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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"One of the most fascinating regiments in American military history": Rough Rider Sergeant Craig W. Wadsworth's personal collection of Rough Riders books, letters and photographs; with a first edition of The Rough Riders and typed letter signed by President Theodore Roosevelt
ROOSEVELT, Theodore and Craig W. Wadsworth.
Theodore Roosevelt and Craig W. Wadsworth Rough Riders Collection.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899.
Craig Wharton Wadsworth's personal collection of books, letters and photographs from his time as a Sergeant in Roosevelt's Rough Riders cavalry. The collection includes a first edition of Roosevelt's best-selling work, The Rough Riders (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899) signed by Roosevelt, "Theodore Roosevelt" and Wadsworth, "Craig W. Wadsworth Sergeant-Troop K"; Wadsworth's 14-leaf photograph album bound in full pebbled leather with gilt titles to the front panel which read: "First United States Volunteer Cavalry (Roosevelt Rough Riders) 1898" containing 24 original photographs of the cavalrymen on their expedition to Daiquiri with annotations in Wadsworth's hand and a lengthy introduction…
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 123510
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"I have numerous readers among farmers and workers. They make India. Their poverty is India's curse and crime. Their prosperity alone can make India a country fit to live in:" Second Series of Mohandas K. Gandhi's Young India; signed and dated by him
GANDHI, Mohandas K. [Mahatma].
Young India Second Series 1924-1926.
New York: The Viking Press, 1927.
First edition of the second series of the writings of Gandhi. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel. Signed and dated by Gandhi on the front free endpaper, "MK Gandhi 3:4:29." Gandhi founded and published the weekly periodical in English, Young India, from 1919 to 1931 to spread the philosophy and principles of the Satyagraha Movement and urge readers to participate in it. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Exceptionally rare and desirable signed and in this condition.
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 95311
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Exceedingly rare new and revised edition of M. de Bourrienne's Life of Napoleon extra-illustrated with additional portraits and views and over 50 autograph letters and notes signed by Napoleon I, members of his family, and royal associates
DE BOURRIENNE, Fauvelet. [Napoleon].
Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte.
London: Richard Bentley and Son, 1885.
Exceedingly rare edition of M. de Bourrienne's Life of Napoleon extra-illustrated with additional portraits and views and over 50 autograph letters and notes signed by Napoleon I, members of his family, associates, and the author bound in. Octavo, bound in three quarters scarlet morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt with others uncut, tissue-guarded frontispiece and full color portrait to each volume, illustrated with engravings issued in the initial publication and over 100 extra portraits and views bound in. With over 50 autograph letters signed bound…
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 117078
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“THE SOUTHERN STATES HAD RIGHTFULLY THE POWER TO WITHDRAW”: JEFFERSON DAVIS’ HISTORY OF THE CONFEDERACY, FIRST EDITION; INSCRIBED BY HIM TO HIS PHYSICIAN
DAVIS, Jefferson.
The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government.
New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1881.
First edition of Jefferson Davis’ important history of the Confederacy, inscribed by him to his doctor. With 18 maps (14 folding) and 19 plates, including stipple-engraved portraits of Davis, members of the presidential staff, General Lee, and others. Thick octavo, original three-quarter brown morocco, original brown cloth gilt, patterned endpapers, with steel-engraved plates, including frontispiece portraits, wood-engraved plates, maps. Association copy, inscribed by him in volume one, "Maurice Davis M.D. with the respects of the Author." The recipient was his friend and physician, when the Davis' were in London. Dr. Maurice Marcus Davis (1821-1898) acted as physician to the Davis’s whilst…
Price: $42,000.00 Item Number: 129632
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"High School introduced at young age (15 & 16) to Emily Dickinson, who is probably greatest American poet I realize now": Rare Graduate Student Questionnaire Completed and Signed by Jack Kerouac with a lengthy inscription
KEROUAC, Jack.
Jack Kerouac Autograph Questionnaire Signed.
1960.
