Search Results: Titles starting with I from The Manhattan Rare Book Company

Atlanta: Nexus Press. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Fine. FIRST EDITION of one of the seminal photobooks of the 1980's. SIGNED BY BURKE INSIDE ORIGINAL DRAWING OF HIS HAND. One of only 1000 copies printed of the first edition. "Bill Burke has become known for his large-format portraits shot on Polaroid Land film, which have the formality and feel of nineteenth-century photographs whilst remaining acutely modern in their sensibilities. In his best book, I Want to Take Picture, this technique is entirely appropriate, since it records his personal pilgrimage to southeast Asia, duplicating the enterprise of the old colonialist photographers but adding a contemporary twist... "Although the pictures have a nineteenth-century feel, the book is also a diary that records a twentieth-century experience. Burke not only uses his photographs, but also employs documents- reproductions of ephemera like money and bus tickets- and collages them with handwritten captions. The result is a kaleidoscopic… Read More

Milan: Bompiani, 1980. First edition, first printing. Original cloth with dust-jacket. Fine. SIGNED FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING OF ECO'S LITERARY MASTERPIECE. Eco's historical mystery novel, set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327, follows the tale of the friar William of Baskerville and the young Benedictine monk Adso of Melk, who are sent to investigate a series of murders that have occurred within the monastery. Renowned not only for Eco's intricate plot, Il nome della rosa contains a vivid depiction of the late Middle Ages rich in historical depth and precise in its depiction of the tensions within a medieval community. The present signed copy is in remarkably fine condition, with the original unclipped dust-jacket and a label from Italy's copyright authority SIAE (Società Italiana degli Autori ed Editori; Italian Society of Authors and Publishers) verifying the copy as one of the first printings from September 1980. ECO, UMBERTO. Il nome della rosa. Bompiani: Milan, 1980. First… Read More

Tours, France: np, 1500. first edition. nb. Very Good. EXTRAORDINARY ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT LEAF FEATURING A MINIATURE OF THE ENTOMBMENT BY A FOLLOWER OF JEAN BOURDICHON AND JEAN POYER. C.1500. A stunning leaf from a Book of Hours by an illuminator working in Tours, France, c.1500, in the style of master illuminators Jean Poyer (fl. 1483-1503) and Jean Bourdichon (c.1459-1521) of the celebrated "School of Tours". The Entombment, shown in a periscopic view, features figures rendered with a remarkable level of detail and superb artistic quality. The scene is shown at night, with a dark background providing a striking contrast highlighting the colorful fabrics and gold highlights of the subjects. The magnificent border features instruments of the Passion - cross, crown of thorns, dice, etc. - painted in gold on a rich burgundy background. The text is that of the opening compline of the Long Hours of the Cross (Hours of the Passion). Introduced with a highly decorated "C", it begins with "Converte… Read More

np: France. 1st Edition. No Binding. Very Good. Large illuminated manuscript leaf (c1480) with a miniature of God. Large leaf from a Northern French Book of Hours (c. 1480) containing the "Oraison à Dieu Le Pere TresDevote" from a Northern French Book of Hours (c. 1480) . 24 lines of text written in French in a gothic script in brown ink with red rubrics. Prominent miniature features God, the Father, in a red robe and golden crown. He stands before a bright gold background. Beautiful borders recto and verso with red & blue flowers, and blue & gold acanthus leaves. A large double line initial "M" painted in gold on a red background opens the prayer. Size: 212 x 136 mm (approx. 8.3 x 5.4 inches) Miniature: 51 x 46 mm The text in French: Oraison a dieu le pere tresdevote. Mon benoist Dieu, je croy de cueur et confesse de bouche tout ce que saincte Eglise croit et tient de vous et que ung bon catholique doibt de vous sentry et croire. Et proteste… Read More

France: np, 1480. First edition. Framed. Very Good. STUNNING FULL-PAGE MINIATURE OF SAINT BARNABAS FROM A 15TH-CENTURY BOOK OF HOURS. The full-page miniature on vellum, with fine detail and rich color, depicts the prophet dressed in a blue robe with a gold cape, (presumably) in the act of preaching with (as he is usually shown) a book cradled in his left hand. He stands before columns and arches revealing a mountainous landscape and blue sky in the distance. The image is framed by gold pillars and with “Sancte Barnaba” written in gold on a blue background in the base. Saint Barnabas, “son of consolation... stands first on the list of prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch” (Easton’s Bible Dictionary). The reverse, with one large two-line decorated initial, contains the end of the text dedicated to Saint Matthias, with the heading for Saint Barnabas. Judging from the style, the leaf appears to be from a French Book of Hours,… Read More

