Science and Natural History
Rare Science and Natural History Books for Sale Online
Browse rare first edition science and natural history books. Search for books in the fields of biology, medicine, chemistry, physics, and astronomy. In addition, create your wish list, and ask any questions about a specific product, or order online today.
Showing 1–20 of 21 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- Framed Autographs and Historical Documents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
-
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
-
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
-
First Edition of The Double Helix; Signed by Both James Watson and Francis Crick
WATSON, James D. [Francis Crick].
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA.
New York: Atheneum, 1968.
First edition of Watson's ground breaking work regarding the discovery of DNA for which the author, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962. Signed by both James Watson and Francis Crick on the title page. Octavo, original blue cloth, with numerous diagrams and photographic illustrations. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Jeanyee Wong. Foreword by Sir Lawrence Bragg. Rare and desirable signed by both Watson and Crick.
Price: $16,000.00 Item Number: 112545
-
The original publisher's Galley Proof of Stephen King's The Plant: Part Three; With King's edits and annotations, approved and signed by him
KING, Stephen.
The Plant: Part Three Stephen King Original Annotated Galley Proof.
Bangor, Maine: Philtrum Press, 1985.
The original publisher's galley proof of Part Three of King's rare unfinished epistolary novel, initially published in parts and sent to his close friends in lieu of Christmas cards. Folded, the proof measures 60 inches by 19 inches with a typed note from King's publisher on the title page and King's inscription, "copy-edit complete. Steve King/." With King's annotations and edits throughout. In near fine condition. Exceptionally rare, a highly desirable rarity for the King collector.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 136241
-
First Edition of The Double Helix; Inscribed by Him to close friend Francis Sutton
WATSON, James D.
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA.
New York: Atheneum, 1968.
First edition of Watson's ground breaking work regarding the discovery of DNA for which the author, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962. Octavo, original blue cloth, with numerous diagrams and photographic illustrations. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Frank from Jim Watson." The recipient was Ford Foundation sociologist Francis Sutton. Sutton and Watson were at Harvard simultaneously and were close friends. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Jeanyee Wong. Foreword by Sir Lawrence Bragg. Association copies seldom enter the market.
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 99462
-
“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
-
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work": Large Signed Photograph of Thomas Edison
EDISON, Thomas Alva.
Thomas A. Edison Signed Photograph.
Large photograph of Thomas Edison, signed by him. Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 16 inches by 20 inches.
Price: $4,500.00 Item Number: 15050
-
"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration": Photograph of Thomas Edison in His Library; Signed by Him
EDISON, Thomas Alva.
Thomas A. Edison Signed Photograph.
Large signed photograph of Thomas Edison showing him in his library with hands clasped. Inscribed by Thomas Edison. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 15.5. inches by 18.5 inches.
Price: $4,200.00 Item Number: 53017
-
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind": Rare Original July 21st 1969 Delaware Evening Journal Front Page; Signed by legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong
ARMSTRONG, Neil.
Neil Armstrong Signed Delaware Evening Journal.
Wilmington: Delaware Evening Journal, July 21, 1969.
Rare original Delaware Evening Journal featuring the headline "Eagle Jets Safely Off Moon; In Orbit for Rendezvous", a front page article on the Apollo 11 moon landing, and large photograph of Neil Armstrong collecting dirt on the lunar surface. Boldly signed by Neil Armstrong on his photograph. Below the headline is Armstrong's famous quote, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Articles featured on the front page include, "Neil, Buzz Leave Prints on Moon", "Kennedy Charged in Crash", and "Luna 15 Lands On Moon, 500 Miles from LM." In very good condition. Double matted and framed.…
Price: $4,000.00 Item Number: 100158
-
From the library of Stephen Hawking, with his name on the front free end page
KRAMER, D; H. Stephani.
Exact Solutions of Einstein’s Field Equations
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980.
First edition of this work on Einstein. Octavo, original cloth. From the library of Stephen Hawking with his name written on the front free endpaper. Stephen Hawking was a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge at the time of his death. Hawking's scientific works included a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. He was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained…
Price: $4,000.00 Item Number: 119458
-
"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up": Photograph of Thomas Edison in His Library; Signed by Him
EDISON, Thomas Alva.
Thomas A. Edison Signed Photograph.
Large signed photograph of Thomas Edison. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 15.5. inches by 18.5 inches.
Price: $3,000.00 Item Number: 55002
-
First Edition of John Muir's The Story of My Boyhood and Youth; in the rare original dust jacket
MUIR, John.
The Story of My Boyhood and Youth.
Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1913.
