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First edition of Henry James' Italian Hours; inscribed by him to Edmund and Ellen Gosse and later from the library of famed children's book author Maurice Sendak
JAMES, Henry.
Italian Hours.
London: William Heinemann, 1909.
First edition, one of 1000 copies printed of James' classic book of travel writing, wonderfully illustrated by Joseph Pennell. Quarto, original cloth decorated in gilt, top edge gilt. Illustrated by Joseph Pennell with 32 tissue-guarded color plates. Association copy, inscribed by Henry James on the front free endpaper in the year of publication, "To Edmund and Nelly Gosse their all, faithful old friend Henry James December 4th 1909." The recipients, English poet, author, and critic Edmund Gosse and his wife, Pre-Raphaelite painter Ellen Gosse were two of James' closest and longest-standing friends. James and Edmund exchanged more than 400 letters…
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 135623
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William Faulkner's Officer of the Légion d'Honneur
[FAULKNER, William].
Officer of the Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur Diploma Awarded to William Faulkner.
Republique Francaise, 1949.
Partially printed diploma awarded to William Faulkner as an Officer of the Légion d'Honneur, conferred on him be the French government five months after he accepted the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature. One page, partially printed and completed in a calligraphic hand, the diploma is signed by three French officials with an embossed seal. In near fine condition. Matted. The entire piece measures 15 inches by 18.5 inches. From the collection of William Faulkner.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 139733
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“The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience": Frank Herbert's Classic Novel Dune; Signed by Him
HERBERT, Frank.
Dune.
New York/ Philadelphia: Chilton Books, 1965.
First edition, third printing of the author's masterpiece. Octavo, original boards. Boldly signed by Frank Herbert on the title page. Fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket. Jacket art by John Schoenherr. Uncommon signed.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 130523
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"The veritable Bible of Christmas": 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
DICKENS, Charles.
The Christmas Books: A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth; The Battle of Life; The Haunted Man and The Ghost’s Bargain.
London: Chapman and Hall/Bradbury & Evans, 1843-48.
Complete set of Charles Dickens' Christmas Books. Octavo, 5 volumes, original red 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 fourteenth edition illustrated 4 hand-colored plates and wood-engraved illustrations after John Leech, advertisement leaf at end [London: Bradbury & Evans, 1860]; The Chimes: A Goblin Story, engraved frontispiece and additional title (first state) after Maclise, wood-engraved illustrations by Doyle, Leech and Stanfield, advertisement for tenth edition of A Christmas Carol at beginning, Chapman & Hall, 1845 [1844]; The Cricket on…
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 141086
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First Edition of Jack Kerouac's First Book The Town and the City; Signed by him and close childhood friend in Lowell, Massachusetts, Charles Dudevoir
KEROUAC, Jack.
The Town and the City.
New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1950.
First edition of Kerouac's first book. Octavo, original red cloth. Signed by Kerouac on the front free endpaper and with the ownership name of his close childhood friend and neighbor in Lowell, Massachusetts, Charles Dudevoir. With a note of provenance signed by Charles Dudevoir's granddaughter which reads in part, "Phil - my mother lived in Lowell when she was young - Irene Dudevoir - Her dad, Charles + mother, Martha knew Keroauc... Thanks! Melinda" and a very detailed three-page typed letter of provenance which reads in part, "I bought this book from a very well known dealer out here in…
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 134655
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"History had a slow pulse; man counted in years, history in generations": First American Editions of Arthur Koestler’s Classic Trilogy; including Darkness At Noon; Signed by the author
KOESTLER, Arthur.
Gladiators; Darkness At Noon and Arrival and Departure.
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1939-1943.
First American editions of each work in Koestler's acclaimed trilogy, including his masterpiece, Darkness at Noon. Octavo, original cloth. Darkness at Noon is signed by Arthur Koestler on the front free endpaper. Each volume is very good in a very good dust jackets with some rubbing and wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. First printings are rare signed.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 71020
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First English edition of Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island: Dropped From the Clouds
VERNE, Jules.
The Mysterious Island: Dropped From the Clouds.
London: Sampson, Low, Marston, Low, & Searle, 1875.