France: np. 1st Edition. No Binding. Very Good. Illuminated manuscript leaf (c1475) from a French Book of Hours with a colorful, vivid miniature of Mary and God on vellum. The miniature, colored with bright blues, gold, brown, and gray, depicts Mary with crown kneeling before God the Father. God is wearing the characteristic beehive-shaped crown as he holds the sovereign's orb in his left hand; with his right hand, God is in the act of blessing Mary and anointing her Queen of Heaven. Surrounding the miniature is a wide acanthus-leaf border with greens, blues, reds, and gold. Beneath the miniature is five lines of text ("Converte nos, Deus salutaris noster, et averte iram tuam a nobis... / Convert us, O God our saviour: and turn off thy anger from us. ..) with a large floral initial and two gold single-line initials. The verso, which contains most of Psalm 12, is highlighted by six red, blue, and gold initials. Size: 163 x 112 mm (approx. 6.5 x 4.5 inches) Miniature: 85 x 60… Read More

Paris: np. 1st Edition. No Binding. Fine. Striking vellum leaf with large, colorful miniature of the classic scene of Job on the dunghill. On recto: Two-part miniature featuring Job. In the center of the top image is Job, wearing only a loincloth, on a dunghill, with three men dressed in lavish robes on his left. In the background is a castle surrounded by greenery; in the distance, there are buildings on a hill, painted in shades of blue. The bottom image features the Devil pursuing Job. Golden ornate pillars border the two scenes. Top image measures 95 x 60 mm (approx. 3.7 x 2.4 inches); bottom image measures 20 x 60 mm (approx. 0.8 x 2.4 inches). Miniature (including border) measures 135 x 95 mm (approx. 5.3 x 2.4 inches) in its entirety. One illuminated three-line foliate initial (the letter "D") in burnished gold, blue, and green. The text is from Psalm 114. On verso: 22 lines of text written in Latin gothic script with brown ink on vellum. 9 single-line illuminated initials… Read More

Spain: np. 1st Edition. No Binding. Very Good. Large initial "D" cut from a Spanish antiphonal (c. 1500) richly painted on parchment. Initial painted in shades of brown on a decorated purple background. Framed in a lovely gold frame with custom matting and UV protected glass. A few spots of flaking and a hint of rippling; colors strong and dark. Frame Size: 10x12 inches (255x305mm); Cutting: 3.5x5 inches (90x130mm).

Spain: np. 1st Edition. No Binding. Very Good. Large initial "C" cut from a Spanish antiphonal (c. 1500) richly painted on parchment. Initial painted in shades of brown and tan on a decorated purple background. Initial is framed in a lovely gold frame with custom matting and UV protected glass. A few spots of flaking around the border edge, otherwise fine. Frame Size: 10x12 inches (255x305mm); Cutting: 3x4.5 inches (75x115mm).

Spain: np. 1st Edition. No Binding. Very Good. Brightly painted initial "E" cut from a Spanish antiphonal (c. 1500) on parchment. . Initial painted in gold & red on a beautifully decorated violet background framed in gold. A little flecking at border, otherwise fine. Initial is framed in a lovely gold frame with custom matting and UV protected glass.     
Frame Size: 10x12 inches (255x305 mm) 
Cutting:  3.75x4.5 inches (113x93 mm).

France, 1500. First edition. Custom presentation folder. Very Good. MANUSCRIPT LEAF (FRANCE, C.1500) DEPICTING BOTH ST JOHN THE BAPTIST AND ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST. From the Suffrages to Saints section of a circa fifteenth-century French Book of Hours, these consecutive appeals to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist capture a moment of personal devotion to two foremost figures in Western European medieval artistry. The two miniatures depict their respective saints in natural settings with halos, and both figures are edged in gold. John the Baptist, bearded, is seen in his cilice and draped in a burgundy robe-holding his traditional attribute of a lamb and flag. On the reverse, John the Evangelist stands with a chalice from which emerges winged dragon. A substantial three-quarter border of liquid gold on each side of the folio contains multitudes of foliage among acanthus leaves; with the recto displaying a winged drollery sticking out its tongue. Both miniatures are framed by realistic… Read More

Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1974. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. FIRST EDITION, DELUXE ISSUE, one of 1000 copies signed by Ansel Adams and with additional silver print signed by Adams. A FINE COPY. A magnificent production, illustrated throughout with duotone reproductions of Ansel Adams's evocative photographs. Foreward by Wallace Stegner. With the rare signed silver print "Fern Spring, Dusk, Yosemite Valley, California" (12.25 x 9 inches) loose and mounted as issued. Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1974. Oblong folio, original black cloth, original photographic dust jacket; housed in original silver-stamped clamshell box and original shipping box. In fine condition with book still shrink-wrapped.

