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“An artist's only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else's”: Franny and Zooey; Inscribed by J.D. Salinger
SALINGER, J.D.
Franny and Zooey.
New York: Little, Brown, and Company, 1961.
First edition, second printing of Salinger's third book. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by Salinger in his cursive hand on the front free endpaper to a personal friend, "Oke, Stop over sometime, JDS 8/26/61." While Salinger was known for his reclusive behavior with regard to the spotlight of the international press, he did have close relations with the local townspeople around his New Hampshire home, who respected his privacy. This inscription shows the authentic nature of those relationships. Affixed to the verso of the front panel and front free endpaper are three newspaper clippings regarding Salinger's reputation as a…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 88131
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Rare first complete edition in English of Cervantes' masterpiece The History of Don Quixote; Thomas Shelton's famed first English translation bound in full crimson crushed levant morocco by Riviere & Son
CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de. Translated by Thomas Shelton.
The History of Don-Quichote. The First Parte and The Second Part of the History of the Valorous and Witty Knight-Errant, Don Quixote of the Mancha.
London: Printed for Edward Blount, 1620.
Exceedingly rare first complete edition in English of Cervantes' masterpiece comprised of a second edition of the first part and first edition of the second part. Small quarto, bound in full crimson crushed levant morocco by Riviere & Son, gilt titles and elaborate gilt 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, all edges gilt, engraved headpieces, tailpieces and initials. Engraved title pages and printed title page to the second part supplied in exact facsimile from the copy in the British Museum. No…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 139832
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"For Mother & Dad with my Love": First edition of Arthur Miller's The Crucible; inscribed by him to his parents
MILLER, Arthur.
The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts.
New York: The Viking Press, 1953.
First edition of Miller's Tony Award-winning play, a bitter satire inspired by the heightened political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals during the McCarthy era. Octavo, original half cloth over patterned boards, top edge red. Association copy, inscribed by Arthur Miller on the front free endpaper to his mother and father, "To Mother & Dad With my love Arthur." Arthur Miller was the second of three children of Augusta (Barnett) and Isidore Miller. His father was born in Radomyśl Wielki, Galicia (then part of Austria-Hungary, now Poland), and his mother was a native of New York whose parents had immigrated…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 140347
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Karl Polanyi's landmark work Origins of Our Time: The Great Transformation; Inscribed by Him to Peter and Doris Drucker
POLANYI, Karl [Peter F. Drucker].
Origins of Our Time: The Great Transformation.
London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1946.
First edition, early printing of Polanyi's landmark work, which many consider to be one of the twentieth century’s most incisive and prophetic works of scholarship. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "To Peter and Doris With Love Karl." The recipients, Peter Drucker and his wife Doris were close friends and colleagues of Polyani. Born in Budapest, Polanyi moved to Vienna, where he met Drucker while he worked as senior editor of The Austrian Economist. In July 1940, the President of Bennington College, Robert Leigh, wrote to the publisher W.W. Norton, asking him to…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 118455
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"The best of all monopoly profits is a quiet life" First Edition of John Hicks Classic Work Value and Capital; Signed by Him
HICKS, J.R. [John].
Value And Capital.
London: Oxford University Press, 1939.
First edition of the economist's groundbreaking work. Octavo, original black cloth with gilt titles to the spine. Signed by John R. Hicks on the front free endpaper. An excellent example in a very good dust jacket with some light rubbing and wear. Housed in a custom half clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 2935
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“Solitude produces originality, bold & astonishing beauty, poetry": First Edition of Der Tod in Venedig; Inscribed by Thomas Mann to close friend and confidant Ernst Bertram
MANN, Thomas.
Der Tod in Venidig [Death in Venice].
Berlin: S. Fischer, Verlag, 1913.
First trade edition of one of the greatest novellas of the twentieth century. Octavo, original publisher's quarter vellum over marbled boards. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "An Ernst Bertram in herzlicher Wertschatzung Thomas Mann" (To Ernst Bertram in heartfelt appreciation Thomas Mann). One of the best possible association copies, as Bertram was Mann's closest friend from the late 1900s through the 1930s, when their politics separated them. Bertram was deeply influential on Mann's thinking and literary direction during the time when he was somewhat artistically lost and suffered his own writer's block. It was…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 98970
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First Edition of Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me; inscribed by Richard Farina with a Drawing of a Flower
FARINA, Richard.
Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me.
New York: Random House, 1966.
