Kipling, Rudyard

Limits and Renewals.

London : Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1932.

First edition of this fine collection of fourteen short stories. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth with central gilt elephant emblem to the front panel. Near fine in the original dust jacket which is in very good condition.

Kipling, Rudyard

The Art of Rudyard Kipling.

London : Methuen & Co Ltd, 1959.

First edition of Tompkins’ work on Kipling. Octavo, original cloth. Good in a very good price-clipped dust jacket. Stamps and tape remnants to the front and rear pastedowns.

Milton, John. Edited by Sir Egerton Brydges, Bart

The Poetical Works of John Milton.

Boston : Phillips, Sampson, 1857.

Finely bound example of this compilation of Milton’s poetical works. Octavo, bound in full morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, all edges gilt, illustrated with engraved plates. In near fine condition. An exceptional presentation.

Snyder, Gary

Riprap.

Ashland : Origin Press, 1959.

First edition of the author’s first book. Octavo, original wrappers as issued. Limited to 500 copies. Boldly signed by Gary Snyder on the title page. In near fine condition. Rare and desirable in this condition.

Carroll, Lewis. [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson]

The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits.

London : Macmillan and Co., 1876.

First edition of Carroll’s whimsical nonsense poem. Octavo, original publisher’s decorated cloth, all edges gilt, with nine illustrations by Henry Holiday. Near fine in the scarce original dust jacket. The jacket is complete with the top third of the front panel bent behind, hence the different shade of color. Copies of the first edition ofContinue reading "The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits."

Chaucer, Geoffrey. Edited by Rev. Walter W. Skeat

The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer.

Oxford : The Clarendon Press, 1920.

Finely bound example of Chaucer’s complete works. Octavo, bound in full tree calf by Riviere & Son with gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the front and rear panel, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt,Continue reading "The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer."

Tagore, Rabindranath

Gitanjali [Song Offerings].

London : Printed at The Chiswick Press for The India Society, 1912.

First edition of this collection of prose translated by Tagore from the original Bengali, largely for which he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, engraved frontispiece portrait of Tagore with tissue guard present. One of 750 copies printed for the India Society onlyContinue reading "Gitanjali [Song Offerings]."

[Gozzi, Gasparo]

La Vittoria D’Amore Poema. Pubblicato In Occasione de Gloriosi Sponsali Dell’ Eccellenze Loro Il Signor Cavaliere Francesco Morosini P. e la Nobil Donna Loredana Grimani. [The Victory Of Love Poem].

Venezia : Presso Modesto Fenzo, 1772.

Rare 18th century Venetian printing of La Vittoria D’Amore. Quarto, bound in hand painted paper-covered wrappers, illustrated with engravings including frontispiece. In near fine condition. Small bookplate.

Byron, Lord George Gordon

Werner. A Tragedy.

London : John Murray, 1823.

First edition, first state of Byron’s retelling of Kruitzner, or the German’s Tale in Harriet Lee’s Canterbury Tales without “the end” and the imprint on page 188. Octavo, bound in full polished calf with five raised gilt bands to the spine, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles. Lacking the publisher’sContinue reading "Werner. A Tragedy."

Molière. [Poquelin, Jean-Baptiste]

Oeuvres de Moliere. Nouvelle Edition.

Paris : [Pierre Prault], 1734.

First edition, first issue of one of the greatest French illustrated books of the first half of the eighteenth century. First issue with “Comteese” in vol. VI, p. 360, line 12. Quarto, six volumes bound in full calf with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, morocco spine labelsContinue reading "Oeuvres de Moliere. Nouvelle Edition."

Macmunn, Sir George [Rudyard Kipling]

Kipling’s Women.

London : Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd., n.d..

First edition of the former President of the Kipling Society’s study of the women portrayed in Kipling’s song and story. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth with gilt titles and central gilt emblem to the front panel. Very good in the rare original dust jacket which is in good condition.

Brockedon, W. [Lord George Gordon Noel Byron]

Finden’s Landscape & Portrait Illustrations, to the Life and Works of Lord Byron. [with] Finden’s Byron Beauties: or, the Principal Characters in Lord Byron’s Poems.

London : John Murray, 1833-1834; 1836.

First edition in book form of Finden’s celebrated illustrated edition of Byron’s works; uniformly bound with a first edition of Finden’s Byron Beauties. Octavo, four volumes bound in full pebbled calf with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, elaborate gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, all edges gilt. Finden’s Landscape & PortraitContinue reading "Finden’s Landscape & Portrait Illustrations, to the Life and Works of Lord Byron. [with] Finden’s Byron Beauties: or, the Principal Characters in Lord Byron’s Poems."

