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"THE STUDY OF COOK IS THE ILLUMINATION OF ALL DISCOVERY": first edition complete set of Cook’s Voyages
HAWKESWORTH, John [Captain James Cook].
Cook’s Voyages: An Account of the Voyages Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere; South Pole and Round the World; A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean and the Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere. The First, Second and Third Voyages.
London: W. Strahan and T. Cadell, 1773, 1777, 1784.
Rare first edition set of the official accounts of Captain James Cook’s voyages, “the foundation of modern knowledge of the Pacific and a cornerstone of the literature of travel and exploration” (Beddie 648, 1216, 1543; Hill 782, 358, 361). Nine volumes altogether. Quarto, bound in full calf with morocco spine labels, elaborate gilt titles to the spine, front and rear panels, raised bands. Large folio atlas bound in the same manner. The First Voyage is comprised of three volumes edited by John Hawkesworth. “An Account of the Voyages… for making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere… In the Dolphin, the Swallow, and the Endeavour.” The Second Voyage includes two volumes, published in 1777: “A Voyage Towards the South Pole, and Round the World. Performed in His Majesty’s Ships Resolution and Adventure, In the Years 1772, 1773, 1774, and 1775”. First edition. Portrait frontispiece and 63 plates and charts (several folding or double-page). The Third Voyage was published in 1784: “A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Undertaken, by the command of His Majesty, for making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere. To determine The Position and Extent of the West Side of North America; its Distance from Asia; and the Practicability of a Northern Passage to Europe.” Four volumes, first edition. The text with 24 plates and charts as called for, with two large folding maps and 61 plates. An exceptional set.
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 112342
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LIMITED DELUXE FIRST EDITION OF ERNEST SHACKLETON’S HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC AND THE ANTARCTIC BOOK: SIGNED BY HIM AND ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITION
SHACKLETON, Ernest H.
The Heart of the Antarctic: Being the Story of the British Antarctic Expedition 1907-1909.
London: William Heinemann, 1909.
Rare first edition, Special Limited Large Paper Issue of Shackleton’s account of the British Antarctic Expedition of 1907-1909, one of only 300 copies printed. Quarto, bound in full (Heart of the Antarctic) and half (Antarctic Book) vellum, top edges gilt. First and only edition of The Antarctic Book, with the signatures of every member of the party, including Ernest Shackleton. In fine condition with light shelfwear. A very nice example.
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 108374
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FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST PRINTED ATLAS OF RUSSIA, AND ONE OF PETER THE GREAT'S MOST SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS
DE L'ISLE, Joseph Nicolas.
Russischer Atlas welcher in einer General-Charte und neunzehen Special-Charten das gesamte Russische Reich und dessen angräntzende Länder.vorstellig macht.
St. Petersburg: Entworffen bey der Kayserl. Academie der Wissenschaften, 1745.
Rare first edition of the first atlas printed of Russia. Folio, bound in full leather, 19 double-page maps, one large folding general map. In excellent condition with light toning. An exceptional example.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 105840
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"The owner of these volumes will possess an exact reproduction of the original South Polar Times which appeared month by month during the winters of 1902-03": First Limited edition of The South Polar Times; With a Signed page From Ernest Shackleton and Rudolph Blakenburg
SCOTT, Robert Falcon. Edited by Ernest Henry Shackleton.
The South Polar Times.
London: Smith, Elder, & Co, 1907-1914.
First limited edition of the complete collection of the South Polar Times, a periodical created by Scott’s crew during his two polar expeditions on the ships Discovery and Terra Nova, with a slip signed by Ernest Shackleton and Rudolph Blakenburg Quarto, three volumes, publisher’s gilt decorated cloth, all edges gilt, frontispiece to each volume, elaborately illustrated with engravings after the expedition members’ original drawings, many in color. Volumes I and II are number 177 of only 250 copies, volume III is number 256 of 350 copies. From the Adventure and Exploration collection of James Stephen “Steve” Fossett with his bookplate to the pastedown of each volume. American businessman and record-setting aviator Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in 2002 in his 10-story high balloon Spirit of Freedom. He completed the 2002 trip in 13 days, 8 hours, and 33 minutes and set records for both the Longest Distance Flown Solo in a Balloon and Fastest Balloon Flight Around the World. Fossett was also one of sailing’s most prolific distance record holders set the Absolute World Speed Record for airships with a Zeppelin NT in 2004. He received numerous awards and honors throughout his career including aviation’s highest award, the Gold Medal of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which he was awarded in 2002. Fossett disappeared on September 3, 2007 while flying a light aircraft over the Great Basin Desert, between Nevada and California. Additional bookplates from the libraries of Dr. Edward Bramley and polar scientist Anthony Michaels. In near fine condition. Laid in is an scarce autograph album page boldly signed by Ernest Shackleton and American businessman and former mayor of Philadelphia Rudolph Blakenburg. An exceptional set.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 95157
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First editions in English of each volume in Humboldt's Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent; from the library of Steve Fossett
HUMBOLDT, Alexander von and Aime Bonpland.
Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent, During the Years 1799-1804.
London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown, 1814-1829.
First editions in English of each volume in Humboldt’s narrative of his studies during his 21 year journey throughout the Americas which laid the foundation for the field of biogeography. Octavo, 11 volumes, bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, morocco spine label, top edge gilt, folding map. From the library of James Stephen “Steve” Fossett with his bookplate to the pastedown of each volume. American businessman and record-setting aviator Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in 2002 in his 10-story high balloon Spirit of Freedom. He completed the 2002 trip in 13 days, 8 hours, and 33 minutes and set records for both the Longest Distance Flown Solo in a Balloon and Fastest Balloon Flight Around the World. Fossett was also one of sailing’s most prolific distance record holders set the Absolute World Speed Record for airships with a Zeppelin NT in 2004. He received numerous awards and honors throughout his career including aviation’s highest award, the Gold Medal of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which he was awarded in 2002. Fossett disappeared on September 3, 2007 while flying a light aircraft over the Great Basin Desert, between Nevada and California. In near fine condition. A stunning set, most rare and desirable.
Price: $16,000.00 Item Number: 95171
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Rare First Edition of Peking the Beautiful; With 70 Photographic Plates; in the rare publisher's wooden slipcase
WHITE, Herbert C.
Peking the Beautiful.
Shanghai, China: The Commercial Press, 1927.
First edition of this work comprising photographic studies of the celebrated monuments of China’s northern capital with descriptive and historical notes. Folio, original embroidered silk pictorial boards, original publisher’s wooden box. In fine condition without wear. Contains 70 photographic plates mounted, numerous illustrations in text. Contains an introduction by Hu Shih, professor of Philosophy at the National University of Peking. Rare and desirable in the original publisher’s wooden box.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 107644
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First Edition of Burney's Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean
BURNEY, Capt. James.
A Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean. Illustrated with Charts.
London: Printed by Luke Hansard, 1803.
Rare first edition of “the most important general history of early South Seas discoveries, containing practically everything of importance on the subject; collected from all sources, with the most important remarks concerning them. Many of the early voyages to California would be inaccessible were they not collected herein” (Hill). Quarto, 5 volumes bound in full calf with red morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, botanical ruling stamped in blind to the front and rear panels, marbled endpapers. Containing 28 engraved maps (15 folding), 13 plates (1 folding), woodcut illustrations throughout text. In near fine condition. Perforated library stamps to the title pages. Rare and desirable, published in a format intended to complement Cook’s Voyages on the library shelf.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 117105
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Signed Limited First Edition of Theodore Roosevelt's African Game Trails; In the Rare original dust jackets and Cardboard case
ROOSEVELT, Theodore.
African Game Trails. An Account of the African Wanderings of an American Hunter-Naturalist.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1910.
Signed limited first edition of Theodore Roosevelt’s classic work. Large octavo, two volumes, original three-quarter tan pigskin. One of only 500 copies signed by Theodore Roosevelt, with fifty illustrations, including photographs, photogravures, drawings and a map. Fine in the rare original dust jackets and original card slipcase, rubbed and lacking the upper panel. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example, easily the nicest we have seen.
Price: $13,000.00 Item Number: 119125
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John F. Kennedy Inscribed Photograph to Mercy 8 Astronaut Wally Schirra
KENNEDY, John F. (Wally Schirra).
John F. Kennedy Signed Photograph to Astronaut Wally Schirra.
Color photograph of President Kennedy meeting with astronaut Wally Schirra and his family in the Oval Office, affixed to its original mount. Boldly inscribed, “To Commander Walter Schirra—and his family—with esteem and best wishes, John Kennedy.” Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 16.75 inches by 16.5 inches. An exceptional piece linking these two great American icons.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 80092
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“In no department can a leader spend time more profitably than in the selection of the men who are to accomplish the work”: First Editions of Sir Douglas Mawson's The Home Of The Blizzard in the Rare Original Dust Jackets
MAWSON, Sir Douglas.
The Home Of The Blizzard: Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911–1914.
London: William Heinemann, 1915.
First edition of this classic account of Antarctic exploration. Thick octavo, 2 volumes, original dark blue cloth, profusely illustrated with 18 color plates, hundreds of black-and-white plates, numerous in-text illustrations and three color folding maps in rear pocket of Volume II. Near fine in the in the rare original dust jackets with some chipping and wear. Rare and desirable in the original dust jackets.
