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First Edition, First Printing of J.K. Rowling's Rare First Book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; With an original Illustration of Harry Potter by Thomas Taylor
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
London: Bloomsbury, 1997.
First edition, first printing of the rarest book in the Harry Potter series, a cornerstone of young adult literature, and one of the best-selling books of all time. First printing with “First published in Great Britain in 1997”, the full number line “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1”, “Joanne Rowling” for “J.K. Rowling”, and “Thomas Taylor1997” (lacking the space) on the copyright page and “1 wand” listed twice (as the first item and last item) on the “Other Equipment” list on page 53. Octavo, original illustrated boards, without a dust jacket as issued. In fine condition.…
Price: $225,000.00 Item Number: 124950
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"To Jack L. Warner - Thank you for your courage and for a magnificent picture - with my profound gratitude": First Edition of Ayn Rand's Magnum Opus The Fountainhead; Inscribed by Her to Jack Warner
RAND, Ayn.
The Fountainhead.
Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1943.
First edition, first issue with first edition stated on the copyright page of the author's first major novel, as well as her first best-seller. Octavo, original red cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Jack L. Warner - Thank you for your courage and for a magnificent picture - with my profound gratitude - Ayn Rand. January 7, 1949." The recipient, Jack Warner, was the co-founder, president, and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios. His career spanned some 45 years, its duration surpassing that of any other of the seminal Hollywood studio moguls.…
Price: $200,000.00 Item Number: 125425
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“The constancy of the laws of nature, or the certainty with which we may expect the same effects from the same causes, is the foundation of the faculty of reason”: Rare First Edition of Malthus' An Essay on the Principle of Population; With An autograph Note from Him
MALTHUS, Thomas Robert [T.R.].
An Essay on the Principle of Population, as It Affects the Future Improvement of Society.
London: J. Johnson, 1798.
First edition of this cornerstone text of modern economics. Octavo, bound in three quarters calf. Laid in is a clipping from an original manuscript signed by Malthus and entirely in his hand which reads in part, "If at one time such a given product would make an effectual demand for certain commodities the conditions of the supply of which are supposed to remain the same, it would immediately cease to make such effectual." Signed by Malthus in the lower right corner, "Malthus." The verso features two further partial lines of text relating to supply and demand. In near fine condition.…
Price: $200,000.00 Item Number: 116955
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"In memory of that week we went rowing in a bull-fiddle through the lovely lakes of Central Park": Exceptionally Rare Presentation Copy of The Great Gatsby; with a beautiful full-page inscription signed by F. Scott Fitzgerald
FITZGERALD, F. Scott.
The Great Gatsby.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925.
First edition, second issue of Fitzgerald's masterpiece with all six second issue points present, including: “echolalia” on page 60, “southern” on page 119, “sickantired” on page 205, and “Union Station” on page 211. Octavo, original dark green cloth with gilt titles to the spine. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Theodore L. Liedemedt in memory of that week we went rowing in a bull-fiddle through the lovely lakes of Central Park, from Stravinski (Alias F. Scott Fitzgerald) May 1885 'Stuttgart.'" The recipient, Theodore L. Liedemedt, was a German-born musician and close personal friend…
Price: $200,000.00 Item Number: 138936
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First octavo edition, presentation copy of John James Audubon's The Birds of America; warmly inscribed by him in both volumes I and II to Lydia E. E. Greene
AUDUBON, John James.
The Birds of America, From Drawings Made In The United States And Their Territories.
New York: Published by J. J. Audubon. Philadelphia: J. B. Chevalier, 1840-1844.
