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Rare George Orwell Typed Letter Signed
ORWELL, George.
George Orwell Typed Letter Signed.
October 1944.
Rare typed letter signed by George Orwell signed to Amy Charlesworth Byrne Typed letter signed ("Geo. Orwell"), to Mrs Amy Byrne excusing his delayed reply ("...I have been away again, and also somewhat distraught with the move into here..."), writing with relief that he has brought his young son down from Newcastle ("..It is no joke travelling with a child now..."), with other personal news and hoping that they will be able to visit the Byrnes at their home in Liverpool, 1 page, 4to, 27b Canonbury Square, Islington, London, 23 October 1944. "...I'd like to show you the baby (his name…
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 142498
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"WE WILL MANAGE OUR WORLD FOR OURSELVES BECAUSE IT IS OUR WORLD, COSA NOSTRA": FIRST EDITION OF THE GODFATHER; INSCRIBED BY MARIO PUZO TO FELLOW WRITER AND CLOSE FRIEND MEL SHESTACK
PUZO, Mario.
The Godfather.
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969.
First edition of Puzo's definitive novel of the Mafia underworld. Octavo, original half black cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Mel and Jessie See what you're missing in New York? Mario." The recipient, Mel Shestack was a writer and close friend of the author, who hired Puzo as an associate editor to write for Magazine Management, giving him an early break in the industry. Fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket art by S. Neil Fujita. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional association.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 144978
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“There's no liquor in the land that can stop your brain from bleedin": First Edition of Bob Dylan's First Book Tarantula; Signed By Him
DYLAN, Bob.
Tarantula.
New York: MacMillan & Company, 1966.
First edition of Dylan's first book. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by Bob Dylan on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with some light wear to the extremities. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed by Dylan.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 75081
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"Come right up close to me and I will show you something wonderful": First Edition of James and the Giant Peach; Signed by Roald Dahl and Illustrator Nancy Ekholm Burkert
DAHL, Roald; Illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert.
James and the Giant Peach.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961.
First edition of this Dahl classic. Octavo, original cloth, beautifully illustrated, many full-page and in color. Boldly signed by Roald Dahl on the front free endpaper and also signed by the illustrator, Nancy Ekholm Burkert on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional example, most rare and desirable signed by both the author and the illustrator.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 144130
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“Do anything, but let it produce joy": RARE SECOND EDITION OF WALT WHITMAN’S LEAVES OF GRASS; ONE OF ONE THOUSAND COPIES
WHITMAN, Walt.
Leaves of Grass.
Brooklyn, New York: Fowler and Wells, 1856.
Rare second edition, one of a 1000 copies of the most important volume in American poetry, with an additional twenty poems not found in the first edition as well as a new section of correspondence and reviews entitled “Leaves-droppings” that begins with the famous letter from Emerson containing the salutation “I greet you at the beginning of a great career.” Small octavo, original green cloth. Engraved frontispiece portrait of Walt Whitman. Bookplate of Barrett Wendell to the inside panel. Barrett was an American academic and a trustee of the Boston Athenaeum, a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and a…
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 50052
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"To the few who love me and whom I love – to those who seek rather than to those who think – to the dreamers and those who put faith in dreams as in the only realities – I offer this book of truths" : Rare first edition of Edgar Allan Poe's Magnum Opus, Eureka, One of only 500 copies
POE, Edgar Allan.
Eureka: A Prose Poem.
New York: George P. Putnam, 1848.
First edition, first issue of Poe's classic work. Duodecimo, original publishers blind stamped black cloth with gilt lettering to the spine. First issue, without the review for Eureka on page 2 of the 16 page catalogue at the end of the book, but reads simply: “Poe. — Eureka, A Prose Poem: Or the Physical and Metaphysical Universe. By Edgar A. Poe, Esq.” In very good condition, with some light rubbing to the extremities, rebacked. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Rare.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 140614
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“Better to stay alive, At least while there's a chance to get free": Rare first edition of Octavia Butler's Kindred; inscribed by her
BUTLER, Octavia E.
Kindred.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1979.
First edition of Butler's classic bestselling novel. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "To Steve Best wishes Octavia E. Butler." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket illustration by Larry Schwinger. Jacket typography by Elizabeth Levine. First editions of this classic Butler novel are scarce, signed examples exceedingly so.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 142883
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“PASSAGES OF UNEARTHLY BEAUTY”: Signed Limited Edition of James Joyce's Finnegans Wake
JOYCE, James.
