Gifts - For Her

Austen, Jane

Emma: A Novel. By the Author of “Pride and Prejudice.”

London : Printed for John Murray, 1816.

First edition of the final novel published during Austen’s lifetime, one of only 2000 copies printed. Small octavo, three volumes finely bound in three quarter leather over marbled boards by Birdsall & Son with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, topContinue reading "Emma: A Novel. By the Author of “Pride and Prejudice.”"

Sumner, Charles. Introduction by Hon. George Frisbie Hoar

The Complete Works of Charles Sumner.

Boston : Lee and Shepard, 1900.

The Statesman edition of the complete works of Charles Sumner, with a three-page autograph letter signed by Sumner tipped into Vol. I. Octavo, twenty volumes bound in three quarter crushed levant morocco over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt,Continue reading "The Complete Works of Charles Sumner."

More, Sir Thomas. Translated by Ralph Robinson. Foreword by William Morris. Edited by F.S. Ellis

Utopia.

Hammersmith, in the County of Middlesex : Printed by William Morris at the Kelmscott Press, 1893.

The Kelmscott Press limited edition of  Sir Thomas More’s “quintessential humanist dialogue” (ODNB), first published in Louvain in 1516. Quarto, original publisher’s limp vellum with gilt titles to the spine, original silk ties, text printed in red and black in Chaucer and Troy types, 2 full-page woodcut borders and initials designed by William Morris. OneContinue reading "Utopia."

Bouvier, Jacqueline and Lee [Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis]

One Special Summer.

New York : Delacorte Press, 1974.

First edition of this delightful memoir written by the Bouvier sisters about their summer in Europe. Folio, original marbled blue paper boards, illustrated with drawings and decorations by both authors. Boldly signed by Jacqueline and Lee Bouvier on the front free endpaper. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Trade editions signed are uncommon.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de; Enric C. Ricart [Illustrator]

The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha.

Barcelona : The Limited Editions Club, 1933.

The Limited Editions Club signed limited edition of Cervantes’ masterpiece, translated and with an introduction by John Ormsby. Quarto, two volumes, printed on Guarro paper, bound in full modern morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in three compartments within raised bands, gilt numbers to the spine, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, tissue-guarded frontispieceContinue reading "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha."

Wharton, Edith & Ogden Codman Jr

The Decoration of Houses.

New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1897.

First edition of Edith Wharton’s first published book. Quarto, original marbled paper boards. Illustrated with 56 plates. In very good condition. First editions are uncommon.

Gault de Saint-Germain, Pierre-Marie. [Marie de Rabutin-Chantal]

Lettres de Madame de Sevigne, De Sa Famille, Et De Ses Amie. [The Letters of Madame de Sevigne].

A Paris : Chez Dalibon Libraire, 1823.

Finely bound 19th century French printing of the Letters of Madame De Sevigne. Octavo, twelve volumes bound in full contemporary calf with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt stamping and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling and blind-stamping to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins, marbledContinue reading "Lettres de Madame de Sevigne, De Sa Famille, Et De Ses Amie. [The Letters of Madame de Sevigne]."

Zohrabian, Hovhannes. [Giovanni Zohrab] [Translator]

The Holy Bible: The Old and New Testaments: An Accurate Translation of the Old Words Newly Brought to Light by the Most Select Penmanship From the Original Hellenic Greek.

Venice : San Lazzaro, 1805.

The first critical edition of the Bible in classical Armenian, translated by famed Benedictine monk Giovanni Zohrab (Hovhannes Zohrapian) nearly 140 years after the first Armenian Bible was printed in Amsterdam in 1666. Folio, bound in full modern calf with gilt titles and five raised bands to the spine, engraved vignette to title page, oneContinue reading "The Holy Bible: The Old and New Testaments: An Accurate Translation of the Old Words Newly Brought to Light by the Most Select Penmanship From the Original Hellenic Greek."

Maugham, W. Somerset

The Moon and Sixpence.

New York : The Heritage Press, 1941.

Finely bound Heritage Press illustrated edition of this classic novel. Octavo, bound in full morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe with gilt titles to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, all edges gilt, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, frontispiece self-portrait of Paul Gauguin, illustrated by Frederic Dorr Steele and Paul Gauguin. In fine condition.

Cisneros, Sandra

The House on Mango Street.

New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.

First hardcover edition of this modern classic of Chicano literature. Duodecimo, original purple cloth, top edge blue. Near fine in a fine dust jacket, mark to the topstain. Jacket painting by Nivia Gonzalez, Author photograph by Rubén Guzmán.

Larsen, Nella

Quicksand.

New York & London : Alfred A. Knopf, 1928.

First edition of Nella Larsen’s first book. Octavo, original cloth. In very good condition. Rare and desirable.

Cook, Mariana [Photographer]; Introduction by Jamaica Kincaid [Ruth Bader Ginsburg]

Generations of Women.

San Francisco : Chronicle Books, 1998.

First edition of this multidimensional visual portrayal of women’s lives. Quarto, original publisher’s cloth, illustrated with black and white photographs. Presentation copy, with a lengthy autograph notecard inscribed by the photographer Mariana Cook to Ruth Bader Ginsburg laid in. The recipient, American lawyer and jurist, Ruth Bader Ginsburg served as an associate justice of theContinue reading "Generations of Women."