Rare mimeographed questionnaire sent by a graduate student of City College of New York to Jack Kerouac; completed and signed twice by him with a lengthy inscription in conclusion. Two pages, partially printed the questionnaire begins with a typed letter signed by James A. Sherlock politely requesting Kerouac's response which reads in part: "Dear Mr. Kerouac, I am a graduate student of City College of New York, working upon an original research project aimed at uncovering certain educational factors in the lives of successful writers. As you undoubtedly know, there always has been considerable interest in analyzing the psychological make-up…
Price: $38,000.00 Item Number: 117950
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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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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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Rare First Edition of The Education of Henry Adams; One of only 40 Examples
ADAMS, Henry.
The Education of Henry Adams.
Washington: Privately Printed, 1907.
Rare first edition, one of only 40 copies printed of this classic work. The text of Education was not made commercially available until 1918, following the author's death, when it was published by Houghton Mifflin. In 1919 it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the Modern Library named it as the best non-fiction book published in English since 1900. BAL 32; Reese Narratives of Personal Experience 2 ("certainly one of the great American biographies"). In near fine condition. Housed in a custom clamshell box.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 140067
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First edition of Oscar Wilde: His Life and Confessions; From the collection of young Ernest Hemingway with his ownership inscriptions to each volume
HARRIS, Frank. [Ernest Hemingway].
Oscar Wilde: His Life and Confessions.
New York: Printed and Published by the Author, 1918.
First edition of Shaw's appreciation of Wilde. Octavo, original publisher's cloth. From the library of young Ernest Hemingway with his ownership name and address to the pastedown of each volume, "Ernest Hemingway Windemere Walloon Lake Michigan" and additional ownership name to volume one, "Hemingway." Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois, an affluent suburb just west of Chicago about which resident Frank Lloyd Wright said, "So many churches for so many good people to go to." He was the second child of Clarence Edmonds Hemingway, a physician, and Grace Hall Hemingway, a musician. Each summer the…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 141864
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"There are cases in which the greatest daring is the greatest wisdom": FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH OF ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT TREATISE ON POLITICAL-MILITARY ANALYSIS AND STRATEGY EVER WRITTEN; CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ'S ON WAR; With the Rare Frontispiece
VON CLAUSEWITZ, Carl Philipp Gottfried.
On War.
London: N. Trubner & Co, 1873.
First edition in English of arguably the most important treatise on political-military analysis and strategy ever written. Small quarto, three volumes complete in one, original cloth, frontispiece portrait of Clausewitz. Translated by Colonel J. J. Graham from the third German edition. In near fine condition. From the library of Lt. Colonel Walter Pipon Braithwaite with his bookplate and ownership signature. General Sir Walter Pipon Braithwaite was a British Army officer who held senior commands during the First World War. After being dismissed from his position as Chief of Staff for the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, he received some acclaim as a…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 127055
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Signed Limited Edition of Winston Churchill's Marlborough: His Life and Times; one of only 155 numbered copies signed by Winston Churchill and in the publisher's full gilt-decorated morocco
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Marlborough: His Life and Times.
London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, 1933.
Signed limited edition of Churchill's magisterial biography of his notable ancestor John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough; Churchill's only work produced as a signed limited edition. Quarto, 4 volumes in the original publisher's full morocco bound by Leighton-Straker with gilt Marlborough family crest to the front panel of each volume, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers, illustrated with hundreds of maps and plans (many folding), plates and document facsimiles. One of one hundred and fifty-five numbered copies signed by the author of which one hundred and five were…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 144252
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First edition of Sir Douglas Mawson's The Home of the Blizzard; inscribed by him to the Premier of New South Wales, William Arthur Holman in each volume
MAWSON, Douglas. [William Arthur Holman].
The Home of the Blizzard: Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
London: William Heinemann, 1915.
First edition of this classic account of Antarctic exploration, an exceptional association copy inscribed by the author in both volumes in the year of publication to a fellow Australian, the Premier of New South Wales. Quarto, two volumes, original dark blue cloth with gilt titles to the spine, gilt vignette to the front panels, profusely illustrated with 18 color plates, hundreds of black-and-white plates, numerous in-text illustrations and three color folding maps. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the second free endpaper of each volume in the year of publication to the Premier of New South Wales, William Arthur…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 123065
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First Edition of Martin Luther's King Jr.'s Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?; inscribed by him
KING JR., Martin Luther.
