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Literature

Rare & Classic, American or English Literature Books for Sale Online

Browse rare first edition classics in American, English, world literature, poetry, and plays. View our entire collection of rare literature below, search our inventory with advanced search, or use our sorting tools to find exactly what you’re looking for. Please call with any questions you may have on a specific item or order online today.

Showing items 888-912 of 4680

Petrarca, M. Francesco [Petrarch]

Some Sonnets and Songs of the Divine Poet M. Francesco Petrarca.

Shaftsbury : High House Press, 1926.

First High House Press limited edition of this collection of poems made in Laura’s lifetime. Octavo, original publisher’s half-cloth with paper titles to the front panel. One of 105 numbered copies, this is number 76. In very good condition, bookplate. Translated into English by William J. Ibbett.

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$275.00
Item Number: RRB-149479
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Sophocles. With a new translation by EF Walting [Raymond Chandler]

The Theban Plays.

Great Britain : Penguin Books, 1947.

First Penguin Classics edition of the thrilling trilogy about the fate of the royal family Thebes. 16mo, original wrappers. From the library of Raymond Chandler with his library stamp to the front free endpaper: Raymond Chandler 6005 Camino de la Costa La Jolla, California OCT 13 1949. Raymond Chandler was a pivotal figure in 20th-centuryContinue reading "The Theban Plays."

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$600.00
Item Number: RRB-149033
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Burton, Virginia Lee

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.

Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1939.

First edition of this children’s classic with the date of 1939 on the title page. Oblong quarto, original tan cloth, illustrated endpapers. Near fine in a very good dust jacket, name to the front free endpaper.

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$3,000.00
Item Number: RRB-150591
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Taylor, Thomas [J.K. Rowling]

Harry Potter, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters Original Watercolor.

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Original watercolor of Harry Potter by Thomas Taylor. In 1997, at just 23 years old, Thomas Taylor created the first-ever cover illustration for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, introducing readers to the magical world that would soon become a global phenomenon. A decade later, the artist returned to create this whimsical and brightly coloredContinue reading "Harry Potter, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters Original Watercolor."

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$22,500.00
Item Number: RRB-150587
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Wodehouse, P. G

Piccadilly Jim.

London : Herbert Jenkins, n.d.

Later printing of Wodehouse’s lively comedy novel. Octavo, original cloth. Very good in a very good dust jacket, name to the front free endpaper. Jacket illustration by Frank Ford.

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$100.00
Item Number: RRB-145044
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Dickens, Charles

The Works of Charles Dickens [Including: Bleak House; A Tale of Two Cities; David Copperfield; Great Expectations; Oliver Twist; A Christmas Carol; David Copperfield; Dombey & Son; The Old Curiosity Shop; Nicholas Nickleby].

Boston and New York : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1894.

The New Library edition of the works of Charles Dickens. Octavo, 32 volumes bound in three quarter morocco over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, top edges gilt, illustrated. Bookplate to each front pastedown. In near fine condition.

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$4,500.00
Item Number: RRB-10986
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Smith, Wilbur

A Sparrow Falls.

London : Heinemann, 1977.

First edition of the third book in Wilbur Smith’s original Courtney trilogy. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth. Very good in a very good dust jacket.

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$50.00
Item Number: RRB-149550
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Perelman, S.J

The Road to Miltown: Or Under the Spreading Atrophy.

New York : Simon and Schuster, 1957.

First edition of Perelman’s critical examination of mid-20th century American society. Octavo, original publisher’s half cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Photograph by Ralph A. Brooks.

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$100.00
Item Number: RRB-149025
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Fuller, Alexandra

Leaving Before the Rains Come.

New York : The Penguin Press, 2015.

First edition of the author’s fifth work. Octavo, original half cloth. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Suzanne Dean.

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$50.00
Item Number: RRB-149727
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Austen, Jane

Emma: A Novel.

London : Printed for John Murray, 1816.

First edition of the last of Austen‘s works to be published during her lifetime, with Cooper-Powys family provenance and in a fine contemporary binding. Duodecimo, three volumes bound in three quarter contemporary calf over marbled boards with gilt titles and Greek key ruling to the spines, rebacked with original spines laid down, half-titles. From the libraryContinue reading "Emma: A Novel."

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$60,000.00
Item Number: RRB-149892
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Reiss, Johanna

The Upstairs Room.

New York : Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1972.

First edition, early printing of this poignant autobiographical novel that recounts the author’s experiences as a Jewish child. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To…Franklin from Joanna Reiss June 27 ’73 Las Vegas.” Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Kiyo Komoda.

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$275.00
Item Number: RRB-149806
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Drexler, Rosalyn [Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman]

I Am the Beautiful Stranger; The Line of Least Existence: and Other Plays; To Smithereens.

New York : Grossman Publishers; Random House; The New American Library, 1965-72.

First editions of this collection of works from the Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and professional wrestler. Octavo, three volumes, original publisher’s cloth and half-cloth. To Smithereens is a presentation copy, inscribed by the author to American football sportswriter Paul Zimmerman, “To Paul, in admiration, Rosalyn Drexler.” The recipient, Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman (1932–2018), was a pioneeringContinue reading "I Am the Beautiful Stranger; The Line of Least Existence: and Other Plays; To Smithereens."

