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"To Dr Karl Popper a fellow struggler for freedom": Rare First English Edition of The Road To Serfdom; Inscribed by F.A. Hayek to Karl Popper
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.] [Karl Popper].
The Road To Serfdom.
London: Routledge & Sons, 1944.
First edition of one of the most influential and popular expositions of classical liberalism ever published. Octavo, original black cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To Dr Karl Popper a fellow struggler for freedom with friendly greetings from F.H. Hayek.” Also included is a letter signed by Karl Popper to his assistant Melitta Mew, presenting her with this book as a birthday gift (“…It is the copy he sent me to New Zealand on publication of the book, with a beautiful dedication. And thank you for everything you are doing for my work (and me)… Karl”), on his stationery of 136 Welcomes Road, Kenley, Surrey, and dated 23 January 1994. While this book was very special to Popper, he had been diagnosed with cancer and passed away from complications in September. Ms. Mew helped to put together Popper’s lectures and essays in a book, which was published in 1996: “In search of a better world : lectures and essays from thirty years.”
Easily the best association copy in existence, as the lives of both of these great economists – Fredrich von Hayek (1899-1992) and Karl Popper (1902-1994) greatly impacted the other and their lives were intertwined. They both experienced the destruction of their Bourgeois Viennese families’ savings by hyperinflation due to the fragility of the liberal society. While both men studied at the University of Vienna, they first met in London in 1935. Hayek was at that time employed at the London School of Economics and Popper was in the city on a visiting lectureship. While Popper accepted a position in New Zealand, where he was to remain until after World War II, he would also later assume a chair at the LSE, due to Hayek’s influence there.
Near fine in a good dust jacket. The British edition (which this example is) was published in March of 1944, preceding its American counterpart, which was published later that same year in September. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $400,000.00 Item Number: 123960
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“The constancy of the laws of nature, or the certainty with which we may expect the same effects from the same causes, is the foundation of the faculty of reason”: Rare First Edition of Malthus' An Essay on the Principle of Population; With An autograph Note from Him
MALTHUS, Thomas Robert.
An Essay on the Principle of Population, as It Affects the Future Improvement of Society.
London: J. Johnson, 1798.
First edition of this cornerstone text of modern economics. Octavo, bound in three quarters calf. Laid in is a clipping from an original manuscript signed by Malthus and entirely in his hand which reads in part, “If at one time such a given product would make an effectual demand for certain commodities the conditions of the supply of which are supposed to remain the same, it would immediately cease to make such effectual.” Signed by Malthus in the lower right corner, “Malthus.” The verso features two further partial lines of text relating to supply and demand. In near fine condition. First editions of Malthus’ magnum opus are exceptionally scarce.
Price: $200,000.00 Item Number: 116955
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"One need not be a prophet to be aware of impending dangers. An accidental combination of experience and interest will often reveal events to one man under aspects which few yet see": Rare First English Edition of The Road To Serfdom; Signed by F.A. Hayek
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.].
The Road To Serfdom.
London: Routledge & Sons, 1944.
First edition of one of the most influential and popular expositions of classical liberalism ever published. Octavo, original black cloth. Signed by F.A. Hayek on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing to the spine tips. The British edition (which this example is) was published in March of 1944, preceding its American counterpart, which was published later that same year in September. Housed in a custom full morocco clamshell box. Rare signed.
Price: $78,000.00 Item Number: 117650
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"Nothing contributes so much to the prosperity and happiness of a country as high profits": EXCEEDINGLY RARE FIRST EDITION OF RICARDO’S On The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation
RICARDO, David.
On The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation.
London: John Murray, 1817.
First edition of David Ricardo’s most important work, a cornerstone of economic theory— one of only 750 copies printed. Octavo, bound in contemporary marbled boards, leather, morocco spine labels. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $55,000.00 Item Number: 108367
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First Edition of Capitalism and Freedom; Inscribed by Milton Friedman to Fellow Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Merton Miller
FRIEDMAN, Milton; With the Assistance of Rose Friedman.
Capitalism And Freedom.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1962.
First edition of Friedman’s magnum opus. Octavo, original blue cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper to colleague and friend, “For Merton Miller with many thanks for his assistance Milton Friedman.” Fine in a very good dust jacket with light rubbing. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional association, linking these two Nobel Prize-winning economists and giants in the field, as Friedman revolutionized economic theory with his free-market, free-from-government principles and Miller changing the way markets assess a company’s value.
