Wednesday, May 7, 2008

1888 Theodore Roosevelt stories / Frederic Remington illustrations


Available is a two Volume Octavo Set of the Century Magazine including works by Theodore Roosevelt: "Ranch Life in the Far West" (33 Illustrated by Frederic Remington); "Frontier Types" (10 Illustrations by Frederic Remington); "Sherrif's Work on a Ranch" (11 Illustrations by Frederic Remington); and "The Ranchman's Rifle on Crag and Prairie" (10 Illustrations by Frederic Remington). Presented in matching RED leather volumes - very rare to come by!



Book Description:
New York: The Century Co; two volumes. Vol 35 (new series Vol 13) November 1887 - April 1888, 972 pages with index in front. Vol 36 (new series Vol 14) May - October 1888, 960 pages with index in front. Both bound in quarter red leather with red boards, four raised spine bands as well as gilt spine lettering, 8vo (9-3/4" tall x 6-1/2" wide). All edges speckled. The set presented here is in good condition, with conditions noted: some noticeable wear to the leather on both volumes, especially on corners, head and tail of spines and bumped / rubbed corners. The binding is very tight on each volume, with no off-setting of the engravings. Literally hundreds of illustrations, both named and un-named, including those by Remington (listed above), Joseph Pennell, George Gibson, including many others. Nice illustrated frontispiece of George Washington within Vol 35.

These two volumes also contain writings by Mark Twain ("Meisterschaft:In Three Acts"), Henry James ("Robert Louis Stevenson", "The Liar - In Two Parts"), Walt Whitman, John Burroughs ("Matthew Arnold's Criticism", "The Heart of the Southern Catskills") and General John C. Fremont, including numerous other authors. These volumes are difficult to keep together due to multiple authors and numerous collectors looking for the same books.

Background:
Roosevelt built a cattle ranch he named Elk Horn thirty five miles north of the boomtown, Medora, North Dakota. On the banks of the "Little Missouri," Roosevelt learned to ride, rope, and hunt. Roosevelt rebuilt his life after his wife and mother's deaths, and began writing about frontier life for Eastern magazines (SEE ABOVE LISTINGS!). As a deputy sheriff, Roosevelt hunted down three outlaws who stole his river boat and were escaping north with it up the Little Missouri River. Capturing them, he decided against hanging them and sending his foreman back by boat, he took the thieves back overland for trial in Dickinson, guarding them forty hours without sleep and reading Tolstoy to keep himself awake. When he ran out of his own books, he read a dime store western one of the thieves was carrying.

After the uniquely severe U.S. winter of 1886-1887 wiped out his herd of cattle and his $60,000 investment (together with those of his competitors), he returned to the East, where in 1885, he had built Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay, New York. It would be his home and estate until his death. Roosevelt ran as the Republican candidate for mayor of New York City in 1886 as "The Cowboy of the Dakotas." He came in third. (Taken from Wikipedia).


To find out more about this title, or find out more about its value, go here.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

1933 Thomas Wolfe short story 1st printings



Available are two different issues of Scribner's magazine from 1933 containing first printings of his short stories:

June, 1933 Contains the short story, "Death - The Proud Brother". First appearance of this story; with illustrations. This story was published again in "From Death To Morning." Very good copy.
July, 1933 Contains the short story, "No Door". First appearance of this story. Complete issue. Also contains items by Herbert Reed - "The Davis Cup" (Tennis), William Lyon Phelps, and others.

Condition: Both within original paper wraps in good condition. Spine complete, clean and readable. Slightest creasing to front lower outer corner of cover. Slight staining caused from staple binding - staining seen in two spots on front and back covers near spine. Comes inside a crystal clear, acid-free mylar slip for long-term protection.

As I said in my last post, these first printing stories are collectible, yet not many of the typical collectors go after them - they take a special breed of book collector...I can only assume that once you start moving into collecting everything your favorite author published, the disease has consumed you. If that is the case, these magazines are reserved for you. They are here, merely to feed your habit. If you claim you are a "serious" Wolfe collector - and have not started to collect his short stories, then take my advice. Walk away. Do so before the addiction spreads. But the chase is fun, isn't it? To see the value, or find more about this and other collectible 1st printing magazines by Wolfe, go here.

1933 William Faulkner short story 1st printing



Available is a copy of a first appearance of the Faulkner short story, "There Was A Queen - A Story". The complete story was found in "Scribner's Magazine" Jan. 1933, pp.10-16.

