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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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"God is Truth": Exceptionally rare Etching Signed by Gandhi and Illustrator Fritz Eichenberg
GANDHI, Mohandas K. [Mahatma].
Mohandas K. Gandhi Signed Engraving Portrait.
Wood engraving of a bust-length portrait of one of the most famous graphic images of Gandhi by illustrator Fritz Eichenberg; signed by Gandhi, "God is Truth MK Gandhi." Below Gandhi's inscription in a pencil inscription by Fritz Eichenberg, "To Eva Aug. 16th, 1948 with love from Fritz" and additionally signed "Fritz Eichenberg." The engraving is a proof impression on Japanese paper. The portrait by Eichenberg was originally created for The Catholic Worker, a newspaper in the cause of social justice, and was subsequently used in multiple other publications. "The word satya (Truth) is derived from Sat which means 'being'. Nothing…
Price: $50,000.00 Item Number: 103540
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"The Bible Of Investing"; Rare First Edition Of Graham and Dodds Security Analysis; Warmly Inscribed by David L. Dodd
GRAHAM, Benjamin & David L. Dodd.
Security Analysis: Principles and Technique.
New York: Whittlesey House/ McGraw Hill, 1934.
First edition of Graham and Dodd's seminal work, considered the Bible of modern financial analysis. Octavo, original black cloth. Warmly inscribed by David Dodd on the front free endpaper. In fine condition with a touch of rubbing. Examples of the first edition are known to exist both in black cloth binding, with “Whittlesey House-McGraw Hill” in gilt at the foot of the spine (which this example is) and in red cloth binding, with “McGraw-Hill Book Company” in gilt at the foot of the spine. No priority of issue has been established, both are rare and desirable. Housed in a custom half morocco…
Price: $48,000.00 Item Number: 7210
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exceptionally Rare collection of notes by F.A. Hayek referencing his final thoughts on society.
HAYEK, F.A. [Friedrich August von].
F.A. Hayek Collection of 28 Index Cards with Autograph Manuscript Notes on economics and Other Subjects.
1970s-1980s.
Rare collection of 28 index cards from the library of F.A. Hayek with autograph manuscript notes and statements on economics, political theory, and other subjects. Many considering how economic structures drive social change and the power of free markets ("..."Men without common purposes and men which [sic] do not even know of each other can collaborate for their mutual benefit only if they freely dispose over distinct resources..."), others addressing philosophical and sociological questions ("...The error of utilitarianism is that it believes that rules of conduct were adopted because of the recognition of their utility while it was not the…
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 142494
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"captured the hopes and dreams of the people and acted as a blueprint for the liberation struggle and the future of the nation": Rare broadside of The Freedom Charter of South Africa; signed by by the five adoptive Chairmen
[LUTHULI, Albert; Leon Levy; Monty Naiker; Jimmy Laguma; Pieter Beyleveld.
The Freedom Charter of South Africa Signed Broadside.
Rare printed broadside of The Freedom Charter which Nelson Mandela stated "captured the hopes and dreams of the people and acted as a blueprint for the liberation struggle and the future of the nation"; signed by the five adoptive Chairmen. One page, typescript, the broadside is signed by Albert Luthuli (President of the African National Congress), Leon Levy (President of the South African Congress of Trades Unions), Dr. Monty Naiker (President of the National Indian Congress), Jimmy Laguma (President of the South African Coloured Peoples Congress), and Pieter Beyleveld (President of the South African Congress of Democrats). In near fine…
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 131339
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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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“thinking is always thinking of a potential action": First Edition of Human Action: A Treatise On Economics; Inscribed by Ludwig Von Mises
VON MISES, Ludwig.
Human Action: A Treatise on Economics.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 1949.
First edition of the economist's magnum opus. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Mr. Stephen M. du Bruch with kindest regards L. Mises." Near fine in the rare original dust jacket with a few chips and wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed first editions are exceptionally rare.
Price: $45,000.00 Item Number: 139419
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Contributions to the Theory of Games Volumes I-IV; Signed by John Von Neumann, John Nash, Kenneth Arrow and Others
VON NEUMANN, John; John F. Nash; Kenneth J. Arrow; Robert J. Aumann; Philip Wolfe; John Milnor; Martin Shubik; W.H. Fleming.
Contributions To The Theory Of Games Volumes 1-IV.
Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1950-1959.
First edition of each work in this ground-breaking four volume work on game theory. Octavo, 4 volumes, original orange wrappers. Volume one is signed by contributors John von Neumann and John Nash on the title page. Contains the article by the Nobel Prize-winning economist entitled, "A Simple Three Person Poker Game." Volume II is signed by contributors Kenneth J. Arrow and John Milnor. Volume III is signed by contributors W.H. Fleming and Philip Wolfe on the title page. Volume IV is signed by contributors Robert J. Aumann and Martin Shubik. In near fine condition with some rubbing and wear. Housed…
Price: $42,500.00 Item Number: 48080
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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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Rare Letter signed by George Washington regarding his various land holdings in Virginia
WASHINGTON, George.