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 31001
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"They call me 'Lucky', but luck isn't enough": Rare First Edition of Charles Lindbergh's We; inscribed by him to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ford
LINDBERGH, Charles A. [Henry Ford].
We.
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1927.
Rare first edition association copy of Lindbergh’s definitive autobiography. Octavo, original pictorial cloth, pictorial endpapers, illustrated. Association copy, inscribed by the author to close personal friend Henry Ford and his wife Clara, “To Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ford Sincerely Charles A. Lindbergh.” Lindbergh developed a long-term friendship with Ford who was well known for his newspaper The Dearborn Independent, also known as The Ford International Weekly. The paper reached a circulation of 900,000 by 1925, second only to the New York Daily News, largely due to a quota system for promotion imposed on Ford dealers. Lawsuits regarding anti-Semitic material published in the paper caused Ford to close it, and the last issue was published in December 1927.Lindbergh, too, gained a reputation as an anti-Semite with the publication of a controversial Reader’s Digest article in November 1939 and a series of nationwide radio addresses criticizing the Roosevelt administration for attacking Germany. In late 1940 Lindbergh became spokesman of the non-interventionist America First Committee, soon speaking to overflow crowds at Madison Square Garden and Chicago’s Soldier Field, with millions listening by radio. President Franklin Roosevelt publicly decried Lindbergh’s views as those of a “defeatist and appeaser”, comparing him to U.S. Rep. Clement L. Vallandigham, who had led the “Copperhead” movement that had opposed the American Civil War. Lindbergh promptly resigned his commission as a colonel in the U.S. Army Air Corps, writing that he saw “no honorable alternative” given that Roosevelt had publicly questioned his loyalty. In 1927, the year of the present volume’s publication, Charles Lindbergh flew his Spirit of St. Louis to Ford Airport in Dearborn, Michigan. Upon arrival, Henry Ford accepted Lindbergh’s invitation for a ride. Though Ford had been invested in aviation since 1909, this was his first trip in an airplane. Laid in is a Western Union telegram dated August 15, 1947 from Clara Ford to Irving Imoberstag, the husband of Clara Ford’s niece Frances Imoberstag née Bryant. Near fine in the original dust jacket which is in very good condition. A remarkable association copy.
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 109846
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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 both Harrer and The Dalai Lama.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 112165
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First Edition of Theodore Roosevelt's African Game Trails; Inscribed by Theodore Roosevelt to General Sir Reginald Wingate
ROOSEVELT, Theodore.
African Game Trails. An Account of the African Wanderings of an American Hunter-Naturalist.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1910.
First edition of Theodore Roosevelt’s classic work. Octavo, original cloth, gilt top edge, photogravure frontispiece, illustrated, 48 plates, map of Roosevelt’s route and hunting trips in Africa. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To General Sir Reginald Wingate with the high regard of Theodore Roosevelt April 21st 1911.” The recipient, Reginald Wingate was a British general and administrator in Egypt and the Sudan. He earned the nom de guerre Wingate of the Sudan. In December 1899, on Lord Kitchener being summoned to South Africa, Sir Reginald Wingate succeeded him as Governor-General of the Sudan and Sirdar of the Egyptian Army, being promoted to local major general on 22 December 1899. His administration of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, between 1899 and 1916, achieved the colonial goals of the British Empire, with the colony regaining a degree of prosperity and its infrastructure being rebuilt and expanded. In near fine condition with light rubbing and wear to the extremities. Housed in a custom half calf clamshell box. A nice association, signed trade editions of African Game Trails are rare.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 62035
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"I would advise anyone who wants to get to the kernel of the life of a Polar explorer to read the book": Edition De Luxe of Antarctic Days; Signed by Shackleton, Murray and Marston
SHACKLETON, Ernest; James Murray and George Marston.
Antarctic Days. Sketches of the Homely Side of Polar Life by Two of Shackleton’s Men: Introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton.
London: Andrew Melrose, 1913.
Limited edition de luxe, numbered 85 of 280 copies signed on the recto of the limitation leaf by E.H. Shackleton, James Murray and George Marston. Octavo, original blue cloth, gilt titles to the spine and front panel with a mounted color illustration, top edge gilt, 4 mounted color plates after watercolors by C. Day, 34 photo illustrations on 28 plates. In near fine condition with a light rubbing. A very nice example, as most copies have been rebound. Introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 103746
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"AN ORIGINAL SOURCE OF THE FIRST CLASS": LA ROCHEFOUCAULT-LIANCOURT'S TRAVELS THROUGH THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA AND CANADA, SCARCE 1799 FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH, WITH THREE MAPS OF AMERICA—A BEAUTIFUL COPY
LA ROCHEFOUCAULT-LIANCOURT, [Francois Alexandre].