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1967.
First edition of King's "last grand expression of his vision" (Cornel West). Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated with eight pages of black-and-white photogravures. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Carl Colodne, With Best Wishes for Peace and Justice, Martin Luther King Jr." Fine in a fine dust jacket, small name. Jacket design by Ronald Clyne. Jacket photograph of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Bob Fitch. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 137331
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First Edition of Martin Luther's King Jr.'s Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?; inscribed by him
KING JR., Martin Luther.
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1967.
First edition of King's "last grand expression of his vision" (Cornel West). Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated with eight pages of black-and-white photogravures. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Lester Arnet In appreciation for your great support Martin Luther King Jr." Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Ronald Clyne. Jacket photograph of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Bob Fitch. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 133573
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First Edition of Martin Luther's King Jr.'s Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?; inscribed by him
KING JR., Martin Luther.
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1967.
First edition of King's "last grand expression of his vision" (Cornel West). Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated with eight pages of black-and-white photogravures. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Mr. H.O. Wilson In appreciation for your great support Martin Luther King Jr." Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Ronald Clyne. Jacket photograph of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Bob Fitch. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $19,500.00 Item Number: 120468
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First Edition of The Sixteenth Round; Lenghtily Inscribed by Rubin Hurricane Carter and Signed by Bob Dylan
CARTER, Rubin "Hurricane" [Bob Dylan].
The Sixteenth Round: From Number 1 Contender to #45472.
New York: Viking Press, 1974.
First edition of this exceedingly powerful account of 'Hurricane' Carter's battle with the American legal system. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "June 1st 1975 M'Lady Roberta Felson: Now the reason why I used the sub-title of 'M'Lady' - is because you have got to be a Queen ... because your husband, Milt, is definitely a King! And on this - the Queen's once-a-year birthday - the entire Carter-clan wishes you the very best of everything that this wonderful life has to offer. So from me to you - although I…
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 146630
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First British Edition of Long Walk To Freedom; Warmly Inscribed by Nelson Mandela and signed by Desmond Tutu and F.W. de Klerk
MANDELA, Nelson.
Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.
London: Little, Brown and Company, 1994.
First British edition of the first autobiography of one of the greatest moral leaders of the twentieth century which has went on to sell over six million copies worldwide. Octavo, original black cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated with photographs. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "To Dr. Ivan May Compliments and best wishes to a public figure who cares. Nelson Mandela 6.1.95." Additionally signed by Nobel Prize-winners Desmond Tutu and F.W. de Klerk. The recipient, Ivan May was an academician and humanitarian, who worked closely with The Nelson Mandela Foundation. He was described by the foundation as…
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 130735
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“The deeper the Self-realization of a man, the more he influences the whole universe by his subtle spiritual vibrations, and the less he himself is affected by the phenomenal flux": First Edition of Autobiography of A Yogi; Inscribed by Yogananda Paramhansa
YOGANANDA, Paramhansa.
Autobiography of a Yogi.
New York: The Philosophical Library, 1946.
First edition of one of the most important spiritual books of the twentieth century, Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. Signed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "With blessings Paramhansa Yogananda Dec 10, 46. LA." Preface by Walter Evans-Wentz. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Exceptionally rare signed and in the original dust jacket.
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 144018
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"Nonviolence is directed against forces of evil rather than against persons who happen to be doing the evil. It is evil that the nonviolent resister seeks to defeat, not the persons victimized by evil": First Edition of Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story; Signed by Martin Luther King, Jr.
KING JR., Martin Luther.
Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1958.
First edition of Dr. Martin Luther King’s first book. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by Martin Luther King, Jr. on the front free endpaper. Review copy, with the slip laid in, near fine in a very good dust jacket with some fading to the spine and light wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. First printings are uncommon signed.
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 30031
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"God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race": First Edition of Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story; Signed by Martin Luther King, Jr.
KING JR., Martin Luther.
Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1958.