First edition of the author and songwriter’s first novel, warmly praised by his friend Thomas Pynchon; the only novel published in Fariña’s lifetime, as he tragically died in a motorcycle accident two days after its publication. Octavo, original half green cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in the month of publication with a drawing of a flower on the front free endpaper, "for Virginia -Richard Farina, April 1966." The recipient, Virginia Freeman was a folk art dealer, who lived in California in the 1960s and later opened the Virginia Freeman Art Gallery in Destin, Florida. Very good in a very…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 146072
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"Dedicated to the millions of persons who are a part of the nonviolent revolution": First Edition, First Printing of The SCLC Story; signed by Martin Luther King, Jr. and containing one of the earliest appearances of his I Have a Dream Speech
KING, Jr. Martin Luther. Editor's note by Ed Clayton.
The SCLC Story in Words and Pictures.
Atlanta, Georgia: Southern Christian Leadership Conference, 1964.
First edition, first printing of The SCLC Story containing one of the first appearances in print of Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech. Quarto, original illustrated wrappers as issued, illustrated with photographs including a full-page photograph of King, photographs of the officers, executive board, regional, and secretarial staffs of the SCLC. Signed by Martin Luther King, Jr. on the front panel, "Best Wishes Martin Luther King." With a letter of provenance that relays that the magazine was signed at an event where King spoke in Atlanta in 1964 and that it may have been first obtained when…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 141073
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"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?": Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland; inscribed by him
CARROLL, Lewis. [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson].
Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.
London: MacMillan and Co, 1879.
Early edition with sixty-second thousand stated on the title page of this classic work, boldly inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "Edith Mary Alice Berkeley from the Author, May 15/80." Octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine, all edges gilt, publisher's cloth s, all edges gilt, housed in a modern scarlet morocco slipcase and chemise. 7 1/8 x 4 1/2 inches (18 x 12 cm); 192 pp., [2] pp. ads, half-title; electrotyped frontispiece, and 42 illustrations from the woodcuts by Dalziel after John Tenniel. In near fine condition. From the library of actor William E. Self, with his book…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 142979
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"The political problem of mankind is to combine three things: economic efficiency, social justice and individual liberty": First American Edition of the most influential social science treatise of the twentieth century: John Maynard Keynes' The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money; signed by Paul Samuelson, Kenneth Arrow, Edmund Phelps, Robert J. Shiller, John Nash, and Robert C. Merton
KEYNES, John Maynard. [J.M.].
The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money.
New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1936.
First American edition of the most influential social science treatise of the twentieth century, signed by six Nobel Prize-winning economists. Octavo, original cloth. Signed and inscribed by Nobel Prize-winning economists Paul A. Samuelson, Kenneth J. Arrow, Edmund Phelps, Robert J. Shiller, John Nash, and Robert C. Merton. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket with chipping to the extremities. An exceptional example of the utmost scarcity signed by this extraordinarily influential group of Nobel laureates, who were deeply influenced by the work of the economist J.M. Keynes.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 111012
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Peter Force's 1833 printing of the Declaration of Independence, from William J. Stone's 1823 plate
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. [The Force Declaration of Independence].
Washington, D.C: Engraved by William J. Stone for Peter Force, [1833].
Rare engraved copy of Peter Force's 1833 printing of the Declaration of Independence, from William J. Stone's 1823 plate. One page, folio broadside. In 1823, with the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaching, Congress commissioned Stone to produce a high-quality, actual-size replica of the original engrossed Declaration. The signatures of the 56 delegates were to be carefully copied. Stone spent two years perfecting the plate and after he had printed the 200 copies ordered, his original engraved plate remained with the Department of State. A decade later, Peter Force (1790-1868), historian, publisher and mayor of Washington D.C., conceived…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 143242
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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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Rare Original Goldfinger Dust Jacket Design Printing Proof; signed by Dust Jacket Designer Richard Chopping and from his personal collection
CHOPPING, Richard. [Ian Fleming].
Goldfinger. [Original Richard Chopping Signed Printing Proof].
Rare original progressive color printing proof for the iconic dust jacket design of Ian Fleming's Goldfinger, designed by Richard Chopping. Chopping's copy, retained for his personal collection and signed by him in the lower right corner. One page on archival printer's paper, this is the magenta ink progressive plate proof (printed using one of four plates combined to create the final full color image). The seventh novel in Fleming's bond series, Goldfinger was the second book with a dust jacket designed by Richard Chopping, the first being From Russia, With Love. Chopping would design all subsequent James Bond dust jackets…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 124559
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"Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December; And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor": First appearance in print of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven; In the Rare Original Wrappers
POE, Edgar Allan.
The Raven. [In The American Review: A Whig Journal of Politics, Literature, Art and Science. No. II February, 1845.
New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1845.