George Washington Letter Signed.
Mount Vernon: July 28, 1785.
Rare letter signed by George Washington to his land agent in Virginia, Battaile Muse. Quarto, three pages on a single folded leaf, the letter is addressed to Mr. Battaile Muse. The body of the letter, in a secretarial hand, reads in full: "Mount Vernon, July 28, 1785 Sir: A few days ago by a Mr. Hickman, who either is, or wants to be a tenant of mine in Frederick County. I sent you a Dozen Blank leases. The Tract on which he says he is fixed, is part of two lots which I purchased at the sale of Colo. George…
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 139571
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Rare 16th century printings of John Wolfe's Fictitious Italian editions of Machiavelli's Discourses and The Prince; finely bound together in full morocco
MACHIAVELLI, Niccolò.
Discorsi Di Nicolo Machiavelli Pra La Prima Deca Di Tito Livio [bound with] Il Prencipe di Nicolo Machiavelli. [Machiavelli’s Discourses bound with The Prince].
Palermo: Apresso gli heredi d'Antoniello degli Antonielli , 1584 [London: John Wolfe].
Rare 16th century printing of John Wolfe's famed fictitious Italian editions of Machiavelli's fundamental works of political history and philosophy. Octavo, elaborately bound in full crushed morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt ruling and central motifs to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins. In near fine condition with occasional contemporary marginal notes. Rare.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 129484
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"The Bible Of Investing"; Graham and Dodds Security Analysis; Inscribed by Benjamin Graham
GRAHAM, Benjamin & David L. Dodd.
Security Analysis: Principles and Technique.
New York: Whittlesey House/ McGraw Hill, 1934.
First edition, second printing of Graham and Dodd's seminal work, considered the Bible of modern financial analysis. Octavo, original black cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Melbourne S. Moyer with the best wishes of Benj. Graham Jan 1935." The recipient, Melbourne Moyer was a contemporary of Graham and a Wall Street trader at Fulton Trust Company of New York. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed examples of Security Analysis are of the utmost rarity.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 99745
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“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between”: Rare First Editions of the Full Orchestral Scores of the Symphonies of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven; Including the first appearance of of the full scores of Mozart's Overture to the Marriage of Figaro and Symphony no. 40
BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van; Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart .
A Compleat Collection of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven’s Symphonies, in Score, Most Respectfully Dedicated, by Permission, to H.R.H The Prince of Wales.
London: Lavenu, Cianchettini & Sperati, 1808-1810.
First editions of the first printings of the full orchestral scores of the complete symphonies of Beethoven, Mozart, and Hadyn. Quarto, two volumes bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards wit gilt titles and tooling to the spine, including A Complete Collection of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven's Symphonies (Cianchettini and Sperati) and A Complete Collection of Mozart and Beethoven's Symphonies. A Compleat Collection of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven's Symphonies contains the first appearance of the full scores of Mozart's Overture to the Marriage of Figaro, Mozart's Symphony no. 40, and no. 41. (Fuld, The Book of World-Famous Music, 564-567). A Complete Collection…
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 95829
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Autographed Signed Letters From Mohandas Gandhi
GANDHI, Mohandas K. [Mahatma].
Mohandas K. Gandhi Autograph Note Collection.
1926.
Rare autograph note collection in the hand of the Father of the Nation of India, Mahatma Gandhi, written at the height of the struggle for Indian Independence. The collection includes two autograph notes, two autograph letters, and three autograph postcards with Gandhi's "Blessings" inscribed at the conclusion of each. The postcards are postmarked May 27, June 26, and July 25 1926. Gandhi took leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921 and led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women’s rights, and, above all, achieve Indian independence from British rule. In the wake of World War II, Gandhi opposed providing…
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 114068
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“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves": True First Edition of Viktor Frankl's Classic Work Man's Search For Meaning; Inscribed by Him in the year of publication
FRANKL, Viktor E.
Ein Psycholog erlebt das Konzentrationslager [Man’s Search For Meaning].
Vienna: Verlag Jugend und Volk, 1946.
