Literature
Showing 201–220 of 4159 results
-
Browse by Category
- Browse All
- Americana
- Art and Architecture
- Autograph Letters Signed
- Biography and Autobiography
- Children's Books
- Economics and Finance
- Featured Rare Books
- Fine Bindings and Sets
- First Edition
- First Edition>Signed
- Food and Wine
- Framed Autographs and Historical Documents
- Geography
- Gifts
- Gifts - For Her
- Gifts - For Him
- Gifts - Graduation and Celebrations
- Gifts - Holidays
- History, Law, and Politics
- Literature
- Music
- New Arrivals
- Philosophy
- Photography
- Poetry
- Presidents and World Leaders
- Religion
- Science and Natural History
- Science Fiction and Mystery
- Signed
- Signed & Autographed Books
- Sports and Leisure
- Travel and Exploration
- Uncategorized
-
"IT IS NOT DOWN ON ANY MAP; TRUE PLACES NEVER ARE": FIRST EDITION OF HERMAN MELVILLE'S MOBY DICK; in the rare red variant cloth
MELVILLE, Herman.
Moby-Dick; Or, The Whale.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1851.
First edition, first issue binding of Melville’s masterpiece. Octavo, original red variant cloth (BAL’s A grain), covers stamped in blind with Harper’s circular device at the center of the front panel within a heavy blind ruled frame, plain white endpapers. Issued in a single volume, in black, green, blue, red, purple, slate or brown cloth, gilt. The first state of the binding has a circular device at center of covers that is absent from the second state binding. Much has been made of whether the earliest copies bound should have orange-coated end papers, but in fact there is no priority…
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 142813
-
First Edition of The Second Part of Cervantes' Masterpiece the History of the Valorous and Witty Knight-Errant, Don Quixote of the Mancha
CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de.
Second Part of The History of the Valorous and Witty Knight-Errant, Don Quixote of the Mancha.
London: Printed for Edward Blount, 1620.
First edition of the second part of Cervantes' masterpiece in English. Oblong duodecimo, bound in half leather over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, black and green morocco spine labels. In near fine condition, lacking the engraved title with several words faintly missing on p. 160 [an original printing flaw], slight trimming to the bottom lines of the first signature, and a bookplate to the front pastedown. An exceptional presentation.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 145724
-
Rare George Orwell Typed Letter Signed
ORWELL, George.
George Orwell Typed Letter Signed.
June 1945.
Rare typed letter signed "Geo. Orwell", to Gerry Byrne announcing that "my wife died three months ago, very suddenly and unexpectedly", writing about the aftermath of her death including his relief that their son Richard was too young to to miss her ("...He is now 13 1/2 months old and is extremely well. He has twelve teeth and is almost able to walk..."), apologising that he cannot come to speak at a Labour Party campaign meeting ("...I am up to the eyes in the election myself, apart from other work. I don't even know of anyone suitable..."), 1 page, 4to,…
Price: $19,500.00 Item Number: 142701
-
First Edition of Philip K. Dick's Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said; Signed by Him
DICK, Philip K.
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, Inc, 1974.
First edition of this novel which won the John W. Campbell Award and nominations for the Hugo and Nebula. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by Philip K. Dick on the front free endpaper. Fine in a fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Jacket design by One Plus One Studio. An exceptional example, uncommon and desirable signed.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 101435
-
"I hardly think that any letter will further your object; still, if the accompanying one can be made of the least service, I shall be happy": Rare autograph letter signed by Great American Author Herman Melville
MELVILLE, Herman.
Herman Melville Autograph Letter Signed.
c. 1855.
Rare autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of great American novelist Herman Melville. One page, the letter reads in full, "Pittsfield Aug 26 Osmond Tiffany Esq. My dear Sir, With pleasure I comply with your request, but hardly think that any letter will further your object; still, if the accompanying one can be made of the least service, I shall be happy. Wishing you all success in your affairs I am Very Truly Yours H Melville." The recipient, Osmond Tiffany was a Baltimore merchant and occasional author who contributed to the Atlantic Monthly and The Knickerbocker. In 1855, he…
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 138591
-
“Only androids show up with false memory systems; it's been found ineffective in humans": First Edition of Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
DICK, Philip K.
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?
New York: Doubleday and Company, 1968.
First edition of this cornerstone in science fiction. Octavo, original cloth. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear to the spine tips. Jacket design by Harry Sehring. An exceptional example, scarce in this condition.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 140198
-
“Wrap me in the weathers of the earth, I will be hard and hard. My face will turn rain like the stones": First Edition of Suttree; Inscribed by Cormac McCarthy to Screenwriter Orin Borsten
MCCARTHY, Cormac.
