Search Results: Authors starting with G from Peter Harrington

New York: Universe Books,, 1972. First edition, first printing. Review copy, with press releases laid-in, anticipating some backlash against the publication: "In an age when women's lib posters loudly proclaim "Women Are Not Chicks", how does a publisher get away with putting out a lavishly illustrated book called The Pin-Up: A Modest History. Answer: he doesn't. But he mollifies the legitimate female opposition by asking a prominent feminist to write a Foreword assessing the book and the whole phenomenon of pin-ups from her point of view." The book traces the history of the pin-up girl from its pre-20th century origins, and explores the use of the pin-up girl tradition in cheesecake photography, posters, magazines, calendars, the cross-over with Hollywood, and its exploitation in soft porn. Quarto. Original black cloth, spine and front cover lettered in gilt, pink endpapers. With dust jacket. Lavishly illustrated throughout. Very light rubbing to spine and extremities else a very good copy in like… Read More

Paris: Hervé du Mesnil,, 1629. The French royal librarian's copy First edition of this work on star reading, Persian talismans, and the Kabbalah by Gaffarel, Richelieu's librarian and the noted orientalist. This copy is from the library of Jérôme Bignon II, Advocate General to the Paris Parlement and the librarian to the king, with his gilt arms on the covers. Gaffarel (1601-1681) studied in Valence and Paris, and had a wide knowledge of oriental languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, Syrian, and Persian. Curiositez was his major work, based on his competence in the field of Jewish manuscripts and especially the Kabbalah. "Gaffarel was one of the most scholarly connoisseurs of such manuscripts and had long travelled all over Italy collecting them for Richelieu's library" (Mulsow, p. 342). The work is divided into four sections: the first is a defence of astrology from Christian charges of superstition and idolatry, the second is concerned with the talismanic sculpture of the Persians, the third… Read More

London: Headline Feature,, 1999. Sweet dreams First UK edition, first impression, inscribed by the author on the half title, "Mike, sweet dreams from Neil Gaiman, 24/6/99", with a drawing of a smiling half-moon. Stardust was awarded the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature in 1999; the first UK edition is scarce in commerce, particularly signed. Stardust first appeared as a four-issue comic mini-series, illustrated by Charles Vess, followed by a 1998 illustrated book. It was made into a film in 2007, directed by Matthew Vaughn. Octavo. Original black boards, spine lettered in gilt, blue endpapers, black silk bookmarker. With dust jacket. Text block faintly toned and foxed at edges; edges of unclipped jacket slightly toned: a near-fine copy in like jacket.

London: Bloomsbury,, 2017. First UK edition, first impression, signed by the author on an additional leaf bound into the book. Gaiman's popular retelling of Norse myths draws from Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda and the verses of the Poetic Edda. Gaiman elaborates on aspects of Norse mythology that have traditionally received little attention; a review in the Guardian declares that "Gaiman is an egalitarian explainer, as likely to devote a little page-space to Ratatosk, the malicious, gossipy squirrel – who lives in Yggdrasil and takes messages between the corpse-eating dragon at its root and the stern eagle in its branches – as to any Asgardian" (Haynes). A radio adaptation, starring Derek Jacobi, Colin Morgan, and Natalie Dormer, aired on BBC Radio 4 on Boxing Day 2018, and the book is also currently being released as an 18-issue comic book series by Dark Horse Comics. Octavo. Original black imitation cloth-backed boards, spine lettered in gilt. With dust jacket. Publisher's sticker to rear panel… Read More

