Fine Bindings and Sets
Fine Bindings & Rare Book Collections or Sets for Sale Online
Raptis Rare Books maintains an extensive collection of fine bindings, rare book collections, and sets. Browse through our entire collection, use the available filters to sort and find the exact item you’re looking for then contact us to ask a question about a specific item or order directly online today.
Showing 1–20 of 198 results
-
Browse by Category
- Browse All
- Americana
- Art and Architecture
- Autograph Letters Signed
- Biography and Autobiography
- Children's Books
- Economics and Finance
- Featured Rare Books
- Fine Bindings and Sets
- First Edition
- First Edition>Signed
- Food and Wine
- Framed Autographs and Historical Documents
- Geography
- Gifts
- Gifts - For Her
- Gifts - For Him
- Gifts - Graduation and Celebrations
- Gifts - Holidays
- History, Law, and Politics
- Literature
- Music
- New Arrivals
- Philosophy
- Photography
- Poetry
- Presidents and World Leaders
- Religion
- Science and Natural History
- Science Fiction and Mystery
- Signed
- Signed & Autographed Books
- Sports and Leisure
- Travel and Exploration
- Uncategorized
-
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
-
"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, 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
-
First octavo edition, presentation copy of John James Audubon's The Birds of America; warmly inscribed by him in both volumes I and II to Lydia E. E. Greene
AUDUBON, John James.
The Birds of America, From Drawings Made In The United States And Their Territories.
New York: Published by J. J. Audubon. Philadelphia: J. B. Chevalier, 1840-1844.
First octavo edition of Audubon's landmark work; one of the most spectacular collections of ornithological prints ever produced. Royal octavo, 7 volumes bound in full 19th-century morocco by P. Low of Boston with their ticket, gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, ribbons bound in. Illustrated with 500 hand-colored lithographed plates after Audubon by W. E. Hitchcock, R. Trembly and others, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen, wood-engraved anatomical diagrams in text. Presentation copy, inscribed by John James Audubon on…
Price: $200,000.00 Item Number: 143567
-
First edition of Richard Owen Cambridge's An Account of the War in India, Between the English and French; from the private library of Benjamin Franklin
CAMBRIDGE, Richard Owen [Benjamin Franklin].
An Account of the War in India, Between the English and French, on the Coast of Coromandel, From the Year 1760. Together with A Relation of the late Remarkable Events on the Malabar Coast, and the Expeditions to Golconda and Surat; with the Operations of the Fleet. Illustrated with Maps, Plans &c. The Whole Compiled from Original Papers.
London: Printed for T. Jefferys, 1761.
Benjamin Franklin's first edition copy of Cambridge's account of the progression of the Seven Years' War in India, from Franklin's private library. Quarto, bound in full contemporary calf, marbled endpapers, illustrated with 12 engraved maps and plans and 6 plates, mostly folding. From the private library of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin's contributions to science and politics were immense and his passion for making books more available to a broader audience prompted him to establish North America's first subscription library. In 1731, Franklin convinced the members of his Junto (a mutual improvement club he founded) to pool their money to purchase books…
Price: $65,000.00 Item Number: 137375
-
“THE GREATEST HISTORICAL WORK EVER WRITTEN”: Rare complete first edition set of Edward Gibbon's Masterpiece The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; with a rare first edition, first issue of Vol. I; from the library of legendary aviator Steve Fossett
GIBBON, Edward.
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
London: Printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, 1776-1788.
Rare full first edition set, first state of volume one, of Gibbon's landmark work of historiography with three engraved folding maps by Kitchin of the Western and Eastern Roman Empire and of Constantinople and frontispiece portrait of Gibbon. Quarto, 6 volumes bound in three quarter calf over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine. Vol. I: undated engraved portrait frontispiece by Hall after Joshua Reynolds, 12pp. contents, x4 and a4 are cancels, errata leaf; Vol. II: full-sheet folding map of the Eastern Roman Empire by Thomas Kitchin dated 1 January 1781 bound before p.1, half-sheet map of…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 129094
-
“THE GREATEST HISTORICAL WORK EVER WRITTEN”: Rare complete first edition set of Edward Gibbon's Masterpiece The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; with a rare first edition, first issue of Vol. I
GIBBON, Edward.
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
London: Printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, 1776-1788.
Rare complete first edition set, including the rare first state of volume one, of Gibbon's landmark work of historiography. Quarto, 6 volumes bound in full contemporary mottled calf, with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, gilt turn-ins, three engraved folding maps by Kitchin of the Western and Eastern Roman Empire and of Constantinople. First edition, first issue of vol. 1 with errata uncorrected, [one of 500 copies], half-titles (that in vol. 1 a tipped-in later facsimile), 3 folding engraved maps, engraved portrait frontispiece after Reynolds and vol. 1 *a4-*b2…
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 144594
-
Rare first edition of one of the earliest chess manuals; Pietro Carrera's Game of Chess
CARRERA, Pietro.
Il Gioco De Gli Scacchi Di D. Pietro Carrera Diviso in Otto Libri. (The Game of Chess).
