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Rare & Classic, American or English Literature Books for Sale Online
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Exceptionally rare First edition of Herman Melville's first and most popular book Typee A Peep at Polynesian Life During a Four Months' Residence in A Valley of the Marquesas; inscribed by him to Captain Charles Ball
MELVILLE, Herman.
Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life. During a Four Months’ Residence in A Valley of the Marquesas.
New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1846.
First edition of Melville's first book and his most popular during his lifetime. Octavo, two volumes bound into one in the original cloth stamped in blind with gilt titles to the spine, frontispiece map, both half-titles and 6 pages of publisher's advertisements at rear. BAL 13653. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper one month after publication, "Captain Ball, With the respects of the author, Westport April 18th 1846." The recipient, Captain Charles Ball was captain of the whaling ship Theophilus Chase, on which Thomas Melville, the author's youngest brother, set sail for the first time…
Price: $250,000.00 Item Number: 138349
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First Edition of H.G. Wells' The First Men in the Moon; In the Exceptionally Rare Dust Jacket
WELLS, H.G.
The First Men in the Moon.
London: George Newnes, Limited, 1901.
First edition, first issue binding of Wells’ classic work. Octavo, original cloth, 12 plates by Claude Shepperson. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Exceptionally rare in the original dust jacket, especially in this condition.
Price: $72,000.00 Item Number: 124595
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First edition of The Innocents Abroad; inscribed by Mark Twain to Mrs. P. T. Barnum
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
The Innocents Abroad, Or The New Pilgrims’ Progress.
Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1874.
First edition, second issue of the author’s second book, one of the best-selling travel books of all-time. Octavo, bound in three quarter morocco with gilt titles to the spine, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, with two hundred and thirty-four illustrations. Association copy, inscribed by Mark Twain on the fly-leaf, "To Mrs. P. T. Barnum from Yours Truly Samuel L. Clemens Mark Twain Oct 1875." The recipient, Nancy Fish, was the second wife of American showman P. T. Barnum. Twain and Barnum were, by various accounts, friends, mutual admirers and rivals. After visiting Barnum's American Business Museum in New York City…
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 133104
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“Undoubtedly, philosophers are in the right when they tell us that nothing is great or little otherwise than by comparison": Rare First Edition of Jonathan Swifts's Classic Work Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World
SWIFT, Jonathan.
Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, first Surgeon, and then Captain of Several Ships. [Gulliver’s Travels].
London: Benjamin Motte, 1726.
First editions of Jonathan Swift’s masterpiece, Gulliver’s Travels. Octavo, two volumes, bound in three quarters contemporary calf over marbled boards, engraved frontispiece of Lemuel Gulliver, woodcut initials, five engraved maps, gilt titles to the spine. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom cloth slipcase. Bookplate to the pastedown and period ownership signature to each volume. Both volumes are the Teerink B edition. A very nice example of this classic in English literature.
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 95317
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The Works of Jonathan Swifts's From the Library of Founding Father Robert R. Livingstone
SWIFT, Jonathan [Robert R. Livingstone].
The Works of Jonathan Swift: Including, Gulliver’s Travels.
Edinburgh: Printed by Mrs. Mundell, 1778.
First of 4 issues, Scotch editions, from the library of Robert R. Livingstone, with his bookplate to the pastedown of each volume. Small octavo, bound in contemporary calf, spine compartments ruled with Greek key tooling, morocco spine labels. From the library of founding father Robert R. Livingston. As one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Livingston played an important role in the early development of the newly formed country. He was known as "The Chancellor", after the high New York state legal office he held for 25 years. He was a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, along with Thomas…
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 119642
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Complete Set of The Macallan James Bond Set
The Macallan James Bond 60th Anniversary Release Decade I-VI [Full Set].
Through a behind the scenes exploration of the James Bond archives this release celebrates 007 and The Macallan as modern innovators linked by their Scottish heritage. The Macallan and James Bond are bound together by our shared Scottish heritage, innovative nature and the pursuit of excellence. We have created a remarkable collection comprising six limited edition bottles inspired by each of The Six Decades of Bond, telling the story of innovation over 60 years and the pioneering character attributes of James Bond and The Macallan. The packaging of each bottle features an original illustrative design and colour to denote the…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 145007
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First British Edition of Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa; King Edward VIII's Copy with his ownership inscription
DINESEN, Isak [Karen Blixen] [King Edward VIII].