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$1,800.00
Item Number: RRB-149446
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McCarthy, Cormac

The Road.

London : Picador, 2006.

First British edition of McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of a post-apocalyptic world, a work of “stunning, savage beauty,” adapted to the screen in 2009 starring Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron. Octavo, original half cloth. Signed by Cormac McCarthy on a bookplate to the front free endpaper. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

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$5,500.00
Item Number: RRB-150594
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Seuss, Dr. [Theodor Geisel]

Oh Say, Can You Say? “Oh my brothers! Oh my sisters! These are Terrible Tongue Twisters!”

New York : Random House, 1979.

First edition of this book of tongue twisters by Dr. Seuss. Octavo, original laminated boards, pictorial endpapers, illustrated throughout. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author opposite the title page, “With Best Wishes to Chuck Meeks Dr. Seuss.” In near fine condition, without dust jacket as issued. Uncommon signed and inscribed.

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$1,850.00
Item Number: RRB-149459
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Dickens, Charles

Great Expectations.

London : Chapman and Hall, 1861.

First edition, second impression of Dickens’ rarest book, one of only 750 copies. Octavo, three volumes bound in full polished calf with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, triple gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt-ruled turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbledContinue reading "Great Expectations."

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$15,000.00
Item Number: RRB-149547
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Hemingway, Ernest

For Whom the Bell Tolls.

New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1940.

First edition, early printing of Hemingway’s third novel, a tragic exploration of love, duty, and the futility of war. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth. Association copy, lengthily inscribed by Ernest Hemingway to his cousin on the front free endpaper, “For Ruth and Malcolm, from their child producing house guest who is very fond of them (whatContinue reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

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$17,500.00
Item Number: RRB-149834
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Frost, Robert; Woodcuts by J.J. Lankes

New Hampshire.

New York : Henry Holt & Company, 1927.

First edition, seventh printing of Robert Frost’s first Pulitzer Prize-winning collection. Octavo, original half cloth, woodcuts by J.J. Lankes. Boldly signed by the author, “Robert Frost Amherst June 1924” on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with some professional restoration. Desirable signed and in the original dust jacket, fromContinue reading "New Hampshire."

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$9,200.00
Item Number: RRB-150182
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Brothers Grimm

Household Stories from the Collection of the Brothers Grimm.

London : Macmillan and Co, 1882.

Finely bound edition of this collection of classic fairytales. Octavo, bound in full dark blue morocco by Kelliegram with gilt titles and floral tooling to the spine, floral ruling to the front and rear panels with pictorial inlays of Red Riding Hood, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, silk moire endpapers, all edges gilt, silk ribbonContinue reading "Household Stories from the Collection of the Brothers Grimm."

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$2,000.00
Item Number: RRB-149423
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Sondheim, Stephen; James Lapine; Adapted and Illustrated by Hudson Talbott

Into The Woods.

New York : Crown Publishers, 1988.

First edition of this classic work, the basis for the Broadway musical and subsequent film. Quarto, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, illustrated. Lengthily signed by James Lapine on the half-title page, “‘Once Upon A Time…’ James Lapine.” Additionally lengthily signed by the illustrator on the half-title page with an original drawing of a bean stock growingContinue reading "Into The Woods."

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$1,500.00
Item Number: RRB-149443
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Jefferson, Joseph

Rip Van Winkle: As Played by Joseph Jefferson.

New York : Dodd, Mead and Company, 1899.

The Dodd, Mead and Company trade edition of Joseph Jefferson’s play adapted to text. Octavo, original green cloth over boards with gilt-stamped lettering and illustration of the Catskill Mountains, top edge gilt, frontispiece, title page vignette, with black and white illustrations throughout. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, “To Ms SadieContinue reading "Rip Van Winkle: As Played by Joseph Jefferson."

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$3,500.00
Item Number: RRB-149442
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Dickens, Charles

Charles Dickens Autograph Note.

1841.

Rare autograph note by great Victorian novelist Charles Dickens. One page, dated ninth June, 1841 and signed in the third person to John Critchley Prince. The note reads in full, “From Mr. Charles Dickens in payment of his subscription to Mr. Prince’s Poems. With every friendly wish that can encourage and cheer him in his onwardContinue reading "Charles Dickens Autograph Note."

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$3,000.00
Item Number: RRB-149428
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Faulkner, William

Intruder In The Dust.

New York : Random House, 1948.

First edition of this classic Faulkner novel, which explores the lives of a family of characters in the South. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by E. McKnight Kauffer. A fine example.

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$975.00
Item Number: RRB-147413
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Baldwin, James

The Fire Next Time.

New York : The Dial Press, 1963.

First edition of one of the most influential works on race relations published in the twentieth century. Octavo, original cloth. Fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Paul Bacon. Jacket photograph by Mottke Weissman.

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$550.00
Item Number: RRB-146299
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Rowling, J.K

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

London : Bloomsbury, 1997.

First paperback edition, later impression of the rarest book in the Harry Potter series, a cornerstone of young adult literature, and one of the best-selling books of all time. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by J.K. Rowling on the half-title page, “To Ashleigh Innes with best wishes JK Rowling.” Additionally signed by coverContinue reading "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone."

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$12,500.00
Item Number: RRB-149836
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