Gifts
Looking for a unique and personal gift? A rare book is a gift they will treasure for a lifetime. There are few gifts that are as lasting and appreciated as a rare book. They hold within its pages not only historical and cultural significance, but often also a personal significance to the recipient. Whether it is a beloved childhood book that turned them on to the joys of reading or a favorite title they read in high school or college, people treasure these books like a close friend.
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"Produced by the most important and active printing press of 17th century Rome": Rare early seventeenth century Italian celestial globe produced by Roman cartographer Giuseppe de Rossi
GIUSEPPE DE ROSSI,.
Giuseppe de Rossi’s Globus Coelest. [Seventeenth Century Italian Celestial Globe].
Rome: Giuseppe de Rossi, [1615].
Rare early seventeenth century Italian celestial globe produced by Roman cartographer Giuseppe de Rossi, the founder the most important and active printing press of 17th century Rome, the Rossi firm. Laid horizontally and mounted on a turned mahogany stand, the celestial globe measures 8 inches in diameter and is comprised of 12 hand-colored engraved gores depicting the major constellations and all twelve zodiac signs, illustrated in detail after Jodocus Hondius famed celestial globe of 1601. The inscribed cartouche reads, "Globus Coelest, in quo stellae fixæ omnes quæ a N. Viro Tychone Brahe suma cura observatæ sunt, accuratissime dessignantur: quibus adjuncte…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 127575
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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 British Edition of Long Walk To Freedom; Warmly Inscribed by Nelson Mandela and signed by Desmond Tutu and F.W. de Klerk
MANDELA, Nelson.
Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.
London: Little, Brown and Company, 1994.
First British edition of the first 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 title page, "To Dr. Ivan May Compliments and best wishes to a public figure who cares. Nelson Mandela 6.1.95." Additionally signed by Nobel Prize-winners Desmond Tutu and F.W. de Klerk. The recipient, Ivan May was an academician and humanitarian, who worked closely with The Nelson Mandela Foundation. He was described by the foundation as…
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 130735
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Rare First Edition of Leonardo Da Vinci's Trattato della Pittura di Lionardo da Vinci
DA VINCI, Leonardo.
Trattato della Pittura di Lionardo da Vinci. [Leonardo da Vinci].
Paris: Jacques Langlois, 1651.
Rare first edition of this classic treatise of da Vinci's work on painting, two parts in one volume. Folio, bound in full contemporary calf, gilt titles, engraved portrait of da Vinci in each part, engraved vignette on title, engraved initials, head and tail pieces, engraved text illustrations. In very good condition, marginalia, rebacked. Compiled from his original notes by his pupil Francesco Melzi. First editions are rare.
Price: $16,000.00 Item Number: 130267
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First British Edition of Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa; King Edward VIII's Copy with his ownership inscription
DINESEN, Isak [Karen Blixen] [King Edward VIII].
Out of Africa.
London: Putnam, 1937.
First British edition of the author's masterpiece, a lyrical meditation of the years she lived in Kenya, from the library of King Edward VIII. Octavo, original cloth. With numerous original photographs and newspaper clippings affixed to the front few pages. Originally from the collection of the author's brother Thomas Fasti Dinesen with two original black and white photographs of him hunting affixed to the verso of the front free endpaper and half-title page above which he has annotated, "My first lion April 6th 1922" and "Shot from boma April 11th 1922 The boma only five feet from the hill on…
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 110991
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“Things are always happening to me. I’m that sort of bear": Rare First Edition of A Bear Called Paddington; Inscribed by Michael Bond
BOND, Michael; Illustrated by Peggy Fortnum .
A Bear Called Paddington.
London: Collins, 1958.
First edition of the first book in the Paddington series. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated by Peggy Fortnum. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "To John with all good wishes Michael Bond. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket with a chip to the back panel. An exceptional example, rare and desirable signed and inscribed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 128753
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"Matilda said, "Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it's unbelievable...": First Edition Of Roald Dahls Beloved Book Matilda; Signed by Him and Legendary Artist Quentin Blake
DAHL, Roald; Illustrated by Quentin Blake.