Robinson, Marilynne

Housekeeping.

New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1981.

First edition of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s classic first novel. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by Marilynne Robinson on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket art by Robert Sabin. Designed by Cynthia Krupat.

Parker, Dorothy

Enough Rope: Poems.

New York : Boni & Liveright, 1926.

Rare first edition of Parker’s poignant collection of poetry exploring the complexities of human nature. Octavo, original publisher’s half cloth over marbled paper covered boards. In very good condition, name to the front free endpaper.

Geisel, Theodor Seuss. [Dr. Seuss]

On Beyond Zebra.

New York : Random House, 1955.

First edition, first issue of Dr. Seuss’s classic alphabet book. Quarto, original pictorial boards, pictorial endpapers, illustrated. Near fine in a very good first issue dust jacket with the 250/250 price on the jacket flap and ten titles on the rear panel. Uncommon in this condition. One of the notorious six discontinued Seuss titles.

Thompson, Kay. Illustrated by Hilary Knight

Eloise: A Book For Precocious Grown Ups.

New York : Simon and Schuster, 1955.

First edition of the sensational first book in Kay Thompson’s immensely popular Eloise series. Quarto, original publisher’s cream pictorial cloth, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with drawings by Hilary Knight. Association copy, inscribed by the author, Kay Thompson, to the book’s illustrator, Hilary Knight on the front free endpaper, “For my darling Hilary – My God —-Continue reading "Eloise: A Book For Precocious Grown Ups."

Dickens, Charles

Oliver Twist.

London : Bradbury & Evans, Whitefriars, 1846.

First single volume edition of “the most perfect of all the Dickens novels” (Virginia Woolf). Octavo, bound in full polished calf by Sangorski and Sutcliffe with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. With black and white illustrationsContinue reading "Oliver Twist."

Alcott, Louisa May

Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. [with] Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy Part Second. [with] Little Men: Life at Plumfield with Jo’s Boys.

Boston : Roberts Brothers, 1868-1871.

First editions of Louisa May Alcott’s “outstanding achievement of 19th-century American literature” together with its sequels. Octavo, three volumes, original publisher’s emerald green gilt decorated cloth, each volume illustrated with tissue-guarded frontispiece and three plates; those in the first part of Little Women were created by the author’s sister, May. First issue of Little Women with allContinue reading "Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. [with] Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy Part Second. [with] Little Men: Life at Plumfield with Jo’s Boys."

Kurtzer, Daniel C.; Scott B. Lasensky; William B. Quandt; Steven L. Spiegel; Shibley Z. Telhami [Madeleine Albright]

The Peace Puzzle: America’s Quest For Arab-Israeli Peace, 1989-2011.

Ithaca and London : Cornell University Press, 2013.

First edition of this informative account of the United States’ role in attempting to achieve Arab-Israeli peace. Octavo, original publisher’s black boards, illustrated with a map of The Syrian-Israeli Frontier, bookplate to the front pastedown from ‘The Private Collection of Secretary Madeleine K. Albright’. The recipient, Madeleine K. Albright, was the first woman to serveContinue reading "The Peace Puzzle: America’s Quest For Arab-Israeli Peace, 1989-2011."

The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testament. Newly translated out of the originall tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised by his Majesties speciall Command.

London 1672.

Rare 1672 edition of the King James version of the Holy Bible with Geneva Bible notes. Folio, bound in early purple straight-grain morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within double raised gilt bands, gilt ruling and scrolling to the panels, gilt-ruled turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, textContinue reading "The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testament. Newly translated out of the originall tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised by his Majesties speciall Command."

Manji, Irshad. [Madeleine Albright]

The Trouble With Islam Today: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in Her Faith.

Canada : Random House, 2003.

First edition of this deeply personal critique of contemporary Islam. Octavo, original publisher’s wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by author on the dedication page, “Dear Secretary Albright: From one proud feminist and immigrant to another- in the spirit of universal human rights… Best, Irshad (you can reach me through my website or through Bob Benia).” WithContinue reading "The Trouble With Islam Today: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in Her Faith."

Burns, Ric; James Sanders; Lisa Ades

New York: An Illustrated History.

New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 1999.

First edition of this landmark illustrated history of the city that never sleeps. Quarto, original half cloth, heavily illustrated with 500 images in color and black and white. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Carol Devine Carson.

Jones, James

Some Came Running.

New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1957.

First edition of the author’s major second novel about an aspiring Army veteran writer. Octavo, original publisher’s half cloth. Jacket design by Greta Franzen. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket.

Mahdavi, Pardis; [Madeleine K. Albright]

Passionate Uprisings: Iran’s Sexual Revolution.

Stanford : Stanford University Press, 2009.

First edition of this inside look at the sexual politics of Iranian society and the youth revolution that has risen in its wake. Octavo, original sky blue boards, illustrated with black and white photographs. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed by the author on the title page, “For Secretary Albright, with great friendship and admiration, Pardis Mahdavi.”Continue reading "Passionate Uprisings: Iran’s Sexual Revolution."