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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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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MARK TWAIN'S (BURLESQUE) AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND FIRST ROMANCE
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
Mark Twain’s (Burlesque) Autobiography and First Romance.
New York: Sheldon & Company, n.d.
First edition, second issue of Twain's third book with the Ball, Black, & Co. advertisement on verso of the title page (BAL 3326). Octavo, bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles to the spine, illustrated and extra-illustrated with a tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece of Twain. In good condition.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 138264
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First Edition of Richard Church's British Authors: A Twentieth Century Gallery
CHURCH, Richard.
British Authors: A Twentieth Century Gallery.
London: Published for the British Council by Longmans Green & Co.
First edition of Church's authoritative guide to the greatest British authors. Octavo, original wrappers, illustrated with 58 portraits. Very good in a very good dust jacket. Small name.
Price: $25.00 Item Number: 126107
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Rare December 29, 1975 Time Magazine Cover featuring a portrait of Mother Teresa; inscribed by her
BOJAXHIU, Mary Teresa. [Mother Teresa].
Mother Teresa Signed Time Magazine Cover.
New York: Time, December 29, 1975.
Rare cover from the December 29, 1975 issue of Time Magazine featuring a portrait of Mother Teresa by Bob Peak and inscribed by her, "God bless you M Teresa MC." In near fine condition. Double matted and framed with the original transmittal envelope inserted into a pocket on the verso of the frame showing the printed Missionaries of Charity return address and postmarked Bronx, 3 April 1986. The entire piece measures 17 inches by 14 inches.
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 133441
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"Mary Wollstonecraft started the demand of women for political liberty in England, Condorcet in France, and the heroic group of anti-slavery agitators in the United States": First edition of Millicent Garrett Fawcett's Women's Suffrage: A Short History of a Great Movement
GARRETT FAWCETT, Millicent.
Women’s Suffrage: A Short History of a Great Movement.
London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, [1912].
First edition of Millicent Garrett Fawcett's history of the women's suffrage movement. Octavo, original cloth, publisher's advertisements at rear. English politician, writer and feminist Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett led Britain's largest women's rights association, the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) from 1897 to 1919. In 2018, a century after the Representation of the People Act, she was the first woman honored with a statue in Parliament Square. In very good condition.
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 134219
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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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Scarce first edition and only printing of Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story; signed by both Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King
HASSLER, Alfred and Benton Resnik. [Martin Luther King Jr.; Coretta Scott King].
Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story: How 50,000 Negroes Found a New Way to End Racial Discrimination.
Nyack, N.Y: The Fellowship of Reconciliation, [1957].
First and only edition of this highly influential and historic comic book used to teach the tactics and power of nonviolent resistance during the Civil Rights Movement. Quarto, original pictorial wrappers, the text is presented as a graphic novel illustrated in color. Boldly signed by Martin Luther King on the front panel, "Best Wishes Martin L. King" and additionally signed by Coretta Scott King. With annotations in blue pen noting that King signed the book in 1958 and Coretta in 1985. Illustrated by Sy Barry, text by John Duffy. In very good condition. Very rare. Copies of the original comic…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 138337
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Lord Balfour's Speech In The House of Commons on Women's Suffrage
BALFOUR, Arthur James.
Speech In The House of Commons on Women’s Suffrage.
London: Published by The Central Society For Women's Suffrage, [c.1892].
Rare printing of Lord Balfour's speech supporting the Women's Franchise Bill, which proposed extending the parliamentary vote to women. Octavo, original wrappers. In near fine condition.
Price: $850.00 Item Number: 135551
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Stuart Mason's Bibliography of Oscar Wilde
MASON, Stuart.
Bibliography of Oscar Wilde.
London: T. Werner Laurie Ltd., n.d..
Later printing of Mason's renowned bibliography of the works of Oscar Wilde. Octavo, bound in full cloth, illustrated. With a note by Robert Ross. In very good condition.