Lowell, Robert [Erica Jong]

Selected Poems.

New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1976.

First edition of this collection of over two hundred poems, selected by Lowell himself. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “For Erica from Robert Lowell.” The recipient, Erica Jong remains best known for her 1973 novel Fear of Flying which became famously controversial for its portrayal ofContinue reading "Selected Poems."

Frost, Robert

A Boy’s Will.

New York : Henry Holt and Company, 1934.

Second American edition of Frost’s first published work. Octavo, original beige linen cloth, engraved title page. Signed and dated by the poet on the title page, “Robert Frost February 25 1936.” In very good condition. Small ownership name.

Kipling, Rudyard

Many Inventions.

London : Macmillan and Co., 1893.

First English edition of this collection of Kipling’s poems and tales. Octavo, original cloth decorated in gilt. Association copy, inscribed by Rudyard Kipling on the title page in the year of publication to his second cousin by marriage, “Eliot [sic] Balestier from Rudyard Kipling Xmas. 93.” The recipient, Elliot Francis Balestier was the second cousinContinue reading "Many Inventions."

Emerson, Ralph Waldo

The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Cambridge : Riverside Press, 1903.

Autograph Centenary edition with a double sided manuscript in Emerson’s hand bound into volume one. Octavo, 12 volumes, bound in three quarters morocco, elaborately gilt-decorated spines, raised bands, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers. Numerous mounted photogravure illustrations. One of 600 copies. Emerson discovered Pascal in college and was a lifelong admirer of Pascal’s wisdom. AtContinue reading "The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson."

Locker, Frederick

London Lyrics.

London : John Wilson, 1868.

Rare privately printed edition of Locker’s first book. Octavo, bound in three quarter morocco. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page in the year of publication, “John S. Smith from the author July 28 1868.” In very good condition.

Translated by Edward Fitzgerald. Illustrated by Will Pogany

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

London : George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., n.d..

Elaborately bound example of Pogany’s finely illustrated Rubaiyat. Octavo, bound in full crushed red morocco by Banytun Riviere with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, quadruple gilt ruling, fleuron cornerpieces, and central gilt arabesque to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers,Continue reading "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam."

Moore, Thomas

The Poetical Works of Thomas Moore. [Fore-Edge Painting].

London : Frederick Warne and Co., n.d..

The Albion edition of Moore’s poetical works. Octavo, bound in full polished tree calf with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, tissue-guarded engraved frontispieceContinue reading "The Poetical Works of Thomas Moore. [Fore-Edge Painting]."

Blishen, Edward. Illustrated by Brian Wildsmith

Oxford Book of Poetry for Children.

London : Oxford University Press, 1963.

First edition of Blishen and Wildsmith’s acclaimed illustrated compilation of children’s poetry. Quarto, bound in full crushed red morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt ruling and fleuron cornerpieces to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles,Continue reading "Oxford Book of Poetry for Children."

Roubayyat de Hafiz et d’Omar Khayyam. [The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám].

Paris : Francis LeBegue, [1921].

Finely bound example of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. Octavo, bound in full levant morocco with gilt titles to the spine, gilt Art Deco style decorations to the front and rear panel, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, decorated borders and initials. One of 300 copies. Text in French. Translated byContinue reading "Roubayyat de Hafiz et d’Omar Khayyam. [The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám]."

Goldoni, Carlo

Nuovo Teatro Comico Dell’Avvocato Carlo Goldoni Poeta Di S. A. R. Il Serenissimo Infante di Spagna Don Filippo Duca Di Parma, Piacenza, Guastalla, ec. [New Comic Theater of the Lawyer Carlo Goldoni].

Venezi : Francesco Pitteri, 1753-1755.

Rare complete set of Pitteri’s 1757 printing of Goldoni’s works of comic theater. Octavo, ten volumes bound in full vellum with gilt tooling to the spine, engraved frontispiece portrait of Goldoni by Pitteri after Piazetta. In good condition. Armorial bookplates. A rare complete set of this scarce printing published during the author’s lifetime.

Browning, Robert

Dramatis Personae.

London : Chapman and Hall, 1864.

First edition of Browning’s popular poetry collection. Octavo, original cloth. In very good condition. Ownership inscription. Small chip to the front free endpaper. With a note from H. Sotheran & Co. laid in.

Apollinaire, Guillaume. [Pablo Picasso]

Alcools: Poems (1898-1913). Avec un Portrait de L’Auteur par Pablo Picasso.