First octavo edition of Audubon's landmark work; one of the most spectacular collections of ornithological prints ever produced. Royal octavo, 7 volumes bound in full 19th-century morocco by P. Low of Boston with their ticket, gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, ribbons bound in. Illustrated with 500 hand-colored lithographed plates after Audubon by W. E. Hitchcock, R. Trembly and others, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen, wood-engraved anatomical diagrams in text. Presentation copy, inscribed by John James Audubon on…
Price: $200,000.00 Item Number: 143567
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First French Edition, Presentation copy of the Constitutions of the Thirteen United States of America; inscribed by Benjamin Franklin who requested the book's publication and personally distributed the 600 privately printed first edition copies
[FRANKLIN, Benjamin].
Constitutions des Treize Etats-Unis De L’Amerique. [Constitutions of the Thirteen United States of America].
Paris: D. Pierres/Pissot, Pere & Fils, Libraries, 1783.
First French edition of the Constitution of the United States of America, inscribed by Founding Father Benjamin Franklin who had the translation published and personally distributed each of the 600 copies produced. Octavo, bound in one quarter calf with gilt ruling to the spine, burgundy morocco spine label lettered in gilt. Presentation copy, inscribed by Benjamin Franklin on the front free endpaper, "A Madame, Madame la Presidente de Manieres [sic] de la parte du. B. Franklin." The recipient, Madame Durey de Meinires was a a French writer best known for her translations of Samuel Johnson, David Hume, and Sarah Fielding.…
Price: $175,000.00 Item Number: 138381
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REVOLUTIONARY WAR-DATE LETTER FROM WASHINGTON TO ROCHAMBEAU ON A PROPOSED EXPEDITION TO PENOBSCOT
WASHINGTON, George.
George Washington Letter Signed.
April 10, 1781.
Highly important letter signed (“Go: Washington”), as Commander-in-Chief, 2 pages folio, “Head Quarters New Windsor April 10 [17]81”, to his French ally Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, the body of the letter in the hand of his trusted aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton; horizontal fold separation repaired, minor tears and chips along margins. In the spring of 1781, officials from Massachusetts approached Rochambeau with a proposal to attack the British post at the mouth of the Penobscot river— established in June 1779 to secure timber for shipyards in Halifax and to protect Nova Scotia from any American advance. On 6…
Price: $175,000.00 Item Number: 125872
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“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness": Rare first complete English edition of Cervantes' masterpiece Don Quixote
CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de.
The History of Don-Quixote. The First Parte. The Second Part of the History of the Valorous and Witty Knight-Errant, Don Quixote of the Mancha. Written in Spanish by Michael Cervantes: and now translated into English.
London: Edward Blount, 1620.
Exceedingly rare first complete edition in English of Cervantes' masterpiece comprising the second edition of the first part and the first edition of the second part. Octavo, 2 volumes bound in full 19th century calf, engraved title in each volume. Translated from the original Spanish by Thomas Shelton whose first English translation published in 1612 was the first translation in any language and took him only forty days to complete. The true first edition of Don Quixote was published in Madrid by Francisco de Robles in two parts in 1605 and 1615. Shelton's first English translation first appeared in English in 1612, and was reissued in 1620…
Price: $175,000.00 Item Number: 130505
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“A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment": Rare First Edition of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
AUSTEN, Jane.
Pride and Prejudice.
London: Printed for T. Egerton, 1813.
First editions of all three volumes of Jane Austen's second novel and most popular. Octavo, three volumes, bound in contemporary three quarter calf over marbled boards with gilt titles to the spine. In very good condition. Armorial bookplates to each pastedown. Period gift inscription from the year of publication to the title page of Vol. I.: "Mary Anne King given her by her mother April 1813." An exceptional example of this landmark work in English literature, rare and desirable bound in contemporary calf.
Price: $175,000.00 Item Number: 133221
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"Sail on O Ship of State! Sail on, o union, strong and great!" One of the two broadsides specially printed and carried by Churchill to the Atlantic Conference signed by both him and Franklin Delano Roosevelt
ROOSEVELT, Franklin Delano; Winston S. Churchill. [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow].
Sail On, O Ship of State! The Longfellow Verse in Mr. Roosevelt’s Message to Mr. Churchill.
