Biography and Autobiography
Rare Biography & Autobiography Books for Sale Online
If you are looking for rare or first edition biography or autobiography books look no further than Raptis Rare Books. Browse through our entire collection of rare biographies and autobiographies below, view details about individual books and contact us to ask a question or find out more information.
Showing 1–20 of 110 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- Framed Autographs and Historical Documents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
-
"One of the most fascinating regiments in American military history": Rough Rider Sergeant Craig W. Wadsworth's personal collection of Rough Riders books, letters and photographs; with a first edition of The Rough Riders and typed letter signed by President Theodore Roosevelt
ROOSEVELT, Theodore and Craig W. Wadsworth.
Theodore Roosevelt and Craig W. Wadsworth Rough Riders Collection.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899.
Craig Wharton Wadsworth's personal collection of books, letters and photographs from his time as a Sergeant in Roosevelt's Rough Riders cavalry. The collection includes a first edition of Roosevelt's best-selling work, The Rough Riders (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899) signed by Roosevelt, "Theodore Roosevelt" and Wadsworth, "Craig W. Wadsworth Sergeant-Troop K"; Wadsworth's 14-leaf photograph album bound in full pebbled leather with gilt titles to the front panel which read: "First United States Volunteer Cavalry (Roosevelt Rough Riders) 1898" containing 24 original photographs of the cavalrymen on their expedition to Daiquiri with annotations in Wadsworth's hand and a lengthy introduction…
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 123510
-
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety": Rare First Edition of Benjamin Franklin's Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces; Arranged under the Following Heads and Distinguished by Initial Letters in each Leaf: General Politics; American Politics before the Troubles; American Politics during the Troubles; Provincial or Colony Politics; Miscellaneous and Philosophical Pieces.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1779.
First edition of "the only edition of Franklin's writings (other than his scientific) printed during his lifetime" (Ford). Octavo, bound half diced calf over marbled boards with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt. With the engraved frontispiece portrait of Franklin, three engraved plates (one folding), and folding table of the reformed alphabet. In near fine condition. Complete with index, addenda and corrigenda. An exceptional example.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 125035
-
"Grant stood by me when I was crazy, and I stood by him when he was drunk, and now we stand by each other": First Edition of Memoirs of William T. Sherman; Inscribed three times by Him
SHERMAN, William T.
Memoirs of William T. Sherman.
New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1875.
First edition of this memoir from one of the most well regarded generals, “oft-consulted and much-quoted reminiscences ... Sherman wrote as he fought; dynamically and bluntly” (Nevins II, 89). Octavo, bound in publishers three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles to the spine, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by General Sherman three times: on the front free endpaper of Vol. I, "Mrs. E.J. Lynch Presented by Gen. W.T. Sherman 1876 New York City"; on the front free endpaper of Vol. II, "Mrs. E.J. Lynch Presented by Gen. W.T. Sherman 18"; and the second free endpaper of Vol. II, “Mrs. Eleanor…
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 103400
-
“I feel safe in the midst of my enemies, for the truth is all powerful and will prevail": First revised edition of Narrative of Sojourner Truth and first edition of The Book of Life
TRUTH, Sojourner.
Narrative of Sojourner Truth, A Northern Slave, Emancipated From Bodily Servitude by the State of New York, in 1828 and The Book of Life.
Boston: Published By The Author, 1875.
Rare first revised edition of the book that brought Truth's remarkable story to the world and the first edition of The Book of Life. Octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine, illustrated frontispiece portrait of Truth. In very good condition, contemporary ownership inscription on front free endpaper. Rare and desirable.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 133297
-
FIRST EDITION OF JOHN MARSHALL’S LIFE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON, WITH THE SCARCE ATLAS VOLUME
MARSHALL, John. [George Washington].
The Life of George Washington, Commander in Chief of the American Forces, During the War Which Established the Independence of His Country, and First President of the United States. [WITH] The Life of George Washington: Maps and Subscriber’s Names.
Philadelphia: C.P. Wayne, 1804-1807.
First edition, first issue of the first biography of George Washington with the scarce atlas volume and list of subscribers. Octavo, six volumes, bound in full contemporary tree calf with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece portrait of Washington to volume I. With the scarce atlas volume which is bound in three quarter calf over marbled boards and contains 10 engraved maps, 9 folding, and the 22-page list of subscribers. In very good condition. A rare and complete set in an attractive contemporary binding.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 131234
-
Extensive collection of over fifty first edition Civil War era pamphlets
DODGE, W.C.; Andrew Johnson; Henry J. Raymond; et al.
Civil War Political Pamphlet Collection.
Various publishers, c. 1861-1865.