Price: $80.00 Item Number: 140208
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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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"This book is offered to those women on the fighting line who have had the courage to face ridicule, and the wit to turn the laugh upon their enemies by their indifference to derision": Rare first edition of Constance Smedley's Woman: A Few Shrieks!
X. [SMEDLEY, Constance]; Appendix by Mrs. Philip Snowden [Ethel Snowden].
Woman: A Few Shrieks!
Letchworth Herts: Garden City Press , [1907].
First edition of Constance Smedley's rare feminist tract, published under the pseudonym X and with an appendix by Ethel Snowden. Octavo, original cloth, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, patterned endpapers. Appendix by Ethel Snowden. In good condition. Stamps throughout including to the front and rear panels and top edge. Bookplates to the pastedown.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 134985
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First edition of Frederick W. Pethick Lawrence's Women's Fight For The Vote
PETHICK LAWRENCE, Frederick W.
Women’s Fight For The Vote.
London: The Woman's Press, [1910].
First edition of the definitive collection Pethick Lawrence's articles promoting Women's Suffrage. Octavo, original wrappers. In good condition. Rare.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 135198
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Albert Alberg's Gustavus Vasa and His Stirring Times; finely bound in full period calf
ALBERG, Albert.
Gustavus Vasa and His Stirring Times.
London: W. Swan Sonnenschein & Co, c. 1885.
Finely bound example of Alberg's biography of Gustav I of Sweden. Octavo, bound in full polished calf by Relfe Brothers of London with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, illustrated. In very good condition. Period ownership inscription.
Price: $975.00 Item Number: 139738
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Margaret Dilke's Women's Suffrage
DILKE, Margaret.
Women’s Suffrage.
London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., n.d..
Stereotyped edition of English suffragette Margaret Dilke's treatise on women's suffrage. Octavo, bound in full cloth, original wrappers bound in. In good condition. Stamps.
Price: $400.00 Item Number: 135204
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Rare unauthorized edition of Mark Twain's Autobiography (Burlesque) First Romance, and Memoranda
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
Autobiography (Burlesque) First Romance, and Memoranda.
Toronto: James Campbell & Son, [1871].
Rare unauthorized edition of Twain's witty collection of satirical sketches; this edition possibly containing the first appearance of My Late Senatorial Secretaryship. BAL 3334. Octavo, original publisher's cloth. In very good condition. Rare.
Price: $375.00 Item Number: 137267
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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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Rare first edition of Mary Phillips' The Militant Suffrage Campaign in Perspective
PHILLIPS, Mary.
The Militant Suffrage Campaign in Perspective.
London: Latimer Trend & Co, [1957].
Rare first edition of Mary Phillips' personal account of the militant suffragette movement. Octavo, original wrappers. Foreword by the Right Hon. Lord Pethick-Lawrence. Mary Elizabeth Phillips joined the radical Women's Social & Political Union in 1907 and established a Glasgow branch of the WSPU. In March 1908 she was sentenced to six weeks in Holloway Prison following a demonstration outside the House of Commons. She remains the longest prison serving suffragette. In near fine condition.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 135293
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"THE MOST CELEBRATED BIOGRAPHY IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE": BOSWELL'S THE LIFE OF JOHNSON
BOSWELL, James.
The Life of Samuel Johnson. [Boswell’s Life of Johnson].
London: Office of the National Illustrated Library, n.d. [c. 1880].
Finely bound 19th century illustrated printing of the most celebrated biography in the English language, elucidated by copious notes. Octavo, four volumes bound into two in contemporary three quarters calf over marbled boards, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, illustrated. In very good condition.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 141549
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"There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open": First Edition of Jawaharlal Nehru's Inside America; Signed by Him
NEHRU, Jawaharlal.
Inside America: A Voyage of Discovery.
New Dehli: National Book Stall, n/d.
First printing of this edition of this collection of speeches by Nehru in America. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. Boldly signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Jawaharlal Nehru Dec 1956." Very good in a very good dust jacket. Uncommon signed, with none appearing at auction in the last 65 years.