First edition, first issue of Muir's autobiography of his youth with the biting criticism of his neighbor's treatment of his son on p. 217: "...none was bold enough or kind enough to break the blacksmith's jaw" (Kimes 315) . Octavo, original illustrated green cloth with gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel, tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait of Muir, illustrated. Near fine in the rare original dust jacket which is in very good condition.
Price: $2,250.00 Item Number: 126377
-
Rare first edition of The Principles of Classification and a Classification of Mammals; signed by influential paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson
SIMPSON, George Gaylord.
The Principles of Classification and a Classification of Mammals.
New York: Published by the Order of the Trustees, 1945.
Rare first edition of Simpson's classic work on mammalian taxonomy. Quarto, original wrappers as issued. Signed by the paleontologist on the front panel. Ownership inscriptions. With a note of provenance laid in which reads, "If you go into taxonomy, this might be a nice classic to own. He autographed it for me when I drove him to Boston from a talk he gave in Conn. years ago. His accutron intrigued me, & I later got one (before Dr. Aft got his, even). My best, Doc." In very good condition. Exceedingly rare signed.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 129508
-
The Double Helix; Signed by Nobel Prize-Winning Scientist James D. Watson
WATSON, James D.
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA.
New York: Atheneum, 1969.
First edition, eight printing (printed the same year as the first) of Watson's ground breaking work regarding the discovery of DNA for which the author, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962. Octavo, original blue cloth, with numerous diagrams and photographic illustrations. Signed by James D. Watson on the title page. Very good in a very good price-clipped dust jacket. Jacket design by Jeanyee Wong. Foreword by Sir Lawrence Bragg.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 144529
-
First edition of Charles Darwin's The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication
DARWIN, Charles.
The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication.
New York: Orange Judd & Company, 1868.
First edition of Darwin's hypothesis of pangenesis. Octavo, original publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to the spine, illustrated with numerous in-text illustrations and a chart. Preface by Asa Gray. In near fine condition. An exceptional example.
Price: $850.00 Item Number: 137161
-
First edition of Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; from the library of American writer and environmentalist Peter Matthiessen
BROWN, Stephen [Editor]. Foreword by Jimmy Carter. Introduction by David Allen Sibley [Peter Matthiessen].
Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Seattle: The Mountaineers Books, 2006.
First edition of this stunning tribute to the birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Quarto, original cloth, illustrated with color photographs. From the library of Peter Matthiessen. American writer Peter Matthiessen remains the only writer to have won the National Book Award in both nonfiction (The Snow Leopard, 1979) and fiction (Shadow Country, 2008). A prominent environmental activist, Matthiessen received the National Book Award for Fiction in 2008 at the age of 81 for Shadow Country. "No one writes more lyrically [than Matthiessen] about animals or describes more movingly the spiritual experience of mountaintops, savannas, and the sea" (Michael…
Price: $275.00 Item Number: 135489
-
First edition of Phantom Flowers: A Treatise on the Art of Producing Skeleton Leaves
TILTON, J.E.].
Phantom Flowers: A Treatise on the Art of Producing Skeleton Leaves.
Boston: J. E. Tilton and Company, 1864.
First edition of this rare nineteenth century manual on the centuries-old practice of leaf skeletonizing. Octavo, original green cloth with gilt vignettes to the spine and front panel, illustrated with 6 tissue-guarded monochrome plates. In very good condition with the plates exceptionally crisp.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 137236
-
Rare first edition of George Taylor's An Account of the Genus Meconopsis
TAYLOR, George.
An Account of the Genus Meconopsis.
London: New Flora and Silva Ltd, 1934.
First edition of Taylor's best-known work. Quarto, original cloth, illustrated with frontispiece, 29 plates from photographs and 12 distributional maps. In very good condition. Small ownership name.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 137344
-
Jacob Bigelow's Florula Bostoniensis. A Collection of Plants of Boston and Its Vicinity
BIGELOW, Jacob.
Florula Bostoniensis. A Collection of Plants of Boston and Its Vicinity, With Their Generic and Specific Characters, Principal Synonyms, Descriptions, Places of Growth, and Time of Flowering, and Occasional Remarks.
Boston: Published by Cummings, Hilliard & Co, 1824.
Enlarged and second edition of Bigelow's authoritative work on the flora of Boston and its vicinity. Octavo, original boards, rebacked, greatly enlarged and with a significant glossary of botanical terms. In very good condition. Period ownership inscriptions and notations.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 137356
-
First edition of Frank Kingdon Ward's The Romance of Plant Hunting
KINGDON WARD, Frank.
The Romance of Plant Hunting.
London: Edward Arnold & Co, 1924.
First edition of Kingdon-Ward's work on the love of flowers and plant hunting. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, illustrated. In good condition.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 139818