Americana
Rare Americana Books, Manuscripts & More for Sale Online
If you’re looking for first edition books celebrating the American experience, you’ve come to the right place. At Raptis Rare Books we maintain an extensive collection of rare Americana, books, manuscripts and more. Browse through our entire collection online, use our sorting tools or search to find exactly what you’re looking for then call with any questions you may have or order online today.
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“Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets": First Edition of Arthur Miller's The Ride Down Mt. Morgan
MILLER, Arthur.
The Ride Down Mt. Morgan.
New York: Penguin Books, 1992.
First American edition of this incredibly entertaining play. Octavo, original black half cloth. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket photograph by Inge Morath.
Price: $25.00 Item Number: 145186
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George Ward Nichols' The Story of the Great March
NICHOLS, George Ward.
The Story of the Great March. From the Diary of a Staff Officer.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1866.
Early printing of Nichols' account of the Savannah Campaign. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with charts and maps, one folding. In good condition.
Price: $75.00 Item Number: 133029
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"Patriotism, honor, glory, and national prosperity are terms to which the Christian and the mere politician attach different ideas": Second edition of American abolitionist William Jay's A Review of the Causes and Consequences of the Mexican War
JAY, William.
A Review of the Causes and Consequences of the Mexican War.
Boston: Benjamin B. Mussey & Co, 1849.
Second edition of American abolitionist and jurist William Jay's classic antiwar treatise. Octavo, original publisher's cloth, gilt titles to the spine. In good condition with some wear to the crown and foot of the spine.
Price: $100.00 Item Number: 82412
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Frist Edition of Orville Victor's Incidents and Anecdotes of the War
VICTOR, Orville J.
Incidents and Anecdotes of the War: Together with Life Sketches of Eminent Leaders, and Narratives of the Most Memorable Battles for the Union.
New York: James D. Torrey, Publisher, 1862.
First edition of Victor's anecdotal history of the Civil War. Octavo, original cloth. In very good condition.
Price: $100.00 Item Number: 133076
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First edition of John Codman Ropes' The Story of the Civil War
ROPES, John Codman.
The Story of the Civil War: A Concise Account of the War in the United States of America Between 1861 and 1865: The Campaigns of 1862.
New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1898.
First edition of Ropes' account of the American Civil War. Octavo, original boards, illustrated with maps and plans, with 13 folding maps for Vol II in a pocket affixed to the front pastedown. In good condition. Ex-library.
Price: $100.00 Item Number: 133077
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"The calmest voice and coolest mind in American public life": First Edition of John W. Gardner's No Easy Victories; inscribed by him
GARDNER, John W. Edited by Helen Rowan.
No Easy Victories.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1968.
First edition of "the father of campaign finance reform", John W. Gardner's fourth book. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Mariam and Andrew - affectionately, from their friend John W. Gardner." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket photograph by Herb Weitman.
Price: $100.00 Item Number: 110909
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First edition of William Dennison Bickham's Rosecrans' Campaign with the Fourteenth Army Corps
BICKHAM, William Dennison.
Rosecrans’ Campaign with the Fourteenth Army Corps, of the Army of the Cumberland: A Narrative of Personal Observations, with a Appendix, Consisting of Official Reports of the Battle of Stone River.
Cincinnati: Moore, Wilstach, Keys & Co, Moore, Wilstach, Keys & Co..
First edition of William Dennison Bickham's Civil War memoir. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. In good condition. Ex-library.
Price: $100.00 Item Number: 132443
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First Edition of Roger D. Hunt and Jack R. Brown's Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue
HUNT, Roger D. and Jack R. Brown.
Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue.
Gaithersburg, MD: Olde Soldier Books, Inc., 1990.
First edition of Hunt and Brown's monumental compilation of biographical sketches of Union brevet brigadier generals in the Civil War. Quarto, original cloth decorated in gilt, profusely illustrated with portraits. In fine condition.
Price: $125.00 Item Number: 133074
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First edition of James Peckham's Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, and Missouri in 1861: A Monograph of the Great Rebellion
PECKHAM, James.
Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, and Missouri in 1861. A Monograph of the Great Rebellion.
New York: American News Company, Publishers, 1866.
First edition of Peckham's biography of the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. In good condition.
Price: $125.00 Item Number: 132918
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First edition of Major Joseph Orton Kerbeys On the War Path
KERBEY, Joseph Orton.
On the War Path: A Journey Over the Historic Grounds of the Late Civil War.
Chicago: Donahue, Henneberry & Co., 1890.
First edition of the Civil War Union spy's autobiography. Octavo, original cloth. In very good condition.
Price: $125.00 Item Number: 132391
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Col. I Winslow Ayer's The Great Treason Plot in the North During the War
AYER, I. Winslow.
