Philosophy
Rare Philosophy Books for Sale Online
Raptis Rare Books is a trusted antiquarian book dealer of rare and first edition philosophy books. You can view our full collection of these rare philosophy books below where you can sort by title, price, or date to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
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“Suspicion often creates what it suspects"; First Edition of C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
LEWIS, C.S.
The Screwtape Letters.
London: Geoffrey Bles, 1942.
First edition of Lewis' classic novel of spiritual conflict, one of his most celebrated works. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in the rare original dust jacket which is in very good condition. Housed in a custom folding chemise and half morocco slipcase. An excellent example, rare in this condition.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 148106
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William Paley's The Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy; General William Tecumseh Sherman's Copy
PALEY, William [William Tecumseh Sherman].
The Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy.
New York: Collins, Keese, & Co, 1839.
Later edition of this classic book on moral and political philosophy; used by William Tecumseh Sherman while a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Octavo, original calf. General Sherman and his son's bookplates to the front pastedown. Intentionally scratched with "S" multiple times on the front panel by General Sherman. Inscribed by Sherman as a cadet on the front flyleaf, "Sherman Nov. 1st/39." The date indicates that Sherman was in his third year at the academy upon signing this book. While at West Point, Sherman excelled academically, described by fellow cadet William Rosecrans as "one of…
Price: $28,000.00 Item Number: 145971
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"Rousseau's greatest work... the precursor of the French revolution": Rare first edition of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's magnum opus Principes Du Droit Politique, or Treatise on the Social Compact
ROUSSEAU, Jean-Jacques.
Principes Du Droit Politique. [Du Contrat Social].
Amsterdam: Marc Michel Rey, 1762.
Rare first edition, type B, of Rousseau's greatest work. Octavo, bound in full contemporary sheepskin, gilt tooling to the spine in eight compartments within raised bands, burgundy morocco spine label lettered in gilt, stamped turn-ins, marbled endpapers, engraved vignette of Liberty to the title page by Boily after Bolomey, all edges red, ribbon bound in. Provenance: Perrotin-Grandville, notary in Le Mans (ownership inscription to the title page). In very good condition with scuffing to the boards, splitting to the rear lower hinge. Exceptionally rare in a contemporary binding.
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 149605
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"Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life": Second Edition of Jonathan Edwards' A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, In Three Parts
EDWARDS, Jonathan.
A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, In Three Parts.
New York: J. Parker, 1768.
Rare second edition of Edwards' Great Awakening classic. Octavo, bound in contemporary full calf. In good condition with some rubbing and wear to the extremities, toning throughout.
Price: $1,200.00 Item Number: 148000
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First Edition of Mary Lyndon Shanley's Feminism, Marriage, and the Law in Victorian England, 1850-1895; Inscribed to Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SHANLEY, Mary Lyndon [Ruth Bader Ginsburg].
Feminism, Marriage, and the Law in Victorian England, 1850-1895.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1989.
First edition of this comprehensive study of Victorian reforms in marriage law and how it reshapes our understanding of the feminist movement of that period. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles to the spine. Presentation copy, inscribed by Bill Bader on the front free endpaper, "2 June 1997, For Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, The very greatest female jurist the common law world has ever seen, With high personal regard & esteem, Bill Bader." American lawyer and jurist Ruth Bader Ginsburg served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020…
Price: $5,500.00 Item Number: 147831
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"One of the 100 best books of any kind of the 20th century": First Edition of the author's Masterpiece The Origins of Totalitarianism; Signed by Hannah Arendt
ARENDT, Hannah.
The Origins of Totalitarianism.
New York: Harcourt Brace, 1951.
First edition of this masterpiece, by one of the most important and influential thinkers of the twentieth century. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by Hannah Arendt on the half-title page. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Exceptionally rare and desirable signed.
Price: $25,000.00 Item Number: 148282
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First Edition of 50-50 Gender Balance; Inscribed by Angela Z. Allen to Ruth Bader Ginsburg
ALLEN, Angela Z [Ruth Bader Ginsburg].
50-50 Gender Balance: Why We Have to “Get” It and Get It – Now!
Full Circle Living, Inc, 2009.
