First Edition
First Edition Books for Sale Online
Raptis Rare Books maintains an extensive collection of rare and first-edition books from a variety of authors and publishers. Navigate through our full selection of first-editions below to find a particular item you're looking for, ask a question, or order online today!
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Rare First Edition of Reminiscences of a Stock Operator; Signed by One of the Greatest Traders Ever, George Soros
LEFEVRE, Edwin [George Soros].
Reminiscences Of A Stock Operator.
New York: George H. Doran Company, 1923.
First edition of this Wall Street classic, signed by legendary investor and trader George Soros. Octavo, original publisher's ochre cloth, decoratively stamped in blind. Boldly signed by George Soros on the front free endpaper. Hungarian-American billionaire hedge fund manager and philanthropist, George Soros, has authored fifteen books on global capitalism, finance, and politics that offer insights into his approach to business and investing. Starting his career working in British and American merchant banks, Soros quickly seeded his fortune with his first hedge fund, Double Eagle, later renamed Quantum Fund after the theory of quantum mechanics, and his short sale of…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 145228
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Rare and unique frame constructed with original wood recovered during repair work on USS Constitution
MCINTYRE, Joseph.
U.S.S. Constitution Original Recovered Timber Frame.
Unique frame constructed with original wood recovered during repair work on USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat most noted for her actions during the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom. The frame houses an early 20th century mounted photograph of an image of USS Constitution. Accompanied by a typed note signed by Quarterman Shipjoiner Joseph McIntyre which reads in full, '"February 23rd 1907" U.S.S. Constitution. This picture was copied from a Photograph taken of the Historic of Frigate Constitution on a cruise of Malta 1849. This frame was made from…
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 145679
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“ONE OF THE BEST POLITICAL BIOGRAPHIES IN ENGLISH:” FIRST EDITION OF WINSTON S. CHURCHILL'S LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL; Signed by winston s. churchill and finely bound by Sangorski & Sutcliffe
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Lord Randolph Churchill.
New York and London: Macmillan & Co. Limited, 1906.
First editions of Winston S. Churchill's impassioned two-volume biography written in defence of his maligned father's posthumous reputation; a bulwark of any Churchill collection. Octavo, 2 volumes bound in three quarters morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe with gilt titles and five raised bands to the spine, top edge gilt, engraved frontispiece portrait of Sir Randolph Churchill after a photograph by Mackintosh to Volume I, engraved frontispiece portrait of Sir Randolph Churchill after a photograph by Russell and Sons to Volume II, illustrated. Signed by the author on the first blank of Vol. I, "Inscribed by Winston S. Churchill 1907." In…
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 144651
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RARE HANDWRITTEN ETHIOPIAN COPTIC GE’EZ BIBLE ILLUMINATED WITH TWO FULL-PAGE MINIATURE PAINTINGS
Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible.
Ethiopia: C. 18th Century.
Rare illustrated Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible. Octavo, bound in full leather with elaborate tooling stamped in blind to the front and rear panels, parchment manuscript in black and red ink, with full-page vibrant hand-painted miniatures depicting Saint George slaying the dragon, the Madonna and child, Jesus with Mary, and the arrest of Jesus.
Price: $3,800.00 Item Number: 145321
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"Full circle from the tomb of the womb to the womb of the tomb we come": First Edition of The Hero With A Thousand Faces; Signed by Joseph Campbell
CAMPBELL, Joseph.
The Hero With A Thousand Faces.
New York: Pantheon Books, 1949.
First edition of Joseph Campbell's magnum opus. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated with 22 textual drawings, 12 plates. Boldly signed by Joseph Campbell on the title page. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. First editions are rare, especially signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 145938
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From the library of Charles Darwin: First edition of Herbert Spencer's The Study of Sociology; with a presentation inscription from Spencer to Darwin
SPENCER, Herbert.
The Study of Sociology.
London: Henry S. King & Co, 1873.