Price: $48,000.00 Item Number: 87436
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Contributions to the Theory of Games Volumes I-IV; Signed by John Von Neumann, John Nash, Kenneth Arrow and Others
VON NEUMANN, John; John F. Nash; Kenneth J. Arrow; Robert J. Aumann; Philip Wolfe; John Milnor; Martin Shubik; W.H. Fleming.
Contributions To The Theory Of Games Volumes 1-IV.
Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1950-1959.
First edition of each work in this ground-breaking four volume work on game theory. Octavo, 4 volumes, original orange wrappers. Volume one is signed by contributors John von Neumann and John Nash on the title page. Contains the article by the Nobel Prize-winning economist entitled, “A Simple Three Person Poker Game.” Volume II is signed by contributors Kenneth J. Arrow and John Milnor. Volume III is signed by contributors W.H. Fleming and Philip Wolfe on the title page. Volume IV is signed by contributors Robert J. Aumann and Martin Shubik. In near fine condition with some rubbing and wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional set, most rare and desirable signed by von Neumann and other contributors.
Price: $42,500.00 Item Number: 48080
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"One Of The Most Important Books Of The Twentieth Century": First Editions Of Karl Popper’s The Open Society; Both Volumes Signed By Him And In The Rare Original Dust Jackets
POPPER, Karl R.
The Open Society And Its Enemies.
London: George Routledge & Sons, 1945.
First editions of Popper’s magnum opus. Octavo, 2 volumes, original black cloth. Each volume is signed by Karl Popper on the front free endpaper. Each volume is near fine in very good dust jackets with some rubbing and wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed first editions of The Open Society and Its Enemies are exceptionally rare.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 3442
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"The Bible Of Investing"; Graham and Dodd’s Security Analysis; Inscribed by Benjamin Graham
GRAHAM, Benjamin & David L. Dodd.
Security Analysis: Principles and Technique.
New York: Whittlesey House/ McGraw Hill, 1934.
First edition, second printing of Graham and Dodd’s seminal work, considered the Bible of modern financial analysis. Octavo, original black cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To Melbourne S. Moyer with the best wishes of Benj. Graham Jan 1935.” The recipient, Melbourne Moyer was a contemporary of Graham and a Wall Street trader at Fulton Trust Company of New York. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed examples of Security Analysis are of the utmost rarity.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 99745
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Rare First Edition of Economist’s Joseph Schumpeter’s Classic Work Business Cycles; Inscribed by Him to Fellow Economist Seymour Harris
SCHUMPETER, Joseph A.
Business Cycles: A Theoretical, Historical, And Statistical Analysis of the Capitalist Process.
New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc, 1939.
First edition of the economist’s ground-breaking work. Octavo, 2 volumes, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper of volume one, “To Seymour Harris with kind regards Joseph Schumpeter.” The recipient, Harvard economics professor Seymour Harris, was an editor of the book, Schumpeter as Social Scientist and editor of The New Economics; which Schumpeter was a contributor. In near fine condition with light shelfwear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Books signed by Schumpeter are rare.
Price: $32,500.00 Item Number: 4496
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"To the Honorable Louis D. Brandeis- a distinguished jurist, a brilliant advocate and an intrepid leader": First Edition of Pecora's Rare Work on Wall Street; Inscribed by Him to Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis
PECORA, Ferdinand.
Wall Street Under Oath: The Story of Our Modern Money Changers.
New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc, 1939.
First edition of Pecora’s account of his role as chief counsel in the dramatic 1930s Senate hearings on Wall Street’s role in the 1929 Stock Market Crash. Octavo, original blue cloth, top edge red. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper in the year of publication to Justice Louis Brandeis, “To the Honorable Louis D. Brandeis- a distinguished jurist, a brilliant advocate and an intrepid leader- Who has always evoked my esteem and deep admiration. Ferdinand Pecora Dec. 23rd 1939.” The recipient, American lawyer and a leader of the Progressive Movement Louis Brandeis, was one of the most famous and influential figures ever to serve on the high court. His opinions were some of the “greatest defenses” of freedom of speech and the right to privacy ever written by a member of the Supreme Court. Dubbed the “People’s Lawyer” and “A Robin Hood of the Law”, he helped develop the “right to privacy” concept and, when his family’s finances became secure, he insisted on serving on cases without pay so that he would be free to address the wider issues involved. Among his notable early cases were actions fighting railroad monopolies, defending workplace and labor laws, helping create the Federal Reserve System, and presenting ideas for the new Federal Trade Commission. He achieved recognition by submitting a case brief, later called the “Brandeis Brief”, which relied on expert testimony from people in other professions to support his case, thereby setting a new precedent in evidence presentation. He was nominated by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 to become a member of the Supreme Court and served from 1916 to 1939 and in 1914 published his classic anti-investment bank essay collection, Other People’s Money and How Banker’s Use It, which is paid tribute herein (pp. 75-6). Pecora, too, gained a reputation in New York City as an honest and talented prosecutor. He was appointed chief counsel to the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Banking and Currency in January 1933 and took the lead in the Senate committee hearings probing into the causes of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, later referred to as the Pecora Commission. His investigation unearthed evidence of irregular practices in the financial markets that benefited the rich at the expense of ordinary investors, including exposure of Morgan’s “preferred list” by which the bank’s influential friends (including Calvin Coolidge, the former president, and Owen J. Roberts, a justice of Supreme Court of the United States) participated in stock offerings at steeply discounted rates. In near fine condition. An exceptional association copy, linking two of the most honest and progressive figures in the first half of twentieth century America. Scarce inscribed by Pecora, and even more so with such a significant association.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 123862
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Rare First Edition of Henry Hazlitt’s Classic Economics In One Lesson; Inscribed by Him to Fellow Journalist Benjamin Stolberg
HAZLITT, Henry.