Description:
New York: Scribner's Monthly Magazine, Volume 93, No. 1 January 1933. Original orange and black pictoral paper wraps. Complete issue. Also contains items by Vachel Lindsay, A. J. Villiers, Malcolm Cowley, Josephine Herbst, and others.
Condition: Original paper wraps in good condition. Spine readable, with slight chipping at head and tail of spine. Slight stain on front and back cover from staples, near spine. Full covers are detached from binding, but tight and clean. Writing on front cover, "P.54" near the "S" in Scribner'(s). Comes inside a crystal clear, acid-free mylar slip for long-term protection.

These first printing stories are collectible, yet not many of the typical collectors go after them - they take a special breed of book collector...as many authors publish short stories or other submissions in obscure or short-run publications. Not the case in this example - Faulkner had already wrote Soldiers Pay, Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, and Light in August by the time this was written. Faulkner started out in short stories, and must have enjoyed them, as he had published around 47 shorts prior to "Queen". The other reason why only a special breed of collector go after the magazine published shorts is generally it takes a large amount of time to scan through seller's stock to find the "jewels" they don't know they have. This would be the only "affordable" way to fund your short story collection, as there are so many. Usually the individual monthly publication, as in this case, still in its original paper wraps, are not in the best condition, hardly enough to be deemed "collectible".

Not so in this case. The fragile paper wraps are in good condition, except for the flaw of the entire cover detaching from the magazine, due to the weak staples employed by Scribner's in the 1920's - 1930's. Typical flaw, but in its crystal-clear acid free slip, one cannot tell. As is the reason why it is reasonably priced. To see the value, or find more about this and other collectible 1st printing magazines, go here.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Updates for Spring 2008

Well, fellow bibliophiles, I don't really know if this blog is making any waves in the book world. I don't believe I have ever been contacted because of it; I know for a fact no one has ever left comments on any of the posts I've submitted in the past almost 7 months since its inception.

So if there are booklovers, bookhaters or maybe bored people at work wasting their boss's dime, email me a comment to know there are others out there who are interested in this stuff. With that said, spring is finally here in Minnesota - no wait, it isn't. Since it is almost May and we just received 18" of snow. In this case, April snow showers do not bring May flowers. Spring may be here, but I'm still digging out of my winter FULL of books! Some new interesting available books will be posted soon, but as an example, things for the Spring season:

1st printings of numerous Theodore Roosevelt stories, found in Century magazine, circa 1888. Frederic Remington was prolific at this time, so these stories include 64 different illustrations. Also nicely bound in RED leather with gilt spine titles. Very nice.

1st printings of collectible short stories by William Faulkner, Thomas Wolfe, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Langston Hughes, including others. These particular issues were originally found in Scribner's magazine, during the 1933 printing year. All are found in their original paper wraps, which are becoming more difficult to find. Most collectors pass over these rarities, either because they:
1. don't own their favorite author's bibliography, therefore don't know they exist;
2. don't know their favorite author became popular by pubishing short stories - sometimes anonymously, to pay the bills.
3. are too busy trying to purchase lesser quality "collectible" books that are in low-mid range price thinking they will be satisfied with their purchase, only to realize they spent too much money on a lesser quality book, and a better quality one is available and only a few dollars more...starting the addiction of book collecting.

1839 copy of the New American Practical Navigator, 11th (collectible) edition. Scarce nautical reference book that the ship captains actually used.

You'll see I have a little bit of everything.

As I stated before, most of the books and their descriptions will be available through my e-commerce store. I do want to keep one thing clear - the purpose of this blog is to inform and hopefully educate; the purpose of my e-commerce store is to buy and sell highly collectible and rare books. I will most likely be posting new finds very soon, so check back often.

Be sure to contact me if you ever have any questions about any books - I'm always open to booktalk. See my email address in the "VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE".

Friday, March 21, 2008

1867 WILD BILL HICKOK first published story










An example of a collectible printing of the first known story about Wild Bill Hickok, published in Harper's Monthly Magazine February 1867 issue, written by Colonel George Ward Nichols. Found in its original paper wraps and in collectible condition, it is quite a rare find.