Suttree.
New York: Random House, 1979.
First edition of the author's fourth novel and what many consider to be his finest. Octavo, original half cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "For Orin All The Best Cormac." The recipient, Orin Borsten was a screenwriter and publicist, who began his career as a child actor in Atlanta and appeared on Broadway in the American Way. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Jack Ribik. Housed in a custom clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional example, uncommon signed and inscribed.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 125288
-
"The place where you made your stand never mattered. Only that you were there...and still on your feet": First Edition of The Stand; Inscribed by Stephen King to friend and fellow Writer and Icon of the beat generation William Burroughs
KING, Stephen [William Burroughs].
The Stand.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1978.
First edition of the author's classic fourth novel. Thick octavo, original half cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Bill Burroughs- With love and good wishes Stephen King 9/20/94." The recipient, William Burroughs is credited as a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular culture and literature. His writings had a strong influence on King as an adolescent and young man. As a English major at the University of Maine, King was taught by instructors who consciously identified with the beat movement. Burroughs was also impressed by…
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 132641
-
"When you come to observe faithfully the changes of each humblest plant, you find that each has sooner or later its peculiar autumnal tint, or tints": The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of Henry David Thoreau; In the Original Binding
THOREAU, Henry David.
The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of Henry David Thoreau.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin and Company, 1906.
The manuscript edition of the writings of Henry David Thoreau. With the original manuscript sheet by Thoreau from his journal tipped-in to volume 1. The two page manuscript fragment comprises 58 lines from "Autumnal Tints," in altered form, published in the Atlantic Monthly, October 1862, and collected in Excursions the following year. The fragment concludes with the line containing the title phrase: "When you come to observe faithfully the changes of each humblest plant, you find that each has sooner or later its peculiar autumnal tint, or tints [...]." Octavo, 20 volumes. Bound in the publisher's three-quarter green morocco over…
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 97590
-
“I wish I could care what you do or where you go but I can't... My dear, I don't give a damn": First edition of Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind; signed by eleven members of David O. Selznick's epic American 1939 film adaptation and with an autograph note signed by Margaret Mitchell
MITCHELL, Margaret.
Gone With the Wind.
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1936.
First edition of Margaret Mitchell's masterpiece which remains one of the fastest selling novels in the history of American publishing, with 50,000 copies sold in a single day. Octavo, original cloth. First printing, with “Published May 1936” on the copyright page and no mention of other printings. Association copy, signed by eleven members of David O. Selznick's epic American 1939 film adaptation on the front pastedown and front free endpaper with nine adding the names of the characters they portrayed, "Evelyn Keyes, 'Suellen' [O'Hara]," "Mickey Kuhn, 'Beau [Wilkes] age 7 years,'" "Marcella Martin [Cathleen Calvert]," "Ann Rutherford, 'Careen' [O'Hara],'" Rand…
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 136276
-
First Edition of William Faukner's Soldiers' Pay; In the Original Dust jacket
FAULKNER, William.
Soldiers’ Pay.
New York: Boni & Liveright, 1926.
First edition of Faulkner's first book in the rare first state dust jacket with An American Tragedy as the first of five titles listed on the rear jacket panel. Octavo, original cloth. Bookplate, near fine in a very good dust jacket with some toning to the spine and some chipping to the extremities. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Rare and desirable.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 81010
-
James Joyce's masterpiece Ulysses; Signed by Him
JOYCE, James.
Ulysses.
Paris: Shakespeare and Company, 1924.
Fourth printing of Joyce's masterpiece, signed by him. Quarto, original wrappers. Signed by the author in the month of publication on the front free endpaper, "James Joyce Paris 7 January 1924." In very good condition, the joints lightly repaired. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Uncommon signed.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 139635
-
Rare First Edition, First Printing of Mark Twain's The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and Other Sketches
TWAIN, Mark [Samuel L. Clemens].
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and Other Sketches.
New York: C.H. Webb, 1867.
First edition, first printing of the author's rare first book. Octavo, original cloth, first issue lacking the leaf of ads facing the title page but with unbroken type on pages 21, 66 and 198. In very good condition with light wear to the extremities. A sharp example.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 125145
-
THE FIRST JEWISH TRANSLATION OF THE PENTATEUCH INTO ENGLISH
LEESER, Isaac.