Economics In One Lesson.
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1946.
First edition of the author’s seminal work. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author to fellow journalist and close friend on the front free endpaper, “To Ben Stolberg with warm regards Harry Hazlitt.” Stolberg worked as editor of The Bookman, as well as a columnist for leading newspapers, such as the New York Times and the New York Herald Tribune. Both he and Hazlitt were contributors to The New York Times. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a few closed tears. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A nice association copy of a book that is rare signed and inscribed.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 41012
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“I’VE JUST HAD THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE”: Exceptional letter signed by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to Nobel Prize-winning economist Friedrich von Hayek
THATCHER, Margaret. (Friedrich von (F.A.) Hayek).
Margaret Thatcher Autograph Letter Signed to Friedrich von Hayek.
1984.
Exceptional letter signed by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to Nobel Prize-winning economist Friedrich von Hayek. One page, on Thatcher’s official 10 Downing Street letterhead and dated May 22nd 1984, the letter reads, “Dear Professor Hayek,” I have it in mind on the occasion of the forthcoming list of Birthday Honours to submit your name to The Queen with a recommendation that Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to approve that you be appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour. I should be glad to know if this would be agreeable to you. I shall take no steps until I have your reply. “Yours sincerely, Margaret Thatcher.” Accompanied by a large original black and white photograph of Hayek taken at the honorary appointment at Buckingham Palace in which, he was in fact, awarded the Companion of Honour Medal by Queen Elizabeth II. In fine condition. Matted and framed, the entire piece measures 24.5 inches by 19 inches. An exceptional piece of history.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 96254
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First Editions of F.A. Hayek's Masterpiece Law, Legislation and Liberty; Each Volume Signed or Inscribed by Him
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.].
Law, Legislation and Liberty. A New Statement of the Liberal Principles of Justice and Political Economy.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973-1979.
First editions of the economist’s magnum opus. Octavo, 3 volumes, original black cloth. Volume one is inscribed on the front free endpaper by F.A. Hayek to his colleague and legal scholar, Theo Mayer-Maly with his bookplate below. Mayer-Maly’s work Rechtsgeschichte der Freiheitsidee in Antike und Mittelalter is cited in volume one of Law, Legislation and Liberty. Both volumes two and three are also signed by Hayek. Each volume is fine in near fine dust jackets. We have never seen or handled a complete set signed of this cornerstone work. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A fine association. Rare and desirable signed and with noted provenance.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 22040
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Rare First Edition of John Locke's Second and Third Letter Concerning Toleration
LOCKE, John.
Second Letter Concerning Toleration and A Third Letter for Toleration.
London: Awnsham and John Churchill, 1690, 1692.
First editions of both volumes of Locke’s Second and Third Letter Concerning Toleration. Two volumes bound in one. Octavo, contemporary calf, rebacked. In excellent condition with the text clean contents clean, except for light browning, rebacked. From the library of James Stonhouse with his signatures and armorial bookplate. Exceptionally rare.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 19072
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“I’ve just had the happiest day of my life": Royal Companion of Honour Appointment: Presented to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II and signed by her
HAYEK, Friedrich von [F.A.]. [Queen Elizabeth II].
Royal Companion of Honour Appointment: Presented to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II.
Original Royal Companion of Honour Appointment presented to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II. One page, with the Royal Companion of Honour Seal stamped in the upper right corner. Signed by Queen Elizabeth II at the head of the appointment, “Elizabeth R.” In fine condition.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 100139
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"A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both": Rare First Edition of Capitalism and Freedom; Signed by Milton Friedman
FRIEDMAN, Milton; With the Assistance of Rose Friedman.