First appearance in print of The Raven, one of the most famous and recognizable poems ever written, which Poe considered his finest poem, calling it “the greatest poem that was ever written.” Octavo, original wrappers. In keeping with the policy of The American Review which required that poems be published anonymously or with a pseudonym, the poem, which appears on page 143 is credited to 'Quarles.' In very good condition. Rare in the original wrappers.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 136274
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"The first surgical work by an American and printed in North America": John Jones' Plain Concise Practical Remarks, on the Treatment of Wounds and Fractures
JONES, John.
Plain Concise Practical Remarks, on the Treatment of Wounds and Fractures.
Philadelphia: Robert Bell, 1776.
Exceptionally rare edition of the first surgical work by an American and printed in North America. Octavo, bound in nineteenth century three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, frontispiece. Jones' work was the accepted guide to surgical practice during the American Revolutionary War" G&M 2155; Austin 1843; Evans 15100 and 14814; Sabin 94063 and 36524. In near fine condition.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 91322
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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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"Long before the emergence of Hitler I made the cause of Zionism mine because through it I saw a means of correcting a flagrant wrong": Rare first edition of About Zionism; Signed and dated by Albert Einstein in the Year of Publication
EINSTEIN, Albert.
About Zionism: Speeches and Letters.
New York: The MacMillan Company, 1931.
First edition of this volume of Einstein's speeches and letters concerning his views on Zionism. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed and dated in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "Albert Einstein 1931." Near fine with light toning to the endpapers in the scarce original dust jacket which is in good condition with some wear. Translated and edited with an introduction by Leon Simon. Exceptionally rare signed.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 146050
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“All for one and one for all, united we stand divided we fall”: Rare First Edition In English of Dumas' The Three Musketeers
DUMAS, Alexandre.
The Three Musketeers; or, the Feats and Fortunes of a Gascon Adventurer.
London: Bruce and Wyld, 1846.
First edition in English of Dumas’ masterpiece. Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf, gilt titles to the spine, raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers. Translated from the French by William Barrow. Barrow’s translation was the first of three English translations published in 1846 and is considered the most faithful to the original text. To conform to nineteenth century English standards other translations removed many of the explicit and implicit references to sexuality which adversely affected the readability of many scenes. Period bookplate to the front pastedown, in very good condition with some loss to a few pages. Housed in a custom half…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 88658
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"You only live twice: Once when you're born And once when you look death in the face": First Edition of You Only Live Twice; Inscribed by Ian Fleming
FLEMING, Ian.
You Only Live Twice.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965.
First edition, first state with "First published 1964" on the copyright page of the last James Bond novel published in Fleming's lifetime and the eleventh in the series. Octavo, original black cloth. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For James You have my best wishes from Ian Fleming." A small stain to the front panel, an excellent example in the original dust jacket with a few small chips. Jacket design by Richard Chopping. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Uncommon signed and inscribed as Fleming passed away in the year of publication.
Price: $24,000.00 Item Number: 19060
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First Edition of First on the Moon; Signed by the First Person to touch the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Charles Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan L. Bean
ARMSTRONG, Neil; Michael Collins; Edwin [Buzz] E. Aldrin.
First On The Moon: A Voyage With Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1970.
First edition of this work, signed by each of the Apollo XI and XII astronauts, which describes the events leading up to and during the Apollo 11 mission, the first manned landing on the Moon. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Signed by each astronaut of both Apollo XI and Apollo XII to two time Oscar winner Leslie Bricusse on the half-title page, "Best Wishes From Apollo II Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, To Leslie With best wishes from Apollo XII Charles Conrad, Dick Gordon, Alan L. Bean." The recipient, Leslie Bricusse was a composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 147910
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"I have never advocated war except as a means of peace": Rare Henry Shrady Ulysses S. Grant Bronze Bust
GRANT, Ulysses S.] Henry Merwin Shrady.
Ulysses S. Grant Bronze Bust.
Original bronze bust of Ulysses S. Grant by Henry Shrady, the famed sculptor of the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial on the west front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Mounted on socle and base, the entire piece measures 18.5 inches in height, the base measures 9.5 inches square. In fine condition. An exceptional piece of Americana.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 102885
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First Edition of "The most influential social science treatise of the twentieth century": First Edition of Keynes' The General Theory; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket; with an autographed letter from Keynes to Captain Thomas Lloyd Humberstone
KEYNES, John Maynard [J.M.].
The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money.
London: Macmillan & Co, 1936.
