Dickens, Charles

The Personal History of David Copperfield.

London : Bradbury and Evans, May 1849-November 1850.

First edition in parts of “the most perfect of all the Dickens novels” (Virginia Woolf). Original serial issue. Twenty parts in nineteen, octavo four to thirty-two pages of preliminary advertisements; text continuously paginated 1-624; eight leaves of preliminaries follow text in final part. Frontispiece, vignette title-page and thirty-eight additional inserted plates, the majority with tissueContinue reading "The Personal History of David Copperfield."

Schola Italica Artis Pictoriae sive Tabulae insigniores in Romanis Pinacothecis Adservatae.

Rome : Petri Pauli Montagnani-Mirabili, 1806.

Rare first edition of Schola Italica Artis Pictoriae sive Tabulae insigniores in Romanis Pinacothecis Adservatae. Folio, bound in three quarters morocco, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, fine engraved pictorial title and 39 plates. In very good condition. Rare.

Nobbes, Robert

The Compleat Troller, or, The Art of Trolling.

London : Printed for T. James for Tho. Helder, 1682.

Rare first edition of Nobbes’ authoritative work on the history and methods of trolling. First issue with the engraved hook on page 37 pointing to the right and two woodcut illustrations in the text. Small octavo, bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, marbled endpapers.Continue reading "The Compleat Troller, or, The Art of Trolling."

Doughty, James and Thomas

The Cabinet of Natural History and American Rural Sports.

Philadelphia : J. and T. Doughty, 1830-33.

First edition of “The first color-plate sporting book printed in America”(Grolier/Henderson). Quarto, 3 volumes. bound in contemporary half morocco over marbled boards, top edge gilt. Three engraved titles, 2 engraved portraits, and 57 lithographic plates after Thomas Doughty and others (comprising 53 hand-colored lithographs, one colored etching, two uncolored engravings and one uncolored wood-engraving), 17Continue reading "The Cabinet of Natural History and American Rural Sports."

Homer. Translated by Raphaello Maffei

Odissea Per Raphaelem Volaterranum in Latinum Conversa (The Odyssey of Homer translated by Raphael of Volterra in Latin).

Rome : Per Lacoubum Mazochium, 1510.

One of the earliest Latin translations of Homer’s epic poem, translated from the Greek by Roman Hellenic scholar Raphaello Maffei (Raphael of Volterra). Quarto, bound in contemporary vellum, rebacked, woodcut titles and printer’s device to the title page and at end of text. From the library of Robert R. Dearden, Jr. of Philadelphia with hisContinue reading "Odissea Per Raphaelem Volaterranum in Latinum Conversa (The Odyssey of Homer translated by Raphael of Volterra in Latin)."

Halford, Frederic M

Making a Fishery.

London : Horace Cox, 1895.

Signed limited first edition of Frederick Halford’s extensive guide on the creation of river and stream fisheries for sport. One of 150 numbered copies signed by Halford, this is number 35. Large octavo, original publisher’s full green morocco, gilt titles to the spine, gilt ruled, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, frontispiece portrait of Halford with tissueContinue reading "Making a Fishery."

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."

Boynton, Henry Walcott

Two Editions of the Golfer’s Rubaiyat.

Chicago/ New York : Herbert S. Stone/ Duffield, 1901, 1907.

Both the first and second editions of the Golfer’s Rubaiyat. Octavo, original cloth, two volumes, illustrated throughout. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.

Irving, Washington

The Works of Washington Irving: The Autograph Edition [The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; Rip Van Winkle].

New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1895–97.

The Works of Washington Irving: The Author’s Autograph edition. Octavo, 40 volumes, uniformly bound in full morocco by the Knickerbocker Press, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers, with suede doublures and endleaves. One of 500 sets, this set contains a page of original manuscript by Irving tipped in toContinue reading "The Works of Washington Irving: The Autograph Edition [The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; Rip Van Winkle]."

Horace

Quintus Horatius Flaccus.

London : Gulielmus Pickering, 1824.

Rare second Pickering Diamond edition, large paper issue, with an additional engraved title page. 12 mo, bound in full morocco, gilt titles to the front panel, raised bands, marbled endpapers. In very good condition. Housed in a custom chemise and half morocco slipcase.

France, Anatole

Le Puits de Sainte Claire.

Paris : Calmann Levy, 1895.

First edition of this novel by the Nobel Prize-winning French writer regarding tales based on Italian historical characters and events. Octavo, original printed wrappers and glassine wrapper, Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, “Fernand Calmettes son vieil ami Anatole France.” The recipient, Fernand Calmettes was a writer and editor and contemporaryContinue reading "Le Puits de Sainte Claire."

Disraeli, Benjamin

Vivian Grey.

London : Henry Colburn, 1826-27.

First edition of Disraeli’s first novel. Octavo, original gray boards with printed spine labels, 5 volumes, half-titles present in Volumes 2 and 5, as issued; terminal ads in Volumes 1-4. Bookplates to each volume, in very good condition. Housed in a brown cloth clamshell box. Complete first editions are uncommon, especially in the original boards.

Horatius Flaccus, Quintus (Alexis de Tocqueville)

Horatii Opera (The Complete Works of Horace).

John Pine : London, 1733-37.

