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"I am sorry but I think it's better that the creative process of writers continue to be a mystery": Rare Collection of Signed Author Questionnaires; completed and signed by Ray Bradbury, Norman Mailer, Shirley Jackson, and Rod Serling
BRADBURY, Ray; Norman Mailer; Shirley Jackson; Rod Serling.
Ray Bradbury, Norman Mailer, Shirley Jackson, and Rod Serling Autograph Questionnaires.
Rare collection of four mimeographed questionnaires sent by James A. Sherlock, a graduate student of City College of New York, to Ray Bradbury, Norman Mailer, Shirley Jackson, and Rod Serling, completed and signed by each. Eight pages, dated November, 1960, partially printed the questionnaire begins with a typed letter signed by James A. Sherlock politely requesting each author's responses to several questions for "an original research project aimed at uncovering certain educational factors in the lives of successful writers" with the goal of "find[ing] out if the average successful writer considers his high school education in English a help or…
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 123507
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"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often": Winston Churchill’s Collected Works; 38 Volumes In Full Vellum In the Original Slipcases
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
The First Collected Works of Sir Winston Churchill: Centenary Limited Edition.
London: Library of Imperial History In association With Charles Scribner's Sons and The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, 1973-76.
Centenary limited edition of Churchill’s complete Works, one of only 3000 sets produced, with the additional four volumes usually not present. Octavo, original full vellum, 38 volumes, stamped with the Churchill arms, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, original dark green slipcases, also gilt-stamped with the Churchill coat of arms. In near fine to fine condition in the original slipcases. An exceptional set.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 140050
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First Greek Edition of "one of the most widely read books of modern Greek literature " Nikos Kazantzakis' Captain Michalis; Signed by Him
KAZANTZAKIS, Nikos.
Captain Michalis or Freedom and Death.
Athens: 1953.
First Greek edition of Kazantzakis' classic novel. Octavo, original wrappers. Signed by Nikos Kazantzakis on the title page. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. First editions are rare, signed examples exceptionally so.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 5746
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"Strangers in the Night": First Edition of Patricia Highsmith’s First Book; Inscribed by Her in the year of publication
HIGHSMITH, Patricia.
Strangers on a Train.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1950.
First edition of the author's classic first book, basis for the classic Alfred Hitchcock film. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the dedication page, "Strangers in the night June 1, 1950 Patricia Highsmith." Very good in a very good dust jacket with light rubbing and wear. Jacket design by Irv Doktor.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 120276
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First edition of The Lost World; signed by Steven Spielberg, Stan Winston, Vince Vaughn and nine other members of the film and Jacket Designer Chip Kidd with an original drawing
CRICHTON, Michael [Steven Spielberg].
The Lost World.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995.
First edition of Crichton's sequel to Jurassic Park. Octavo, original half cloth, cartographic endpapers. Signed by Steven Spielberg, Stan Winston, Vince Vaughn and nine other actors associated with the film. Signed by Chip Kidd with an original large drawing mimicking the dust jacket art which he designed opposite the half-title page. Additionally signed by Kidd on the front panel and on the rear flap of the dust jacket. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Chip Kidd.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 140784
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“Thank you for my nice tea": Rare First Edition of Judith Kerr's The Tiger Who Came To Tea
KERR, Judith.
The Tiger Who Came To Tea.
London: Collins, 1968.
First edition of this classic, one of the best selling children's book of all-time. Quarto, original illustrated boards, illustrated throughout. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. An exceptional example, uncommon in this condition.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 142030
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First Edition of Pat Frank's Alas, Babylon; Signed by Him
FRANK, Pat.
Alas, Babylon.
Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1959.
First edition of this classic apocalyptic novel. Octavo, original cloth. Signed and dated by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "Pat Frank '59." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Arthur Hawkins. First editions are exceptionally rare signed, as the author passed away in 1964.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 122391
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“Life never gives us what we want at the moment that we consider appropriate": Rare First Edition of Forster's A Passage to India
FORSTER, E.M.
A Passage To India.
London: Edward Arnold & Co, 1924.