True first edition of Frankl's classic work, which was later titled Man's Search For Meaning. Octavo, original wrappers. Association copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the half-title page, "Für Frau Grete Krotschak in herzlicher Freundschaft V. E. Frankl 6/9/46." Which translates, "For Ms. Grete Krotschak in cordial friendship V. E. Frankl 6/9/46." The recipient, Grete Krotschak served as the maid of honor at Frankl's wedding with Eleonore Elly Katharina Schwindt. (Frankl: Gesammelte Werke, Bd. 1, 2005, S. 159). Frankl was freed from Türkheim in April 1945, with this example signed a little over one year…
Price: $38,000.00 Item Number: 135369
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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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Large photograph signed by Winston S. Churchill and co-signed by 43 others including Anthony Eden, Jan Smuts, Lord Beaverbrook and Clement Attlee
CHURCHILL, Winston S..
Large Photograph Signed Winston S. Churchill and Signed by 43 Other Leaders Including Anthony Eden, Jan Smuts, Lord Beaverbrook and Clement Attlee
London: May 1944.
Winston Churchill at the wartime meeting of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers, signed by him and 43 other world leaders. The 1944 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference, hosted by the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill between 1 and 16 May, brought together the heads of government from all the Dominions except Ireland and Newfoundland and was the first in a series of 17 such conferences which took place between 1944 and 1969 and arguably the most significant, having been convened in order to coordinate the Allied war effort. At the 1944 Conference, the assembled leaders agreed to support the Moscow Declaration and the Commonwealth…
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 119975
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FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST PRINTED ATLAS OF RUSSIA, AND ONE OF PETER THE GREAT'S MOST SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS
DE L'ISLE, Joseph Nicolas.
Russischer Atlas welcher in einer General-Charte und neunzehen Special-Charten das gesamte Russische Reich und dessen angräntzende Länder.vorstellig macht.
St. Petersburg: Entworffen bey der Kayserl. Academie der Wissenschaften, 1745.
Rare first edition of the first atlas printed of Russia. Folio, bound in full leather, 19 double-page maps, one large folding general map. In excellent condition with light toning. An exceptional example.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 105840
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"The Bible degrades Woman from Genesis to Revelation & yet women believe it was written by the fingers of God"; The Woman's Bible; inscribed by American suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton
[STANTON, Elizabeth Cady].
The Woman’s Bible.
New York: European Publishing Company, 1898.
Rare early printings of The Woman's Bible, both volumes lengthily inscribed by famed American suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton who chaired the committee that published the work. Octavo, two volumes, Part I: third edition - ten thousand, Part II: first edition - ten thousand. Both parts are presentation copies, lengthily inscribed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Part I is inscribed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, "Miss Mary .... compliments of Elizabeth Cady Stanton 250 West 94th New York 1899 We much read the Bible as we do all other books that have emanated from the brain of man with no special divine authority."…
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 142839
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FIRST EDITION OF PROFILES IN COURAGE; INSCRIBED BY JOHN F. KENNEDY TO THE SENIOR SENATOR OF MASSACHUSETTS LEVERETT SALTONSTALL
KENNEDY, John F.
Profiles In Courage.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1956.
First edition of Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning work. Octavo, original half cloth, with eight pages of black-and-white photogravures. Association copy, inscribed by the author to Massachusetts Senator Leverett Saltonstall on the front free endpaper, "To Senator Saltonstall- with the very highest regards of his colleague John Kennedy." The recipient, Leverett Saltonstall was the senior senator of Massachusetts while John Kennedy was the junior senator. Saltonstall served as Republican Whip from 1949-1957 and as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee from 1953-1955. He attended the wedding of John Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953, and the two served together in the…
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 2154
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First edition, association copy of Das Neue Ghetto; inscribed by Theodor Herzl to fellow Zionist Heinrich Elchanan York-Steiner
HERZL, Theodor.
Das Neue Ghetto: Schauspiel in 4 Acten. [The New Ghetto: A Play in 4 Acts].
Wein: Verlag Der "Welt", 1897.
First edition of Herzl's popular politically-charged drama, written several years before Der Judenstaat and praised by Max Nordau and Sigmund Freud. Octavo, original printed wrappers. Association copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication opposite the title page, "Herrn Heinrich Steiner zur freundlichen Erinnerung Th. Herzl." The recipient, Hungarian author and publisher Heinrich Elchanan York-Steiner was a prominent Zionist. He participated in all phases of early Zionist activity and was instrumental in convening the First Zionist Congress as well as conceptualizing and organizing the publication of Die Welt, the newspaper that became the official organ of the World…
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 143510
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Rare First Edition of Economists Joseph Schumpeters Classic Work Business Cycles; Inscribed by Him to Fellow Economist Seymour Harris
SCHUMPETER, Joseph A.
Business Cycles: A Theoretical, Historical, And Statistical Analysis of the Capitalist Process.
New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc, 1939.
First edition of the economist’s ground-breaking work. Octavo, 2 volumes, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper of volume one, "To Seymour Harris with kind regards Joseph Schumpeter." The recipient, Harvard economics professor Seymour Harris, was an editor of the book, Schumpeter as Social Scientist and editor of The New Economics; which Schumpeter was a contributor. In near fine condition with light shelfwear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Books signed by Schumpeter are rare.