Militello: Giovanni de' Rossi, 1617.
Rare first edition of one of the early chess manuals, and the first book printed in Militello at Prince Francesco Branciforte's private press. Octavo, bound in full contemporary vellum with ink titles to the spine, large engraving of the Branciforte coat of arms opposite the dedication page, woodcut illustrations throughout the text. In near fine condition. First editions are of exceptional rarity, with only three appearing at auction in the past 90 years.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 96172
-
Volume LI of Harvard University's Review of Economics and Statistics containing Robert Merton's Lifetime Portfolio Selection Under Uncertainty; inscribed by him to fellow Nobel prize-winning economist Kenneth J. Arrow
MERTON, Robert C. [Kenneth Arrow].
The Review of Economics and Statistics: Lifetime Portfolio Selection Under Uncertainty.
Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1969.
Volume LI of Harvard University's Review of Economics and Statistics containing Robert Merton's Lifetime Portfolio Selection Under Uncertainty: The Continuous-Time Case, which introduced the concepts of continuous-time optimization later featured in his landmark work Continuous-Time Finance. Quarto, bound in full morocco with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panel, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Association copy, inscribed twice by Robert C. Merton to fellow economist Kenneth J, Arrow on the table of contents page referencing his work, "For Ken, Robert Merton February 26, 2010" and on…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 127335
-
Signed Limited Edition of Winston Churchill's Marlborough: His Life and Times; one of only 155 numbered copies signed by Winston Churchill and in the publisher's full gilt-decorated morocco
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Marlborough: His Life and Times.
London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, 1933.
Signed limited edition of Churchill's magisterial biography of his notable ancestor John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough; Churchill's only work produced as a signed limited edition. Quarto, 4 volumes in the original publisher's full morocco bound by Leighton-Straker with gilt Marlborough family crest to the front panel of each volume, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers, illustrated with hundreds of maps and plans (many folding), plates and document facsimiles. One of one hundred and fifty-five numbered copies signed by the author of which one hundred and five were…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 144252
-
"BY FAR THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN ABOUT AMERICA”: RARE FIRST EDITION OF TOCQUEVILLE’S MASTERPIECE DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA
TOCQUEVILLE, Alexis Charles Henri Clérel. Translated by Henry Reeve.
Democracy in America.
London: Saunders and Otley, 1835.
First edition in English of Tocqueville’s magnum opus. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in three quarters period calf over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, half-titles, folding engraved map. I very good condition. At attractive contemporary binding.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 132164
-
“Undoubtedly, philosophers are in the right when they tell us that nothing is great or little otherwise than by comparison": Rare First Edition of Jonathan Swifts's Classic Work Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World
SWIFT, Jonathan.
Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, first Surgeon, and then Captain of Several Ships. [Gulliver’s Travels].
London: Benjamin Motte, 1726.
First editions of Jonathan Swift’s masterpiece, Gulliver’s Travels. Octavo, two volumes, bound in three quarters contemporary calf over marbled boards, engraved frontispiece of Lemuel Gulliver, woodcut initials, five engraved maps, gilt titles to the spine. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom cloth slipcase. Bookplate to the pastedown and period ownership signature to each volume. Both volumes are the Teerink B edition. A very nice example of this classic in English literature.
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 95317
-
The Manuscript Edition of Theodore Roosevelt's Monumental Work The Winning of the West; One of 200 Numbered Copies
ROOSEVELT, Theodore.
The Winning of the West: The Daniel Boone Edition.
New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1900.
Limited edition, number 72 of 200 copies of the manuscript edition of The Winning of the West. Quarto, 4 volumes, bound in full publisher's morocco, gilt titles to the spine, gilt tooling to the front and rear panels, top edge gilt, pastedowns full morocco with inlay. The manuscript page in this example opposite the limitation page and reads, "at the expense of the government; and on the lower Ohio in 1793 and '93 there were plenty of men who, in the event of a campaign, hoped to make profit out of the goods, horses and cattle they supplied the soldiers."…
Price: $16,500.00 Item Number: 111740
-
"I want to be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren": J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings Trilogy; Finely Bound
TOLKIEN, J.R.R.
The Lord of The Rings Trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King.
London: George Allen and Unwin, 1966.
Finely bound set of each title comprising the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Octavo, 3 volumes, bound in full red morocco, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, front panels, folding maps. In fine condition. Housed in a custom slipcase. The first printing of the second, revised, edition (with "Second Edition 1966" on the copyright page with no further printings listed). An exceptional set.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 133131
-
First edition of the second book on architecture published in America: Owen Biddle's The Young Carpenter's Assistant
BIDDLE, Owen.
The Young Carpenter’s Assistant; Or, A System Of Architecture, Adapted To The Style Of Building In The United States.
Philadelphia: Benjamin Johnson, 1805.
First edition of the second book on architecture published in America, second only to Asher Benjamin's Country Builder's Assistant' published in 1797( Shaw & Shoemaker, 8018). Quarto, bound in full calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, illustrated with 44 engraved plates, 2 folding. In very good condition. Scarce with only 2 copies having appeared at auction in the past 50 years.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 117672
-
The Works of Jonathan Swifts's From the Library of Founding Father Robert R. Livingstone
SWIFT, Jonathan [Robert R. Livingstone].