First edition of the economist's masterpiece, with a rare autographed letter by Keynes laid in. Octavo, original cloth. The signed letter from Keynes, with his 46 Gordon Square Bloomsbury letterhead, was sent the month following the publication of the General Theory. Keynes write to the recipient, "Dear Captain Humberstone, I am sorry that I was not free when you called this morning, but I am happy to sign your manifesto, and return signed copy herewith. Yours truly, J. M. Keynes." The recipient, Thomas Lloyd Humberstone was an academic at the University of London, who campaigned on the subject of education…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 111892
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"Every strike brings me closer to the next home run": Rare black and white Photograph signed by babe ruth
RUTH, Babe [George Herman].
George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth Signed Photograph.
c. 1930s.
Photograph of George Herman 'Babe' Ruth, boldly signed by him. Sepia-toned glossy photograph of George Herman 'Babe' Ruth. Signed by Babe Ruth near the bottom of the photograph. Matted and framed with a plaque describing Ruth's claim to fame which reads, "George Herman 'Babe' Ruth 1895-1948 'Babe' Ruth won fame as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. His record of 714 home runs stood for 39 years until Hank Aaron beat the record in 1974. In 1914, Ruth joined the Boston Red Sox and became a successful pitcher. In 1920, he was traded to the New York…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 145338
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THE FIRST JEWISH TRANSLATION OF THE PENTATEUCH INTO ENGLISH
LEESER, Isaac.
The Law of God.
Philadelphia: C. Sherman, 5605, 1845-46.
First edition of the “first English translation of the Pentateuch in America,” the 1845 Hebrew-English Bible by one of the most prominent and influential figures in American Jewish history. Octavo, 5 volumes. Translated by Isaac Leeser. Bound in contemporary polished calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, rebacked. Lightly rubbed, moderate wear. A very nice example of a scarce and important work.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 49020
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First Edition of All Quiet On The Western Front; Signed by Eric Maria Remarque
REMARQUE, Erich Maria.
All Quiet On The Western Front.
Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1929.
First American edition of this landmark novel of the 20th century. Octavo, original beige cloth. Signed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "1st June Eric Maria Remarque." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Paul Wenck. Translated by A.W. Wheen. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery. Signed and inscribed first editions are rare.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 136034
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“And all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees and changing leaves": First Edition of Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
WOOLF, Virginia.
To the Lighthouse.
London: Leonard & Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, 1927.
First edition of one of Woolf’s most popular and acclaimed major novels, in the extremely rare original dust jacket designed by Vanessa Bell, Woolf’s sister. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in the rare original dust jacket with light rubbing and wear to the crown of the spine. Jacket design by Vanessa Bell. From the library of Elizabeth Paepcke, with her signature in pencil to the front free endpaper. Paepcke, along with her husband Walter were philanthropists best noted for founding the Aspen Institute and the Aspen Skiing Company in the early 1950s, both of which helped transform the town of…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 116345
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"The Bible Of Investing"; First Edition of Graham and Dodd’s Security Analysis
GRAHAM, Benjamin & David L. Dodd .
Security Analysis: Principles and Technique.
New York: Whittlesey House/ McGraw Hill Book Company, 1934.
First edition of Graham and Dodd's seminal work, considered the Bible of modern financial analysis. Octavo, original cloth. In near fine condition. A very sharp example.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 133112
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Queen Elizabeth II Hand-Drawn and -Colored Christmas Card Signed to Her Governess, Marion Crawford
QUEEN ELIZABETH II,.
Queen Elizabeth II Hand-Drawn and -Colored Christmas Card
c. 1930.
Queen Elizabeth II hand-drawn and colored Christmas card signed to her governess, Marion Crawford. One page, folded, illustrated with a Christmas tree traced and colored with crayon and a golden horseshoe wrapped in holly, the card reads, "To Crawfie From Lilibet." Elizabeth was given the nickname, 'Lilibet,' which was used primarily by her immediate family members with the exception of her nanny and tutor, Marion Crawford. Crawford served the royal household from 1932 to 1947 but allegedly fell out of favor with the family after the release of her memoir, 'The Little Princess: The Story of the Queen's Childhood by…
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 145365
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“It’s a Snark! was the sound that first came to their ears, And seemed almost too good to be true": Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark; in the scarce original dust jacket, of which only a few are known to exist
CARROLL, Lewis. [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson].
The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1876.
First edition of Carroll's whimsical nonsense poem. Octavo, original publisher's decorated cloth, all edges gilt, with nine illustrations by Henry Holiday. Near fine in the scarce original dust jacket. The jacket is complete with the top third of the front panel bent behind, hence the different shade of color. Copies of the first edition of Hunting of the Snark in the dust jacket of the utmost scarcity, with no more than a handful of copies known.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 130492
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First Edition of William Percey's The Compleat Swimmer: Or, The Art of Swimming
PERCEY, William.