First edition of Dr. Martin Luther King’s first book. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Best Wishes Martin Luther King, Jr." Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom slipcase. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $17,500.00 Item Number: 145065
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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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Winston S. Churchill's My Early Life, Thoughts and Adventures, Great Contemporaries, and Step by Step; inscribed by Churchill to his trusted financial adviser T.E.R. Harris
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
My Early Life; Thoughts and Adventures; Great Contemporaries; Step by Step.
London: Odhams Press Limited, 1936-1939.
First Odhams press edition of four of Churchill's best-known works. Octavo, 4 volumes, original cloth with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, illustrated. Presentation set, inscribed by Churchill to his financial adviser on the front free endpaper of My Early Life, "To T.E.R. Harris from Winston S. Churchill Christmas 1947" and initialed by Churchill in the three other volumes. The recipient, T.E.R. Harris was Churchill’s financial adviser at the Pall Mall branch of Lloyds bank in London from 1943 to 1948. For many years Churchill relied heavily on his press articles and book deals to assuage his financial worries…
Price: $17,500.00 Item Number: 131601
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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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"God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race": First Edition of Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story; Signed by Martin Luther King, Jr.
KING JR., Martin Luther.
Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1958.
First edition, early printing of Dr. Martin Luther King’s first book. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Best Wishes Martin Luther King, Jr." Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 144105
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First Edition of The Power Broker; Inscribed By Robert Caro to Philip Roth
CARO, Robert A. [Philip Roth].
The Power Broker.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1974.
First edition of the author's Pulitzer-Prize winning work on Robert Moses. Thick octavo, original black cloth, cartographic endpapers. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page to fellow writer Philip Roth on the half-title page, "For Philip from Robert A. Caro." Roth first gained attention with the 1959 collection Goodbye, Columbus, which won the National Book Award for Fiction. Ten years later, he published the bestseller Portnoy's Complaint. Nathan Zuckerman, Roth's literary alter-ego, narrates several of his books. A fictionalized Philip Roth serves as narrator for some of his others, such as the alternate history The Plot Against America, Roth went…
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 141292
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"Grant stood by me when I was crazy, and I stood by him when he was drunk, and now we stand by each other": First Edition of Memoirs of William T. Sherman; Inscribed three times by Him
SHERMAN, William T.
Memoirs of William T. Sherman.
New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1875.
First edition of this memoir from one of the most well regarded generals, “oft-consulted and much-quoted reminiscences ... Sherman wrote as he fought; dynamically and bluntly” (Nevins II, 89). Octavo, bound in publishers three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles to the spine, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by General Sherman three times: on the front free endpaper of Vol. I, "Mrs. E.J. Lynch Presented by Gen. W.T. Sherman 1876 New York City"; on the front free endpaper of Vol. II, "Mrs. E.J. Lynch Presented by Gen. W.T. Sherman 18"; and the second free endpaper of Vol. II, “Mrs. Eleanor…
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 103400
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First Edition of Zora Neale Hurston's Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica; Signed by Her
HURSTON, Zora Neale.
Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica.
Philadelphia : J.P. Lippincott Company, 1938.
First edition of Hurston's personal experiences in Haiti and Jamaica. Octavo, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, 26 illustrations. Boldly signed by Zora Neale Hurston. In very good condition. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 142477
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The Golden Book of Tagore: A Homage to Rabindranath Tagore from India and the World in Celebration of His Seventieth Birthday; signed and dated by Tagore
TAGORE, Rabindranath. Edited by Ramananda Chatterjee.
The Golden Book of Tagore: A Homage to Rabindranath Tagore from India and the World in Celebration of His Seventieth Birthday.
Calcutta: The Golden Book Committee, 1931.
First subscribers' edition of The Golden Book of Tagore, the elaborate privately produced tribute to the famed poet; signed by Tagore and from the library of Raja Shamraj Rajwant Bahadur. Quarto, original cloth, lettered tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece portrait of Tagore by Martin Vos signed and dated by Tagore beneath his image, "Rabindranath Tagore Dec. 19, 1933," 29 additional engravings including 11 tipped-in in full color with lettered tissue guards. From the famed library of Raja Shamraj Rajwant Bahadur with his ownership initials "S.R.A.S" and library notes to the pastedown noting that the book was "Received from the Golden Book of…
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 106982
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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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“I feel safe in the midst of my enemies, for the truth is all powerful and will prevail": First revised edition of Narrative of Sojourner Truth and first edition of The Book of Life
TRUTH, Sojourner.
