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Rare & Classic, American or English Literature Books for Sale Online
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"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men": First Edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Signed by Roald Dahl
DAHL, Roald.
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964.
First edition, second issue with the five line colophon on the last page. Octavo, original cloth. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Boldly signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Love Roald Dahl," with the word Love within the letter R in his name. Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Illustrated by Joseph Schindelman. A sharp example, uncommon signed.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 145511
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"Once there was a little tree ... and she loved a little boy": First Edition of The Giving Tree; In the rare original dust jacket
SILVERSTEIN, Shel.
The Giving Tree.
New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1964.
First edition with all the first issue points to both the book and dust jacket. Octavo, original illustrated boards, illustrated. Near fine in a very good first-issue price-clipped dust jacket with the full torso picture of Shel Silverstein, with hair, covering top left half of back of the dust jacket, three reviews of Lafcadio, by Kirkus. The New York Times and Publisher’s Weekly. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $4,000.00 Item Number: 145783
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"I think all those rules are boring. About what people can and can't wear. Surely everyone should be able to wear whatever they like": First Edition of David Walliams' The Boy in the Dress
WALLIAMS, David.
The Boy in the Dress.
London: HarperCollins Children's Books, 2008.
First edition of the award-winning sketch actor's first children's book. Octavo, original pictorial boards, illustrations by Quentin Blake. Fine in a fine dust jacket.
Price: $30.00 Item Number: 145190
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First Edition of The Missing Piece Meets the Big O; Warmly Inscribed by Shel Silverstein with a large Drawing
SILVERSTEIN, Shel.
The Missing Piece Meets the Big O.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1981.
First edition of this work of poetry by the author on The Giving Tree. Small quarto, original cloth, illustrated throughout. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author with a large drawing of a hand with a pen on the front free endpaper continuing to the front pastedown, "For Daniel With Love Shel Silverstein." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. An exceptional presentation.
Price: $4,000.00 Item Number: 145791
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Rare First Edition of Over Sea, Under Stone; Signed by Susan Cooper
COOPER, Susan.
Over Sea, Under Stone.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965.
First edition of the author's classic first book. Octavo, original cloth, illustrations by Margery Gill. Boldly by Susan Cooper on the half-title page. Very good in a very good dust jacket, stamp to the copyright page. Jacket design by Margery Gill. First editions are rare, especially signed.
Price: $4,200.00 Item Number: 145793
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First Edition of C.S. Lewis' Perelandra; in the rare original dust jacket
LEWIS, C.S.
Perelandra.
London: The Bodley Head, 1943.
First edition of the second novel in Lewis' classic trilogy. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with a portion of restoration to foot of spine, portion of restoration to head, affecting title, two small central points of restoration to spine, corners neatly restored, corner clipped with the original price of 8s. 6d showing. Uncommon in the original dust jacket.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 145807
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Where the Sidewalk Ends, Signed by Shel Silverstein
SILVERSTEIN, Shel.
Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1974.
First edition, early printing of the author's first collection of children's poetry. Small quarto, original brown cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by Shel Silverstein on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
Price: $4,000.00 Item Number: 145319
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"Once there was a little tree ... and she loved a little boy": The Giving Tree; Signed by Shel Silverstein with a Large Original Drawing
SILVERSTEIN, Shel.
The Giving Tree.
New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1964.
Later printing of this classic work. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Presentation copy, boldly signed by the author across two pages, "For Tracy With Love Shel Silverstein with a large drawing of a tree trump and tree. Fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 145945
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"Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure": First American Edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Signed by J.K. Rowling
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
New York: Arthur A. Levine Books: An Imprint of Scholastic Press, 2003.
First American edition of the fifth novel in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series. Octavo, original illustrated boards, illustrated by Mary Grandpre. Boldly signed by J.K. Rowling on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket illustration by Mary GrandPre. Jacket design by Mary GrandPre and David Snyder. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 145090
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"How doth the little crocodile improve its shining tail, and pour the waters of the Nile on every golden scale": First Edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures Under Ground
CARROL, Lewis. [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson].
Alice’s Adventures Under Ground.
London: Macmillan and Co, 1886.
First edition being a facsimile of the original manuscript which was later expanded and published as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Octavo, original scarlet cloth, elaborate gilt titles to the spine and front panel, gilt vignette to the rear panel, triple gilt ruled, all edges gilt, text printed in the author's handwriting including thirty-seven illustrations in facsimile, advertisements at rear. In very good condition.
Price: $1,100.00 Item Number: 145905
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“He’s part Old Yeller,” she said. “And he was the best one of the bunch": Old Yeller; Inscribed by Fred Gipson
GIPSON, Fred.