Extensive collection of over fifty first edition Civil War era pamphlets on topics including politics, battles, foreign relations, debt, and the draft. Octavo, 52 volumes, original wrappers. The collection includes first editions of: Memorial to the Hon. Secretary of War, or, How to Strengthen our Army and Crush the Rebellion, with a Saving of Life and Treasure [Dodge, W.C. Washington DC: McGill & Witherow, 1864. From the collection of James W. Grimes (1816-1872), Governor of Iowa and United States Senator from Iowa with his ownership inscription]; Correspondence between John H. Gilmer and Honorable Hugh McCulloch, Secretary of the Treasury [Richmond:…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 135127
-
“A man who will enslave his own blood, may not be safely relied on for magnanimity": First Edition of Frederick Douglass' My Bondage and Freedom
DOUGLASS, Frederick .
My Bondage and Freedom.
New York & Auburn: Miller, Orton, & Mulligan, 1855.
Rare first edition of Douglass' second autobiography. Octavo, original publisher's brown cloth, with three engraved plates, including the engraved frontispiece from the classic daguerreotype of Douglass. In very good condition. A very nice example, uncommon in this condition.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 133267
-
First Edition, First Issue of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin with a first edition of A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin; With a signed Card and Cart-de-visite
STOWE, Harriet Beecher.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Or, Life Among the Lowly and A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Boston and Cleveland: John P. Jewett and Jewett, Proctor & Worthington, 1852.
First edition, first issue of the author's classic work. Octavo, original cloth, volume with title vignettes and six wood-engravings. In very good condition. With a rare carte-de-visite and note card signed "truly yours HB Stowe." Comes with a first edition of Stowe's A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin, published in 1853. Housed in a custom case.
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 112652
-
"As you may have seen by the newspapers, I am about to raise a Coloured Regiment in Massachusetts. This I cannot but regard as perhaps the most important corps to be organized during the whole war": First edition of Robert Gould Shaw's Memorial
[SHAW, Robert Gould; Ralph Waldo Emerson; Harriet Beecher Stowe; James Russell Lowell; et al].
Memorial.
Cambridge: University Press, 1864.
First edition of this scarce volume dedicated to the commander of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Robert Gould Shaw, with contributions by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Lloyd Garrison, Edwin M. Stanton, and James Russell Lowell and with extracts from Colonel Shaw's letters. Octavo, original publisher's half leather over red boards with gilt titles to the spine, tipped in tissue-guarded oval carte-de-visite frontispiece of Shaw. In very good condition. Scarce, with only a handful of copies having appeared at auction in the last century.
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 126433
-
"The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do": RARE FIRST EDITION OF THE COLLECTION OF JEFFERSONS WRITINGS; In the Rare Original Boards
JEFFERSON, Thomas.
Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies, from the Papers of Thomas Jefferson. Edited by Thomas Jefferson Randolph.
Charlottesville, VA: F. Carr and Co, 1829.
First edition of the first published collection of Jefferson’s writings, an impressive four-volume work edited by his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph. Octavo, 4 volumes, original boards, engraved frontispiece portrait after Gilbert Stuart in Volume I. Rare and desirable in the original boards.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 143456
-
Signed Limited Editions Of President Eisenhowers Mandate For Change and The White House Years: Waging Peace 1956-1961; both volumes inscribed by Eisenhower to his Secretary of Defense Thomas S. Gates, Jr.
EISENHOWER, Dwight D.
The White House Years: Mandate for Change 1953-1956 and The White House Years: Waging Peace 1956-1961.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1963-65.
Signed limited first editions of Eisenhower's memoirs, each one of 1500 copies. Thick Octavo, two volumes, original tan cloth with green morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, cartographic endpapers. One of 1500 numbered copies signed by the author. Association copy, Waging Peace is an Advance presentation copy, inscribed by Eisenhower to Secretary of Defense, Thomas S. Gates, Jr., "Devotedly Dwight D. Eisenhower" on an Eisenhower Farm, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania bookplate. The recipient, Thomas S. Gates is mentioned numerous times in both of these volumes. "To replace Neil McElroy as Secretary of Defense I prevailed on Secretary of the Navy Tom Gates to delay…
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 133263
-
"Thine is the victory without the battle- the crown without the conflict": Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin Uncle Tom's Cabin; Lengthily signed by her
STOWE, Harriet Beecher.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Or, Life Among the Lowly and A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1892.
Finely bound example of the author's classic work. Octavo, bound in full morocco, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, top edge gilt, volume with title vignettes and six wood-engravings. Lengthily signed by the author as follows, "There is no death to such as thou dear Eva, neither darkness nor shadow of death. Thine is the victory without the battle- the crown without the conflict Uncle Tom's Cabin Chap 24 Harriet Beecher Stowe April 17 1893." In near fine condition. A unique example.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 117857
-
“THE SOCIAL IMPACT ON THE UNITED STATES WAS GREATER THAN THAT OF ANY BOOK BEFORE OR SINCE”: FIRST ISSUE OF UNCLE TOM’S CABIN
STOWE, Harriet Beecher.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Or, Life Among the Lowly.