First edition of the author's magnum opus. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by E.M. Forster on the title page. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed trade editions are exceptionally scarce.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 131879
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First edition of William Faulkner's The Town; from the library of Cormac McCarthy with his ownership signature
FAULKNER, William. [Cormac McCarthy].
The Town: A Novel of the Snopes Family.
New York: Random House, 1957.
First edition, first printing of the second novel in Faulkner's celebrated Snopes trilogy with line 8 on page 327 repeated as line 10. Octavo, original publisher's cloth. From the library of Cormac McCarthy with his ownership signature to the front free endpaper. McCarthy has been widely praised as not only a disciple of Faulkner, but his literary heir. Both authors' biblically influenced prose formed the basis of a large body of tragically intertwined, powerful narratives filled with a nostalgic yearning for an earlier, ancestral, rural America. In many ways, McCarthy picked up where Faulkner left off, further exploring and elaborating…
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 143641
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"What is it that characterizes a civilization? Is it the exceptional genius? No, it is everyday life": First Edition In English of Pierre Boulle's The Planet of the Apes; Inscribed by Him
BOULLE, Pierre.
Planet of the Apes.
New York: The Vanguard Press, Inc, 1963.
First edition in English of Pierre Boulle’s chilling novel that launched one of the greatest science fiction sagas in motion picture history. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed, "a Chris Aragama en lui souhaitant beaucoup de succes, avec l'amicale sympathie de Pierre Boulle." Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell slipcase. Translated from the French by Xan Fielding. Most rare and desirable signed and inscribed.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 129718
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Cien Anos De Soledad; Signed by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and translator Gregory Rabassa
GARCIA MARQUEZ, Gabriel.
Cien Anos de Soledad [One Hundred Years of Solitude].
Buenos Aires: Editorial Sudamericana, 1972.
First edition, early printing of the author’s masterpiece which is recognized as one of the most significant works in the Spanish literary canon. Octavo, original wrappers. Signed by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the translator of this novel into English, Gregory Rabassa. Very good in wrappers. Rare and desirable signed by both Garcia Marquez and Rabassa.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 7284
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First edition of Virginia Woolf's Second Common Reader; signed by her
WOOLF, Virginia.
The Second Common Reader.
New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1932.
First edition of the second collection of Woolf's critical essays. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Virginia Woolf on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $8,800.00 Item Number: 132047
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"There was only one catch...And that was Catch-22": First Edition of Catch - 22; Inscribed by Joseph Heller
HELLER, Joseph.
Catch-22.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1961.
First edition of Heller's classic first book. Octavo, original blue cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Albert Raman, Best wishes to you. Joseph Heller 3/20/80 New York." The recipient was a lawyer and well-known book collector. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing. Jacket design by Paul Bacon. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example with noted provenance.
Price: $8,500.00 Item Number: 96004
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First Edition of Frank O'Hara's Meditations In An Emergency; Lengthily inscribed by Frank O'Hara
O'HARA, Frank.
Meditations In An Emergency.
New York: Grove Press, 1957.
Number 25 of the rare first edition O'Hara's classic work of poetry, published in an edition of 75 hardbound copies. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Mike- Happy Birthday and I hope the Houses and Odes go on and on into 1262- Frank." Near fine in the rare original slipcase. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Exceptionally rare, especially signed.
Price: $8,500.00 Item Number: 115298
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“Men are like the earth and we are the moon; we turn always one side to them, and they think there is no other, because they don't see it—but there is": Rare First Edition of Olive Schreiner's The Story of an African Farm
SCHREINER, Olive [as Ralph Iron].
The Story of an African Farm: A Novel.
London: Chapman and Hall, 1883.
First edition of this highspot of African literature. Octavo, original olive cloth, 2 volumes. Published under the pseudonym 'Ralph Iron'. The entire printing of this first edition has been estimated to be about 300 copies. and most were destined to libraries. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare, especially in the original cloth.
Price: $8,500.00 Item Number: 30040
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"The Tin Drum Will Become One Of The Enduring Literary Works Of The Twentieth Century": First Edition Of The Tin Drum; Inscribed By The Author To Poet Robert Lowell
GRASS, Gunter.
