Biography and Autobiography
Rare Biography & Autobiography Books for Sale Online
If you are looking for rare or first edition biography or autobiography books look no further than Raptis Rare Books. Browse through our entire collection of rare biographies and autobiographies below, view details about individual books and contact us to ask a question or find out more information.
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"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few": First edition, deluxe signed limited issue of So Few: A Folio Dedicated to All Who Fought and Won the Battle of Britain; one of only 401 numbered copies
PIERCE, Michael; John Golley; Roy Asser; Bill Gunston; Brian Masterton; AVM Freddie Hurrell.
…So Few. A Folio Dedicated to All Who Fought and Won the Battle of Britain 10th July – 31st October 1940.
London: The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, 1990.
First edition, deluxe signed limited issue of this lavishly illustrated folio commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the distinguished RAF pilots who fought in it, the most crucial battle in British history. Quarto, original publisher's full crushed blue morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel, inset embroidered RAF brevet to the front panel, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, illustrated with 25 tissue-guarded color silhouette portraits of distinguished RAF pilots each signed by the featured pilot and artist Michael Pierce with his embossed stamp, additionally illustrated with numerous black-and-white and full color…
Price: $3,800.00 Item Number: 139010
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First Edition of Read My Lips No New Taxes; Signed by Ostrander and President George Bush
OSTRANDER, Dan; Foreword by George Bush.
“Read My Lips No New Taxes.”
Oroville, California: Butte College Press, 1999.
First edition of this work on the Bush administration. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Dan Ostrander and President George Bush on the half-title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Cover design by Patty Melron. Uncommon signed by President Bush.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 76955
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"The eighteenth century proclaimed the rights of man, the nineteenth shall proclaim the rights of woman": First edition of Ray Strachey's "The Cause"
STRACHEY, Ray.
“The Cause” A Short History of The Women’s Movement in Great Britain.
London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd, 1928.
First edition of Strachey's history of women's suffrage in Great Britain. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece portrait of Millicent Fawcett. In good condition. Ownership name.
Price: $600.00 Item Number: 135463
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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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“EVERYONE HAS OCEAN’S TO FLY, IF THEY HAVE THE HEART TO DO IT. IS IT RECKLESS? MAYBE. BUT WHAT DO DREAMS KNOW OF BOUNDARIES?”: FIRST EDITION OF 20 HRS. 40 MIN. OUR FLIGHT IN FRIENDSHIP; SIGNED BY AMELIA EARHART
EARHART, Amelia.
20 Hrs. 40 Min. Our Flight in the Friendship: The American Girl, First Across the Atlantic by Air, Tells Her Story.
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1928.
First edition of Earhart’s thrilling account of of her experience as a passenger aboard the Friendship, which made her the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air in 1928. Octavo, original publisher's cloth, pictorial endpapers, frontispiece and 61 illustrations. Boldly signed by Amelia Earhart on the verso of the frontispiece. In near fine condition with light rubbing to the extremities. A very sharp example.
Price: $3,800.00 Item Number: 146638
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“People look to the order of numbers when the world falls apart": First Edition of A Beautiful Mind; Signed by Sylvia Nasar and John F. Nash
NASAR, Sylvia; John F. Nash.
A Beautiful Mind.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998.
First edition of this work, basis for the Academy award-winning film. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Signed by Sylvia Nasar and additionally signed by Nobel Laureate and subject John F. Nash on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Timothy Hsu.
Price: $4,000.00 Item Number: 58990
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First edition of A Big Life in Advertising; inscribed by Mary Wells Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Mary Wells.
A Big Life in Advertising.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.
First edition of the candid autobiography of one of the most influential figures in advertising history. Octavo, original boards, illustrated with 36 photographs. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "Paul - Thank you for you great and charming ... xxx Mary Wells Lawrence." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Carol Devine Carson.
Price: $850.00 Item Number: 146772
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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 of Madeleine L'Engle's A Circle of Quiet; Inscribed by Her
L'ENGLE, Madeleine.
A Circle of Quiet.
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1972.
First edition of the author's classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "For Irene- joy in your own Circle- Madeleine L'Engle." Near fine in a very good dust jacket, owner inscription to the front free endpaper. Jacket design by Charles Skaggs. First editions are uncommon signed.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 138849
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First Edition of Mary Anderson de Navarro's A Few More Memories; Inscribed To Philemon Tecumseh Sherman
NAVARRO, Mary Anderson de [William Tecumseh Sherman].
A Few More Memories.
London: Hutchinson & Co, 1936.