The Law of God.
Philadelphia: C. Sherman, 5605, 1845-46.
First edition of the “first English translation of the Pentateuch in America,” the 1845 Hebrew-English Bible by one of the most prominent and influential figures in American Jewish history. Octavo, 5 volumes. Translated by Isaac Leeser. Bound in full contemporary calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine. In near fine condition. A nice example, rare in contemporary binding.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 78547
-
“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": Signed First Edition of Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich; In the rare original dust jacket
HILL, Napoleon.
Think and Grow Rich.
Meriden, Conn.: The Ralston Society, 1937.
Rare first edition of this classic bestseller, which has sold over 100 million copies. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Napoleon Hill on an official bookplate on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable in the original dust jacket and signed.
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 133570
-
“They want us dead,' said Bond calmly. 'So we have to stay alive": Ian Fleming’s Moonraker; Signed by Him
FLEMING, Ian.
Moonraker.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963.
Early printing of the third novel in the James Bond series and what many critics to be his finest. Octavo, original black cloth. Boldly signed by Ian Fleming on the front free endpaper. From the personal collection of a close female friend of Fleming's who visited him in Jamaica frequently. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with the spine panel bright and with light wear to the spine extremities. Jacket design by Kenneth Lewis.
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 122972
-
Rare Original Goldfinger Dust Jacket Design Printing Proof; signed by Dust Jacket Designer Richard Chopping and from his personal collection
CHOPPING, Richard. [Ian Fleming].
Goldfinger. [Original Richard Chopping Signed Printing Proof].
Rare original progressive color printing proof for the iconic dust jacket design of Ian Fleming's Goldfinger, designed by Richard Chopping. Chopping's copy, retained for his personal collection and signed by him in the lower right corner. One page on archival printer's paper, this is the black ink progressive plate proof (one of four plates combined to create the final full color image). The seventh novel in Fleming's bond series, Goldfinger was the second book with a dust jacket designed by Richard Chopping, the first being From Russia, With Love. Chopping would design all subsequent James Bond dust jackets (with the…
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 124391
-
Rare Association Copy of Arthur Rackham's Illustrated edition of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens; signed and inscribed by J.M. Barrie, George Frampton, Princess Beatrice, Princess Marie Louise, Nadejda Mountbatten, and Arthur Rackham with an original drawing
BARRIE, J.M. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.
London: Hodder & Stoughton Limited, n.d.
New edition of Rackham’s highly-sought-after masterpiece, which established his reputation as one of England’s premier illustrators. Quarto, original publisher's green cloth elaborately decorated in gilt, illustrated by Arthur Rackham with 50 mounted color plates complete with captioned tissue guards including frontispiece. Association copy, signed by author J.M. Barrie on the verso of the front free endpaper, signed by Arthur Rackham on the recto of the frontispiece with an original drawing as well as Nadejda "Nada" Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven, signed by the sculptor of the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens, George Frampton on front pastedown, and signed by Princess…
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 142267
-
"A Major Source for Shakespeare": Second and preferred edition of Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland
HOLINSHED, Raphael.
The First and Second Volumes of Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland With: The Third volume of Chronicles, beginning at Duke William the Norman [Holinshed Chronicles].
London: John Harrison, George Bishop, Rafe Newberie, Henrie Denham, and Thomas Woodcocke, 1587.
Preferred second edition of the greatest Elizabethan repository of English history which served as an important source for Shakespeare's plays. Folios, 3 volumes bound into 2, bound in full calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, red morocco spine labels, gilt ruled, woodcut initials and title pages. Separate title pages and pagination for The Description and Historie of England, The Description and Historie of Ireland, and The Description and Historie of Scotland comprising volume 1. When this expanded second edition of the Chronicles appeared in January 1587, the Privy Council, responding to Queen Elizabeth’s displeasure at certain passages, ordered the Archbishop…
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 95438
-
“The deeper the Self-realization of a man, the more he influences the whole universe by his subtle spiritual vibrations, and the less he himself is affected by the phenomenal flux": First Edition of Autobiography of A Yogi; Inscribed by Yogananda Paramhansa
YOGANANDA, Paramhansa.
Autobiography of a Yogi.
New York: The Philosophical Library, 1946.
First edition of one of the most important spiritual books of the twentieth century, Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece. Signed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "With blessings Paramhansa Yogananda Dec 10, 46. LA." Preface by Walter Evans-Wentz. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Exceptionally rare signed and in the original dust jacket.
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 144018