Roosevelt, Theodore

African Game Trails. An Account of the African Wanderings of an American Hunter-Naturalist.

New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1910.

Publisher’s deluxe first edition of Theodore Roosevelt’s classic work. Octavo, original cloth, gilt top edge, photogravure frontispiece, illustrated, 48 plates, map of Roosevelt’s route and hunting trips in Africa. In near fine condition with light rubbing to the extremities. An exceptional example.

Travers, Jerome D

Travers’ Golf Book.

New York : Macmillan Company, 1913.

First edition, second issue of this four-time U.S. amateur champion’s first book. Octavo, original green cloth gilt, photographic cover portrait to the front panel, with forty eight stop-action illustrations. Signed by Jerome Travers on the front free endpaper. In very good condition.

Travers, Jerome D

Travers’ Golf Book.

New York : Macmillan Company, 1913.

First edition of this four-time U.S. amateur champion’s first book. Octavo, original green cloth gilt, photographic cover portrait to the front panel, with forty eight stop-action illustrations. In very good condition.

De Land’s Automatic Playing Cards. [with] Mental Pictoria.

New Jersey/ Ohio : S.S. Adams Co./ S.W. Reilly, 1913/1914.

Two rare early twentieth century antique magicians card decks. The first deck is De Land’s Automatic Playing Cards, a standard 52-card deck with a De Land’s Card Locator that has an affixed spinning wheel, “What the Deland Dollar Deck does for you” instruction pamphlet, and “Stripper Tricks” instruction pamphlet. Housed in a black and whiteContinue reading "De Land’s Automatic Playing Cards. [with] Mental Pictoria."

Shackleton, Ernest; James Murray and George Marston

Antarctic Days. Sketches of the Homely Side of Polar Life by Two of Shackleton’s Men: Introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton.

London : Andrew Melrose, 1913.

Limited edition de luxe, numbered 85 of 280 copies signed on the recto of the limitation leaf by E.H. Shackleton, James Murray and George Marston. Octavo, original blue cloth, gilt titles to the spine and front panel with a mounted color illustration, top edge gilt, 4 mounted color plates after watercolors by C. Day, 34Continue reading "Antarctic Days. Sketches of the Homely Side of Polar Life by Two of Shackleton’s Men: Introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton."

Ronalds, Alfred

The Fly-Fisher’s Entomology: With Directions for Making the Artificial Representation of Each Fly; and a Few Observations and Instructions on Trout and Grayling Fishing.

Liverpool : Henry Young & Sons, 1913.

The de Luxe limited edition of this guide to fly fishing and the making of artificial flies. Imperial octavo, two volumes, original publisher’s cloth with gilt titles and lure detailing to the spine in six compartments within gilt bands, double gilt ruling to the front panels, vignette inlay of a lure in gilt to theContinue reading "The Fly-Fisher’s Entomology: With Directions for Making the Artificial Representation of Each Fly; and a Few Observations and Instructions on Trout and Grayling Fishing."

Shackleton, Ernest; James Murray and George Marston

Antarctic Days. Sketches of the Homely Side of Polar Life by Two of Shackleton’s Men: Introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton.

London : Andrew Melrose, 1913.

Limited edition de luxe of this account of the 1907-09 Nimrod Expedition under Shackleton. number 181 of 280 copies signed on the recto of the limitation leaf by E.H. Shackleton, James Murray and George Marston. Octavo, original blue cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel with a mounted color illustration, top edgeContinue reading "Antarctic Days. Sketches of the Homely Side of Polar Life by Two of Shackleton’s Men: Introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton."

Brown, Elijah P. [Billy Sunday]

The Real Billy Sunday: The Life and Work of Rev. William Ashley Sunday, D.D.

Dayton, Ohio : The Otterbein Press, 1914.

First edition of Brown’s biography of renowned American evangelist, Billy Sunday. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece portrait of Sunday, illustrated. Boldly signed by Sunday on the front free endpaper, “W.A. Sunday Psalm 34.” In near fine condition. Books signed by Sunday are uncommon.

Roosevelt, Theodore and Edmund Heller

Life-Histories of African Game Animals.

New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1914.

First edition of Roosevelt’s final work on big-game hunting. Octavo, 2 volumes, original buckram cloth with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, tissue-guarded engraved frontispieces, with illustrations from photographs and drawings by Philip R. Goodwin and with forty faunal maps. In very good condition. A nice example.

Roosevelt, Theodore

Through the Brazilian Wilderness.

New York : Charles Scribners Sons, 1914.

First edition of this classic adventure taken by Theodore Roosevelt. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, top edge gilt, tissue-guarded frontispiece. Illustrated from photographs taken by Kermit Roosevelt and other members of the expedition, and with 3 maps, including 1 folding in the rear. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed by the authorContinue reading "Through the Brazilian Wilderness."

Travers, Jerome D. and Grantland Rice

The Winning Shot.