First edition of this autobiography of an actress; from the library of Philemon Tecumseh Sherman. Octavo, original blue cloth, frontispiece portrait of Mary Anderson de Navarro, illustrated with seventeen black and white photographs. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed by the author to P. T. Sherman, "To P.T. Sherman with best wishes & kind greetings from Mary Anderson de Navarro In constant remembrance of my valued friend General Sherman the greatest personality I ever met, and I have known most of the great men of my time January 1937." Accompanied by an autograph letter signed from the author to Mr. Sherman thanking…
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 145878
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First Edition of A Golfers Life; Signed by Arnold Palmer
PALMER, Arnold .
A Golfer’s Life.
New York: Ballantine Books, 1999.
First edition of the golfing legend's autobiography. Octavo, original half cloth, with 16 black-and-white photographic plates. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "To Jack Best Wishes Arnold Palmer." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Written with James Dodson.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 140389
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First Edition of A Golfers Life; Inscribed by Arnold Palmer
PALMER, Arnold .
A Golfer’s Life.
New York: Ballantine Books, 1999.
First edition of the golfing legend's autobiography. Octavo, original half cloth, with 16 black-and-white photographic plates. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "To O.H. Best Wishes Arnold Palmer." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Written with James Dodson.
Price: $450.00 Item Number: 145606
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“All he wanted was toleration, and by the enlightened use of the dispensing power to be the true father of all his people": First Editions of A History of the English-Speaking Peoples; Signed by Winston S. Churchill
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
A History of the English-Speaking Peoples.
London: Cassell and Company, 1956-1958.
First British editions of each volumes of this classic set. Octavo, 4 volumes, original cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by Winston Churchill in volume one. Each volume is fine to fine in near fine dust jackets. An exceptional set, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $9,200.00 Item Number: 147142
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First Editions of A History of the English-Speaking Peoples; Signed by Winston S. Churchill
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
A History of the English-Speaking Peoples.
London: Cassell and Company, 1956-1958.
First British editions of each volumes of this classic set, which many consider his masterpiece. Octavo, 4 volumes, original cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by Winston Churchill in volume two. Each volume is fine to fine in near fine dust jackets. An exceptional set, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $9,500.00 Item Number: 147917
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"I HAVE FOUND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CARRY THE HEAVY BURDEN": A KING'S STORY, Inscribed by THE DUKE OF WINDSOR to Ambassador Henry Taylor
WINDSOR, Duke of [King Edward].
A King’s Story.
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1951.
First edition of King Edward's classic autobiography. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers, frontispiece, illustrated. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the his official letterhead pasted to the half-title page, "To Henry N. Taylor with best wishes and congratulations on winning the Sullivan Award of the University of Virginia Edward May 1951." The recipient, Henry Junior Taylor was an economist, author, radio broadcaster and former United States Ambassador to Switzerland He served as a foreign correspondent for the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain in the early years of World War II. After the war, Taylor hosted the General Motors-sponsored radio program Your…
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 144116
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First Edition of Golda Meir's A Land of Our Own: An Oral Autobiography
MEIR, Golda; Edited by Marie Syrkin.
A Land of Our Own: An Oral Autobiography.
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1973.
First edition of this oral autobiography by the former prime minister of Israel. Octavo, original black cloth. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Honi Werner.
Price: $50.00 Item Number: 146605
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Leonard Bernstein's assistant and editor Jack Gottlieb's personal copy of the December 1997 Sotheby's auction catalog of the estate of Leonard Bernstein
[BERNSTEIN, Leonard; Jack Gottlieb].
A Legend: Property from the Estate of Leonard Bernstein Sotheby’s December 1997 Catalog.
New York: Sotheby's, Inc, 1997.
Leonard Bernstein's assistant and editor Jack Gottlieb's personal copy of the December 1997 Sotheby's auction catalog of the estate of Leonard Bernstein. Quarto, original pictorial wrappers. With Gottlieb's notes throughout including the hammer price for each lot that sold in the auction. He has also marked the page that has a lengthy quote from him describing a French provincial walnut style folding table in the catalog, "In the inner sanctum - the staging area for super-human accomplishment - stood that table, where the Maestro marked up his performing scores in crystal-clear intricate detail, like a a fine jeweler polishing precious…
Price: $400.00 Item Number: 135684
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First Edition of A Life In Our Times; Inscribed by John Kenneth Galbraith
GALBRAITH, John Kenneth.
A Life In Our Times.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981.
