Literature

Sauk City, Wisconsin: Arkham House, 1943 First printing of the first edition. One of 1,217 copies printed, Publisher's black cloth with gilt spine titles, octavo, 458 pages. The fourth book issued by Arkham House. The companion novel to The Outsider and Others. Accompanied by three letters from August Derleth to Clark Ashton Smith, discussing dust jacket art. Also includes a prepublication announcement card and a subsequent information card, as well as a letter from Derleth verifying an order for copies of Beyond the Wall of Sleep. Light rubbing at head and tail of spine and at corners of boards, text block is faintly age toned, but clean, unmarked, and tight in binding. Scarce dust jacket is slightly rubbed at spine head and tail and at corner tips. Overall near fine to fine condition.

Cairo: Bulak, 1868 Book. Very Good. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Rare, the first edition to be printed in Cairo, Bulak press completed in 1285 AH- 1868 Ad. Edited by Nasr al Horini and others. In contemporary fine bindings. Long 8vo, (189, 197, 192, 190, 195, 213, 190, 197, 185, 174, 173, 179, 170, 179, 168, 170, 168, 218, 169, 188 p.) plus one page index for each part..

One of two masterworks were printed in al Jawa'ib press by Ahmad Faris al Shidyaq in its original gilded binging. As published. Heading decoration in the first page, and all edges are marbled. The author's criticism on al Qamus al Muheet by al Fairouzabadi. Al Jawa'ib press was established in 1277 AH. (1861 AD.) and published many works in Arabic in defferent subjects, and few of Turkish.

Paris: Meynial, 1925. First Edition. George Barbier. A complete and excellent set of the five annual issues illustrated with a total of sixty beautiful pochoir plates, complete with decorated pochoir title pages. 'Falbalas and Franfreluches' (Frippery and Finery: Fashion Diaries) represents a literary and artistic collaboration of unusual elegance and sophistication. French illustrator, George Barbier (1882 - 1932) spared no effort in the making of this beautiful collection, using the finest pigments and up to thirty stencils per print to create images of the highest quality reflecting fashionable themes of the day. The plates portray romance amidst exotic lands and ages past, including a native American idyll on the Missouri, a languid mistress cocooned in a hammock in the tropical Antilles, high baroque debauchery, and, of course, a myriad of lovers depicted in Paris at the height of the chic 1920s. Each annual includes twelve pages of fine writing by Barbier's contemporaries in the Parisian scene… Read More

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1926. First Edition. Fine/Fine. First edition, first printing with no damage to type on pages 38, 90 and 248; in a first state dust jacket with lips unbattered. Bound in publisher's green cloth with titles in blind on the upper board, and stamped in gilt on the spine. Fine, almost appearing as new, with bright and sharp gilt lettering. Faint wear at corners and bumping to bottom corner of lower board, creating a tiny, corresponding chip to the dust jacket. A breathtaking copy, one would be hard-pressed to find one nicer.

New York: William S. Gottsberger, 1886. First American Edition. Very Good. Six volumes. First American edition, all first printings with properly dated title pages and publisher's imprint on all copyright pages. Publisher's brown cloth with gilt lettering and black stamping, with volumes ranging from Very Good to Near Fine. Softening to spine ends, with Volume II of Before Tilsit showing shallow loss at spine ends. Volume I of The Invasion with owner name stamp on title page; neat owner name on first page of text of volume II of The Invasion and volume II of Borodino. Bookplate in volume 1 of Before Tilsit and volume I of The Invasion. A handsome set of the first American edition of this classic of Russian literature. Translated from the French edition by Clara Bell.

Paris, Charles Gosselin, 1831.
Two 8vo volumes [205 x 126 mm] of: I/ (4) ll. for the half-title, title and foreword, 404 pp. ; II/ (2) ll., 536 pp. for part 2. Both titles are decorated with Tony Johannot's woodcuts engraved by Porret. Bound in blue half calf, flat spines. Reliure de l'époque.
First edition of the famous and first great novel by Victor Hugo.
Carteret, I, pp. 400-402; Escoffier 870; Vicaire, Manuel de l'amateur de livres du XIXe siècle, IV, 256-257.
This copy belongs to the second state, with the author's name on the title and the fictitious mention "Seconde edition" below the title.
"Since Gosselin's copy appeared at auction (Leroy auction, March, 26-27th, 1931, N°328), it became indisputable that the mention of a second or third edition doesn't take anything from the first edition nature of a book.
Gosselin-Leroy's copy bore indeed on a fourth edition of Notre-Dame de Paris, 1831, the following autograph note:
'First edition published in 1100 copies that have been, following the… Read More

