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Rare Philosophy Books for Sale Online
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“For anyone who loves intensely lives not in himself but in the object of his love, and the further he can move out of himself into his love, the happier he is": Exceptionally Rare first edition in English of Erasmus' in Praise of Folly; elaborately bound in full crushed levant morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe
ERASMUS, Desiderius. Translated by Sir Thomas Chaloner.
In Praise of Folie: Moriae Encomium. A book made in latine by the great clerke Erasmus Roterodame. Enlightened by Sir Thomas Chaloner, knight. [In Praise of Folly].
London: Thomas Berthelet, 1549.
First edition in English of one of the most notable and popular works of the Renaissance which played an important role in the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation and swiftly brought its author international fame. First printing with 'latine' and the printer's initials 'TB.' to the title page. Octavo, bound in full crushed levant morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe, gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, triple gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, wide woodcut border to the title page signed…
Price: $275,000.00 Item Number: 139476
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A LANDMARK IN THE HISTORY OF PRINTING, AND ONE OF THE GREATEST ILLUSTRATED BOOKS EVER PUBLISHED: FIRST EDITION OF THE MONUMENTAL NUREMBERG CHRONICLE; Published in 1493 and containing over 1800 splendid woodcuts illustrating the history of the world from the Creation of man to the invention of the printing press
SCHEDEL, Hartmann.
Liber Chronicarum [Nuremberg Chronicles].
Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1493.
First edition of the most fully realized illustrated book of the fifteenth century and one of the most impressive volumes ever published. Imperial folio, bound in three quarter calf with five raised bands to the spine, morocco title labels lettered in gilt to the spine and front panel, copiously illustrated with 1,809 splendid woodcuts by Wohlgemuth and Pleydenwurff (the teachers of Durer), some full page, others double-page, illustrating Schedel's year-by-year account of notable events in world history from the Creation to the year of publication, including the creation of Adam and Eve, birth of Jesus Christ, invention of printing at Mainz,…
Price: $92,000.00 Item Number: 143505
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First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
WILSON, William [Bill W.].
Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism.
New York: Alcoholics Anonymous, 1939.
First edition of Bill Wilson’s classic work, one of the best-selling books of all time, having sold 30 million copies. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with the spine lightly toned, contemporary name to the front free endpaper. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional example.
Price: $55,000.00 Item Number: 143075
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Rare first edition of Marshman's The Works of Confucius; complete with his Dissertation on the Characters and Sounds of the Chinese Language
MARSHMAN, Joshua [Confucius].
The Works of Confucius; Containing the Original Text, With a Translation. To Which is Prefixed a Dissertation on the Chinese Language and Character. [The Analects of Confucius].
Serampore: Printed at the Mission Press, 1809.
First English translation of the Analects of Confucius complete with the rare Dissertation on the Chinese Language and Character, here bound in a separate volume. Quarto, two volumes bound in three quarter morocco over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, illustrated with 2 folding charts on Chinese characters, 4 further tables on 2 folding leaves, postscript at rear. In fine condition. Exceptionally rare, particularly with Marshman's separately printed dissertation present including the tables and charts.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 131224
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"There is no other fire but this, This speck of life, this fading spark": The Screwtape Letters; signed by C.S. Lewis with an inscription of his poem The Salamander
LEWIS, C.S.
The Screwtape Letters.
London: Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press, 1945.
Early printing of Lewis' classic novel of spiritual conflict, one of his most celebrated works; signed by him with his poem The Salamader in the year it was published in The Spectator. Octavo, original publisher's cloth. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "C. S. Lewis" and inscribed by him on the final free endpaper with an inscription of his poem The Salamander which was published in the same year (1945) in The Spectator, "The Salamander I stared in to the fire: - blue waves of shuddering hear that rose and fell and blazing ships and binding caves Canyons…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 143837
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A fine set of the works of Theodoretus; Each Beautifully Painted on the front and back of each panel
Opera Omnia. Ed. Jac. Sirmond (Volumes 1-4), and J. Garnier (Volume 5).
Paris: Sebastian and Gabriel Cramoisy, 1682-84.