Old Yeller.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers , 1956.
First edition, early printing of this timeless classic, one of the most beloved children’s books ever written. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated by Carl Burger. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Best wishes to Clay Michael Cooke- Fred Gipson." Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket, inscription to the front free endpaper. Rare and desirable signed and inscribed.
Price: $975.00 Item Number: 145664
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First Edition of The Charles Addams Mother Goose
ADDAMS, Charles.
The Charles Addams Mother Goose.
New York: Windmill Books, 1967.
First edition of this work by the legendary cartoonist. Quarto, original cloth, illustrated. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket.
Price: $125.00 Item Number: 145955
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Ruth Plumly Thompson's The Giant Horse of Oz
THOMPSON, Ruth Plumly; Founded on and continuing the Famous Oz Stories by L. Frank Baum.
The Giant Horse of Oz.
Chicago: The Reilly & Lee Co, 1928.
First edition, early printing of Thompson's eighth fantastical continuation of Frank Baum's Oz stories. Octavo, original blue cloth with color pictorial paper onlay, illustrations by John R. Neill. In very good condition. Ownership signature in to the front pastedown, front free endpaper, and ownership page.
Price: $75.00 Item Number: 145084
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Ruth Plumly Thompson's Kabumpo in Oz
THOMPSON, Ruth Plumly; Founded on and continuing the Famous Oz Stories by L. Frank Baum.
Kabumpo in Oz.
Chicago: The Reilly & Lee Co, 1922.
First edition, early printing of Thompson's second fantastical continuation of Frank Baum’s 'Oz' stories. Octavo, original cloth with colored pictorial paper onlay, illustrated plates by John R. Neill. In very good condition.
Price: $95.00 Item Number: 145101
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James and the Giant Peach; Signed by Illustrator Nancy Ekholm Burkert
DAHL, Roald; Illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert.
James and the Giant Peach.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961.
Early printing of this Dahl classic. Octavo, original cloth, beautifully illustrated, many full-page and in color. Boldly signed by the illustrator, Nancy Ekholm Burkert on the half-title page. Fine in a very good dust jacket.
Price: $450.00 Item Number: 144540
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First edition of the Star Wars: Punch-Out and Make-It Book; designed by Ib Penick and illustrated with Instructional Drawings by Charlotte Staub
PENICK, Ib [Designer]. Illustrated by Patricia Wayne; Instructional Drawings by Charlotte Staub.
Star Wars: Punch-Out and Make-It Book. Based on the film by George Lucas.
Glasgow and London: Collins, 1978.
First edition of this classic 70s punch-out and make-it book. Quarto, original pictorial wrappers. Designed by Ib Penick. Illustrated by Patricia Wayne. Instructional Drawings by Charlotte Staub. In fine condition.
Price: $75.00 Item Number: 145053
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First Edition, First Printing of Ruth Plumly Thompson's The Giant Horse of Oz
THOMPSON, Ruth Plumly; Founded on and continuing the Famous Oz Stories by L. Frank Baum.
The Giant Horse of Oz.
Chicago: The Reilly & Lee Co, 1928.
First edition, first printing of Thompson's eighth fantastical continuation of Frank Baum's Oz stories. Octavo, original red cloth with color pictorial paper onlay, illustrations by John R. Neill. In good condition. Slight rubbing to the extremities. Watercolor to the illustration on the front pastedown by a previous owner. Ownership signature in black crayon to the ownership page. First issue with the perfect, undamaged 'r' on page 116 and all color plates present and accounted for.
Price: $300.00 Item Number: 145082
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"BUT HE NEVER KNEW THAT REALLY IT WAS HIS OWN BUNNY, COME BACK TO LOOK AT THE CHILD WHO HAD FIRST HELPED HIM TO BE REAL": FIRST EDITION OF MARGERY WILLIAMS' BELOVED CHILDREN'S CLASSIC THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
BIANCO, Margery Williams.
The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real.
London: Heinemann, 1922.
First edition, English issue (published simultaneously with the American issue) of this beloved children’s classic, “one of the first modern picture books, a perfect combination of story and pictures” (Mahony, 234), with seven beautiful color illustrations by William Nicholson. Quarto, original paper-covered pictorial boards and cloth spine, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with seven color illustrations (three double-page) by William Nicholson. In very good condition. Uncommon.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 138402
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First Edition of Suzuki Beane; Signed by Sandra Scoppettone
SCOPPETTONE, Sandra; Drawings by Louise Fitzhugh.
Suzuki Beane.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1961.