Charles Dickens. The Nonesuch Press, London, 1937 - 1939, 23 volumes and a book-form case (titled "Plate"), containing a woodcut plate entitled "Leaving the Old Curiosity Shop," drawn by George Cattermole for Chapman & Hall, Ltd., a print of the woodcut, and letter from Chapman & Hall guaranteeing the plate's authenticity. Edited by Arthur Waugh, Hugh Walpole, Walter Dexter and Thomas Hatton. Limited to 877 copies, a limitation based on the number of illustrations in the first editions of Dickens, where each set received one of the 877 illustration wood or steel blocks. Each volume with the Ex Libris bookplate of Carlotta and Eugene O'Neill. Carlotta's fourth marriage was to O'Neill; his third marriage. O'Neill had instructed his publisher to wait 25 years after his death before publishing Long Day's Journey Into Night, however, Carlotta took the play to another publisher, whereupon it was published less than 18 months after O'Neill died. The play was produced in 1956 on Broadway and won a Pulitzer… Read More

Due tomi in-folio; cc. (7), pp. IV, c. (1), pp. LXXXI, 211; c. (1); pp. 366, c. (1). Cartonatura editoriale originale. Qualche abile restauro ai dorsi delle legature, leggermente allentate, tuttavia splendida copia a pieni margini. A splendid copy with uncut margins, preserved in its original editorial orange boards.Iniziata da Bodoni e portata a termine dalla vedova del celebre stampatore, Margherita Paola Dall'Aglio (Parma, 1758 – Parma, 1841), quest'edizione reca nelle pagine precedenti il frontespizio: "Imprimé par ordre de Sa Majesté Joachim Napoleon Roi des Deux Siciles pour l'instruction de son Fils Ainé S.A.R. le Prince Achille Napoleon". Brunet, III, 754: "Édition magnifique"; Brooks, 1149: "E' una delle più belle edizioni bodoniane"; De Lama, II, p. 213.

Paris, Gabriel Quinet, 1662.
12mo [144 x 88 mm] of (11) ll., pp. 9 to 76, (1) l. with the extract of the privilege.
Full red Jansenist morocco, spine ribbed, inner gilt border, gilt edges. Binding signed Trautz-Bauzonnet.
Precious first edition of the " facheux " first comedy-ballet composed by Moliere.
Guibert, I, p.75 ; Lacroix n°7; Tchemerzine, IV, 770 ; Ruble, 357.
This comedie-ballet was first performed on August 17, 1661 at Vaux-Le-Vicomte in Fouquet's castle, in the presence of Louis XIV.
This play by Moliere is among the most sought-after, its printing having been disturbed by the arrest of Fouquet.
"A singular anomaly is noticed in the pagination.
The copy is composed of quires comprising 6 leaves each. The first quire signed A begins with the title and ends on the verso of the Epistre au Roy, which is blank. The second quire signed A begins with the Preface and ends on page 10, that is to say on the back of the first leaf of the piece. Usually, this page 10 should be numbered 12, the recto… Read More

London: Cassell & Company, 1883. First edition, first issue with "dead man's chest" not capitalized on pp. 2 and 7; The first letter for "rain" or "vain" in the last line of p. 40 is broken so we can't tell which state it is; the "a" is not present in line 6 of p. 63; the "8" is not present in the pagination on p. 83; the "7" is larger and bolder in pagination on p. 127; the period is lacking following "opportunity" in line 20 of p. 178; "worst" is mispelled as "worse" in the third line of p 197. Treasure Island is listed as having 304 pages on p. 2 of the publisher's advertisements. Octavo (7 1/2 x 4 7/8 inches; 191 x 124 mm). viii, 292, [8 pp. advertisements, "dated 5R-12.83."] pp. Frontispiece map of Treasure Island, printed in four colors and has the original tissue guard. Only 2000 copies of this first book edition published and bound in a variety of cloth colors, no priority. Original rare royal blue diagonal fine-ribbed cloth with covers ruled in blind and spine ruled and lettered in gilt.… Read More