Finnegans Wake.
London: Faber & Faber, 1939.
First signed limited edition, number 115 of only 425 large-paper copies signed by Joyce. Large octavo, original red cloth, titles to spine in gilt, top edge gilt, original publisher's yellow cloth slipcase. Signed by James Joyce on the limitation page. In near fine condition.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 137512
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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; Inscribed 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. Inscribed by the author, "For Ruth Dr. Seuss." Fine in an excellent dust jacket with light wear. 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. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very…
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 24005
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First Edition of MacKay’s Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds; With an Autograph Letter Signed
MACKAY, Charles.
Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.
London: Richard Bentley, 1841.
First edition of this classic study of crowd psychology, a compilation of human folly throughout the ages. Octavo, three volumes, illustrated. Bound in three quarter calf over marbled boards, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands. With an autographed letter signed by Charles MacKay in 1867 laid in. In near fine condition with light rubbing to the extremities.
Price: $13,500.00 Item Number: 129387
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Rare First Edition of Leonard Cohen's First Book, One of 400 copies Let Us Compare Mythologies; Signed by Him in the year of publication
COHEN, Leonard.
Let Us Compare Mythologies.
Montreal: McGill Poetry Series by Contact Press, 1956.
First edition of Cohen's first book, which explores philosophy, sexuality, death, a world of violent contrasts that would define his future literary and musical careers. Octavo, original cloth. With five full-page line illustrations by Freda Guttman. Signed by the author in the month of publication on the front free endpaper, “Leonard Cohen May 1956.” Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Uncommon, as reportedly fewer than 400 copies of the first edition were printed (Nadel, 45).
Price: $13,500.00 Item Number: 140463
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"He touched her for the last time and then they turned away from each other and walked off into their different lives": First edition of Ian Fleming’s Moonraker
FLEMING, Ian.
Moonraker.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1955.
First edition, first issue with "shoo" for "shoot" on page 10 of the third novel in the James Bond series and what many critics to be his finest. Octavo, original black cloth. Fine in a fine dust jacket with the spine panel bright. Jacket design by Kenneth Lewis. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example, rare and desirable.
Price: $12,800.00 Item Number: 139218
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“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past": First Edition of George Orwell's Classic Nineteen Eighty-Four
ORWELL, George.
Nineteen Eighty-Four.
London: Secker & Warburg, 1949.
First edition of Orwell's classic dystopian novel. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing and a small chip. Jacket design by Michael Kennard. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. A sharp example, uncommon in this condition.
Price: $12,800.00 Item Number: 147078
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First Editions of William Klein's New York, Rome, Moscow, Tokyo; Each signed by Him
KLEIN, William.
New York, Rome, Moscow, Tokyo.
Various Places: 1956-1964.
First editions of each of the photographers famed city books. Tall quarto, 4 volumes. Each are signed by William Klein, with the caption booklet of New York signed as well. Very good to near fine books in original dust jackets showing some light rubbing and wear. A very sharp set of these volumes.
Price: $12,800.00 Item Number: 115672
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“It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more": First Edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; Signed by J.K. Rowling, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and several other members of the 2009 film cast
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
London: Bloomsbury, 2005.
First edition of the sixth and penultimate novel in Rowling's Harry Potter series. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Boldly signed by J.K. Rowling on the title page. Additionally signed and inscribed by several members of the primary cast of the 2009 film including: Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) on the front free endpaper, Warwick Davis (goblin Griphook) on the half-title page, Emma Watson (Hermione Granger ) opposite the title page, Oliver Phelps (George Weasley) on the copyright page, and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Jim Broadbent (Horace Slughorn) and Julie Walters (Molly Weasley) on the dedication page. Fine in a very good dust…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 142641
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Signed Limited Edition of the Works of H.G. Wells; Additionally inscribed by Him to Lover Elizabeth von Arnim
WELLS, H.G.
The Works of H.G. Wells Including [The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, Etc].
London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1924-27.
One of 20 sets for presentation from an overall edition of 620, this is letter e and Wells has written (Little e), signed by H.G. Wells in volume one, and additionally inscribed by Wells in volume one to his lover Elizabeth von Arnim, "To Little e H.G." With her bookplate to all but two volumes. After her first husband's death, she had a three-year affair with the writer H. G. Wells, then later married Frank Russell, elder brother of the Nobel prize-winning writer and philosopher Bertrand Russell. She was a cousin of the New Zealand-born writer Katherine Mansfield. Her first…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 122895
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"Matilda said, "Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it's unbelievable...": First Edition Of Roald Dahl’s Beloved Book Matilda; Signed by Him and Legendary Artist Quentin Blake
DAHL, Roald; Illustrated by Quentin Blake.
