Biography and Autobiography
Rare Biography & Autobiography Books for Sale Online
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"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
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“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
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“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
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"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
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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
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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
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“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
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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
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"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
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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
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"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
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"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
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“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
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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
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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
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“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
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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 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
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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
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The Autobiography of Abraham Lincoln; Finely BOUND IN FULL CRUSHED LEVANT MOROCCO IN AN ELABORATE COSWAY-STYLE BINDING
STEPHENSON, Nathaniel Wright. [Abraham Lincoln].
An Autobiography of Abraham Lincoln: Consisting of his Letters Speeches and Conversations.
London: Andrew Melrose, 1926.
First edition of Stephenson's appreciation of the great American President. Octavo, bound in full crushed levant morocco in an elaborate Cosway-style binding with a hand painted miniature ivorene portrait of Lincoln under glass to the front panel within an elaborate gilt vignette, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt-ruled turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, watered silk endleaves, illustrated, tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece. In fine condition. An exceptional presentation.
Price: $6,000.00 Item Number: 138601
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“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
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“The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark": The Patriot's Edition of The Life and Works of Thomas Paine
PAINE, Thomas.
The Life and Works of Thomas Paine.
New Rochelle, New York: Thomas Paine National Historical Association, 1925.
The Patriot's edition of the Life and Works of Thomas Paine. Octavo, ten volumes bound in three quarter morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in five compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. In good condition.
Price: $5,500.00 Item Number: 138611
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"This is a book that needed to be written": First Edition of Tin Pan Alley; Signed by George Gershwin, Charles Previn and James Melton
GOLDBERG, Isaac; Introduction by George Gershwin.
Tin Pan Alley.
New York: The John Day Company, 1930.
First edition of this work on American popular music. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Introduction by George Gershwin. Boldly signed "Sincerely George Gershwin" on the dedication page. Additionally signed by conductor Charles Previn and tenor James Melton. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Previn was an American film composer who was highly active at Universal in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. Before going to Hollywood, Previn had arranged music for over 100 Broadway productions. Melton was a popular singer in the 1920s and 1930s and later began a career as an operatic singer when tenor voices went out…
Price: $5,500.00 Item Number: 84308
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"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
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, contemporary calf, engraved frontispiece portrait after Gilbert Stuart in volume I, 4 folding plates of facsimiles of Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence.
Price: $4,800.00 Item Number: 142662
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Rare First Edition of Booker T. Washington's Up From Slavery; with an autograph letter signed by him
WASHINGTON, Booker T.
Up From Slavery. An Autobiography.
New York: Doubleday, Page, 1901.
First edition of Booker T. Washington's landmark biography with an autograph letter signed by him on his Tuskegee Institute letterhead. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated, tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait of the author. Accompanied by an autograph letter signed by Washington on his The Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute letterhead which reads, "Oct. 19, 190 Mr. George A. Dary Exchange Bldg 53 State St. Boston Mass Dear Sir: - you will find enclosed a copy of my last annual report to the Board of Trustees which has just been printed. I thought you might like to read it or at least glance through…
Price: $4,800.00 Item Number: 135007
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First Edition of As We Remember Joe; Inscribed by Robert Kennedy to Bill Walton
KENNEDY, John F.; Robert Kennedy.
As We Remember Joe.
Cambridge, MA: University Press, 1945.
First edition, second issue (of only 250 copies), of this tribute to the eldest of the Kennedy brothers. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece, illustrated throughout. Inscribed by Robert Kennedy on the front free endpaper, "For Bill Walton Bob Kennedy Christmas 1945." American journalist William Walton was a confidant of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy and played critical roles in managing the funeral and burial services of John F. Kennedy. In near fine condition.
Price: $4,500.00 Item Number: 69057
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Rare first edition of Charles Goepp's Kossuth and America; from the Library of Congress
[GOEPP, Charles].
E Pluribus Unum. A Political Tract on Kossuth and America.
Philadelphia: Published by F. W. Thomas, 1852.
Rare first edition of Goepp's criticism of Kossuth. Octavo, bound in full cloth. Deaccessioned from the Library of Congress with the library's bookplate and stamp to the pastedown. In good condition. Rare.
Price: $4,000.00 Item Number: 131558
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“The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for”: The complete writings of George Washington; Finely Bound
WASHINGTON, George; Jared Sparks.
The Writings of George Washington Being His Correspondence, Addresses, Messages, and Other Papers, Official and Private.
New York: Harper and Brothers, 1848-52.