Paris : Mercure de France, 1913.

First edition of Apollinaire’s first collection of poems, signed by him and Pablo Picasso. Octavo, bound in three quarter morocco with gilt titles and raised bands to the spine, patterned endpapers, frontispiece portrait of the poet by Pablo Picasso. Association copy, inscribed by both Apollinaire and Pablo Picasso on front free endpaper, “A A P.N.Continue reading "Alcools: Poems (1898-1913). Avec un Portrait de L’Auteur par Pablo Picasso."

Dickinson, Emily

The Single Hound. Poems of a Lifetime.

Boston : Little, Brown and Company, 1914.

First edition one of only 595 copies of Dickinson’s fourth collection of poetry. Octavo, original cloth. The Thomas Bird Mosher copy with his bookplate. Mosher was a notable private press publisher out of Portland, Maine. In fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell and chemise case. An exceptional example with noted provenance.

Saroyan, Aram

Top.

: Lineside #1, 1965.

First edition of one of the poet’s earliest published works. Octavo, original wrappers. One of 300 numbered copies signed by the author, this being unnumbered. Additionally inscribed by the author on the limitation page, “To Tom with instant love Aram 10.12.66.” In good condition. Rare.

Abish, Walter

Duel Site.

New York : Tibor de Nagy Editions, 1970.

First edition of the award winning poet’s first book. Octavo, original pictorial wrappers, illustrated. One of 300 copies, 1 to 0 of which are signed. Signed by the author on the title page. In near fine condition. Rare.

[Dilliard, Annie]

The Poetry Collection of Annie Dillard.

: Various Publishers, .

Rare collection of dozens of volumes of poetry from the collection of American author Annie Dillard, each signed or inscribed to her and with her bookplate. Approximately 35 volumes, the collection includes inscribed first editions and early printings of Fred Chappell’s Wild Mountain, Leo Connellan’s First Selected Poems, Karen Connelly’s The Border Surrounds Us, PaulContinue reading "The Poetry Collection of Annie Dillard."

Adam, Helen

Turn Again To Me and Other Poems.

New York : Kulchar Foundation, 1977.

First edition of the first book by Adam. Quarto, original boards. Boldly signed by the author on the front free endpaper, “All good wishes Helen Adam.” In near fine condition.

Sandburg, Carl. [William Safire]

Good Morning America.

New York : Crosby Gaige, 1928.

Signed limited first edition of Sandburg’s classic poem, originally delivered at Harvard as a Phi Beta Kappa poem. Octavo, bound in full morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, topContinue reading "Good Morning America."

Kipling, Rudyard

Lettres du Japon.

Paris : Rene Kieffer, 1925.

Deluxe limited edition of Kipling’s collected letters written during his 1889 travels in Japan. Octavo, original wrappers, decorated by H. Tirman. One of 50 copies printed on Japan paper. Translated into French by Louis Fabulet and Arthur Austin-Jackson. Very good in the rare original richly decorated dust jacket. Rare.

Causley, Charles

Farewell, Aggie Weston.

Aldington : The Hand and Flower Press, 1951.

First edition of Causley’s first collection of poems. Octavo, original wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, “for Philip Abrams from Charles Causley November 1953.” With the original autograph transmittal letter signed by and entirely in the hand of the author tipped in. In very good condition. Rare, particularly inscribed.

Hughes, Langston

The Dream Keeper.

New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 1949.

First edition of this classic collection of poems. Octavo, original cloth, illustrations by Helen Sewell. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Helen Sewell. First editions are uncommon.

Sassoon, Siegfried

Satirical Poems.

London : William Heinemann Ltd, 1926.

First edition of Sassoon’s classic collection. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by Edmund Blunden on the front free endpaper, “A.F.W. with E.B.’s undying affection, Cowlinge, Nov. 10, 1927.” English poet, author and critic Edmund Blunden was one of Sassoon’s closest friends and, like him, wrote of his experiences in World War I in bothContinue reading "Satirical Poems."

Arnold, Matthew

New Poems.

London : Macmillan and Co., 1867.

First edition of Arnold’s 1867 book of poems. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles to the spine, double gilt ruling to the panels. In near fine condition. Rare with only a handful of examples appearing at auction in the last 80 years.

Johnson, James Weldon

Fifty Years and Other Poems.

Boston : The Cornhill Publishing Co., 1921.

Early printing of Johnson’s first collection of classic poems. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “For Mrs. Edward Lee McCatgin with the sincere regards of James Weldon Johnson.” With an introduction by Brander Matthews. In very good condition, with an inscription below “To August Meier withContinue reading "Fifty Years and Other Poems."

