History of Science": First Edition in English of Newton’s Principia
NEWTON, Isaac.
The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.
London: For W. Strahan and T. Cadell, 1777.
First edition of Thorp’s translation of Newton’s Principia, which “in many ways Robert Thorp’s revision of Motte’s translation, with lavish notes, is still one of the best texts to use for anyone who wishes to make a careful study of Newton’s Principia” (Cohen, Introduction to Newton’s Principia, Cambridge). Quarto, bound in original boards, uncut, with 22 folding engraved diagrams. In near fine condition with light toning to the text. An exceptional example, rare and desirable in the original boards.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 116468
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First Edition of The Astronauts; Signed by All of the Mercury Seven
CAIDIN, Martin; M. Scott Carpenter.
The Astronauts: The Story of Project Mercury, America’s Man-In-Space Program.
New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, 1960.
First edition of this introduction to Project Mercury. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with drawings by Fred L. Wolf and photographs. Signed by all seven of NASA’s original Project Mercury astronauts on the half-title page, using their full signatures. Signed by Walter M Schirra Jr. (signed twice), Virgil I. Grissom, M. Scott Carpenter, Donald K. Slayton, John H. Glenn, Jr., and Leroy G. Cooper Jr. and Alan B Shepard Jr. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Books with all of the Project Mercury’s signatures are rare, especially with full signatures.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 116879
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First Edition of Anton Reiser's Albert Einstein: A Biographical Portrait; Signed and dated by Albert Einstein
REISER, Anton. [Albert Einstein].
Albert Einstein: A Biographical Portrait.
New York: Albert & Charles Boni, 1930.
First edition of this Einstein biography written by Rudolf Kayser, a German literary historian and husband to Albert Einstein’s stepdaughter Ilse under the pseudonym Anton Reiser. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Einstein. Signed and dated by Einstein on the front free endpaper in the year of publication, “Albert Einstein New York 1930.” In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 110352
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Stephen Hawking's Black Holes and Baby Universes; signed by him with his thumbprint
HAWKING, Stephen.
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays.
Toronto: Bantam Books, 1994.
Early printing of the Bantam Press edition of Hawking’s first collection of essays. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers. Signed by Stephen Hawking on the title page with his thumbprint in silver ink. Hawking was diagnosed with a rare early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neuron disease (MND, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 1963 at the age of 21, yet his fierce independence and unwillingness to make concessions for his disabilities allowed him to continue his work, even as his motor functions (including his ability to write) and ability to speak deteriorated. In fine condition. Cover photograph by Jim Wilson. Cover illustration by Richard Tuschman. From the personal collection of Stephen Hawking.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 119530
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Rare first edition of James Bolton's magnificently illustrated Harmonia Ruralis; containing eighty copper-plates of life-size male and female songbirds drawn, engraved, and coloured by the author
BOLTON, James.
Harmonia Ruralis; or, An Essay Towards A Natural History of British Songbirds.
London: Printed For and Sold By the Author, 1794.
Rare first edition of Bolton’s magnificently illustrated work on British songbirds. First issue with the original plates 7 and 13 which differ in later issues. Quarto, two volumes bound into one in three quarters morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, illustrated with eighty copper-plates of life-size male and female songbirds drawn, engraved and colored by the author, index. In near fine condition. First editions are rare, with only a handful appearing at auction in the last 100 years.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 111071
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"One the most important works on British butterflies and moths": Rare second edition of Benjamin White's Magnificent One Hundred and Twenty Copper Plates of English Moths and Butterflies
WILKES, Benjamin.
One Hundred and Twenty Copper Plates of English Moths and Butterflies Representing Their Changes into the Caterpillar, Chrysalis, and Fly States and the Plants, Flowers, and Fruits, Wheron They Feed. Coloured with great Exactness from the Subjects themselves.
London: Printed for Benjamin White, 1773.
Rare edition of one the most important works on British butterflies and moths. Quarto, bound in full contemporary calf with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, decorative ruling to the panels stamped in blind, illustrated with 120 exquisite hand-colored engraved plates depicting the development butterflies and moths with the plants on which the feed after drawings by George Ehret and Jacob van Huysum. With a natural history of the insects and plants, index, and the list of subscribers gleaned from the original 1747-79 edition including Joseph Dandridge who assisted Wilkes and gave him open access to his private collection of entomological specimen. In very good condition with the hand colored-plates exceptionally clean and bright. Rare and desirable.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 112674
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"Here the lilies were higher than my head, and the sunshine was warm enough for palms": Finely Bound Set of The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of John Muir
MUIR, John.