The complete writings of George Washington. Octavo, 12 volumes, uniformly bound in full three quarters calf, morocco spine labels, illustrated. Editor Jared Sparks was a noted early American historian and President of Harvard College. Sparks worked as editor of the North American Review and a Unitarian pastor in Baltimore. Sparks' most notable work was his Writings of George Washington. He was an important early American Antiquarian and influential in his historical scholarship on the new nation. In very good condition.
Price: $3,200.00 Item Number: 141401
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"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both": Signed Limited Editions Of President Eisenhowers Mandate For Change and The White House Years: Waging Peace 1956-1961
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, each one of 1500 copies. Two volumes, thick octavo, pictorial endpapers, original tan cloth, original slipcases. Both are fine condition with the original acetate dust jacket, which are in near fine condition. The slipcases are in very good condition with some toning.
Price: $3,200.00 Item Number: 45027
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"Forty years ago I rode the first forbidden trail which was to carry me into the broad highway of outlawry": First Edition of When Daltons Rode; Signed by Emmett Dalton
DALTON, Emmett. In collaboration with Jack Jungemeyer.
When the Daltons Rode.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc, 1931.
First edition of Emmett Dalton's autobiography. Octavo, original cloth with smoking gun vignette to the front panel, pictorial endpapers, frontispiece portrait of Emmett Dalton after a photograph taken in 1892. Signed by Emmett Dalton beneath his frontispiece portrait. In near fine condition.
Price: $3,000.00 Item Number: 104057
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First Editions of each volume in Dumas Malone's work on Jefferson; Inscribed by Him
MALONE, Dumas.
Jefferson and His Time Six Volume Set: Jefferson the Virginian; Jefferson and the Rights of Man; Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty; Jefferson the President First Term 1801-1805; Jefferson the President Second Term 1805-1809; The Sage of Monticello.
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1948-81.
First edition of each volume in Malone's landmark work on Jefferson. Octavo, six volumes, original cloth, frontispiece, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper of volume II, "To P.J. Federico with many thanks Dumas Malone Sept. 25, 1951." Volume one is a review copy, with the slip laid in. Each are near fine in near fine dust jackets. First edition sets are rare, especially signed.
Price: $3,000.00 Item Number: 133891
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First Edition of Orville J. Victor's The History, Civil, Political & Military of the Southern Rebellion
VICTOR, Orville J.
The History, Civil, Political & Military of the Southern Rebellion, From its Incipient Stages to its Close.
New York: James D. Torrey, Publisher, [1861].
Complete first edition set of one of the earliest histories of the American Civil War. Octavo, four volumes, original publisher's full pebbled morocco decorated in gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, illustrated with steel engraved plates, additional vignette title pages. frontispieces, and maps. In good condition. A rare complete set, we have never seen another one.
Price: $2,800.00 Item Number: 133063
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Rare Collection of American Civil War Era Letter-Books; written and signed by American business magnate J. K. Smythe
SMYTHE, J.K.
American Civil War Era J. K. Smythe Letter-Books.
1858-63.
Rare collection of American Civil War era letters written by American business magnate J. K. Smythe concerning business between Europe and America during the initial years of the war. Quarto bound into two volumes in half-cloth over pebbled boards by Auguste Bellance of Paris, with marbled endpapers and a paper title label with Smythe's signature affixed to the front panel of the first volume. Written by Smythe in Paris between 1858 and 1863, the collection includes several early letters regarding the sale and purchase of lots in New York City including proposals by Smythe to sell his lots in Harlem…
Price: $2,800.00 Item Number: 112462
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First Edition of Booker T. Washington's Up From Slavery. An Autobiography; In the rare original dust jacket
WASHINGTON, Booker T.
Up From Slavery. An Autobiography.
New York: A.L. Burt Company Publishers, 1901.
First edition of the A.L. Burt Publishers edition of Booker T. Washington's landmark biography. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Exceptionally rare in the original dust jacket.
Price: $2,750.00 Item Number: 132410
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Signed Photograph of Presidents Herbert Hoover and Harry S. Truman
HOOVER, Herbert & Harry S. Truman.
Signed Photograph of Presidents Herbert Hoover & Harry S. Truman.
1946.
Photograph of Presidents Herbert Hoover & Harry S. Truman, signed by both Presidents. Double matted and framed, the entire piece measures 11.25 inches by 9.5 inches. Rare and desirable signed by both Hoover and Truman.
Price: $2,600.00 Item Number: 102878
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The National Edition of The Works of Theodore Roosevelt; In the Rare Original Dust Jackets
ROOSEVELT, Theodore.