The Great Treason Plot in the North During the War. Most Dangerous, Perfidious, Extensive and Startling Plot Ever Devised! Imminent Hidden Perils of the Republic. Astounding Developments Never Before Published.
Chicago: U.S. Publishing Co, n.d..
Early printing of Ayer's Civil War account. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. In good condition.
Price: $125.00 Item Number: 132537
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Rossiter Johnson's The Story of a Great Conflict: A History of the War of Secession 1861-1865
JOHNSON, Rossiter.
The Story of a Great Conflict: A History of the War of Secession. 1861-1865.
New York: Bryan, Taylor & Co, 1894.
Second edition of Johnson's authoritative work on the American Civil War. Octavo, original cloth decorated in gilt, illustrated. In good condition.
Price: $125.00 Item Number: 132319
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First edition of Brantz Mayer's Captain Canot or Twenty Years of an African Slaver
MAYER, Brantz.
Captain Canot; or, Twenty Years of an African Slaver. Being an Account of the Career and Adventures on the Coast, in the Interior, on Shipboard, and in the West Indies.
New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1854.
First edition, early issue of the historian's detailed account of the African slave trade without the misprint on page 191. Octavo, bound in contemporary calf, rebacked, additional vignette title. In very good condition, hinges reinforced.
Price: $150.00 Item Number: 142153
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"At night the moon became a woman's face. I met the Spirit of Music”: First Edition of The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison
MORRISON, Jim.
The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison: Wilderness. [with] The American Night: The Writings of Jim Morrison.
New York: Villard Books, 1988.
First edition volumes I and II of this remarkable written collection of writings from The Doors' sensational singer-songwriter. Octavo, two volumes, original half cloth, illustrated with facsimile pages from Morrison's diaries and never-before-seen photos of Jim. Near fine in near fine dust jackets. Jacket design by Wendy Bass. Jacket photo by Frank Lisciandro.
Price: $150.00 Item Number: 145174
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"We know that the war is over... but the story of the great conflict will never diminish in interest": Sparks From the Camp Fire, Tales of the Old Veterans
MORTON, Joseph W..
Sparks From the Camp Fire, Tales of the Old Veterans.
Philadelphia: Keystone Publishing Co., 1895.
New and revised edition of this collection of Civil War memoirs. Octavo, original cloth decorated in gilt, patterned endpapers, illustrated. From the library of Michael Ellsworth Shoemaker, son of William Shoemaker wounded in the battle of Cold Harbor, June 3rd 1864 with his ownership inscription. In good condition.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 132339
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Limited Edition Francis Parkman's The Oregon Trail; Signed by Illustrator Thomas Hart Benton
PARKMAN, Francis. Illustrated by Thomas Hart Benton.
The Oregon Trail.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran and Company, 1945.
Signed limited edition of Parkman’s classic account of his journey along the Oregon Trail. Octavo, original publisher's cloth, pictorial title page, illustrated with numerous plates by Thomas Hart Benton. One of one thousand numbered copies signed by the artist on the limitation page. In near fine condition with very light rubbing to the crown of the spine and a faint stain to the front panel.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 146546
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First Edition of The New York Idea: An Experiment in Democracy; inscribed by Mario Cuomo to William Safire
CUOMO, Mario [William Safire].
The New York Idea: An Experiment in Democracy.
New York: Crown Publishers, Inc, 1994.
First edition of the 52nd Governor of New York's autobiography. Octavo, original half cloth, cartographic endpapers. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the dedication page, "To Bill Safire, One of our proud hoasts [sic] (but isn't there something wrong with that grammatically? Mario 1994." The recipient, William Safire, was an important American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He joined Nixon’s campaign for the 1960 Presidential race, and again in 1968. After Nixon’s 1968 victory, Safire served as a speechwriter for him and Spiro Agnew. He authored several political columns in addition to his weekly column “On Language” in…
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 103423
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First Edition of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Men of Our Times or Leading Patriots of the Day
STOWE, Harriet Beecher.
Men of Our Times; or Leading Patriots of the Day. Being Narratives of the Lives and Deeds of Statesmen, Generals, and Orators. Including Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes of Lincoln, Grant, Garrison, Sumner, Chase, Wilson, Etc.
Hartford, Conn.: Hartford Publishing Co, 1868.
First edition of this work by the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Octavo, recased in the original publisher's dark green cloth decorated in gilt, illustrated with eighteen steel portraits, frontispiece portrait of Stowe. Second State with Frederick Douglass's name spelled correctly on the title page. BAL 19449. In very good condition.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 142763
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First edition of Henry N. Hudson's A Chaplain's Campaign with Gen. Butler
[HUDSON, Henry].
A Chaplain’s Campaign with Gen. Butler.
New-York: Printed For The Author, 1865.
