Rare books from B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA

Philadelphia: David McKay, 1888 First edition, first issue. Presentation copy, inscribed by Whitman on the front free endpaper to his close friend, William Ingram: "Wm Ingram / from the author / Walt Whitman / Oct: 2 '88--". Publisher's flexible dark red cloth boards, lettered in gilt. One of approximately 100 special copies printed for Whitman for presentation (binding A). Spine ends lightly worn, tear to lower with a minor repair, a few small spots, light offsetting to pastedowns and endpaper, else very good or better. BAL 21430. Having published Specimen Days 6 years prior, Walt Whitman published November Boughs in 1888. A collection of new poems plus articles he had previously published, it contains insightful self-critique of his own work and what he believed would be his literary legacy. Notably, Whitman cites his magnum opus Leaves of Grass, acknowledging the public's lack of understanding of it, their outrage at its subject matter, and its failure to become a… Read More

London: Colburn and Bentley, 1831 Two volumes: No. IX with Frankenstein (complete) and Ghost Seer (Vol. 1); No. X with Ghost Seer (Vol. 2) and Edgar Huntley (complete). Illustrated by Theodor von Holst and engraved by William Chevalier. First illustrated edition, first printing, third edition overall. Publisher's brown boards, black labels with gilt lettering to spines, Frankenstein and The Ghost Seer with frontispiece and title page illustrations, cream endpapers. Very good unsophisticated set with minor rubbing and soiling to exterior, toning to spines and edges, a bit of cloth separation to rear hinges of both volumes, some spotting and offsetting to frontispiece and title page, light foxing to a few pages, some loss to spine labels on No. IX (bottom label is missing the "S" in "Standard" and the top label is split vertically down the center and missing a few letters), No. IX's spine with a slight lean, bookseller's ticket to center of No. IX's front board,… Read More

London: Methuen & Co., 1924 Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. First edition, first printing, second state with “ix” to contents leaf. One of 5,140 copies. Signed by Milne on title page. Original publisher’s blue cloth, front and rear boards illustrated in gilt, gilt border to front board, spine lettered in gilt, top edge gilt. A near fine copy with light rubbing to spine ends, a few tiny spots of soiling to cloth, bottom corners gently bumped, spine slightly shaken but sturdy overall, and light offsetting to endpapers. Overall, a beautiful copy of Milne’s first book to feature Winnie the Pooh. A.A. Milne's 1924 collection of poetry When We Were Very Young contains the first depiction of Winnie the Pooh in the poem "Teddy Bear" on page 85. Containing 52 poems, the collection is beautifully illustrated by Ernest Howard Shepard with simple ink drawings. The best-selling book is lovingly dedicated to A.A. Milne's son Christopher Robin Milne who was four at… Read More

New York and Auburn: Miller, Orton & Mulligan, 1855 Introduction by Dr. James McCune Smith. First edition, first printing. Original publisher’s brown cloth, with decoration in blind to boards, titles in gilt to spine, three engraved plates including frontispiece portrait of Douglass engraved by John Chester Buttre. Minor rubbing to cloth, spine lightly faded, touch of fraying to foot of spine, a bit of offsetting to endpapers, and pages lightly spotted. Overall, a very handsome copy, free of repairs or restoration. Extremely uncommon in this condition. Housed in a fine custom quarter-leather folding box. In My Bondage and My Freedom, Frederick Douglass gives an account of his life as an enslaved person in Maryland and his eventual escape to the North. Almost three times the length of his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845), My Bondage provides considerably more detail about Douglass’ time enslaved and updates his story to include some of the major… Read More

Paris: Shakespeare and Company, 1922 First edition. Limited to 1000 copies. The 1000 copies were divided into three limitations: 100 copies (nos. 1-100) printed on Dutch paper and signed by Joyce; 150 copies (nos. 101-250) printed on Vergé d'Arches paper; and the final 750 copies (nos. 251-1000) printed on linen paper, of which this is number 349. Original publisher's teal paper wrappers, lettered in white. Light rubbing to wrapper edges, wear to spine with a small chip below first spine band and some loss to lower spine, very mild crease to first several leaves, front wrapper joint tender but holding. Housed in custom slipcase with folding chemise, slipcase with some wear. Joyce's masterpiece, Ulysses, was first published serially in The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, at which time copies of the magazine were seized and the magazine's publishers were taken to trial due to the sexually explicit nature of the novel. Because of the controversy surrounding… Read More

New York: Covici Friede, 1937 [1937-39]. One multi-signed playbook (Of Mice and Men: A Play in Three Acts) and two original annotated scripts (first theatrical and film adaptations) previously owned by Of Mice and Men stage manager (play) and dialogue coach (film), Frank Coletti. 1). First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good.

Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Contact, 1947 First edition (published June 25th, 1947). Publisher's white and red paper-covered boards; in the original dust jacket, title in white script to front panel and spine, "Anne Frank" in yellow, multi-toned gray background. A very good copy, some toning to boards and page edges, front hinge was cracked and very neatly repaired, contemporary ownership signature and bookplate to front free endpaper; in a good dust jacket, worn and with chipping to extremities, very careful and minimal repair with tissue to verso at spine and a triangular chip over the "R" in "Frank" to front panel, splitting to spine and folds, very fragile but still intact, now just very minimally reinforced for stability, no repair or restoration otherwise. Overall, the very scarce first edition in its proper first issue dust jacket with the yellow lettering. In 1942, Otto Frank and his family went into hiding in a secret attic in a factory building in Amsterdam. His… Read More

New York: Heinemann, 1922 Illustrations by William Nicholson (seven color illustrations, three of which are double-paged). First edition, first printing, American issue. Publisher's yellow paper-covered boards, printed in brown with toy rabbit illustration to front board; in its original off-white pictorial dust jacket, with toy rabbit illustration to front panel and lit candle to rear panel. Near fine book, with light rubbing to spine ends, some wear through paper to boards at corners, bottom edges of boards, and bottom of rear board, illustrations bright and unfaded, and a touch of spotting to text block edges; very good unclipped dust jacket, with a moderately sized closed tear to top of front panel, some chipping to spine ends (slight loss to publisher's symbol at foot of spine), small chip to top edge of rear panel, chip to bottom right corner of front panel, other corners slightly nicked, small chip to rear flap fold, some light wear to folds, and a touch of soiling to panels. Overall, a lovely… Read More

London: Printed by Adam Islip, 1602 Edited by Thomas Speght and revised with the help of Francis Thynne. Illustrated with two title pages, John Speed's full-page portrait of Chaucer with genealogical border, woodcut initials, ornaments, and head-and-tail pieces throughout, and knight and lance woodcut to Fol. 1. Folio. Second Speght edition (Seventh collected edition overall), with errata leaf. Finely bound by W. Pratt in red morocco, boards triple-ruled in gilt, spine with six raised bands, spine lettered, ruled and decorated in gilt, all edges gilt, gilt turn-ins, red marbled endpapers, 19th century Alexander Young bookplate to front pastedown, and 19th century Parliament member John Burns ownership signature to verso of front free endpaper. About fine, with light rubbing to joints and corners, subtle repair to first few leaves, with small chips neatly closed, Chaucer portrait supplied from another copy, and repair to lower gutter of last leaf. Overall, a stately example, attractively bound with… Read More

Philadelphia: Chilton Books, 1965 First edition, first printing; in its first state dust jacket, with four lines at bottom of rear jacket flap. Publisher's light blue boards, with titles in white to spine, and gray endpapers with wavy design; in its original dust jacket with wraparound illustration by John Schoenherr, and map of Dune on rear panel. Very good book, with light toning to edges and spine ends, bottom right corner of front board lightly bumped, binding slightly cocked, and light soiling to fore edge of text block; very good unclipped dust jacket, with light toning to spine, light rubbing to folds, light wear and some shallow chipping to spine ends, minor creasing to bottom edge of front panel, some light spotting to rear panel, and small sticker to rear panel. Overall, an attractive copy in its very hard-to-find first state dust jacket. Dune is a science fiction epic set thousands of years in the future, where humanity is spread across the universe and ruled by an emperor. The story… Read More

