Search Results: Authors starting with B from Neil Pearson Rare Books

London: Robert Hale, 1941. 8vo, pp. 320. Original pale orange boards, lettered in yellow to spine. Printed dust jacket. Corners just a little bumped, but a near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with some light wear to head of spine. First UK edition of the author's first book. Published the same year in the US with the title A Homicide for Hannah. One of only three novels by Dwight V. Babcock [1909-1979] who spent most of his professional life in the world of pulp fiction, before graduating to screenwriter at Universal. A near fine copy of a scarce book in any condition. HUBIN, p. 18

New York: Knopf, 1979. 8vo, pp. 377. Original cream boards, lettered in silver on front panel and spine. Top edge cut, others uncut. Some browning to pastedowns and endpapers, otherwise a near fine copy in a near fine, unclipped dustwrapper, with just the lightest of edgewear. 32pp. photographic illustrations. First edition, SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR ON FRONT FREE ENDPAPER.

New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1968. 8vo, pp. 206. Original orange boards, lettered in black on front panel and spine. Light spotting to front board, and equally light edgewear to spine ends, a near fine copy in a very good dustwrapper, a little marked and rubbed and with wear to spine ends. 12 pp. photographic plates. First edition, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR ON TITLE PAGE: 'To Cole -- Who loves deeply -- Pearl'. Published in 1968, the year Bailey won a Tony for her performance in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly!

London: Hutchinson, 1988. 8vo, pp.72. Original black and brown three quarter boards, lettered in gilt to cover and spine. Spine a little sunned, otherwise a fine, unread copy. First edition.

London: Faber, 1968. 4to, pp. 60. Original black boards, lettered in gilt on spine. Illustrated dustwrapper. Two brochures for the Sidney Nolan Trust laid in. Small bookplate of Kenneth Clark to front pastedown, later gift inscription to ffep., chipping to head and closed tear to foot of spine, some marking to rear panel. 24 illustrations, 8 in colour, all by Sidney Nolan. First trade edition, INSCRIBED BY SIDNEY NOLAN TO KENNETH CLARK: 'K + Jane, Love from Sidney + Cynthia 1968'. With the bookplate of Kenneth Clark to front pastedown. Kenneth Clark has long been credited with bringing Australia's foremost artist Sidney Nolan [1917-1992] to worldwide attention. Nolan had produced his famous series of paintings of Ned Kelly in the 1940s, but it was his landscapes that first captivated Clark, who first travelled to Australia in 1949, and who happened to be writing his book Landscape Into Art (1949) during the voyage. Nolan's work chimed perfectly both with Clark's current preoccupations and with his… Read More

Paris: Denoel, 1966. 4to, pp. 109. Original mauve boards, blindstamped on spine. Slipcase with title label to front panel. A near fine copy in a like dustwrapper, with a little light wear to spine ends. Slipcase split at top edge, but intact. 84 pp. plates by the artist. First trade edition, preceded by 130 numbered copies with a signed engraving laid in. Preface by Constantin Jelenski.

New York: Henry Holt, 1927. 8vo, pp. 263. Original green boards, lettered in yellow to front panel and spine. Spine darkened and a little worn and bumped at ends. A very good copy, lacking the dustwrapper. First edition, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR: 'To Dicky, for not having been absent or tardy once during 1930, Bob Benchley. Oct 21 1930.' With a very shaky ?ownership signature, possibly of the recipient, whose forename was Richard but whose surname is illegible. A collection of essays from the humorist, columnist, actor, and pre-eminent New Yorker contributor of his day. Very scarce inscribed.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1940. 8vo proof, pp. 242. Original illustrated wrappers without flaps. Front hinge starting, text block a little browned, but a very well preserved copy. Proof copy of the first US edition, published the same year in the UK with the title Front Page Murder. The first Dick Marlow title. A very scarce and well preserved survivor. HUBIN, p. 31

New York: Cardoza Publishing, 2005. 8vo, pp. 208. Original green boards, lettered in gilt on spine. A fine copy in dustwrapper. 8 pp. bw illustrations. First edition.

London: Privately printed, N.d. [1977?]. Single sheet broadside, 11.5" x 8" approx., printed on one side only. Faint mark to top edge just visible above title, very slight age yellowing to edges, otherwise a near fine copy. Small line illustration of St. Mary-Le-Strand to lower left. First edition. This scarce broadside was privately published from Betjeman's London home (the address of which appears at top right), and appears to have been issued as part of the fundraising campaign for the church which was launched in 1977. Betjeman's frail and shaky signature at the foot of the poem is a facsimile. The limitation is unknown but, given its very low survival rate, is presumed to be small. A very uncommon survivor.

London: SPCK, 1954. 8vo, unpaginated. Original illustrated stiff paper wrapper, lettered in blue and red to front panel. Age-toned, some wear and bumping to (outsize) wrappers, but a very good copy. First edition, INSCRIBED ON HALF-TITLE BY THE AUTHOR: 'Inscribed for [?] Huggett John Betjeman 1970'. Not a scarce book, but very scarce signed or inscribed. This copy was inscribed sixteen years after publication in Betjeman's by then very shaky hand.