First edition of Henry Hudson's account of his imprisonment after publishing his hostile criticism of Butler's military policy in the New York Evening Post. Octavo, modern cloth. Hudson served during the Civil War from 1862 to 1865 as chaplain of the 1st New York Volunteer Engineers, as well as war correspondent for the New York Evening Post. In very good condition.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 139497
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First edition, first issue of Brantz Mayer's Captain Canot or Twenty Years of an African Slaver
MAYER, Brantz.
Captain Canot; or, Twenty Years of an African Slaver. Being an Account of the Career and Adventures on the Coast, in the Interior, on Shipboard, and in the West Indies.
New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1854.
First edition, first issue of the historian's detailed account of the African slave trade. First issue with with page 191 misprinted as 19. Octavo, recased with the original publisher's cloth laid down, additional vignette title. In very good condition, hinges reinforced and rebacked.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 142108
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W.C. King and W.P. Derby's Campfire Sketches and Battle-field Echoes of 61-5
KING, W.C. and W.P. Derby.
Campfire Sketches and Battle-field Echoes of 61-5.
Springfield, Mass.: King, Richardson & Co, 1889.
Early printing of the authors' finely illustrated work on the American Civil War. Octavo, original cloth, patterned endpapers, illustrated. In good condition. Warping and dampstaining to the rear board. Period ownership inscriptions.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 132308
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First Edition of Charles Elihu Slocum's The Life and Services of Major-General Henry Warner Slocum
SLOCUM, Charles Elihu.
The Life and Services of Major-General Henry Warner Slocum.
Toledo, Ohio: The Slocum Publishing Company, 1913.
First edition of the biography of one of the youngest major generals in the Union Army. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated, top edge red. In very good condition.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 133028
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Jacob Bigelow's Florula Bostoniensis. A Collection of Plants of Boston and Its Vicinity
BIGELOW, Jacob.
Florula Bostoniensis. A Collection of Plants of Boston and Its Vicinity, With Their Generic and Specific Characters, Principal Synonyms, Descriptions, Places of Growth, and Time of Flowering, and Occasional Remarks.
Boston: Published by Cummings, Hilliard & Co, 1824.
Enlarged and second edition of Bigelow's authoritative work on the flora of Boston and its vicinity. Octavo, original boards, rebacked, greatly enlarged and with a significant glossary of botanical terms. In very good condition. Period ownership inscriptions and notations.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 137356
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First edition of The Moment of Truth; Signed by Alan Simpson
SIMPSON, Alan and Erskine Bowles.
The Moment of Truth: Report of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
Washington, D.C: 2010.
First edition of Simpson and Bowles' final report on The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers. Signed by Alan Simpson on the half-title page, "Merry Christmas!! Alan Simpson." In fine condition.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 117683
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First edition of Burr and Hinton's The Life of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan
BURR, Frank A. and Richard J. Hinton.
The Life of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan. Its Romance and Reality: How a Humble Lad Reached the Head of an Army.
Providence, R.I: J. A. & R. A. Reid, Publishers, 1888.
First edition of Burr and Hinton's work on famed Union army general Philip Sheridan. Octavo, original cloth, patterned endpapers, illustrated. In very good condition. Ownership inscriptions.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 132349
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"FOR IN THE END, IS IT NOT FITTING THAT A BOOK ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION SHOULD CLOSE BY STUDYING WHAT THE CONSTITUTION IS NOT ABOUT?" The 1979 Supplement to American Constitutional Law; inscribed by Laurence H. Tribe
TRIBE, Laurence H.
1979 Supplement to American Constitutional Law.
Mineola, New York: The Foundation Press, Inc, 1979.
The 1979 supplement to Tribe's American Constitutional Law. Octavo, original wrappers. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Best wishes, Laurence Tribe 2/09." In near fine condition. Ownership name to the front panel.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 118015
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First edition of Ezra B. Chase's Teachings of Patriots and Statesmen or The "Founders of the Republic" on Slavery
CHASE, Ezra B.
Teachings of Patriots and Statesmen; or, The “Founders of the Republic” on Slavery.
Philadelphia: J. W. Bradley, 1860.
First edition of this work on the opinions of early American statesmen on "the question of slavery." Octavo, recased in the original publisher's cloth, tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece of George Washington. In good condition. Ex-library.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 142644
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RARE EARLY PRINTING OF The Yankee Slave Driver or The Black and White Rivals
[SMUCKER, Samuel Mosheim].
The Yankee Slave Driver; or, The Black and White Rivals.
Philadelphia: G.G. Evans, 1858.
Early printing of this early American abolitionist novel set in Louisiana and attributed to Samuel Smucker. Octavo, original publisher's cloth, recased, illustrated. In very good condition. Reinforced interior hinges. Rare.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 142308
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Lafayette 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.
