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ALIQUIS. The Flight of the Old Woman Who Was Tossed Up in a Basket. Sketched & Etched by Aliquis. London, D. Bogue, (c. 1844).
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Oblong octavo, when folded. Inscribed by Aliquis, "From the Author." The recipient's name has been inked over. A rare juvenile panorama consisting of twelve brightly colored etchings by the anonymous artist Aliquis ("anyone" in Latin). Based on an old nursery rhyme, the story of the old woman is told through amusing and detailed illustrations that show her flight from Earth to Heaven, where she proceeds to brush the cobwebs from the sky. There is also a list of the plates with humorous descriptions for each illustration. For example, "Plate 2: Here we see how the olde woman is inquired of by one concernynge the place where unto she wendeth her waye." Unfolded to its full measure, the vertical panorama measures seven feet, the narrative unfolding from the bottom panel upward, an unusual format for panoramas but in this case consistent with the story. Bound in full red leather boards, with gilt lettering to the front cover and spine, and gilt dentelles. Some rubbing to edges of boards, small splits to hinges at top and bottom of spine, one interior panel partially split at fold. A near fine original copy of a delightful juvenile panorama, which has not appeared in a public sale for more than twenty-five years. Circular bookplate of the distinguished collector Sir David Salomons. (21755) $8,500
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BRADBURY, RAY. The Golden Apples of the Sun. Garden City, Doubleday & Co., 1953.
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First edition of this collection of short stories by one of the masters of the genre. This copy is inscribed by Bradbury in April 1953. A mixture of science fiction and fantasy, the best known story is "The Pedestrian." This is also the first book on which Joe Mugnaini collaborated with Bradbury as the illustrator and designer of the dust wrapper. A fine copy in printed boards and a very good dust wrapper with several short closed tears, minor chipping to top corners and top spine, and some sunning to spine. (18455) $1,000
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BURGESS, ANTHONY. A Clockwork Orange. London, Heinemann, (1962).
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First edition, first binding, first issue dust wrapper with the price of "16s." Burgess's novel, narrated by Alex, a young thug from the future, presents a troubling philosophical view on the nature of punishment and rehabilitation. In his memoir, You've Had Your Time, Burgess notes that the germ for this story grew from an attack on his first wife by American deserters during World War II. A noted linguist, Burgess drew upon Russian to create the language spoken by Alex and his band of "Droogs." The basis of the acclaimed, controversial film by Stanley Kubrick, though Burgess apparently did not have any role in adapting his novel for the screen. A fine copy in boards and a near fine dust wrapper with slight fading to the spine and three short closed tears. A superior copy of this high spot of modern literature. (Barron 3-41; Pringle 36). (18475) $4,000
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CARROLL, LEWIS. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. New York, D. Appleton and Co., 1866. |
Octavo. (v) ff., 192 pp. First edition, second issue. With forty-two illustrations by John Tenniel. Alice was originally issued in 1865 by Macmillan and Company of London, but Carroll and Tenniel were unhappy with the print quality of the illustrations and canceled the issue, insisting that the book be reprinted. Few copies of that first issue were ever released; fewer still are known to exist today. Many of the sheets had yet to be bound when Carrol suppressed the edition, and the unbound sheets were sold to Appleton with a new title-page that reflected the change of publisher. Appleton's version of the book, then, is actually the 1865 suppressed edition, with a different title-page. Subsequently, Macmillan issued its second edition of Alice, with re-set type and reprinted illustrations. Alice was an immediate sensation. Copies of the book were avidly read by their young owners, and tend to show some wear as a result. This copy is bound in full red calf, possibly by Riviere and Son, with triple gilt rule on both covers, gilt dentelles, and marbled endpapers. Spine richly gilt in six compartments, with leather labels in two compartments, lettered in gilt. Original endpapers and red cloth binding bound-in following the text. Rear board bears a faint, three and one-half inch mark, spine lightly faded. Pages uniformly toned throughout as expected, some leaves with unobtrusive marks of soiling, few professionally repaired marginal tears, very faint owner's inscription, else fine. A.e.g. (Ray English 185A; Carroll Handbook [1979] 44; Williams 9; see Printing and the Mind of Man 354). (21409) $11,000
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CLARKE, ARTHUR C. Childhood's End. NY, Ballantine Books, (1953).
