Arthur Petersen

Condition: Very Good. This is a trove of 60 historical and mostly vintage U.S. and Canadian postcards from the early 20th Century, Some date into the 1920s and 1930s. All the cards are stamped as follows: 1 1¢ Franklin, 1 1¢ Livingston, 1 2¢ Canadian, 1 2¢ Washington, 2 1¢ John Smith, 4 1¢ Franklin, 4 2¢ Washington, 7 1¢ Washington, 14 1¢ Canadian, 25 1¢ Franklin. Photos are arranged in this order. The group reflects an average cost of $3.33 each. The value of any is not lower while the value of most is higher, and some much higher. The PCs are from a retired research archive and family collection. Questions welcome.

Condition: Poor+ to Very Good. This collection of 8 ephemeral pieces include the following: (1) 1911 Souvenir of Bayfield, Condition Fair-, cover & 4 pp loose from saddle stitch. (2) 1913 Early AAA driving directions, Good+. (3) 1925 Hand Book of Vacation Trips in Alaska and the Yukon, Very Good. (4) 1926 Who's Who in the Movies, Fair-, some pages loose from saddle stich & worn along page tops. (5) 1931 Broadcast Weekly, Good (6) 1949 AAA Route Maps, Very Good. (7) c1958-63 first class stamped envelope, Very Good. (8) 1964 TV Guide, Very Good. The group reflects an average cost of $12.50 each. The value of most items is much higher and several very much higher. Questions welcome. The pieces come from a family collection.

Condition: Very Good. This is a collection of 50 historical and many vintage postcards and images from the 20th Century's first three decades. The group reflects an average cost of $4 each. Each item was acquired individually for a research archive at costs much higher than this average. When two copies appear among photos, they are of two cards. Questions welcome. The postcards come from a retired research archive.

Condition: Very Good. This is a collection of 168 postcards from various locations in England, Scotland, and Wales. The group reflects an average cost of $.60 each. These postcards picture sites, authors, poets, monarchs, cathedrals, and monuments of Britain. The value of any is not lower while the value of most is much higher, and for two rare cards very much higher. Questions welcome. The PCs come from a family collection and retired research archive.

Condition: Good. This hardbound first edition (size: 6¼X10Xâ…œ) supplemented the two Bewick volumes of British Birds of land (1797) and water (1804). These were republished over the years; in 1821 they were republished with a supplement for each volume. Pagination was separate; contents appeared at the end of each part. To accompany earlier editions, a stand-alone hardback work that bound the two parts with a special title page. These slim volumes are rare. On this copy for sale, a period gift message to an owner name and a date (1841) appear on the title page. The binding is quarter vellum over green boards with a printed title label on the front board and newer pastedowns and endpapers. The label contains the word "Royal" and a number appearing to be 71. The word stands for Royal Octavo, a premium paper measuring 6¼X10". The nr. may stand for a binder's volume nr. Boards have moderate soiling and wear; slight insect damage is on bottom of front edge; p. 3 of Part I is missing 1" from the bottom corner (no…Read more

Condition: Very Good+. This hardbound 2nd expanded edition of Bellocq's Storyville photographs has unmarked gloss pages, a strong binding, and dust jacket in Very Good- condition. The first edition of 1970 contained 34 prints. This edition contains an additional 18 prints, the same essays, and an added Introduction by Susan Sontag. The edition is also in enlarged format to accommodate the 58 prints in the size of the glass plates from which they come. Bellocq became a famous "figure in the history of photography" when his circa 1912 prints were displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in 1970. "They reveal an artist of considerable skill and uncultivated but compelling sensibility" (from the dust jacket). Used copies of the 1970 & 1996 editions are plentiful. For the 1970, 5 were priced at $27 to $54, 8 at $73 to $100, 8 at $110 to $175, and 2 at $206 & $250. For the 1996 edition, 9 were priced at $108 to $198 and 11 at $200 to $300. This copy for sale has a median price and, although oversize (11½X12¼X?), ships…Read more