The Tin Drum.
New York: Pantheon, 1962.
First American edition of the Nobel Prize-winning author's first book. Octavo, original red cloth. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light shelfwear to the spine. Association copy, inscribed by the author to poet Robert Lowell in a German inscription, translated into English, which reads: "To Robert Lowell, in admiration and in the hope to have the pleasure of meeting you soon in Berlin. Gunter Grass Berlin, Nov 3, 1966." Association copies of this caliber are rare, especially on what is considered his masterpiece. From the estate of Elizabeth Hardwick, novelist and wife of Robert Lowell. Translated by Ralph…
Price: $8,500.00 Item Number: 3526
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"You may have heard of me. I am the Saint": First edition of Leslie Charteris' The Saint in New York
CHARTERIS, Leslie.
The Saint in New York.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1935.
Rare first edition of the most popular book in Charteris' Saint series and the basis for the first Saint film, released in 1938. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in the scarce original dust jacket which is in near fine condition with some expert restoration. An exceptional example.
Price: $8,500.00 Item Number: 122633
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First Edition of James Baldwin's Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone; Inscribed by Him to American journalist Leonard Lyons
BALDWIN, James.
Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone.
New York: The Dial Press, 1968.
First edition of this major work by Baldwin. Octavo, original half cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "For Leonard Lyons: with much affection, and respect. Jim Baldwin." The recipient, Leonard Lyons was a noted American newspaper columnist, best known for his New York Post column "The Lyons Den", which appeared 6 days a week beginning in 1934 and covered theater, movies, politics and art. Baldwin was often featured in the column, most famously in an article published shortly after Martin Luther King's assassination relating an incident in which Baldwin ran into Lyons on the street…
Price: $8,500.00 Item Number: 129588
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First Edition of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's In Evil Hour; Inscribed by Gabriel Garcia Marquez to his legendary Literary Agent Carmen Balcells
GARCIA MARQUEZ, Gabriel.
In Evil Hour.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1979.
First edition of "this fascinating novel of a Colombian river town possessed by evil points to the author's later flowering and greatness" (Boston Globe). Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author to his legendary literary agent in the year of publication on the second title page, "Para Carmen, Eres mi todo. Gabo Rome 17 Oct. 1979." The recipient, Carmen Balcells was a literary agent of Spanish-language authors from Spain and Latin America, including six Nobel Prize–winning authors. She led her agency from 1956 to 2000, during which time she was one of the driving forces behind the 1960s…
Price: $8,500.00 Item Number: 142798
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“Never in my life have I feared death as much as I feared that resurrection”: Rare First Greek Edition of The Last Temptation of Christ; Signed by Nikos Kazantzakis
KAZANTZAKIS, Nikos.
The Last Temptation of Christ [First Edition in Greek].
Athena: Thiphros, 1955.
First edition in Greek, preceding the English translation of this historical novel, basis for the 1988 Academy nominated film. Octavo, bound in green cloth. Signed by Nikos Kazantzakis. In near fine condition. First editions of The Last Temptation of Christ are rare.
Price: $8,500.00 Item Number: 5748
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"This is not a fairy-tale. This is about real witches": First Edition of The Witches; Signed by Roald Dahl
DAHL, Roald; Illustrated by Quentin Blake.
The Witches.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1983.
First edition of Dahl’s Whitbread Award-winning children’s novel, illustrated by Quentin Blake. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Roald Dahl on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 144317
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First Edition of A Streetcar Named Desire; Signed by Tennessee Williams
WILLIAMS, Tennessee.
A Streetcar Named Desire.
New York: New Directions, 1947.
First edition of Williams' classic play, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Signed by Tennessee Williams on the front free endpaper. Near fine in an excellent dust jacket which has had some expert restoration to the extremities. Jacket design by Alvin Lustig. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 7342
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rare First Worcester edition of The History of Little Goody Twoshoes
[GOLDSMITH, Oliver].
The History of Little Good Twoshoes; Otherwise Called Mrs. Margery Twoshoes.
Worcester, Massachusetts: Isaiah Thomas, 1787.