Matilda.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1988.
First British edition of Dahl’s popular story of a young girl, her genius, and her indifferent parents. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by Roald Dahl and illustrator Quentin Blake on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Illustrated by Quentin Blake. Rare and desirable signed by both Dahl and Blake.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 138289
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“Let's go." "We can't." "Why not?" "We're waiting for Godot": First Edition of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot; Inscribed by Him
BECKETT, Samuel.
Waiting For Godot: A Tragicomedy In Two Acts.
London: Faber and Faber, 1956.
First British edition of the author's masterpiece. Octavo, original black cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "For Dr. Murray with all good wishes Samuel Beckett Paris July 1981." From the library of Irish book collector Dr. Philip Murray, author of The Adventures of a Book Collector. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket that shows some light rubbing to the spine. Translated by Beckett from the original French. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed and inscribed by Beckett.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 21046
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First Edition of Federico Garcia Lorca's Romancero Gitano; Signed by Him with a drawing
GARCIA LORCA, Federico.
Romancero Gitano 1924-1927 [Gyspy Ballads].
Buenos Aires: Sur, 1928.
First edition of Garcia Lorca’s classic work. Octavo, bound in three quarters calf over marbled boards. Signed on the title page by Federico Garcia Lorca, who has drawn a face next to his signature. Books signed by Garcia Lorca are exceedingly rare, as he was killed in 1936. In very good condition with a contemporary bookplate of Fernando Ortiz to the pastedown with light rubbing. Ortiz was a Cuban essayist, anthropologist, ethnomusicologist and scholar of Afro-Cuban culture. A very nice example, rare and desirable signed with desirable provenance.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 53005
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Rare collection of six Winnie-The-Pooh prints; with an autograph note signed by both A. A. Milne and Ernest Shepard
MILNE, A. A.; Ernest Shepard.
A. A. Milne and Ernest Shepard Signed Winnie-the-Pooh Print Collection.
1928.
Rare collection of six Winnie-The-Pooh prints specially bound with an autograph note signed by both A. A. Milne and Ernest Shepard. Quarto, bound in hand-made paper wrappers, the collection includes six mounted Winnie-the-Pooh illustrations extracted from issues of Home Chat magazine which were produced by Shepard exclusively for Home Chat in 1928 and never appeared in any of the Pooh books. With a mounted note signed by Milne and Shepard. The prints are titled: Christopher Robin has a Little Something at Eleven; What Christopher Robin does in the Mornings; Christopher Robin gives Extract of Malt all round; Christopher Robin's Green…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 122600
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"I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else": Rare First Edition In Greek of the Author’s Classic Work Zorba The Greek; Signed by Nikos Kazanzakis
KAZANTZAKIS, Nikos.
Zorba The Greek.
Athens: Plateia Syntagmatos, 1946.
First Greek edition, preceding all other editions of the author's most popular novel and basis for the Oscar-winning film starring Anthony Quinn. Octavo, bound in contemporary cloth. Signed by Nikos Kazantzakis on the copyright page. In near fine condition. First editions of Zorba The Greek are of legendary scarcity.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 131303
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“I HOPE I WILL BE ABLE TO CONFIDE EVERYTHING TO YOU, AS I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO CONFIDE IN ANYONE”: FIRST EDITION OF ANNE FRANK’S DIARY, HET ACHTERHUIS; In the exceptionally rare dust jacket
FRANK, Anne .
Het Achterhuis: Dagboakbrieven van 12 Jun 1942 – 1 Augustus 1944. Met een woord vooraf door Annie Romein-Verschoor. [The Diary of Anne Frank].
Amsterdam: Contact, 1947.
First edition of the diary of Anne Frank in the original Dutch. Small octavo, original publisher's white and red paper-covered boards, illustrated with 2 photographic reproductions of the interior of the house, 1 floor plan, and 2 facsimiles from the diary. Introduction by Annie Romein-Verschoor. Very good in the dust jacket which is in very good condition with some professional restoration and tape repairs to the verso, with the second issue in blue. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Exceedingly rare and desirable, especially in the original dust jacket.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 96773
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FIRST EDITIONS OF THE ADVENTURES AND MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
DOYLE, Arthur Conan.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
London: George Newnes, Limited, 1892-1894.
