Rare books from Appledore Books, ABAA

San Francisco: City Lights Pocket Bookshop, 1956. Original wraps. Near Fine. A remarkable Association copy of the 1956 correct 1st edition. This copy not only conforms to all the original issue points but is in beautiful, near-pristine condition. Furthermore, THIS COPY IS SIGNED BY 5 OF THE KEY FIGURES IN THE BOOK'S GENESIS: 1) ALLEN GINSBERG (on the title page); 2) LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI (on the copyright page); 3) LUCIEN CARR (on the dedication page); 4) WILLIAM BURROUGHS (also on the dedication page); and 5) CARL SOLOMON (on the first blank endpaper). In other words, this copy is signed by the book's author, its publisher and by 3 of its 5 dedicatees (only Jack Kerouac's and Neal Cassady's signatures are missing from this copy). Notably, of the 5 signatures, all critically important to the birth and evolution of "Howl", Lucien Carr's appears to be the most elusive. We know that Carr's relationship with the Beats grew tense early on and that he insisted his name be removed from all subsequent… Read More

Venice: Battista Tramontin, 1689. Vellum. Very Good -. The very scarce 1689 original printing of Antonio Biondini's "Prattica D'Algebra" ("Treatise of Algebra"). Published in Venice in its commonly-read Latin, the original vellum binding is still strong and firmly in place. Forgivable spotting and staining to the panels, internally the pages are surprisingly clean and bright. Octavo, decorative mottled edges. (Cited in "History of Mathematics", Vol. II, pg. 409, David Eugene Smith, Ginn and Company, Boston, 1923).

London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1940. Cloth. Very Good. SIGNED BY GEORGE ORWELL on the front free endpaper. A solid copy to boot of the 1940 true 1st edition of this uncommon collection of Orwell essays (consisting of 3 lengthy pieces --"Charles Dickens", "Boys' Weeklies" and "Inside the Whale"). Tight and VG in its dark cloth, with rubbing to the spine lettering, light spotting --and a bit of minor staining-- at the panels and just a touch of foxing to the endsheets. Orwell's signature of course is legendarily elusive and, given his relatively short life (1903-1950) and the major impact his career had in the world of 20th century literature, is extremely sought-after. Only a very small handful of 20th century authors command comparable respect in the rare book world.

Antwerp, Belgium: Gallery Ronny Van de Velde, 1989. Near Fine. A magnificent --and very uncommon-- portfolio of original photographic prints by Nat Finkelstein (1933-2009), one of the great chroniclers of Andy Warhol, specifically his mid to late 60s period at The Factory. Gallery Ronny Van de Velde of Antwerp produced and published this lavish tribute to Warhol in 1989 in a tiny edition of 50 copies (this being #31). Included in the complete portfolio are: "nine black/white photographs (30 cm x 40 cm)"; "one black/white photograph (15 cm x 22 cm)"; "one repetition of ten photographs on linen (80 cm x 160 cm)"; "one photo screened canvas (27 cm x 27 cm)"; and "one eight minute video cassette". "Each image is signed, stamped, and numbered (31/50) by the artist" and each is mounted to a light-gray cardboard backing, with dark, thin-cardboard guards (which have done their job well and kept each of the prints in pristine condition). The entire portfolio is contained within a marbled, pictorial metal… Read More

New York: Minton, Balch & Company, 1927. 1/4 Vellum. Very Good. Arguably the Holy Grail of 20th century golf literature. The very uncommon 1927 signed/limited --and true 1st edition-- of Bobby Jones's inspiring and deeply-influential autobiography, "Down the Fairway". LIMITED TO ONLY 300 COPIES (this being #65) AND SIGNED TWICE BY BOBBY JONES (at the limitation page and at the foot of the frontispiece photo) AND ALSO SIGNED BY THE CO-AUTHOR O.B. KEELER. Bound in the publisher's 1/4 vellum over light-green cloth, with bright gilt-insignia to the front panel and still-bright gilt-titling along the spine. Mild darkening and just a touch of light scuffing at the spine, light spotting to the panels on and around the vellum. Tasteful former owner bookplate as well at the front pastedown. A very presentable, solidly VG copy. Tight and firm. Octavo, top-edge gilt, deckled fore and bottom-edges. Dozens of crisp black-and-white photos complementing Jones's and Keeler's text as well. ALSO INCLUDES THE… Read More

Ephemera. Very Good. *****A DEEP, VARIED COLLECTION FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF SAN FRANCISCO ROCK, 1966-1971*****. Focused mostly on Chet Helms (and the Avalon Ballroom) and Bill Graham (and his Fillmore West). Includes over 90 handbills and flyers AND almost 50 posters from the period. The collection was accidentally built -- with no forethought behind it. It resulted simply from one young, active music lover who hit the clubs and liked pulling handbills, flyers and announcements off telephone poles and bulletin boards. The condition, which runs the gamut from Near Fine to truly rough, reflects the natural, unself-conscious way in which this young guy gathered up so much material. An unusually large, high-quality collection. Clearly, needs to be seen.