A fine set of the works of Theodoretus, Bishop of Cyrus, beautifully painted on each panel. Quarto, five volumes, bound in full 17th-century vellum, both covers on each volume fully painted with a scene from the life of Christ, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, brown and black morocco lettering pieces. The first four volumes were edited by J. Sirmond and were published in 1642. The fifth volume, not published until 1684, was completed by Sirmond's fellow Jesuit Garnier and contains an auctarium, comprising fragments of commentaries and sermons and some additional letters, together with Garnier's five learned but…
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 140490
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THE FIRST JEWISH TRANSLATION OF THE PENTATEUCH INTO ENGLISH
LEESER, Isaac.
The Law of God.
Philadelphia: C. Sherman, 5605, 1845-46.
First edition of the “first English translation of the Pentateuch in America,” the 1845 Hebrew-English Bible by one of the most prominent and influential figures in American Jewish history. Octavo, 5 volumes. Translated by Isaac Leeser. Bound in contemporary polished calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, rebacked. Lightly rubbed, moderate wear. A very nice example of a scarce and important work.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 49020
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THE FIRST JEWISH TRANSLATION OF THE PENTATEUCH INTO ENGLISH
LEESER, Isaac.
The Law of God.
Philadelphia: C. Sherman, 5605, 1845-46.
First edition of the “first English translation of the Pentateuch in America,” the 1845 Hebrew-English Bible by one of the most prominent and influential figures in American Jewish history. Octavo, 5 volumes. Translated by Isaac Leeser. Bound in full contemporary calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine. In near fine condition. A nice example, rare in contemporary binding.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 78547
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“The deeper the Self-realization of a man, the more he influences the whole universe by his subtle spiritual vibrations, and the less he himself is affected by the phenomenal flux": First Edition of Autobiography of A Yogi; Inscribed by Yogananda Paramhansa
YOGANANDA, Paramhansa.
Autobiography of a Yogi.
New York: The Philosophical Library, 1946.
First edition of one of the most important spiritual books of the twentieth century, Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. Signed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "With blessings Paramhansa Yogananda Dec 10, 46. LA." Preface by Walter Evans-Wentz. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Exceptionally rare signed and in the original dust jacket.
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 144018
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"Mary Baker Eddy was far ahead of her time in the emphasis she placed upon positive thinking, a force which modern psychology was belated in recognizing": Mary Baker Eddy's Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures; inscribed by her to her cousin, the daughter of President Franklin Pierce
EDDY, Mary Baker.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
Boston: Published by the Author, 1886.
Early printing of the central text of the Christian Science which continues to rank as a best-seller to this day. Octavo, bound in contemporary three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the second free endpaper in the year of publication, "Mrs. F. McNeil Potter, with love from the Author, 1886." The recipient, Frances Maria McNeil Potter was the niece of President Franklin Pierce and his sometimes hostess in the White house, assisting First Lady Jane Pierce after the death of the president's…
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 90463
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“Suspicion often creates what it suspects"; First Edition of C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
LEWIS, C.S.
The Screwtape Letters.
London: Geoffrey Bles, 1943.
First edition of Lewis' classic novel of spiritual conflict, one of his most celebrated works. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in the rare original dust jacket which is in very good condition. An excellent example. Very rare in this condition.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 144515
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"People go off to marvel at the height of mountains and the great waves of the sea and the broad courses of rivers, and the flow of the ocean, and the circuits of the stars: but they neglect themselves": C.S. Lewis' copy of Sir Thomas Browne's highly influential 17th century Christian confessional Religio Medici; with Lewis' ownership signature and notes throughout
BROWNE, Thomas. [C.S. Lewis].
Religio Medici and Other Essays by Sir Thomas Browne.
London: Chapman & Hall, Ltd, [1911].
C.S. Lewis' copy of Browne's celebrated 17th century "confession of Christian faith qualified by an eclectic and generally skeptical attitude" (The Oxford Companion). Octavo, original boards, paper spine label, gilt vignette to the front panel, tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece portrait of Browne. British author and theologian C.S. Lewis' copy with his ownership signature to the front free endpaper, "C.S. Lewis April 1919", underlines, marks, and footnotes to several pages, most notably a lengthy quote from The Confessions of St. Augustine to page 29: "(1) Et eunt homines mirari alta montium et ingentes fluctus maris et latissimos lapsus fluminum et oceani ambitum…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 122430
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First edition of C.S. Lewis' The Personal Heresy: A Controversy; inscribed by him
LEWIS, C.S. and E.M.W. Tillyard.