Travels Through the United States of North America, the Country of the Iroquois, and Upper Canada, in the Years 1795, 1796, and 1797; With an Authentic Account of Lower Canada.
London: For R. Phillips by T. Davison, 1799.
First edition in English of “an original source of the first class for American history at the close of the 18th century” (Larned). Quarto, bound in full calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, gilt tooling to the front and rear panels, marbled endpapers, with three engraved folding maps of North America and six folding tables. In near fine condition. An exceptional example of this landmark work. First editions are rare.
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 112450
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First Edition of The Wright Brothers; Inscribed by Orville Wright to His Friend and Neighbor
KELLY, Fred C.; Introduction by Orville Wright.
The Wright Brothers.
New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1943.
First edition of this classic American biography authorized by Orville Wright and long considered the definitive Wright biography. Octavo, original blue cloth, illustrated with 16 pages of photographs. Presentation copy, inscribed by Orville Wright on the half-title page to neighbor and historian Charlotte Seitner, “To Charlotte Seitner With Best Wishes Orville Wright Feb. 10, 1944.” The recipient Charlotte Seitner was a historian and neighbor of Orville Wright. She was a life-long collector of Wright Brothers ephemera, donating most of her collection to the local historical society with the exception of the included materials which were inherited by her niece and nephew. Materials include newspaper clippings on the Wrights, a group of First-Day covers of Wright Brother Stamps, a personal letter from Seitner offering condolences on Orville Wright’s passing, and an undated print of the First Flight photograph. Fine in a very good dust jacket with some chips to the crown and foot of the spine. Introduction by Orville Wright. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $9,200.00 Item Number: 81031
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Rare First Edition of Osvald Siren's The Wall and Gates of Peking
SIREN, Osvald.
The Walls and Gates of Peking.
New York: Orientalia, 1924.
First edition limited to 800 copies. Quarto, original half cloth, over papered boards. brown morocco label to the spine. Title page printed in red and black, folding map, 128 photogravures on 109 plates, 53 plans and elevations. In excellent condition with some rubbing to the bottom cloth. and light rubbing to the extremities. Rare.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 27086
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Ice Axe Signed by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
HILLARY, Edmund and Tenzing Norgay.
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Signed Ice Axe.
Ice axe boldly signed by both Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Circa 1955. Wood and steel shaft measures 35 inches; steel blade measures 12 inches.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 104783
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Rare signed limited edition of Frederick A. Cook's Through the First Antarctic Night
COOK, Frederick A.
Through the First Antarctic Night 1898-1899: Narrative of the Voyage of the “Belgica” Among Newly Discovered Lands and Over an Unknown Sea About the South Pole.
New York: Doubleday & McClure Co, 1900.
Signed limited edition of American arctic explorer Frederick Cook’s narrative of the first expedition to winter in the Antarctic region, in which he saved numerous lives as the ship’s surgeon. Octavo, original illustrated cloth, tissue-guarded frontispiece in color, illustrated. One of one thousand numbered copies signed by the author on the limitation page opposite a tissue-guarded engraved portrait, this is number 92. From the library of James Stephen “Steve” Fossett with his bookplate to the pastedown. American businessman and record-setting aviator Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in 2002 in his 10-story high balloon Spirit of Freedom. He completed the 2002 trip in 13 days, 8 hours, and 33 minutes and set records for both the Longest Distance Flown Solo in a Balloon and Fastest Balloon Flight Around the World. Fossett was also one of sailing’s most prolific distance record holders set the Absolute World Speed Record for airships with a Zeppelin NT in 2004. He received numerous awards and honors throughout his career including aviation’s highest award, the Gold Medal of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which he was awarded in 2002. Fossett disappeared on September 3, 2007 while flying a light aircraft over the Great Basin Desert, between Nevada and California. In near fine condition.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 111201
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“Learning the secret of flight from a bird was a good deal like learning the secret of magic from a magician”: First Edition of The Wright Brothers; Inscribed by Orville Wright
KELLY, Fred C.; Introduction by Orville Wright.
The Wright Brothers.
New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1943.
First edition of this classic American biography authorized by Orville Wright and long considered the definitive Wright biography. Octavo, original blue cloth, illustrated with 16 pages of photographs. Presentation copy, inscribed by Orville Wright on the half-title page, “To Miss Margaret Hollowell with sincere good wishes. Orville Wright Feb. 21, 1947.” Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Introduction by Orville Wright. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $8,500.00 Item Number: 100750