River Forest, Illinois: Auvergne Press, 1896. Half Calf. Very Good. Frank Lloyd Wright. A deeply-personal Association copy of the 1896 1st edition of Frank Lloyd Wright's 1st published book, #37 OF ONLY 90 COPIES PRINTED. THIS COPY BELONGED TO FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT'S MOTHER, ANNA LLOYD WRIGHT, WHO SIGNED HER NAME ON THE FIRST BLANK ENDPAPER AND ALSO INCLUDED A PRINTED, LAID-IN CARD. Small folio, original half-polished calf with gilt-line borders and green paper-covered sides; top-edge gilt. 55 pages. SIGNED BY BOTH FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT AND W.H. WINSLOW (one of Wright's most important early clients) at the limitation. "Printed by hand at the Auvergne Press in River Forest by William Herman Winslow and Frank Lloyd Wright during the winter months of the year eighteen hundred ninety six and seven". Though Wright did not write the text, this really has to be considered his first book as the page decorations were entirely designed by him; in addition, the volume incorporates a booklet sewn to the front… Read More

1887. 1/4 leather. Very Good +. A meticulously-crafted album of 29 original, mounted photographs of Yellowstone, all or most of them likely taken in 1887 and purchased directly from the 14-year old National Park. Though the photos are uncredited, we can surmise that photographers such as Thomas Hine, Charles D. Loughrey, Frank Jay Haynes (the official photographer of Yellowstone National Park) or even the renowned William Henry Jackson may have been responsible for some of these photos. All but one of the photos is nicely hand-captioned by a former owner (possibly Joseph D. Potts, whose name adorns the first blank endpaper), the captions serving as crucial identifiers to specific geysers, craters, falls, buildings, etc. The photographs, while all varying slightly in size, are each roughly 8 1/2" wide x 6 1/2" tall. The fragile album itself, a thick, oblong folio, has been professionally restored at its exterior, with recent, wine-red cloth boards laid over the original leather spine and tips, which… Read More

Boston: John Norman, 1786. Full leather. Very Good +. The 1786 1st edition of "the first contribution to the field of architecture compiled in America. After issuing the 1st American edition of Swan's The British Architect, the publisher, John Norman, came to Boston and published this work, compiled from various English sources, containing 60 plates depicting interior and exterior designs from homes and public buildings. 'In its house plans and details this collection more nearly approaches the needs of the average well-to-do man than the more ambitious reprint of The British Architect' (AAS). The frontispiece is from Isaac Ware's 1756 'The Complete Body of Architecture' and other content is drawn from the works of Batty Langley and other pattern book authors. Born in England, Norman describes himself in the subtitle of this work as a 'lover of architecture' but he never seems to have practiced as one, working primarily as an engraver and publisher" (Christie's, 2022). Only 3 complete copies are… Read More

New York: Carleton, Publisher, 1864. Full leather. Very Good. Very scarce 1864 photographic study of Central Park, with 50 mounted albumen prints of the Park by W,H. Guild, Jr. and "descriptions and an historical sketch" by Fred B. Perkins. Cleanly ex-libris, each print having been neatly --and inconspicuously-- stamped at its rear by the "Grand Rapids Public Library". Skillfully, professionally rebacked, with about half of the original spine laid back on. Light, forgiveable scuffing as well at the panels, which show minor restoration along the hinges and the edges. Bound in its original, full dark-calf, 5 raised bands, all edges gilt. Thick quarto, 77 numbered pages. Light wear (possible subtle plate removal?) at the front pastedown, still though very presentable and solidly VG. As to the album's scarcity, records show that no copy has come to auction since 1988. A wonderful piece of Americana, specifically of 19th century New York history and photography.

