Rare books from THE FINE BOOKS COMPANY

*** ASSOCIATION COPY ***THE MARTIAN WAY AND OTHER STORIES, Doubleday, 1955, first edition (so stated of course), slight rubbing to the spine corner tips, else just about fine in a bright vg+ color pictorial dust-wrapper with some light wear and tear to the dust-wrapper spine, extremities and upper front flap fold as well as some very modest rubbing to the rear dust-wrapper panel. A truly scarce book, this one INSCRIBED by the author to one of his publishers. Nice association thus.

THE TWIN SISTERS; A JEWISH NARRATIVE OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, Deptford Bridge: Printed for the Author, 1835, first edition., rubbing to both front and rear marbled boards, marbled paper flaked from the extremities of the foredge and bottom edges, else a tight, bright vg copy bound in half leather with decorated and raised spine. A rare book with the OCLC only noting 4 copies of which 3 are the 1837 reprints !!!

RELATION DU VOYAGE DE MR. EVERT ISBRAND ENVOYE DE SA MAJESTE CZARIENNE A L'EMPEREUR DE LA CHINE EN 1692, 93, & 94, Amsterdam, Chez Jean-Louis De Lorme, Librairie fur le Rockin, a la Liberte, 1699, first edition, 250 pages with both frontispiece and map present, some wear to the fore edge corner tips, else a vg+ copy with just about fine contents void of any foxing whatsoever with attractive marbled end-papers, bound in a full leather 19th century calf binding with faux raised spine of six compartments, one of which is decorative and one which bears the title. A most uncommon work, this volume with a bookplate and a handwritten pencil notation that this is from the library of the Duke of Devonshire. Text in French of course.

History of the Expedition Under the Command of Lewis and Clark to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky Mountains and down the river Columbia to the Pacific Ocean, performed during the Years 1804-5-6 by Order of the Government of the United States / A new edition, faithfully reprinted from the only authoriZed edition of 1814, with copious critical commentary, prepared upon examination of unpublished official archives, and MANY OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION INCLUDING A DILIGENT study of the original manuscript journals and field notebooks of the explorers, together with a new biographical and bibliographical introduction, new maps and other illustrations, and a complete index By Elliot Coues, Francis P. Harper, 1893, 4 volumes complete including all folding maps, a bright vg+ or better set with several inner hinges professionally strengthened and the faintest hint of the previous owners stamp on the title page, bound in the publishers original green cloth with gold-gilt lettering to the… Read More

CHILDHOOD'S END, Ballantine, 1953, first edition, slight rubbing to corner tips, else a tight, bright vg+ copy in like full color pictorial dust-wrapper with some slight wear and minor professional restoration to the dust-wrapper spine tips. One of the authors best and most certainly a highspot in any Science Fiction collection. Among those titles listed in BALLANTINE BOOKS: THE FIRST DECADE, Bailiwick Books, 1987. SIGNED by the author on a bookplate laid in. 

BLACK-BELT DIAMONDS, Fortune and Scott, 1898, first edition, some mild age toning to the t.p.e.'s, very slight rubbing to the corner tips, else a near fine copy. Quite scarce thus. Gems from the Speeches, Addresses and Talks to students. Selected and arranged by Victoria Earle Matthews and with an introduction by T. Thomas Fortune, the later being an important African / American orator, civil rights leader, journalist, writer, editor and publisher.

*** THE TRUE FIRST EDITION ***THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, Chatto & Windus, 1884, first edition, lower corner tips gently bumped, slight soil to small area of rear cover, spine ever so slightly tanned, else a tight vg+/near fine copy in the publishers pictorially stamped cloth with unbroken hinges. Illustrated. The true first edition of this classic work (preceding the American edition), and arguably among the top two or three masterpieces of 19th century American literature. 

*** ASSOCIATION COPY ***WAY STATION, Doubleday, 1963, first edition., near fine in vg+ dust-wrapper. Among the most difficult HUGO winning novels to locate in first edition. Formerly fellow SF writer Hal Clement's copy with his book-plate on the f.p.d. Nice association thus.

THE LAST TYCOON TOGETHER WITH THE GREAT GATSBY AND SELECTED STORIES, Scribners, 1941, first edition, some browning to paste-downs from the chemical reaction between glue and paper, else a bright vg+/near fine copy in a bright vg/vg+ dust-wrapper with 2 closed tears and some professional repair to the upper and lower margins of the dw.

EXPEDITION TO EARTH, Ballantine, 1953, first edition, fine in near fine dust-wrapper with some slight professional repair to a small section of the rear dust-wrapper panel. Actually a choice copy of this book. Clarke's first collection of short stories, this copy SIGNED by him probably near the time of publication. Among those titles listed in BALLANTINE BOOKS: THE FIRST DECADE, Bailiwick Books, 1987.

DOWN ALL THE DAYS, Secker & Warburg, 1970, first edition, fine in vg/vg+ color pictorial dust-wrapper with some slight rubbing. SIGNED and dated at time of publication by the author with the added phrase, "Here's to rum!" Rare when encountered SIGNED or INSCRIBED.

AVENTURES D'ALICE AU PAYS DES MERVEILLES, Macmillan, 1869, first French edition, some wear to the spine extremities, inner hinges just barely starting, else a tight, bright vg or better copy in the publishers original blue cloth binding with all page edges gilt, spine lettering gold-gilt, triple rules to both covers likewise in gold-gilt as well as the circle encased Alice avec cochon on the front cover and the similar circle encased Cheshire Cat on the rear cover.

POEMS, Knopf, 1920, first edition, old faint moisture stain to the bottom of the spine which seems to wrap around to the bottom of the rear cover, previous owners name stamp to 5 pages, else a tight vg copy in a worn dust-wrapper with some wear and tear and chipping. Quite scarce in any dust-wrapper. The authors first book published in his birth country, the U.S.

THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS, Walker, 1969, first edition, near fine in like illustrated dust-wrapper with a half inch closed tear to the lower margin of the rear dust-wrapper panel. The first of the authors 2 HUGO winning novels. SIGNED by the author on a bookplate laid in. $3,277 postpaid $2,875

THE TIME MACHINE, Heinemann, 1895, first English edition. some light dust-soiling to front cloth cover and to the spine, the rear panel likewise with some faint lightened spots, some tanning to the end-papers, else a tight vg copy, this one with no advertisemenrs. The authors first novel, a round trip to the year 802,701 and beyond. Most certainly a high spot of modern literature (and needless to say, a cornerstone acquisition in the building of a science fiction library).