Zahn, Johann

Oculus Artificialis Teledioptricus, Sive Telescopium: Ex Abditis Rerum Naturalium Et Artificialium Principiis Protractum Novâ Methodo, Eâque Solidâ Explicatum ac Comprimis e Triplici Fundamento Physico Seu Naturali, Mathematico Dioptrico Et Mechanico, Seu Practico Stabilitum.

Quirini Heyl : Herbipoli [Würzburg], 1685-1686.

First edition of the most important work on the early history and manufacture of microscopes and telescopes; particularly valuable for its illustrations of both simple and compound microscopes of the period, including the type of compound instrument used by Robert Hooke. Folio, three volumes bound into in one in full contemporary vellum, morocco spine labelContinue reading "Oculus Artificialis Teledioptricus, Sive Telescopium: Ex Abditis Rerum Naturalium Et Artificialium Principiis Protractum Novâ Methodo, Eâque Solidâ Explicatum ac Comprimis e Triplici Fundamento Physico Seu Naturali, Mathematico Dioptrico Et Mechanico, Seu Practico Stabilitum."

Holinshed, Raphael

The First and Second Volumes of Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland With: The Third volume of Chronicles, beginning at Duke William the Norman [Holinshed Chronicles].

London : John Harrison, George Bishop, Rafe Newberie, Henrie Denham, and Thomas Woodcocke, 1587.

Preferred second edition of the greatest Elizabethan repository of English history which served as an important source for Shakespeare’s plays. Folios, 3 volumes bound into 2, bound in full calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, red morocco spine labels, gilt ruled, woodcut initials and title pages. Separate title pages and pagination forContinue reading "The First and Second Volumes of Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland With: The Third volume of Chronicles, beginning at Duke William the Norman [Holinshed Chronicles]."

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques

Principes Du Droit Politique. [Du Contrat Social].

Amsterdam : Marc Michel Rey, 1762.

Rare first edition, type B, of Rousseau‘s greatest work. Octavo, bound in full contemporary sheepskin, gilt tooling to the spine in eight compartments within raised bands, burgundy morocco spine label lettered in gilt, stamped turn-ins, marbled endpapers, engraved vignette of Liberty to the title page by Boily after Bolomey, all edges red, ribbon bound in.Continue reading "Principes Du Droit Politique. [Du Contrat Social]."

Swift, Jonathan

Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, first Surgeon, and then Captain of Several Ships. [Gulliver’s Travels].

London : Benjamin Motte, 1726.

First editions of Jonathan Swift’s masterpiece, Gulliver’s Travels. Octavo, two volumes, bound in three quarters contemporary calf over marbled boards, engraved frontispiece of Lemuel Gulliver, woodcut initials, five engraved maps, gilt titles to the spine. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom cloth slipcase. Bookplate to the pastedown and period ownership signature to eachContinue reading "Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, first Surgeon, and then Captain of Several Ships. [Gulliver’s Travels]."

Webster, Noah

An American Dictionary of the English Language.

New York : Published by S. Converse. Printed by Hezekiah Howe - New Haven, 1828.

First edition of pioneering lexicographer Noah Webster’s monumental American Dictionary, arguably the most popular American book ever published and one of only 2500 copies printed. Thick quarto, bound in three quarter polished calf over marbled boards with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, engraved portrait of Webster after Samuel F.B. Morse, unpaginated text in tripleContinue reading "An American Dictionary of the English Language."

Lazovsky, G. [Tsar Nicholas II]

The Coronation of Tsar Nicholas II.

Kiev 1896.

Rare portfolio of photographs by G. Lazovsky depicting the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II. Quarto, original publisher’s blue cloth with black and silver titles and tooling to the front panel, 31 albumen prints on card mounts with the embossed blind stamp of the photographer and the mounts captioned in Cyrillic with printed slips, each imageContinue reading "The Coronation of Tsar Nicholas II."

Thoreau, Henry David

The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of Henry David Thoreau.

Boston : Houghton Mifflin and Company, 1906.

The manuscript edition of the writings of Henry David Thoreau. With the original manuscript sheet by Thoreau from his journal tipped-in to volume 1. The two page manuscript fragment comprises 58 lines from “Autumnal Tints,” in altered form, published in the Atlantic Monthly, October 1862, and collected in Excursions the following year. The fragment concludesContinue reading "The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of Henry David Thoreau."

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 full contemporary calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine. In near fine condition. A nice example,Continue reading "The Law of God."