Narrative of Sojourner Truth, A Northern Slave, Emancipated From Bodily Servitude by the State of New York, in 1828 and The Book of Life.
Boston: Published By The Author, 1875.
Rare first revised edition of the book that brought Truth's remarkable story to the world and the first edition of The Book of Life. Octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine, illustrated frontispiece portrait of Truth. In very good condition, contemporary ownership inscription on front free endpaper. Rare and desirable.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 133297
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“We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more”: First Edition of My Life; Signed By Bill and Hillary Clinton and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
CLINTON, Bill [Ruth Bader Ginsburg].
My Life.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.
First edition of President Clinton's autobiography. Large octavo, original blue boards, illustrated with 32 pages of photographs. Boldly signed on the title page by Bill and Hillary Clinton and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Bader Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993 by President Clinton. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Carol Devine Carson. An exceptional and most unique example.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 124933
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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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"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning": First Edition of Anton Reiser's Albert Einstein: A Biographical Portrait; Signed and dated by Albert Einstein
REISER, Anton. [Albert Einstein].
Albert Einstein: A Biographical Portrait.
New York: Albert & Charles Boni, 1930.
First edition of this Einstein biography written by Rudolf Kayser, a German literary historian and husband to Albert Einstein's stepdaughter Ilse under the pseudonym Anton Reiser. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Einstein. Signed and dated by Einstein in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "Albert Einstein 1930." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Rare signed and in the original dust jacket.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 138499
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"I'd come from a long ways off and had started a long ways down": First edition of Bob Dylan: Chronicles: Volume One; signed by Bob Dylan
DYLAN, Bob.
Bob Dylan: Chronicles.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004.
First edition of Dylan's revealing autobiography. Octavo, original half cloth. Signed by the author on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Coco Shinomiya. PSA/DNA LOA and sticker to the title page. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 143531
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“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world": Long Walk to Freedom; Inscribed by Nelson Mandela and signed by Desmond Tutu and F.W. de Klerk
MANDELA, Nelson [Desmond Tutu and F.W. de Klerk].
Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.
South Africa: MacDonald Purnell, 1994.
First South African edition, early printing of the first autobiography of one of the greatest moral leaders of the twentieth century which has went on to sell over six million copies worldwide. Octavo, original black cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated with photographs. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "To Clive Rudman, fulfillment and best wishes, Mandela 9.12.95." Additionally signed by Nobel Prize-winners Desmond Tutu and F.W. de Klerk on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Rare and desirable signed by these three Nobel laureates.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 145809
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"It is my hope to recall this great shade from the past, and not only invest him with his panoply, but make him living and intimate to modern eyes": Complete First Edition Set of Marlborough: His Life and Times; vol. iv inscribed by Winston Churchill to his research assistant and biographer Maurice Ashley
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Marlborough: His Life and Times.
London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, 1933-38.
First edition of Churchill's magisterial biography of his notable ancestor John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Octavo, 4 volumes, original cloth, top edge gilt, illustrated with hundreds of maps and plans (many folding), plates and document facsimiles. Association copy, inscribed by Winston Churchill on the front free endpaper of volume IV, "To Maurice Ashley from Winston Churchill August 1938." The recipient, Maurice Ashley worked as a research assistant to Winston Churchill for four years during which he was working on the Marlborough biography. Ashley is also the author of Churchill as Historian (1968), which discusses how Churchill approached historical research.…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 144914
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First edition of Leonard Bernstein's The Joy of Music; inscribed by him to his personal assistant and editor Jack Gottlieb who facilitated the book's publication
BERNSTEIN, Leonard.
The Joy of Music.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1959.