First editions of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic stories starring literature’s most famous detective. Octavo, original pictorial black and gilt-stamped light blue and dark blue cloth, patterned endpapers, all edges gilt. First issues, the first title with the street scene vignette with no text on the street sign and with "Violent" for "Violet" on p 317. In near fine condition, small name. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A superior set, with no cracking to the hinges as is typically seen.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 120890
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Scarce second edition of The First Spelling Primer; or an Easy Introduction to the Art of Reading Adorned with Emblematic Pictures
The First Spelling Primer; or an Easy Introduction to the Art of Reading Adorned with Emblematic Pictures.
London-Derry: Published by G. Douglas, 1795.
Second edition of this scarce 18th century spelling primer. 16mo, original limp paper boards, illustrated with twenty-six small text woodcuts illustrating the Prince's Alphabet, followed by an ABC poem, The Alphabet in Rhime, syllables of two and three letters, easy words, easy reading lessons, the Lord's Prayer, and a publisher's advertisement leaf aimed at children mentioning four other titles: The Ladder to Learning; Manson's Spelling Primer; Manson's Spelling Book; and The Universal Spelling Book. In good condition. Ownership name to the front panel. Housed in a custom folding case. Exceptionally rare with no other copies traced in auction records, nor…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 135238
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"There is no story that is not true, [...] The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others": Review Copy of the First Edition of Things Fall Apart; Signed by Chinua Achebe
ACHEBE, Chinua.
Things Fall Apart.
New York: Astor-Honor/ An Obolensky Book, 1959.
First edition of this "true classic of world literature . . . A masterpiece that has inspired generations of writers in Nigeria, across Africa, and around the world" (Barack Obama). Octavo, original boards. Boldly signed by Chinua Achebe on the title page. Review copy, with the slip laid in, fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Ronald Clyne. First editions are rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 140969
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“He says that courage is a capital sum reduced by expenditure": First Edition of Ian Fleming’s Dr. No; signed by Sean Connery
FLEMING, Ian.
Dr. No.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1958.
First edition in the first-issue dust jacket with Fleming's name printed in black on the spine of the sixth Bond thriller, first state binding (Gilbert's variant A), without the "Honeychile" silhouette; the silhouette was later added to bring it in line with other titles in the series which bore designs on the front board. Octavo, original black cloth. Boldly signed by Sean Connery on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing to the extremities. Jacket design by Pat Marriott. Rare and desirable.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 135314
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"We live, but I wonder whether we learn anything": First Edition of John Steinbeck's The Winter of Discontent; Inscribed by Him to Illustrator and collaborator Wesley Dennis
STEINBECK, John .
The Winter of Our Discontent.
New York: The Viking Press, 1961.
First edition, presentation edition of Steinbeck's final novel, one of only 500 examples with only a few known inscribed examples, which along with The Grapes of Wrath are considered his masterpieces. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Hello Dennis -- We live, but I wonder whether we learn anything John Steinbeck." The reply in a second hand reads, "As I told John -- We don't. Dennis Wesley." The recipient, Dennis Wesley was an illustrator, who illustrated Steinbeck's classic The Red Pony over twenty years earlier. He was also known for illustrating fifteen…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 138829
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First Edition of William Faulkner's Intruder In The Dust; Inscribed by Him to his Cousin
FAULKNER, William.
Intruder In The Dust.
New York: Random House, 1948.
First edition of this classic Faulkner novel, which explores the lives of a family of characters in the South. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Sally Burns William Faulkner 16 April." The recipient Sallie Faulkner Burns was William Faulkner‘s first cousin and was a great friend to Maud, William‘s mother. This was given to her by Faulkner and has remained in the family until now. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of rubbing. Jacket design by E. McKnight Kauffer. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 114816
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First edition of Ambergris: A Selection From the Poems; inscribed by Aleister Crowley to English Zionist Sir Henry Ludwig Mond, 2nd Baron Melchett
CROWLEY, Aleister.
Ambergris: A Selection From the Poems.
London: Elkin Mathews, 1910.
First edition of this scarce collection of Crowley's poetry. Octavo, original publisher's boards lettered in gilt, rebacked, frontispiece portrait. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the rear free endpaper, "Henry Mond from Aleister Crowley." The recipient, Sir Henry Ludwig Mond, 2nd Baron Melchett was an English politician, industrialist and Zionist. He served as Member of Parliament for the Isle of Ely 1923-24 as a Liberal and deputy chairman of Imperial Chemical Industries from 1940 to 1947. Having been brought up in the Church of England, he reverted in the 1930s to his family's original Judaism and became a champion…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 146395
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"I hope you like her": First Editions of Each Volume in the Author’s Alexandria Quartet; Each signed by Lawrence Durrell
DURRELL, Lawrence.