Price: $32,500.00 Item Number: 4496
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“My work is not a piece of writing designed to meet the needs of an immediate public, but was done to last for ever": Rare First Edition in English of Thucydides The History of the Peloponnesian War
THUCYDIDES,.
The Hystory, Writtone by Thucidides the Athenyan, of the Warre, Whiche was Betwene the Peloponesians and the Athenyans [The History of the Peloponnesian War].
London: William Tylle, 1550.
First edition of one one of the greatest of classic historical works. Folio, bound in 19th century full vellum, morocco spine label, marbled endpapers, title-page with elaboarate historiated woodcut border. In very good condition with light toning to the text. Rare and desirable in this condition.
Price: $32,500.00 Item Number: 111546
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Rare first edition of Hamilton's Reply to Wood
HAMILTON, Alexander.
Observations on Certain Documents Contained in No.V & VI of “The History of the United States for the Year 1796,” in which the Charge of Speculation against Alexander Hamilton, Late Secretary of the Treasury, is Fully Refuted.
Philadelphia: John Bioren for John Fenno, 1797.
Rare first edition of one of the major causes célèbres in American governmental history. Octavo, bound in contemporary morocco, marbled endpapers. In near fine condition. This first edition of 1797 is rare as it was bought up by the Hamilton family in an effort to suppress it, but was ultimately reprinted in 1800 by Hamilton’s political enemies. Housed in a custom half calf clamshell box.
Price: $32,000.00 Item Number: 52680
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Rare First Edition of Herodotus' Historiae, in Greek
HERODOTUS; EDITED BY ALDUS MANUTIUS,.
Historiae, In Greek.
Venice: Aldus Manutius, September, 1502.
Rare first edition of Herodotus' history of the Persian Wars, one of the most important texts edited by the great scholar-printer-publisher. Folio, bound in contemporary vellum, woodcut title in Greek and Roman letter, verso with dedication in Latin, text in Greek letter throughout with spaces for capital letters, woodcut device on title and last page. Aldus claims in the dedication that he corrected the text from multiple exemplars, one of the few instances where such a claim by him is justified and can be verified. He was the first to have access to the 'Florentine' codices, where Valla had used the…
Price: $32,000.00 Item Number: 96588
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"Nothing in bronze or stone could be a more perfect image than this statue of the living Washington": Fine bronze bust of George Washington after the famed Houdon bust of 1785
HOUDON, Jean-Antoine. [George Washington].
Jean-Antoine Houdon George Washington Bronze Bust.
Fine bronze bust of George Washington, after the famed Houdon bust of 1785 which is considered the most accurate depiction of Washington. Bronze, mounted on a marble pedestal. French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon was revered for his life-like portrayals of numerous notable eighteenth-century philosophers, inventors, and political figures including Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Napoléon Bonaparte, and George Washington. In 1784, the Virginia General Assembly commissioned a statue of George Washington "to be of the finest marble and the best workmanship," necessitating a European craftsman. The Governor of Virginia gave the responsibility of selecting the artist to Thomas Jefferson,…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 123102
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FINE PAIR OF RARE EARLY 19TH CENTURY Josiah Loring CELESTIAL AND TERRESTRIAL TABLE GLOBES
LORING, Josiah.
Loring’s Terrestrial and Celestial Table Globes.
Boston: Josiah Loring, c. 1833.
Fine pair of rare early 19th century American celestial and terrestrial table globes published by Josiah Loring. Both the celestial and terrestrial globe measure 17 inches in diameter with a calibrated brass meridian ring and 17 inch mahogany horizon ring decorated with mounted hand colored decorations. Mounted on ebonized oak stands. Each globe is comprised of 12 richly detailed hand-colored gores with polar calottes, the terrestrial globe detailing the earth’s landmasses, major countries and cities and the celestial showing the major stars in various sizes related to their brightness. Major constellations and all twelve zodiac signs are illustrated with detailed…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 132508
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“THE GREATEST HISTORICAL WORK EVER WRITTEN”: Rare complete first edition set of Edward Gibbon's Masterpiece The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; with a rare first edition, first issue of Vol. I; from the library of legendary aviator Steve Fossett
GIBBON, Edward.
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
London: Printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, 1776-1788.
Rare full first edition set, first state of volume one, of Gibbon's landmark work of historiography with three engraved folding maps by Kitchin of the Western and Eastern Roman Empire and of Constantinople and frontispiece portrait of Gibbon. Quarto, 6 volumes bound in three quarter calf over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine. Vol. I: undated engraved portrait frontispiece by Hall after Joshua Reynolds, 12pp. contents, x4 and a4 are cancels, errata leaf; Vol. II: full-sheet folding map of the Eastern Roman Empire by Thomas Kitchin dated 1 January 1781 bound before p.1, half-sheet map of…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 129094
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“THE FATHER OF MODERN DEMOCRACY”: First edition in English of Aristotle's Masterpiece Politiques, or Discourses of Government
ARISTOTLE,.