"On July 21, 1865, in the town square of Springfield, Missouri, Hickok killed Davis Tutt, Jr. in a "quick draw" duel. Fiction later typified this kind of gunfight, but Hickok's in fact the only one on record that fits the portrayal. The incident was precipitated by a dispute over a gambling debt incurred at a local saloon and likely exacerbated by the fact there was a long standing dispute over a mutual girlfriend Susannah Moore. Several weeks later Hickok was interviewed by Colonel George Ward Nichols and the interview was published in Harpers New Monthly Magazine. Using the name "Wild Bill Hitchcock" the article recounted the hundreds of men Hickok personally killed and other exaggerated exploits. The article was controversial wherever Hickok was known and led to several frontier newspapers writing rebuttals and is credited as the reason for Hickok's failure to be elected Marshall of Springfield." - taken from Wikipedia.

To find more rare and collectible early magazine articles, go here.


Tuesday, February 19, 2008

1937 FROM LAND TO LAND by Todros Geller signed Judaica






















1937 FROM LAND TO LAND by Todros Geller signed collection of woodcuts

Available is a signed & numbered (#51 / 100) 1st edition of an exhaustive collection of works by woodblock printmaker Todros Geller (1889 - 1949).
Book Description:
Chicago: L.M. Stein; published 1937. First edition, De Luxe signed and numbered edition. Signed "Todros Geller" in ink on "limited edition" page. Small quatro, unpaginated. Near fine in illustrated wood veneer over grey cloth. Boldly illustrated with 43 named black & white, 4 named color, and 6 non-named illustrations. Slightly bumped and rubbed corners, cloth slightly darkened from handling. Binding tight - interior without marks or discoloration - bright and fresh pages.


Background Information:
Arguably the holy grail of the L.M. Stein imprints, FROM LAND TO LAND is the only survey of the incredible woodcuts by Chicago artist Todros Geller. Beautifully designed and printed - every page's layout was carefully considered, as the layout direction is evident. A very handsome and uncommon book, with woodcuts illustrating Jewish life, as well as Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and Midwestern American themes.

Todros Geller (1889 - 1949) immigrated to Chicago from Vinnitza, Ukraine in 1918. His art training was at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He became one of the leading artists of Chicago. Geller was a master of the print, winning several prizes, exhibiting his work widely, and having his work collected by museums such as the Metropolitan and the Whitney. He taught art at the Jewish People's Insitute of Chicago and in private classes. Known as the “dean” of Chicago’s Jewish artists, he was as a mentor and a source of inspiration to others, including Aaron Bohrod and Mitchell Siporin.


Geller’s works were included in various exhibitions, and they are in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Like David Bekker’s Bronx Express, which was based on a Yiddish play, Geller’s Raisins and Almonds (image included within this book) was inspired by a Yiddish poem of the same title. The founder of the modern Yiddish theatre, Abraham Goldfaden, wrote the poem in 1880 as part of his operetta Shulamis, which features a mothers singing a lullaby to her son. The poem is an allegory of the Jewish people’s longing to return to their homeland:

Under Baby’s cradle in the night
Stands a goat so soft and snowy white
The Goat will go to the market
To bring you wonderful treats
He’ll bring you raisins and almonds
Sleep, my little one, sleep.

In Eastern Europe, goats were an important staple of Jewish life, believed to be endowed with mystical qualities. The goat became an insignia or dominant symbol in Geller’s artistic vocabulary. On the cover of his book From Land to Land (1937), he positioned the goat on the shore of Lake Michigan with Chicago’s skyline as a backdrop. Raisins and Almonds is also included in this book.
To find out more information about this book, or are interested to know its value, go here.

SOLD: Signed / 1st Edition FIGHT CLUB by Chuck Palahniuk




















SIGNED & INSCRIBED 1st EDITION FIGHT CLUB – by CHUCK PALAHNIUK

Recently sold:
A signed and inscribed (and stamped) 1st edition "Fight Club" hardcover in unclipped dust jacket w/ mylar cover. MINT CONDITION! Has been opened twice...once when Chuck signed / inscribed it, and once to take a picture. Otherwise, it has sat on my shelf.

