Literature
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"For Larry McMurtry with thanks for the pleasure of your company and your good book": First edition, advance reading copy of The Joy Luck Club; inscribed by Amy Tan to Larry McMurtry
TAN, Amy [Larry McMurtry].
The Joy Luck Club.
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1989.
First edition, advance reading copy of Tan's masterpiece. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "For Larry McMurtry with thanks for the pleasure of your company and your good book. Amy 5 Apr '90." The recipient, Larry McMurtry remains best known for his 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Lonesome Dove which was adapted into a television miniseries that earned 18 Emmy Award nominations. McMurtry was also a prominent book collector and bookseller. In 1970 with two partners, he opened a book store in Georgetown, which he named Booked Up and 1988 he opened another Booked Up in Archer…
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 143578
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“Learning softeneth the heart and breedeth gentleness and charity": First Edition of Mark Twain's Classic The Prince and the Pauper; From the library of William Safire
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
The Prince and the Pauper.
James R. Osgood and Company: New York, 1882.
First edition, second state with the Franklin Press imprint on the copyright page and corrected text on page 124 line 1 (corrected from estate to state). BAL 3402. Johnson p. 39-41. Octavo, original publisher's green pictorial cloth decorated in gilt, with one hundred and ninety-two illustrations. From the library of William Safire with his bookplate to the pastedown. William Safire was an important American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He joined Nixon’s campaign for the 1960 Presidential race, and supported him again in 1968. After Nixon’s 1968 victory, Safire served as a speechwriter for him and Spiro Agnew. He…
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 127482
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“Men can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread": First Edition of Native Son; Finely Bound by The Harcourt Bindery
WRIGHT, Richard .
Native Son.
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1940.
First edition, first issue with "A - P" on the copyright page. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. An exceptional presentation.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 145947
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Finely bound edition of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam; with twelve remarkably intricate full color illustrations by E. Geddes
FITZGERALD, Edward; Introduction by A. C. Benson; Illustrated by E. Geddes.
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
London: Siegle, Hill & Co, c. 1919.
Finely bound edition of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, rendered into English Verse by Edward Fitzgerald and reproduced from a manuscript written and illuminated by F. Sangorski & G. Sutcliffe. Quarto, bound in full deerskin with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, gilt borders and blind stamping to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, illustrated with twelve full-color drawings by E. Geddes and engraved borders, initials, and writing by A. Sutcliffe. In very good condition.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 146936
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“Love of life is born of the awareness of death, of the dread of it": First Edition of Ian Fleming's The Spy Who Loved Me
FLEMING, Ian.
The Spy Who Loved Me.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1962.
First edition of the ninth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. Octavo, original black cloth. Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket, bookplate. Jacket design by Richard Chopping. An exceptional example.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 140615
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“For winter's rains and ruins are over, And all the season of snows and sins": The Poems and Tragedies of Algernon Charles Swinburne
SWINBURNE, Algernon Charles.
The Poems and Tragedies of Algernon Charles Swinburne.
London: Chatto & Windus, 1904-1906.
The Large-Paper edition of the poems and tragedies of Algernon Charles Swinburne. Octavo, 11 volumes, bound in three quarter crushed levant morocco, gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt with others untrimmed, ribbons bound in. One of 110 numbered sets, this is number 54. In near fine condition.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 141035
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“I turned to the animal world from the world of men; my heart was heavy with the tragedy of the night": First Edition of Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa; Finely Bound the Harcourt Bindery
DINESEN, Isak [Karen Blixen] .
Out of Africa.
New York: Random House, 1938.
First American edition of the author's masterpiece, a lyrical meditation of the years she lived in Kenya. 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, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In fine condition. An exceptional presentation.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 141302
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"Live all you can; it's a mistake not to": First American Edition of Henry James' The Ambassadors
JAMES, Henry.
The Ambassadors.
New York : Harper & Brothers, 1903.
First American edition of this dark comedy, which Henry James considered his finest work. Octavo, original cloth, gilt topstain. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light toning to the spine.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 142170
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First Edition of Hervey White's When Eve Was Not Created; From the Library of Charlotte Perkins Gilman
WHITE, Hervey; [Charlotte Perkins Gilman].