Price: $2,800.00 Item Number: 142442
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"Who dost though love O seer in thy vision? Women I love, slender and strange and stately waiting untroubled for the years to bear them": First Edition of Sir George Macmunn's Kipling's Women
MACMUNN, Sir George [Rudyard Kipling].
Kipling’s Women.
London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd., n.d..
First edition of the former President of the Kipling Society's study of the women portrayed in Kipling's song and story. Octavo, original publisher's cloth with gilt titles and central gilt emblem to the front panel. Very good in the rare original dust jacket which is in good condition.
Price: $30.00 Item Number: 135257
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"My sympathies are with the suffragettes": Rare English parlor game book containing numerous early 20th century signatures
[MACKENZIE, Poppy].
The Truth About My Friends.
London: Dow & Lester, n.d.
Small parlor game book belonging to Poppy Mackenzie, each page with tipped-in printed slip lifting to reveal a self-criticism or "truth" (one of them being "My sympathies are with the suffragettes"), below which the participants have signed their name. In good condition.
Price: $975.00 Item Number: 135645
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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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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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"Every history that has been written since has derived all its light from this, and followed its guidance in every question of importance": Rare first edition, first issue of Francis Bacon's The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh
BACON, Sir Francis.
The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh.
London: Printed by Stansby for Matthew Lownes and William Barret, 1622.
Scarce first edition, first issue of Sir Francis Bacon's influential history of the reign of King Henry VII with "Highnesse" at the conclusion of the dedication and “souldiers” (3, line 12) (Pforzheimer 32; STC 1159). Quarto, bound in three quarters calf over marbled boards with tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt, all edges red, woodcut frontispiece portrait of Henry VII, elaborate architectural borders to the title page, woodcut headpieces and initials. From the library of book collector Frederick Spiegelberg with his bookplate to the pastedown. In near fine condition,…
Price: $5,500.00 Item Number: 114526
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Early English translation of Frederick II, King of Prussia's history of the Brandenburg Dynasty
FREDERICK II, King of Prussia.
Memoirs of the House of Brandenburg.
London: Printed for R. Dodsley, 1748.
Early English translation of Frederick II, King of Prussia's history of the Brandenburg Dynasty. Dedicated to his Royal Highness to Prince of Wales. Authors Preface. Initially published in three installments by Frederick II's private press at the palace of Sanssouci near Berlin, the volumes were read as part of the curriculum at the Prussian Academy of Sciences and considered as the fourth volume of Frederick's Oeuvres du Philosophe de Sans Souci (The works of the philosopher of Sans Souci). Small octavo, disbound with part of the original gilt spine intact. In very good condition. A nice example.
Price: $650.00 Item Number: 92480
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Early example of Frederick II, King of Prussia's history of the Brandenburg Dynasty
FREDERICK II, King of Prussia.
Memoires pour Servir a l’Histoire de la Maison de Brandebourg (Memoirs of the House of Brandenburg).
Berlin: Chez Chretien Frederic Voss, 1767.
Early example of Frederick II, King of Prussia's history of the Brandenburg Dynasty. Initially published in three installments by Frederick II's private press at the palace of Sanssouci near Berlin, the volumes were read as part of the curriculum at the Prussian Academy of Sciences and considered as the fourth volume of Frederick's Oeuvres du Philosophe de Sans Souci (The works of the philosopher of Sans Souci). Quarto, three volumes bound into one, rebacked, contemporary boards, elaborate engraved allegorical frontispiece by Georf Friedrich Schmidt, two folding genealogical tables, two folding maps. In very good condition.
Price: $650.00 Item Number: 82415
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Voltaire's Vie de Moliere; finely bound
VOLTAIRE (AROUET, François-Marie).
Vie de Moliere.
Lausanne: Chez Francois Grasset & Comp, 1772.
Early edition of Voltaire's biography of one of the most influential and widely translated writers of all time. Octavo, bound in full sprinkled sheepskin. Gilt titles and tooling to the spine, pictorial endpapers, all edges red, ribbon bound in. In very good condition with some rubbing to the extremities. Tasteful period bookplate.