I have shopped eBay for signed AND inscribed 1st editions for a few years, and have found two things: 1. They are very rare to be signed AND inscribed, and 2. All the inscriptions are generally different (may be similar in idea, but different). Because of my prior knowledge of Chuck rarely putting in inscriptions (without signing them to someone in particular), I had made a comment to "be as creative as you want with your inscription" - and I guess he took that literally, as he inscribed it "I STOLE THIS FOR YOU" and stamped it with his "LIBRARY COPY - FOR REFERENCE ONLY - DO NOT REMOVE" custom stamp. Then he went on to stamp it three more times: on the dedication page, on the acknowledgement page, and the first page.
One last thing I have found is signed hardcover copies (NOT 1st prints) of Fight Club on collectors websites sell for $150-$200. Signed + inscribed (quote) WITH stamp copies (NOT 1st prints) go for $350 and up.

This is a highly collectible book with all the extras Chuck has added. This is his first, and most popular book. Also, "Choke" will be coming to theatres soon (as you have noticed that book is selling much higher these days as well) and will drive his popularity (and the value of this book) up even more.
To find out more information about this book, or are interested to know its value, go here.






1866 ADVENTURES OF DON QUIXOTE by Cervantes



ADVENTURES OF DON QUIXOTE DE LA MANCHA -
translated from the Spanish of
MIGUEL de CERVANTES SAAVEDRA
by CHARLES JARVIS
with 100 illustrations by A. B. HOUGHTON,
engraved by the BROTHERS DALZIEL

Available is this classic story with one hundred illustrations by Arthur Boyd Houghton, and engraved by the Brothers Dalziel.

Book Description:
Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1866. 710 pgs, with no bound advertisements in the back. Bound in Quarter black leather with black cloth boards. Very nice earlier copy of this story. Presumably been rebound by "Carlon & Hollenbeck, Printers & Binders, Indianapolis".

To find out more information about this book, or are interested to know its value, go
here.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

SOLD: 1871 MONEY IN THE GARDEN and 1884 GARDEN and FARM TOPICS




















Recently sold are two antique books dealing with gardening in the late 19th century:


1884. 1st edition Garden and Farm Topics by Peter Henderson. This scarce agricultural title has very nice multiple architectural plans and illustrations of plants throughout. Dealing specifically with multiple topics:
Popular bulbs and their culture: Hyacinth, Tulip, Lily, Lily of the Valley, Narcissus, Gladiolus, Calla / Egyptian / Lily of the Nile, Amaryllis, Crocus, Iris, Cyclamen, Ranunculus, plus eleven others that I have never heard of (and I have a horticulture minor).
Window gardening, Basket plants and Care of plants in rooms;
Propagation of plants by various methods;
Rose growing in winter;
Green-house Structures and modes of Heating;
Formation and renovation of lawns;
Onion growing for market;
Growing cabbage and cauliflower;
Growing and preserving celery for winter;
Strawberry culture;
Root crops for farm stock;
plus seven other topics...

AND...

1871 Money in the Garden - A Vegetable Manual, prepared with a view of Economy and Profit, by P. T. Quinn. This scarce agricultural title has very nice line illustrations throughout. Dealing specifically with raising 59 different vegetable crops for profit. A very interesting book. Practical information found in an antique book - see how your great great-grandparents grew vegetables.

SOLD: 1938 Signed 1st Margaret Sanger - An Autobiography



Recently sold: a 1938 1st Edition Autobiography by Margaret Sanger. At time of sale, only found one other copy of this book available.

Margaret Sanger was an American birth control activist, an advocate of negative eugenics, and the founder of the American Birth Control League (which eventually became Planned Parenthood).

Initially met with fierce opposition to her ideas, Sanger gradually won some support, both in the public as well as the courts, for a woman's choice to decide how and when she will bear children. Margaret Sanger was instrumental in opening the way to universal access to birth control.

Sanger remains a controversial figure. While she is widely credited as a leader of the modern birth control movement, and remains an iconic figure for the American reproductive rights movements, she also is reviled by some who condemn her as "an abortion advocate". (though abortion was illegal throughout Sanger's lifetime, and Planned Parenthood did not then support the procedure or lobby for its legislation). Pro-life groups have frequently condemned Sanger for her views, attributing her efforts to promote birth control to a desire to "purify" the human race through eugenics, and even to eliminate minority races by placing birth control clinics in minority neighborhoods. For this reason, Sanger is often quoted selectively or out of context, and her history and involvement with socialism and eugenics have often been rationalized or even ignored by her defenders and biographers. Despite allegations of racism, Sanger's work with minorities earned the respect of civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. *(All biographical information taken from Wikipedia).

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Or maybe your POE today?