The Writings of John Muir: The Manuscript Edition.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916-24.
The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of John Muir. Octavo, 10 volumes, bound in contemporary gilt paneled and gilt floral full crushed brown niger morocco, gilt floral spine compartments, top edges gilt, green and brown gilt morocco doublures with the coat of arms of Anna W. S. Keator, green silked free endpapers, raised bands. Manuscript page from Muir bound into volume one from The Mountains of California. Illustrated with numerous photogravure and halftone plates, the gravure plates, tissue guards, each with photogravure frontispiece, with the first seven hand-colored; folding map in volume two. Edited by William Frederic Badè. With a manuscript leaf from John Muir in volume one. In fine condition. An exceptional example.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 73083
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Fifth and final edition of Andreas Vesalius' landmark treatise on human anatomy
VESALIUS, Andreas.
Anatomia: Addita nunc postremo etiam Antiquorum Anatome.
Venice: Giovanni Antonio & Giacomo de Franceschi, 1604.
Fifth and final edition of the most important and influential book in the study of human anatomy utilizing the same woodblocks as the 1568 edition (Senensis and Creigher, Venice), the fourth published in folio format. Folio, bound in period vellum-backed wrappers, elaborate woodcut title page with Vesalius performing a dissection, with over 200 woodcut anatomical illustrations including 21 full-page, woodcut headpieces, tailpieces and initials. The fifth edition was prompted by a student demand for a less costly edition than the elaborate second Opernius edition of 1555. Additions included a simpler title page handsomely engraved on copper, and an additional series of anatomical tables at the end of the text containing its own title page where is provided the date of publication which is absent from the true title page. Laid in is a period manuscript titled “Tratto de la Miologia” containing a list of the muscles of the human body and corresponding page numbers within the text (Cushing, VI. A-5). In good condition. Housed in a custom folding chemise case. Scarce and desirable. A superior example of Vesalius’ masterpiece, one of the most monumental achievements in the history of both medical education and printing.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 96213
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"Keep close to Nature’s heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean": Finely Bound Set of The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of John Muir; With Eight Original Photographs
MUIR, John.
The Writings of John Muir: The Manuscript Edition.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916-24.
The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of John Muir. Octavo, 10 volumes, bound in original special deluxe three quarters morocco over marbled boards, leather edges ruled in gilt, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, matching endpapers, top edges gilt. With Volumes 1 through 8 of this set each containing an original gelatin silver photograph at the front, each with a printed tissue guard. Kimes does not describe an edition with these additional real photo frontispieces. The binding matches that of Kimes 342. The scenes depicted in the inserted photographs are: The House of John Muir, Martinez, California; The Cathedral Spires, Yosemite National Park; Eucalyptus on Muir’s Ranch, Martinez, California; An Orange Tree in Front of Muir’s House, Martinez, California; The Lower Fall of the Yosemite (Telephoto view); A Cabin in the Muir Woods, on Mt. Tamalpais, California, used by John Muir, Joaquin Miller, and others; Arctic Ptarmigan; Crater Lake, Oregon. Manuscript page from Muir bound into volume one from Chapter 4 of The Mountains of California. The holograph text is written in brown ink with additional pencil emendations. The edited text begins: “I found a good camp-ground on the rim of a glacier.” Illustrated with numerous photogravure and halftone plates, the gravure plates, tissue guards, each with photogravure frontispiece, with the first seven hand-colored; folding map in volume two. Edited by William Frederic Badè. In fine condition. An exceptional example, rare with the original silver gelatin prints.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 76020
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John F. Kennedy Inscribed Photograph to Mercy 8 Astronaut Wally Schirra
KENNEDY, John F. (Wally Schirra).
John F. Kennedy Signed Photograph to Astronaut Wally Schirra.
Color photograph of President Kennedy meeting with astronaut Wally Schirra and his family in the Oval Office, affixed to its original mount. Boldly inscribed, “To Commander Walter Schirra—and his family—with esteem and best wishes, John Kennedy.” Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 16.75 inches by 16.5 inches. An exceptional piece linking these two great American icons.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 80092
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First Edition of Max Born's Einstein's Theory of Relativity; Signed by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Max Born
BORN, Max [Albert Einstein].
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
London: Methuen & Company, 1924.