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1930 First edition, first printing. Bound in the publisher's gray cloth, with falcon illustration stamped in steel blue to front board, spine decorations and lettering stamped in steel blue and black, black top stain. Original illustrated dust jacket with the iconic image of the falcon to the front panel and spine. Very good or better with light dampstaining to front cover and few minor spots; in the original unclipped (priced $2.00) dust jacket with extensive restoration to spine and along edges, folds professionally reinforced to verso. The Maltese Falcon is the author's third novel and the only book to feature the fictional private detective Sam Spade. Originally published in five installments in the pulp magazine Black Mask from September 1929 - January 1930, The Maltese Falcon marks a departure from Hammett's protagonist The Continental Op, who starred in his first two novels. Sam Spade is a conglomeration of Hammett's earlier detective figures,… Read More

Boston: Ticknor Reed & Fields, 1853 Illustrated by Hammatt Billings, with a frontispiece and six plates. First edition, first printing, without the Geo. C. Rand imprint on the copyright page, without the publisher's advertisements. Presentation copy, inscribed by Hawthorne to his close friend Henry Bright on front free endpaper: "Mr. H. A. Bright. / With the author's regards." Publisher's bright blue cloth, with boards decorated in blind, spine decorated and lettered in gilt, pale-yellow coated endpapers. Near fine, with light soiling to cloth, light rubbing to spine ends, bright gilt, corners slightly bumped, light soiling to endpapers, bookplates of Henry A. Bright and modern owner to front pastedown, and a small spot of soiling to p. 44 and a few surrounding pages. A tight and attractive unsophisticated copy. The only other inscribed copy of this title that we have seen was one we handled from a private collection that we then sold in 2016. Housed in a custom blue… Read More

London: [s.n.], 1786 Two volumes. Both volumes inscribed by Hawthorne to Longfellow on front flyleaves: "Nath. Hawthorne / to / H. W. Longfellow / 1841" (Vol. I) and "H. W. Longfellow / from / Nath. Hawthorne / 1841" (Vol. II). Both volumes additionally inscribed on front flyleaves by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Dana, the grandson of both Longfellow and Richard Henry Dana Jr. (author of Two Years Before the Mast, 1840), to Manning Hawthorne, Hawthorne's great-grandson, exactly one hundred years after initial inscription: "Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Dana / to / Manning Hawthorne / 1941." Both volumes finely bound in contemporary brown calf, boards bordered in gilt, spines decorated, ruled, and lettered in gilt, with black leather labels, gilt turn-ins, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, frontispiece portrait of Ovid by Marillier to Vol. I, bookplates of H. W. Longfellow and modern owner to front pastedowns. Very good set, with corners worn to boards, some wear to edges… Read More

London: Published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, 1925 First edition, first printing. One of 2000 copies. Publisher's deep rust cloth, gilt lettering to spine; in its original cream-colored dust jacket, printed in black and white, and designed by Vanessa Bell. Fine book, with just some light offsetting to endpapers, and novelist Dennis Wheatley's bookplate to front pastedown; fine unclipped dust jacket, with a few small closed tears to panel edges, very shallow chipping to spine ends, light toning and a touch of staining to spine, panels remarkably bright and clean with just a hint of soiling to rear panel, and a tiny chip to front flap fold. Overall, an exemplary copy of arguably Virginia Woolf's greatest novel. Housed in a custom quarter leather box with folding chemise. Kirkpatrick A9a. Woolmer 82. One of the author's best-known novels, Mrs. Dalloway tells the story of Clarissa Dalloway as she prepares to host a high-society party. The text is a… Read More

New York: George L. Lockwood, [ca. 1870]. Three volumes. Illustrated with 155 hand-colored lithographic plates by W.E. Hitchcock and R. Trembly after J.J. and John Wodehouse Audubon. Fourth octavo edition. Royal 8vo. Publisher's original full brown morocco, with elaborate design in blind to borders of boards, spines with five raised bands, gilt lettering, and decoration in blind, red marbled endpapers, and all edges gilt. Very good or better set, with light rubbing to spines (bright gilt) and corners, early 20th century ownership inscription by industrialist J. G. Bradley to front flyleaf of Vol. I, some occasional light staining and soiling to pages and plates, discrete repair to "Moose Deer" plate between pp. 178-179 in Vol. 2, and a closed tear to bottom edge of "Carolina Shrew" plate between pp. 176-177 in Vol. 2. Overall, a gorgeous set. First published as "The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America" in 30 parts between 1845 and 1848, this was the last major… Read More