First edition of Galbraith's autobiography. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed and dated by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with light rubbing to the crown and foot of the spine, autographed sticker to the front panel.
Price: $300.00 Item Number: 146272
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First Edition of A Life of Picasso Volume II; Signed by John Richardson
RICHARDSON, John; with the collaboration of Marilyn McCully.
A Life of Picasso Volume II: 1907-1917: The Painter of Modern Life.
New York: Random House, 1996.
First edition of the second volume in Richardson's four-volume biography of the famous artist. Small quarto, original publisher's white embossed cloth, frontispiece of a self-portrait photograph by Picasso 1912, illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs. Boldly signed by John Richardson on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
Price: $400.00 Item Number: 145269
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First edition of A Life of Picasso: The Triumphant Years 1917-1932; Signed by John Richardson
RICHARDSON, John; with the collaboration of Marilyn McCully [Pablo Picasso].
A Life of Picasso: The Triumphant Years 1917-1932.
London: Jonathan Cape, 2007.
First edition of the third volume in Richardson's four-volume biography of the famous artist. Small quarto, original black boards, frontispiece portrait of Picasso in Saint-Raphael 1919, illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs and a several color images of Picasso's paintings. Boldly signed by John Richardson on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Valentine Hugo.
Price: $275.00 Item Number: 145267
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First Edition of A Life of Picasso: Volume I 1881-1906; Signed by John Richardson
RICHARDSON, John; with the collaboration of Marilyn McCully [Pablo Picasso].
A Life of Picasso: Volume I 1881-1906.
New York: Random House, 1991.
First edition of the first volume in Richardson’s four-volume biography of the famous artist. Small quarto, original cream pictorial cloth, frontispiece portrait of Picasso in charcoal, illustrated with about 900 black and white drawings and paintings throughout. Boldly signed by John Richardson on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Rochelle Udell and Wynn Dan. Author photograph by David Bailey. Rare signed.
Price: $600.00 Item Number: 146213
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First Edition of Thomas Buergenthal's A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy; Inscribed by Him
BUERGENTHAL, Thomas.
A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy.
New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009.
First edition of this "incredible tale" (The Free Lance-Star). Octavo, original boards. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Marle Cohen appreciation and best regards Thomas Buergenthal." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Keith Hayes. Foreword by Elie Wiesel.
Price: $375.00 Item Number: 142462
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First Edition of A Money Mind At Ninety; Warmly Inscribed by Philip Carret
CARRET, Philip L.
A Money Mind At Ninety.
Burlington, VT: Fraser Publishing Company, 1991.
First edition of this work by the legendary investor and founder (in 1928) of Pioneer Fund, one of the first mutual funds in the United States . Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Dick and Connie Dubie With pleasant memories of association on investments committee of the Pension Board. Phil Carret." Fine in a fine dust jacket.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 147180
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“In this age of ours it's hard to say with certainty that having lived was better than not having been born in the first place": First Edition of Oe's A Personal Matter; Warmly Inscribed by him to Translator Howard Hibbett
OE, Kenzaburo.
A Personal Matter.
New York: Grove Press, 1968.
First edition in English (preceding the British edition by one year) of the Nobel Prize-winning author's classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, warmly inscribed by the author in Japanese on the front free endpaper to Howard Hibbett. The recipient, Howard Hibbett was a prominent Harvard scholar, translator of Japanese literature and friend of Oe's. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, with Hibbett's occasional marginalia. Jacket design by Kuhlman Associates. Translated from the Japanese by John Nathan. An exceptional association, uncommon signed and inscribed.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 139621
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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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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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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 dust jacket. Uncommon signed.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 147261
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First Edition of Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It
MACLEAN, Norman.
A River Runs Through It and Other Stories.
Chicago: The University of Chicago, 1976.
First edition of Maclean's classic first book. Octavo, original cloth. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket photograph by Joel Snyder.
Price: $1,200.00 Item Number: 147114
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Winston Churchill's Acclaimed autobiography A Roving Commission: My Early Life
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
A Roving Commission: My Early Life.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1941.
New American edition of Churchill’s acclaimed autobiography, recounting the first 25 years of his life. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth, illustrated with plates and maps. Introduction by Dorothy Thompson. Good in a good dust jacket with chipping to the spine and extremities. Full-page gift inscription to the front free endpaper.
Price: $175.00 Item Number: 145062
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"We had survived, and that was our only victory": Avanced Reading Copy of Philip Caputo's A Rumor of War; Warmly Inscribed by Him
CAPUTO, Philip.
A Rumor of War.
New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.