First edition of Bernstein’s first collection of essays and conversations on the world of music; a national best-seller on its publication, this copy from the personal collection of his personal assistant Jack Gottleib. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece portrait of Bernstein conducting by Roy Stevens. Association copy, inscribed by Bernstein in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "This copy is for Jack, who may not have written this book, by might as well have- with thanks and affection, Lenny 28 Oct '59." The recipient, Jack Gottlieb, was not only Bernstein's personal assistant, but a trained composer and musician…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 135190
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"Even in this place one can survive, and therefore one must want to survive, to tell the story, to bear witness; and that to survive we must force ourselves to save at least the skeleton, the scaffolding, the form of civilization": First Edition of Primo Levi’s If This Is A Man; Signed by Him
LEVI, Primo.
If This Is A Man.
New York: The Orion Press, 1959.
First edition of Levi’s masterpiece, which was later published as Survival In Auschwitz. Octavo, original blue cloth. Signed by Primo Levi on the title page. Fine in a very good dust jacket with a small chip to the rear panel. Jacket design by Wladislaw Finne. Translated by Stuart Woolf. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Extremely rare signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 4541
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“Wherever I live, I shall feel homesick for Tibet": First American Edition of Seven Years in Tibet; Lengthily Inscribed by Heinrich Harrer and By His Holiness the Dalai Lama
HARRER, Heinrich [His Holiness The Dalai Lama].
Seven Years in Tibet.
New York: E.P. Dutton & Company, 1954.
First American edition of Harrer's classic account, signed by Harrer and The Dalai Lama. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated with over 40 photographs. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed by Heinrich Harrer in both English and Tibetan on the half-title page, "To Mrs. Rosser with best wishes in remembrance of my lecture in Philadelphia from H. Harrer Jan. 1955." Additionally signed by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, who was tutored by Harrer while he living in Tibet. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Translated by Richard Graves. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed by…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 112165
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First Edition of Dreams From My Father; Warmly Inscribed by Barack Obama to Fellow Senator Aldo DeAngelis
OBAMA, Barack.
Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.
New York: Times Books/ Random House, 1995.
First edition of this memoir by the 44th President of the United States. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Association copy, inscribed by Barack Obama on the half-title page, "To Sen. DeAngelis- All the best to you and your family! Warm Regards, Barack Obama." The recipient, Aldo DeAngelis was a fellow state senator and a friend of Barack Obama. Examples are usually encountered with just a signature, warm inscriptions are uncommon. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Robin Schiff. Jacket art by Steven Dana. Author photograph by Warren Browne. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 140051
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"The best inside information is on the tape": First Edition of Wall Street Ventures and Adventures: Through Forty Years; Lengthily Inscribed by Legendary Investor Richard Wyckoff and in the Rare Dust Jacket
WYCKOFF, Richard D.
Wall Street Ventures and Adventures: Through Forty Years.
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1930.
First edition of this classic work by Wyckoff who implemented his methods of technical analysis of the financial markets (the study of charts showing movements of stock-prices and other data). Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To my good friend and former associate on Wall Street, New York E. Kilburn Scott this volume is inscribed, with kindest personal regards Richard D. Wyckoff London June 24/31." Very good in the rare original dust jacket, which is in very good condition. Housed in a custom house morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 145604
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"Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots - but you have to play the ball where it lies.": First Edition of Down the Fairway; Signed by Bobby Jones
JONES, Robert T..
Down the Fairway: The Golf Life and Play of Robert T. Jones, Jr.
Minton, Balch & Company: New York, 1927.
First trade edition of what many consider the greatest golf book of the twentieth century. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Signed by Jones on the front free endpaper, "with best wishes, Robert T. Jones, Jr." Foreword by Grantland Rice. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional example, rare and desirable in the original dust jacket and signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 117324
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“I HOPE I WILL BE ABLE TO CONFIDE EVERYTHING TO YOU, AS I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO CONFIDE IN ANYONE”: FIRST EDITION OF ANNE FRANK’S DIARY, HET ACHTERHUIS; In the exceptionally rare dust jacket
FRANK, Anne .
Het Achterhuis: Dagboakbrieven van 12 Jun 1942 – 1 Augustus 1944. Met een woord vooraf door Annie Romein-Verschoor. [The Diary of Anne Frank].
