Literature

Coetzee, J.M

Life & Times of Michael K.

New York : The Viking Press, 1984.

First American edition of the author’s first Booker Prize-winning novel. Octavo, original half cloth. Signed by J.M. Coetzee on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Bascove.

James, Henry

The Soft Side.

New York : The Macmillan Company, 1900.

First edition of this collection of James’ novellas. Octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine. In very good condition.

Qadi Zada al-Rumi (1364-1436) Commentary on al-Hikma, 918 AH [1684 CE].

.

Octavo manuscript in Arabic on paper, consisting of two works, including Fakhr al-Din al-Razi’s (1149-1209) Hashiya ‘ala sharh hidayat alhikma, contemporary blind-tooled leather. In very good condition.

James, Henry

The Other House.

New York : The Macmillan Company, 1896.

First American edition of this terse and startling novel, written just before The Spoils of Poynton and What Maisie Knew, is the story of a struggle for possession—and of its devastating consequences.. Octavo, original cloth. In very good condition.

Pinter, Harold

The Dwarfs.

London : Faber & Faber, 1990.

First edition of this “fascinating work . . . possessing extraordinary power. Masterful” (San Francisco Chronicle). Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Harold Pinter on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket illustration by Andrzej Klimowski.

Zagajewski, Adam

Another Beauty.

New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998.

First edition of the author’s memoirs. Octavo, original half cloth. Lengthily signed by the author on the title page with the following line from this work, which reads, “We find comfort only in another beauty, in others music Adam Zagajewski.” Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Marc J. Cohen. Translated by ClareContinue reading "Another Beauty."

Roth, Philip

Zuckerman Unbound.

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux : New York, 1981.

Uncorrected proof of the first edition. Octavo, original wrappers. Signed by Philip Roth on the title page. In fine condition. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell box.

Koestler, Arthur

Gladiators; Darkness At Noon and Arrival and Departure.

New York : The Macmillan Company, 1939-1943.

First American editions of each work in Koestler’s acclaimed trilogy, including his masterpiece, Darkness at Noon. Octavo, original cloth. Darkness at Noon is signed by Arthur Koestler on the front free endpaper. Each volume is very good in a very good dust jackets with some rubbing and wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshellContinue reading "Gladiators; Darkness At Noon and Arrival and Departure."

Fitzpatrick, Percy

Jock of the Bushveld.

London : Longmans, Green and Company, 1907.

First edition, first issue with drawings of a dung beetle pushing his load with his front legs rather than his back on pages 65, 337 and 457. Octavo, original green cloth, gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel, illustrated throughout. Boldly signed by Percy Fitzpatrick on the title page. In excellent conditionContinue reading "Jock of the Bushveld."

Faulkner, William

A Fable.

New York : Random House, 1954.

First edition of the first novel to win both Pulitzer and National Book Award. Octavo, original cloth. Fine in near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Riki Levinson.

Steinbeck, John

Cup of Gold: A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, with Occasional Reference to History.

New York : Robert M. McBride & Company, 1929.

First edition of Steinbeck’s first book one of about 1500 copies. The publisher printed 2476 copies, 939 of which were remaindered as unbound sheets. Octavo, original cloth. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing to the extremities. Comes with the original publisher’s glassine. Housed in a custom cloth case. Rare, especially in this condition.

Thackeray, William Makepeace [Cosway]

Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero. [Cosway].

London : Bradbury and Evans, 1848.

First edition, first issue of Thackeray’s masterpiece. Octavo, bound in full red morocco by Bayntun Riviere in Cosway-style binding with a miniature portrait of Thackeray inset into the front panel, engraved frontispiece, engraved additional title, and 38 engraved plates, spine in gilt compartments, gilt inner dentelles, all edges gilt, ivory silk doublures. The first issue,Continue reading "Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero. [Cosway]."

Nabokov, Vladimir

The Eye.

New York : Phaedra, 1965.

First edition of this short novel by the author of Lolita. Octavo, original cloth. Fine in a very good dust jacket. Translated by Dmitri Nabokov.