Price: $350.00 Item Number: 95126
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First edition of Eugenia Stanhope's Letters Written by the Late Right Honourable Philip Dormer Stanhope; from the library of Sir Edwyn Francis Stanhope
STANHOPE, Eugenia.
Letters Written by the Late Right Honourable Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, to His Son, Philip Stanhope, Esq; Together with Several Other Pieces on Various Subjects.
London: Printed for J. Dodsley, 1774.
First edition of one of the great classics of English letters. Quarto, period quarter calf over marbled boards with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, engraved portrait frontispiece. Second state of volume one, page 55 (line 16 corrected to "qui auroit"). From the library of Sir Edwyn Francis Stanhope with his bookplate to the pastedown of each volume. Sir Edwyn Francis Stanhope, 2nd Baronet (1793 -1874), was the only son of Sir Henry Edwyn Stanhope, 1st Baronet of Stanwell, a distinguished naval commander, and Margaret (Peggy), daughter of Francis Malbone Esq. of Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A. Stanhope served as a…
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 141377
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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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"the most celebrated biography in the English language": Rare First Edition, First Issue of Boswell's The Life of Johnson
BOSWELL, James.
The Life of Johnson.
London: Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, in The Poultry, 1791.
First edition, first issue of both volumes of the most celebrated biography in the English language, which was published on May 16, 1791 in a print run of only 1,750 copies. Quarto, bound in full morocco by Birdsall, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, inner dentelles, all edges gilt. Frontispiece portrait of Samuel Johnson, engraved by J. Heath after the Sir Joshua Reynolds (1756) painting. Housed in a custom clamshell box. In fine condition. An excellent example of this landmark work.
Price: $16,500.00 Item Number: 120374
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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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"the most celebrated biography in the English language": Rare First Edition of Boswell's The Life of Johnson
BOSWELL, James.
The Life of Johnson.
London: Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, in The Poultry, 1791.
First edition, first issue of both volumes of the most celebrated biography in the English language, which was published on May 16, 1791 in a print run of only 1,750 copies. Quarto, bound in contemporary half calf over marbled boards. Frontispiece portrait of Samuel Johnson, engraved by J. Heath after the Sir Joshua Reynolds (1756) painting. Volume one is the first state with the word “give” reading on page 135, line 10. First state of volume two, with two engraved illustrations, “The Round Robin” at p. 92, and the “facsimiles” of Dr. Johnson's handwriting on p. 588. In near fine condition with light toning,…
Price: $17,500.00 Item Number: 80005
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First edition of The Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon; elaborately bound
GIBBON, Edward.
Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon, Esquire. With Memoirs of His Life and Writings, Composed by Himself: Illustrated from His Letters, with Occasional Notes and Narrative by John Lord Sheffield.
London: Printed for A. Strahan, and T. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies, 1796.
First edition of Gibbon’s memoirs, letters, and additional works, posthumously collected and published by his closest friend, John Baker Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield. Quarto, bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, engraved frontispiece portrait of Gibbon. In near fine condition. A very attractive example of one of the first modern autobiographies published in the English language.
Price: $3,000.00 Item Number: 135133
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First Edition of John Francis Rigaud's English translation of A Treatise on Painting by Leonardo Da Vinci
RIGAUD, John Francis. [Leonardo Da Vinci].
A Treatise on Painting, by Leonardo Da Vinci. Faithfully Translated from the Original Italian, and Now First Digested Under Proper Heads.
London: Printed for J. Taylor, 1802.
First edition thus of English painter and Royal Academician John Francis Rigaud's English translation of Leonardo da Vinci's Treatise on Painting, compiled from manuscripts written during his lifetime, but only first published in Italian in 1651. Octavo, bound in three quarter contemporary calf over marbled boards with gilt ruling to the spine, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, illustrated with twenty-three copper-plates and other figures, engraved frontispiece portrait of Da Vinci from a picture in the Florentine Museum. New Life of the Author by John Sidney Hawkins. In very good condition, bookplate to the front free endpaper.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 147281
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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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Rare first edition of Marshman's The Works of Confucius; complete with his Dissertation on the Characters and Sounds of the Chinese Language
MARSHMAN, Joshua [Confucius].
