Search Results: Authors starting with J from Raptis Rare Books

Dayton, Ohio: Press of Morningside Bookshop, 1985. Facsimile of this rare memoir by the widow of Stonewall Jackson. Octavo, original cloth decorated in gilt, illustrated. With a typed letter signed by historian and author Lowell Reidenbaugh to fellow and Civil War historian Gary Gallagher laid in as well as a First Day Cover from 1995 with the 32c Stonewall Jackson stamp postmarked from "Stonewall Jackson House Station" in Lexington. Also laid in is a summary of Stonewall Jackson's library and an email exchange with R.K. Krick printed out for Gary Gallagher regarding the merits of this edition, "The first Mrs. Jackson might be a good candidate. I have never compared it to the big one. What did she add?" In fine condition.

December 6, 1830. American statesman and soldier Andrew Jackson was inaugurated as the seventh President of the United States of America in 1829 after defeating President John Quincy Adams in a landslide electoral victory. "The Age of Jackson" was marked by a shift and expansion of democracy with a goal of passing a portion of the political power of the established elites to the ordinary voter, or "common man" whom Jackson strongly believed had the ability to "arrive at right conclusions." Throughout his term, Jackson sought to reduce the power of the federal government in favor of agrarian sympathies which resulted in the redistribution of the Native American population and the ascendancy of the party spoils system.

Boston: Carter, Hendee, and Co, 1832. First edition of Jackson's work detailing six cases of Cholera collected at the Hospital de la Pitie at Paris. Octavo, original publisher's boards and paper spine label. In very good condition. Ownership inscription. American physician James Jackson began a medical practice in Boston in 1800 which he continued until 1866. In 1803 he became a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and in 1810 he proposed with John Collins Warren the establishment of a hospital and an asylum for the insane. Somerville Asylum was soon founded, and afterward the Massachusetts General Hospital was begun in Boston, of which he was the first physician until he resigned in 1835. In 1810 he was chosen professor of clinical medicine at Harvard Medical School, and in 1812 professor of theory and practice, which post he held until 1835, and was afterward professor emeritus until his death.

January 19, 1830. Rare military document signed by Andrew Jackson as President and Martin Van Buren as Secretary of State. One page, partially printed on vellum, the document measures 10.5 inches by 5 inches. Countersigned by David Henshaw as Collector for the District of Boston and Charleston. In very good condition. American statesman and soldier Andrew Jackson was inaugurated as the seventh President of the United States of America in 1829 after defeating President John Quincy Adams in a landslide electoral victory. "The Age of Jackson" was marked by a shift and expansion of democracy with a goal of passing a portion of the political power of the established elites to the ordinary voter, or "common man" whom Jackson strongly believed had the ability to "arrive at right conclusions." Throughout his term, Jackson sought to reduce the power of the federal government in favor of agrarian sympathies which resulted in the redistribution of the Native American population and the ascendancy of the party… Read More

New York: Random House, 1993. First edition of this classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "I hope you enjoy this, Barbara Fryrear, Sincerely, Jane Jacobs Dallas May 1993." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Book design by Carole Lowenstein.

New York: George Braziller, 1962. First edition of this work on the Pritzker Prize-winning architect. Quarto, original half cloth, illustrated Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Rosalind Greene Who gave me warmth and courage when both were most horribly lacking - in fondest memory. Philip Johnson." Two autographed letters signed and three typed letters signed from Johnson totally five pages loosely inserted along with assorted magazine and newspaper articles. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Lustig and Reich.

Decca Records, [1963]. Early Rolling Stones advertising card issued by Decca Records in promotion of the group's first two singles: "Come On" and "I Wanna Be Your Man." The front of the card features a photograph of all five original band members signed be each: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, and Billy Wyman. Additionally signed by Brian Jones' girlfriend at the time (and later, folk-rock star Donovan's wife), Linda Lawrence. The card measures 4 inches by 5 inches. Double matted and framed with both sides of the card visible. The entire piece measures 15 inches by 16 inches. In near fine condition. A rare piece of early Rolling Stones history, particularly signed by Brian Jones who was the original leader of the group, left the band in 1969, and died shortly afterward. The Rolling Stones' first single, "Come On" was released on June 7, 1963. Their second single, "I Wanna Be Your Man" was released by Decca on November 1, 1963. On April 16, 1964, Decca… Read More

Edinburgh: G.G. J. and J. Robinson, 1790. First edition of this classic work. Quarto, 5 volumes, bound in half leather, all edges gilt. With 58 engraved plates and 3 folding maps. In near fine condition. Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 is the account by the Scottish traveller James Bruce of his journeys in the Horn of Africa, which includes an eye-witness account of Ethiopian history and culture, as well as a description of that country and the neighboring kingdom of Sennar and the Ottoman province of Habesh. "One of the most splendid narratives in the literature of African travel" (Hallet Africa to 1875). Bruce’s account is also notable for its plate of the figure of a harpist in the tomb of Ramses III, "the first picture of a scene in the royal tombs to be published it caught the imagination of many" (Romer, 36).