First edition of this study on balancing our masculine and feminine qualities. Imperial octavo, original pictorial wrappers. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed by the author on the dedication page, "Dear Justice Ginsburg, You are an inspiration for this book and we are honored to be sending you a copy. Our greatest hope is that it ignites imagining countless ways everyone can promote gender balance and its attendant benefits. We welcome your comments and ideas. Sincerely, April Allen, April, 2009." American lawyer and jurist Ruth Bader Ginsburg served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993…
Price: $4,800.00 Item Number: 147835
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First Edition of The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World; Inscribed by Daniel Yergin
YERGIN, Daniel.
The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World.
New York: The Penguin Press, 2011.
First edition of this exploration of global energy. Octavo, original publisher's cloth, illustrated with black and white photographs. Inscribed by Daniel Yergin on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacker design by Tal Goretsky and Darren Haggar.
Price: $150.00 Item Number: 149001
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"Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains": Exceedingly rare first edition in English of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's A Treatise on the Social Compact: Or The Principles of Politic Law; the precursor to the French Revolution
ROUSSEAU, Jean-Jacques.
A Treatise on the Social Compact: or The Principles of Politic Law.
London: Printed for T. Becket and P.A. De Hondt, in the Strand, 1764.
First edition in English of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's magnum opus; a seminal treatise on political philosophy and precursor of the French revolution. Twelvemo, bound in full contemporary calf with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, triple gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, 3pp. advertisements at end. In near fine condition. Exceedingly rare with only a handful of copies traced in auction records, exceptionally rare and desirable.
Price: $40,000.00 Item Number: 148170
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“The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat": Signed First Edition of Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich; In the rare original dust jacket with the prospectus
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 the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good dust jacket, with the rare prospectus laid in. Rare and desirable in the original dust jacket and signed.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 148142
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"A Man is seldom moved to praise what he loves until it has been attacked": First edition of Rehabilitations and Other Essays; signed by C.S. Lewis
LEWIS, C.S.
Rehabilitations and Other Essays.
London: Oxford University Press, 1939.
First edition of one of Lewis' earliest and most substantial books of essays. Octavo, original cloth, top edge black. Boldly by C.S. Lewis on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Provenance: Bookseller's description laid in noting that this copy was signed by Lewis for K.P. Storer. Kenneth Peter Storer (1924-2007) read English at University College, Oxford, where Lewis also studied as an undergraduate some twenty years prior. Though a Fellow and Tutor in English at Magdalen College when Storer was an Oxford student, Lewis would also take English tutorials for University College students as…
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 149316
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First Edition of Attention and Effort; Lengthily Signed by Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Daniel Kahneman
KAHNEMAN, Daniel.
Attention and Effort.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1973.
First edition of the Nobel laureate's influential first book, which claimed that attention can be identified with effort, cemented the association as a research paradigm in the cognitive sciences. Octavo, original cloth. Lengthily signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To an unusually thorough reader, with appreciation! D. Kahneman 4/17/2015." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $6,500.00 Item Number: 148161
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"Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen": Rare First Edition in English of Leonardo Da Vinci's A Treatise of Painting
DA VINCI, Leonardo.
A Treatise of Painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Translated from The Original Italian, And adorn’d with a great Number of Cuts: To which is prefix’d The Author’s Life; Done from the Last Edition of the French.
London: Printed for J. Senex, at the Globe in Salisbury Court; and W. Taylor, at the Ship in Pater-Noster-Row, 1721.
Rare first edition in English of da Vinci's classic treatise on painting. Octavo, bound in full speckled calf, title page printed in red and black, illustrated with engraved frontispiece portrait facing title, thirty-one full page plates, and three folding (thirty-five in total), final two leaves of publisher's ads present after text. In near fine condition. A superior example. First editions are rare.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 148151
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"The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it": First Edition of John Stuart Mill’s Classic Work On Liberty; With a Rare Autograph Letter Signed
MILL, John Stuart.
On Liberty.
London: John W. Parker and Son, 1859.