Twain, Mark [Samuel L. Clemens]

Editorial Wild Oats.

New York : Harper & Brothers, 1905.

First edition of this collection of short stories. Octavo, original red cloth, illustrated. Fine in a very good dust jacket with some rubbing and wear to the extremities. Rare in the original jacket.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo

Ralph Waldo Emerson Signed Carte-de-Visite.

.

Carte-de-visite of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Boldly signed by Ralph Waldo Emerson below the photograph. In near fine condition. Matted and framed. Rare.

Freud, Sigmund

Moses And Monotheism.

New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 1939.

First American edition of last book written and published in Sigmund Freud’s lifetime. Presentation copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper, “To dear Poppy from Uncle Sigm. London 1939.” The eldest daughter of Freud’s elder brother, Philipp, Pauline “Poppy” Freud was born in 1873 when Sigmund was seventeen years old. Freud visited Pauline and her parentsContinue reading "Moses And Monotheism."

Beaton, Cecil [Vivien Leigh]

Cecil Beaton’s Fair Lady.

New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964.

First edition of Beaton’s Fair Lady, a witty compilation of his personal diary entries recorded while managing the costume and set design of the 1957 Warner Brothers film starring Audrey Hepburn. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated throughout. Association copy, inscribed by the author to actress Vivien Leigh on the front free endpaper, “For Vivien WithContinue reading "Cecil Beaton’s Fair Lady."

Alcott, Louisa May

Louisa May Alcott Manuscript Leaf.

.

Autograph manuscript page from Louisa May Alcott’s Jack and Jill, Chapter VIII, page 129. One page. The manuscript page reads, “up no capers with that child! The idea of a hot bath in the middle of the day, and him full of dinner, and croupy into the bargain! Wet a corner of a towel atContinue reading "Louisa May Alcott Manuscript Leaf."

Lee, Harper

Harper Lee Autographed Letter Signed.

.

Autograph letter signed by Harper Lee on her personal monogram letterhead, June 26, 2009. The letter is written to her longtime friend Bruce Higgison. It reads, “My own Bruce: You are without a doubt the kindest friend I have, and are the kindest person in general—in the world, that is. In other words, you areContinue reading "Harper Lee Autographed Letter Signed."

Emerson, Ralph Waldo

Ralph Waldo Emerson Autographed Signed Letter.

1864.

Autograph letter signed by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The letter reads, “Concord 8 Feb. 1864 Dear Mrs. Botta, In obedience to your request sent to me through my daughter, I enclose this paper. Yours faithfully, R.W. Emerson.” Double matted and framed with a photograph of Emerson. The entire piece measures 14.5 inches by 17.5 inches. AContinue reading "Ralph Waldo Emerson Autographed Signed Letter."

Twain, Mark [Samuel L. Clemens]

The Curious Republic of Gondour and Other Whimsical Sketches.

New York : Boni and Liveright, 1919.

First edition of Twain’s collection of humorous sketches. Octavo, original half cloth. Very good in a very good dust jacket. Uncommon in the original dust jacket.

Leeser, Isaac

The Law of God.

Philadelphia : C. Sherman, 5605, 1845-46.

First edition of the “first English translation of the Pentateuch in America,” the 1845 Hebrew-English Bible by one of the most prominent and influential figures in American Jewish history. Octavo, 5 volumes. Translated by Isaac Leeser. Bound in contemporary polished calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, rebacked. Lightly rubbed, moderate wear. A veryContinue reading "The Law of God."

Talese, Gay

Honor Thy Father.

New York : World Publishing, 1971.

First edition of Talese’s classic true story of the rise and fall of New York’s notorious Bonanno crime family. Octavo, original boards, illustrated, pictorial endpapers. Inscribed by the author to Rod McKuen, “For Rod With my very best – from one of his admirers- Gay Talese September 1971.” Rod McKuen was an American poet, singer-songwriter,Continue reading "Honor Thy Father."

Lerner, Ben

Leaving the Atocha Station.

London : Granta, 2012.

First hardcover edition of the Lerner’s first novel. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by Ben Lerner on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket.