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Biography and Autobiography

Rare Biography & Autobiography Books for Sale Online

If you are looking for rare or first edition biography or autobiography books look no further than Raptis Rare Books. Browse through our entire collection of rare biographies and autobiographies below, view details about individual books and contact us to ask a question or find out more information.

Showing items 24-48 of 1128

Biden, Joe

Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics.

New York : Random House, 2007.

First edition of “this compelling personal story” (The New York Times). Octavo, original boards, illustrated. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the title page, “Jimmy – I met Paddy – you got ‘good blood’ as my Dad would say Joe Biden 8.18.07.” Fine in a near fine dustContinue reading "Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics."

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$750.00
Item Number: RRB-152045
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Jones, Robert T., Jr. [Bobby] and Keeler, O.B

Down the Fairway: The Golf Life and Play of Robert T. Jones, Jr.

Minton, Balch & Company : New York, 1927.

First trade edition of what many consider the greatest golf book of the twentieth century. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the verso of the frontispiece, “For John with warm regards Bob Jones.” Foreword by Grantland Rice. Near fine in a very good dust jacket.  Housed in a customContinue reading "Down the Fairway: The Golf Life and Play of Robert T. Jones, Jr."

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$12,500.00
Item Number: RRB-150821
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Stowe, Harriet Beecher

Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Or, Life Among the Lowly.

Boston and Cleveland : John P. Jewett; Jewett, Proctor & Worthington, 1852.

First edition of Stowe’s classic and vastly influential novel, “the social impact was greater than any book before or since.” Octavo, two volumes bound in mid-20th century three quarter navy morocco over marbled boards by Blackwell with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, top edgesContinue reading "Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Or, Life Among the Lowly."

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$6,500.00
Item Number: RRB-151975
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Caputo, Philip

A Rumor of War.

New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.

First edition, early printing of Caputo’s unsparing Vietnam memoir, which the Los Angeles Times Book Review called “heartbreaking, terrifying, and enraging. It belongs to the literature of men at war.” Octavo, original publisher’s cloth. Boldly signed by Philip Caputo on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket illustration by Manny Haller.Continue reading "A Rumor of War."

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$600.00
Item Number: RRB-152007
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Wozniak, Steve

iWoz.

New York : W.W. Norton & Company, 2006.

First edition, first printing of this work which “traces the life and times of a brilliant, gifted…individual whose contributions to the scientific, business and cultural realms are extensive” (Bookpage). Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated with black and white photographs. Presentation copy, inscribed by Steve Wozniak on the title page, “For David Woz 2010.05.17.” Fine inContinue reading "iWoz."

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$450.00
Item Number: RRB-151872
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Loomis, Alfred F. [George S. Patton]

Ocean Racing: The Great Blue-Water Yacht Races 1866-1935.

New York : William Morrow and Company, 1936.

First edition of this classic yachting work, signed twice by General George S. Patton. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth stamped in blind and gilt, illustrated. From the library of General George S. Patton with his ownership signatures to the front panel, “G.S. Patton, Jr.” and front free endpaper, “G S Patton June 27 1936.” In 1936,Continue reading "Ocean Racing: The Great Blue-Water Yacht Races 1866-1935."

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$12,500.00
Item Number: RRB-151904
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Berners-Lee, Tim

Weaving the Web: The Original Destiny of the World Wide Web by It’s Inventor.

New York : HarperSanFrancisco, 1999.

First edition of this autobiography by the inventor of the world wide web. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by Tim Berners-Lee on the front free endpaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Written with Mark Fischetti.

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$975.00
Item Number: RRB-151971
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Roosevelt, Eleanor

This Is My Story.

New York : Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1937.

Signed limited large-paper edition of Eleanor Roosevelt’s first autobiography. Quarto, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in five 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, frontispiece,Continue reading "This Is My Story."

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$2,000.00
Item Number: RRB-151877
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La Motta, Jake [Paul Schrader and Robert De Niro]

Raging Bull: My Story.

New Jersey : Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1971.

First edition of this classic work, basis for the Academy Award-winning film, starring Robert De Niro. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with black and white photographs. Boldly inscribed by Jake La Motta and inscribed by Paul Schrader on the front free endpaper and signed by Robert De Niro on the dedication page. Robert De Niro starredContinue reading "Raging Bull: My Story."

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$12,500.00
Item Number: RRB-151878
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Feibleman, Peter

Lilly: Reminiscences of Lillian Hellman.

New York : William Morrow and Company, 1988.

First edition of Feibleman’s intimate memoir of the playwright Lillian Hellman. Octavo, original half cloth. From the library of Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning composer Charles Strouse and his wife, choreographer Barbara Siman, with Strouse’s ownership stamp to the half-title page. Over his 50-year career, Charles Strouse wrote the music for such iconic musical theaterContinue reading "Lilly: Reminiscences of Lillian Hellman."

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$75.00
Item Number: RRB-152239
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Trump, Donald J. with Tony Schwartz

Trump: The Art of the Deal.

New York : Random House, 1987.

First edition of Trump’s first book. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in a contemporary hand on the front free endpaper, “Jan ’88 To Glenn Best Wishes Donald Trump.” Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Robert Aulicino. Jacket photograph by Michele Singer. Accompanied by a letter ofContinue reading "Trump: The Art of the Deal."

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$2,250.00
Item Number: RRB-151961
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Barsky, Robert F

Noam Chomsky: A Life of Dissent.

Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, 1997.

First edition of this intellectual biography about Noam Chomsky. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth, illustrated. Boldly signed by Noam Chomsky on the title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Cover photograph by Elaine Briere. Uncommon signed by the legendary figure.

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$750.00
Item Number: RRB-151853
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Sikorsky, Igor

The Story of the Winged-S: New Chapters and Illustrations on Recent Developements of the Helicopter.