First Worcester edition of the famed fable. 16mo, original wrappers, illustrated with 8 engraved plates, terminal advertisements. In very good condition. From the library of noted collector and philanthropist Estelle Doheny with her bookplate to the folding chemise case. Housed in a custom full morocco and folding chemise case.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 133024
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First edition of C.S. Lewis' Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia; with an autograph note signed by him to his PhD Student at Cambridge, Anthony Spearing
LEWIS, C.S.
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia.
London: Geoffrey Bles, 1951.
First edition of the second book in Lewis' beloved Narnia series. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated by Pauline Baynes. With an autograph note signed by C.S. Lewis to his PhD student at Cambridge, Anthony Spearing. On Lewis' Magdalene College, Cambridge letterhead, the note reads in full, "5th Nov. 57 Dear Mr. Spearing, I gather I have been inflicted as you as a "superior" so I suppose we out to meet. Wd. next Friday at 12 suit you? Don't bother replying if it would. Yours sincerely C. S. Lewis." The recipient of the letter, Anthony Spearing was assigned to report…
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 135229
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“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities": First edition, first issue of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
London: Bloomsbury, 1998.
First edition, first issue of the second novel in Rowling's Harry Potter series. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Fine in a fine dust jacket without wear. Jacket design by Cliff Wright.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 140027
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FIRST EDITION OF ONE OF THE MASTERPIECES OF AMERICAN LITERATURE, MARK TWAIN'S THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
TWAIN, Mark [Samuel L. Clemens].
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1876.
First edition, first printing, mixed state of the apotheosis of American boyhood. Octavo, bound in three quarters morocco over cloth, gilt topstain. In near fine condition with half-title and frontispiece on the same leaf, with 1875 on the copyright page and 1876 on the title page, and with the 10-point type to the word "THE" on the half-title page, four page publishers advertisements at end. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell chemise and box.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 119453
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Extra-Illustrated Works of Daniel Webster; Signed by Him and Millard Fillmore
WEBSTER, Daniel [Millard Fillmore].
The Works of Daniel Webster.
Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1851.
The subscriber's edition of the works of Daniel Webster, signed by Webster in the first volume. Octavo, 6 volumes, bound in three quarters morocco, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, gilt topstain, extra illustrated with 12 autograph letters, documents, and notes by Webster and others, including one printed ship's passport signed by Millard Fillmore, as President, and Webster, as Secretary of State, as well as 70 additional engraved portraits and views. In near fine condition. An exceptional presentation, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 133643
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"WHEREVER YOU GO, WHEREVER YOU HIDE A THOUSAND SHIPS WILL SEARCH YOU OUT": Rare first edition set of the works of Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall; with Botany Bay signed by both authors
HALL, Norman James and Charles Bernard Nordhoff.
The Collected Works of Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall.
Boston and New York: Various Publishers, 1918-1942.
Rare first edition set of the works of Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, including a first edition of Botany Bay signed by the authors. Octavo, 13 volumes, original cloth. Botany Bay is signed by the authors opposite the copyright page. Doctor Dogbody's Leg is inscribed by James Norman Hall on a tipped-in note, "For Harry Heinsforster with best wishes from James Norman Hall." Each volume is near fine to fine in a near fine to fine dust jacket with the exception of High Adventure, Faery Lands of the South Seas, The Pearl Lagoon, and Falcons of France which are…
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 118065
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THE LIMITED AUTOGRAPH CENTENARY EDITION OF THE WORKS OF RALPH WALDO EMERSON: FINELY BOUND WITH AN ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT in EMERSON's hand
EMERSON, Ralph Waldo.
The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Autograph Centenary Edition.
Cambridge: Printed at the Riverside Press, 1903.
The Autograph Centenary edition of Emerson's complete works with an autograph manuscript in his hand and with his notations tipped in. One of six hundred copies additionally signed by the publisher, this is number 576. Octavo, 12 volumes bound in three quarter morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, illustrated with photogravures including tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait of Emerson. Tipped into volume I, the manuscript in Emerson's hand reads in part, "He repeats after Plato the affirmations of real essence. There is not any life in those…
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 137099
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Complete Set of Dickens' Christmas Books, Including First Editions of The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain
CHARLES DICKENS,.