The Personal Heresy: A Controversy.
London: Oxford University Press, 1939.
First edition of this collection of arguments on the subjective and objective positions of writings, with C.S. Lewis arguing the latter. Presentation copy, inscribed by C.S. Lewis on the front free endpaper, "R.W. Fletcher from C.S.L. March 20th 1940." In near fine condition. Exceedingly rare signed and inscribed by Lewis.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 132284
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RARE FIRST EDITION OF JONATHAN EDWARDS TWO DISSERTATIONS
EDWARDS, Jonathan.
Two Dissertations, I. Concerning the End For Which God Created the World. II. The Nature of True Virtue.
Boston: S. Kneeland, 1765.
First edition of this important work by Edwards. Small octavo, bound in half calf over marbled boards, raised bands, morocco spine label. In very good condition. Rare.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 142014
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Rare Illuminated Astrological Sign Symbol Painting Collection; elaborately bound in full decorated calf and containing twelve original paintings
Illuminated Astrological Sign Symbol Painting Collection.
Rare collection of illuminated paintings depicting the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Quarto, bound in full calf with gilt tooling to the spine, elaborate gilt ruling to the front and rear panels with fleuron cornerpieces surrounding a gilt-bordered morocco onlay displaying a coat of arms, patterned endpapers, twelve vellum leaves. The illuminated paintings include: the Aires the Ram, Taurus the Bull, the Gemini Twins, Cancer the Crab, Leo the Lion, the Maiden Virgo in Medieval dress, the Scales of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius the Centaur, Capricorn the Goat, Aquarius the Water-bearer, and Fishes Pisces. Painted in a style reminiscent of Medieval…
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 199552
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"Poet, Singer, Great heart, may our god bless your name, and the womb that held you, and the breasts that gave you milk. and may god forgive us all"; First Edition of Kahlil Gibran's Jesus The Son of Man; Warmly Inscribed by him
GIBRAN, Kahlil.
Jesus: The Son of Man.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928.
First edition of Kahlil Gibran's masterful retelling of the story of Jesus of Nazareth. Octavo, original cloth, illustrations by the author. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "For Roy and D. from Howard and Bill With the blessing upon you four, and with the gratitude of Kahlil Gibran 1928." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable inscribed and in the original dust jacket.
Price: $9,200.00 Item Number: 89433
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First edition in English of John Calvin's Commentarie upon S. Paules Epistles to the Corinthians
CALVIN, John.
A Commentarie upon S. Paules Epistles to the Corinthians.
London: Imprinted by Thomas Dawson for John Harison and George Byshop, 1577.
First edition in English of John Calvin's commentaries on the Pauline Epistles. Octavo, bound in full speckled calf with raised bands to the spine, all edges red, rebacked. Title within architectual woodcut border, woodcut initials. In very good condition. First editions are rare.
Price: $6,000.00 Item Number: 96188
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"REDESIGNING THE SHAPE OF HISTORY AUGUSTINE WOULD DOMINATE WESTERN THOUGHT FOR THE NEXT MILLENNIUM": RARE SECOND EDITION IN ENGLISH OF AUGUSTINES CITIE OF GOD
SAINT AUGUSTINE,.
Of the Citie of God: With the Learned Comments of Jo. Lod. Vives. [City of God].
London: Printed by G. Eld and M. Flesher, 1620.
Rare second edition in English of Augustine's monumental work. Quarto, bound in half calf, woodcut printer's device to title. Translated by John Healey. In very good condition, bookplates, a few examples of marginalia. A nice example of this scarce and important work.
Price: $5,500.00 Item Number: 144119
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Rare early printing of Richard Hooker's monumental Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Politie
HOOKER, Richard.
Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Politie. [Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity].
London: Printed by William Standbye, [1622].
Early printing of this important work by the influential English theologian. Quarto, quarter morocco with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in seven compartments within raised bands, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt, engraved title, divisional titles, and woodcut initials. In very good condition. Bookplate and period ownership inscription. Rare.
Price: $4,000.00 Item Number: 130372