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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"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 of this account of the 1907-09 Nimrod Expedition under Shackleton. number 181 of 280 copies signed on the recto of the limitation leaf by E.H. Shackleton, James Murray and George Marston. Octavo, original blue cloth with 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, with the original dust jacket lacking the spine. A very nice example, as most copies have been rebound and we have…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 132467
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Rare original sketch for the ball gown worn by Audrey Hepburn in her breakout role as Princess Anne in Roman Holiday; signed by Academy Award-winning costume designer Edith Head
HEAD, Edith. [Audrey Hepburn].
“Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.” [Original Edith Head Signed Costume Sketch].
c. 1953.
Rare original sketch by Academy Award-winning costume designer Edith Head for the ball gown worn by Audrey Hepburn in her breakout role as Princess Ann in William Wyler's classic 1953 comedy, Roman Holiday. Design for Paramount Pictures, circa 1953. Gouache sketch on paper with added white. Signed and annotated by the designer, "Audrey Hepburn in 'Roman Holiday' Edith Head." The dress appears in the opening scene of the film, when the Princess is shown in newsreels greeting and dancing with dignitaries at an official reception. According to an interview with Head broadcast just after the film's release, she made two regal…
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 145841
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"This was the nursery book my mother read to me at age 1": First Edition of The Official System of Contract Bridge; Inscribed by Warren Buffett to his Bridge mentor
BUFFETT, Warren E.
The Official System of Contract Bridge, Simplified, Concise; the Official Book on the Official System.
New York: Produced by Bridge Headquarters, 1931.
First edition of this official Prohibition era manual to the game of contract bridge; warmly inscribed by Warren Buffett to his long-time bridge partner and close personal friend Sharon Osberg. Octavo, original cloth, inscribed by Buffett on the title page, "To Sharon - This was the nursery book my mother read to me at age 1. Unfortunately she emphasized Chapter 17. Love, Warren." Sharon Osberg is a close friend of both Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, and has coached both on the game of bridge, for which she has won several championships and awards. Chapter 17, which Buffett here refers…
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 133119
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Rare Presidential Commission appointing Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Dimaggio as a member of the Conference on Physical Fitness and Sports; signed by President Richard Nixon
NIXON, Richard; Joe DiMaggio.
Joe DiMaggio Presidential Commission Signed by Richard Nixon.
Washington, D.C: 1970.
Rare Richard Nixon Presidential Commission appointing Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio as a "Member of the Conference on Physical Fitness and Sports." Dated September 25th, 1970 the appointment is signed by President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State William Rogers with the Presidential seal. Double matted and framed. In fine condition. From the personal collection of Joe DiMaggio. Included is letter of provenance from DiMaggio's estate signed by his two granddaughters. An exceptional association linking two American icons. Double matted and framed.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 95202
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Signed Limited Edition of the "Greatest Golf Book Of the 20th Century" Down the Fairway
JONES, Robert [Bobby] T..
Down the Fairway: The Golf Life and Play of Robert T. Jones, Jr.
New York: Minton, Balch & Company, 1927.
Signed Limited edition, preceding the first trade edition of what many consider the greatest golf book of the 20th century. One of 300 numbered copies, signed by both Robert T. Jones and O.B. Keeler, and again by Jones beneath his frontispiece, this is number 264. Octavo, original half vellum over green cloth, gilt titles to the spine, top edge gilt, frontispiece, illustrated. Foreword by Grantland Rice. In very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 133496
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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: $15,000.00 Item Number: 103746
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"Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots - but you have to play the ball where it lies.": First Edition of Down the Fairway; Signed by Bobby Jones
JONES, Robert T..
Down the Fairway: The Golf Life and Play of Robert T. Jones, Jr.
Minton, Balch & Company: New York, 1927.
First trade edition of what many consider the greatest golf book of the twentieth century. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Signed by Jones on the front free endpaper, "with best wishes, Robert T. Jones, Jr." Foreword by Grantland Rice. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional example, rare and desirable in the original dust jacket and signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 117324
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Signed Limited Edition of the "Greatest Golf Book Of the 20th Century" Down the Fairway
JONES, Robert [Bobby] T..
Down the Fairway: The Golf Life and Play of Robert T. Jones, Jr.
New York: Minton, Balch & Company, 1927.
