Biography and Autobiography
Rare Biography & Autobiography Books for Sale Online
If you are looking for rare or first edition biography or autobiography books look no further than Raptis Rare Books. Browse through our entire collection of rare biographies and autobiographies below, view details about individual books and contact us to ask a question or find out more information.
Showing 1–20 of 41 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- Framed Autographs and Historical Documents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
-
"High School introduced at young age (15 & 16) to Emily Dickinson, who is probably greatest American poet I realize now": Rare Graduate Student Questionnaire Completed and Signed by Jack Kerouac with a lengthy inscription
KEROUAC, Jack.
Jack Kerouac Autograph Questionnaire Signed.
1960.
Rare mimeographed questionnaire sent by a graduate student of City College of New York to Jack Kerouac; completed and signed twice by him with a lengthy inscription in conclusion. Two pages, partially printed the questionnaire begins with a typed letter signed by James A. Sherlock politely requesting Kerouac's response which reads in part: "Dear Mr. Kerouac, I am a graduate student of City College of New York, working upon an original research project aimed at uncovering certain educational factors in the lives of successful writers. As you undoubtedly know, there always has been considerable interest in analyzing the psychological make-up…
Price: $38,000.00 Item Number: 117950
-
"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new": First edition of Out of My Later Years; Signed 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 Albert Einstein on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 138884
-
"Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you": First Edition of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's My Own Words; Inscribed by Her to a childhood Friend
GINSBURG, Ruth Bader.
My Own Words.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 2016.
First edition of this work which gives "unprecedented insight into the inner workings of the Supreme Court and garner unparalleled appreciation for one of its finest minds" (Booklist). Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "For Anita My dear friend since days when we were very young Ruth Bader Ginsburg." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Written with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams. Rare and desirable signed and inscribed with such a lengthy and warm inscription.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 139558
-
First South African Edition of Long Walk to Freedom; Signed by Nelson Mandela and Mac Maharaj, who transcribed this volume
MANDELA, Nelson .
Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.
South Africa: MacDonald Purnell, 1994.
First South African edition of this classic autobiography, which has went on to sell over six million copies worldwide. Octavo, original black cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated with photographs. Boldly signed on the title page by the author, "NMandela 15.3.06" and additionally signed by "Mac Maharaj 20 Sept 2007" on the verso of the front free endpaper. Maharaj was a political activist and member of the then banned South African Communist Party, who worked in a clandestine manner on anti-apartheid activities with Nelson Mandela. In July 1964, Maharaj was arrested in Johannesburg, charged and convicted with four others including Laloo Chiba and Wilton Mkwayi on charges of sabotage in the little Rivonia…
Price: $5,500.00 Item Number: 140892
-
First South African Edition of Long Walk to Freedom; Signed by Nelson Mandela
MANDELA, Nelson .
Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.
South Africa: MacDonald Purnell, 1994.
First South African edition of this classic autobiography, which has went on to sell over six million copies worldwide. Octavo, original black cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated with photographs. Boldly signed on the title page by the author, "NMandela 28.2.96." Fine in a fine dust jacket.
Price: $4,500.00 Item Number: 126733
-
Long Walk to Freedom; Inscribed by Nelson Mandela To Ambassador Jean-Pierre Masset
MANDELA, Nelson.
Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.
South Africa: MacDonald Purnell, 1994.
First South African edition, early printing of the autobiography of one of the greatest moral leaders of the twentieth century which has went on to sell over six million copies worldwide. Octavo, original black cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated with photographs. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "To Ambassador Jean-Pierre Masset of France. Compliments & best wishes. NMandela 29.1.96." The recipient, His Excellency Jean-Pierre Masset served as the French Ambassador to Pakistan from 1989 to 1993, a period of intense bilateral relations between France and Pakistan, marked by the state visit of President François Mitterrand, the first…
Price: $4,000.00 Item Number: 89081
-
“one of the transcendent moral influences of our century" (John F. Kennedy) Albert Schweitzer's Out of My Life and Thought: An Autobiography; Inscribed by him
SCHWEITZER, Albert.
Out of My Life and Thought: An Autobiography.
New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1949.
First edition, early printing of the Nobel laureate's classic autobiography. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by Schweitzer on the recto of a photograph to Miss Margaret Lial and additionally inscribed and signed by him in French on verso and additionally inscribed by conductor and pianist Antonia Brico. The Dutch born conductor and pianist, Antonia Brico had an enduring friendship with Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the organ-playing doctor who practiced medicine in the wilds of Africa. The two shared a love of Bach’s music, and she detoured home from an engagement in Europe to visit Schweitzer in Africa in 1950. This…
Price: $3,000.00 Item Number: 140103
-
First Edition of Rawlings' Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel The Yearling; Inscribed by Her in the Year of Publication
RAWLINGS, Marjorie Kinnan.
The Yearling.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1938.
First edition of the author's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper in the year of publication, "For Mark David Corser with good wishes Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings April 1938." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Rare and desirable signed, especially in the year of publication.
Price: $3,000.00 Item Number: 116898
-
"We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves": First Edition of Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of The Dalai Lama; Signed by Him
HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA,.
Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of The Dalai Lama.
London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1990.
First British edition of The Dalai Lama's autobiography. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Uncommon signed.
Price: $2,750.00 Item Number: 108728
-
“this is the story of a great inventor, the most conspicuous figure of the age of electricity”: First edition of the Boy's Life of Edison; Signed by Thomas A. Edison
MEADOWCROFT, William H. [Thomas A. Edison].