London: William Heinemann,, 1899. Limited edition of 250 copies of this important and lavish monograph with superb photogravure reproductions. "Armstrong [1849-1918] is also remembered for his massive monographs, with accompanying catalogues, of some of the major British painters of the second half of the eighteenth century and the early nineteenth, Gainsborough (1894), Reynolds (1900), Raeburn (with J. L. Caw and R. A. M. Stevenson; 1901), Turner (1902), and, on a smaller scale, Lawrence (1913). These handsome tomes, the earlier ones illustrated with photogravure plates and colour lithographs, are geared for use in a country-house library rather than for the student's limited bookshelf space. The catalogue entries have now been superseded, but Armstrong was a pioneer; without these volumes later scholars would have found their task much more difficult. His texts are always thoughtful and possess a literary quality" (ODNB). Folio (374 x 275 mm). Contemporary red half morocco by Stikeman, decorative… Read More

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company,, 1967. Presented to the prime minister First edition, first printing, presentation copy to the British prime minister, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper: "For Harold Wilson, a man with some important experience with these matters. With admiration & regards John Galbraith 1967". Galbraith wrote after Wilson's death in 1995: "I knew him rather well and he was an exceptionally able and intellectually perceptive politician. He had learned to hide some of these qualities under a rather commonplace cloak. When you lifted the latter, you saw how much more there was present" (Selected Letters, p. 578). The New Industrial State was developed from Galbraith's Reith Lectures of 1966 and greatly expands on his 1958 work The Affluent Society. Galbraith argued that the planning and bureaucracy of large corporations has introduced a level of control into the economy, which means that the classical model of an entirely free market is no longer applicable. This view… Read More

Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company,, 1987. History through the eyes of a practised, outspoken critic of contemporary economics First edition, first printing, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Henry Reuss, the best economic voice ever in our legislature. From JKG 1987". In this engagingly written and wide-ranging history of economics, Galbraith examines the development of economic ideas from Adam Smith onwards, as set against the wider cultural currents and events of their times. Henry Reuss (1912-2002), a congressman and chair of the Joint Congressional Economic Committee in 1981-83, first met Galbraith when the latter supervised his work at the Office of Price Administration in 1940. Galbraith would subsequently provide the foreword to Reuss's autobiography When Government was God: Memories of a Life in Politics (1999). Reviewing the work for the American Economist, Barbara Maher observed that "This is history through the eyes of a practised, outspoken critic of… Read More

London: André Deutsch,, 1973. Presented to the provost of Adam Smith's hometown First British edition, first impression, presentation copy, inscribed on the half-title, "To the Provost of Kirkcaldy as a souvenir of a most pleasant visit to Kirkcaldy and to Scotland. John Kenneth Galbraith, 1973". Pasted to the verso is a typed letter signed from publisher André Deutsch stating that, "Professor Galbraith asked me to send you a copy of A China Passage which [he] has dedicated to you". The recipient of this copy was John B. Kay OBE, provost from 1972 and the last person to hold the position, with his ownership inscription on the front free endpaper verso. On 5 and 6 June 1973, with the support of Kay, Kirkcaldy - the hometown of Adam Smith - hosted a symposium commemorating the 250th anniversary of Smith's birth, with the many distinguished attendees including Arthur F. Burns, chairman of the US Federal Reserve Board, Lord O'Brien, governor of the Bank of England, Deutsch, and economists such as… Read More

New York: Arbor House,, 1984. First Arbor House edition, first printing, inscribed by the author on the first page, "For Dick Adams with all good wishes JKG 1984". First published in 1968, Galbraith's satirical novel attacking Washington policy makers was based on an unhappy six months spent at the State Department during 1946. The Arbor House edition features a new introduction by the author, on the writing and first publication of the book and on the changing state of Central America where it is set. Octavo. Original wrappers. Spine sunned, front inner hinge a little over-opened. A very good copy.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company,, 1973. First edition, first printing. Signed and dated by the author on the half-title: "John Galbraith 1979." Octavo. Original blue cloth, titles to spine and front board in gilt and yellow, map endpapers. With the pictorial dust jacket. Black and white photographic frontispiece and numerous similar illustrations. Light stain to epigraph leaf and pp. xi-xii. An excellent copy in a bright jacket with a few minor nicks and minor wear to verso.