First Pine edition of the collected works of ancient Roman poet and political figure Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace), “the most elegant of English eighteenth-century books in which text and illustrations alike are entirely engraved” (Ray). French statesman Alexis de Tocqueville’s copy, inscribed to him by his father in Volume I, “Donné à mon fils AlexisContinue reading "Horatii Opera (The Complete Works of Horace)."

Campbell, John

A Political Survey of Britain: Being a Series of Reflections on the Situation, Lands, Inhabitants, Revenues, Colonies, and Commerce of This Island.

Dublin : T. Ewing and C. Jenkin, 1775.

Rare second edition of John Campbell’s classic survey of late sixteenth century Britain. Octavo, four volumes, bound in full contemporary calf, raised bands, red and green morocco spine labels, gilt titles. In good condition.    

Boswell, James

The Life of Johnson.

London : Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, in The Poultry, 1791.

First edition, first issue of both volumes of the most celebrated biography in the English language, which was published on May 16, 1791 in a print run of only 1,750 copies. Quarto, bound in contemporary half calf over marbled boards. Frontispiece portrait of Samuel Johnson, engraved by J. Heath after the Sir Joshua Reynolds (1756) painting. Volume one isContinue reading "The Life of Johnson."

Voltaire (Arouet, François-Marie)

Vie de Moliere.

Lausanne : Chez Francois Grasset & Comp, 1772.

Early edition of Voltaire’s biography of one of the most influential and widely translated writers of all time. Octavo, bound in full sprinkled sheepskin. Gilt titles and tooling to the spine, pictorial endpapers, all edges red, ribbon bound in. In very good condition with some rubbing to the extremities. Tasteful period bookplate.

Stevenson, Robert Louis

The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson [Including Treasure Island; Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Kidnapped].

Edinburgh : Printed by T. and A. Constable for Longmans, Green and Company, 1894.

Edinburgh edition of the Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, often considered the finest edition of Stevenson due to the paper quality used. Octavo,  complete set, 34 volumes, bound in full contemporary morocco, gilt titles to the spine, top edges gilt, gilt turn-ins. In fine condition. An exceptional set.

Halley, Edmond

Astronomical Tables with Precepts both in English and Latin for Computing the Places of the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Comets.

London : Printed for William Innys, 1752.

First edition in English of Halley’s classic work. Quarto, bound in contemporary full calf, gilt titles to the spine, gilt embossed stamp of The Society of Writers to the Signet on the front and rear panel, copper-engraved frontispiece portrait. Edited by John Bevis. In very good condition with light rubbing and wear.

Muir, John

The Writings of John Muir: The Manuscript Edition. [Including: My First Summer in the Sierra, Travels in Alaska, The Mountains of California, The Story of My Youth and Childhood,Our National Parks, The Cruise of the Corwin, Steep Trails, Life and Letters, Etc.].

Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916-24.

The Manuscript edition of The Writings of John Muir. Octavo, 10 volumes, bound in original special deluxe three quarters morocco over marbled boards, leather edges ruled in gilt, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, matching endpapers, top edges gilt. With volumes 1 through 8 of this set each containing an original gelatinContinue reading "The Writings of John Muir: The Manuscript Edition. [Including: My First Summer in the Sierra, Travels in Alaska, The Mountains of California, The Story of My Youth and Childhood,Our National Parks, The Cruise of the Corwin, Steep Trails, Life and Letters, Etc.]."

Dodge, Mary Mapes

Hans Brinker Or, The Silver Skates. A Story of Life in Holland.

New York : James O'Kane, 1866.

First edition of the author’s second and best known work. Octavo, original green cloth, gilt titles to the spine. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, “Presented to Robert Dale Owen by the author January, 1866.” The recipient Robert Dale Owen was responsible for introducing the legislation to establish the Smithsonian. HeContinue reading "Hans Brinker Or, The Silver Skates. A Story of Life in Holland."

Sterne, Laurence

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy.

London : T. Becket, 1777.

Finely bound set of Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. Octavo, 6 volumes, bound in contemporary full polished brown calf, black morocco spine labels, smooth spines with gilt rules and decorations, marbled endpapers. Frontispiece in volume one after Hogarth. In near fine condition.

Twain, Mark [Samuel L. Clemens]

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn [Tom Sawyer’s Comrade].

New York : Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.

First edition, first issue of Twain’s masterpiece, one of approximately 500 copies bound in publisher’s three-quarters morocco binding. Octavo, original three-quarters brown morocco and marbled boards, gilt-decorated spine, marbled endpapers. Lithographic frontispiece and with 174 illustrations by E.W. Kemble, photographic portrait frontispiece of the bust of Mark Twain by Karl Gerhardt. Copies of Huckleberry FinnContinue reading "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn [Tom Sawyer’s Comrade]."

Photographic View Book of China, Manchuria, and Korea.

Japan c. 1930.

First edition, oblong quarto, original boards. Gilt-lettered cloth, string-bound. Text in Japanese with captions in both Chinese and English. Illustrated with  photographs throughout, large folding panorama of the Great Wall of China; folding map of Korea, Manchuria and portions of northeastern China. A unique record of history.

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 contemporary polished calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, rebacked. Lightly rubbed, moderate wear. A veryContinue reading "The Law of God."