Out of Africa.
London: Putnam, 1937.
First British edition of the author's masterpiece, a lyrical meditation of the years she lived in Kenya, from the library of King Edward VIII. Octavo, original cloth. With numerous original photographs and newspaper clippings affixed to the front few pages. Originally from the collection of the author's brother Thomas Fasti Dinesen with two original black and white photographs of him hunting affixed to the verso of the front free endpaper and half-title page above which he has annotated, "My first lion April 6th 1922" and "Shot from boma April 11th 1922 The boma only five feet from the hill on…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 110991
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H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines; inscribed by him to his sister Ella Green
HAGGARD, H. Rider.
King Solomon’s Mines.
London: Cassel & Company, 1885.
First edition, third issue of Haggard's immensely popular Victorian adventure novel the first great "Lost World" action-adventure, a precursor to Indiana Jones. Octavo, original cloth, folding facsimile of the map of the route to King Solomon's mines. Association copy, signed by the author opposite the half-title page with an additional note inscribed to his sister, Ella Green, pasted to the same page, "your loving brother H. Rider Haggard." In very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional association.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 118637
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"Keep close to Nature’s heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean": Finely Bound Set of The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of John Muir; With Eight Original Photographs
MUIR, John.
The Writings of John Muir: The Manuscript Edition.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916-24.
The Manuscript edition of The Writings of John Muir. Octavo, 10 volumes, bound in original special deluxe three quarters morocco over marbled boards, leather edges ruled in gilt, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, matching endpapers, top edges gilt. With volumes 1 through 8 of this set each containing an original gelatin silver photograph at the front, each with a printed tissue guard. Kimes does not describe an edition with these additional real photo frontispieces. The binding matches that of Kimes 342. The scenes depicted in the inserted photographs are: The House of John Muir, Martinez, California;…
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 76020
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“Perhaps he knew, as I did not, that the Earth was made round so that we would not see too far down the road”: Out of Africa; inscribed by Karen Blixen
BLIXEN, Karen. [Isak Dinesen].
Out of Africa.
London: Putnam, 1948.
Later printing of the author’s classic memoir, recounting her seventeen years in Kenya. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Karen Blixen Je Responderai March 1957." While in Africa, Blixen took as her motto “Je Responderai,” “I will answer,” from the family crest of her lover, Denys Finch-Hatton. She explained: “I liked this old motto so much that I asked Denys, an earlier pioneer in African than myself – although all we settlers who had come out before the war looked upon ourselves as one family, a kind of Mayflower people – if I might…
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 144520
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"you see stretching from the spurs of Ritter a row of exceedingly sharp and slender spires": The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of John Muir; with an original autograph manuscript page from Muir's The Mountains of California
MUIR, John.
The Writings of John Muir: The Manuscript Edition.
Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916-24.
The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of John Muir, one of 750 numbered sets produced with an original autograph manuscript page bound into the first volume. Octavo, 10 volumes in the publisher's deluxe three quarter crushed levant morocco over cloth boards with gilt titles and tulip stamping to the spine in five compartments within raised bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt with others untrimmed, ribbons bound in, illustrated with 69 photogravures, including colored frontispiece, 34 halftone plates of the author's sketches, 7 maps, and 2 plates of his drawings. One of 750 numbered sets with an original manuscript page bound…
Price: $10,000.00 Item Number: 143457
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“I was born lost and take no pleasure in being found": First Edition of John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley; Inscribed by Him
STEINBECK, John.
Travels with Charley.
New York: The Viking Press, 1962.
First edition of Steinbeck’s beloved cross-country narrative. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed by the author on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Don Freeman. Photographs of Steinbeck by Hans Namuth. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 142958
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"I WAS MUCH SURPRISED TO HEAR FOWLS SPEAK, AS THEY WERE TO SEE SUCH A MONSTER AS I APPEARED TO BE": RARE FIRST EDITION OF ONE OF THE EARLIEST PROTO-SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS: A VOYAGE TO CACKLOGALLINIA
BRUNT, Samuel.
A Voyage to Cacklogallinia: with a Description of the Religion, Policy, Customs and Manners of that Country.
London: J. Watson, 1727.