Amsterdam: Contact, 1947.
First edition of the diary of Anne Frank in the original Dutch. Small octavo, original publisher's white and red paper-covered boards, illustrated with 2 photographic reproductions of the interior of the house, 1 floor plan, and 2 facsimiles from the diary. Introduction by Annie Romein-Verschoor. Very good in the dust jacket which is in very good condition with some professional restoration and tape repairs to the verso, with the second issue in blue. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Exceedingly rare and desirable, especially in the original dust jacket.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 96773
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First Edition of Anton Reiser's Albert Einstein: A Biographical Portrait; Signed and dated by Albert Einstein
REISER, Anton. [Albert Einstein].
Albert Einstein: A Biographical Portrait.
New York: Albert & Charles Boni, 1930.
First edition of this Einstein biography written by Rudolf Kayser, a German literary historian and husband to Albert Einstein's stepdaughter Ilse under the pseudonym Anton Reiser. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Einstein. Signed and dated by Einstein on the front free endpaper in the year of publication, "Albert Einstein New York 1930." In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 110352
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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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First edition of C.S. Lewis' The Personal Heresy: A Controversy; inscribed by him
LEWIS, C.S. and E.M.W. Tillyard.
The Personal Heresy: A Controversy.
London: Oxford University Press, 1939.
First edition of this collection of arguments on the subjective and objective positions of writings, with C.S. Lewis arguing the latter. Presentation copy, inscribed by C.S. Lewis on the front free endpaper, "R.W. Fletcher from C.S.L. March 20th 1940." In near fine condition. Exceedingly rare signed and inscribed by Lewis.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 132284
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"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness": Rare First Edition Of The Dalai Lama’s Autobiography My Land and My People; Signed By His Holiness the Dalai Lama
THE DALAI LAMA OF TIBET,.
My Land and My People: The Memoirs of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1962.
First edition of the Dalai Lama's first autobiography. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Signed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the title page. Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket with light rubbing. Jacket design by Jaspar Blackall. Edited by David Howarth. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 136902
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Rare First Edition Of The Dalai Lama’s Autobiography My Land and My People; Signed By His Holiness the Dalai Lama
THE DALAI LAMA OF TIBET,.
My Land and My People: The Memoirs of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc, 1962.
First edition of the Dalai Lama's first autobiography. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing, bookplate to the front free endpaper. Edited by David Howarth. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 138138
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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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"It is my hope to recall this great shade from the past, and not only invest him with his panoply, but make him living and intimate to modern eyes": Complete First Edition Set of Marlborough: His Life and Times; vol. I signed by Winston Churchill in the Year of Publication
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
Marlborough: His Life and Times.
London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, 1933-38.
First editions of Churchill's magisterial biography of his notable ancestor John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Octavo, 4 volumes, original cloth, top edge gilt, illustrated with hundreds of maps and plans (many folding), plates and document facsimiles. Boldly signed and dated by Winston Churchill in the year of publication on the front free endpaper of vol. I, "Winston S. Churchill Nov. 1933." Each volume is near fine in a very good to near fine dust jackets. Volume 3 in a price-clipped dust jacket. An exceptional example, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 144235
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"Our first black President" (Toni Morrison) First Edition of My Life; Signed By Bill and Hillary Clinton and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison
CLINTON, Bill [Hillary Clinton.
My Life.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.
First edition of President Clinton's autobiography. Large octavo, original blue boards, illustrated with 32 pages of photographs. Boldly signed by Bill and Hillary Clinton and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison on the title page. In 1998, Toni Morrison wrote a comment for The New Yorker arguing that “white skin notwithstanding, this is our first black President. Blacker than any actual black person who could ever be elected in our children’s lifetime.” Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Carol Devine Carson. A unique example, we have never seen another example signed by both Bill and Hillary Clinton and…
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 133847
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"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new": First edition of Out of My Later Years; Signed by Albert Einstein
EINSTEIN, Albert.
Out of My Later Years.
New York: Philosophical Library, 1950.