London: Chapman and Hall, 1933. 8vo, pp. 136. Fold-out map to rear. Original pink three-quarter boards, letter in black to front panel. Printed spine label. Bottom edge uncut. Errata slip. Contemporary ownership signature to ffep., wear to spine label, some bumping to corners. Fold-out illustration by Peter Fleetwood-Hesketh. First edition. A very nice copy of the author's second book.

London: John Murray, 1969. 8vo, pp. 244. Original pink and white illustrated stiff paper wrappers. Wrappers a little marked, spine dulled, but a very good copy. Illustrated throughout, some by John Piper -- one a fold-out panorama of Cheltenham. Later edition, AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BY BETJEMAN ON HALF-TITLE: 'To D.E. Howell With best wishes from his old neighbour + friend John Betjeman 1969'. 1 pp. ALS FROM BETJEMAN TO HOWELL LAID IN. Mr. Howell had clearly sent this copy to Betjeman requesting a signature, and preserved the letter he received in reply. Dated 27 June 1969, and sent from Betjeman's Cloth Fair address in the City, the letter reads: 'Dear Mr. Howell, How very kind of you to write to me. I hope my head won't get turned by all these kind letters I have had. I especially value yours + hope you are happy up there in Islington. There are two churches -- St. Silas Pentonville + St. Saviours Aberdeen Park which are all right. We miss you down in the City. Yours, John Betjeman'. A… Read More

Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1974. Large 4to, pp. 526. Original three-quarter tan cloth boards, lettered in gilt to front panel and gilt-on-black to spine. Houndstooth slipcase. Some fading to spine, otherwise a fine copy in the slipcase. First edition. An extremely well-preserved copy of this bibliography of all things Sherlockian (up to 1974).

Liverpool: Charles Birchall, N.d. [c.1930]. 8vo, pp. 111. 3 folding maps to rear, fold-out sidereal chart bound in text. Author's photographic frontispiece. Patterned endpapers. Original beige illustrated boards. Closed tear to leading edge of first map, boards darkened, and with wear to spine ends. Illustrations by D.W. Sorrell. Photographic plates throughout. First edition, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR: 'To my old shipmate "Annan", RMS "Franconia" New York 27/5/26 JPG Bisset'. Lt. Commander Sir James Bisset [1883-1967] was a British merchant sea captain who spent most of his career with the Cunard shipping line. In 1912, he was second officer on Cunard's RMS Carpathia when it responded to distress calls from RMS Titanic, taking 703 survivors aboard and taking them to New York. His manual Lifeboat Efficiency [1924] was the British Merchant Marine's house text on the subject until the Second World War; this title, a more general text, was published around 1930 and distributed to interested passengers… Read More

New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1929. 8vo, pp. 274. Original orange boards, lettered in black to spine. Publisher's device in black to front panel. Illustrated dust jacket. Small yellow remainder mark to front free endpaper, gift inscription (from one Jefferson to another) to half-title, otherwise a near fine copy in a very good dust jacket with a little fading to spine. First US edition of this comedy thriller by Blaker, better known as a war novelist. HUBIN, p. 37.

London: N.p., 1953. 4pp. typed legal document, horizontal fold across centre. Some old staining across the lower portion of the document, which is otherwise very well preserved. Legal contract dated 1 December 1953, SIGNED BY ENID BLYTON. The contract is an agreement between Darrell Waters of Darrell Waters Ltd., the company set up by Enid Blyton in 1950 to handle her affairs; a representative of the publishers Latimer House Ltd., and Enid Blyton herself. Under the terms of the contract, Latimer House undertake to pay a royalty of five per cent to Blyton for the publishing rights to My Third Enid Blyton Book, which was eventually published in 1955. A very scarce piece of signed Blyton ephemera.

New York: Scribner's, 1955. 8vo, pp. 250. Original black boards, lettered in black and yellow on spine. A fine copy in a near fine dustwrapper, with just a little edgewear at spine ends. First edition. Bourjaily's second novel, about an atomic scientist haunted by post-Hiroshima guilt. Some gay content. By the author of the more explicitly gay The End Of My Life. Young 357 Young 357

New York : Harcourt, Brace, 1934. 8vo, pp. 327. Original pale green boards, lettered in silver on spine. Spine sunned, suggesting the dust-jacket is supplied. Unobtrusive owner's label on rear endpaper, small closed tear at foot of p. 327. A very good copy in a very good dust-jacket with some wear to the lower edge and a few chips at head of spine. First edition. Boyle's fourth novel, dedicated to Caresse Crosby.

N.p. [London]: N.p. [BBC], 1976. 34 mimeographed pp., secured with pin to top left. Small, unobtrusive closed tear to title page, which bears the words 'Recording Engineer' written in pencil to top right. Light bumping and scuffing to edges and corners, but a better than very good copy. First edition of the script for Series Two, Episode Five of The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show, first broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on 3 October 1976. Morecambe and Wise made thirty series for television over twenty-two years, and many are still rerun today. Less well known is their radio work. They made three different shows for radio, among them four series of The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show broadcast on BBC Radio 2 between 1975 and 1978. This episode featured guest stars Nicola Pagett and Elaine Delmar, and was written by the boys' lead writer, Eddie Braben. This copy, though unmarked inside, seem to have been issued to the show's recording engineer by production staff, who have so marked the script at the… Read More