First edition of this classic account of Born’s analysis and interpretation of Einstein’s theory of relativity. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Einstein. Signed by Max Born on the verso of the frontispiece. Translated by Henry L. Brose. Very good in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. First editions are uncommon, signed examples rare.
Price: $11,500.00 Item Number: 78904
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“Man selects only for his own good: Nature only for that of the being which she tends": Rare Second Edition of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species
DARWIN, Charles.
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.
London: John Murray, 1860.
Rare second edition, second issue, in Freeman’s binding variant “a” of Darwin’s magnum opus. Freeman 376; Norman 594. Octavo, original publisher’s green cloth. In excellent condition with the spine gilt bright, contemporary owner’s signature to the title, marginalia on pages 72 and 132. A nice example.
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 96973
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SIGNED LIMITED EDITION OF ALBERT EINSTEIN’S "ONE AND ONLY INTELLECTUAL BIOGRAPHY": SIGNED AND DATED BY HIM in the rare original dust jacket
EINSTEIN, Albert.
Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist.
Evanston: Library of Living Philosophers, 1949.
Signed limited first edition, number 711 of 760 copies signed and dated “Albert Einstein ‘49.” Octavo, original brown cloth, top edge gilt. The book is in fine condition in the rare original dust jacket, which is in very good condition. Edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp. Frontispiece portrait of Einstein by Yousef Karsh. Rare and desirable in this condition.
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 110472
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ARTIST'S PROOF SIGNED BY Albert EINSTEIN AND Hermann STRUCK
EINSTEIN, Albert; Hermann Struck.
Albert Einstein Signed Etching.
1925.
Engraved bust portrait of Albert Einstein by Hermann Struck. Signed at lower right by Albert Einstein and the artist Hermann Struck. This was the artist’s proof and is cited by him writing (“proof”) on the lower right, in pencil, next to Einstein’s signature. The engraving measures 7 inches by 10.5 inches. Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 16 inches by 20 inches. Rare and desirable.
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 68038
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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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FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE OF CHARLES DARWIN'S THE DESCENT OF MAN; IN THE ORIGINAL CLOTH
DARWIN, Charles.
The Descent of Man.
London: John Murray, 1871.
First edition, first issue of both volumes (with “transmitted” the first word on p. 297 in the first volume; in the second, the printer’s note on the verso of the half-title, errata on title verso, and the postscript leaf after p. viii. Both volumes have the January ads). Octavo, two volumes, original green cloth. In near fine condition with a touch of rubbing to the extremities and bottom of the cloth, spine gilt bright. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very sharp example.
Price: $10,000.00 Item Number: 36008
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First Edition of Henry David Thoreau's First Book A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers; one of only 1000 copies printed
THOREAU, Henry David.
A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers.
Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1862.
First edition, first issue, of Thoreau’s first book, one of only 1000 copies printed and 595 copies returned to Thoreau and purchased by Ticknor and Fields for reissue. Octavo, original publishers cloth stamped in blind with gilt titles to the spine. With the Ticknor and Fields cancel title leaf and advertisement at rear. From the library of American book collector and commodore of the New Rochelle Yacht Club Frank Maier with his illustrated bookplate to the pastedown. In near fine condition with the gilt lettering to the spine bright. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 103210
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“AMERICA’S FIRST GREAT SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION”: Rare Fifth 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.
London: For F. Newbery, 1774.
Rare fifth edition of “the most important scientific book of 18th-century America” and “America’s first great scientific contribution” (PMM), with two engraved plates (two folding). Octavo, bound in contemporary calf, red morocco spine label. In very good condition with light toning to the text. Rare in contemporary calf.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 110364
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Rare autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of Sigmund Freud to his colleague, fellow psychiatrist Dr. Karl Fahrenkamp
FREUD, Sigmund.
Sigmund Freud Autograph Letter Signed.
1929.
Rare autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of Sigmund Freud to his colleague, fellow psychiatrist Dr. Karl Fahrenkamp. Dated June 9, 1929 and on Freud’s personal letterhead the English translation of the German text is as follows: “Very esteemed Doctor: I accept the photos with thanks. Basically, one cannot say anything else about their representations than what once was said in a simple way by a student in an introduction to a composition: ‘Already the old Romans knew about love.’ The most beautiful picture you sent is of a drink container of the King. I myself have such a delicate piece in my possession which Prof. Delgado brought to me from Lima. Very cordially yours. Sig. Freud.” The recipient, Dr. Karl Fahrenkamp, was recognized for his work on psychosomatic illnesses. Freud and Fahrenkamp both based their theories on the functional theory of organic disorders, or the argument that external causative factors could act as a major cause of psychological imbalance. Fahrenkamp was strongly influenced by Freudian views and explored the influence of emotions upon bodily disease in his work on psychosomatic illnesses. The letter was also, notably, written the same year Freud published one of his most important and widely read books, Das Unbehagen in der Kultur (The Uneasiness in Civilization). In near fine condition. The letter measures 9 inches by 5.5 inches. Double matted and framed with a portrait of Freud, the entire piece measures 18.5 by 15.5 inches. A significant association.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 110394
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First editions of the works of Alfred Russel Wallace; finely bound with a presentation copy inscribed by the author
WALLACE, Alfred Russel.