Signed Limited edition, preceding the first trade edition of what many consider the greatest golf book of the 20th century. One of 300 numbered copies, signed by both Robert T. Jones and O.B. Keeler, and again by Jones beneath his frontispiece, this is number 29. Octavo, original half vellum over green cloth, gilt titles to the spine, top edge gilt, frontispiece, illustrated. Foreword by Grantland Rice. In very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 145952
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First Edition of My 60 Memorable Games; Signed by Chess Legend Bobby Fischer
FISCHER, Bobby.
My 60 Memorable Games.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1968.
First edition of this classic work, which is regarded as one of the great pieces of chess literature. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by Bobby Fischer on the front free endpaper. Introduction by Grandmaster Larry Evans. Fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Carl Smith. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable signed by this chess legend.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 145616
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“Wherever I live, I shall feel homesick for Tibet": First American Edition of Seven Years in Tibet; Lengthily Inscribed by Heinrich Harrer and By His Holiness the Dalai Lama
HARRER, Heinrich [His Holiness The Dalai Lama].
Seven Years in Tibet.
New York: E.P. Dutton & Company, 1954.
First American edition of Harrer's classic account, signed by Harrer and The Dalai Lama. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated with over 40 photographs. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed by Heinrich Harrer in both English and Tibetan on the half-title page, "To Mrs. Rosser with best wishes in remembrance of my lecture in Philadelphia from H. Harrer Jan. 1955." Additionally signed by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, who was tutored by Harrer while he living in Tibet. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Translated by Richard Graves. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed by…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 112165
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First edition of The White House Gardens: A History and Pictorial Record; inscribed by Jacqueline Kennedy to her mother-in-law Rose Kennedy
NIXON, Patricia. [Preface]; [Jacqueline Kennedy; Rose Kennedy].
The White House Gardens: A History and Pictorial Record.
New York: Great American Editions, 1973.
First edition of the first book to trace the history of and fully illustrate the grounds of the White House gardens. Oblong quarto, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with color plates by Harold Sterner. Association copy, inscribed by Jacqueline Kennedy on the half-title page, "For Grandma with love Jackie." The recipient, Rose Kennedy, was the matriarch of the Kennedy family: the wife of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., mother of John F. Kennedy and his eight siblings, mother-in-law of Jacqueline Kennedy, and grandmother of the children of John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy. She was a devout catholic and deeply embedded in…
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 142435
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First Edition of the Walt Disney's The Art of Animation; Inscribed by Him to director Ralph Hulett and other Disney Artists
THOMAS, Bob [Walt Disney].
The Art of Animation: The Story of the Disney Studio Contribution to a New Art.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1958.
First edition of this definitive work on the animation of Walt Disney. Quarto, original half cloth, pictorial endpapers. Association copy, inscribed by Walt Disney opposite the title page, "To Ralph All Best Walt." The recipient, Ralph Hulett was a director, known for Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp and Peter Pan. Additionally signed by many of "Walt's Nine Old Men" animators throughout the book, including Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston as well as Disney Legends John Hench, Al Dempster, Xavier "X" Atencio, Collin Campbell, and other noted artists and animators from the Disney Studio. Near fine in a near fine…
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 142096
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First Edition of Harry Vardon's My Golfing Life; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket and from the library of Albert W. Tillinghast with a letter to him signed by Vardon laid in
VARDON, Harry.
My Golfing Life.
London: Hutchinson & Co, 1933.
First edition of Vardon's autobiography. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. From the library of golf architect A.W. Tillinghast with his handwritten library index card laid in. A.W. Tillinghast was one of the most prolific architects in the history of golf; he worked on more than 265 different courses and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015. Affixed to the front free endpaper is a three-page autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of Vardon to Tillinghast on Vardon's letterhead dated February 19th 1914 which reads in part, "Dear Mr. Tillinghast, I thank you very much for…
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 96787
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RARE FIRST EDITION OF MAN ON THE MOON: A PICTURE CHRONOLOGY OF MAN IN SPACE EXPLORATION; INSCRIBED BY THE FIRST MAN TO TOUCH THE MOON NEIL ARMSTRONG
ARMSTRONG, Neil.
Man on the Moon: A Picture Chronology of Man in Space Exploration.