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First edition. One of Clarke's most famous novels, and considered by many to be one of his best. A Golden Age tale about the evolution of the human race and its joining the other advanced races of the galaxy. Ranked number 9 on Pringle's list of the 100 best science fiction novels, Childhood's End "gained praise from C.S. Lewis, among others, for its deft blend of hard science and religious mysticism," Pringle notes. Jacket spine slightly toned and shows a few faint spots, else a fine copy of a book that is rarely available in fine condition. (Pringle, pp. 37-38). (21696) $6,500
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CLARKE, ARTHUR C. Expedition to Earth. NY, Ballantine Books, (1953).
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First edition. An early collection of short stories from the author of 2001, Childhood's End, and other legendary titles. Of particular interest is the first book appearance of "The Sentinel," the precursor to 2001. A very fine copy in boards and a fine dust wrapper, which has a few small losses of printing at the top of the spine and some browning to the inner edge of the rear dust jacket flap. A superior copy of this title. (18484) $1,000
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COLLODI, CARLO. Le Avventure di Pinocchio: Storia di un Burattino. Florence, Felice Paggi, 1883.
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Small octavo. 236 pp. + ii pp. of advertisements. First edition. The enduring children's classic about a mischievous marionette whose nose grows every time he tells a lie, in the original Italian and wonderfully illustrated with a full-page frontispiece of the titular character as well as sixty-one additional woodcuts interspersed throughout the text.
The first half of Pinocchio was originally published serially in the children's magazine Giornale per i Bambini from 1881 to 1883, and it is thought that the story was not intended primarily as children's literature, as it did not end happily. Pinocchio was hanged from a tree for his various moral failings. It was at the urging of his publisher that author Carlo Collodi (a pseudonym for Carlo Lorenzini) added the second half of the book, in which The Blue Fairy repeatedly comes to Pinocchio's rescue, guiding him toward self-awareness and enabling his transformation from puppet to human. Popular in Italy at the time of its publication, the book and its author went on to gain international acclaim when the story was translated into English in 1892. Pinocchio is still cherished to this day, and has been the subject of numerous adaptations, including popular versions by Disney and even Steven Spielberg, who used the story as the basis for his 2001 film AI.
This very rare first edition of the book -- only five copies have come up for auction at the major houses in nearly twenty-five years, and OCLC currently records no copies -- is bound in quarter red calf and marbled boards by Devauchelle. Raised bands divide the spine into compartments, two of which bear the title and date in gilt. The endpapers are marbled. Housed in a clamshell box with marbled boards and red leather backing, title and decorations on spine in gilt. Some toning and light staining to the interior, a small closed tear to the margin of two pages, and several unobtrusive stamped and handwritten ownership signatures do little to mar an otherwise fine copy of this highspot of children's literature. (Gottlieb/Pierpont Morgan Library 213; Osborne 2, p. 1007). (20920) $75,000
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DOCTOROW, E. L. Big As Life. NY, Simon and Schuster, (1966).
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First edition of author's scarce second book. This copy is inscribed and signed by Doctorow on front endpaper, and even the inscription -- "To ____, a rare edition" -- attests to the scarcity of this title. Although not set in the future, Doctorow employs the science fiction device of a catastrophic event -- in this instance, the appearance of two gigantic figures in New York Harbor -- and the resultant human drama that unfolds in response to it. To date, Doctorow has not allowed this book to be reprinted. Faint strip of sunning along upper extremity of front cover, small spot to back cover, else a nearly fine copy in unfaded dust wrapper which shows light wear to lower corners. (18528) $900
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[ELLERSTON, WENDY]. Akire Quest. N.p., 1992.