The Christmas Books: A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Battle of Life; Cricket on the Hearth; The Haunted Man and The Ghost’s Bargain.
London: Chapman and Hall, 1843-48.
Complete set of Charles Dickens' Christmas Books. Octavo, 5 volumes, original cloth with gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panels, all edges gilt. A Christmas Carol, in Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas is a tenth edition with the half-title printed in blue, title-page printed in red and blue, verso printed in blue, hand-colored etched frontispiece and three hand-colored etched plates by John Leech, four wood-engravings in-text by W.J. Linton after Leech, 2pp. publisher's advertisements at rear. Second edition of The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a…
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 125019
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“When I discover who I am, I’ll be free": First Edition of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man; Signed by Him
ELLISON, Ralph.
Invisible Man.
New York: Random House, 1952.
First edition of the author's landmark first novel, which went on to win the National Book Award. Octavo, original black and tan cloth. Boldly signed by Ralph Ellison on the title page. Fine in an near fine price-clipped dust jacket with a touch of rubbing. Jacket design by E. McKnight Kauffer. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 57008
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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; Signed by Sean Connery
FLEMING, Ian [Sean Connery].
You Only Live Twice.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965.
First edition of the final James Bond novel published during Fleming's lifetime and the eleventh in the series. Octavo, original black cloth lettered in gilt, patterned endpapers. Boldly signed by Sean Connery on the front free endpaper, who played 007 in the film bearing the same name. During the filming in Japan, it was announced that Sean Connery would retire from the role of Bond, but after one film's absence, he returned in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and later 1983's non-Eon Bond film Never Say Never Again. You Only Live Twice was a great success, receiving positive reviews and grossing…
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 125469
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“The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat": First Edition of Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich; In the rare original dust jacket
HILL, Napoleon.
Think and Grow Rich.
Cleveland : The Ralston Society, 1937.
Rare first edition of this classic bestseller, which has sold over 100 million copies. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a very good dust jacket, ownership name to the front free endpaper. Rare in the original dust jacket.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 126722
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First Edition of The Fire Next Time; Signed by James Baldwin
BALDWIN, James.
The Fire Next Time.
New York: The Dial Press, 1963.
First edition of one of the most influential works on race relations published in the twentieth century. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by James Baldwin on the dedication page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Jacket design by Paul Bacon. Jacket photograph by Mottke Weissman. Rare and desirable, especially signed and in this condition.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 146233
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“Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia": First Edition of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe; Finely Bound by the Harcourt Bindery
LEWIS, C.S.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
London: Geoffrey Bles, 1950.
First edition of the first work in Lewis' acclaimed Narnia series. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and ruling to the spine, raised bands, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, gilt signature to the front panel, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In fine condition. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes. An exceptional presentation.
Price: $8,200.00 Item Number: 142909
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The Collector's Edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; signed by J.K. Rowling
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
New York: Scholastic Press, 2000.
First edition of the collector's edition of the first book in Rowling's Harry Potter Series. Octavo, original publisher's full leather decorated in gilt with pictorial onlay to the front panel, all edges gilt, patterned endpapers, illustrated by Mary Grandpre. Boldly signed by J.K. Rowling on the title page. Fine in the original glassine which is in fine condition.
Price: $8,000.00 Item Number: 131491
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"The corpse without hands lay in the bottom of a small dinghy drifting just within sight of the Suffolk coast": First Edition of Unnatural Causes; Lengthily Inscribed by P.D. James
JAMES, P.D.
Unnatural Causes.
London: Faber and Faber, 1964.
First edition of the author's third book. Octavo, original green cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Signed by the author on the title page with a transcription as follows, "The corpse without hands lay in the bottom of a small dinghy drifting just within sight of the Suffolk coast." Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $8,000.00 Item Number: 4328
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“THE SOCIAL IMPACT ON THE UNITED STATES WAS GREATER THAN THAT OF ANY BOOK BEFORE OR SINCE”: FIRST ISSUE OF UNCLE TOM’S CABIN
STOWE, Harriet Beecher.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Or, Life Among the Lowly.