Naples: Nella Stamperia Simoniana,, 1780. A major contribution to monetary theory Second edition of arguably the most notable Italian work on monetary theory, first published anonymously in 1751 (dated 1750), this the first edition to name Galiani as the author, and expanded with a preface, notes, and an epilogue. Della moneta was penned in response to the monetary crisis that hit the Kingdom of Naples after the 1748 Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle and was first published when the author was just 22. It marked the culmination of Galiani's extensive monetary studies, revealing "a large number of contributions putting him far ahead of his time" (Palgrave, II, p. 457). Beginning with a critical overview of monetary theorists to date, the work goes on to discuss coinage, the nature and value of money, all aspects of exchange, and benefits, all of which Galiani analyses in relation to the Neapolitan situation, showing himself to have strong leanings towards mercantilism, and rejecting a fiduciary monetary… Read More

Naples: Presso Giuseppe Raimondi,, 1750 [1751]. Uncut and in contemporary wrappers First edition of the most notable Italian work on monetary theory, a "masterpiece of analysis of value and prices" (Books that Made Europe) which put the author "far ahead of his time" (New Palgrave II). Della Moneta is extremely scarce uncut and in contemporary wrappers: this is the first such example we have handled. Ferdinando Galiani (1728-1787), then aged just 22, published his text anonymously to avoid the censure of the Kingdom of Naples, where he was in holy orders. A correspondent of Voltaire, Diderot, and Turgot, he was unique among Enlightenment economists in rejecting the possibility of universally-applicable principles (Schumpeter, pp. 292-293). Della Moneta responds to the monetary crisis that had hit Naples in 1748, considering coinage, the value of money, and various aspects of commercial exchange. Galiani's focus is, appropriately, on value as a relative notion, not related to the intrinsic properties… Read More

Naples: Presso Giuseppe Raimondi,, 1750 [but 1751]. Presentation copy of the most significant Italian contribution to monetary theory First edition, presentation copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper verso: "Dono dell'Autore Ab[a].te Gagliani [sic], Segretario dell Ambasciato di Napoli. 1763" ("Gift of the Author, the abbé Galiani, Secretary of the embassy of Naples, 1763"), in a hand likely either secretarial or that of the recipient. Originally published anonymously to avoid incurring censure, Galiani did not publicly acknowledge his authorship of Della moneta until some 30 years later (Monroe, p. 280). This inscription, however, suggests the authorship was an open secret. Galiani was appointed secretary of the Neapolitan embassy in Paris four years earlier. Della moneta is arguably the most notable Italian work on monetary theory, penned in response to the monetary crisis that had hit the Kingdom of Naples after the 1748 Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. It marked the culmination of Galiani's… Read More

Milan: Giuseppe Galeazzi, , 1778. A celebration of Galileo First collected edition, in which Frisi's eulogy to Galileo, first published in 1775 (two editions: Milan, Federico Agnelli, and Livorno, nella Stamperia dell'Enciclopedia), is coupled with a similar tribute to Galileo's disciple Bonaventura Cavalieri (1598-1647), whose developments in geometry were the precursors to integral calculus. Paolo Frisi (1728-1784) was an Italian mathematician, astronomer and physicist who is best know for his work in hydraulics. "His most significant contributions to science, however, were in the compilation, interpretation, and dissemination of the work of other scientists... The commentaries he wrote on the work of such scientists as Galileo Galilei and Sir Isaac Newton were influential in bringing their ideas to the attention of a wide audience" (Encyclopaedia Britannica online). These pioneering works have been described as "carefully crafted lives [that] are, at once, a celebration of exceptional individuals… Read More

London: Duckworth,, 1929. First collected edition, in a handsome Baytun binding. Octavo (207 x 130 mm). Mid-20th-century green half morocco by Bayntun, spine lettered in gilt, green cloth sides ruled in gilt, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. Portrait frontispiece. The binding sharp and bright, front hinge cracked but firm, visible at half-title, internally clean. A very good copy.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,, 1922-36. The Manaton edition, the first collected edition of Galsworthy's works. Signed limited edition, one of 780 sets of which this is number 321, signed by the author in the first volume. 30 volumes, octavo. Attractively bound in recent brown half calf, red and black morocco labels, spines decorated with gilt centre tools, raised bands, marbled sides, cream endpapers, top edges gilt, others uncut. Photogravure frontispiece with tissue guard to each volume. Contents clean, spines ever so slightly rubbed. An excellent set.