The Works of Theodore Roosevelt.
New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1926.
The National edition of the works of Theodore Roosevelt. Octavo, 20 volumes, original green cloth with printed paper spine labels, top edge gilt. The set includes, The Naval War of 1812 in two volumes, The Wilderness Hunter, American Ideals in 2 volumes , The Winning of the West in six volumes, Hunting the Grizzly, Hunting Trips on the Prairie and in the Mountains, and Hunting Trips of A Ranchman. Fine in near fine dust jackets. An exceptional set, rare in the original dust jackets and in this condition.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 144229
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First edition of John D. Billings' Hardtack and Coffee
BILLINGS, John D.
Hardtack and Coffee or The Unwritten Story of Army Life.
Boston: George M. Smith & Co, 1887.
First edition of Billings' classic Civil War memoir. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with six color plates and over two hundred sketches by Charles W. Reed. In very good condition. First editions are rare.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 132819
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Rare First Edition of Booker T. Washington's Up From Slavery. An Autobiography;
WASHINGTON, Booker T.
Up From Slavery. An Autobiography.
New York: Doubleday, Page, 1901.
First edition of Booker T. Washington's landmark biography. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. In near fine condition. An exceptional example.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 130312
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Rare First Edition of Booker T. Washington's Up From Slavery. An Autobiography
WASHINGTON, Booker T.
Up From Slavery. An Autobiography.
New York: Doubleday, Page & Co, 1901.
First edition of Booker T. Washington's landmark biography. Octavo, original cloth, top edge gilt, illustrated. In near fine condition. A very sharp example.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 141523
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John Brown's John Bunyan: His Life, Times and Work; signed and inscribed by John Brown, President Woodrow Wilson, Alexander Stewardt, Charles A. Salmond, James Stark and many other turn of the 20th century American, English, and Scottish educators and ministers
BROWN, John. [Woodrow Wilson; Charles A. Salmond; Alexander Stewart; James Stark; et al].
John Bunyan: His Life, Times and Work.
London: Wm. Ibister Limited, n.d..
Early edition of Reverend John Brown's important biography of his predecessor and the author of Pilgrim's Progress, English Puritan preacher John Bunyan. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "With all fraternal regards John Brown Bedford, England, August 10th 1899" and signed by his wife, "Ada H. Brown." Additionally signed by Robert Christie, "Robert Christie Presbyterian Seminary Allegheny, Pa"; Woodrow Wilson, "Woodrow Wilson, Princeton, New Jersey"; Alexander Stewart "Alexander Stewart D.D. St. Mary's College- St. Andrews- Scotland-"; Charles A. Salmond, "Charles A. Salmond. South Morningside Free Church, Edinburgh-"; James Stark, "James Stark Aberdeen"; and…
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 121964
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Rare 1940s Westover Schoolgirl Scrapbook
[PRINCE, Marie].
1940s Westover Schoolgirl Scrapbook.
Rare scrapbook from the collection of Marie Prince, documenting her tenure at The Westover preparatory school for girls in the early 1940s. Quarto, bound in three quarters morocco, the scrapbook contains several letters, notes, and large format photographs. In near fine condition.
Price: $2,250.00 Item Number: 116294
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First edition of The Economic Reports of the President; boldly inscribed by President Harry Truman
TRUMAN, Harry S.
The Economic Reports of the President: As Transmitted to the Congress January 1948, January 1947, July 1947.
New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1948.
First edition of this compilation of three of Truman's most memorable economic reports. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by the author opposite the title page, "Most sincerely Harry Truman." Introduction by President Truman's Council of Economic Advisers. Near fine in the rare original dust jacket which is price-clipped and in very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box within a custom slipcase. Uncommon signed.
Price: $2,250.00 Item Number: 139753
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"There are but few important events in the affairs of men brought about by their own choice": First Edition of Grants Memoirs; Finely Bound by The Harcourt Bindery
GRANT, Ulysses S. [U.S.].
Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant.
New York: Charles L. Webster & Company, 1885-86.
First edition of the autobiography of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States, which focusing mainly on his military career during the Mexican War and the Civil War. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and ruling to the spine, raised bands, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, gilt signature to the front panel of each volume, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In fine condition. An exceptional presentation.
Price: $2,200.00 Item Number: 141402
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"There are but few important events in the affairs of men brought about by their own choice": First Edition of Grants Memoirs; Finely Bound by The Harcourt Bindery
GRANT, Ulysses S. [U.S.].
Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant.
New York: Charles L. Webster & Company, 1885-86.