First edition of Einstein's collection of social science-related articles, addresses and speeches. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Einstein. Signed by Albert Einstein on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 138884
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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 of Sailing Alone Around the World; Signed by Joshua Slocum in the Year of Publication
SLOCUM, Captain Joshua.
Sailing Alone Around the World.
New York: The Century Company, 1900.
First edition of "the finest single-handed adventure story yet written" (Seafarer). Octavo, original blue cloth, pictorially stamped in silver and green, top edge gilt. Boldly signed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "Spray New London July 10th 1900 Joshua Slocum." In very good condition. Illustrated by Thomas Fogarty and George Varian. An exceptional example, signed first editions are rare.
Price: $10,500.00 Item Number: 146030
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First Edition of Harry Vardon's My Golfing Life; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket and from the library of Albert W. Tillinghast with a letter to him signed by Vardon laid in
VARDON, Harry.
My Golfing Life.
London: Hutchinson & Co, 1933.
First edition of Vardon's autobiography. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. From the library of golf architect A.W. Tillinghast with his handwritten library index card laid in. A.W. Tillinghast was one of the most prolific architects in the history of golf; he worked on more than 265 different courses and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015. Affixed to the front free endpaper is a three-page autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of Vardon to Tillinghast on Vardon's letterhead dated February 19th 1914 which reads in part, "Dear Mr. Tillinghast, I thank you very much for…
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 96787
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Scarce First Edition of Claude McKay's Harlem: Negro Metropolis in the Very Rare Dust Jacket
MCKAY, Claude.
Harlem: Negro Metropolis.
New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, Inc, 1940.
Scarce first edition of this intimate history of the Black Mecca of the world, authored by one of the central figures in the Harlem renaissance. Octavo, original brown cloth with gilt titles, red topstain, frontispiece of Bird's-eye View of Harlem, illustrated with eighteen additional plates of black and white photographs. Near fine in the scarce original dust jacket, which is in very good condition with loss to the crown and foot of the jacket spine, rubbing and small losses to the extremities of the dust jacket. An extremely rare duo.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 145357
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“We write our own destiny; we become what we do”: First Edition of General Chiang Kai Shek; Signed by both General and Madame Chiang kai-shek
KAI-SHEK, Chiang and Madame.
General Chiang Kai shek: An Account Of The Fortnight In Sian.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran and Company, 1937.
First edition of this autobiography of Chiang Kai-shek. Octavo, original cloth. Signed on the half-title page in Chinese by Chiang Kai-shek and in English by Mei-ling Soong Chiang, former First Lady of the Republic of China, 1948-1975. Fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket with light rubbing. Exceptionally rare signed by both Chiang and Madame Kai-shek.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 48012
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First Edition, association copy of Winston S. Churchill's The River War; signed and annotated by E.B. Lack
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan.
London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1899.
First editions of Churchill's history of the conquest of the Sudan. Octavo, 2 volumes, original cloth, illustrated with 22 maps and plans, several folding. Association copy, with signatures and annotations by E.B. Lack, who helped to supply gunboats to the Admiralty during the campaign. Woods A2(a). In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell slipcase.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 144336
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The River War; Inscribed by Winston S. Churchill
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan.
London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1933.
Later edition of Churchill's history of the conquest of the Sudan. Octavo, 2 volumes, original cloth, illustrated with 22 maps and plans, several folding. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "To Charles Peake from Winston S. Churchill Sept 1936." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 144339
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The Dalai Lama: a Biography of the exiled leader of Tibet; Signed by His Holiness and Lowell Thomas
THOMAS, Jr..
The Dalai Lama: A Biography of the Exiled Leader of Tibet.
New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1962.
First edition of this early biography of The Dalai Lama. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. Signed and dated in the year of publication by His Holiness The Dalai Lama on the front free endpaper. Laid in is a note to the recipient on official Tibetan letterhead from the private secretary to the Dalai Lama stating that The Dalai Lama has signed this copy. Also inscribed on the half-title page by the author, "With warmes regards and best wishes to Kenneth Crouch- and with a special salute from- Lowell Thomas Jr. Dec. 14, 62." Near fine in a very good dust jacket…
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 83782