Justine, Balthazar, Mountolive, Clea. [The Alexandria Quartet].
London: Faber and Faber, 1960-1961.
First editions of each of the novels comprising the author's acclaimed Alexandria Quartet, each signed by Lawrence Durrell. Octavo, original cloth, 4 volumes. Justine is a presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "Signed for Christopher hope he finds her good company! Lawrence Durrell 1985." Balthazar, Mountolive, Clea are each signed on the title page, "Lawrence Durrell 1985." Each book is near fine to fine in near fine to fine dust jackets. A very sharp set, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 129876
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“My philosophy is that you can't explain the world. It's too big and it's too crazy and sometimes it's funny and most of the time it's... strange": First Edition of The Town and the City; Lengthily inscribed by Jack Kerouac
KEROUAC, Jack.
The Town and the City.
New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1950.
First edition of the Jack Kerouac's first book. Octavo, original red cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Dave Creviston To Scribner's With Luck To Dave With Luck (f.s) Jack Kerouac." An interesting inscription as Kerouac submitted this work to Charles Scribner's Sons twice, and was rejected both times before being accepted by Harcourt Brace. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional inscription, rare and desirable.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 131371
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The original publisher's Galley Proof of Stephen King's The Plant: Part Three; With King's edits and annotations, approved and signed by him
KING, Stephen.
The Plant: Part Three Stephen King Original Annotated Galley Proof.
Bangor, Maine: Philtrum Press, 1985.
The original publisher's galley proof of Part Three of King's rare unfinished epistolary novel, initially published in parts and sent to his close friends in lieu of Christmas cards. Folded, the proof measures 60 inches by 19 inches with a typed note from King's publisher on the title page and King's inscription, "copy-edit complete. Steve King/." With King's annotations and edits throughout. In near fine condition. Exceptionally rare, a highly desirable rarity for the King collector.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 136241
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First Edition, First Issue of Pearl Buck's Masterpiece The Good Earth; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
BUCK, Pearl S.
The Good Earth.
New York: The John Day Company, 1931.
First edition, first issue with "flees" for "fleas" on page 100, line 17 of the author's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and masterpiece. Octavo, original brown cloth, illustrated endpapers. Near fine in an excellent dust jacket with some professional restoration. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare in the original dust jacket.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 138099
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"But there are no absolutes in human misery and things can always get worse": First Edition of Suttree; Warmly Inscribed by Cormac McCarthy
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. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Barbara with love Cormac." With a photograph laid in of McCarthy with his arms around the recipient and his then wife Ann Delisle. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Jack Ribik.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 142301
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“Tell me. Tell me with your eyes": First Edition of Exiles: A Play in Three Acts; Signed by James Joyce
JOYCE, James.
Exiles: A Play in Three Acts.
New York: B.W. Huebsch, 1918.
First American edition of the author's only play, published simultaneously with the British edition. Octavo, original half cloth. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "James Joyce 2 June 1923 Paris." In near fine condition. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 144094
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First Edition of The Mansion; Signed by William Faulkner
FAULKNER, William.
The Mansion.
New York: Random House, 1959.
First edition of the final novel in the Nobel Prize-winning author's classic The Snopes Trilogy. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed and dated by the author on the title page, "William Faulkner, Oxford Miss 22 Dec 1961." Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco and chemise box.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 146144
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First edition of Langston Hughes' Not Without Laughter; inscribed by him to his editor Bernard Smith
HUGHES, Langston.
Not Without Laughter.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1930.
First edition of Langston Hughes’ award-winning debut novel. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page in the year of publication to his editor, "For Bernard Smith ~ Sincerely, Langston Hughes July 3, 1930." The recipient, American literary editor and critic Bernard Smith began working at Alfred A. Knopf in 1928 and eventually rose to editor-in-chief and managing editor. He notably edited the works of B. Traven, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Langston Hughes, including this, Hughes' debut novel. In near fine condition. An exceptional association copy, inscribed by Hughes to the man that helped…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 129438
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"To my sweetheart, Sylvia": Sylvia Plath's childhood copy of A Little Maid in Vermont; inscribed to her by her mother
CURTIS, Alice Turner [Sylvia Plath].