First edition of the autobiography of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States, which focusing mainly on his military career during the Mexican War and the Civil War. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and ruling to the spine, raised bands, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, gilt signature to the front panel of each volume, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In near fine condition. An exceptional presentation.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 145765
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Rare Civil War Pocket Diary Kept by Assistant Surgeon Robert P. Davis, 84th Indiana Regiment
[DAVIS, Robert P.] .
Pocket Diary of Assistant Surgeon Robert P. Davis, 84th Indiana Regiment.
[1863].
The Civil War pocket diary of Assistant Surgeon Robert P. Davis, 84th Indiana Regiment. 16mo, original wrappers, the diary is printed with blank three days per page, entries have been recorded intermittently beginning on January 1, 1863 and include brief accounts of skirmishes at Resaca, Hooker's rescue of the Indiana Regiment and reports of duties and the diarist's own illness: May 27: “I am on duty at the Hospital handing instruments for amputation.” The next day: “At same duty as yesterday.” June 1: the sick and wounded are moved to a more permanent hospital and their field tents are moved…
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 132395
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Capture of Jefferson Davis Collection
[DAVIS, Jefferson].
Capture of Jefferson Davis Collection.
Fine collection of pieces related to the capture of Jefferson Davis near Irwinville, Georgia on May 10, 1865. The collection includes an original carte-de-visite of Davis's captor, Colonel B.J. Pritchard; a calling card signed by Pritchard; a cabinet card of "The Only Photo in the Word of the Exact Spot where Hon. Jefferson Davis, President of Confederacy, was captured May 10th, 1865, by Fourth Michigan Cavalry, near Irwinville, Irwin county, Ga. Taken and copyrighted December 31st 1894, by J.H. Harris, Tifton, Berrien county, Ga."; a first edition of Edwin M. Stanton's Letter of the Secretary of War, Communicating, In compliance…
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 132583
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First edition of Horace Porter's Campaigning with Grant
PORTER, Horace. [Ulysses S. Grant].
Campaigning with Grant.
New York: The Century Co., 1897.
First edition of Horace Porter's Civil War memoir. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with portraits and maps. In good condition. First editions are rare.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 132638
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First Edition of A Pictorial History of the Negro in America; Lengthily Inscribed by Langston Hughes
HUGHES, Langston and Milton Meltzer.
A Pictorial History of the Negro in America.
New York: Crown Publishers, Inc, 1956.
First edition of this important compilation on the history of African Americans. Quarto, original half cloth, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Especially for Laura and Louise Fields, as a gift at Christmas from Mabel Smythe- Sincerely, Langston Hughes New York 1957." In near fine condition.
Price: $1,850.00 Item Number: 135491
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Rare First edition of Bunnell's The Discovery of the Yosemite and The Indian War of 1851
BUNNELL, Lafayette Houghton.
The Discovery of the Yosemite and The Indian War of 1851, Which Led To That Event.
Chicago: Fleming H. Revell, 1880.
First edition of Bunnell's account of the discovery of Yosemite Valley with the Mariposa Battalion in 1851. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel, patterned endpapers, illustrated with 21 engravings including frontispiece portrait of Bunnell. In very good condition with wear to the extremities and rear panel.
Price: $1,850.00 Item Number: 107042
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First Edition of A Pictorial History of the Negro in America; Signed by Langston Hughes and Milton Meltzer
HUGHES, Langston and Milton Meltzer.
A Pictorial History of the Negro in America.
New York: Crown Publishers, Inc, 1956.
First edition of this important compilation on the history of African Americans. Quarto, original half cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by Langston Hughes and Milton Meltzer on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket. Uncommon signed.
Price: $1,850.00 Item Number: 140222
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Rare First Edition of William Worthington Fowler's Ten Years In Wall Street
FOWLER, William Worthington.
Ten Years In Wall Street; Or, Revelations of Inside Life and Experience on ‘Change.
Hartford: Worthington, Dust & Co, 1870.
Rare first edition of this classic work on Wall Street and the personalities involved in that history. Octavo, bound in buckram, gilt titles to the spine, frontispiece, illustrated by Arthur Lumley. In very good condition. Scarce, with only two examples appearing at auction in the last eighty years.
Price: $1,800.00 Item Number: 76908
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First Edition of Daniel Fish's Lincoln Bibliography; one of forty copies for sale signed by the author and publisher
FISH, Daniel. [Abraham Lincoln].
Lincoln Bibliography: A List of Books and Pamphlets Relating to Abraham Lincoln.
New York: Francis D. Tandy Company, 1906.