Raphael Tuck & Sons, Ltd., [1941].
Rare lithographic broadside signed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the thirty-second President of the United States and Winston S. Churchill as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the Atlantic Conference; one of only two known examples of this broadside specially printed at Churchill's direction and signed by both world leaders at their first wartime conference. One page, the lithograph features the famed Henry Wadsworth Longfellow verse first used by FDR in a letter of support to Churchill before the United States entered the war and a galleon at sea. The letter, sent the day before Roosevelt's third inauguration on…
Price: $150,000.00 Item Number: 125419
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Richard Feynman's personal Copies of each volume of The Feynman Lectures On Physics; with his ownership signatures
FEYNMAN, Richard P.; Robert P. Leighton; Matthew Sands.
The Feynman Lectures On Physics.
Reading, Massachusetts/Palo Alto: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1975; 1964; 1965.
Richard Feynman's own office copy of his collected lectures on physics, with his ownership signatures. Quarto, 3 volumes, original red cloth. With Feynman's ownership signature and address to the front free endpaper of volume one, "R. P. Feynman. Calif Instit. of Technology Pasadena, Calif. 795-6811 Ext. 2688" and signature to the front free endpaper of Vol. II, "Office R P Feynman." Each volume is in very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery. From the library of Richard P. Feynman. A unique example of one of the most important physics texts ever published.
Price: $150,000.00 Item Number: 130475
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“I’ve just had the happiest day of my life”: The Companion of Honour Medal: Awarded to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II
HAYEK, Friedrich von [F.A.]. [Queen Elizabeth II].
The Companion of Honour Medal: Awarded to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II.
1984.
Exquisite Companion of Honour Medal, awarded by Queen Elizabeth II to Friedrich von Hayek on June 16th 1984 at Buckingham Palace. Measuring 2.5 inches by 1.75 inches, the medallion is surmounted by the royal crown decorated in red and green enamel and features a mounted knight and oak tree with the shield of the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom within a blue oval frame bearing the gilt motto, "In Action Faithful and In Honor Clear." On the verso is Queen Elizabeth's royal insignia. Presented on a red ribbon with gold thread borders and housed in a custom velvet blue…
Price: $150,000.00 Item Number: 117452
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"the first novel in the English language": Exceedingly rare complete first edition set of all three books in Defoe's classic Robinson Crusoe series
DEFOE, Daniel.
The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe; The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe; Serious Reflections During the Life And Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.
London: Printed for W. Taylor at the Ship in Pater-Noster-Row, 1719-1720.
Exceedingly rare complete first edition set of all three books in Defoe's classic Robinson Crusoe series, including the scarce first and only printing of the third book in the series. Octavo, three volumes bound in full crushed red morocco by Francis Bedford with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, triple gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. The set consists of: Vol. I. The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years,…
Price: $150,000.00 Item Number: 129597
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Exceptionally rare pair of William and Thomas M. Bardin's New British Terrestrial and Celestial Globes; on the original mahogany tripod stands
Bardin’s New British Terrestrial and Celestial Globes. [Nineteenth Century English Globes].
c. 1800.
Fine pair of two large Regency period globes produced by William and Thomas M. Bardin, two of the most highly regarded globemakers of the period. Both the celestial and terrestrial globe measure 18 inches in diameter and are mounted on the original mahogany tripod stands with central compasses mounted on raised brass casters. Fitted with brass meridian rings, the terrestrial globe with an additional brass hour circle at the north pole. The horizon circles for both globes have engraved paper zodiacal rings with calendar. Each with a cartouche reading, "Sir Joseph Banks, Bart K.B., President of the Royal Society, this…
Price: $150,000.00 Item Number: 129376
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First edition of Alhazen's fundamental Book of Optics
ALHAZEN (HASAN IBN AL-HAYTHAM),.
Opticae Thesaurus Alhazeni Arabis. [Alhazen’s Book of Optics].
Basel: Eusebius Episcopius , 1572.