When Eve Was Not Created and Other Stories.
Boston: Small, Maynard & Company, 1901.
First edition of this collection of short stories; from the library of writer and social reformer Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Small octavo, original pictorial cloth, slip tipped in on the front free endpaper "With the Compliments of the Author." Signed by Gilman on the front free endpaper above the tipped in note. Additionally inscribed by Gilman on the rear pastedown in pencil with her 225 Riverside Drive address and a note to her publisher, which she shared with Hervey White, possibly in reference to her book 'Concerning Children,' "About this size & quality but with paper cover, gilt boards from mss.…
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 145590
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First Edition of C.S. Lewis' The last Battle
LEWIS, C.S.
The Last Battle.
London: Geoffrey Bles, 1956.
First edition of the last novel in Lewis' classic Narnia series. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, contemporary inscription to the front free endpaper. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes. A nice example.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 146232
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First Edition of The Suffrage of Elvira; Signed by Nobel Prize-Winning Author V.S. Naipaul
NAIPAUL, V.S.
The Suffrage of Elvira.
London: Andre Deutsch, 1958.
First edition of Naipaul's second book. Octavo, original blue cloth. Signed by V.S. Naipaul on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light shelfwear. Jacket design by Robert Micklewright. An exceptional example.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 2135
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"I am out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog": First Edition of Saul Bellow's Herzog; Signed by Him and Finely Bound by the Harcourt Bindery
BELLOW, Saul.
Herzog.
New York: The Viking Press, 1964.
First edition of the author's second of three National Book Award winning novels, which was and remains an unprecedented literary accomplishment. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt bindery, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Signed by Saul Bellow on a page bound in. In fine condition.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 142269
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"The mingled smells of hot horse and cold river mist filled my nostrils": First Edition of Dick Francis' Dead Cert
FRANCIS, Dick.
Dead Cert.
London: Michael Joseph, 1962.
First edition of the author's first novel. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Trevor Denning.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 144334
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"How much does one imagine, how much observe? One can no more separate those functions than divide light from air, or wetness from water": First Edition of Elspeth Huxley's The Flame Trees of Thika; Signed by Her
HUXLEY, Elspeth.
The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood.
London: Chatto & Windus, 1959.
First edition of Huxley's autobiographical work based on her early life among white settlers on her father's coffee plantation in Kenya. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by Elspeth Huxley on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, bookplate to the front free endpaper. Jacket design by Rosemary Seligman. Uncommon signed.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 129827
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First Appearane of Ernest Hemingway’s Classic Novel A Farewell To Arms; In the Original Serialized Issues
HEMINGWAY, Ernest.
A Farewell To Arms.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929.
First appearance of the Hemingway's classic novel, serialized in Scribner's Magazine. Scribner's, May-October, 1929. Vol. LXXXV, No. 5-6, Vol. LXXXVI, No. 1-4. Contains the first appearance of the novel published on September 27, 1929. Quarto, original publisher's orange pictorial paper wrappers, each with a design by Rockwell Kent. First and last issues with photographic frontispieces of Hemingway. In very good condition. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A nice example.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 144810
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Rare first edition of David Davidson's Comprehensive finely illustrated Family Bible
DAVIDSON, David.
The Comprehensive Family Bible; Containing The Old and New Testaments, According to the Authorized Version. With Copious Critical, Explanatory, and Practical Notes, and Reflections; A General Introduction, Parallel Passages, Index of Subjects, and Chronological Tables.
Glasgow, Edinburgh, and London: Blackie and Son, 1858.
First edition of Davidson's finely illustrated family Bible. Large quarto, bound in contemporary full calf with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, elaborate decorative tooling to the front and rear panels stamped in blind, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled. Illustrated with numerous hand-colored maps and engraved plates by Holl, Robinson, Knight, and Whitfield including frontispiece and engraved title page. In very good condition. Interior hinges reinforced. A nice example of this popular 19th century illustrated Bible.
Price: $1,600.00 Item Number: 130348
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The Poetical Works of Lord Byron; finely bound with a fore-edge painting
BYRON, George Gordon [Lord].
The Poetical Works of Lord Byron. [Fore-edge Painting].