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Quarto. 50 ff. According to the illustrator and co-creator, this book was entirely hand-produced in an edition of three copies, of which only one was ever sold. The book takes the form of an invented mythology, created by Ellerston and her daughter, Erika, whose name in palindrome serves as the title. The "quest" is introduced in two documents, which are laid in: one is a letter explaining how this "artifact" was found at an excavation, and speculates that the second, fragmentary document may be a translation of the beginning of the "text" in the book. And while there is something resembling a text interspersed among the fanciful illustrations of mythical creatures, mandalas, and dreamy landscapes, the "language" is a series of scribbles. The book is bound in full tan morocco, which features at the center of the front panel a relief image of a troll, whose eyes are formed of two small stones. Around the central image, the leather has been been puckered, and there are several strands of small stones and bits of metal in appliqué. Gold metal corner bosses complete the highly decorative front panel. Leather ribbon bookmark. A very fine copy of a modern fantasy. (20953) $1,250
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STAPLEDON, W. OLAF. Last Men in London. London, Methuen & Co. Ltd., (1932).
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First edition, in second dust wrapper from 1933. Author's second book on the last generation of humanity, expressing a critical view of contemporary Thirties society from a science fiction point of view. His material, and thus his pacifism, is believed to have stemmed from his experiences during World War I, working with the Friends' Ambulance Unit. A bright, fine copy with faint wear to tips, in a fine dust wrapper with small loss to spine corners and an ink spot on the rear panel not affecting the text. (18606) $1,250
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STURGEON, THEODORE. Caviar. NY, Ballantine Books, (1955).
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First edition. A collection of eight short stories by a master of the genre. Over a long career, Sturgeon won every major science fiction award including the Nebula, Hugo, International Fantasy Award, and World Fantasy Award. "One fears to toss about words like 'profundity' and 'greatness' in connection with the literature of entertainment, but it's hard to avoid them here," wrote the The New York Herald Tribune of one Sturgeon title, apparently as a compliment. A very fine copy in a fine dust wrapper with minimal wear to corners. Together with another issue of the first edition in wrappers, about fine. (18618) $1,000
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VERNE, JULES. The Baltimore Gun Club. Philadelphia, King & Baird, (1874).
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First American edition under this title of From the Earth to the Moon. Edward Roth's translation is a free adaptation of this early science fiction novel, which garnered high praise from some quarters for its imaginative blend of science and adventure, but bewildered criticism from at least one reviewer who feared Verne's readers were destined for "lunatic asylums." Roth translated the work from the original French in order to "amplify local coloring" of the American characters and to "put a little more blood and heart into the human beings," among other reasons. Bound in decorative green cloth stamped in gilt and black. Some wear to extremities, particularly at spine ends; small closed tear to the title-page; owner's embossed stamp to title-page. A very nice copy of a difficult title to obtain. (Taves and Michaluk V003). (19266) $1,250
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VERNE, JULES. The Castle of the Carpathians. New York, Merriam, (1894).
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First American edition. Illustrated throughout by Duplessis. One of the most handsome of the American editions of Verne, bound in publisher's purple cloth stamped in black and gold and with a large illustration of the Nyctalops dragon to the front cover in off-white. "Mr. Jules Verne has the knack of it," said the New York Times in its review of the book. "He knows how to make the scientifically romantic story. You might not know what a 'nyctalop' was, but if you saw one flapping his wings around the dark fortress in the Carpathians, you would run for it. . . ." Rear inner hinge weak, else a nearly fine copy of one of Verne's scarcer titles. (Taves & Michaluck V039). (19465) $3,500
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VERNE, JULES. Dick Sands the Boy Captain. London, Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, 1879.