First edition and signed, registered, and numbered edition of the first comprehensive bibliography of Lincoln material. Octavo, original cloth, tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece portrait of Lincoln after the original etching by Thomas Johnson. One of seventy-five numbered, registered copies signed by the author and publisher, only forty of which were for sale, this is number 34. Very good in a custom folding chemise and half morocco slipcase.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 131214
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First edition of Randolph Caldecott: A Personal Memoir of His Early Art Career; from the library of Woodrow Wilson with his ownership signature
BLACKBURN, Henry. [Woodrow Wilson].
Randolph Caldecott: A Personal Memoir of His Early Art Career.
New York: George Routledge & Sons, 1886.
First American edition of Blackburn's biography of famed British illustrator Randolph Caldecott; from the library of Woodrow Wilson with his ownership signature. Octavo, original publisher's cloth decorated in gilt, with one hundred and seventy two illustrations, frontispiece portrait of Caldecott. Signed by Woodrow Wilson on the title page. One of the most influential children's book illustrators of nineteenth century, British artist Randolph Caldecott published 16 picture books throughout his career, including The House that Jack Built (1878), John Gilpin (1878), The Three Jovial Huntsman (1880), and The Great Panjandrum Himself (1885). The Caldecott Medal, first proposed by Frederic G. Melcher…
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 125249
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"It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom": MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S STRIDE TOWARD FREEDOM: THE MONTGOMERY STORY; BOUND IN FULL MOROCCO BY THE HARCOURT BINDERY
KING, Jr..
Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1958.
First edition, early printing of Dr. Martin Luther King’s first book. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In fine condition.
Price: $1,400.00 Item Number: 142687
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First Edition of Albert Murray's South to a Very Old Place; Signed by Him
MURRAY, Albert.
South to a Very Old Place.
New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971.
First edition of this classic work, "one of the most exquisite books of any year" (The Boston Globe). Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by Albert Murray on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Isadore Seltzer. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 133102
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"With deepest appreciation for your dedicated service to all mankind which has greatly advanced the causes of justice, equality, brotherhood and peace"FIRST EDITION OF MY LIFE WITH MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.; Inscribed by Coretta Scott King to Actress Etta Motten Barnett
KING, Coretta Scott.
My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr.
New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969.
First edition of Coretta Scott King's autobiography, which recounts the history of the Civil Rights Movement and offers an inside look at Dr. King, his sermons and speeches. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Etta Moten Barnett with deepest appreciation for your dedicated service to all mankind which has greatly advanced the causes of justice, equality, brotherhood and peace. And with warm personal regards Coretta Scott King." Fine in a near fine dust jacket, with Barnett's bookplate to the front pastedown. Jacket design by Robert Reed.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 138051
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First Special Illustrator's edition of Ida Tarbell's The Life of Abraham Lincoln; one of only 75 numbered copies printed
TARBELL, Ida. [Abraham Lincoln].
The Life of Abraham Lincoln. Drawn from Original Sources and Containing Many Speeches, Letters and Telegrams Hitherto Unpublished.
New York: The Doubleday & McClure Co., 1900.
First Special Illustrator's edition of the work that earned Tarbell a national reputation as a major writer and the leading authority on Abraham Lincoln. Quarto, two volumes, half cloth over paper-covered boards, illustrated, tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait of Lincoln to each volume. One of only 75 numbered copies printed, this is number 51. In near fine condition. Rebacked. Housed in a custom slipcase. Rare.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 131290
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First edition of Courtney Whitney's MacArthur: His Rendezvous with History; Inscribed by Whitney and signed by General MacArthur
WHITNEY, Courtney (Douglas MacArthur).
MacArthur: His Rendezvous with History.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1956.
First edition of General Courtney Whitney's biography of General Douglas MacArthur. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by MacArthur and inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Dear John: I am sending you this book to commemorate your visit with General MacArthur to-day. May both visit and book give you a clearer insight into the strength of character from which has sprung such indomitable qualities of leadership. Courtney Whitney. 9 May 1957." General Courtney Whitney was a member of MacArthur's staff during World War II and became his personal secretary after MacArthur was relieved of his command in Korea.…
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 95247
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First edition of Frederic Cushman Newhall's With General Sheridan in Lee's Last Campaign
[NEWHALL, Frederic Cushman]. [Philip Sheridan].
With General Sheridan in Lee’s Last Campaign.
Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1866.
First edition of Frederic Cushman Newhall's Civil War memoir. Octavo, original cloth, tissue-guarded frontispiece, folding map. In good condition. Ownership name. Rare.
Price: $975.00 Item Number: 132434