Boston and Cleveland: John P. Jewett & Company, 1852.
First edition, first issue, with "spilt" (rather than "spiled") in Volume I, 42, line 1; "cathecism" (rather than "catechism") in volume II, 74, line 5; and all other first issue points of the author's classic work. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in contemporary three quarters leather over cloth, gilt titles to the spine, volume with title vignettes and six wood-engravings. In very good condition with light wear and toning. A nice example, scarce and desirable in contemporary binding.
Price: $8,000.00 Item Number: 104745
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First Editions of The Works of William Thackeray
THACKERAY, William.
The Works of William Thackeray.
London: Various Publishers, 1840-1867.
First edition of the works of William Thackeray. Octavo, 34 volumes, uniformly bound in three-quarters morocco. From the library of Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, with his bookplate to each volume. Harmswoth was a British newspaper and publishing magnate who exercised vast influence over British popular opinion. Gilt titles and tooling to the spine, all edges gilt. Includes: Paris Sketch Book, 2 volumes., 1840; Comic Tales and Sketches, 2 volumes., 1841; Irish Sketchbook, 2 volumes., 1843; Cornhill to Grand Cairo, 1846; Mrs. Perkins Ball, [1847]; Book of Snobs, 1848; Our Street, 1848; Vanity Fair, 1848 (With the suppressed woodcut on…
Price: $8,000.00 Item Number: 19005
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First edition of One City; signed by J.K. Rowling, Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith and Irvine Welsh
RANKIN, Ian; Alexander McCall Smith; Irvine Welsh. Introduction by J. K. Rowling.
One City.
Edinburgh: Polygon, 2005.
First edition of this collection initiated by four of Edinburgh's most famous authors to benefit One City Trust, a charity committed to tackling social injustice and inequality in Edinburgh. Octavo, original cloth, patterned endpapers. One of 150 numbered copies signed by J.K. Rowling, Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith and Irvine Welsh on the half-title page, this is number 100. Introduction by J. K. Rowling. Foreword by Rt Hon. Lesley Hinds. Near fine in the original slipcase which is in fine condition.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 124173
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“You don’t have a home until you leave it and then, when you have left it, you never can go back": First Edition of Giovanni's Room; Signed by James Baldwin
BALDWIN, James.
Giovanni’s Room.
New York: The Dial Press, 1956.
First edition of this landmark novel. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by James Baldwin on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch a shelfwear. Jacket design by Seymour Chwast. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional example.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 140400
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"SITTING BY NIGHT IN MY SECRET STUDY…": Rare First Edition in English of Nostradamus' True Prophecies or Prognostications
NOSTRADAMUS, Michael.
True Prophecies or Prognostications of Michael Nostradamus Physician to Henry II. Francis II. and Charles IX. Kings of France, and one of the best Astronomers that ever were. A Work full of Curiosity and Learning.
London: Thomas Radcliffe and Nathaniel Thompson, 1672.
First edition in English of Nostradamus famous prophetical work. Folio, contemporary calf, title page printed in red and black, lacking the frontispiece. In very good condition. Rare and desirable in contemporary calf.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 129189
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"I’m not brave any more darling. I’m all broken. They’ve broken me": First Edition of Ernest Hemingway’s Classic Novel A Farewell To Arms; In the Original First State Dust Jacket
HEMINGWAY, Ernest.
A Farewell To Arms.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929.
First edition of this early Hemingway classic, which established him among the American masters. Octavo, original black cloth. Fine in a near fine first state dust jacket with the misspelling "Katharine Barclay" in the blurb on the front flap. A very sharp example of this highspot of American literature.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 143083
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first edition of L. M. Montgomery's Anne of the Island
MONTGOMERY, L. M.
Anne of the Island.
Boston: The Page Company, 1915.
First edition, first printing of the third title in Montgomery's beloved Anne of Green Gables series with all first issue points including stated first impression on copyright page, 1915 date in roman numerals on title page. Octavo, original cloth decorated in gilt, tissue-guarded frontispiece and mounted cover illustration in color by H. Weston Taylor, 16 pages of publisher’s advertisements bound at rear. Near fine in a later issue dust jacket with a few small closed tears.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 135042
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First Edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's All the Sad Young Men
FITZGERALD, F. Scott.