First edition in English in book form of the first volume of Verne's Mysterious Island trilogy, preceding the Scribner Armstrong's first American edition. Octavo, original publisher's cloth decorated in gilt, all edges gilt, illustrated, tissue-guarded frontispiece. Translated from the French by W.H.G. Kingston. In fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Armorial bookplates to the pastedown and front free endpaper. An exceptional example, scarce in this condition.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 125618
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FIRST EDITION OF MARK TWAIN'S ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel Clemens].
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade).
New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.
First edition, first issue of Mark Twain’s masterpiece. Octavo, original publisher’s decorated green cloth, with 174 illustrations by Edward W. Kemble. With all of the agreed upon first issue points for the clothbound book: page 9 with “Decided” remaining uncorrected (to “Decides”); page 13, illustration captioned “Him and another Man” listed as on page 88; page 57, 11th line from bottom reads “with the was,” instead of “with the saw”. Other points of bibliographical interest included in this copy are the frontispiece portrait with the tablecloth under the bust, bearing the Heliotype Printing Co. imprint; copyright page dated 1884; page…
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 123228
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“ANY MAN'S LIFE, TOLD TRULY, IS A NOVEL": Ernest Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon; inscribed by him to his secretary
HEMINGWAY, Ernest.
Death in the Afternoon.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1948.
Early printing of Hemingway’s masterwork on bullfighting. Octavo, original black cloth, spine lettered in gilt, frontispiece by Juan Gris, illustrated. Association copy, inscribed by Hemingway on the front free endpaper, "For Nita with regards and affection (Ernest Hemingway) Mr. Papa. Finca Vigía - SF. de Paula 22/7/49." The recipient, Juanita "Nita" Jensen was Hemingway's secretary at his home in the San Francisco de Paula Ward of Havana, Finca Vigia, from 1949 to 1952. While working as a secretary at the American embassy in Havana, Nita received government clearance to moonlight as a part-time secretary for Hemingway, typing the majority of…
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 124152
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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; 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. Boldly signed by Carson McCullers on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. A very sharp example, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 121376
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"I KNOW IT IS WET AND THE SUN IS NOT SUNNY, BUT WE CAN HAVE LOTS OF GOOD FUN THAT IS FUNNY": FIRST EDITION OF THE CAT IN THE HAT; Signed by Dr. Seuss
SEUSS, Dr. [Theodor Geisel].
The Cat in the Hat.
New York: Random House, 1957.
First edition, first issue of Dr. Seuss’ classic work. Octavo, original illustrated unlaminated boards. All issue points present: price of 200/200 on the dust jacket, no mention of the “Beginner Books” series on the rear panel, and has four paragraphs of educator’s reviews on rear panel. Book contains a single signature and 61 pages with a message on final page before end paper contained in an outline of the cat’s hat & head. Boldly signed by Dr. Seuss opposite the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light wear. An exceptional example.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 142017
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"Keep close to Nature’s heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean": Finely Bound Set of The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of John Muir; With Eight Original Photographs
MUIR, John.
The Writings of John Muir: The Manuscript Edition.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916-24.
The Manuscript edition of The Writings of John Muir. Octavo, 10 volumes, bound in original special deluxe three quarters morocco over marbled boards, leather edges ruled in gilt, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, matching endpapers, top edges gilt. With volumes 1 through 8 of this set each containing an original gelatin silver photograph at the front, each with a printed tissue guard. Kimes does not describe an edition with these additional real photo frontispieces. The binding matches that of Kimes 342. The scenes depicted in the inserted photographs are: The House of John Muir, Martinez, California;…
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 76020
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"Mr Bond, they have a saying in Chicago: 'Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action": FIRST EDITION OF IAN FLEMING’S GOLDFINGER; Signed by Sean Connery
FLEMING, Ian.
Goldfinger.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1959.
First edition of the seventh novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. Octavo, original black cloth. Boldly signed by Sean Connery on the front free endpaper, who starred in the film, one of his most iconic roles. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Richard Chopping. An exceptional example, rare and desirable signed by Sean Connery.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 146320
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"Tune in, freak out, get beaten": First Edition of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; Signed by Hunter S. Thompson
THOMPSON, Hunter S.; Illustrations by Ralph Steadman.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream.
New York: Random House, 1971.
First edition of Thompson's second book. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed in full by Hunter S. Thompson on the half-title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with the a touch of shelfwear. Illustrations by Ralph Steadman. An exceptional signed example.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 146859
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"Everything in life is just for a while": First Edition of A Scanner Darkly; Signed by Philip K. Dick
DICK, Philip K.