First edition, association copy of famed English philosopher Herbert Spencer's classic work on the evolution of society; presented and inscribed by him to Charles Darwin. Octavo, original publisher's cloth with gilt titles to the spine, dark green endpapers. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "Charles Darwin with the Author's kind regards." English philosopher, biologist, sociologist, and anthropologist Herbert Spencer invented the expression "survival of the fittest" which he coined in his Principles of Biology (1864) after reading Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859). A description of the mechanism of natural selection, in Principles of…
Price: $110,000.00 Item Number: 141586
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First Edition of Churchill's Ian Hamilton's March; Finely Bound by the Harcourt Bindery
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Ian Hamilton’s March.
London: Longman's, Green, and Co, 1900.
First edition of Churchill's fifth book, a continuation of his coverage of the Boer War which he began in London to Ladysmith via Pretoria. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt signature to the front panel, gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt,engraved frontispiece portrait of Ian Hamilton, folding map in color and 4 pages of advertisements for Churchill's works at rear. In fine condition.
Price: $1,800.00 Item Number: 144787
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"First and greatest classic of modern economic thought": First Edition of Adam Smiths Wealth of Nations
SMITH, Adam.
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
London: Printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, 1776.
First edition of Adam Smith's magnum opus and cornerstone of economic thought. Quarto, 2 volumes, bound in full brown calf, elaborately gilt-decorated spines, front and rear panels, red morocco spine labels, marbled endpapers. In near fine condition. Remarkably clean throughout with some light toning. Housed in a custom half morocco calf clamshell box, elaborately gilt decorated spines. An exceptional example of this landmark work.
Price: $225,000.00 Item Number: 144265
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First Edition of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test; Signed by Tom Wolfe, Ken Kesey and Phil Lesh
WOLFE, Tom [Ken Kesey; Phil Lesh].
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.
New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1968.
First edition of the classic account of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters during their bus trip across America in the late 1960's. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Tom Wolfe with his characteristic signature on the title page. Additionally signed on the front free endpaper by Merry Prankster Ken Kesey and legendary bassist Phil Lesh on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with just a touch of shelfwear. Jacket design by Milton Glaser.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 144225
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“JUST AS MAN IS GOVERNED, IN RELIGION, BY THE PRODUCTS OF HIS OWN BRAIN, SO, IN CAPITALIST PRODUCTION, HE IS GOVERNED BY THE PRODUCTS OF HIS OWN HAND”: RARE FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH OF KARL MARX'S LANDMARK WORK CAPITAL
MARX, Karl. Edited by Frederick Engels.
Capital: A Critical Analysis of Capitalist Production.
Swan Sonnenschein, Lowery, & Co: London, 1887.
Rare first edition in English, published two years before the first American edition of Karl Marx’s seminal work in both economic and political thought. Octavo, bound in half morocco over marbled boads, raised bands. Translated from the third German edition by Samuel Moore and Edward Aveling. In very good condition, with an ownership to the verso of volume one to the title page.
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 144183
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"THE MOST FAMOUS AND INFLUENTIAL AMERICAN POLITICAL WORK”: EXCEPTIONALLY RARE FIRST EDITION OF THE FEDERALIST
[HAMILTON, Alexander; James Madison; John Jay].
The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, As Agreed Upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787.
New York: Printed and Sold by J. and A. McLean, 1788.
First edition of The Federalist, one of the rarest and most significant books in American political history. 12mo, bound in half calf over marbled boards with raised bands, gilt titles to the spine. In very good condition with light toning to the pages. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell and chemise box. An exceptional example of this cornerstone of Americana.
Price: $250,000.00 Item Number: 143916
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FROM THE LIBRARY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON AT MOUNT VERNON: First edition, presentation copy of Elkanah Watson's Tour in Holland; inscribed by him to George Washington
[WATSON, Elkanah] [George Washington].
Tour in Holland in MDCCLXXXIV. By an American.
Printed at Worcester, Massachusetts: Isaiah Thomas, 1790.