First edition of Alhazen's fundamental work on optics and vision, which influenced Galileo and Kepler and paved the way for the modern science of physical optics. Folio, bound in full contemporary Basel vellum with central arabesques blind-stamped to the front and rear panels, titles stamped in black and five raised bands to the spine, woodcut printer's device to the title page, woodcut initials, diagrams and full page illustration to the verso of the title page. Translated from Arabic into Latin by Gerard of Cremona. In very good condition. From the library of American physician Chester Tilton Stone with his bookplate…
Price: $142,000.00 Item Number: 90395
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"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife": Rare first edition of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
AUSTEN, Jane.
Pride and Prejudice: A Novel.
London: Printed for T. Egerton, 1813.
First editions of all three volumes of Jane Austen’s masterpiece, her bestselling book during her lifetime which remains a landmark of English literature. 12mo, three volumes bound in full mottled calf with gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, double gilt ruling and botanical gilt scrolling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins, all edges speckled black. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box with gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine. A very attractive example of this significant work in English literature.
Price: $140,000.00 Item Number: 145824
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COMPLETE SET OF IAN FLEMING'S JAMES BOND NOVELS; each volume in the RARE ORIGINAL DUST JACKET and housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery; including an association copy of Live and Let Die; Signed by Albert R. Broccoli who produced the film adaptation
FLEMING, Ian [Cubby Broccoli].
Complete Set of 14 First Edition James Bond Novels: Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds are Forever, From Russia with Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger, For Your Eyes Only (short stories including A View to a Kill and Quantum of Solace), Thunderball, The Spy Who loved Me, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, You Only Live Twice, The Man with the Golden Gun, Octopussy and The Living Daylights.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1953-66.
First editions of each volume in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. Octavo, 14 volumes, original publisher's cloth-covered boards. Each volume in a first-issue dust jacket. Casino Royale is near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket with chipping to the extremities including the crown of the spine and upper right corner of the front panel, light toning to the rear panel. Jacket design by Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die is near fine in a very good dust jacket (first state without printed acknowledgement to the author or the artist Kenneth Lewis) with light wear to the crown of…
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 145438
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"The longest letter signed and entirely in the hand of John Adams obtainable": Exceptionally rare 16-page autograph letter signed by Founding Father John Adams defending the ultimate necessity of American sovereignty
ADAMS, John.
John Adams Autograph Letter Signed.
1809.
Exceptionally rare 16-page autograph letter signed by and entirely in the hand of Founding Father John Adams defending the ultimate necessity of American sovereignty and its precedence over international alliances. Sixteen pages, entirely in the hand of John Adams and written on both the recto and verso of each page, the letter is dated January 9, 1809 and addressed to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Joseph Bradley Varnum. Although France and America shared a strong alliance which proved crucial to winning the Revolutionary War, at the onset of the French Revolution in 1789, Washington's fear that American involvement would…
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 121560
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“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness": Rare first complete English edition of Cervantes' masterpiece Don Quixote
CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de.
The History of Don-Quixote. The First Parte. The Second Part of the History of the Valorous and Witty Knight-Errant, Don Quixote of the Mancha. Written in Spanish by Michael Cervantes: and now translated into English.
London: Edward Blount, 1620.
Exceedingly rare first complete edition in English of Cervantes' masterpiece comprising the second edition of the first part and the first edition of the second part. Small octavo, 2 volumes bound in full calf with red morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt turn-ins, frontispiece portrait of the author to Vol. I, engraved headpieces, tailpieces and initials. Translated from the original Spanish by Thomas Shelton, his first English translation published in 1612 was the first translation in any language, and took him only forty days to complete. The true first edition of Don Quixote was published in Madrid by Francisco de Robles in two parts in 1605…
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 117895
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First Edition of Von Neumann and Morgenstern's Classic Work Theory of Games and Economic Behavior; Signed by John von Neumann
VON NEUMANN, John and Oskar Morgenstern.
Theory of Games and Economic Behavior.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1944.
First edition of von Neumann and Morgenstern's landmark work. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by John von Neumann on the title page. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. With the original “Corrigenda” slip laid in. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Books signed by von Neumann are exceptionally rare.
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 137277
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"You are one of the most special people to me, and you have meant so much to my life": Exceptionally Rare collection of original Harper Lee drawings, a painting, and letters with a first edition of To Kill A Mockingbird in the scarce first issue dust jacket; inscribed by Lee to close colleague and friend Charles Weldon Carruth
LEE, Harper.
To Kill a Mockingbird. Original Harper Lee Drawing, Painting and Letter Collection.
Philadelphia & New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1960.
First edition of perhaps the most important American novel of the 20th century, inscribed by Harper Lee to a close college friend and with a scarce archive of drawings and letters exchanged between the two. Octavo, original green cloth backed brown boards, titles to spine in gilt. Association copy, inscribed by Harper Lee to close University of Alabama college friend, Charles Weldon Carruth, "To my dear friend Charles, with love always — Harper Lee." In the fall term of 1945, Lee and Carruth both enrolled in a Shakespeare course taught by one of the University of Alabama's most famous faculty…
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 1115260
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"Undoubtedly the most influential of all English language versions of the Bible": Rare 1613 folio edition of the GREAT KING JAMES "SHE" BIBLE; extra-illustrated and decorated with a large fore-edge painting
[BIBLE],.
[The King James “She” Bible]. The Holy Bible: Conteyning the Old Testament, and the New: Newly translated out of the Originall Tongues: and with the former Translations diligently compared and reuised by his Maiesties speciall Comandement. Appointed to be Read in Churches.
London: Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings Most Excellent Majestie, 1613.
Rare 1613 folio edition of the great King James "She" Bible", "the true 1613 folio edition of King James' Bible; easily distinguishable from the other large folio editions by its smaller type... The preliminary leaves are set up as in the other large folio editions, but the text is printed in smaller type with 72 instead of 59 lines to the full column" (Herbert; Darlow & Moule). From the library of famed collector Alfred Sutro and decorated with a large fore-edge painting by John T. Beer. Folio, bound in full 19th century paneled calf rebacked with older spine labels preserved, gilt tiles and ruling to the spine in seven compartments within…
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 145500
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"All human wisdom is contained in these two words--"Wait and Hope": The Manney Copy of the First Edition in English of Dumas’ The Count of Monte-Cristo; In the Rare Original Cloth
DUMAS, Alexandre [Alexander].
The Count of Monte-Cristo.
London: London: Chapman and Hall, 1846.
First edition in English of the author’s masterpiece, published just one year after the original French edition and before the American first, the Richard Manney copy. Octavo, 2 volumes, original publisher's terracotta cloth, decoratively blind-embossed, gilt titles to the spine. Twenty wood-engraved plates after Henry Valentin. In near fine condition with only light rubbing to the extremities and toning, with the bookplate of legendary collector Richard Manney. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell and chemise box. A superior example, scarce in the original cloth, with exceptional provenance.
Price: $110,000.00 Item Number: 129384
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From the library of Charles Darwin: First edition of Herbert Spencer's The Study of Sociology; with a presentation inscription from Spencer to Darwin
SPENCER, Herbert.
The Study of Sociology.
London: Henry S. King & Co, 1873.
First edition, association copy of famed English philosopher Herbert Spencer's classic work on the evolution of society; presented and inscribed by him to Charles Darwin. Octavo, original publisher's cloth with gilt titles to the spine, dark green endpapers. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "Charles Darwin with the Author's kind regards." English philosopher, biologist, sociologist, and anthropologist Herbert Spencer invented the expression "survival of the fittest" which he coined in his Principles of Biology (1864) after reading Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859). A description of the mechanism of natural selection, in Principles of…
Price: $110,000.00 Item Number: 141586