Condition: Good+. This softbound first edition has a fading cover in places, unmarked pages, and good binding. The publication is found nowhere but here. The Michael McClure play The Beard (1965) was causing controversy everywhere it played, and when performed in a class on directing plays at Fullerton College in November 1967, in response to complaints, a state senate committee conducted a hearing. The result was this report and a subsequent senate bill in February 1968. It stated in part that "every student ... and every teacher or school official who knowingly permits ... any simulated act of sexual intercourse or deviant sexual conduct occurring during the course of a play ... is guilty of misdemeanor." The bill passed the senate in May 1968, but in the Assembly, the bill died in committee. The report is of ongoing interest for the conflict it portrays between free expression, in this case artistic expression, and intolerant governmental reactions to it by reason of stewardship over taxpayer dollars. This…Read more

Condition: Very Good. This is a hardbound first edition. Except for a check mark beside the name of J. D. Salinger in the table of contents, the pages are unmarked. The binding is strong and the cover but mildly worn at the bottom of the spine. Some of the writers in the table of contents: Tennessee Williams, Norman Mailer, Stanley Kauffmann, J. D. Salinger, Erskine Caldwell, Truman Capote, William Faulkner, Langston Hughes. Issues of Story appeared from 1931 to 1971, and many notable writers first appeared in its pages, including Joseph Heller, Carson McCullers, and Truman Capote. This issue shows, wrote Shirley Jackson for The New York Times, "so successfully the triumph of what [Editor] Burnett and Story hope to stand for…" (20 Nov 1949). Two copies were found for sale, one for $65 and one for $250. This scarce copy for sale has a lower than median price.

Condition: Near Fine. This is a hardbound second edition of the Norton Facsimile First Folio. It contains 37 pages of Introduction explaining the importance of "The First Folio" and what went into selection of pages from First Folio editions in the Folger Library. The binding is strong, the pages unmarked, and the covers and slipcover Near Fine. New copies are priced from $150 to $300+ and used copies in good condition from $100 and up. This Near New copy is priced to sell. As an oversize book of 11 pounds, it ships media mail for $9.90.

Condition: Very Good-. This hardbound first edition has an owner name and date (1982) on the first flypage. The binding is fair and the gilt-topped, heavy stock pages unmarked. The spine is somewhat faded, but the gilt lettering is clear. The buckram cover has the gilt and green colors of its design intact. The spine is worn top and bottom, the hinges show wear, and the corners are bumped with one corner worn. The cover, however, remains solid. The thirty full-color plates on heavier stock are tipped into the text, have no page numbers, and are fronted by tissue guards with printed titles. Among the creamy pages of clear text and stock that frames the plates are a few pages with foxing. The volume includes 17 pages of Faust scenes translated by the poet Percy Shelley (1792-1822). The prices of copies found for sale run from $180 to $240, $295, $400, and $610. Volumes for sale from the 100 Pogany-signed-and-numbered are priced above $1,000. This volume for sale appears to be on par with or in better condition …Read more

Condition: Good+. This is a hardbound first edition. The binding is good, and the unmarked pages are tanned but free of foxing. The cover has wear at the hinges, and the spine, worn at top and bottom. Though the lettering is faded, it remains legible. The cloth of the back cover has worn away to board. The inner hinges both front and back, have a wide strip of reinforcing library tape. The 80 Dore prints remain in excellent condition. Prices found for the Collier edition in various conditions of wear run from $95 to $100, $165, $185, and $225. The price reflects safe priority shipping of this oversize book.