First edition, presentation copy of a scarce volume from George Washington's library at Mount Vernon. Octavo, bound in full contemporary sheep with pine gilt in six compartments within raised bands, burgundy morocco spine label lettered in gilt, type-ornament title-page vignette, head and tailpieces. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author to George Washington on the front pastedown, "From the Author to General Washington" and further inscribed on the front free endpaper, "New York, Feb. 1798. Sir, Please to accept this small production which has stole its way into the world. If it can beguile one moment of that anxiety which doubtless pervades your…
Price: $275,000.00 Item Number: 143919
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Exceptionally rare first edition, presentation copy of Experiments and Observations on Electricity; inscribed by Benjamin Franklin to Prominent Philadelphia Merchant, Colleague, and friend Thomas Livezey
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Experiments and Observations on Electricity, Made at Philadelphia in America, by Benjamin Franklin, L.L.D. and F.R.S. To which are added, Letters and Papers on Philosophical Subjects. The Whole corrected, methodized, improved, and now first collected into one Volume, and Illustrated with Copper Plates.
London: Printed for David Henry; and sold by Francis Newbery, at the Corner of St. Paul's Church-Yard, 1769.
First complete edition of "the most important scientific book of eighteenth-century America" (PMM), inscribed by Benjamin Franklin to prominent Pennsylvania Quaker and merchant Thomas Livezey, Jr. Quarto, bound in full contemporary calf with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt turn-ins. Illustrated with 7 copper-engraved plates, 2 of which are folding. Presentation copy, inscribed by Benjamin Franklin on the front free endpaper, “To Mr. Livesy [sic] From his obliged Friend & humble Servant The Author.” With Thomas Livezey's ownership signature to the second free endpaper, "Thomas Livezey…
Price: $375,000.00 Item Number: 147283
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"One of the 100 best books of any kind of the 20th century": First Edition of Hannah Arendt's Masterpiece The Origins of Totalitarianism; Inscribed by Her in the Year of Publication
ARENDT, Hannah.
The Origins of Totalitarianism.
New York: Harcourt Brace, 1951.
First edition of this masterpiece, by one of the most important and influential thinkers of the twentieth century. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed and dated in the year of publication by Hannah Arendt on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with some rubbing and chips. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 143024
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One of the most highly recommended investment books ever written; Rare First Edition of Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
LEFEVRE, Edwin.
Reminiscences Of A Stock Operator.
New York: George H. Doran Company, 1923.
First edition of this Wall Street classic. Octavo, original cloth. In very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $10,500.00 Item Number: 142302
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“Learning the secret of flight from a bird was a good deal like learning the secret of magic from a magician”: First Edition of The Wright Brothers; Inscribed by Orville Wright
KELLY, Fred C.; Introduction by Orville Wright.
The Wright Brothers.
New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1943.
First edition of this classic American biography authorized by Orville Wright and long considered the definitive Wright biography. Octavo, original blue cloth, illustrated with 16 pages of photographs. Presentation copy, inscribed by Orville Wright in the year of publication on the half-title page, "To Edward with affectionate regards. Orville Wright May 4, 1943." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Introduction by Orville Wright.
Price: $7,200.00 Item Number: 142422
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"The Bible degrades Woman from Genesis to Revelation & yet women believe it was written by the fingers of God"; The Woman's Bible; inscribed by American suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton
[STANTON, Elizabeth Cady].
The Woman’s Bible.
New York: European Publishing Company, 1898.
Rare early printings of The Woman's Bible, both volumes lengthily inscribed by famed American suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton who chaired the committee that published the work. Octavo, two volumes, Part I: third edition - ten thousand, Part II: first edition - ten thousand. Both parts are presentation copies, lengthily inscribed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Part I is inscribed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, "Miss Mary .... compliments of Elizabeth Cady Stanton 250 West 94th New York 1899 We much read the Bible as we do all other books that have emanated from the brain of man with no special divine authority."…
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 142839
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“World peace, like community peace, does not require that each man love his neighbor—it requires only that they live together in mutual tolerance": First edition of John F. Kennedy's The Strategy of Peace; from the personal collection of John F. Kennedy
KENNEDY, John F.
The Strategy of Peace.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1960.
First edition of the selected foreign policy speeches and statements on defense, peace, and national security delivered by Kennedy during his 1960 presidential campaign. Octavo, original pictorial wrappers. From the library of John F. Kennedy with his ownership stamp to the half-title page, "Senator John F. Kennedy." In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Edited by Allan Nevins. An exceptional example with noted provenance.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 142889