A Little Maid of Vermont.
Philadelphia: The Penn Publishing Company, 1927.
First edition of the author's children's classic; from the library of Sylvia Plath. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated by Grace Norcross. Presentation copy, inscribed by Sylvia Plath's mother on the front free endpaper, "Feb. 10, 1941 To my sweetheart, Sylvia from Mommy" and with her father, Otto Plath's, embossed library stamp. Sylvia Plath was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Her mother, Aurelia Schober Plath, was a second-generation American of Austrian descent, and her father, Otto Plath (1885–1940), was from Grabow, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany and worked as a professor of biology at Boston University. Plath would have been 8 years old when her mother…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 134822
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Rare First Illustrated Edition in English of Cervantes’ Masterpiece Don Quixote
CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de.
The History of the Most Renowned Don Quixote of Mancha: And his Trusty Squire Sancho Pancha, Now Made English according to the Humour of our Modern Language. And Adorned with several Copper Plates.
London: Printed by Tho. Hodgkin, and are to be sold by John Newton, 1687.
First edition of the first illustrated edition in English of Don Quixote. Folio, bound in three quarters calf over marbled boards, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands. With copper-engraved frontispiece and eight copper-engraved plates, each bearing two images. Translated by John Phillips. In very good condition with all plates present, signature trimmed. A very sharp example.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 133909
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"Who Is Content Only With The Right Word": First Edition of Death of a Naturalist; Inscribed by Seamus Heaney to his Aunt
HEANEY, Seamus.
Death of a Naturalist.
London: Faber and Faber, 1966.
First edition of Heaney's first major published volume. Octavo, original green cloth with titles to the spine in gilt. Association copy, inscribed by the author to his aunt in a contemporary hand on the front free endpaper, "For Aunt Annie: who is content only with the right word. Love, Seamus." Additionally signed by Heaney in full on the title page. Fine in very good dust jacket with sunning to the pink portion of the spine and some overall wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Association copies of this caliber seldom enter the…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 3529
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“Across the yard, brilliant against the façade of pines beyond, a cardinal shot like a drop of blood": First Edition of Cormac McCarthy’s First Book The Orchard Keeper; Signed by the author
MCCARTHY, Cormac.
The Orchard Keeper.
New York: Random House, 1965.
First edition of the author's rare first book. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by Cormac McCarthy on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with some light wear to the extremities, closed tear with archival tape repair. Jacket design by Muriel Nasser. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 140633
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“AMERICA’S SECOND DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE”: RARE "Suppressed Boston Edition" OF WALT WHITMAN’S LEAVES OF GRASS, THE MOST IMPORTANT AND INFLUENTIAL VOLUME OF AMERICAN POETRY
WHITMAN, Walt.
Leaves of Grass.
Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1881-82.
The "suppressed Boston edition" (seventh edition overall) of the most important volume in American poetry, one of 1,010 copies printed. Octavo, original publisher's mustard cloth with gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel, tissue-guarded engraved portrait of the author by Hollyer after the daguerreotype by Gabriel Harrison opposite page 29. BAL 21418. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Dr. C H Shivers from the author." The recipient, Dr. C.H. Shivers was a Haddonfield, New Jersey-based physician, member of the New Jersey Medical Society for Camden County and friend and dinner companion of Whitman's (according to The…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 139829
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“We're forever teetering on the brink of the unknowable, and trying to understand what can't be understood": First Edition of Isaac Asimov's The Caves of Steel; Signed by Him
ASIMOV, Isaac.
The Caves of Steel.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1954.
First edition of the first work in Asimov's acclaimed Robot series. Octavo, original blue boards, red topstain. Signed by Isaac Asimov on the title page. Light wear to the cloth, near fine in a very good dust jacket with some rubbing and wear to the extremities. Dust jacket design by Ruth Ray. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 39015
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FIRST EDITIONS OF THE ADVENTURES AND MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES; In Exceptional Condition
DOYLE, Arthur Conan.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
London: George Newnes, Limited, 1892-1894.
First editions of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic stories starring literature’s most famous detective, with an autographed letter. Octavo, original pictorial black and gilt-stamped light blue and dark blue cloth, illustrated by Sidney Paget, patterned endpapers, all edges gilt. First issues, the first title with the street scene vignette with no text on the street sign and with "Violent" for "Violet" on p 317. Each are in near fine condition with the spine gilt fresh. Each is housed in a custom half morocco slipcase. An exceptional set, most rare and desirable in this condition.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 146225
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“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own": First Edition of Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger In A Strange Land; Inscribed by Him
HEINLEIN, Robert A.