Edgar Allan Poe, THE RAVEN, second stanza...
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Nameless here for evermore.
Image of Cave Bird by Leonard Baskin 29.25" x 20"Etching.


Have you had your YEATS today?







THE SECOND COMING

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.


Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.


The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Alex Haley's own story of Kunte Kinte - signed, 1st edition of ROOTS


Here is an example of a somewhat rare title in recent literary history: Alex Haley's ROOTS. Signed and inscribed first edition by Alex Haley to the Westchester Library on Jan. 16,1981. Unfortunately it was in general circulation prior to being withdrawn, so it has the usual ex-library markings, including a semi-worn dust jacket, but none-the-less is a signed first edition by the late Mr. Haley.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch working library


Here is a view of George Lucas' personal library at Skywalker Ranch. The room features isles of bookcases, thousands of books, and tables and chairs to make research sessions more comfortable for the library's patrons. One notices a different quality to the light in this room and a glance skyward explains the reason. A forty foot stained glass dome is set in the ceiling casting down its component colors of gold, red, and orange. A second level accessible via a spiral staircase is home to more books and original paintings. Must be rough being that guy...


See more here:


Wednesday, December 12, 2007

1936 COMPLETE WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE - illustrated by Rockwell Kent

Available is the Complete Works of William Shakespeare, edited by William Aldis Wright with 41 illustrations by Rockwell Kent.

Book Description:
Garden City, New York: Garden City Plubishing for Doubleday Doran & Co. 1936 edition, in one large volume. Hardcover w/ dark blue boards and gold title on spine. 1527 pages. Includes the Cambridge Edition text, including the Temple Notes, with a preface by Christopher Morley. Also includes a Glossary of terms, index of characters, and index of first lines for both poems and sonnets. Excellent source for study. Poignent research material for students and academics. Delves into this subject with fresh ideas and thoughts, a good read.

Illustrated by Rockwell Kent with 41 full page illustrations, throughout text, including many of Will's famous plays, poems and sonnets.

To view more information about this book, or are interested to know its value, go here.


Monday, November 12, 2007

SOLD: 1904 THE COMPLEAT ANGLER w/ Leather binding


Recently sold:
A finely bound leather w/ gilt spine copy of the historic fly fishing book, The Compleat Angler" by Izaak Walton & Charles Cotton. This beauty was published in London by John Lane: the Bodley Head. 1904 Reprint of the 5th edition. In full brown leather spine with five raised bands and stamped in gilt, gilt stamped medalian of the Crown Library on front board. Gilt deckled edges. Oval frontis portraits of Walton & Cotton; abundantly illustrated in black & white by Edmund H. New, all edges gilt; 454pp. plus Angler's Calendar & ads. Spine ends wearing, corners rubbed, edges toned, internally clean, tight & sound; very good, issued with no dust jacket.

First published in 1653, Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler celebrates the art and spirit of fishing in prose and verse. Walton infused his work with anecdotes and commentaries on catching and preparing everything from carp to trout, chub to pike. This Crown Library edition reprint of the 5th edition (the last to receive Walton's own revision) has been carefully collated. The text, for the most part, has been modernized. Edited by Richard Le Gallienne and illustrated by Edmund H. New. The Compleat Angler is as fresh and relevant today as it was two and a half centuries ago. It continues to be "must" reading for every new generation of fishermen (and fisher women!) who have ever picked up a pole, line and lure to set forth on one of human kind's oldest pastimes -- fishing.
Unfortunately, this one is leaving the country, but will be happy in its new home of Forresforjeden, Norway.

To view more books like this one, go here.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

1862 2-vol National Portrait Gallery of Eminent Americans - Evert A. Duyckinck

















Available is a two Volume Quarto Set of National Portrait Gallery of Eminent Americans: Including (152 Illustrations of) Orators, Statesmen, Naval and Military Heroes, Jurists, Authors, Etc., Etc., from Original Full Length Paintings by Alonzo Chappel with Biographical and Historical Narratives, by Evert A. Duyckinck.

FEATURES 152 ILLUSTRATIONS! From full length paintings by Alonzo Chappel.

Evert A. Duyckinck was a prolific editor of historical American reference works in the mid 19th century, and this National Portrait Gallery collection is among his best and most favored works. Contained herein are over 150 striking steel engravings of various famous American historical personages plus brief biographical sketches by Duyckinck.
To view more information about this book, or are interested to know its value, go here.