Herder, Johann Gottfried

Herder’s Ausgewahlte Dichtungen.

Stuttgart : J. G. Gotta'sche Buchhandlung, 1874.

Rare 19th century printing of Herder’s selected poems. Small octavo, original cloth. Text in German. In good condition.

Kipling, Rudyard

Ford O’Kabul River. No 2. Of the Second Series of Barrack-Room Ballads. Words by Rudyard Kipling. Music by Gerard F. Cobb.

London : Cas. Sheard & Co, 1895.

Rare sheet music printing of Rudyard Kipling’s Ford O’Kabul River, a song from Barrack-Room Ballads. Folio, bound in one quarter morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine. In good condition. Bound with several other pieces including Ciro Pinsuti’s Bedouin Love Song.

Bly, Robert

The Kabir Book: Forty-Four of the Ecstatic Poems of Kabir.

Boston : The Seventies Press, 1977.

First edition, review copy with the publisher’s review slips laid in. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, “For Regan, Robert Bly.” Bly has added a drawing. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

Tennyson, Alfred Lord

Idylls of the King [Fore-Edge Painting].

London : Edward Moxon & Co, 1869.

Finely bound example with a fore-edge painting of Tennyson’s “long-meditated great task” which brought him to fame (Baugh, 1388). Octavo, bound in full red pebbled morocco, spine stamped in gilt in compartments, all edges and turn ins gilt, fore-edge painting with view of The Market Place, Cambridge. In very good condition.

Corso, Gregory

The Vestal Lady on Brattle and Other Poems.

Cambridge, MA : Richard Brukenfeld, 1955.

First edition of the poet’s first book one of 500 copies printed though about half of which were lost in the mail. Octavo, original wrappers. Signed by Gregory Corso. In near fine condition. Rare and desirable signed.

Norton, Charles Eliot. [Rudyard Kipling]

Rudyard Kipling A Biographical Sketch.

New York : Doubleday & McClure Co., 1899.

First separate edition of Charles Eliot Norton’s concise sketch of Kipling’s early life, written for the new popular edition of his writings and prepared with his approval. Octavo, original boards, tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece portrait of Kipling. One of one hundred numbered copies, this is number 52. In near fine condition. Scarce.

Kipling, Rudyard; Lewis Carroll; Norman Gale; Mary E. Manners et al

Tommy and Other Poems For Recitation.

London : James Clarke & Co., 1895.

First edition of this humorous collection of poems for recitation including Rudyard Kipling’s Tommy and Lewis Carroll’s The Walrus and the Carpenter. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers. In very good condition. Scarce.

Kipling, Rudyard and Max Beerbohm

The Budget: A Reprint of the Issues of May 14th and May 28th, 1898, Containing Contributions.

New York : M. F. Mansfield & A. Wessels, 1899.

First edition in book form of this small publication “published fortnightly by boys for boys” at the Horsmonden School Kent containing a letter from Rudyard Kipling with six “Hints on Schoolboy Etiquette” and a caricature of him by Max Beerbohm. 16mo, original half cloth. In near fine condition.

Crane, Hart

The Bridge: A Poem.

New York : Horace Liveright, 1930.

First American edition of Crane’s landmark modernist epic. Octavo, original blue cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, illustrated with three photographs by Walter Evans. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper one month after publication, “For Bob Thompson, from his friend always- Hart Crane, Brooklyn, April 30.”Continue reading "The Bridge: A Poem."

Padgett, Ron

Great Balls of Fire.

Chicago : Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969.

First American edition of the poet’s 1969 collection. Octavo, original wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, “For Shelly a [Great] idea… Gary Cooper Oscar Homosexual” and signed on the title page, “Ron Padgett.” In near fine condition.

Kipling, Rudyard

“After” A False Start.

: At the Sign of the George, 1924.

First Separate edition of Kipling’s “After”, the first draft of the poem that would later become The Recessional, being a facsimile of a hand-written note retrieved from Kipling’s wastebasket which was later donated to the Harvard College Library. One page, folded. In fine condition. Scarce.

Kennedy, Margaret and Basil Dean

The Constant Nymph: From the Novel of Margaret Kennedy.

London : William Heinemann Ltd., 1926.

First edition, second impression of the classic stage adaptation of Kennedy’s Bohemian novel of the same name. Octavo, original half cloth. Signed by Margaret Kennedy and Basil Dean on the half-title page. In near fine condition. From the library of bibliophile Henry Stuart Maclean Jack with his bookplate to the pastedown. Uncommon signed.