New York and London: Macmillan & Co, 1893. First edition, second issue of one of James' neatest tales. Octavo, original cloth. In near fine condition with light rubbing to the extremities, small tear to the front free endpaper. First syndicated by S. S. McClure in multiple American newspapers and then published in the British publication Black and White in April 1892 and the following year as the title story in the collection, The Real Thing and Other Stories published by Macmillan. This story, often read as a parable, plays with the reality-illusion dichotomy that fascinated James, especially in the later stages of his career. For the illustrator who narrates the story, the genuine article proves all too useless for his commercial purposes. The story portrays the unfortunate victims of a society in which reality and representation are closely intertwined in ways that make art a difficult project to untangle the two.

London: William Heinemann, 1909. In these essays on travels in Italy written from 1872 to 1909, Henry James explores art and religion, political shifts and cultural revolutions, and the nature of travel itself. James's enthusiastic appreciation of the unparalleled aesthetic allure of Venice, the vitality of Rome, and the noisy, sensuous appeal of Naples is everywhere marked by pervasive regret for the disappearance of the past and by ambivalence concerning the transformation of nineteenth-century Europe.

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1903. First American edition of this dark comedy, which Henry James considered his finest work. Octavo, original cloth, gilt topstain. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light toning to the spine. Henry James got the central idea for The Ambassadors from an anecdote about his friend and fellow-novelist William Dean Howells, who, whilst visiting his son in Paris, was so impressed with the amenities of European culture that he wondered aloud if life hadn't passed him by. From that intriguing suggestion grew Strether's long speech to Little Bilham about living "all you can". The theme of liberation from a cramped, almost starved, emotional life into a more generous and gracious existence plays throughout The Ambassadors, yet it is noteworthy that James does not naively portray Paris as a faultless paradise for culturally stunted Americans. Strether learns about the reverse side of the European coin when he sees how desperately Marie fears… Read More

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1917. First American edition of one of James' two unfinished novels, published posthumously. Octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine, in near fine condition.    

New York and London: Macmillan & Co, 1892. First edition of this novella, which tells the story of a young writer, Paul Overt, who meets Henry St. George, a famous novelist Overt admires. Octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine. In near fine condition, contemporary name to the title page. A very sharp example with the spine gilt fresh.

London: W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd, 1918. First edition of this collection of essays. Octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine and front panel. In very good condition. BAL 10702.

Boston: The Ball Publishing Company, 1908. First edition of this series of literary essays written in James' earlier style. Octavo, original cloth, gilt titles to the spine, gilt topstain. Introduction by Le Roy Phillips. In near fine condition. A very bright example. Henry James was an American author regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of renowned philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.

London: Westminster and Archibald Constable & Co, 1902. First edition of Henry James' landmark novel. Octavo, original cloth. In very good condition, name to the front free endpaper. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell and chemise box.

Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1885. First edition of this collection of James novellas. Octavo, original green cloth, gilt titles to the spine. In very good condition. A nice example.     Henry James was particularly interested in the short narrative form of fiction and produced dozens of what he called the "beautiful and blest nouvelle". Originally published in English Illustrated Magazine in 1884, The Author of Beltraffio is the macabre account of the demise of an isolated and troubled English family told through the eyes of a somewhat naive American narrator.

Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1884. James' Portraits of Places includes a remarkable collection of travel accounts which originally appeared in the Century, the Atlantic Monthly, and Galaxy Magazine. Chapters include accounts of James' travels to Venice, Normandy, Saratoga, Newport, Quebec, and Niagra among others.

New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1893. First edition of this collection of novellas published at the height of James' career. Octavo, original illustrated cloth, in near fine condition.   Henry James was particularly interested in the short narrative form of fiction and produced dozens of what he called the "beautiful and blest nouvelle". Each of the stories contained in this volume offer a concise and intimate view into the psyches and private lives of James' typical American emigre protagonists.

New York: James R. Osgood and Company, 1876. First edition of one of James' earliest novels. Octavo, original cloth. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell and chemise box. An exceptional presentation. Roderick Hudson is a novel by Henry James. Originally published between January and December 1875 as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly, it is a bildungsroman that traces the development of the title character, a sculptor.