First edition of this classic children's book. Quarto, original illustrated boards, illustrated endpapers, drawings by Louise Fitzhugh. Lengthily signed by the author on the title page "My name is Suzuki Beane Sandra Scoppettone." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. First editions are rare, signed examples exceptionally so.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 144579
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First edition of J.K. Rowling's Essential Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 3 Book Reading Kit
ROWLING, J.K.
The Essential Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 3 Book Reading Kit.
London: Bloomsbury, 2003.
First edition of the Essential Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 3 Book Reading Kit. Octavo, three volumes, housed in the original pictorial slipcase and shrink wrap. The pack includes one adult first edition and 2 children's first editions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with 5 bookmarks, 5 Do Not Disturb Signs, 5 sticker sets, and 3 bookplates. In fine condition.
Price: $400.00 Item Number: 144952
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"No spots are too hard for a hat cat like me!": The Cat in the Hat comes Back; Inscribed by Dr. Seuss
SEUSS, Dr. [Theodor Geisel].
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back.
New York: Beginner Books: A Division of Random House, 1958.
Early printing of the sequel of Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat. Octavo, original illustrated boards, pictorial endpapers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author opposite the title page, "For Aaron Samuel congratulations and Best Wishes! Dr. Seuss." Near fine in a good dust jacket with rubbing and wear.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 144491
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"Once there was a little tree ... and she loved a little boy": The Giving Tree; Signed by Shel Silverstein with a Drawing
SILVERSTEIN, Shel.
The Giving Tree.
New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1964.
Later printing of this classic work. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Boldly signed by Shel Silverstein with an original drawing on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
Price: $7,200.00 Item Number: 144497
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"This is not a fairy-tale. This is about real witches": First Edition of The Witches; Signed by Roald Dahl
DAHL, Roald; Illustrated by Quentin Blake.
The Witches.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1983.
First edition of Dahl’s Whitbread Award-winning children’s novel, illustrated by Quentin Blake. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Roald Dahl on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 144317
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"I had forgotten how much light there is in the world, till you gave it back to me": First Editions of Each of Book in Ursula Le Guins The Wizard of Earthsea Series
LE GUIN, Ursula K. [LeGuin].
The Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, Tehanu, Tales from the Earthsea and The Other Wind.
Berkeley: Parnassus, 1968-2001.
First editions of each of the six novels in Le Guin's acclaimed Wizard of Earthsea series. Octavo, 6 volumes, original cloth. Each are fine in near fine to fine dust jackets. The Wizard of Earthsea is a second state and the dust jacket priced at $3.95. A Wizard of Earthsea with illustrations by Ruth Robbins; Tombs of Atuan and Farthest Shore with illustrations by Gail Garraty. An exceptional set.
Price: $2,800.00 Item Number: 144308
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"All tales may come true": First Edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's Tree and Leaf
TOLKIEN, J.R.R.
Tree and Leaf.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1965.
First American edition of Tolkien's classic work exploring the literature of fantasy and myth. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a very good dust jacket.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 144282
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"Wootton Major it was called because it was not very large, though it was at that time prosperous": First edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's Smith of Wootton Major
TOLKIEN, J.R.R. Illustrations by Pauline Baynes.
Smith of Wootton Major.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company , 1967.
First American edition of Tolkien's classic fairy story. Small octavo, original cloth, illustrations by Pauline Baynes. Near fine in a very good dust jacket, bookplate. Jacket photograph of Tolkien by Roger Hill.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 144732
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"Do a loony-goony dance cross the kitchen floor, put something silly in the world that ain't been there before": First Edition of A Light In Attic; Inscribed by Shel Silverstein with an original drawing
SILVERSTEIN, Shel.
A Light In the Attic.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1981.
First edition, early printing of Silverstein's classic collection of children's poems with first edition stated on the copyright page. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated by the author. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author opposite the title page with an original drawing, "For Mark with Love- Shel Silverstein." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket.
Price: $2,250.00 Item Number: 144292
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First Illustrated Edition of The Red Pony; Inscribed by John Steinbeck
STEINBECK, John.
The Red Pony.
New York: The Viking Press, 1945.
First illustrated edition of Steinbeck's classic novel. Octavo, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, with illustrations by Wesley Dennis. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "For J.C. Shakel with regards John Steinbeck." Fine in the original slipcase.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 144291
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“Life is a series of unlikely events, isn’t it?": First edition of In The Unlikely Event; Signed by Judy Blume
BLUME, Judy.
In the Unlikely Event.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2015.
First edition of one of only four adult books written in Blume's career. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by Judy Blume. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Kelly Blair.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 144301
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“I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it": First Edition of C.S. Lewis' The Silver Chair; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
LEWIS, C.S.
The Silver Chair.
London: Geoffrey Bles, 1953.