The Compleat Swimmer: Or, The Art of Swimming: Demonstrating The Rules and Practice thereof, in an Exact, Plain, and Easie Method. Necessary to be Known and Practiced by All Who Studie or Desire their own Preservation.
London: Printed by J. C. for Henry Fletcher, 1658.
First and only edition of one of the earliest treatises on swimming, preceded only by Sir Everard Digby's short Latin tract, published in 1589 and translated into English in 1595; and the Dutchman Nicholas Wynman's De arte natandi, 1538. 12mo, bound in full 19th century calf with gilt titles and tooling the spine, gilt ruling to the panels, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, engraved frontispiece. In very good condition. Exceptionally rare with only a handful of copies having appeared at auction in the past century.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 125337
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"BUT HE NEVER KNEW THAT REALLY IT WAS HIS OWN BUNNY, COME BACK TO LOOK AT THE CHILD WHO HAD FIRST HELPED HIM TO BE REAL": FIRST EDITION OF MARGERY WILLIAMS' BELOVED CHILDREN'S CLASSIC THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
BIANCO, Margery Williams.
The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real.
London: Heinemann, 1922.
First edition, English issue (published simultaneously with the American issue) of this beloved children’s classic, “one of the first modern picture books, a perfect combination of story and pictures” (Mahony, 234), with seven beautiful color illustrations by William Nicholson. Quarto, original paper-covered pictorial boards and cloth spine, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with seven color illustrations (three double-page) by William Nicholson. In very good condition. Uncommon.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 138402
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“AMONG THE BEST EVER WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN”: FIRST EDITIONS OF A.A. MILNE’S FOUR POOH BOOKS, IN ORIGINAL DUST JACKETS; IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION
MILNE, A.A.; Illustrated by Ernest Shepard.
The Four Pooh Books: When We Were Very Young; Winnie-The-Pooh; Now We Are Six; The House At Pooh Corner.
London: Methuen & Co., Ltd, 1924-1928.
First editions of each work in Milne's wonderful Pooh quartet. Octavo, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, top edge gilt. Each are fine in near fine to fine dust jackets. Illustrated by Ernest Shepard. Housed in a custom full morocco clamshell box with Winnie the Pooh inlay to the front panel. An exceptional set, most rare and desirable in this condition.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 139773
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Rare First Edition of the John Le Carre’s First Book; Signed by Him
LE CARRE, John.
Call For The Dead.
London: Victor Gollancz, 1961.
First edition of the author's first book, which introduced the world to the recurring protagonist, George Smiley. Octavo, original red cloth. Signed by John le Carre on the title page. Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket with light expert restoration. With a signed letter from le Carre's secretary stating that he will sign this first edition. A sharp example, uncommon signed.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 142398
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“THE PROBLEM WITH THE WORLD IS THAT EVERYONE IS A FEW DRINKS BEHIND”: FIRST EDITION OF ONE OF THE EARLIEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL DETECTIVE NOVELS EVER WRITTEN; DASHIELL HAMMETT'S THE MALTESE FALCON
HAMMETT, Dashiell.
The Maltese Falcon.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1930.
First edition, first printing of one of the earliest and most influential detective stories of all time. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a very good second state dust jacket with professional restoration. Housed in a custom clamshell box.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 139591
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“Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought": First Edition of The Philosopher's Magnum Opus A Theory of Justice; Signed by John Rawls
RAWLS, John.
A Theory of Justice.
Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971.
First edition of the author’s masterpiece. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by John Rawls on the front free endpaper. Near fine in an excellent dust jacket with some rubbing. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Books signed by Rawls are rare.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 99758
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"For Francis, the first of us to think sensibly as to what the Central Dogma tells us about the origin of life, from Jim, upon the 35th anniversary of the Double Helix": First Edition of Evolution of Catalytic Function: Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology; inscribed by James D. Watson to Francis Crick
WATSON, James D. [Francis Crick].
Evolution of Catalytic Function: Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology.
Cold Spring, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1987.
First edition of the collected speeches of the 52nd Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology. Foreword by James D. Watson. Quarto, original red cloth, illustrated with photographs, diagrams. Association copy, inscribed by James Watson to Francis Crick on the front free endpaper, "For Francis, the first of us to think sensibly as to what the Central Dogma tells us about the origin of life, from Jim, upon the 35th anniversary of the Double Helix. April 10, 1988." Also signed by Francis Crick. A unique piece of history between arguably the two most influential scientists of the twentieth century, co-discoverers…
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 41053
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First Edition of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged; Inscribed by Her
RAND, Ayn.
