Literature

Salinger, J.D

Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction.

Boston : Little, Brown and Company, 1963.

First edition of this classic collection of two novellas by the author of The Catcher in the Rye. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, signed by the author on the front free endpaper, “with best wishes J.D. Salinger.” The recipient was a neighbor and friendly with the author in Cornish, New Hampshire. Very good with dampstainingContinue reading "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction."

Farago, Ladislas

Patton: Ordeal and Triumph.

New York : Ivan Obolensky, 1963.

First edition of “the best Patton biography” (Military Bookman), a classic basis for the Academy Award-winning film, starring George C. Scott. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed Ladislas Farago on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Tony Post. Rare and desirable signed.

Rand, Ayn

The Romantic Manifesto: A Philosophy of Literature.

New York : The World Publishing Company, 1969.

First edition of this collection of essays regarding the nature of art. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Ayn Rand on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Tom Lincoln.

Tolstoi, Count Leon. [Leo Tolstoy]. Translated from the French by Clara Bell

War and Peace. A Historical Novel.

New York : William S. Gottsberger, Publisher, 1886.

First edition in English of Tolstoy’s masterpiece, a pillar of world literature. Octavo, six volumes in the publisher’s original pictorial brown cloth stamped in gilt and black, brown coated endpapers, with the cursive imprint in each part. Translated by Clara Bell. In near fine condition. Housed in two custom marbled slipcases. An exceptional set of Tolstoy’sContinue reading "War and Peace. A Historical Novel."

Pasternak, Boris

The Second Birth.

Moscow : Federation, 1932.

First edition of this collection of poems by one of the greatest Russian poets and novelists of the twentieth century. Octodecimo, in the original Russian, original pictorial boards. In good condition with some rubbing.

Rowling, J.K. [Kennelworthy Whisp]

Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

London : Bloomsbury/Whizz Hard Books, 2001.

First British editions of this “amazingly imaginative work” (Associated Press), each volume signed by her. Duodecimo, 2 volumes, original pictorial wrappers as issued. Boldly signed by J.K. Rowling on the title page of each volume. In fine condition. Accompanied by the original plastic packaging depicting a leather schoolbag stating, “Harry Potter’s School Books” and twoContinue reading "Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

Early English Prose Romances I-III: Robert the Deuyll, Robin Hood, and Fryer Bacon.

Edinburgh : Otto Schulze & Co, 1904.

Finely bound edition of this collection of three prose romances from early English literature. Quarto, three volumes, original publisher’s half-cloth, title page vignettes in red and black, pictorial initials, elaborate border designs, with full-page illustrations. In very good condition. Ownership plates to the front pastedowns. Housed in the original brown board slipcase.

Rand, Ayn

El Manantial [The Fountainhead].

Barcelona : Editorial Planeta, 1958.

First Spanish edition of Rands’s breakthrough work and her first major literary success. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Ayn Rand on the dedication page. Near fine in a very good dust jacket.

Sheridan, Richard Brinsley

The Rivals; The Critic; The Duenna.

London : Printed for A. Millar, W. Law, and R. Cater, 1797.

Finely bound editions of three of Sheridan’s most well known and popular comic plays. Duodecimo, three volumes, bound in full red pebbled morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in three compartments within raised gilt bands, triple gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, all edges gilt, gilt inner dentelles, marbled endpapers.Continue reading "The Rivals; The Critic; The Duenna."

Davies, Valentine

Miracle On 34th. Street.

New York : Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1947.

First edition of this modern Christmas classic. 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. In fine condition. AnContinue reading "Miracle On 34th. Street."

Wodehouse, P. G

Uncle Dynamite.

London : Herbert Jenkins, 1948.

First edition of Wodehouse’s hilarious and nonsensical novel. Octavo, original cloth. Very good in a very good dust jacket, inscription to the front free endpaper. Jacket illustration by Frank Ford.

Petrarca, M. Francesco [Petrarch]

Some Sonnets and Songs of the Divine Poet M. Francesco Petrarca.

Shaftsbury : High House Press, 1926.

First High House Press limited edition of this collection of poems made in Laura’s lifetime. Octavo, original publisher’s half-cloth with paper titles to the front panel. One of 105 numbered copies, this is number 76. In very good condition, bookplate. Translated into English by William J. Ibbett.