London: John Murray, 1850.
Finely bound edition of the complete poetical works of Lord Byron. Octavo, bound in full crushed red morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, quadruple gilt ruling and fleuron cornerpieces to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-in and inner dentelles, patterned endpapers, illustrated, frontispiece portrait of Byron. Decorated with a fore-edge painting depicting a portrait of Byron and a landscape. In very good condition.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 135627
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“WE ALL WANT THINGS WE CAN'T HAVE. BEING A DECENT HUMAN BEING IS ACCEPTING THAT”: First Edition of John Fowles' The Collector; Signed by Him
FOWLES, John .
The Collector.
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1963.
First edition of Fowles' debut novel. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed and dated by John Fowles on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, name to the half-title page. Jacket design by Tom Adams. Housed in a custom half morocco and chemise clamshell box.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 139294
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Signed Limited First Edition of Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint; Signed by Him and Legendary Actor Richard Benjamin
ROTH, Philip [Richard Benjamin].
Portnoy’s Complaint.
New York: Random House, 1969.
Signed limited first edition of Roth's breakthrough novel. Octavo, original cloth, slipcase. One of 600 numbered examples signed by Philip Roth and additionally by actor Richard Benjamin, who starred in the 1972 adaptation. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. The slipcase is in fine condition. An exceptional example.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 141291
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“For the scene of suffering is a scene of joy when the suffering is past; and the silent reminiscence of hardships departed is sweeter than the presence of delight": Herman Melville's Redburn
MELVILLE, Herman.
Redburn.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1849.
First edition, second printing of this classic work with the extended publisher’s advertisements at end. Octavo, original plum cloth stamped in blind, spine gilt, yellow endpapers. In very good condition, bookplate.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 144187
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First Edition of Alfred Tennyson's The Lover's Tale; Finely Bound with an Erotic Fore-Edge Painting
TENNYSON, Alfred.
The Lover’s Tale. [Fore-Edge Painting].
London: C. Kegan Paul & Co, 1879.
First authorized edition of this classic poem, following the small "pirated" edition of 1870. Octodecimo, bound in red morocco by Sotheran & Co. with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, elaborate gilt tooling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, decorated with an erotic concealed fore-edge painting depicting a woman posing suggestively for four admiring gentlemen. The term 'fore-edge painting' can refer to any painted decoration on the fore-edges of the leaves of a book which is concealed when the book is closed…
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 146761
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Rare First edition, limited issue of T.E. Lawrence's The Mint; signed by his brother and the book's editor A.W. Lawrence
LAWRENCE, T.E. [A.W. Lawrence].
The Mint: A Day-Book of the R.A.F. Depot Between August and December 1922 with Later Notes by 352087 A/C Ross.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1955.
First edition, limited issue of Lawrence's semi-autobiographical account of his R.A.F. training days. Quarto, original quarter morocco, patterned endpapers, top edge gilt with others uncut. One of 2000 numbered copies, this is number 1039. Although not called for this example is signed by A.W. Lawrence on the limitation page (T.E. Lawrence's brother who edited and contributed to introductory notes to this volume). Near fine in the rare original slipcase which is in very good condition. Bookplate. Rare and desirable.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 117566
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"When you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will": Rare First Edition of Eleanor H. Porter's Pollyanna
PORTER, Eleanor H.
Pollyanna.
Boston: L.C. Page & Company, 1913.
First edition of Eleanor H. Porter's classic of children's literature. Octavo, bound in three quarters calf over marbled endpapers, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, top edge gilt, engraved frontispiece, illustrated by Stockton Mulford. In near fine condition. First editions are uncommon.
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 136742
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"For General Colin Powell- with respect and admiration- always": Irving Stone's The Man; Warmly Inscribed by Him to Colin Powell
STONE, Irving [Colin Powell].
The Man.
London: Cassell & Co, 1966.
First British edition, early printing of this novel which deals with America's first elected black president faces enormous pressures, including impeachment proceedings, soon after he takes his place in the oval office. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For General Colin Powell- with respect and admiration- always Irving Wallace April 23, 1989." The recipient, Colin Powell was a politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American Secretary of State. He served as the…
Price: $1,500.00 Item Number: 140441