Atlas Shrugged.
New York: Random House, 1957.
First edition of one of the most influential novels of the twentieth century. Large octavo, original green cloth, frontispiece stamped in gilt, spine stamped in black and gilt. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Lillian Davison- with my best wishes- Cordially, Ayn Rand December 19, 1960." Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelf wear. Jacket design by George Salter. Housed in a custom full morocco clamshell box with inlay to the front panel. A superior example.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 138060
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“I know who I am and who I may be, if I choose": Deluxe illustrated Ibarra Edition of Don Quixote
CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de .
El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha: Nueva Edicion, Corregida Por La Real Academia Española.
Madrid: Don Joaquin Ibarra, 1780.
The deluxe illustrated Ibarra edition of Cervantes' masterpiece. Quartos, 4 volumes. Bound in full 19th century green morocco with central motif and cornerpieces stamped in blind to the panels, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, elaborate double-ruled gilt borders, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, engraved frontispiece to each volume and 31 engraved plates throughout, 2-page folding engraved map of Don Quixote's travels to the rear of volume 1. Spanish printer Joaquín Ibarra made several important technical developments in press printing, book-making, typography and paper-making. In his printed work, Ibarra sought to achieve a perfect flow of harmonious type, inks, illustration,…
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 97654
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"No one should be entirely judged by their past": Signed Limited Edition of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband
WILDE, Oscar.
An Ideal Husband.
London: Leonard Smithers and Co, 1899.
First edition, signed limited edition. Octavo, original lavender publisher's cloth. One of 100 large paper copies signed by Oscar Wilde. In very good condition with some light rubbing and darkening to the extremities. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 16085
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First Edition of Damon Runyon's Guys and Dolls; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
RUNYON, Damon.
Guys and Dolls.
New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 1931.
First edition of this classic work, basis for the film starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra. Octavo, original cloth. A pre-publication example, with the date of August 20, 1931 stamped to the front free endpaper, very good in a very good dust jacket with some chips and wear. Introduction by Heywood Broun. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. First editions in the original dust jacket are scarce.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 98358
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First Editions of F.A. Hayek's Masterpiece Law, Legislation and Liberty; Each Volume Signed or Inscribed by Him
HAYEK, Friedrich August von [F.A.].
Law, Legislation and Liberty. A New Statement of the Liberal Principles of Justice and Political Economy.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973-1979.
First editions of the economist's magnum opus. Octavo, 3 volumes, original black cloth. Volume one is inscribed on the front free endpaper by F.A. Hayek to his colleague and legal scholar, Theo Mayer-Maly with his bookplate below. Mayer-Maly's work Rechtsgeschichte der Freiheitsidee in Antike und Mittelalter is cited in volume one of Law, Legislation and Liberty. Both volumes two and three are also signed by Hayek. Each volume is fine in near fine dust jackets. We have never seen or handled a complete set signed of this cornerstone work. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A fine association.…
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 22040
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“Love of life is born of the awareness of death, of the dread of it": First Edition of The Spy Who Loved Me; Inscribed by Ian Fleming
FLEMING, Ian.
The Spy Who Loved Me.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1962.
First edition of the ninth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. Octavo, original black cloth. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Peter To Cheer him up! From Ian." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket art by Richard Chopping. Housed in a full morocco clamshell box, the front panel mimicking the dust jacket. Rare and desirable signed and inscribed by Ian Fleming.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 37032
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"A LANDMARK TREATY WHICH FORGED PERMANENT FRIENDLY RELATIONS BETWEEN BRITAIN, THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA AND PAVED THE WAY FOR THE FORMATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS": RARE COLLECTION OF DOCUMENTS related to the 1871 Treaty of Washington; signed by all of the key figures involved in its signing including President Ulysses S. Grant
[GRANT, Ulysses S.; Hamilton Fish; William Tecumseh Sherman; et al].
Ulysses S. Grant Treaty of Washington Signed Document Collection.
Rare collection of documents related to the 1871 Treaty of Washington including signatures of all of the key figures involved in its signing including President Ulysses S. Grant, his Secretary of State Hamilton Fish and the British delegation led by George Robinson, Earl de Grey and Ripon. The collection was assembled by Frederic Daustini Cremer who acted as secretary to de Grey and travelled with him and his son Viscount Goderich to Washington for the proceedings, where he also obtained letters by William Sherman amongst others for his collection and contains: Two lined folio pages containing the signatures of the British and American signatories…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 143272
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Early Printings of The Feynman Lectures On Physics; inscribed by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman to Alfred Paul Seckel
FEYNMAN, Richard P.; Robert P. Leighton; Matthew Sands.