First edition of this classic work. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes. An exceptional example, as this is the most difficult volume in the series to find in collectible condition.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 144244
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"And there the wicked old witch stayed for a good long time." "And did she ever come out?" "Not yet": First Edition of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West; Lengthily Signed by Gregory Maguire
MAGUIRE, Gregory.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc, 1995.
First edition of Gregory Maguire’s immensely popular reinvention of Oz. Octavo, original illustrated boards, cartographic endpapers. Lengthily signed by the author on the half-title page, "And then the wicked old witch stayed for a good long time." "And did she ever come out?" "Not yet." Gregory Maguire." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Illustrations by Douglas Smith. Jacket design by Joel Avirom. An exceptional example.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 144224
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First Edition of Fudge-A-Mania; Inscribed by Judy Blume
BLUME, Judy.
Fudge-A-Mania.
New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1990.
First edition of this work in the author's classic Fudge series. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Linda Love, Judy Blume Oct. 1993." Fine in near fine dust jacket. Jacket illustration by Sue Truesdell.
Price: $375.00 Item Number: 144223
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"For Jenny, who does believe in magic (I do too, really) (but tell anybody)": J.K. Rowling's Rare First Book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; uniquely inscribed by her and with an original drawing by Illustrator Thomas Taylor
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
London: Bloomsbury, 1997.
First edition, fourth printing of the rarest book in the Harry Potter series, a cornerstone of young adult literature, and one of the best-selling books of all time. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers. Presentation copy, "For Jenny, who does believe in magic (I do too, really) (but don’t tell anyone) J.K. Rowling." Also, with an original drawing of Harry Potter by jacket illustrator Thomas Taylor. The recipient, was the vendor's daughter Jenny, who was seven years old at the time, at the Edinburgh Literary Festival in August 1997. Jenny's mother wrote in her journal for that month "We all went to…
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 133799
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First Deluxe Edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; Signed and With An Original Drawing of Harry Potter by Illustrator Thomas Taylor
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
London: Bloomsbury, 1999.
First deluxe edition in the Harry Potter series, a cornerstone of young adult literature, and one of the best-selling books of all time. Octavo, original original cloth, all edges gilt, cover illustration by Thomas Taylor. Signed by the illustrator Thomas Taylor with an original drawing of Harry Potter on the dedication page. At the time of the book’s publication in 1996, illustrator Thomas Taylor had just graduated from art school and was working at Heffers Children’s Bookshop in Cambridge. At Heffers, Taylor educated himself on the children’s book market and its major publishers and decided to submit a portfolio of…
Price: $5,500.00 Item Number: 144093
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“Don't you know that everybody's got a Fairyland of their own?”: Rare First Edition of Mary Poppins; Finely Bound by the Harcourt Bindery
TRAVERS, P.L.
Mary Poppins.
New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1934.
First American edition of this children's classic. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and ruling to the spine, raised bands, double gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In fine condition, bookplate. An exceptional example.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 144179
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"Come right up close to me and I will show you something wonderful": First Edition of James and the Giant Peach; Signed by Roald Dahl and Illustrator Nancy Ekholm Burkert
DAHL, Roald; Illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert.
James and the Giant Peach.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961.
First edition of this Dahl classic. Octavo, original cloth, beautifully illustrated, many full-page and in color. Boldly signed by Roald Dahl on the front free endpaper and also signed by the illustrator, Nancy Ekholm Burkert on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional example, most rare and desirable signed by both the author and the illustrator.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 144130
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“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be": J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire.
London: Bloombsbury, 2000.
Early printing of Rowling’s fourth book in the Harry Potter series. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Cover illustration by Giles Greenfield. Cover design by Richard Horne.
Price: $125.00 Item Number: 144125
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"Every one wanted to say so much that no one said anything in particular": First Edition of Rudyard Kipling's Captains Courageous
KIPLING, Rudyard.
Captains Courageous. A Story of the Grand Banks.
London: Macmillan, 1897.
First edition of Kipling’s richly detailed tale of American deep-sea fishing, with frontispiece and 21 illustrations by I.W. Taber. Octavo, original blue cloth elegantly stamped in gilt. In near fine condition with light shelfwear. Pictorial bookplate of L.A. Shilcof to the pastedown. A sharp example.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 144073
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First Edition of Just as Long as We're Together; Inscribed by Judy Blume in the year of publication
BLUME, Judy.
Just as Long as We’re Together.
New York: Orchard Books, 1987.
First edition of this classic work. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "To Jessica Love, Judy Blume December 1987." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, sticker to the front free endpaper. Jacket painting by Peter Catalanotto.
Price: $500.00 Item Number: 144145