The Works of Confucius; Containing the Original Text, With a Translation. To Which is Prefixed a Dissertation on the Chinese Language and Character. [The Analects of Confucius].
Serampore: Printed at the Mission Press, 1809.
First English translation of the Analects of Confucius complete with the rare Dissertation on the Chinese Language and Character, here bound in a separate volume. Quarto, two volumes bound in three quarter morocco over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, illustrated with 2 folding charts on Chinese characters, 4 further tables on 2 folding leaves, postscript at rear. In fine condition. Exceptionally rare, particularly with Marshman's separately printed dissertation present including the tables and charts.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 131224
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First Edition of Pavel Petrovich Svin'in's Sketches of Russia
SVIN'IN, Pavel Petrovich (Paul Svinine).
Sketches of Russia.
London: Printed for R. Ackermann, 1814.
Scarce first edition of this sketch of Russian locations and historical figures. Octavo, bound in three quarter red calf over red cloth boards with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, rebacked with original spine strip laid down, top edge gilt, color frontispiece portrait of Emperor Alexander, illustrated with fifteen hand-colored aquatint plates and an engraved leaf of music arranging a Russian national song for the guitar. In very good condition with some rubbing to the extremities, light toning throughout.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 146468
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First edition of William Hazlitt's Political Essays, with Sketches of Public Characters; From the Library of William Safire
HAZLITT, William.
Political Essays, with Sketches of Public Characters.
London: Printed for William Hone, 1819.
First edition of one of Hazlitt's most interesting collections, including his estimates and reviews of Southey as Laureate, of Coleridge, Burke, and Malthus (at length). Octavo, bound in three quarter morocco with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in five compartments within raised bands, marbled endpapers. From the library of William Safire with his bookplate to the pastedown. William Safire was an important American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He joined Nixon’s campaign for the 1960 Presidential race, and supported him again in 1968. After Nixon’s 1968 victory, Safire served as a speechwriter for him and Spiro Agnew.…
Price: $1,250.00 Item Number: 127349
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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 of Sir Walter Scott's The Life of Napoleon Buonaparte, Emperor of the French Revolution
BY THE AUTHOR OF "WAVERLY," &c. [Sir Walter Scott].
The Life of Napoleon Buonaparte, Emperor of the French Revolution.
Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Carey, 1827.
First edition of Sir Walter Scott's Life of Napoleon. Royal octavo, three volumes bound in three quarters morocco, gilt titles to the spine, tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece portrait of Napoleon. In very good condition.
Price: $475.00 Item Number: 139524
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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 JEFFERSON’S 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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"The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do": RARE FIRST EDITION OF THE COLLECTION OF JEFFERSON’S 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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First edition of James Jackson's Cases of Cholera Collected at Paris; in the original publisher's boards
JACKSON, James.
Cases of Cholera Collected at Paris, in the Month of April, 1832, in the Wards of MM. Andral and Louis at the Hospital La Pitie.
Boston: Carter, Hendee, and Co, 1832.
First edition of Jackson's work detailing six cases of Cholera collected at the Hospital de la Pitie at Paris. Octavo, original publisher's boards and paper spine label. In very good condition. Ownership inscription.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 137121
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Edmund Lodge's Portraits of Illustrious Personages; elaborately illustrated and bound in full morocco
LODGE, Edmund.
Portraits of Illustrious Personages of Great Britain. Engraved From Authentic Pictures in the Galleries of the Nobility and the Public Collections of the Country. With Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Their Lives and Actions.
London: Printed for Harding and Lepard, 1835.