Los Angeles: G.W. Gerlicher, 1911.
Fourth 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, illustrated with engravings including frontispiece portrait of Bunnell and new maps and illustrations. In very good condition with wear to the extremities, remnants of a paper label affixed to the front panel.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 104896
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Charles C. Nott's Sketches of the War
NOTT, Charles C.
Sketches of the War: A Series of Letters to the North Moore Street School of New York.
New York: Anson D. F. Randolph, 1865.
Second edition of Charles Cooper Nott Sr.'s Civil War memoir. Octavo, original cloth decorated in gilt, top edge gilt. In very good condition.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 132723
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First Edition of Serving the Republic: Memoirs of the Civil and Military Life of Nelson A. Miles
MILES, Nelson A.
Serving the Republic: Memoirs of the Civil and Military Life of Nelson A. Miles.
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1911.
First edition of the autobiography by the famed general. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. In near fine condition with a touch of shelfwear. An exceptional example.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 132499
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First edition of Thomas P. Kettell's History of the Great Rebellion
KETTELL, Thomas P.
History of the Great Rebellion, From Its Commencement to Its Close, Giving An Account of Its Origin, The Secession of the Southern States, and the Formation of the Confederate Government.
New York: N. C. Miller, 1862.
First edition of volume I of Kettell's history of the American Civil War. Octavo, original publisher's cloth elaborately decorated in gilt, illustrated with over 125 engravings including 80 portraits. In very good condition.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 136514
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Rare accordion-fold album of photographic views of the city of New Orleans
Souvenir of New Orleans.
Columbus, Ohio: Ward Brothers, 1885.
Rare accordion-fold album of photographic views of the city of New Orleans including Canal Street, City Hall, the Charles Hotel, the Louisiana Jockey Club, the West End, Margaret Statue, and Louisiana Cavalry Monument. Small octavo, original boards elaborately stamped in blind with gilt titles and tooling to the front panel. In very good condition.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 117530
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First edition of Jesse Bowman Young's What A Boy Saw in the Army
YOUNG, Jesse Bowman.
What A Boy Saw in the Army: A Story of Sight-Seeing and Adventure in the War for the Union.
New York: Hunt & Eaton, 1894.
First edition of Young's account of his experiences as a soldier boy in the armies of the Union. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. In very good condition.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 132397
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First edition of Morris Schaff's The Battle of the Wilderness
SCHAFF, Morris.
The Battle of the Wilderness.
Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1910.
First edition of Schaff's history of the American Civil War. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with maps and plans. In very good condition.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 133027
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First edition of J.B. McClure's Stories, Sketches and Speeches of General Grant at Home and Abroad, in Peace and War
MCCLURE, J.B. [Ulysses S. Grant].
Stories, Sketches and Speeches of General Grant at Home and Abroad, in Peace and War.
Chicago: Rhodes & McClure, Publishers, 1879.
First edition of McClure's compilation of the speeches, wartime and travel memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. Octavo, original publisher's pictorial green cloth stamped in black and gold, peach endpapers, illustrated, frontispiece portrait of Grant. In very good condition with light rubbing to the extremities, name to the front endpaper. A bright example.
Price: $250.00 Item Number: 146820
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“World peace, like community peace, does not require that each man love his neighbor—it requires only that they live together in mutual tolerance": John F. Kennedy's First Edition Copy of The Strategy of Peace
KENNEDY, John F.
The Strategy of Peace.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1960.
First edition of the selected foreign policy speeches and statements on defense, peace, and national security delivered by Kennedy during his 1960 presidential campaign. Octavo, original half cloth. Fine in a very good jacket. Edited by Allan Nevins.
Price: $275.00 Item Number: 144218
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Rare First edition of Holcombe and Adams' An Account of the Battle of Wilson's Creek
HOLCOMBE, R.I. and Thomas W. Adams.
An Account of the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, or Oak Hills, Fought Between the Union Troops, Commanded by Gen. N. Lyon. and the Southern, or Confederate Troops, Under Command of Gens. McCulloch and Price, on Saturday, August 10, 1861, in Green County, Missouri.
Springfield, Missouri: Dow & Adams, Publishers, 1883.
First edition of Holcombe and Adams' account of the Battle of Wilson's Creek. Octavo, original publisher's binding decorated in gilt, illustrated. In very good condition.
Price: $275.00 Item Number: 133053
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First edition of Albert Cook Church's Whaleships and Whaling
CHURCH, Albert Cook.
Whale Ships and Whaling.
New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1938.
First edition of Church's work on the history of whaling. Octavo, bound in full gilt-decorated morocco, illustrated with numerous photographs of whaling operations at sea and whaleship plans, pictorial endpapers reproducing two facing pages from the logbook of whaler Royal William dated 1834. In fine condition.
Price: $275.00 Item Number: 130850