A Scanner Darkly.
New York: Doubleday and Company, 1977.
First edition of one of the author’s best-known works. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by Philip K. Dick on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket illustration by the Quays. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 101745
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Rare First Edition of Robert Frank's The Lines of My Hands; Inscribed by Him to Yuichi Hibi
ROBERT FRANK,.
Lines of My Hands.
Tokyo: Yugensha, 1972.
Limited first edition of Frank’s memorable autobiography in photographs, one of 500 copies. Folio, original black cloth, slipcase with mounted cover photograph. Association copy, inscribed by the photographer on the title page, "To Yuichi, getting ready to travel East. Good Luck. Robert. NYC Dec. 5, 1996" with a line drawing of a fish below a surface line. The recipient Yuichi Hibi is a well-known photographer who in 2005 issued a signed, limited edition of a work entitled A Weekend with Mr. Frank. Includes 30 pp. Japanese booklet cataloguing the 160 images which comprise the book. Fine in a fine slipcase. An exceptional…
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 121798
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“That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don’t know nothing about it": First Edition Of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in The Rare Original Publisher’s Morocco
TWAIN, Mark [Samuel L. Clemens].
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn [Tom Sawyer’s Comrade].
New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.
First edition, first issue of Twain's masterpiece, one of approximately 500 copies bound in publisher's three-quarters morocco binding. Octavo, original three-quarters brown morocco and marbled boards, gilt-decorated spine, marbled endpapers. Lithographic frontispiece and with 174 illustrations by E.W. Kemble, photographic portrait frontispiece of the bust of Mark Twain by Karl Gerhardt. Copies of Huckleberry Finn in the original publisher's leather bindings are quite rare: "The relative rarity of the cloth and leather bindings is clear. Less than two weeks before publication, [the publisher] Webster announced that he was binding 20,000 copies in cloth, another 2,500 in sheep, and 500 copies…
Price: $11,500.00 Item Number: 105655
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“As sure as time, history is repeating itself, and as sure as man is man, history is the last place he’ll look for his lessons": First Trade Edition of Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman; Signed by Her
LEE, Harper.
Go Set A Watchman.
New York: Harper Collins, 2015.
First trade edition of Lee's second novel. Octavo, original half cloth. Signed by Harper Lee on the half-title page. This copy was a gift from Lee's attorney Tonja Brooks Carter to a clerk of the court in Monroeville, Alabama. Brooks Carter was responsible for rediscovering the manuscript of this novel and instrumental to its publication. The last signed copy at auction brought 12,000. While signed limited editions are available, signed trade editions are decidedly scarce and with noted provenance. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Jarrod Taylor. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $11,500.00 Item Number: 62082
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"Make A Place On Your Bookshelf... If You Love Classic Narrative, Quest Stories, Adventure Stories Of High Order Transformed By One Of The Lapidary Masters Of Contemporary American Fiction, Now Is Your Hour Of Triumph" Each Volume Signed By Cormac McCarthy and three times by Jacket designer Chip Kidd
MCCARTHY, Cormac.
All the Pretty Horses; The Crossing; Cities of the Plain.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992-1998.
First editions of each title in the author's acclaimed Border Trilogy. Octavo, original half cloth, three volumes. Each volume is signed by Cormac McCarthy on the half-title page and each volume is signed three times by jacket designer Chip Kidd. All the Pretty Horses is a presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "For Vicki, With all the very best wishes from your friend Cormac." Each volume is signed by Chip Kidd on the half-title page, the front jacket panel and the rear jacket panel. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box, which is boldly signed…
Price: $11,500.00 Item Number: 135233
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"The invitation would commit him to nothing more crucial than seeing that she had a pleasant evening and paying the bill. And a man was surely entitled to call his own publishers": First Edition of A Mind To Murder; Lengthily Inscribed by P.D. James
JAMES, P.D.
A Mind To Murder.
London: Faber and Faber, 1963.
First edition of the author's second book. Octavo, original green cloth. Signed by the author on the title page with a transcription from the novel as follows, "The invitation would commit him to nothing more crucial than seeing that she had a pleasant evening and paying the bill. And a man was surely entitled to call his own publishers P.D. James." The inscription is from the final sentence of this novel. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Charles Mozley. Rare and desirable, especially with such a lengthy inscription and in this condition.
Price: $11,500.00 Item Number: 96896