Finely bound set of Lodge's Portraits of Illustrious Personages. Folio, six volumes, bound in full morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, quadruple gilt ruling and fleuron cornerpieces to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, illustrated with 240 tissue-guarded engraved portraits of British royals and various historical figures including Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Thomas More, King Henry the Eighth, Thomas Cranmer, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Sir Walter Scott among others. In very good condition. Bookplates from the Cathedral Library to the pastedowns.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 122063
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Finely bound collection of Charles Dickens' works
DICKENS, Charles and John Forster.
Works of Charles Dickens.
London: 1837-1874.
Finely bound collection of a selection of Dickens' works as well as Foster's acclaimed biography. Octavo, 16 volumes uniformly bound in three quarter morocco over marbled boards with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, red and green contrasting morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. The collection is comprised of: a first edition of Pictures from Italy [London: Bradbury & Evans, 1846]; First edition in book form of Hard Times [London: Bradbury & Evans, 1854]; First edition in book form of the Uncommercial Traveller [London: Chapman and Hall, 1861]; Third edition of Sketches by Boz [2…
Price: $6,000.00 Item Number: 131992
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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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"Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance": The Works of Samuel Johnson with an essay on his life and genius by Arthur Murphy
JOHNSON, Samuel.
The Works of Samuel Johnson.
London: Henry G. Bohn, 1850.
Finely bound edition of the works of Samuel Johnson, with an essay on his life and genius by Arthur Murphy. Octavo, two volumes bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, engraved frontispiece portrait of Johnson to volume one. In very good condition. Armorial bookplate to each volume.
Price: $250.00 Item Number: 141081
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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 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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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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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 Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi; elaborately bound in full crimson crushed levant morocco by Bayntun
DICKENS, Charles.
Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi. Edited by “Boz.”
London: G. Routledge & Co, 1853.
Finely bound example of Dickens' popular retelling of the memoirs of celebrated English clown Joseph Grimaldi. Octavo, bound in full crimson crushed levant morocco by Baytun with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt titles and tooling to the spin in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt rulings and fleuron cornerpieces to the panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait of Grimaldi, with illustrations by George Cruikshank. From the library of Albert Hooper with his bookplate to the pastedown. In fine condition. An exquisite example.
Price: $750.00 Item Number: 119805
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THE DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE OF SAMUEL PEPYS; FINELY BOUND AND WITH A CONCEALED FORE-EDGE PAINTING TO EACH VOLUME
PEPYS, Samuel. With a Life and Notes by Richard Lord Braybrooke.
Diary and Correspondence of Samuel Pepys, F.R.S. Secretary to the Admiralty in the Reigns of Charles II. and James II. [Fore-edge Painting].
London: Published for Henry Colburn, 1854.
Finely bound fourth edition of the diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys. Octavo, four volumes bound in red Russia with gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, elaborate gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, each volume decorated with a concealed fore-edge painting including a portrait of Pepys, the Great Plague, the Fire of London, and the Battle of Solebay, illustrated, folding map. In very good condition.
Price: $1,750.00 Item Number: 138281
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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 stamped in blind with gilt titles to the spine, illustrated with three engraved plates including tissued-engraved frontispiece from the classic daguerreotype of Douglass engraved by John Chester Buttre. In very good condition with light rubbing to the extremities, toning to the frontispiece and its tissue-guard. A very nice example, rare in the original publisher's cloth which is completely free of restoration or repairs.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 146541
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First edition of Martha Walker Freer's The Life of Jeanne D'Albert
FREER, Martha Walker.
The Life of Jeanne D’Albert Queen of Navarre.
London: Hurst and Blackett, Publishers, 1855.
First edition of Freer's appreciation of Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de Luynes. Octavo, bound in three quarters emerald green crushed levant morocco, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece portrait. In very good condition.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 139030
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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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“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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Specimens of the Table Talk of Samuel Taylor Coleridge; elaborately bound in full polished calf
COLERIDGE, Samuel Taylor.
Specimens of the Table Talk of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
London: John Murray, 1858.
Finely bound example of this collection of the remarks and insights of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Small octavo, bound in full polished calf with gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, engraved frontispiece portrait of Coleridge. In very good condition. A very nice binding.
Price: $200.00 Item Number: 139225