Boston and Cleveland: John P. Jewett & Company, 1852.
First edition, first issue, with "spilt" (rather than "spiled") in Volume I, 42, line 1; "cathecism" (rather than "catechism") in volume II, 74, line 5; and all other first issue points of the author's classic work. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in contemporary three quarters leather over cloth, gilt titles to the spine, volume with title vignettes and six wood-engravings. In very good condition with light wear and toning. A nice example, scarce and desirable in contemporary binding.
Price: $8,000.00 Item Number: 104745
-
First Edition of Speeches and Addresses of William McKinley; Inscribed by Him to Supreme Court Justice William Rufus Day
MCKINLEY, William [William Rufus Day].
Speeches and Addresses of William McKinley.
New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1893.
First edition of this collection of speeches by the United State's 25th president. Octavo, original publisher's cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, pale yellow endpapers, tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait of McKinley, illustrated with four additional tissue-guarded plates. Association copy, inscribed on the front flyleaf by William McKinley as Governor of Ohio, “For Hon. WRDay, with the sincere regard of his friend WMcKinley Columbus Ohio Dec 18/95." The recipient, William Rufus Day served as Secretary of State under McKinley and later Supreme Court Justice under Theodore Roosevelt. Although he assumed the position of Secretary of State just a…
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 145234
-
“THE MOST WIDELY READ OF ALL AMERICAN AUTOBIOGRAPHIES": TRUE FIRST EDITION OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Mémoires de la Vie Privée de Benjamin Franklin, Écrits Par Lui-Même, et Adressés à Son Fils, Suivis d’un Précis Historique de Sa Vie Politique, et de Plusieurs Pièces, Relatives à Ce Père de la Liberté. [Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin].
Paris: Chez Buisson, Libraire, 1791.
True first edition of the first part of Franklin’s famed autobiography which preceded the first English edition by two years. Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf with a morocco spine label lettered in gilt, elaborate period gilt tooling to the spine, ribbon bound in. In very good condition. A nice example.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 139755
-
Rare first edition of S. Putnam Waldo's Biographical Sketches of Distinguished American Naval Heroes and the War of the Revolution
WALDO, S. Putnam. [James Monroe; John Adams; Thomas Jefferson].
Biographical Sketches of Distinguished American Naval Heroes and the War of the Revolution, Between the American Republic and the Kingdom of Great Britain; Comprising Sketches of Com. Nicholas Biddle, Com. John Paul Jones, Com. Edward Preble and Com. Alexander Murray. With Incidental Allusions to other Distinguished Characters.
Hartford: Published by Silas Andrus, 1823.
First edition of Putnam's work dedicated to American naval heroes of the Revolutionary War including James Monroe, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. Octavo, bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards with gilt titles to the spine. In near fine condition. Armorial bookplate to the pastedown. Rare.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 120635
-
First Edition, First Issue of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin
STOWE, Harriet Beecher.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Or, Life Among the Lowly.
Boston: John P. Jewett & Company. Cleveland: Jewett, Proctor & Worthington, 1852.
First edition, first issue of Stowe's classic American novel, widely considered the book that precipitated the American Civil War. Octavo, two volumes in the original publisher's cloth stamped in blind with gilt titles and vignettes to the front panels, illustrated with title vignettes and six wood-engravings. BAL's binding B (no priority). Portrait of Stowe tipped in opposite the title page of volume I. In very good condition.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 142642
-
“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 in the year of publication on the half-title page, "To Edward with affectionate regards. Orville Wright May 4, 1943." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Introduction by Orville Wright.
Price: $7,200.00 Item Number: 142422
-
First Quarto edition of Washington Irving's Monumental The Life of George Washington
IRVING, Washington.
The Life of George Washington.
New York: G. P. Putnam & Co., 1855-59.
First edition of Irving's monumental biography of George Washington. Quarto, bound in half crushed red levant with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers, illustrated with 47 hand-colored plates including tissue-guarded frontispiece to each volume. One of one hundred and ten numbered copies of the quarto edition, this is number forty-five. In near fine condition. An attractive example of this rare work.
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 129307
-
“If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is really true, there would be little hope of advance": First Edition of The Wright Brothers; Inscribed by Orville Wright to Sir Bennett Melvill Jones
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. Association copy, inscribed by Orville Wright in the year of publication on the half-title page, “To Professor Melvill Jones with my compliments and cordial regard. Orville Wright May 5, 1943.” The recipient, Sir Bennett Melvill Jones was Francis Mond Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Cambridge from 1919 to 1952. Melvill demonstrated the importance of streamlining in aircraft design, developing the ideas of Louis Charles Breguet into a refined theory…
Price: $6,000.00 Item Number: 140081