Kerouac, Jack

The Novels of Jack Kerouac: The Town and the City, On the Road, The Subterraneans, The Dharma Bums, Doctor Sax, Maggie Cassidy, Tristessa, Book of Dreams, Big Sur, Visions of Gerard, Desolation Angels, Satori in Paris, Vanity of Duluoz.

New York/San Francisco : Harcourt, Brace and Company/The Viking Press/Grove Press, Inc./Avon Book Division/City Lights Books/Farrar, Straus and Cudahy/Farrar, Straus and Company/Coward-McCann, Inc, 1950-1967.

First editions of each of Jack Kerouac’s novels. Octavo, thirteen volumes bound in full black levant morocco by the Harcourt Bindery with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, marbledContinue reading "The Novels of Jack Kerouac: The Town and the City, On the Road, The Subterraneans, The Dharma Bums, Doctor Sax, Maggie Cassidy, Tristessa, Book of Dreams, Big Sur, Visions of Gerard, Desolation Angels, Satori in Paris, Vanity of Duluoz."

Conrad, Joseph

The Collected Works of Joseph Conrad. [Almayer’s Folly, An Outcast of the Islands, The Nigger of “Narcissus”, Tales of Unrest, Lord Jim, The Inheritors, Youth: and Two Other Stories, Romance, Typhoon and Other Stories, Nostromo, The Mirror of the Sea, The Secret Agent, A Set of Six, Under Western Eyes, Some Reminiscences, ‘Twist Land & Sea Tales, Chance, Victory, Within the Tides, The Shadow Line, The Arrow of Gold, On Day More, The Rescue].

London : Various Publishers, 1895-1920.

Rare finely bound first edition collection of the writings of Joseph Conrad including a first issue of Almayer’s Folly. Octavo, 23 volumes bound in full crushed crimson levant morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt banes, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, top edgeContinue reading "The Collected Works of Joseph Conrad. [Almayer’s Folly, An Outcast of the Islands, The Nigger of “Narcissus”, Tales of Unrest, Lord Jim, The Inheritors, Youth: and Two Other Stories, Romance, Typhoon and Other Stories, Nostromo, The Mirror of the Sea, The Secret Agent, A Set of Six, Under Western Eyes, Some Reminiscences, ‘Twist Land & Sea Tales, Chance, Victory, Within the Tides, The Shadow Line, The Arrow of Gold, On Day More, The Rescue]."

von Clausewitz, Carl Philipp Gottfried

Vom Kriege. Hinterlassenes Werk. [On War].

Berlin : Ferdinand Dümmler, 1832-34.

Scarce first edition of arguably the most important treatise on political-military analysis and strategy ever written. Octavo, three volumes bound in contemporary half cloth over marbled boards with gilt titles and ruling to the spine. In near fine condition with light rubbing to the extremities.

Tocqueville, Alexis Charles Henri Clérel. Translated by Henry Reeve

Democracy in America.

London : Saunders and Otley, 1835.

First edition in English of Tocqueville’s magnum opus. Octavo, 2 volumes, bound in three quarters period calf over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, half-titles, folding engraved map. In very good condition. An attractive contemporary binding.

Orwell, George

The Novels of George Orwell: Including, Burmese Days; A Clergyman’s Daughter; Animal Farm; Nineteen Eighty-Four; Coming Up For Air; Keeping the Aspidistra Flying.

London : Various Publishers, 1934-56.

First editions of the novels of George Orwell. Octavo, 6 volumes, 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. AnContinue reading "The Novels of George Orwell: Including, Burmese Days; A Clergyman’s Daughter; Animal Farm; Nineteen Eighty-Four; Coming Up For Air; Keeping the Aspidistra Flying."

Purple, N. H. [Abraham Lincoln; William Herndon]

A Compilation of the Statutes of the State of Illinois, of a General Nature, In Force January 1, 1856. Collated with Reference to Decisions of the Supreme Court of Said State, and to Prior Laws Relating to the Same Subject Matter.

Chicago : Published by Keen & Lee, 1856.

First edition of Purple’s Statutes from the law library of Abraham Lincoln and William Herndon. Large octavo, 2 volumes, bound in full contemporary calf with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt. With Herndon’s ownership signature on behalf of the firm to the front pastedown of Vol. I, “A. Lincoln W. Herndon Lincoln & Herndon Springfield”Continue reading "A Compilation of the Statutes of the State of Illinois, of a General Nature, In Force January 1, 1856. Collated with Reference to Decisions of the Supreme Court of Said State, and to Prior Laws Relating to the Same Subject Matter."