London: John Murray,, 1855. First edition of Francis Galton's guide, "intended as a Manual for all who have to rough it, whether they be explorers, emigrants, missionaries, or soldiers" (Preface). Having inherited a vast fortune on his father's death, Galton spent a year travelling in the Middle East before "undertaking a journey of exploration (at his own expense but under the auspices of the Royal Geographical Society) to South-West Africa - an area which was largely unknown to Europeans. Two books resulted: Tropical South Africa (1852) and The Art of Travel (1855). The first of these was rewarded with a gold medal from the Royal Geographical Society, a fellowship of the Royal Society, and membership of the Athenaeum; the second (a how-to book) was reprinted several times over the next four decades." (ODNB). All manner of advice is given, from where to look for water, to was of bivouacking personal cleanliness, matters of discipline, secreting jewels, milking wild cows and instruments for taking… Read More

London: Macmillan & Co.,, 1892. The foundation of finger-print identification First edition of Galton's work designed to assist with classifying and indexing large numbers of fingerprints. "The use of fingerprints for the identification of criminals had been advocated in 'Nature' in 1880 by both Henry Faulds and Sir William Herschel, but was put on a scientific basis only in Galton's book on Finger Prints, published in 1892" (Bulmer, p. 35). Of particular importance was Galton's work on establishing that "the pattern of a person's fingerprints did not change from youth to old age and creating a taxonomic system by which the variations in fingerprint patterns could be described and catalogued" (ODNB). "In 1892, in his book Finger Prints, Galton gathered together all these earlier studies [by Purkinje, Faulds, and Herschel] and recorded other experiments, illustrated from photographs and drawings. The outcome of this was the appointment in 1899 of a Royal Commission which came out in favour of the… Read More

London: Macmillan & Co.,, 1892. The foundation of finger-print identification First edition of Galton's work designed to assist with classifying and indexing large numbers of fingerprints. "The use of fingerprints for the identification of criminals had been advocated in 'Nature' in 1880 by both Henry Faulds and Sir William Herschel, but was put on a scientific basis only in Galton's book on Finger Prints, published in 1892" (Bulmer, p. 35). Of particular importance was Galton's work on establishing that "the pattern of a person's fingerprints did not change from youth to old age and creating a taxonomic system by which the variations in fingerprint patterns could be described and catalogued" (ODNB). "In 1892, in his book Finger Prints, Galton gathered together all these earlier studies [by Purkinje, Faulds, and Herschel] and recorded other experiments, illustrated from photographs and drawings. The outcome of this was the appointment in 1899 of a Royal Commission which came out in favour of the… Read More

[London: Frederick Hollyer,] May, 1899. A striking portrait taken by the great late 19th-century celebrity photographer A striking photographic portrait of the human geneticist and eugenicist Francis Galton, taken by Frederick Hollyer, the great late 19th-century celebrity photographer. Hollyer (1837-1933) was highly regarded for his fine platinum print reproductions of paintings, particularly those by the Pre-Raphaelites, who he met in 1860 and whose work he did so much to popularize. His other speciality became portraiture, and he was the photographer of choice for the celebrity set. For 30 years, from 1882 onwards, he reserved Mondays for welcoming sitters at his studio in Pembroke Square. "Hollyer made a great many revealing and intimate portraits. His subjects included many of the most important artistic, literary and society figures of the day... [He] prided himself on his immaculate technical skills and advocated making 'untouched' negatives and prints" (Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century… Read More