Stranger In A Strange Land.
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1961.
First edition, first issue with code C22 in the gutter of page 408 (Currey, 193) of Heinlein's masterpiece. Octavo, original green cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Forrest K. Dart- All good wishes! Bob Heinlein." Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Jacket design by Ben Feder, Inc. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A sharp example, rare and desirable signed and inscribed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 117628
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First edition of Henry James' The Princess Casamassima: A Novel; an exceptional example from the libraries of Barton Currie and later Maurice Sendak
JAMES, Henry.
The Princess Casamassima: A Novel.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1886.
First edition in book form of one of James's "three formidable novels" published in the 1880s along with The Bostonians and The Tragic Muse. Octavo, three volumes, original publisher's cloth with gilt titles to the spine, half-titles, 2 pages of advertisements at rear of vols. II and III. From the library of Barton Currie with his bookplate to the pastedown and later Maurice Sendak, although not marked. American journalist, author, and book collector Barton Currie contributed hundreds of articles and stories for publications such as New York Evening World, New York Evening Sun, Harper's Weekly and Good Housekeeping in the…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 135364
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Signed Limited Edition of The Works of Thomas Hardy
HARDY, Thomas .
The Works of Thomas Hardy. [Including Far from the Madding Crowd; The Mayor of Casterbridge; Jude the Obscure; Tess of the D’Urbervilles; The Trumpet-Major; Two on a Tower; The Well-Beloved.]
London: Macmillan & Company, 1919-20.
The Works of Thomas Hardy, signed limited edition. Octavo, thirty-seven volumes, bound in contemporary three quarter dark blue morocco, gilt tooling and titles to the spine. The Mellstock edition, limited to five hundred copies. In near fine condition. A very nice attractively bound set.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 53014
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First Edition of Mary Mapes Dodge's Classic Work Hans Brinker; Inscribed by Her
DODGE, Mary Mapes.
Hans Brinker Or, The Silver Skates. A Story of Life in Holland.
New York: James O'Kane, 1866.
First edition of the author's second and best known work. Octavo, original green cloth, gilt titles to the spine. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "Presented to Robert Dale Owen by the author January, 1866." The recipient Robert Dale Owen was responsible for introducing the legislation to establish the Smithsonian. He represented Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives (1843–47). As a member of Congress, Owen successfully pushed through the bill that established Smithsonian Institution and served on the Institution's first Board of Regents. Owen also served as a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1850 and was appointed as U.S.…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 76002
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“Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rage at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light": First Edition of Dylan Thomas' In Country Sleep; Signed by Him
THOMAS, Dylan .
In Country Sleep.
New York: New Directions, 1952.
First edition of this collection of poems, including the first book appearance of "Do not go gentle into that good night." Octavo, original cloth. Signed and dated by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "Dylan Thomas 1952." Fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable signed as Thomas passed away one year after the publication.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 106778
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First British Edition of Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa; King Edward VIII's Copy with his ownership inscription
DINESEN, Isak [Karen Blixen] [King Edward VIII].
Out of Africa.
London: Putnam, 1937.
First British edition of the author's masterpiece, a lyrical meditation of the years she lived in Kenya, from the library of King Edward VIII. Octavo, original cloth. With numerous original photographs and newspaper clippings affixed to the front few pages. Originally from the collection of the author's brother Thomas Fasti Dinesen with two original black and white photographs of him hunting affixed to the verso of the front free endpaper and half-title page above which he has annotated, "My first lion April 6th 1922" and "Shot from boma April 11th 1922 The boma only five feet from the hill on…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 110991
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Rare 1925 Printing of the Piano solo and second piano score for Rhapsody in Blue; Inscribed by George Gershwin
GERSHWIN, George.
George Gershwin Signed Rhapsody in Blue Piano Score.
New York: Harms Incorporated, 1925.
Rare 1925 printing of the piano score for the orchestral composition that defined the jazz age, first published in 1924. Small folio, original illustrated wrappers, piano solo and second piano in score. Presentation copy, inscribed by George Gershwin on the title page, "For Mr. Fuerst - with all best wishes George Gershwin." The recipient, Eugene Fuerst, was conductor and director of the Portland Civic Opera Association and the Theater Arts Opera Association. In very good condition with some loss and creasing to the cover and slight toning to the title page. A beautiful signature from Gershwin.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 145285
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“Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit": First Editions of the Works of Moliere
MOLIERE, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin.