Matilda.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1988.
First British edition of Dahl’s popular story of a young girl, her genius, and her indifferent parents. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by Roald Dahl and illustrator Quentin Blake on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Illustrated by Quentin Blake. Rare and desirable signed by both Dahl and Blake.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 138289
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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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SIGNED LIMITED FIRST EDITION OF PORGY AND BESS; SIGNED BY GEORGE AND IRA GERSHWIN, DUBOSE HEYWARD, AND ROUBEN MAMOULIAN
GEORGE GERSHWIN. LIBRETTO BY DUBOSE HEYWARD. LYRICS BY DUBOSE HEYWARD AND IRA GERSHWIN. PRODUCTION DIRECTED BY ROUBEN MAMOULIAN,.
Porgy and Bess.
New York: Random House, 1935.
Deluxe limited edition of Porgy and Bess, number 162 of only 250 copies signed by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward and director Rouben Mamoulian. Folio, original full red morocco, raised bands, top edge gilt, illustrated. In near fine in the rare original slipcase.
Price: $10,000.00 Item Number: 130673
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“Those who don't believe in magic will never find it": First Edition of BFG; Signed by Roald Dahl and Illustrator Quentin Blake
DAHL, Roald; Illustrated by Quentin Blake.
The BFG: Illustrations by Quentin Blake.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1982.
First edition of this Dahl classic, which has sold over 20 million copies. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated by Quentin Blake. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front pastedown, "Nicola Love Roald Dahl." Additionally inscribed by the illustrator Quentin Blake opposite Dahl's inscription. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Uncommon signed by both Dahl and Blake.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 109358
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"Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen": Rare First Edition in English of Leonardo Da Vinci's A Treatise of Painting
DA VINCI, Leonardo.
A Treatise of Painting.
London: Printed for J. Senex; and W. Taylor, 1721.
Rare first edition in English of da Vinci's classic work on painting. Octavo, bound in full calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, front and rear panels, raised bands, marbled endpapers, title page printed in red and black, illustrated with engraved frontispiece portrait facing title, thirty-one full page plates, and three folding (thirty-five in total), final two leaves of publisher's ads present after text. In very good condition, bookplate to the front pastedown. First editions are rare.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 144142
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First Editions of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged; Finely Bound by the Harcourt Bindery
RAND, Ayn.
The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.
New York: Bobbs-Merrill Company & Random House, 1943 & 1957.
First editions of Ayn Rand's masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Housed in a custom half slipcase with ribbon. Both are in fine condition. An exceptional presentation.
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 140701
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FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST PEANUTS BOOK; SIGNED BY CHARLES SCHULZ
SCHULZ, Charles M.
Peanuts.
New York: Rinehart & Company, 1952.
First edition of the first collection of the Peanuts cartoons. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers as issued. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Best wishes Charles M. Schulz." In fine condition, as this was stored upon publication by the original owner. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 136467
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"ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS": FIRST EDITION OF GEORGE ORWELLS MASTERPIECE ANIMAL FARM; in the rare original dust jacket
ORWELL, George.
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story.
London: Secker & Warburg, 1945.
First edition of Orwell's timeless allegorical novel— a scathing satire on a downtrodden society’s blind march towards totalitarianism - with "First Published May 1945" on the copyright page. Fenwick A.10a. Octavo, original publisher's green cloth. Very good in a very good dust jacket with the 6s price to front flap, "Searchlight Books—each 2s net" and the train engine printed in blue on verso. Bookplate.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 142745
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First Edition of Watership Down; Inscribed by Richard Adams
ADAMS, Richard.
Watership Down.
London: Rex Collings, 1972.
First edition of the author's first and most beloved work. Octavo, original brown cloth, folding map. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author withing two months of the publication date on the front free endpaper, "To Jessie and Derek Hinrich with best wishes from Richard Adams January 1973." Fine in a fine dust jacket. The nicest example we have ever seen.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 143483
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Complete Set of Dickens' Christmas Books, Including First Editions of The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain
CHARLES DICKENS,.