The Feynman Lectures On Physics.
Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company for California Institute of Technology, 1975-76.
Early printings of each volume of one of the greatest physics books ever written. Quarto, original red printed wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in volume one, "May 5, 1982, To my friend, Al Seckel." The recipient, Alfred Paul Seckel, authored several books on the nature of illusion and perception and edited two of Bertrand Russell's works. An active figure in the Freethought movement, Seckel co-designed the "Darwin fish" logo in response to the proliferation of "Jesus fish" logos used on bumper stickers and t-shirts. Each volume is in very good condition. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell box.…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 95373
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"SCIENCE CAN ONLY ASCERTAIN WHAT IS, BUT NOT WHAT SHOULD BE, AND OUTSIDE OF ITS DOMAIN VALUE, ELLY JUDGMENTS OF ALL KINDS REMAIN NECESSARY": The Evolution of Physics; Signed by Albert Einstein and Leopold Infeld
EINSTEIN, Albert and Leopold Infeld.
The Evolution of Physics: The Growth of Ideas from Early Concepts to Relativity and Quanta.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1951.
Later printing of this classic work, which traces the development of ideas in physics. Octavo, original blue cloth. Boldly signed by both authors on the front free endpaper, "A. Einstein. 53" and "L. Infeld 1958." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. We have never seen another example signed by both authors. Rare and desirable.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 140033
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"The owner of these volumes will possess an exact reproduction of the original South Polar Times which appeared month by month during the winters of 1902-03": First Limited edition of The South Polar Times; With a Signed page From Ernest Shackleton and Rudolph Blakenburg
SCOTT, Robert Falcon. Edited by Ernest Henry Shackleton.
The South Polar Times.
London: Smith, Elder, & Co, 1907-1914.
First limited edition of the complete collection of the South Polar Times, a periodical created by Scott's crew during his two polar expeditions on the ships Discovery and Terra Nova, with a slip signed by Ernest Shackleton and Rudolph Blakenburg Quarto, three volumes, publisher's gilt decorated cloth, all edges gilt, frontispiece to each volume, elaborately illustrated with engravings after the expedition members' original drawings, many in color. Volumes I and II are number 177 of only 250 copies, volume III is number 256 of 350 copies. From the Adventure and Exploration collection of James Stephen “Steve” Fossett with his bookplate…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 95157
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"By far the best book on investing ever written" (Warren Buffett): Benjamin Graham’s Classic The Intelligent Investor; Warmly Inscribed by Him
GRAHAM, Benjamin.
The Intelligent Investor.
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1949.
First printing of the third revised edition of this classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "To my good friend, Ted Weisman hoping it will help him in his nefarious projects Ben Graham Aug 1965." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Ronald Clyne. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 136008
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“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past": First Editions of the Novels of George Orwell; Finely Bound by the Harcourt Bindery
ORWELL, George.
The Novels of George Orwell: Including, Burmese Days; A Clergyman’s Daughter; Animal Farm; Nineteen Eighty-Four; Coming Up For Air; Keeping the Aspidistra Flying.
London: Various Publishers, 1934-56.
First editions of the novels of George Orwell. Octavo, 6 volumes, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. An exceptional set, rare and desirable.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 147631
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“IT MATTERS NOT WHAT SOMEONE IS BORN, BUT WHAT THEY GROW TO BE": FIRST EDITION OF HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE; INSCRIBED BY J.K. ROWLING TO BRYONY EVENS
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire.
London: Bloomsbury, 2000.
First edition of the fourth book in Rowling's acclaimed Harry Potter series. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Association copy, inscribed by Rowling on the half-title page, "to Bryony, who really did discover Harry Potter J.K. Rowling." The recipient, Bryony Evens was one of the first people to read the beginning chapters of the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, the first to recognize the work’s inherent value, and perhaps the most instrumental figure in getting the book published. Working at the time at Christopher Little Literary Agency, Evens was the first point of contact in receiving…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 115749
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Rare First Edition of John Locke's Second and Third Letter Concerning Toleration
LOCKE, John.
Second Letter Concerning Toleration and A Third Letter for Toleration.
London: Awnsham and John Churchill, 1690, 1692.
First editions of both volumes of Locke's Second and Third Letter Concerning Toleration. Two volumes bound in one. Octavo, contemporary calf, rebacked. In excellent condition with the text clean contents clean, except for light browning, rebacked. From the library of James Stonhouse with his signatures and armorial bookplate. Exceptionally rare.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 19072
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First Edition of Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman; Signed by Richard Feynman
FEYNMAN, Richard P.
“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” Adventures of a Curious Character.