First edition of this classic work. Octavo, original cloth. With rare autograph letter signed by Mill one page, the letter reads in full, "Mr. Mill presents his compliments to Mr. Ryley and encloses a cheque for £5 to the Garrison Testimonial. Garrison Nov. 3. 1866." Accompanied by the original mailing envelope addressed in Mill's hand and a handwritten note by William Lloyd Garrison that reads, "Admit the Bearer to Mr. Thompson's Lecture. Wm. Lloyd Garrison." In near fine condition with some rubbing to the extremities. Exceptionally rare and desirable.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 148005
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“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety": Rare First Collected Edition of Benjamin Franklin's Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces
FRANKLIN, Benjamin.
Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces; Arranged under the Following Heads and Distinguished by Initial Letters in each Leaf: General Politics; American Politics before the Troubles; American Politics during the Troubles; Provincial or Colony Politics; Miscellaneous and Philosophical Pieces.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1779.
First collected edition of "the only edition of Franklin's writings (other than his scientific) printed during his lifetime" (Ford). Octavo, bound in three quarter olive crushed levant morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in three compartments within raised bands, all edges speckled blue, engraved frontispiece portrait of Franklin, three engraved plates (one folding), and folding table of the reformed alphabet. . Complete with index, addenda and corrigenda. In near fine condition. Contemporary ownership inscription to the frontispiece verso.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 147735
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Rare Autograph Letter Signed By One of the Founders of Modern Political Zionism Theodor Herzl
HERZL, Theodor.
Theodor Herzl Autograph Letter Signed.
Vienna: March 10, 1902.
Rare autograph letter signed by one of the founders of modern political Zionism. Octavo, one page on Herzl's personal stationary, the letter reads in full (translated), "Since our children's current teacher told us that it was difficult for him to find a replacement in the middle of the school year, we have decided to keep him until the exam. For next year, however, we want to entrust our children's lessons to you and will allow ourselves to inform you in good time." In very good condition with toning, splitting along the mail folds, a small loss and cello tape evidence…
Price: $4,500.00 Item Number: 147485
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“We have no means of discriminating between right and wrong if we do not take into account others’ feelings, others’ suffering": First Edition of The Dalai Lama's Ethics for the New Millennium; Signed by Him
HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA,.
Ethics For the New Millennium.
New York: Riverhead Books, 2001.
First edition of this ethical treatise by The Dalai Lama. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldy signed by His Holiness The Dalai Lama on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Mike Stromberg.
Price: $2,000.00 Item Number: 147841
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Rare Limited Signed Edition of You Do Not Have To Love Me; Signed by Leonard Cohen and an original painting by Soheyl Dahi
COHEN, Leonard; Painting by Soheyl Dahi.
You Do Not Have To Love Me.
San Francisco: Sore Dove Press, 2008.
Signed limited issue, "Publisher's copy no. 3", from 26 copies signed by Cohen with an original painting by Soheyl Dahi, Cohen's close friend and the founder of the Sore Dove Press. The object of the poem was the singer-songwriter Nico, who was "idealized by Cohen and made a subject of his worship" (Mesac, p. 91). You Do Not Have To Love Me first appeared in Selected Poems 1956-1968 (1968), alongside a number of other poems that reference Nico. To Cohen, who was still early in his music career, "Nico represented all the women he had ever wanted and the more…
Price: $3,500.00 Item Number: 147664
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"Thank you for your wisdom and your public service. I pray for leaders like you. May the force of evolution be with you": First Edition of Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail; Lengthily Signed by Ray Dalio to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
DALIO, Ray [Madeleine Albright].
Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail.
New York : Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 2021.
First edition of this provocative read read from the legendary investor. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, warmly inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Madeleine- Thank you for your wisdom and your public service. I pray for leaders like you. May the force of evolution be with you. Ray." The recipient, Madeleine K. Albright, was the first woman to serve as the U.S. Secretary of State. She acted under President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2001, leading the United States through foreign policy in the Middle East with the endorsement of military action in Iraq. At the 1998…
Price: $3,000.00 Item Number: 147667
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First Edition of A Magician Among the Spirits; Inscribed by Harry Houdini in the Year of Publication
HOUDINI, Harry.
A Magician Among the Spirits.
New York: Harper & Brothers , 1924.
First edition of this classic work. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Ben Burke Best wishes Houdini May 19/24." In very good condition. Rare and desirable signed as Houdini passed away shortly after publication.
Price: $7,200.00 Item Number: 147702