Politiques, or Discourses of Government.
London: Adam Islip, 1598.
Rare first edition in English of one of the world’s most important and influential political texts, “the most valuable work on that branch of philosophy that has descended to us from antiquity.” Small folio, bound in full leather, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, front and rear panels. In near fine condition, bookplate, small name to the title page, small paper repair to the first few pages. First editions are exceptionally rare.
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 138658
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"There is no other fire but this, This speck of life, this fading spark": The Screwtape Letters; signed by C.S. Lewis with an inscription of his poem The Salamander
LEWIS, C.S.
The Screwtape Letters.
London: Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press, 1945.
Early printing of Lewis' classic novel of spiritual conflict, one of his most celebrated works; signed by him with his poem The Salamader in the year it was published in The Spectator. Octavo, original publisher's cloth. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "C. S. Lewis" and inscribed by him on the final free endpaper with an inscription of his poem The Salamander which was published in the same year (1945) in The Spectator, "The Salamander I stared in to the fire: - blue waves of shuddering hear that rose and fell and blazing ships and binding caves Canyons…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 143837
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“Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man”: exceptionally rare sixteenth century printing of Homer's Odyssey in Latin
HOMER. TRANSLATED BY RAPHAELLO MAFFEI,.
Odissea Per Raphaelem Volaterranum in Latinum Conversa (The Odyssey of Homer translated by Raphael of Volterra in Latin).
Rome: Per Lacoubum Mazochium, 1510.
One of the earliest Latin translations of Homer's epic poem, translated from the Greek by Roman Hellenic scholar Raphaello Maffei (Raphael of Volterra). Quarto, bound in contemporary vellum, rebacked, woodcut titles and printer's device to the title page and at end of text. From the library of Robert R. Dearden, Jr. of Philadelphia with his bookplate to the front panel. American bibliophile and author Robert R. Dearden was known for his extensive rare bible collection with a focus on early editions of American Bibles. He authored the book The Guiding Light on the Great Highway (1929), elaborately illustrated with photographs…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 88060
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“thinking is always thinking of a potential action": First Edition of Human Action: A Treatise On Economics; Signed by Ludwig Von Mises
VON MISES, Ludwig.
Human Action: A Treatise on Economics.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 1949.
First edition of the economist's magnum opus. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Ludwig von Mises on the title page. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Signed first editions are rare.
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 137484
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Samuel Johnson Pratt's Family Secrets; from the library of President George Washington; with a small note in his hand tipped in
PRATT, Samuel Johnson. [George Washington].
Family Secrets: By Mr. Pratt. Volume III. [From the Library of George Washington].
London: Printed for T.N. Longman, Paternoster-Row, 1798.
Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf with a burgundy morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the spine. Vol. III of the original five volumes. Tipped in to the pastedown is a small clipped note in the hand of George Washington which reads, "with the said" and the bookplate of Benjamin Lincoln Lear. The set in which this volume originated was listed in a manuscript by Washington's private secretary Tobias Lear titled 'Catalogue of Books received from Washington' and bears the bookplate of Lear's son Benjamin Lincoln Lear. Tobias Lear served as Washington's personal secretary from 1784 until…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 139518
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WASHINGTON APPOINTS FIRST SURVEYOR GENERAL: Rare manuscript document appointing Simeon De Witt as the first surveyor general; signed by President George Washington
WASHINGTON, George.
George Washington Signed Appointment of the First Surveyor General.
Philadelphia: May 13, 1796.
Rare manuscript document boldly signed by George Washington as the first President of the United States of American appointing the first Surveyor General of the United States. One page, oblong quarto, manuscript document in a secretarial hand on vellum, Philadelphia, 13 May 1796, signed at the conclusion, "G. Washington" and countersigned by Timothy Pickering, Secretary of State. With paper presidential seal, docketed on verso, creased from folding. Trained in surveying as a youth, Simeon De Witt (1756-1834) gained early distinction making maps for George Washington during the Revolution, ultimately becoming Geographer and Surveyor of the Continental Army. After the war,…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 145490
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“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves": First Edition of Viktor Frankl's Classic Work Man's Search For Meaning; Signed by Him
FRANKL, Viktor E.
From Death-Camp To Existentialism [Man’s Search For Meaning].
Boston: Beacon Press, 1959.
First edition in English of Frankl's classic work, which was later titled Man's Search For Meaning in 1962. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Viktor Frankl on the title page. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Translated by Ilse Lasch. Preface by Gordon Allport. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed first editions are exceptionally rare and desirable.