New York : Dodd, Meade & Company, 1952.

First edition, later printing of the autobiography of the Russian-American aviation pioneer and designer of the first viable American helicopter. Octavo, original pictorial cloth, frontispiece, illustrated with black and white photographs many from the author’s collection. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To Dave Postle, With kindest personal regards ofContinue reading "The Story of the Winged-S: New Chapters and Illustrations on Recent Developements of the Helicopter."

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$750.00
Item Number: RRB-148222
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Grant, Ulysses S. [U.S.]

Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant.

New York : Charles L. Webster & Company, 1885-1886.

First edition of the autobiography of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States, which covers his military career during the Mexican War and the Civil War. Octavo, two volumes, original green cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, gilt central emblem to the front and rear panels, patterned endpapers,Continue reading "Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant."

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$1,850.00
Item Number: RRB-151920
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Meir, Golda

My Life.

New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1975.

First American edition of Meir’s autobiography. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Cheryl Asherman.

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$125.00
Item Number: RRB-152149
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McCarten, Anthony [Winston S. Churchill] [Gary Oldman]

Darkest Hour: How Churchill Brought England Back from the Brink.

New York : Harper / An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2017.

First edition of this work detailing Winston Churchill’s first 25 days as Prime Minister in May 1940, basis for the Academy Award-winning film bearing the same name. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in five compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to theContinue reading "Darkest Hour: How Churchill Brought England Back from the Brink."

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$2,000.00
Item Number: RRB-151812
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Schlosser, Joh. Aloys. [Ludwig van Beethoven]

Ludwig van Beethoven. Eine Biographie. [Ludwig van Beethoven: A Biography].

.

Rare first edition of the first biography of Beethoven, printed months after his death. Octavo, original printed pictorial wrappers, frontispiece portrait of Beethoven and a lithograph facsimile of a letter from Beethoven to Abbe Maximilian Stadler. The scarce first biography of Beethoven, published only months after the composer’s death. Though frequently maligned by later biographers, Schlosser’s account remained the soleContinue reading "Ludwig van Beethoven. Eine Biographie. [Ludwig van Beethoven: A Biography]."

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$1,750.00
Item Number: RRB-151907
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Tolstoy, Lev Nikolayevich. [Leo]

The Complete Works of Count Leo Tolstoy.

Boston : Dana Estes & Company Publishers, 1905.

The Edition de Luxe of the complete works of Leo Tolstoy, limited to one thousand numbered copies. Octavo, 28 volumes bound in full elaborately decorated marbled levant morocco with gilt titles, tooling, and three red morocco floral inlays to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, quadruple gilt ruling, botanical gilt scrolling andContinue reading "The Complete Works of Count Leo Tolstoy."

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$25,000.00
Item Number: RRB-151804
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Frank, Anne. [Elie Wiesel]

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.

New York : Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1952.

First edition, early printing of “one of the wisest and most moving commentaries on war” (Eleanor Roosevelt). Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece, illustrated. Boldly signed by Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel on the half-title page. Introduction by Eleanor Roosevelt. Translated from the Dutch by B.M. Mooyaart-Doubleday. The parallels between Frank and Wiesel are striking.Continue reading "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl."

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$5,500.00
Item Number: RRB-151753
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Riley, Jason L [Thomas Sowell]

Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell.

New York : Basic Books, 2021.

First edition of the first comprehensive biography of the influential economist and public intellectual, Thomas Sowell. Octavo, original publisher’s boards. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, “To Rogers, Warm regards JLR.” Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Chin-Yee Lai.

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$225.00
Item Number: RRB-151832
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Cruikshank, George; Laman Blanchard [Editor]

George Cruikshank’s Omnibus.

London : Tilt and Bogue, 1842.

First edition of George Cruikshank‘s Omnibus. Octavo, bound in full morocco by Wood of London with gilt titles and floral tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling and floral detailing to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers. Illustrated with an engravedContinue reading "George Cruikshank’s Omnibus."

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$600.00
Item Number: RRB-148380
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Loomis, Alfred F

Ocean Racing: The Great Blue-Water Yacht Races 1866-1935.

New York : William Morrow and Company, 1936.

First edition of this classic yachting work, a richly illustrated history of major blue-water yacht races from 1866 to 1935, chronicling the development of competitive ocean racing and the personalities, vessels, and maritime traditions that shaped the sport. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth stamped in blind and gilt, frontispiece by Morris Rosenfeld, illustrated with track chartsContinue reading "Ocean Racing: The Great Blue-Water Yacht Races 1866-1935."

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$200.00
Item Number: RRB-151955
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Rivera, Mark with Mike Poncy. Foreword by Ringo Starr

Sideman: In Pursuit of the Next Gig.

Dallas, Texas : Matt Holt Books, 2023.

First edition of renowned musician, musical director, and rock star Mark Rivera’s revealing memoir. Octavo, original boards, illustrated. Signed by Mark Rivera on the half-title page with a modern peace sign. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Brigid Pearson.

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$40.00
Item Number: RRB-151801
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Waldo, S. Putnam. [James Monroe; John Adams; Thomas Jefferson]

Biographical Sketches of Distinguished American Naval Heroes and the War of the Revolution, Between the American Republic and the Kingdom of Great Britain; Comprising Sketches of Com. Nicholas Biddle, Com. John Paul Jones, Com. Edward Preble and Com. Alexander Murray. With Incidental Allusions to other Distinguished Characters.

Hartford : Published by Silas Andrus, 1823.

Rare first edition of Putnam’s work dedicated to American naval heroes of the Revolutionary War including James Monroe, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. Octavo, bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards with gilt titles to the spine. In near fine condition. Armorial bookplate to the pastedown. Rare.

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$5,500.00
Item Number: RRB-120635
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