Capitalism And Freedom.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1962.
First edition of Friedman’s magnum opus. Octavo, original blue cloth. Signed by Milton Friedman on the front free endpaper in a contemporary hand. Fine in a very good dust jacket with light rubbing. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare signed.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 23005
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First edition of Economics: An Introductory Analysis; Inscribed by Paul A. Samuelson to Fellow Economist Gottfried Haberler
SAMUELSON, Paul A.
Economics: An Introductory Analysis.
New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1948.
First edition of this landmark work in modern economics, having sold 4 million copies in 40 languages. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper to fellow Harvard economist, Gottfried Haberler in a contemporary hand, “To Gottfried with best regards from Paul.” Samuelson was in Haberler’s first Harvard class in 1936. Haberler was an Austrian-American economist who worked in particular on international trade. One of his major contributions was reformulating the Ricardian idea of comparative advantage in a neoclassical framework, replacing the outdated labor theory of value with the modern opportunity cost concept. With Haberler’s Harvard University’ stamp and American Institute stamp above Samuelson’s inscription. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A significant association copy linking these two great economists of the twentieth century and inscribed in a first printing, most likely at the time of publication, as this title went through multiple printings in the first year.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 23012
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"Though Keynes was a great thinker, his interest in theory was not for its own sake but 'as a base' for designing policy": One page signed and hand-corrected manuscript entirely in the hand of Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman
FRIEDMAN, Milton.
Milton Friedman Manuscript on J.M. Keynes’ The General Theory.
One page signed and hand-corrected manuscript entirely in the hand of Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman discussing Keynes’ The General Theory. Inscribed in the top right corner, “For Mark Gruber, Milton Friedman”, the manuscript reads, “Inflation, not unemployment, continued to be the major economic problem after the war, as it was during the war. Keynes’…flexibility would have led him to turn his attention increasingly to the themes of Monetary Reform which were far more relevant to the post-war decades than those of The General Theory and remain so today…Though Keynes was a great thinker, his interest in theory was not for its own sake but ‘as a base’ for designing policy.” Several lines crossed out and corrected in Friedman’s hand. Double matted and framed with a photographic portrait of Friedman. The letter measures 7 inches by 11 inches. The entire piece measures 17.5 inches by 20.5 inches. An important piece linking two of the greatest rivaling economists of the twentieth century, with the former’s critique of the latter’s magnum opus.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 88180
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"To Lionel, in place of a work of art": FIRST EDITION OF MILTON FRIEDMAN’S MASTERPIECE: A THEORY OF THE CONSUMPTION FUNCTION; INSCRIBED BY HIM to Fellow Economist Lionel Robbins
FRIEDMAN, Milton.
A Theory of the Consumption Function.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1957.
First edition of Friedman’s magnum opus. Octavo, original cloth, graphs and charts throughout. Association copy, inscribed by the author to the British economist Lionel Robbins on the front free endpaper, “To Lionel, in place of a work of art Milton.” The recipient, Lionel Robbins, along with J.M. Keynes, was the leading British economist during the inter-war period at the London School of Economics, he “dominated the economics department for thirty years and built it up to its pre-eminent position in British economics” (ODNB). Milton Friedman was less shaped by Robbins’s thought and teachings than many of his British contemporaries, but all economic thought in the period was deeply affected by Robbins’s work. Friedman and Robbins were both founding members at the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947, and in his and Rose’s memoirs Milton praises Robbins’s “genius” in drafting the statement of aims that was acceptable to all members, save Maurice Allais (Two Lucky People, p. 161). Aside from their shared economics profession, the Friedman and Robbins couples were friends for many years – Rose recalls in the memoirs that “I had met Lionel Robbins, not yet a Lord, many years earlier [from 1953] when he was visiting Aaron [Rose’s brother] in Washington. Lionel and Iris visited us in Cambridge and we had many visits with them in London” (IBID., p. 249). Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. An exceptional association copy linking these two giants of twentieth century economics.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 116572
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“In any society freedom of thought will probably be of direct significance only for a small minority": First Edition of F.A. Hayek's The Road To Serfdom; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.].
The Road To Serfdom.
London: Routledge & Sons, 1944.
First British edition of one of the most influential and popular expositions of classical liberalism ever published. Octavo, original black cloth. Very good in the rare original dust jacket with some rubbing and wear to the extremities. The British edition was published in March of 1944, preceding its American counterpart, which was published later that same year in September. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 105942