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Rare & Classic, American or English Literature Books for Sale Online
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Rare Association Copy of Arthur Rackham's Illustrated edition of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens; signed and inscribed by J.M. Barrie, George Frampton, Princess Beatrice, Princess Marie Louise, Nadejda Mountbatten, and Arthur Rackham with an original drawing
BARRIE, J.M. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.
London: Hodder & Stoughton Limited, n.d.
New edition of Rackham’s highly-sought-after masterpiece, which established his reputation as one of England’s premier illustrators. Quarto, original publisher's green cloth elaborately decorated in gilt, illustrated by Arthur Rackham with 50 mounted color plates complete with captioned tissue guards including frontispiece. Association copy, signed by author J.M. Barrie on the verso of the front free endpaper, signed by Arthur Rackham on the recto of the frontispiece with an original drawing as well as Nadejda "Nada" Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven, signed by the sculptor of the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens, George Frampton on front pastedown, and signed by Princess…
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 142267
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"STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT - FIRST STAR I'VE SEEN TONIGHT. I WISH I MAY - I WISH I MIGHT - HAVE THE WISH I WISH TONIGHT!" FIRST EDITION OF WALT DISNEY'S VERSION OF PINOCCHIO: BASED ON THE STORY BY COLLODI, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE MOTION PICTURE
DISNEY, Walt. [Carlo Collodi].
Walt Disney’s Version of Pinocchio.
London and Glasgow: Collins, [1940].
First English edition of the book version of Walt Disney’s second feature-length animated motion picture. Quarto, original half cloth over illustrated boards, pictorial endpapers, illustrated. Boldly signed by Walt Disney on the verso of the title page. In very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare signed by Walt Disney.
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 123701
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First editions Ransom Riggs' The Miss Peregrine Series; Each Signed by him
RIGGS, Ransom.
The Miss Peregrine Series Including: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Hollow City, Library of Souls, Tales of the Peculiar, Map of Days, The Conference of the Birds.
New York : Random House, various dates.
First editions of the first six volumes in the author's acclaimed series. Octavo, original boards, illustrated. Each are signed by Ransom Riggs on the half-title and title pages. Fine in fine dust jackets.
Price: $850.00 Item Number: 128727
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First Edition of Mary Mapes Dodge's Classic Work Hans Brinker; Inscribed by Her
DODGE, Mary Mapes.
Hans Brinker Or, The Silver Skates. A Story of Life in Holland.
New York: James O'Kane, 1866.
First edition of the author's second and best known work. Octavo, original green cloth, gilt titles to the spine. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "Presented to Robert Dale Owen by the author January, 1866." The recipient Robert Dale Owen was responsible for introducing the legislation to establish the Smithsonian. He represented Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives (1843–47). As a member of Congress, Owen successfully pushed through the bill that established Smithsonian Institution and served on the Institution's first Board of Regents. Owen also served as a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1850 and was appointed as U.S.…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 76002
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"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?": Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland; inscribed by him
CARROLL, Lewis. [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson].
Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.
London: MacMillan and Co, 1879.
Early edition with sixty-second thousand stated on the title page of this classic work, boldly inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "Edith Mary Alice Berkeley from the Author, May 15/80." Octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine, all edges gilt, publisher's cloth s, all edges gilt, housed in a modern scarlet morocco slipcase and chemise. 7 1/8 x 4 1/2 inches (18 x 12 cm); 192 pp., [2] pp. ads, half-title; electrotyped frontispiece, and 42 illustrations from the woodcuts by Dalziel after John Tenniel. In near fine condition. From the library of actor William E. Self, with his book…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 142979
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First Edition, first issue of Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses
STEVENSON, Robert Louis .
A Child’s Garden of Verses.
London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1885.
First edition, first issue of Stevenson's classic work. Small octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine, top edges gilt. With publisher's logo in gilt at top left of front cover, presumed publisher's blind stamp on title page, gilt apostrophe on spine with curved tail, gilt "of" on spine in smaller type, without advertisements. In near fine condition, owners name to the front free endpaper. Housed in a contemporary custom clamshell box. An exceptional example.
Price: $1,750.00 Item Number: 123972
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"Taking the pledge will not make bad liquor good, but it will improve it": The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; inscribed by Mark Twain
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade).
New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1886.