Condition: Very Good. This is a softbound first edition with decorated cloth boards. Hinges and beveled covers show light to medium wear and shelf wear, and the cloth-covered boards have a few scuffs, light scrapes, and discoloration spots. The binding is strong, and the gilt-edged, heavy-stock pages are unmarked. The finely detailed engravings are subtle and refined. Instead of interleaves, engravings have blank facing pages. Between two pages looks like an engraving page was removed, but comparison with a HathiTrust digital copy matches page for page. Free of foxing and age tanning, the pages are bright. Eight copies in various conditions were found for sale, 5 from $36 to $50 and $75—and 3 for $125, $128, and $160. Of the copies priced at $100+, this antiquarian collectible for sale, in Very Good condition, is priced the lowest.

Condition: Very Good. This hardbound edition is an exact duplicate of several simultaneously published 1886 American editions (Adams & Putnam, Boston & Thompson Publishing, Cincinnati), of another in 1893 (Continental Publishing, see Library of Congress for download), and the same again in 1897 by Juvenile Publishing (location unknown. Thompson Publishing may be the publisher as it published literature for "juveniles"). This copy for sale has wear to the decorated cloth covers and spine and the corners are bumped and worn. The binding is good, the pages clear (some with smudges). Owner notes appear on the inside front cover. Inner hinges front and back were long ago reinforced with scotch tape; over this a fabric tape has been applied. Two first pages have repaired tears. Hundreds of 19th century and earlier poems and short prose selections are illustrated by 523 fine-line engravings. Their numerousness and quality are remarkable. A poet/author index lists the many selections, followed by a section of thumbna…Read more

Condition of contents: Very Good+; Condition of cover: Poor. This is a hardbound first trade edition. Age and transport have worn the cloth cover to separation in places at its hinges and spine. The corners are bumped and worn to the boards. The contents, however, make for a superior story. The binding is good, and the crisp, creamy pages are without marks, foxing, or tears. An unknown editor selected 52 quotations about women from poets across the ages, some of whom include Austen, Burns, Byron, Coleridge, Dickens, Fielding, Goldsmith, Keats, Marlowe, Milton, Pope, Scott, Shakespeare, Tennyson, Thackeray, and Wordsworth. Brickdale, considered among the last of the Pre-Raphaelite school of painters, illustrated 16 of the quotations with paintings. They appear in plates of fulsome color protected by tissue guards containing titles and descriptive quotations. Reprints sell for $13 softcover and $36 hardcover. Copies in various states of condition were found in England and Spain, priced at $62, $119, $206, & $94…Read more

Condition: Good+. This is a hardbound first edition, first printing of the U.S. publication. The book was also published in 1912 by Copp Clark, Toronto, Canada, the only difference being illustrations on the inside covers and fly pages, which do not appear in the U.S. edition. Numerous copies in various conditions are available for $95, $130, $150, $358, and $509. This copy for sale has wear on its paste-down cover, a rip in its cloth spine, and a tape reinforcement on the inside cover hinge and first fly page. An owner name appears on the "This Book Belongs to" page. Within, the book shines: its pages are unmarked, unstained, and unfoxed and include, in addition to numerous fanciful drawings, 12 full-color prints. This book is for sale at a moderate price for a collectible first edition.

Condition: Near Fine-. This is the ambitious and brilliantly realized hardbound first edition of the complete set of 19 volumes. Each volume contains 24 color slides of renowned paintings, an introduction and overview of each period, and a final section of specific and historical commentary on each of the paintings by painting slide/title. The collection contains a total of 456 color slides (24 per volume). These could be scanned for digital use. The set is in its original condition minus signs of minor shelf wear. Found commonly were individual volumes (priced between $8 & $16) and partial sets of 5 to 8 volumes (priced between $25 & $50). Complete sets are rare; the two found were priced between $250 & $300. For $9.90, the set ships USPS Media Mail.
Volume Titles: American Painting, Baroque Art in Italy, Dutch Painting, Early Flemish Painting, Early Italian Painting, Early Renaissance, English Painting, European Painting, Flemish Painting, French Painting, German Painting, Impressionist Painting, Origins of…Read more