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First English edition. Translated by Ellen Frewer. Illustrated with numerous line cuts. Published in December of 1878, the title-page apparently was postdated to 1879, as with some other end-of-year Verne titles. Minor wear to extremities, rear hinge slightly cracked, slight spine lean, else a near fine copy in brown cloth stamped in black and gilt. This copy without ads. A.e.g. (Taves & Michaluck V018). (19468) $1,000
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VERNE, JULES. From the Earth to the Moon, Direct in Ninety-Seven Hours and Twenty Minutes: and a Trip Around It. New York, Scribner, Armstrong, 1874.
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First American edition of the two novels in one. Illustrated with 80 black and white drawings from the original French edition. Bound in pictorial green cloth stamped in gilt and black, showing the rocket, moon, and stars on the front cover and an interior view of the rocket's cozy living quarters on the spine. A review of the book at the time commented that the the publisher had "admirably supplemented the work of the author" by issuing the book "in handsome style with [a] brilliant cover. . . ." Wear to extremities, short closed tear in cloth at top of spine, and some faint insect spotting to covers. A very good to near fine copy. Issued without the ads. (Taves and Michaluk V003 and V007). (19477) $1,500
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VERNE, JULES. The Fur Country or Seventy Degrees North Latitude. Boston, James R. Osgood, 1874.
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First American edition. Illustrated with 100 steel engravings. Set in the furthest reaches of northern Canada, a land of polar bears and ice floes, the book was described in one review as containing "breathless excitement, wonders, and dangers, and escapes. It is a story of courage, endurance, adventure, and fun. . . ." The same might be said of most Verne stories, and is the reason he is still read today. Some wear to tips and ends of spine, else a fine copy. (Taves & Michaluck V010). (19476) $950
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VERNE, JULES. The Giant Raft. (Part I) Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon; (Part II) The Cryptogram. NY, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1881; 1882.
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Two volumes. First American hardcover editions. Translated by W.J. Gordon. Illustrated with numerous plates and a folding map in each volume. The first American edition was issued in wrappers by Munro in two separate parts in July 1881 and January 1882. Shortly thereafter Scribner issued this hardcover edition, also in two parts, in December 1881 and September 1882. Of the first volume the New York Times had this to say: "The conversations, descriptions, and illustrations are the same as the other books by Verne, forming altogether a peculiar stage between the books of adventure for boys and for adults." A very good set of this Amazonian adventure, bound in brown pictorial cloth stamped in black and gilt. Minor edgewear, slight fraying of cloth at foot of spines, slight lean to spine of The Cryptogram, both volumes internally fine. (Taves & Michaluck V022). (19479) $950
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VERNE, JULES. Kéraban-le-Têtu. Paris, J. Hetzel, (1883).
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Quarto. (iv), 410 pp. First illustrated edition. Part of the "Voyages Extraordinaires" series. This copy is inscribed by Verne and dated 1887. One of the author's more humorous works, translated as Keraban the Inflexible or Headstrong Turk for American and British editions. Verne wrote a five-act stage adaptation of the story in 1883 which has never been translated into English. Wear to edges and loss of color to the bottom edges and corners, else a good copy, scarce for its author inscription. A.e.g. (19282) $5,000
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VERNE, JULES. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. Boston, Geo. M. Smith, 1873.
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First American edition, second issue. The story of Captain Nemo and the Nautilus, illustrated with 110 black and white images by Edouard Riou, including a frontispiece underwater scene featuring a whale and other slithery sea creatures. This issue was sold by subscription only, and is basically the same book as the scarce Osgood version of the same year, with one crucial distinction being that the binding on the Osgood edition incorrectly prints the title as "Under the Sea" whereas this edition has the correct "Seas." Bound in green cloth stamped in gilt and black. Slight wear to extremities, rear lower corner bumped, inner hinges weak, else a fine copy of Verne's most popular adventure book. (Not mentioned in Taves and Michaluk V006). (19277) $2,000
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Back to Earth
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