The Works of Jonathan Swift: Including, Gulliver’s Travels.
Edinburgh: Printed by Mrs. Mundell, 1778.
First of 4 issues, Scotch editions, from the library of Robert R. Livingstone, with his bookplate to the pastedown of each volume. Small octavo, bound in contemporary calf, spine compartments ruled with Greek key tooling, morocco spine labels. From the library of founding father Robert R. Livingston. As one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Livingston played an important role in the early development of the newly formed country. He was known as "The Chancellor", after the high New York state legal office he held for 25 years. He was a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, along with Thomas…
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 119642
-
Rare First Edition of the First Complete English Translation of The Dialogues of Plato; Signed by Translator Floyer Sydenham
PLATO; TRANSLATED BY FLOYER SYDENHAM,.
Plato’s Dialogues.
London: W. Sandby, 1767-1779.
First edition set contains all eleven parts, although without all the individual dated titles. Part one is signed on the dedication page by the translator Floyer Sydenham as usual, and includes a sheet laid in with manuscript instructions to the binder. Quarto, three volumes, bound in contemporary full calf, armorial bookplate. Dated title pages in volumes one and two, each of eleven parts with undated flytitle and dedication leaf, Lesser Hippias and Dissertation both with additional dated part title, ad leaves at beginning of volume one and after The Banquet, as well "proposal" leaf, errata slip in volume three (a…
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 140464
-
"THE KING OF PHILOSOPHERS": Exceptionally Rare First Edition of the First Complete English Translation of The Works of Plato
TAYLOR, Thomas. [Plato].
The Works of Plato, Viz. His Fifty-Five Dialogues, and Twelve Epistles, Translated From the Greek; Nine of the Dialogues by the Late Floyer Sydenham, and the Remainder by Thomas Taylor: With Occasional Annotations on the Nine Dialogues Translated by Sydenham, and Copious Notes, by the Latter Translator.
London: Printed for Thomas Taylor, By R. Wilks, Chancery-Lane, 1804.
First edition of the first complete English translation of the works of Plato. Quarto, five volumes bound in full pebbled cloth retaining contemporary black morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, half-titles, engraved frontispiece to volume I. In the words of the Prometheus Trust, "Taylor's Works of Plato, has two outstanding features which make it an essential component to the genuine philosophers library. Firstly, Taylor himself translates Plato's Dialogues from within the ancient Greek Tradition. No English translator, before or since, has been so completely at one with the Greek philosophical and religious world view: Taylor fulfills, to the highest degree,…
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 131256
-
"Remember we shall never stop, never weary, and never give in": First Editions of The Second World War; Inscribed by Winston Churchill in The Hinge of Fate
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
The Second World War: The Gathering Storm; Their Finest Hour; The Grand Alliance; The Hinge of Fate; Closing the Ring; Triumph and Tragedy.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1948-53.
First American editions of Winston Churchill's masterpiece, preceding the British editions. Octavo, six volumes, original cloth, illustrated. The Hinge of Fate is an association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Sylvia from Winston 1951." The recipient, Sylvia Henley was "one of those who had known Churchill best, and longest. a frequent guest at Chartwell" (Gilbert, p. 307). Along with Jock Colville, Henley was one of Churchill's most frequent Bezique opponents; Bezique was Churchill's favorite game, as he was an expert player. Each volume is fine in near fine dust jackets. Housed in the original publisher's…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 144323
-
"It is my hope to recall this great shade from the past, and not only invest him with his panoply, but make him living and intimate to modern eyes": Complete First Edition Set of Marlborough: His Life and Times; vol. iv inscribed by Winston Churchill to his research assistant and biographer Maurice Ashley
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Marlborough: His Life and Times.
London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, 1933-38.
First edition of Churchill's magisterial biography of his notable ancestor John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Octavo, 4 volumes, original cloth, top edge gilt, illustrated with hundreds of maps and plans (many folding), plates and document facsimiles. Association copy, inscribed by Winston Churchill on the front free endpaper of volume IV, "To Maurice Ashley from Winston Churchill August 1938." The recipient, Maurice Ashley worked as a research assistant to Winston Churchill for four years during which he was working on the Marlborough biography. Ashley is also the author of Churchill as Historian (1968), which discusses how Churchill approached historical research.…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 144914
-
The Works of Charles Dickens; finely bound in full crushed levant morocco with John Forster's Life of Charles Dickens
DICKENS, Charles; John Forster.
The Works of Charles Dickens and The Life of Charles Dickens.
London: Chapman and Hall and Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1873-1876.
Finely bound set of the works of Charles Dickens, uniformly bound with John Forster's definitive biography of Dickens. Octavo, 30 volumes bound in full crushed levant morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, illustrated with numerous etched plates after H.K. Browne, George Cattermole, George Cruikshank, Marcus Stone and others including frontispieces and engraved vignette titles. In near fine condition. A very nice set.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 143537