The Christmas Books: A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Battle of Life; Cricket on the Hearth; The Haunted Man and The Ghost’s Bargain.
London: Chapman and Hall, 1843-48.
Complete set of Charles Dickens' Christmas Books. Octavo, 5 volumes, original cloth with gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panels, all edges gilt. A Christmas Carol, in Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas is a tenth edition with the half-title printed in blue, title-page printed in red and blue, verso printed in blue, hand-colored etched frontispiece and three hand-colored etched plates by John Leech, four wood-engravings in-text by W.J. Linton after Leech, 2pp. publisher's advertisements at rear. Second edition of The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a…
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 125019
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First edition of C.S. Lewis' Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia; with an autograph note signed by him to his PhD Student at Cambridge, Anthony Spearing
LEWIS, C.S.
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia.
London: Geoffrey Bles, 1951.
First edition of the second book in Lewis' beloved Narnia series. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated by Pauline Baynes. With an autograph note signed by C.S. Lewis to his PhD student at Cambridge, Anthony Spearing. On Lewis' Magdalene College, Cambridge letterhead, the note reads in full, "5th Nov. 57 Dear Mr. Spearing, I gather I have been inflicted as you as a "superior" so I suppose we out to meet. Wd. next Friday at 12 suit you? Don't bother replying if it would. Yours sincerely C. S. Lewis." The recipient of the letter, Anthony Spearing was assigned to report…
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 135229
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SIGNED LIMITED FIRST EDITION OF PORGY AND BESS; SIGNED BY GEORGE AND IRA GERSHWIN, DUBOSE HEYWARD, AND ROUBEN MAMOULIAN
GEORGE GERSHWIN. LIBRETTO BY DUBOSE HEYWARD. LYRICS BY DUBOSE HEYWARD AND IRA GERSHWIN. PRODUCTION DIRECTED BY ROUBEN MAMOULIAN,.
Porgy and Bess.
New York: Random House, 1935.
Deluxe limited edition of Porgy and Bess, number 55 of only 250 copies signed by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward and director Rouben Mamoulian. Folio, original full red morocco, raised bands, top edge gilt, illustrated. In very good condition with light rubbing and wear.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 98943
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Rare 1911 Austro-Hungarian Nobility Patent; elaborately bound in full morocco with gilt metalwork embellished with inlaid precious stones
Austro-Hungarian Nobility Patent
Vienna: 1911.
Rare Austro-Hungarian Nobility Patent bestowing upon Brunn industrialist Adolf Noble von Kurschner and his descendants a Hungarian noble title. Folio, bound in full morocco with elaborate gilt metal onlays embellished with precious stones, inner dentelles, silk-watered endleaves, tasseled ribbon bound in. The patent is richly decorated with hand-painted illuminated borders, large hand-painted coat of arms. Signed by the Minister of the Interior: Vienna, December 11, 1911, the patent extends the hereditary title of baron bestowed on Adolf Noble von Kurschner to his descendants Adolf Baron von Kurschner and his wife Marie Baroness von Kurschner as well as their direct descendants.…
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 132158
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“The increase of disorder or entropy is what distinguishes the past from the future, giving a direction to time": First Edition of Stephen Hawking's Landmark Work A Brief History of Time; Signed by Carl Sagan and Illustrator Ron Miller
HAWKING, Stephen W.; Introduction by Carl Sagan.
A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes.
London: Bantam Press, 1988.
First British edition and true first of Hawking's groundbreaking work. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated by Ron Miller. Signed by Carl Sagan on the title page, who wrote the introduction. Additionally signed and inscribed by the illustrator Ron Miller, who has also added a drawing. Sagan tells the following story: Sagan was in London for a scientific conference in 1974, and between sessions he wandered into a different room, where a larger meeting was taking place. "I realized that I was watching an ancient ceremony: the investiture of new fellows into the Royal Society, one of the most ancient scholarly organizations on the…
Price: $6,800.00 Item Number: 46009