First edition of this early 18th century satire published in imitation of Jonathan Swift's masterpiece Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, or, Gulliver's Travels. Octavo, bound in full brown morocco by Charles Thurman, Binder. Raised bands, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, embossed front and rear panels, engraved frontispiece. From the library of NASA scientist and science fiction expert Frederick I. Ordway III, best known for his contribution to the development of close personal friend, Stanley Kubrick's, epic film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Rare.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 36011
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The Innocents Abroad; Signed by Mark Twain
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
The Innocents Abroad, Or The New Pilgrims’ Progress.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1905.
Uniform edition of the author’s second book, one of the best-selling travel books of all-time. Octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine, engraved frontispiece and photographic portrait with facsimile signature. Signed by the author "Truly yours Mark Twain" to the front pastedown. In very good condition, name to the front free endpaper. Housed in a custom full morocco clamshell box.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 144202
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“It can destroy an individual, or it can fulfill him, depending a good deal on luck. No one should come to New York to live unless he is willing to be lucky": First Edition of E.B. White's Here is New York; Inscribed by Him
WHITE, E.B.
Here Is New York.
New York: The Curtis Publishing Company, 1949.
First edition of this classic meditation on the City of New York. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. Presentation copy, signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "E.B. White Dec. 1949." Presented above by Katherine White, "Merry Christmas from the Whites." White was a writer and wife of the author. She was the fiction editor for The New Yorker magazine from 1925 to 1960. In 1977, William Shawn wrote, "More than any other editor except Harold Ross himself, Katharine White gave The New Yorker its shape, and set it on its course." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket.…
Price: $7,200.00 Item Number: 74056
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First Editions of Rudyard Kipling's The First and Second Jungle Books
KIPLING, Rudyard.
The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book.
London: Macmillan, 1894-95.
First editions of both volumes of The Jungle Book. Octavo, two volumes, original blue cloth decorated and lettered in gilt, all edges gilt, engraved frontispiece with tissue guard present. Illustrated by J. L. Kipling, W.H. Drake and P. Frenzeny. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom slipcase. A sharp example.
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 143467
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First edition of Herman Melville's first and most popular book Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life During a Four Months' Residence in A Valley of the Marquesas
MELVILLE, Herman.
Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life. During a Four Months’ Residence in A Valley of the Marquesas.
New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1846.
First edition of Melville's first book and his most popular during his lifetime. Octavo, two volumes bound into one in the original cloth stamped in blind with gilt titles to the spine, frontispiece map, both half-titles and 6 pages of publisher's advertisements at rear. BAL 13653. In very good condition, bookplate to the front pastedown. Housed in a custom full clamshell slipcase.
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 144151
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"Keep close to Nature’s heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean": Finely Bound Set of The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of John Muir; With Eight Original Photographs
MUIR, John.
The Writings of John Muir: The Manuscript Edition.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916-24.
The Manuscript edition of The Writings of John Muir. One of only 750 numbered copies, this is number 461. Octavo, 10 volumes, bound in the original green with morocco spine labels with gilt titles, containing the original gelatin silver photographic frontispiece to each volume with tissue guards present, illustrated with numerous photogravure and halftone plates; folding map in volume two. Edited by William Frederic Badè. The scenes depicted in the inserted photographs are: The House of John Muir, Martinez, California; The Cathedral Spires, Yosemite National Park; Eucalyptus on Muir's Ranch, Martinez, California; An Orange Tree in Front of Muir's House,…
Price: $6,200.00 Item Number: 96258
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The Major Works of Winston Churchill; Finely Bound
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
The Major Works of Sir Winston Churchill: Centenary First Edition. Complete 25 Volume Set comprising: The Second World War: A History of the English Speaking Peoples: The War Speeches: The World Crisis: Marlborough His Life and Times: Lord Randolph Churchill: My Early Life.
London: Centenary First Edition: In arrangement with Hamlyn, Harrap, Cassell, 1974.
Finely bound set of the major works of Churchill. Octavo, 25 volumes, bound in full dark red pebble grained leather with black title panels on spines, raised bands with the initial WSC, elaborate border to the front panel, all edges are gilt, silk endpapers, illustrated with photographs and maps, frontispiece plates. In fine condition.
Price: $6,000.00 Item Number: 140428