Les Oeuvres De Monsieur De Moliere, Reveues, Corrigees & Augmentees (Tartuffe).
Paris: Chez Denys Thierry, 1682.
First complete and first illustrated collected edition, including 6 previously unpublished plays of the works of Moliere. Small octavo, 8 volumes. Finely bound in full crushed red morocco by Pouillet, gilt titles to the spine, raised bands, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, illustrated with engravings throughout. In near fine condition. An exceptional example.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 95843
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"Go the distance - in and out, and up and down": James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time; lengthily Signed by Him
BALDWIN, James.
The Fire Next Time.
New York: The Dial Press, 1963.
Early printing of one of the most influential works on race relations published in the twentieth century. Octavo, original cloth. Lengthily signed by the author on the dedication page, "Go the distance - in and out, and up and down. Jimmy Baldwin." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Paul Bacon. Jacket photograph by Mottke Weissman. Rare and desirable. Signed copies of The Fire Next Time are uncommon; those with such a lengthy inscription exceedingly so.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 145619
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FIRST EDITION OF FAULKNER’S MASTERPIECE AND ONE OF THE GREATEST NOVELS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY THE SOUND AND THE FURY: IN THE RARE FIRST ISSUE DUST JACKET
FAULKNER, William.
The Sound and the Fury.
New York: Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith, 1929.
First edition of Faulkner’s masterpiece. Octavo, original cloth, black and white patterned paper boards. Near fine in a very good unrestored first-issue dust jacket with the iconic design by Kathe Kollwitz on the front panel and a price of $3.00 for the book Humanity Uprooted on the rear panel, with a chip to the spine. Petersen A6.2a. Brucolli & Clark I:121. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 112328
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The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson; Finely Bound in Full Morocco
STEVENSON, Robert Louis.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson [Including Treasure Island; Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Kidnapped].
Various: Various Publishers, 1878-1926.
An extensive collection of forty-nine works by Robert Louis Stevenson, publishing date 1878-1926 to include the Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, Sidney Colvin, Methuen 1899 and The Life of Robert Louis Stevenson by Graham Balfour 1901. 2 vols. Stevenson's Baby Book, John Howell, San Francisco 1922. Cummy's Diary, A Diary kept by Robert Louis Stevenson's nurse, Alison Cunningham 1863. Chatto & Windus 1926. Ltd 734/780; Edinburgh Picturesque Notes by Robert Louis Stevenson with etchings by A Brunet-Debaines. Seeley Jackson and Halliday 1879. Octavo, 49 volumes, bound in dark green morocco, title titles to the spine, raised bands, gilt top edge,…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 136463
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“We all have souls of different ages": First Edition of The Beautiful and the Damned; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
FITZGERALD, F. Scott.
The Beautiful and the Damned.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1922.
First edition, first state of the author's second novel. Octavo, original green cloth, titles to the spine in gilt. Very good in a very good dust jacket with some professional restoration. Jacket illustrated by W.E. Hill. Housed in a custom clamshell box.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 138104
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"The past is never dead. It's not even past": First Edition of Requiem for a Nun; Inscribed by William Faulkner to Editor John Bott and with an original drawing
FAULKNER, William.
Requiem for a Nun.
London: Chatto & Windus, 1953.
First British edition of the sequel to Faulkner's Sanctuary. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper in the year of publication on the title page and with an original drawing by Faulkner on the front free endpaper, "For John Bott William Faulkner New York 3 Mar 1953." The recipient, John Bott was the City Editor of the New York Post who wore leg braces his whole life due to polio. Bott's friend had just brought him the book from London. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Paul Hogarth.…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 144084
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"And people with obsessions, reflected Bond, were blind to danger": First edition of Ian Fleming’s Moonraker; Signed by Henry Blofeld
FLEMING, Ian.
Moonraker.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1955.
First edition, first issue with "shoo" for "shoot" on page 10 of the third novel in the James Bond series and what many critics to be his finest. Octavo, original black cloth. Signed by Henry Blofeld on front free endpaper. Blofeld is the son of Thomas Robert Calthorpe Blofeld (1903-1986) who attended Eton with Fleming and whose name is believed to be the inspiration for the supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket with the spine panel bright and with light wear to the spine extremities. Jacket design by Kenneth Lewis. Housed in a custom…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 107324