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 130637
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"direct observational evidence of the validity of the Big Bang theory": rare silver gelatin galaxy spectra annotated by influential American astronomer Edwin Hubble
[HUBBLE, Edwin].
Edwin Hubble Annotated Virgo and Ursa Major Cluster Spectra.
Two rare silver gelatin galaxy spectra annotated by influential American astronomer Edwin Hubble, offering proof of Hubble's law and direct observational evidence of the validity of the Big Bang theory. Mounted on cardboard, one spectrum reveals the recessional velocity of the Virgo Cluster with Hubble's pencil annotations on the verso, "NGC 4473 Virgo Cluster Velocity = 2,000 kilometers per second." The second shows the recessional velocity of Ursa Major with Hubble's annotations, "Ursa Major Cluster velocity = 15,000 kilometers per second." In showing that the Ursa Major Galaxy Cluster (located at a distance of about 78 million light years away…
Price: $28,500.00 Item Number: 126281
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“To Miss Brown with many thanks for her help in bringing out this book": First Edition of Why England Slept; Inscribed by Kennedy to His Father's Secretary and Who Transcribed this Work
KENNEDY, John F.
Why England Slept.
New York: Wilfred Funk, Inc, 1940.
First edition of John F. Kennedy's first book. Octavo, original red cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Miss Brown with many thanks for her help in bringing out this book Best wishes Jack Kennedy." The recipient, Mona Brown was a personal assistant and secretary to Joseph Kennedy for seven years, a period of time which included his ambassadorship to the United Kingdom. She was part of the Kennedy household's innermost circle and spent a considerable amount of time with the Kennedy children, especially young Jack and Kathleen. She transcribed Why England Slept for…
Price: $28,500.00 Item Number: 82340
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"THE LAST COLLECTION OF FRANKLIN'S WRITINGS TO APPEAR IN HIS LIFETIME": First edition of Benjamin Franklin's Philosophical and Miscellaneous Papers
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Philosophical and Miscellaneous Papers. Lately written by B. Franklin, LL. D. Fellow of the Royal Society of London; Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris; President of the American Philosophical Society at Philadelphia.
London: Printed for C. Dilly, in the Poultry, 1787.
First edition of the last collection of Franklin's writings to appear during his lifetime; a major collection of his political, philosophical and scientific writings, a second volume of which was planned but never published. First issue with page 25 mispaginated "52." Octavo, bound in full contemporary tree calf with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt Greek key ruling to the front and rear panels. With four copper-engraved folding plates including diagrams of the Franklin stove and the earliest published map of the Gulf Stream. In very good condition. Armorial bookplate and early…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 125345
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Rare 1617 Edition of Vesalius's Epitome containing 39 full-page anatomically illustrated plates
VESALIUS, Andreas. (Thomas Geminus).
Anatomia in Quat Tota Humani Corporis Fabrica. (Anatomy in Total of the Fabric of the Human Body).
Amsterdam: Joannes Janssonius, 1617.
Rare edition of the Epitome of Vesalius, first published in 1543 as an abbreviated dissection room manual to accompany his masterpiece De Humani Corporis Fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body). Folio, bound in full contemporary calf, gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, red spine label, raised tooled bands, marbled endpapers, engraved pictorial title page. Engraved portrait of Vesalius, engraved folding plate of Adam and Eve after that in the epitome before the main text. Containing 39 full-page anatomically illustrated plates, woodcut headpieces and initials. In near fine condition. Captions in both Latin and German, having been otherwise taken directly from…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 74638
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"One Of The Most Important Books Of The Twentieth Century": First American Edition Of Karl Poppers The Open Society; Signed By Him
POPPER, Karl R.
The Open Society And Its Enemies.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950.
First American edition of Popper's magnum opus. Octavo, original black cloth. Boldly signed by Karl Popper on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. First editions are rare and desirable signed.
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 137328
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"Produced by the most important and active printing press of 17th century Rome": Rare early seventeenth century Italian celestial globe produced by Roman cartographer Giuseppe de Rossi
GIUSEPPE DE ROSSI,.
Giuseppe de Rossi’s Globus Coelest. [Seventeenth Century Italian Celestial Globe].
Rome: Giuseppe de Rossi, [1615].
Rare early seventeenth century Italian celestial globe produced by Roman cartographer Giuseppe de Rossi, the founder the most important and active printing press of 17th century Rome, the Rossi firm. Laid horizontally and mounted on a turned mahogany stand, the celestial globe measures 8 inches in diameter and is comprised of 12 hand-colored engraved gores depicting the major constellations and all twelve zodiac signs, illustrated in detail after Jodocus Hondius famed celestial globe of 1601. The inscribed cartouche reads, "Globus Coelest, in quo stellae fixæ omnes quæ a N. Viro Tychone Brahe suma cura observatæ sunt, accuratissime dessignantur: quibus adjuncte…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 127575
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A fine set of the works of Theodoretus; Each Beautifully Painted on the front and back of each panel
Opera Omnia. Ed. Jac. Sirmond (Volumes 1-4), and J. Garnier (Volume 5).
Paris: Sebastian and Gabriel Cramoisy, 1682-84.
A fine set of the works of Theodoretus, Bishop of Cyrus, beautifully painted on each panel. Quarto, five volumes, bound in full 17th-century vellum, both covers on each volume fully painted with a scene from the life of Christ, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, brown and black morocco lettering pieces. The first four volumes were edited by J. Sirmond and were published in 1642. The fifth volume, not published until 1684, was completed by Sirmond's fellow Jesuit Garnier and contains an auctarium, comprising fragments of commentaries and sermons and some additional letters, together with Garnier's five learned but…
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 140490
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“THE GREATEST HISTORICAL WORK EVER WRITTEN”: Rare complete first edition set of Edward Gibbon's Masterpiece The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; with a rare first edition, first issue of Vol. I
GIBBON, Edward.
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
London: Printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, 1776-1788.
Rare complete first edition set, including the rare first state of volume one, of Gibbon's landmark work of historiography. Quarto, 6 volumes bound in full contemporary mottled calf, with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, gilt turn-ins, three engraved folding maps by Kitchin of the Western and Eastern Roman Empire and of Constantinople. First edition, first issue of vol. 1 with errata uncorrected, [one of 500 copies], half-titles (that in vol. 1 a tipped-in later facsimile), 3 folding engraved maps, engraved portrait frontispiece after Reynolds and vol. 1 *a4-*b2…
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 144594
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Rare partial document signed by George Washington in 1799 regarding the sale of land; signed by him eleven months before his death on December 14, 1799
WASHINGTON, George.
George Washington Signed Partial Document.
January 21, 1799.
Rare partial document signed by George Washington on January 21, 1799, eleven months before his death on December 14, 1799. Octavo, the partial manuscript document reads, "I do acknowledge that this is the Platt referred to in the Deeds made for the Lands of George Mercer." Signed by Washington, "Go. Washington" and countersigned by three witnesses. Accompanied by a typed letter signed by Dorothy Twohig, editor-in-chief of the The Papers of George Washington which reads in part, "The note on Mercer explains Washington's involvement in the whole affair which started before the Revolution. After the war Washington tried to extricate himself from…
Price: $27,000.00 Item Number: 142623
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"I am convinced that invisible & intelligent beings exist who say that they are the spirits of dead persons": rare collection of eight unsigned handwritten manuscripts by Arthur Conan Doyle; containing notes on seances and Spiritualism
CONAN DOYLE, Arthur.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Handwritten Manuscript Collection on Seances and Spiritualism.
c. 1920s.
Rare archive of eight unsigned handwritten manuscripts by Arthur Conan Doyle containing notes on seances and Spiritualism, totaling eleven pages on nine sheets, most undated but circa 1920s. Eleven pages on nine sheets, autograph manuscript ranging in size from 3.5 inches by 5 inches to 8.25 inches x 10.5 inches. For many of his later years, Doyle intensely pursued his interest in paranormal phenomena, and by the end of World War I he identified himself as a Spiritualist, believing in a spirit world and the ability to communicate with those beyond the grave. He established the specialized Psychic Bookshop in 1925, devoted entirely to the sale of spiritualistic and…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 146985
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“I’ve just had the happiest day of my life": Royal Companion of Honour Appointment: Presented to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II and signed by her
HAYEK, Friedrich von [F.A.]. [Queen Elizabeth II].
Royal Companion of Honour Appointment: Presented to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II.
Original Royal Companion of Honour Appointment presented to Friedrich von Hayek by Queen Elizabeth II. One page, with the Royal Companion of Honour Seal stamped in the upper right corner. Signed by Queen Elizabeth II at the head of the appointment, "Elizabeth R." In fine condition.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 100139
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Rare First Edition of Henry Hazlitts Classic Economics In One Lesson; Inscribed by Him to Fellow Journalist Benjamin Stolberg
HAZLITT, Henry.
Economics In One Lesson.
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1946.
First edition of the author’s seminal work. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author to fellow journalist and close friend on the front free endpaper, "To Ben Stolberg with warm regards Harry Hazlitt." Stolberg worked as editor of The Bookman, as well as a columnist for leading newspapers, such as the New York Times and the New York Herald Tribune. Both he and Hazlitt were contributors to The New York Times. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a few closed tears. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A nice association copy of a book…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 41012
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Secretary of State William P. Rogers 'Pen that Ended the Vietnam War'
ROGERS, William P. [Richard Nixon].
Secretary of State William P. Rogers’ Pen Used to Sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement.
Paris: January 27, 1973.
The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, ending the Vietnam War, Paris, 27 January 1973. Sheaffer fountain pen with 14 karat gold tip, housed in an adjustable gold pen holder, wooden base, brass hardware including etched plaque. The plaque reads, "To the Association of the Bar of the City of New York / Pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to Sign the Viet-Nam Peace Agreements / Paris January 27, 1973." During his tenure as Secretary of State under President Nixon, William P. Rogers was involved in multiple matters…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 145329
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Rare first printing of the Second Acts of Congress; bound with an even more rare printing of the United States Constitution
Acts Passed at the Second Congress of the United States of America: Begun and Held at the City of Philadelphia, In the State of Pennsylvania, On Monday, The Twenty-Fourth of October, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety-One: And o the Independence of the United States, the Sixteenth. [Bound With]: The Constitution of the United States of America; As Proposed by the Convention Held at Philadelphia, Sept. 17, 1787, and Since Ratified by the Several States.
Philadelphia: Printed by Francis Childs and Joseph Swaine, Printers to the United States; Printed by John Fenno, 1791-c. 1793.
First printing of the Second Acts of Congress, bound with an even more rare printing of the Constitution. Octavo, original full calf, red morocco spine label lettered gilt. From the library of the first (and longest serving) Secretary of the United States Senate, Samuel Allyne Otis with his signature to the second page. Otis was a delegate from Massachusetts during the Second Continental Congress, and went on to serve in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1784-85. He was elected to the position of Secretary on April 8, 1789, through political machinations orchestrated by John Adams, that saw front runner,…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 126804
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Rare First Edition of Thomas Paine's Dissertations on Government, the Affairs of the Bank, and Paper-Money
PAINE, Thomas.
Dissertations on Government, the Affairs of the Bank, and Paper-Money.
Philadelphia: Printed by Charles Cist, 1786.
First edition of Paine's defense of the Bank of North America. Small octavo, bound in three quarters leather over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine. Rare.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 104062
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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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"BY FAR THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN ABOUT AMERICA”: RARE FIRST EDITIONS IN ENGLISH OF BOTH VOLUMES OF TOCQUEVILLE’S MASTERPIECE DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA; IN THE RARE ORIGINAL PUBLISHER'S CLOTH
TOCQUEVILLE, Alexis de. Translated by Henry Reeve.
Democracy in America.
New York: George Dearborn and J. & H.G. Langley, 1838 and 1840.
First edition in English, of Tocqueville’s magnum opus. Octavo, 2 volumes, original publisher's cloth. Without the blank leaf between the appendix and notes in volume one. Likely a review copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "Editor of the North American Review, with respects of Weeks Jordan & Co. Boston, Publisher." The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. It was founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others. It was published continuously until 1940, after which it was inactive until revived at Cornell College in Iowa under Robert Dana in 1964.…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 137299
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"OF EXCEPTIONAL RARITY": 1814 FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST HEBREW BIBLE PUBLISHED IN AMERICA; In Contemporary Binding
VAN DER HOOGHT, Everardo.
Biblia Hebraica, Secundum Ultimam Editionem Jos. Athiae, a Johanne Leusden, Denuo Recognitum, Recensita Variisque Notis Latinis Illustrata, ab Everardo Van Der Hooght. Editio Prima Americana, Sine Punctis Masorethicis.
Philadelphia: Printed by William Fry for Thomas Dobson, 1814.
Very rare first edition of the first Hebrew Bible published in America. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in full contemporary calf, including half-titles and front and rear blanks, as well as scarce publisher's notice in volume one (not found in all examples); Van der Hooght's four leaf Preface bound in at front of second volume, morocco spine labels. In very good condition. An exceptionally clean example, most rare and desirable in contemporary binding.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 147438
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Rare First Edition of Reminiscences of a Stock Operator; Signed by One of the Greatest Traders Ever, George Soros
LEFEVRE, Edwin [George Soros].
Reminiscences Of A Stock Operator.
New York: George H. Doran Company, 1923.
First edition of this Wall Street classic, signed by legendary investor and trader George Soros. Octavo, original publisher's ochre cloth, decoratively stamped in blind. Boldly signed by George Soros on the front free endpaper. Hungarian-American billionaire hedge fund manager and philanthropist, George Soros, has authored fifteen books on global capitalism, finance, and politics that offer insights into his approach to business and investing. Starting his career working in British and American merchant banks, Soros quickly seeded his fortune with his first hedge fund, Double Eagle, later renamed Quantum Fund after the theory of quantum mechanics, and his short sale of…
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 145228
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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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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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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