All the Sad Young Men.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1926.
First edition, first issue of Fitzgerald's third collection of short stories. Octavo, original green cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell case.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 139276
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“ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WORKS IN WESTERN LITERATURE”: RARE FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH OF OVID’S METAMORPHOSIS
OVID,.
Ovid’s Metamorphosis Englished by G. S.
London: Printed by William Stansby, 1626.
First edition of George Sandys’ famous verse translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, with engraved title page. Small folio, bound in contemporary calf, illustrated with engraved title by T. Cecil, and full-paged engraved portrait of Ovid by Marshall. In very good condition, names. Rare and and desirable.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 146369
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First British Editions of The Border Trilogy; Each Volume Signed By Cormac McCarthy and Three Times Each by Chip Kidd
MCCARTHY, Cormac.
All the Pretty Horses; The Crossing; Cities of the Plain.
London: Picador, 1992-1998.
First British editions of each title in the author's acclaimed Border Trilogy. Octavo, original half cloth, three volumes. All three volumes are signed by Cormac McCarthy and additionally signed three times in each volume by legendary jacket designer Chip Kidd, on the front panel, on the half-title page and on the rear flaps. Each are fine in near fine dust jackets. Jacket design by Chip Kidd.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 145942
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"Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart": The works of Washington Irving: The author's autograph edition
IRVING, Washington.
The Works of Washington Irving: The Autograph Edition [The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; Rip Van Winkle].
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1895–97.
The Works of Washington Irving: The Author's Autograph edition. Octavo, 40 volumes, uniformly bound in full morocco by the Knickerbocker Press, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers, with suede doublures and endleaves. One of 500 sets, this set contains a page of original manuscript by Irving tipped in to volume one of The Alhambra. In fine condition. An exceptional set.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 86738
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First edition of Henry Fielding's The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
FIELDING, Henry.
The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling.
London: Printed for A. Millar, 1749.
First edition, first issue of one of the most influential English novels, one only 2,000 copies printed. Octavo, bound in full contemporary polished calf with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels. First issued with the errata leaf present in the first volume and errata uncorrected throughout the text. In good condition. Small bookplates. Each volume house in a custom half morocco and folding chemise slipcase.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 139551
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"Jellicle Cats come out tonight, Jellicle cats come one come all: the jellicle moon is shining bright- jellicles come to the jellicle ball": Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats; Inscribed by T.S. Eliot
ELIOT, T.S.
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.
London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1960.
Later printing of Eliot's beloved collection of whimsical feline poems which served as the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 megamusical phenomenon Cats. Octavo, original yellow pictorial cloth, illustrated by T. S. Eliot. Association copy, inscribed by the author to portrait painter Sir Gerald Kelly on the front free endpaper, "For Gerald Kelly with the warm regards & admiration of the author of these verses and the illustrator, T.S. Eliot (O.P.)" Eliot and the recipient, Gerard Kelly, struck up a close friendship back in the early 1920s, and in 1960 Kelly was commissioned to paint a portrait of Eliot, which…
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 145467
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First Edition of Put Money In Thy Purse: A Diary of the Film Othello; Inscribed with a painting by Orson Welles
MAC LIAMMOIR, Michael; Preface by Orson Welles.
Put Money In Thy Purse: A Diary of the Film Othello.
London: Methuen, 1952.
First edition of this work on the film Othello. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Welles as Othello. Association copy, inscribed by Orson Welles and with a painting (self-portrait) done by him across the front endpaper and the front pastedown of a self-portrait of Welles in black, purple and yellow paint and is inscribed "For Lennie with much love and a tiny pinch of salt Orson." The recipient, New York Post columnist Leonard Lyons was an early champion of Welles and the two were close friends for decades. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Rare and desirable with such…
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 43050
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"So figure some way to explain to her, boy, you know women better’n I do...": Rare autograph letter signed by Jack Kerouac to close friend Ed White
KEROUAC, Jack.