Garden City, NY : Doubleday, Page and Company, 1915.

First edition of this early work by Travers and Rice, “one of the first golf books to carry Mr. Rice’s name” (Murdoch 784). Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. From the library of Albert W. Tillinghast, with his handwritten inventory card laid in. Tillinghast was a  golf course architect and one of the most prolific architects in theContinue reading "The Winning Shot."

Mawson, Sir Douglas

The Home Of The Blizzard: Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911–1914.

Philadelphia and London : J.B. Lippincott and William Heinemann, 1915.

First edition of this classic account of Antarctic exploration. Thick octavo, 2 volumes, original dark blue cloth, profusely illustrated with 18 color plates, hundreds of black-and-white plates, numerous in-text illustrations and three color folding maps in rear pocket of Volume II. From the library of James Stephen “Steve” Fossett with his bookplate to the pastedown of eachContinue reading "The Home Of The Blizzard: Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911–1914."

Foster, John B; [George Herman 'Babe' Ruth]

Spalding’s Official Base Ball Guide Thirty-Ninth Year 1915.

New York : American Sports Publishing Company, 1915.

First edition of the first official baseball guide to feature an image of Babe Ruth. Duodecimo, original pictorial wrappers, illustrated with over 100 full page engravings of ballplayers and teams and 16 cartoons by famous American artist Homer C. Davenport, featuring George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth’s first ever appearance in a Spalding guide on page 198.Continue reading "Spalding’s Official Base Ball Guide Thirty-Ninth Year 1915."

British Sports and Sportsmen: Yachting and Rowing.

London : British Sports and Sportsmen, 1916.

First edition, limited to 1,000 examples. Folio, bound in original full morocco, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, raised bands, numerous photogravure portraits. This lavishly-produced survey of large and small boat racing, cruising, and rowing, includes biographies of prominent yachtsmen, and includes descriptions of the America’s Cup and single-handedContinue reading "British Sports and Sportsmen: Yachting and Rowing."

Cooke, Francis B

Single-Handed Cruising.

London : Edward Arnold, 1919.

First edition of this essential early manual on single-handed cruising by one of the greatest yachting writers of the 20th century. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. From the library of James Stephen “Steve” Fossett with his bookplate to the front pastedown. American businessman and record-setting aviator Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo nonstopContinue reading "Single-Handed Cruising."

Vardon, Harry

Progressive Golf.

London : Hutchinson & Company, 1920.

Third edition of this work by the legendary golfer. Octavo, original green cloth, illustrated with six folding plates containing a total of thirty action-shot photographs. Very good in a good dust jacket. Uncommon in the original jacket.

Griswold, Frank Gray

The Cascapedia Club.

Norwood : The Plimpton Press, 1920.

First edition of Griswold’s guide to fishing the Great Cascapedia. Octavo, original cloth. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “Percy R. Pyne 2nd from G. Gray Griswold 1921.” In near fine condition. A nice example.

Park, Willie

The Art of Putting.

Edinburgh : J. & J. Gray & Company, 1920.

First edition of the author’s rare book on putting. Octavo, original cloth, top edge gilt, illustrated with plates from photographs. In very good condition, rebacked. First editions are rare.

Park, Willie

The Art of Putting.

Edinburgh : J. & J. Gray & Company, 1920.

First edition of the author’s rare book on putting. Octavo, original cloth, top edge gilt, illustrated with plates from photographs. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, “To H.G. English Dobbs Ferry N.Y. With Compliments, Willie Park.” In near fine condition.

Park, Willie

The Art of Putting.

Edinburgh : J. & J. Gray & Company, 1920.

First edition of the author’s rare book on putting. Octavo, original cloth, top edge gilt, illustrated with plates from photographs. In near fine condition with light rubbing. First editions are rare.

Vardon, Harry

Progressive Golf.

London : Hutchinson & Company, 1920.

First edition of this work by the legendary golfer. Octavo, original green cloth, illustrated with several folding plates from action-shot photographs. . Near fine in a very good dust jacket with some chips to the spine. First editions in the original dust jackets are rare.

Taylor, Joshua

The Lure of the Links.

London : Heath Cranton Limited, 1920.

First edition of this memoir, observations and anecdotes from Taylor’s life in golf. Octavo, original cloth. In near fine condition.

Scott, O.M

The Seeding and Care of Golf Courses.

Marysville, OH : O.M. Scott & Sons, 1922.

First edition. Octavo, original pictorial boards. Illustrated with vignette drawings stamped in green throughout. Rare.

Darwin, Bernard

A Friendly Round.

London : Mills & Boon, 1922.

First edition of this collection of Darwin’s golf columns from The London Times. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by Bernard Darwin on the front free endpaper, “To G.M. from the author with his best regards. Sept. 1922.” It was customary for Darwin to sign “from the author”, which denoted a personal affiliation with theContinue reading "A Friendly Round."