Sophocles. With a new translation by EF Walting [Raymond Chandler]

The Theban Plays.

Great Britain : Penguin Books, 1947.

First Penguin Classics edition of the thrilling trilogy about the fate of the royal family Thebes. 16mo, original wrappers. From the library of Raymond Chandler with his library stamp to the front free endpaper: Raymond Chandler 6005 Camino de la Costa La Jolla, California OCT 13 1949. Raymond Chandler was a pivotal figure in 20th-centuryContinue reading "The Theban Plays."

Burton, Virginia Lee

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.

Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1939.

First edition of this children’s classic with the date of 1939 on the title page. Oblong quarto, original tan cloth, illustrated endpapers. Near fine in a very good dust jacket, name to the front free endpaper.

Taylor, Thomas [J.K. Rowling]

Harry Potter, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters Original Watercolor.

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Original watercolor of Harry Potter by Thomas Taylor. In 1997, at just 23 years old, Thomas Taylor created the first-ever cover illustration for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, introducing readers to the magical world that would soon become a global phenomenon. A decade later, the artist returned to create this whimsical and brightly coloredContinue reading "Harry Potter, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters Original Watercolor."

Wodehouse, P. G

Piccadilly Jim.

London : Herbert Jenkins, n.d.

Later printing of Wodehouse’s lively comedy novel. Octavo, original cloth. Very good in a very good dust jacket, name to the front free endpaper. Jacket illustration by Frank Ford.

Dickens, Charles

The Works of Charles Dickens [Including: Bleak House; A Tale of Two Cities; David Copperfield; Great Expectations; Oliver Twist; A Christmas Carol; David Copperfield; Dombey & Son; The Old Curiosity Shop; Nicholas Nickleby].

Boston and New York : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1894.

The New Library edition of the works of Charles Dickens. Octavo, 32 volumes bound in three quarter morocco over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, top edges gilt, illustrated. Bookplate to each front pastedown. In near fine condition.

Smith, Wilbur

A Sparrow Falls.

London : Heinemann, 1977.

First edition of the third book in Wilbur Smith’s original Courtney trilogy. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth. Very good in a very good dust jacket.

Perelman, S.J

The Road to Miltown: Or Under the Spreading Atrophy.

New York : Simon and Schuster, 1957.

First edition of Perelman’s critical examination of mid-20th century American society. Octavo, original publisher’s half cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Photograph by Ralph A. Brooks.

Fuller, Alexandra

Leaving Before the Rains Come.

New York : The Penguin Press, 2015.

First edition of the author’s fifth work. Octavo, original half cloth. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Suzanne Dean.

Fuller, Alexandra

Leaving Before the Rains Come.

New York : The Penguin Press, 2015.

First edition of the author’s fifth work. Octavo, original half cloth. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Suzanne Dean.

Austen, Jane

Emma: A Novel.

London : Printed for John Murray, 1816.

First edition of the last of Austen‘s works to be published during her lifetime, with Cooper-Powys family provenance and in a fine contemporary binding. Duodecimo, three volumes bound in three quarter contemporary calf over marbled boards with gilt titles and Greek key ruling to the spines, rebacked with original spines laid down, half-titles. From the libraryContinue reading "Emma: A Novel."

Reiss, Johanna

The Upstairs Room.

New York : Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1972.

First edition, early printing of this poignant autobiographical novel that recounts the author’s experiences as a Jewish child. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To…Franklin from Joanna Reiss June 27 ’73 Las Vegas.” Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Kiyo Komoda.

Drexler, Rosalyn [Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman]

I Am the Beautiful Stranger; The Line of Least Existence: and Other Plays; To Smithereens.

New York : Grossman Publishers; Random House; The New American Library, 1965-72.

First editions of this collection of works from the Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and professional wrestler. Octavo, three volumes, original publisher’s cloth and half-cloth. To Smithereens is a presentation copy, inscribed by the author to American football sportswriter Paul Zimmerman, “To Paul, in admiration, Rosalyn Drexler.” The recipient, Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman (1932–2018), was a pioneeringContinue reading "I Am the Beautiful Stranger; The Line of Least Existence: and Other Plays; To Smithereens."