Advanced reading copy of the first edition of this classic work which the Los Angeles Times Book Review called "heartbreaking, terrifying, and enraging. It belongs to the literature of men at war." Octavo, original wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "May 2, 2005 For Bob Rockofield, One of my teachers, With all best wishes, Philip Caputo." In very good condition.
Price: $550.00 Item Number: 140064
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“And men who do not expect to receive mercy eventually lose their inclination to grant it": First Edition of A Rumor of War; Signed by Philip Caputo
CAPUTO, Philip.
A Rumor of War.
New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.
First edition of this classic work, which the Los Angeles Times Book Review called "heartbreaking, terrifying, and enraging. It belongs to the literature of men at war." Octavo, original cloth. Signed by the author on the half-title page, "Feb, 2023 With best wishes, Philip Caputo." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket illustration by Manny Haller. Author photograph by Mike Budrys.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 145413
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“And men who do not expect to receive mercy eventually lose their inclination to grant it": First Edition of A Rumor of War; Signed by Philip Caputo
CAPUTO, Philip.
A Rumor of War.
New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.
First edition of this classic work, which the Los Angeles Times Book Review called "heartbreaking, terrifying, and enraging. It belongs to the literature of men at war." Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Philip Caputo on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket illustration by Manny Haller. Author photograph by Mike Budrys.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 146094
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Jean Vergnes' first edition copy of his autobiography A Seasoned Chef; His personal copy
VERGNES, Jean.
A Seasoned Chef: Recipes and Remembrances from the Chef and Former Co-owner of New York’s Famous Le Cirque Restaurant.
New York: Donald I. Fine, Inc, 1987.
First edition of the autobiography of legendary chef Jean Vergnes, the author's personal copy. Octavo, original boards, illustrated. From the library of Jean Vergnes and thence by descent. Jean Vergnes was a classically trained and highly acclaimed French chef, best-known as the co-founder and original co-owner along with Sirio Maccion of the famed Manhattan eatery Le Cirque, which opened in 1974. Vergnes had a major influence on American restaurant culture for more than four decades. He began his career working as a chef at various top restaurants in Paris during World War II, with a brief stop in Bermuda before…
Price: $225.00 Item Number: 146515
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First Edition of John McPhees First Book A Sense of Where You Are: A Profile of Princetons Bill Bradley; Warmly Inscribed by Him In the Year of Publication
MCPHEE, John.
A Sense of Where You Are: A Profile of Princeton’s Bill Bradley.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1965.
First edition of the author's first book. Octavo, original black cloth. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication, "For Hazel and Louis Landa I can hear you saying to one another: "Has he some quelque chose of his own upon the anvil?" "I expect it from him since poor Bradley helped to make him rich." With much affection, John McPhee December 25, 1965." Louis Landa was a close colleague of McPhee’s at Princeton, where he taught English and was also an authority on Jonathan Swift. Some sunning to the spine cloth, near fine in a bright near fine…
Price: $1,750.00 Item Number: 3974
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First Edition of A Song Flung Up to Heaven; Inscribed by Maya Angelou
ANGELOU, Maya.
A Song Flung Up To Heaven.
New York: Random House, 2002.
First edition of the final volume in Angelou's autobiography series. Octavo, original half cloth. Warmly inscribed by Maya Angelou. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Andy Carpenter. Jacket photograph by Dwight Carter.
Price: $150.00 Item Number: 3251
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“The world, we are told, was made especially for man — a presumption not supported by all the facts": First Edition of John Muir's A Thousand-Mile Walk To the Gulf; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
MUIR, John.
A Thousand-Mile Walk To the Gulf.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916.
First edition of this work by Muir. Octavo, original green cloth, color pictorial cover label, lettered in white, top edge gilt. Edited with an introduction by William Frederic Badè. Illustrated with several plates from photographs, including a frontispiece portrait with tissue guard; map. Fine in the rare original dust jacket, which is in near fine condition. Uncommon in this condition.
Price: $1,850.00 Item Number: 114781
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First Edition of John Muir's A Thousand-Mile Walk To the Gulf; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
MUIR, John.
A Thousand-Mile Walk To the Gulf.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916.
First edition of this work by Muir. Octavo, original green cloth, color pictorial cover label, lettered in white, top edge gilt. Edited with an introduction by William Frederic Badè. Illustrated with several plates from photographs, including a frontispiece portrait with tissue guard; map. Fine in the rare original dust jacket, which is in very good condition. Uncommon in this condition.
Price: $1,400.00 Item Number: 124411