Jack Kerouac Autograph Letter Signed.
1954.
Rare autograph letter signed by Jack Kerouac to close friend Ed White. Bifoliate leaf, one page covered; pencil. With envelope addressed in autograph, postmarked Jamaica, New York. The letter reads in full, "Fri. Jan. 7 Dear Ed - For reasons completely unexplainable to someone like Beverly I'd on New Year's Eve made a vow not to leave the house (my hermitage) till I'd accomplished 2 things, (1) a certain piece of writing, (2) a certain term of reading - study and tranquil meditation - so when she called last night I had nothing to say in defense of my private…
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 145634
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"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view": Rare First Book club edition of To Kill A Mockingbird; Signed by Harper Lee
LEE, Harper.
To Kill a Mockingbird.
Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1960.
First book club edition (published the same year as the first edition) of Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by Harper Lee on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket with a touch of shelf wear. Jacket design by Shirley Smith. Photograph of Lee on the back panel by Truman Capote.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 140603
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“I was born lost and take no pleasure in being found": First Edition of John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley; Inscribed by Him
STEINBECK, John.
Travels with Charley.
New York: The Viking Press, 1962.
First edition of Steinbeck’s beloved cross-country narrative. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed by the author on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Don Freeman. Photographs of Steinbeck by Hans Namuth. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 142958
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First British Edition of The Wild Palms; Signed by William Faulkner
FAULKNER, William.
The Wild Palms.
London: Chatto & Windus, 1939.
First British edition of the Nobel Prize-winning author's grandly inventive, heart-stopping classic novel. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by the author on the title page, "William Faulkner New York 3 March 1953." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Rare and desirable signed with no other inscribed British edition ever appearing at auction.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 144096
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Rare First Edition of Ernest Hemingway's The Torrents of Spring
HEMINGWAY, Ernest.
The Torrents of Spring.
New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1926.
First edition of Hemingway's first novel, one of 1250 printed. Octavo, original cloth. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light wear to the crown. An exceptional example.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 112442
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"Maybe when people longed for a thing that bad the longing made them trust in anything that might give it to them": Carson McCuller's The Heart is a Lonely Hunter; With a Note Signed by Her
MCCULLERS, Carson.
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1940.
First edition, first printing with the date of 1940 on the title page of the author's first novel and masterpiece. Octavo, original cloth. With a note laid in from the author which reads, "With all good wishes from Carson McCullers Thanks for the good time at the Inn." Fine in a near fine dust jacket with some light professional restoration. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very sharp example, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 138095
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"ENOUGH FOR ME IN DREAMS TO SEE AND TOUCH THY GARMENTS' HEM- THY FEET HAVE TROD SO NEAR TO GOD, I MAY NOT FOLLOW THEM": FIRST EDITION OF RUDYARD KIPLING'S MANY INVENTIONS; inscribed by him to his second cousin
KIPLING, Rudyard.
Many Inventions.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1893.
First English edition of this collection of Kipling's poems and tales. Octavo, original cloth decorated in gilt. Association copy, inscribed by Rudyard Kipling on the title page in the year of publication to his second cousin by marriage, "Eliot [sic] Balestier from Rudyard Kipling Xmas. 93." The recipient, Elliot Francis Balestier was the second cousin of Kipling's wife, Caroline Balestier and her brother, Wolcott, with whom Kipling collaborated with for the novel The Naulahka: A Story Of East And West, which he would later name his historic shingle style house in Dummerston Vermont after. In very good condition. A fine…
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 123441
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"We have two lives... the life we learn with and the life we live after that": First Edition of Bernard Malamud’s The Natural; Inscribed by Him To Close Friends
MALAMUD, Bernard.
The Natural.
New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1952.
First edition of the author's first book, and one of the greatest baseball novels of all time. Octavo, original cloth. Advance review copy with the slip laid in for a release date of August 21, 1952. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper one month before the date of publication, "For Susie and Paul Cordially Bern July, 1952." The recipients, Suzanne and Paul Shrag were close friends of Malamud. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Cover art by Simon Goltche. Housed in a custom clamshell box.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 100076