Venice: Francesco Maredini, 1556. Vellum. Very Good. Andrea Palladio. Translated and with a Commentary by Daniele Barbaro. Venice: Francesco Maredini, 1556. 132 woodcut illustrations and diagrams, 11-line woodcut initials, numerous 6-line initials, later parchment over contemporary vellum. 1st edition of Barbaro's translation and commentatry, with illustrations by Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) and possibly Guiseppe Porta Salviati (1520-1575) and Giovanni Antonio Rusconi (1520-1579). Barbaro's edition "is widely considered to be the most significant Italian edition of the treatise, the illustrations provided by Andrea Palladio, among others, are the most persuasive architecture illustrations associated with the Vituvian text". (Millard). Folio, armorial bookplate of Peter Delme Esq. to the front pastedown. Light, forgiveable soiling at the panels, loss of 40% of the spine's parchment, vellum beneath bright and clean. Decorative mottled edges, all plates crisp and attractive.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925. Cloth. Very Good -. The 1925 true 1st edition, conforming to all required issue points ("chatter" {pg. 60}; "northern" {pg. 119}; "it's" {pg. 165}; "away" {pg. 165}; "sick in tired" {pg. 205}; and "Union Street station" {pg. 211}). Notably, this copy includes 80%-90% of the rear cover of the 1st issue dustjacket, which has been neatly pasted onto the front free endpaper. We know this is the 1st issue jacket because it features one of the legendary issue points of the 1st edition, in fact the only issue point for the dustjacket, the upper case "J" in Jay Gatsby, here --as in every 1st issue dustjacket-- harshly printed over the accidental lower case "j". A mistake of course made back in the day (1924) by the Scribner printers -- and an endearing one. The other unusual aspect to this copy is the crisp, solid condition it's upheld, in spite of the fact it came from the "Rental Library of Mason's Card and Book Shop, McKeesport, PA", as shown by Mason's vintage… Read More

New York: Grove Press, 1954. Near Fine/Near Fine. SIGNED BY SAMUEL BECKETT on the title page. A crisp, lovely copy to boot of the 1954 iconic Grove Press edition, not only the 1st American edition but also the first edition to appear in hardback AND the 1st English language edition (which Beckett himself translated from his native French). Clean and Near Fine to Fine in a beautiful, price-intact ($4.75), Near Fine dustjacket. Indisputably one of the three or four most celebrated plays of the 20th century, a remarkable triumph of existentialist theatre and the highwater mark of even as exalted a literary career as the Nobelist Samuel Beckett's (1906-1989). Very elusive in such lovely condition and signed by the author.

Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1936. Patterned Cloth. Near Fine/Near Fine. Marion Rombauer Becker. An exceptional copy of the May 1936 1st trade edition of arguably the 20th century's most iconic American cookbook.THIS COPY BOASTS A WARM, FULL-PAGE INSCRIPTION BY ITS AUTHOR IRMA S. ROMBAUER along the front free endpaper AND IS IN REMARKABLY CRISP, CLEAN CONDITION TO BOOT. Tight and Near Fine (just a touch of very light soiling along the edges) in a bright, price-intact ($2.75), easily Near Fine dustjacket, with just the slightest hint of faint creasing to the top-edges and the spine crown. Still though, unusually attractive and well-preserved. One could even imagine, of the 10,000 copies initially published (Mendelson 151-161), this copy would certainly rank, if not at the very top, among a tiny handful of elite copies somehow to have survived in superb condition. Thick octavo, illustrated in woodblock by the author's daughter Marion Rombauer Becker. One of the few cookbooks, in its original… Read More

London: The Egoist Press, 1917. Original wraps. Very Good. The 1917 true 1st edition, limited to 500 copies, of T.S. Eliot's first published book. A slim, fragile volume physically but one that set the poetry world ablaze upon publication. Seen as a seminal bridge toward Modernism, Eliot's voice in this debut work is an exemplar of stream of consciousness and foretells his exalted place --along with that of Ezra Pound's-- in Modernist sensibilities. Solid and VG in its unassuming beige wrappers, with one small closed tear and very light scuffing and soiling along the panels. Light chipping as well --with about 30% loss-- along the spine. Internally, the text is very clean, the pages bright-white. Small, neat signature at the foot of the title page ("Mitchell Dawson", Chicago poet and patron of the arts, 1890-1956), otherwise no markings internally to speak of. 12mo, 40 pgs. Also includes a handsome custom box (blue cloth, green leather title label).