What new additions to the abaa.org website caught the eye this week? Signed books from James Baldwin, Annie Leibovitz, and P.L. Travers, as well as several classic children's books, among other interesting items... If Beale Street Could Talk (Signed) by James Baldwin New York: The Dial Press, 1974. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Signed by Author. First edition. Copy #6 of 250 specially bound copies signed by the author on the rear limitation page. 197 pp. Leather lettered in gilt in original brown cloth slipcase. Near Fine with slightly foxed edges and light rubbing to gilt, in Near Fine slipcase. A novel by the African-American expatriate, the basis of an upcoming film directed by Barry Jenkins. Offered by Burnside Rare Books. Annie Leibovitz: Photographs 1970-1990 (Signed, first edition) New York: HarperCollins, 1991. First editio... [more Books of the Week]
WHO OWNED THIS? Libraries and the Rare Book Trade consider issues surrounding Provenance, Theft and Forgery. A symposium presented by the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) and the Grolier Club. -- Speakers and more detailed information will be published shortly. Information When: March 5, 2019 Where: Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street, NY 10022 Cost: Free for ILAB affiliates and guests, reservations required Organized by the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). For more information or to RSVP contact: Angelika Elstner (secretariat@ilab.org). [more Who Owned This? A Symposium]
What new additions to the abaa.org website caught the eye this week? An interesting endorsed letter to President Andrew Jackson, a very early collection of medical recipes, and first editions of books from Virginia Woolf and Richard Fariña, among other items... The Waves (First Edition) by Virginia Woolf New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, .. Octavo, original blue cloth, spine panel stamped in gold, top edge stained brown. First U.S. edition, first printing with "first edition" on copyright page. Connolly 70. Kirkpatrick A16b. A fine copy in decorated dust jacket (designed by Vanessa Bell) priced $2.50 on front flap with light tanning to spine panel, a couple of mild fox marks, and some general dust soiling. Actually, a pretty decent copy overall. (Offered by L.W. Currey) Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me (First Edition) by Ric... [more Books of the Week]
Every famous poet and writer started small, usually with cautious publishers who printed small batches of the first edition of their early books. For most, the cautious print runs continues, even after winning awards, because poetry has ever been an relatively low-volume business, even for the big names. When they later became reknowned, even famous, at home and abroad, these relatively scarce first editions became highly prized by their fans and collectors. Here are a dozen first editions from poets who became big names in their time, drawn from the current inventory of ABAA members. The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot New York: Boni & Liveright, 1922. Near Fine/Near Fine. First edition. Publisher's flexible cloth, the stamped number (198) 5mm in height, and the "a" in "mountain" on page 41 (a possible state in the first printing); one of the f... [more Poetry First Editions]
What newly listed or catalogued items caught the eye this week? A rare astronomical textbook from 1482; a useful set of Firsts, a magazine about collecting first editions; and a first edition by today's birthday boy, George Orwell. A bound collection of 32 full-color costume plates of French noblewomen by LANTÉ, LOUIS MARIE; GEORGES-JACQUES GATINE (ENGRAVER) (1827) Slim folio 32 colored plates bound in contemporary 3/4 leather with speckled paper over boards, decorative gilt stamped borders on both boards, and a leather label mounted to the front board, with the gilt title "Costumes Francoises," within ornamental gilt floral borders (label just starting to peel at the edges). These plates most likely originally came from a larger work consisting of 70 plates, titled "Les femmes célèbres de la France historique et littéraire à travers... [more Books of the Week]
Five books caught the eye among this week's crop of new listings -- along with one unusual piece of jewelry! -- which proves you never know what you'll find in a rare book shop! Winne-the-Pooh (First Edition) London: Methuen, 1926. Shepard, Ernest H.. First edition. Limited to 350 copies printed on handmade paper and signed by Milne and Shepard. With all of the well-known and well-loved illustrations and a fold-out map of Pooh's and Christopher Robin's territory, which appeared in the ordinary edition as endpapers. Bound in quarter dark-blue cloth with light-blue paper over boards. Corners slightly bumped and minute soiling to upper cover, else near fine in original dust wrapper, which shows expected toning. Housed in a red-cloth chemise inside a matching slipcase. Bookplate of former owner. Offered by Bromer Booksellers. Autograph Letter... [more Books of the Week]
Which books and pieces of ephemera caught the eye among this week's crop of new listings? First editions of The Lord of the Rings, a medieval manuscript in a 15th-Century binding complete with library chain, and a contemporary fine-art binding of Sinclair Lewis' classic, It Can't Happen Here, among others... THE LORD OF THE RINGS comprising THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE TWO TOWERS & THE RETURN OF THE KING (First Editions) by TOLKIEN, J. R. R. "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all And in the darkness bind them"THE LORD OF THE RINGS comprising THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE TWO TOWERS & THE RETURN OF THE KING, Allen & Unwin, 1954, 1954 & 1955 respectively, each in first edition, (first printing), all 3 volumes vg+ or better in vg dust-wrappers save for some light fading and wear and tear to the dus... [more Books of the Week]
Which books and pieces of ephemera caught the eye among this week's crop of new listings? A very early biography of Stalin, a protest poster from 1969, and a first edition of an influential poetry volume from the Harlem Renaissance, among others... Stalin: The Career of a Fanatic (First Edition) by Essad-Bey (Pseudonym for Lew Nussimbaum) New York: The Viking Press. Near Fine in Very Good dj. 1932 (c.1931). First American Edition. Hardcover. . (B&W photographs) First published in Germany, this was one of the earliest books about Joseph Stalin. Although probably unreliable as history (the New York Times reviewer characterized the first part of the book, dealing with Stalin's early life, as "rather fictional"), it still painted a persuasive portrait of the dictator's personality and gave a compelling account of his rise to power. The author... [more Books of the Week]
What caught the eye among this week's crop of new listings? Why a signed letter from P.T. Barnum, a bound set of the Harvard Law Review (1984-2004), and a signed Christmas card from (arguably) the most-famous Royal couple of the last century, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, among many other things... Rebecca (First Edition) by Daphne du Maurier New York: Doubleday Doran and Company, 1938. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. First edition stated, first printing. Very Good with toning to pages, foxing to endsheets and news clippings pasted to front free end paper. Cloth lightly worn and silver band lightly rubbed. In a Very Good+ dust jacket with publisher's price of $2.75 intact; light rubbing and a small chip missing from the bottom corner of the front panel and another at the base of the spine. Scarce in the dust jacket. Offered by B... [more Books of the Week]
Pioneering screenwriter Anita Loos was born on April 26, 1889. After learning her trade acting and writing one-act plays for her father's somewhat-disreputable theater troupe, Loos began submitting unsolicited scripts to film companies. D.W. Griffith directed The New York Hat, a film based on her screenplay, starring Mary Pickford and Lionel Barrymore in 1912. In 1915 Loos became the first “staff writer” for a film production company, when she signed on with Griffith's studio. She wrote hundreds of scripts during the silent era of cinema, most of which went unproduced, but the films that were made were noted for their wit and humor — all the more remarkable for being silent! Her collaboration with director (and future husband John Emerson) began by working on several romantic comedies which made Douglas Fairbanks a star. In later ye... [more Anita Loos: Hollywood Pioneer]