The Works of Alfred Russel Wallace Including: The Geographical Distribution of Animals, Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection, Tropical Nature, Island Life, and Darwinism: An Exposition of the Theory of Natural Selection.
London: Various publishers , 1871-1910.
First editions of the works of English naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace including a presentation copy, inscribed by the author. Octavos, 16 volumes, uniformly bound in three quarters morocco by Root & Son, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised gilt bands, top edge gilt, illustrated, folding maps to many volumes. Land Nationalisation, its Necessity and its Aims is a presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the verso of the front free endpaper, “From the author.” First editions with the exception of Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection, The Wonderful Century, and Man’s Place in the Universe. In near fine condition with light rubbing to the extremities. An exceptional set, rare and desirable.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 92531
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Rare First Edition of Edmond Halley's Astronomical Tables with Precepts both in English and Latin for Computing the Places of the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Comets
HALLEY, Edmond.
Astronomical Tables with Precepts both in English and Latin for Computing the Places of the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Comets.
London: Printed for William Innys, 1752.
First edition in English of Halley’s classic work. Quarto, bound in contemporary full calf, gilt titles to the spine, gilt embossed stamp of The Society of Writers to the Signet on the front and rear panel, copper-engraved frontispiece portrait. Edited by John Bevis. In very good condition with light rubbing and wear.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 70038
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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
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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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"Imagination is more important than knowledge": First edition of Out of My Later Years; Signed and Dated by Albert Einstein
EINSTEIN, Albert.
Out of My Later Years.
New York: Philosophical Library, 1950.
First edition of Einstein’s collection of social science-related articles, addresses and speeches. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Einstein. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, “A. Einstein 52.” With the ownership signature of Dr. Milnor Alexander, Los Angeles, California, 1952 on front pastedown. Alexander taught political science at Penn State University and was active in the women’s movement and supporter of many societies promoting social welfare, the environment and the Labor movement. She has also inscribed below, “Autographed by Einstein for our fund-raiser for the Federation for Repeal of the Levering Act.” The inscription on the pastedown is significant. Einstein is known to have endorsed the [successful] fight against having every California citizen/employee of the government pledge complete loyalty to the government no matter one’s political affiliations. This was called the Levering Act. These strictures to be imposed on California government employees took place during the McCarthy era of seeking out Communist sympathizers, including the banning of alleged Communist-leaning Hollywood actors and directors. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional association.
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 55054
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Etching of Albert Einstein by Emil Orlik; Signed by Both Orlik and Einstein
EINSTEIN, Albert; Emil Orlik.
Albert Einstein Signed Etching.
1920.
Engraved bust portrait of Albert Einstein by Emil Orlik. Inscribed by Albert Einstein in German (English translation), “To Alice sending it to her as a remembrance Albert, February 1925.” Additionally signed by the artist, Emil Orlik on the lower right. The etching measures 10.5 inches by 14 inches. Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 20 inches by 17 inches.
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 49058
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"I would advise anyone who wants to get to the kernel of the life of a Polar explorer to read the book": Edition De Luxe of Antarctic Days; Signed by Shackleton, Murray and Marston
SHACKLETON, Ernest; James Murray and George Marston.
Antarctic Days. Sketches of the Homely Side of Polar Life by Two of Shackleton’s Men: Introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton.
London: Andrew Melrose, 1913.
Limited edition de luxe, numbered 85 of 280 copies signed on the recto of the limitation leaf by E.H. Shackleton, James Murray and George Marston. Octavo, original blue cloth, gilt titles to the spine and front panel with a mounted color illustration, top edge gilt, 4 mounted color plates after watercolors by C. Day, 34 photo illustrations on 28 plates. In near fine condition with a light rubbing. A very nice example, as most copies have been rebound. Introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 103746