Paris, de l'Imprimerie de P. Didot l'aîné, 1806.
Large folio [464 x 303 mm] of (2) ll., 1 portrait, xcii pp., 194 pp., (3) ll. of Liste des souscripteurs,6 colored plates out of pagination. Quarter red straight grained morocco, elegantly decorated flat spine, olive green morocco lettering piece, gilt edges. Case. Slightly later binding.
The most beautiful ancient editionof Paul et Virginie, illustrated "with a portraitby Laffite, engraved by Ribault and 6 figures by Gérard, Girodet, Isabey, Laffite, Moreau et Prudhon,engraved by Bourgeois de la Richardière, Bovinet, Mecou, Pillement fils, Prot et Roger.
The figures are very beautiful.The touching composition of Moreau and especially his dramatic figure of Virginie's drowning by Prudhon make this volume very interesting." (Cohen, 931).
Graesse, Trésor de Livres rares, VI, 226
Paul et Virginie marks a phase in the French novel. Bernardin de Saint-Pierre crystalized in his work and in this novel, all the travel literature so abundant in those… Read More

The present example was owned by Tolkien's uncle, W.B. Incledon who later gifted it to a friend. Inscribed by Incledon: C.S.C. / from / W.B. Incledon. / Rottingdean / Jan? 1938/
Published in the same year as the first impression, this first colour illustrated edition (second impression overall) is the first time the world saw Middle-Earth in colour. This impression was printed in December of 1937 in an edition of 2300 copies (423 of which were destroyed at the warehouse of the binder, Key and Whiting, in the bombing of London on November 7th 1940). This example with the connection to the Tolkien family is one of a kind and has been held in the consignee's family by descent since 1938. One does presume that the book was originally given to his uncle by Tolkien himself.
First colour illustrated edition. 8vo. A VG+ to near-fine example. Original publishers green cloth. Minor wear to the extremities of the cloth Presentation inscription from Tolkien's uncle. Internally fresh. A one of a kind example with… Read More

London: Printed by W. Stansby and to be Sold by Rich. Meighen, 1616. [12], 1015, [1, blank] with engraved allegorical title by William Hole (Pforzheimer state A). Lacking the rare initial blank, as with Pforzheimer's copy. Volume 1, 1616, pages measure 10 3/8" by 7". a small-paper copy. The title to Every Man Out of his Humour has no border and reads LONDON: Printed by WILLIAM STANSBY , for Iohn Smithwicke (rule) M. DC. XVI. The Dedication, recto G2, is signed "By your true honorer , Ben Jonson". Line 6 verso reads "PVNTERVOLO....; the catchword on recto (G5) is "Naked", on verso "Where"; recto (G6) begins "Where I want arte" ; and eighth line from bottom on verso(G6) reads "But why enforce I this, as fainting? no". The title to Cynthia's Revels is in compartment with LONDON printed by W. Stansby 1616. The tirle for Poetaster , p. 277, is in compartment and reads LONDON, printed by W. Stansby for M. Lownes 1616. Bound in contemporary calf, the late 18th c. bookplate of S.P Peach,Tockington at front… Read More

London: Adam Islip, 1602. Bound in pebbled dark brown calf, the back with five raised bands with ornate gilt decorations, a geometric gilt ruled design to the covers, marbled end papers and edges. Armorial bookplate of J. A. Knowles Renshaw front paste down. Dr. John Alfred Knowles Renshaw (1871-1926) was a noted British physician and book collector. Very Good, the leather rubbed at spine ends, corners, edges and raised bands, final two leafs and errata page repaired at bottom corner not affecting text, undecipherable writing at head of illustrated title page, lacking copperplate portrait of Chaucer surrounded by arms of his Progenie. Internally quite clean, with a few scattered spots of browning in early pages, and small hole to leaf 7 at end. [23], 179, 178-350, 353-376, [13] leaves. Title surrounded by woodcut border. Lacking initial blank [a]1, as always. Woodcuts of Chaucer's arms and of the knight, woodcut initials. Overall a quite pleasing and handsome copy of the Second Speght edition… Read More