Early printing of Twain's masterpiece, inscribed by Mark Twain. Octavo, bound in half buckram by Roycroft with paper labels to the spine, tissue-guarded frontispiece photogravure plate of Gerhardt's bust of Clemens, one hundred and seventy-four illustrations by E. W. Kemble. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "To Mr. Garth W. Cate: Taking the pledge will not make bad liquor good, but it will improve it. Truly Yours, Mark Twain, Nov. 25/06." With a lengthy letter of provenance dated October 14, 1964 and signed by the recipient which reads in part, "Dear Mr. Jacobs, If I had been younger…
Price: $75,000.00 Item Number: 123083
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First Edition of The Game of Logic; Inscribed by Lewis Carroll to His Nephew
CARROLL, Lewis (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson).
The Game of Logic.
London: MacMillan and Co, 1887.
First trade edition of Lewis Carroll’s game, with scarce original card and several original markers. Octavo, original publisher's red cloth. Association copy, inscribed by Lewis Carroll to his nephew, on the half-title in purple ink in the year of publication, "Bertram J. Collingwood with the Author's love Mar. 87." The volume contains the original envelope containing the playing board, with six of the nine rare counters. In very good condition with some rubbing to the extremities. Uncommon signed and inscribed.
Price: $7,200.00 Item Number: 26048
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First edition of Sarah Orne Jewett's Betty Leicester; signed by her
JEWETT, Sarah Orne.
Betty Leicester: A Story For Girls.
Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1889.
First edition of the author's classic story for girls. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "Sarah O. Jewett 1899." In near fine condition.
Price: $950.00 Item Number: 138148
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First edition of Joel Chandler Harris' Uncle Remus and His Friends; inscribed by illustrator A.B. Frost with an original drawing and with a clipped signature signed by Joel Chandler Harris tipped in
HARRIS, Joel Chandler.
Uncle Remus and His Friends: Old Plantation Stories, Songs, and Ballads with Sketches of Negro Character.
Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1892.
First edition of the fourth collection of “Uncle Remus” tales. Octavo, original pictorial cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, illustrated with frontispiece and 11 plates by A.B. Frost. Presentation copy, inscribed by the illustrator on the flyleaf, "To Doctor Eugene S. Hoyt with the warmest regards of his friend A. B. Frost April 1906." Frost has added a large original drawing of a fox dressed in men's clothing. With a clipped signature inscribed by the author tipped in, "Yours faithfully Joel Chandler Harris." In near fine condition. Bookplate. An exceptional example, most rare and desirable signed…
Price: $3,500.00 Item Number: 133016
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Rare first edition of Joel Chandler Harris' Evening Tales' lengthily inscribed by him
HARRIS, Joel Chandler.
Evening Tales: Done Into English from the French of Frederic Ortoli.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1893.
First edition of the author's charming collection of children's stories. Octavo, original publisher's decorated cloth. Association copy, lengthily inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "My dear Field: As you have made me a millionaire, it is an easy matter to present you this book, which was already yours. It is also easy as well as true to say that I am Faithfully yours: Joel Chandler Harris. This is Mr. Rabbit that runs in the grass - Oh rise up ladies, and let him pass." The recipient, Eugene Field, as an American writer, best known for his children's…
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 133051
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“NOW, MY DEARS… DON’T GO INTO MR. MCGREGOR’S GARDEN”: FIRST EDITION; ONE OF ONLY 250 Examples OF THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT; Inscribed by Beatrix Potter in the year of publication
POTTER, Beatrix.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
London: Privately Printed, 1901.
First edition, privately printed by the author (preceding all other editions) one of only 250 copies of this children's classic. 12 mo, original cloth, illustrated, leaf patterned end-papers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "for Mrs Oliver, from Beatrix Potter- with kind regards and best wishes for Christmas 1901." The book was an instant success: Linda Lear writes that "Even before the publication of the tale in early October 1902, the first 8,000 copies were sold out. By the year's end there were 28,000 copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit in…
Price: $100,000.00 Item Number: 141725
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The earliest known first edition, presentation copy of Potter's The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle; warmly inscribed by her in the month following the book's publication
POTTER, Beatrix.
The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle.
London: Frederick Warne and Co, 1905.
The earliest known first edition, presentation copy of Potter's popular children's story. Octavo, original boards with embossed titles and pictorial cover label, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with 26 color plates by the author. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed by the author on the front pictorial endpaper in the year of publication, "For Theresa Thorp with love from Beatrix Potter Oct 15th 05." The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle was published only one month prior to Potter's inscription in September 1905, this is the earliest traceable presentation copy inscribed by Potter. In very good condition. Front hinge reinforced, loss to the crown and foot…
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 135913
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"... fortune holds some gifts in store for those who try": First Edition of Percy Fitzpatrick's Classic Work Jock of the Bushveld; Signed by Him
FITZPATRICK, Percy.
Jock of the Bushveld.
London: Longmans, Green and Company, 1907.
First edition, first issue with drawings of a dung beetle pushing his load with his front legs rather than his back on pages 65, 337 and 457. Octavo, original green cloth, gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel, illustrated throughout. Boldly signed by Percy Fitzpatrick on the title page. In excellent condition with the spine gilt bright and light rubbing to the extremities. Illustrated by E. Caldwell. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. First printings signed by Fitzpatrick are rare.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 70082
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First edition of Peter Rabbit's Painting Book; lengthily inscribed by Beatrix Potter to the Headmistress of Queen's College
POTTER, Beatrix.
Peter Rabbit’s Painting Book.
London & New York: Frederick Warne & Co, 1911.
First edition of this charming paint-by-line children's book featuring Potter's most beloved animal characters. Quarto, original pictorial cloth, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with 12 color plates, each with facing outlined illustration intended for coloring-in, two of which have been hand-painted. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed by the author on the second free endpaper in the year of publication, "Love to Mary Kynaston from Miss Potter and Peter Rabbit: and love to Joan and Phyllis and their little brother from all the little animals. (It is going to be gray squirrels next time, but that is a secret!) Thank you for a very…
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 135107
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"When you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will": Rare First Edition of Eleanor H. Porter's Pollyanna; Inscribed by Actress Hayley Mills
PORTER, Eleanor H. [Hayley Mills].
Pollyanna.
Boston: L.C. Page & Company, 1913.
First edition of Eleanor H. Porter's classic of children's literature. Octavo, original cloth, engraved frontispiece, illustrated by Stockton Mulford. Inscribed by actress Hayley Mills. Mills starred in the 1960 movie adaptation Pollyanna, alongside Jane Wyman, Karl Malden, and Richard Egan in a story about a cheerful orphan changing the outlook of a small town. The film won Hayley Mills an Academy Juvenile Award. In very good condition. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $2,800.00 Item Number: 138834
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Percy Fitzpatrick's Classic Work Jock of the Bushveld; Signed by Him
FITZPATRICK, Percy.
Jock of the Bushveld.
London: Longmans, Green and Company, 1913.
Early printing of this classic work. Octavo, original green cloth, gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel, illustrated throughout. Boldly signed by Percy Fitzpatrick on the title page. In near fine condition with light shelfwear to the extremities. Illustrated by E. Caldwell.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 119744
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“NIELSEN’S MOST SPECTACULAR AND CELEBRATED BOOK”: SIGNED LIMITED EDITION OF EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF THE MOON
NIELSEN, Kay. Asbjornsen.
East of the Sun West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North.
London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1914.
Signed limited edition of one of the most important and impressive books of the Golden Age of book illustration. One of 500 numbered copies, this is number 41. Quarto, original vellum, gilt titles and decoration to spine and front cover gilt, top edge gilt, pictorial endpapers. Signed by the illustrator Kay Nielsen. With 25 tipped in color plates. In near fine condition. A very nice example. Laid is the original notice for the Leicester Galleries exhibition held in November and December of 1914, where the watercolors for this book were offered for sale.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 69026
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“AMONG THE BEST EVER WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN”: FIRST EDITIONS OF A.A. MILNE’S FOUR POOH BOOKS, IN ORIGINAL DUST JACKETS; The Winnie the Pooh Signed by Milne
MILNE, A.A.; Illustrated by Ernest Shepard.
The Four Pooh Books: When We Were Very Young; Winnie-The-Pooh; Now We Are Six; The House At Pooh Corner.
London: Methuen & Co., Ltd, 1924-1928.
First editions of each work in Milne's wonderful Pooh quartet. Octavo, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, top edge gilt. Winnie the Pooh is signed by A.A. Milne on the title page. When We Were Very Young if a first edition, second issue as usual with page ix numbered. Each are fine in very good dust jackets with some loss and wear to the extremities and light toning. Illustrated by Ernest Shepard. An exceptional set, most rare and desirable with Winnie the Pooh signed by Milne.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 95227
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First Edition of Rudyard Kipling's Songs For Youth; Signed by Him
KIPLING, Rudyard.
Songs For Youth.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1925.
First edition this selection of Kipling's songs for children. Octavo, original cloth, illustrations by Leo Bates. Boldly signed by Rudyard Kipling on the title page. In near fine condition. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 140857