The Boy’s Life of Edison.
New York and London: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1911.
First edition of Meadowcroft's biography of Thomas Edison, written for children. Octavo, original cloth with paper label portrait of Edison to the front panel, illustrated with eight photographic portraits of Edison including tissue-guarded frontispiece. With Edison's autobiographical notes. Boldly signed on the second free endpaper, "Thomas A. Edison." In very good condition. First printings are uncommon signed.
Price: $2,750.00 Item Number: 110225
-
First edition of Business @ The Speed of Thought; inscribed by Bill Gates to Massachusetts Governor Paul Cellucci
GATES, Bill with Collins Hemingway.
Business @ The Speed of Thought: Using a Digital Nervous System.
New York: Warner Books, 1999.
First edition of Gates' work on best practices for utilizing information systems in the business world. Octavo, original half cloth. Association copy, inscribed by Bill Gates on the half-title page, "Governor Cellucci, Thanks for your support. Best wishes, Bill Gates." American politician and diplomat Argeo Paul Cellucci served as the 69th governor of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2001, and as the United States Ambassador to Canada from 2001 to 2005. His major accomplishments included his efforts to reform the state's education system, his focus on fiscal responsibility, and his initiatives to promote economic development in Massachusetts. Near fine in a…
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 145138
-
"The ultimate aim of the modern movement in biology is in fact to explain all biology in terms of physics and chemistry": First Edition of The Path to the Double Helix; Signed by Francis Crick and Robert Olby
OBLY, Robert; Foreword by Francis Crick.
The Path to the Double Helix.
Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1974.
First edition of this work on the history of the double helix. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Signed by both the author and Francis Crick on the title page, who contributed the foreword. The author has transcribed the following from this work, "The ultimate aim of the modern movement in biology is in fact to explain all biology in terms of physics and chemistry Robert Olby." Fine in a fine dust jacket.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 3394
-
Long Walk to Freedom; Warmly Inscribed by Nelson Mandela
MANDELA, Nelson .
Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.
South Africa: MacDonald Purnell, 1994.
First South African edition, early printing of this classic autobiography, which has went on to sell over six million copies worldwide. Octavo, original black cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated with photographs. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "To Austin Christmas Compliments and best wishes NMandela 10.6.95." Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 132402
-
“My identity might begin with the fact of my race, but it didn't, couldn't end there. At least that's what I would choose to believe": Dreams From My Father; INSCRIBED BY BARACK OBAMA
OBAMA, Barack.
Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.
New York: Crown Publishers, 2004.
First paperback edition of the future President's first book. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "To Bob - All the best! Barack" In fine condition.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 133108
-
"the brave adventurer, the good companion, my love": First Edition of Nothing More To Declare; Inscribed by John Clellon Holmes to His Wife
HOLMES, John Clellon.
Nothing More To Declare.
New York: E.P. Dutton, 1967.
First edition of this notable assessment of the literature of the Beats and their contemporaries, with essays on Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Gershon Legman and Jay Landesman. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author to his wife on the front free endpaper, "For Shirley- the brave adventurer, the good companion, my love- John Feb. 3, 1967." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Paul Omin. An exceptional association copy.
Price: $1,800.00 Item Number: 103995
-
"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new": First edition of Out of My Later Years; Finely Bound by the Harcourt Bindery
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. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and ruling to the spine, raised bands, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In fine condition. An exceptional presentation.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 142361
-
"No one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails": Long Walk to Freedom; Inscribed by Nelson Mandela
MANDELA, Nelson .
Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.
South Africa: MacDonald Purnell, 1994.
First South African edition, early printing of this classic autobiography, which has went on to sell over six million copies worldwide. Octavo, original black cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated with photographs. Boldly signed on the title page by the author, "To Ronel, Compliments and best wishes to an outstanding lady. NMandela 28.11.95." Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 143552
-
"Without moral and intellectual independence, there is no anchor for national independence": First Edition of Israel: A personal History, Signed by David Ben Gurion
BEN-GURION, David.
Israel: A Personal History.
New York: Funk and Wagnalls Inc, 1971.
First edition of Ben-Gurion's Israel: A Personal History. Quarto, original cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by David Ben-Gurion on the front free endpaper. In near fine condition, owner signature to the half-title page.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 99343
-
“GREAT LEADERS ALMOST ALWAYS EXUDE SELF-CONFIDENCE. THEY ARE NEVER PETTY. THEY ARE NEVER BUCK-PASSERS. THEY PICK THEMSELVES UP AFTER DEFEAT…”: First Edition of Blood, Brains & Beer: The Autobiography of David Ogilvy; Signed by David Ogilvy
OGILVY, David.
Blood, Brains & Beer: The Autobiography of David Ogilvy.
New York: Atheneum, 1978.
First edition of Ogilvy's autobiography. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by David Ogilvy on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light wear and closed tears.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 21071
-
“The law is whatever is successfully argued and plausibly maintained": First Edition of Alexander Hamilton; Signed by Ron Chernow and Lin-Manuel Miranda
CHERNOW, Ron [Lin-Manuel Miranda].
Alexander Hamilton.
New York: The Penguin Press, 2004.
First edition of this landmark biography of Alexander Hamilton. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by Ron Chernow and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Gabriele Wilson.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 143037