Leipzig: Kurt Wolff Verlag, 1919. First edition. Original three-quarter calf over green and brown paper boards. Very Good. FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL BINDING OF ONE OF THE ONLY WORKS KAFKA PUBLISHED IN HIS LIFETIME. Franz Kafka was much more prolific in his day job than as a novelist, authoring countless statements, annual reports and accident assessments as an insurance officer in the twenty years before his death in 1924. Franz Kafka only published very few works of fiction in his lifetime, and in 1914 he wrote in his diary, "An Fertigem nur: In der Strafkolonie und ein Kapitel des Verschollenen" [Only finished works: In the Penal Colony and a chapter of The Missing] (cited in Dietz, p. 101). Why was Kafka so timid about his work? An intensely private person, he was very meticulous and self-critical as a writer, often doubting the worth of his own creative pieces and eventually requesting that all of his manuscripts be burnt upon his death. We know the name "Kafka" today in large part because of… Read More

Madrid; Rome: Didaci Diaz; Camerae Apostolicae, 1763. First edition. Contemporary binding. Very Good. HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT EDITIONS OF THE INDEXES OF BOOKS PROHIBITED BY THE CATHOLIC CHRUCH. The Catholic Church's catalogue of prohibited reading emerged in its modern form as the Index Librorum Prohibitorum in 1560 and continued to be updated into the twentieth century-with the final edition published in 1948 before the Index's official abolition in 1966 (see Lenard, "Index Librorum Prohibitorum"; History of the Church, p. 168). Many monuments of human knowledge found themselves on the pages of these indexes, including the works of Boccaccio, Copernicus and Erasmus. Also among them, in 1732, was an Italian translation of Paradise Lost. Milton had addressed the English Parliament a century earlier in 1664, lampooning the "2 or 3 glutton Friars" who censored scores of books, pamphlets and papers "as if S. Peter has bequeath'd them the keys of the Presse also out of Paradise" (Areopagitica, p. 7).… Read More

Boston, 1847. 1st Edition. Original Wrappers. Very Good. FIRST EDITION, OFFPRINT, of the first announcement of the successful use of anesthesia during surgical operations, one of the greatest discoveries of nineteenth-century medicine. A visitor to Boston, Massachusetts would be well advised to take a stroll to the Ether Dome at Massachusetts General Hospital to see the amphitheater where surgery without pain began. On October 16, 1846, dentist William T.G. Morton publicly performed a painless surgery through the use of general anesthesia, thereby transforming surgical medicine, and marking one of the greatest advances in medicine, one that not only liberated patients from pain, but enabled surgeons to perform more extensive operations. Offered here is the first edition offprint of the first announcement of Morton's seminal achievement as reported by Henry Jacob Bigelow in the November 18, 1846 issue of The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal , Vol. XXXV No. 16, pp. 309-316. Interestingly, the… Read More

New York: Thea Westreich, 1989. First edition. Cloth, slipcase. Fine. SIGNED LIMITED FIRST EDITION, number 217 of only 250 copies, SIGNED BY PRINCE AND WITH ACCOMPANYING HANDWRITTEN JOKE, ALSO SIGNED. An exhibition catalogue/artist's book published on the occasion of a 1989 Kent Gallery show, co-curated by Richard Prince and Thea Westreich. Including images by Prince interspersed with those of Richard Artschwager, Troy Brauntuch, Francis Picabia, Sigmar Polke, Man Ray, Gerhard Richter, Cindy Sherman, and Andy Warhol; each copy with its own personalized joke penned by Prince. Signed by Prince on the limitation page with accompanying handwritten joke, also signed, reading: "With all I've heard about A-bombs that'll destroy a city and H-bombs that'll destroy a state and chain reactions that'll destroy the world - you know I just don't have the incentive to buy a two pants suit." New York: Thea Westreich, 1989. Number 217 or 250 copies. Octavo (12 5/8" x 8 3/4"), original red cloth, original… Read More

London: Thames and Hudson, 1975. First edition. Original stiff paper covers. Very Good. FIRST EDITION OF BACON'S MOST REVEALING BOOK, INSCRIBED BY BACON ON HALF-TITLE: "To Carlos Peacock / with all very best wishes / Francis Bacon. / London 22/11/77". Interviews with Francis Bacon is the most important source we have for understanding Bacon's art and philosophy. Through Bacon's responses to the influential art critic and Bacon scholar David Sylvester's provocative questions, we gain invaluable insight into the one of the greatest artistic minds of the twentieth century. This copy was inscribed by Bacon to the influential art critic Carlos Peacock, author of several books on artists. Complete with 94 black-and-white illustrations. London: Thames and Hudson, 1975. Quarto (8x11 in; 20.5x27.5 cm), original pictorial stiff covers; beautiful custom half-leather box. A little peeling of the glossy surface at top edge of front panel, some toning to rear panel (as often). Rare signed.