Merton, Robert C. [Kenneth Arrow]

The Review of Economics and Statistics: Lifetime Portfolio Selection Under Uncertainty.

Cambridge : Harvard University Press, 1969.

Volume LI of Harvard University’s Review of Economics and Statistics containing Robert Merton’s Lifetime Portfolio Selection Under Uncertainty: The Continuous-Time Case, which introduced the concepts of continuous-time optimization later featured in his landmark work Continuous-Time Finance. Quarto, bound in full morocco with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands,Continue reading "The Review of Economics and Statistics: Lifetime Portfolio Selection Under Uncertainty."

Churchill, Winston S

Marlborough: His Life and Times.

London : George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, 1933.

Signed limited edition of Churchill’s magisterial biography of his notable ancestor John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough; Churchill’s only work produced as a signed limited edition. Quarto, 4 volumes in the original publisher’s full morocco bound by Leighton-Straker with gilt Marlborough family crest to the front panel of each volume, gilt titles and tooling toContinue reading "Marlborough: His Life and Times."

Baxter, Richard

A Treatise of Conversion.

London : Printed by R. W. for Nevel Simmons, 1657.

Rare first edition of this book on conversion by one of the chief pioneers of English Protestantism, and also revered in the United States for his contributions to the cause of evangelism. Octavo, bound in three quarters leather over boards, morocco spine label. In very good condition, owner name to the preliminary blank and heContinue reading "A Treatise of Conversion."

Salinger, J.D

J.D. Salinger Autograph Letter Signed.

1944.

Scarce autograph note signed by J.D. Salinger on April 4, 1944, two months and two days before he saw combat at Utah Beach on D-Day. One page from an oblong octavo autograph album bound in full leather, the note is dated 4/4/44 and reads, “Dear Molly – I just don’t have anything bright to say.Continue reading "J.D. Salinger Autograph Letter Signed."

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de

Second Part of The History of the Valorous and Witty Knight-Errant, Don Quixote of the Mancha.

London : Printed for Edward Blount, 1620.

First edition of the second part of Cervantes’ masterpiece in English. Oblong duodecimo, bound in half leather over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, black and green morocco spine labels. In near fine condition, lacking the engraved title with several words faintly missing on p.Continue reading "Second Part of The History of the Valorous and Witty Knight-Errant, Don Quixote of the Mancha."

Medieval Gregorian Chant Book.

.

Rare Gregorian chant book. Elephant folio, bound in half leather over cloth boards, with sixteen pages of beautiful calligraphy of Gregorian chant on vellum. In very good condition. An exceptional presentation.

Translated by Rabbi Isidore Epstein

The Babylonian Talmud.

London : The Soncino Press, 1935-1952.

First complete English translation and first Soncino edition of the Babylonian Talmud, a revered and significant work of Jewish scholarship. Octavo, 52 volumes in the original publisher’s deluxe full pebbled morocco with gilt titles and raised bands to the spine, gilt Soncino Press insignia to each front panel, gilt-ruled turn-ins and inner dentelles, top edgeContinue reading "The Babylonian Talmud."

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de

El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha: Nueva Edicion, Corregida Por La Real Academia Española.

Madrid : Don Joaquin Ibarra, 1780.

The deluxe illustrated Ibarra edition of Cervantes’ masterpiece “which is to Spanish literature what Shakespeare is to English” (Bloom). Quartos, 4 volumes. Bound in full contemporary Spanish tree calf with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, red morocco spine labels, gilt ruled borders, marbled endpapers, all edges green, engraved frontispiece to each volume andContinue reading "El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha: Nueva Edicion, Corregida Por La Real Academia Española."

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."

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de

El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha: Nueva Edicion, Corregida Por La Real Academia Española.

Madrid : Don Joaquin Ibarra, 1780.

The deluxe illustrated Ibarra edition of Cervantes’ masterpiece “which is to Spanish literature what Shakespeare is to English” (Bloom). Quartos, 4 volumes. Bound in full contemporary Spanish tree calf with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, red and black morocco spine labels, elaborate double gilt-ruled borders, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, engraved frontispiece toContinue reading "El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha: Nueva Edicion, Corregida Por La Real Academia Española."