Dallas: Galina, 1969.
First edition of the pictorial history of the American space program, from the establishment of NASA to the Apollo XI mission. Oblong octavo, original boards, profusely illustrated with black and white and full color photographs. Presentation copy, inscribed by Neil Armstrong on the front free endpaper, "To Kevin Stern- With The Best Wishes Of A Fellow Space Enthusiast Neil Armstrong." In fine condition.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 144136
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First Edition of Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter; Signed by Theodore Roosevelt in the year of publication
ROOSEVELT, Theodore.
Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter.
New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1905.
First edition of Roosevelt's important collection of first-hand hunting accounts, including a lengthy description of newly created wilderness reserves. Octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine and front panel, frontispiece portrait of Roosevelt with tissue guard present, illustrated with photographs. Signed by the author in the year of publication on the second preliminary leaf, "with regards of Theodore Roosevelt Dec 11th 1905." In near fine condition, crease to the front free endpaper. Trade editions are uncommon signed, especially in the year of publication.
Price: $8,000.00 Item Number: 125172
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Rare 1957 financial statement signed by both Hollywood Icon Marilyn Monroe and playwright Arthur Miller
MONROE, Marilyn and Arthur Miller.
Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller Signed Financial Statement.
Rare original 1957 Woodbury Savings Bank financial statement signed by both Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller in the beginning of their five-year marriage. One page, partially printed, the statement is dated September 9, 1957 and lists the couple's joint annual income as $50,000+, total expenses as $30,000+ or -, and amount of life insurance as $50,000+. The preparer has also listed Monroe as self-employed and President of Marilyn Monroe Production with a suit pending against the company as a corporation. Monroe and Miller's ages are also listed respectively as 31 and 41. Signed at the conclusion of the document, "Arthur…
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 114025
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Rare First Edition of Guest and Boulton's Memorials of the Royal Yacht Squadron; Inscribed to Sir Ernest Shackleton
GUEST, Montague and William B. Boulton [Ernest Shackleton].
Memorials of the Royal Yacht Squadron.
London: John Murray, 1902.
First edition of the standard history of the Royal Yacht Squadron and Solent yachting in the 19th century, with a complete list of member and their yachts. Octavo, original cloth, top edge gilt, with 46 illustrations. Presentation copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "To Sir Ernest Shackleton from Philip Hunloke, 1921." Major Sir Philip Hunloke GCVO was a British sailor and courtier. He served as a Groom in Waiting to King George V from 1911 to 1936 and also served in the Boer War and First World War. 1921 was the year Shackleton was elected to the Royal Yacht Squadron and embarked on…
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 136030
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"I hope you will live to be a hundred, because guys like you come along so seldom": Autograph Letter Signed by Bobby Jones to fellow golf legend Walter Hagen
JONES, Robert Tyre [Bobby]. [Walter Hagen].
Bobby Jones Autograph Letter Signed to Walter Hagen.
1965.
Autograph letter signed by Bobby Jones to golfing rival and friend Walter Hagen. One page, typescript the letter is dated December 17, 1965 and reads, "Dear Walter: A little bird (not to be confused with birdie) whispered to me that on December 21st you are celebrating your seventy-third birthday. I very definitely want to be counted among those sending best regards and best wishes for many happy returns. I hope you will live to be a hundred, because guys like you come along so seldom. I sent a message to you not long ago by young Walter. I hope he…
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 114012
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“A man who can putt is a match for anyone”: First Edition of Willie Park's The Art of Putting; Inscribed by Him
PARK, Willie.
The Art of Putting.
Edinburgh: J. & J. Gray & Company, 1920.
First edition of the author's rare book on putting. Octavo, original cloth, top edge gilt, illustrated with plates from photographs. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "To C.A.J. Ament Esq. With Compliments, Willie Park." Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare signed an inscribed.
Price: $6,000.00 Item Number: 26009
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"I hate no man, envy no man, but love all mankind": First Edition of The Master Key to Riches; Signed by Napoleon Hill
HILL, Napoleon.
The Master-Key to Riches.
Los Angeles: The Willing Publishing Company, 1945.
First edition of Napoleon Hill's classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Napoleon Hill on a half-title page. Very good in a good dust jacket, name to the half-title page. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $6,000.00 Item Number: 145872