Condition: Good-. This ex-library hardbound first edition is vol. I of the rare two-volume set. In 1888 there were two editions of the three titles. The first was the two-volume set in a print run of 650. The second edition contained the three titles in a single volume. Also in 1888, prior to publication, the three pieces appeared in magazines: The Aspern Papers was serialized in three issues of The Atlantic Monthly, March to May; Louisa Pallant in the February issue of Harper's Magazine; and The Modern Warning (titled then as Two Countries) in the June issue of Harper's. A second printing of the one-volume edition appeared in 1890. Prices for the scarce two-volume first edition are high. A set at Southeby's is estimated to bring between $3,000 and $5,000; a set with a US seller is $7,500, and a set in the UK is at £5,630.89. Four copies of the one-volume 1888 are priced at $100, $315, and two at $1,000. The one-volume copies of the 1890 2nd edition are numerous and priced at $25 to $43, $50, $83, $95, $141,…Read more

Condition: Near Fine-. This is a hardbound first edition with Very Good dust jacket. Twenty-six copies were found: 4 for under $100, 11 for $100+, 8 for $200+, and 3 for between $345 and $1600. This copy for sale has shelf wear only to the top and bottom spine. The dust jacket has a notch out of the bottom spine and some age staining and soiling; structurally it is Very Good. Despite the abundance of first editions, this collectible first edition for sale seems likely to retain its modest price at the market level and increase over time.

Condition: Good+. This is a rare hard-rebound first edition, third printing. Much in this volume first appeared in newspapers and magazines and then as a collection first published in 1864 under the title The Nasby Papers, Letters and Sermons. In amplified form, they appeared again in 1865 under the title Nasby. Divers Views, Opinions, and Prophecies. The Struggles edition, also known as "The Nasby Letters" for short, was first published in 1872 and went through five printings until 1893. This 1880 copy, the third printing, is missing its end papers, fly pages, and title/copyright page. Based on a complete copy at Harvard University (seen digitally through HathiTrust), the table of contents and page count shows the copy at hand is the 1880 printing of 627 pages. It is shorter than other printings, which include three lectures given in Boston during the Civil War. (Page counts for the other printings are 720, 670, and 715.) For reference, copies of the title and copyright pages held by Harvard are inserted wit…Read more

Condition: Near Fine. This Miller, Law, and Cater London edition has no date; WorldCat estimates its publication at between 1800 & 1820. Like the 1792 first edition in English, this edition has the exact same two fold outs (see photos) but not the first edition's frontispiece. The binding is strong, and the boards are marbled with leather corners and spine with gilt imprint of title and author. Mild foxing occurs on some pages. Many copies of The Ruins, including reprints, are available from $35 to as much as $938, depending on the edition. This Near Fine copy estimated at between 1800 and 1820 (but possibly before based on font, paper, and chase size) is found to be available (after current survey) only here.

Condition: Good+. This is the 4-volume hardcover set of Shelley's Works: Early Poems, Later Poems, Posthumous Poems &c, and Prose Writings. An original owner's name appears in the first two volumes. Covers for some, but not all, have worn spines, hinges, and edges of boards. Found for sale are individual volumes and some sets of two or three, but no full sets. Being the complete 4-volume set makes this Golden Library collection rare.

Condition: Very Good+. This first edition of The Prisoner includes the additional seven poems and explanatory Notes, all sent by Byron to his publisher in the summer of 1816. Some pages have mild foxing. The complete 60 pages, without cover or the first fly pages, have been rebound. This is the famous poem in its first print edition. Copies are not scarce, but asking prices run from $250 to $950 and up.

Condition: As New. This hardcover first edition is a sought-after volume by all who publicly write, read, or speak. The editor elicited 288 responses from noted scholars who supplied definitions—some with essays—on rhetorical and compositional topics. Reprints on demand for this volume are priced at $150 on up while used copies can be hand for above $60 to $90+. This copy is priced higher for its As New condition.

Condition: Fine. This is the hardcover (with dust jackets) first edition set of 5 volumes. It ships insured anywhere in the U.S. by USPS Media Mail for $9.90.