New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1985.
First edition of this collection of reminiscences by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and one of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century. Octavo, original half cloth. Signed by Richard Feynman on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Jacket design by Mike McIver. Told to Ralph Leighton. Edited by Edward Hutchings. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed first editions are exceptionally rare and desirable.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 90244
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"Love, Jerry Salinger": Scarce autograph note signed and entirely in the hand of J.D. Salinger; signed by him two months and two days before he saw combat at Utah Beach on D-Day
SALINGER, J.D.
J.D. Salinger Autograph Letter Signed.
1944.
Scarce autograph note signed by J.D. Salinger on April 4, 1944, two months and two days before he saw combat at Utah Beach on D-Day. One page from an oblong octavo autograph album bound in full leather, the note is dated 4/4/44 and reads, "Dear Molly - I just don't have anything bright to say. But I'd like to send you some of my work, and I'd like to take you to a nice place in London where we might get pretty drunk and mellow. Maybe later in The War or after. I'd like that. You remind me of very…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 117208
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“AMONG THE BEST EVER WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN”: FIRST EDITIONS OF A.A. MILNE’S FOUR POOH BOOKS, IN ORIGINAL DUST JACKETS; The Winnie the Pooh Signed by Milne
MILNE, A.A.; Illustrated by Ernest Shepard.
The Four Pooh Books: When We Were Very Young; Winnie-The-Pooh; Now We Are Six; The House At Pooh Corner.
London: Methuen & Co., Ltd, 1924-1928.
First editions of each work in Milne's wonderful Pooh quartet. Octavo, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, top edge gilt. Winnie the Pooh is signed by A.A. Milne on the title page. When We Were Very Young if a first edition, second issue as usual with page ix numbered. Each are fine in very good dust jackets with some loss and wear to the extremities and light toning. Illustrated by Ernest Shepard. An exceptional set, most rare and desirable with Winnie the Pooh signed by Milne.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 95227
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rare autograph letter signed by American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton
HAMILTON, Alexander.
Alexander Hamilton Autograph Letter Signed.
New York: 2 April 1799.
Rare autograph letter signed by Alexander Hamilton to the trustees of Isaac Riley, notifying them of the manner in which he will submit a mortgage payment despite Riley's imprisonment. One page, folio, dated 2 April 1799, the letter reads, "I am informed that You are Assignees of Isaac Riley under the Insolvent Act. Some time since I purchased of Isaac Riley Eight lots in the Outward upon which as he then informed me there was a mortgage to Ebenezer Young for Two hundred & forty pounds which was deducted out of the purchase money & left to be paid by…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 120624
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"One of the most important crime novels of the 20th century": First Edition of The Postman Always Rings Twice; Signed by James Cain
CAIN, James M.
The Postman Always Rings Twice.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934.
First edition of one of the most important crime novels of the twentieth century, adapted as a motion picture seven times. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly Signed by James M. Cain on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing to the crown. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very nice example, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 114122
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"Though Keynes was a great thinker, his interest in theory was not for its own sake but 'as a base' for designing policy": One page signed and hand-corrected manuscript entirely in the hand of Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman
FRIEDMAN, Milton.
Milton Friedman Manuscript on J.M. Keynes’ The General Theory.
One page signed and hand-corrected manuscript entirely in the hand of Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman discussing Keynes' The General Theory. Inscribed in the top right corner, "For Mark Gruber, Milton Friedman", the manuscript reads, "Inflation, not unemployment, continued to be the major economic problem after the war, as it was during the war. Keynes'...flexibility would have led him to turn his attention increasingly to the themes of Monetary Reform which were far more relevant to the post-war decades than those of The General Theory and remain so today...Though Keynes was a great thinker, his interest in theory was not for its…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 88180
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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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“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live": First Edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; Signed by J.K. Rowling and twice by Illustrator Mary Grandpre
ROWLING, J.K.; Illustrated by Mary Grandpre.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
New York: Scholastic Press, 1998.
First American edition, first printing of the first book in the Harry Potter series. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated by Mary Grandpre. Boldly signed by J.K. Rowling on the second title page. Additionally signed twice by illustrator Mary Grandpre, on the title page and on the rear dust jacket flap. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional signed example.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 139502
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"Considered the greatest single contribution to logic to appear since Aristotle": Russell and Whitehead's work Principia Mathematica
RUSSELL, Bertrand and Alfred North Whitehead.
Principia Mathematica.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1950.
First edition of volume one and second editions of volumes two and three, in the rare dust jackets of Russell and Whitehead's monumental work. Octavo, three volumes, original cloth. Rare and desirable.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 140610