Rare books from Quill & Brush

Toronto: The Ryerson Press, 1920. First Canadian edition of the AUTHOR'S FIRST BOOK and first to feature Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot. Issued from sheets of the true first edition (NY; John Lane, 1920) and preceding the London edition (Bodley Head, 1921). We record only one other copy offered for sale and are able to locate only one copy in libraries. Recased with new endpapers added, lettering touched up and cloth coated. Spine a little tanned otherwise near fine. Housed in matching clamshell case lined in silk. Rare. THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF POIROT

New York / London: John Lane / Bodley Head, 1915. First edition, American issue. One of his most famous and most scarce works, a novel set before World War I chronicling the tragic lives of two couples using intricate flashbacks. Provenance, R. P Blackmur, poet, critic and teacher, with his blind-stamps to heads of front free endpaper and half-title pages. Light wear to corners and spine tips, spine lettering a bit dulled but readable otherwise very good lacking dust jacket. 1972 TLS on Cornell University Department of English letterhead to "Dearest Bibsy" from "Daddy" with family and departmental gossip and explanation of the book's value, "Maybe you can sell it some day at Parke-Benet and buy one of your grandchildren a sailboat" (but not all of them, alas). ALS from "Mother" on verso witih a bit more family and departmental gossip. ONE OF HIS MOST FAMOUS & MOST SCARCE WORKS

New York: Neale Publishing Co., 1909 - 1912. First edition. Twelve volumes, EACH ONE SIGNED BY BIERCE. (The regular signed limited edition of 250 numbered copies was signed in first volume only.) THIS SET WITH "COMPLIMENTS OF" PAGE SIGNED BY BIERCE IN EACH VOLUME, three of which are signed in ink, the rest in pencil. (Four of the "Compliments of" pages have "For" printed at the head of the page though no recipient has been filled in, the rest are printed simply "Compliments of.") Uniformly and BEAUTIFULLY BOUND in 8vo three-quarter deep brown morocco with burgundy linen sides; gilt-stamped raised spine bands separating four elaborately gilt-decorated panels, each with center fleuron, and two gilt-titling panels with author and volume number in first and titles list in second. "Special Autograph Copy" stamped in gilt between gilt rules at bottom of each spine. Top edges gilt; pale blue marbled endpapers in all but the 5th and 11th volumes which have gray endpapers. Frontis portrait of Bierce in Volume… Read More

Berkeley, CA: Editions Koch, 2003. First edition, and only edition. Bringhurst's translations from the Ancient Greek of surviving fragments of the circa 475 BC poem generally titled "On Nature" written by the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, Parmenides of Elea. ONE OF 26 COPIES in the "Deluxe" issue SIGNED BY BRINGHURST, WAGENER & KOCH, bound in full leather, and with a separate suite of 10 signed engravings. From an edition of ONLY 146 COPIES TOTAL. This copy ADDITIONALLY INSCRIBED BY BRINGHURST on the colophon,"for Allen Mears, the kind of reader / Parmenides has waited for / 17.1.2004." Folio, blind-stamped full black leather; approximately 50 unnumbered pages with original Greek and English translations on opposing pages; illustrated with black-and-white frontis engraving and 4 full-page color engravings. With separate SUITE OF TEN WOOD ENGRAVINGS, EACH SIGNED BY WAGENER, laid in an orange silk-covered chemise; and 2 broadside type specimens for the typefaces specially made for this edition by Dan… Read More

Pasadena: The Flame Press, 1930. First edition. RARE. Although the colophon states 80 copies, this is ONE OF ONLY APPROXIMATELY 15 COPIES bound by Ward Ritchie before the remaining sheets were destroyed due to spelling errors [Broomfield A11a] Original black paper-covered flexible boards with star-motif white label printed in black on front; 8 pages (unnumbered save the "II" at head of second page of poem); errata slip correcting one spelling error tipped in at rear, as called for. THIS COPY WITH extra uncut cover label and errata slip printed together on single 5 x 4" sheet of P_Miliani Fabriano watermark paper laid in. PROVENANCE: typed letter signed by Burton Weiss to Allen Mears on printed letterhead of Serendipity Books along with photocopy of 2-page letter from Ward Ritchie to bookseller Thomas Goldwasser, who was then employed by Serendipity Books (with penciled note from Weiss to Mears at top). Near fine with light rubbing to edges which, as Ritchie noted in his letter to Goldwasser, most… Read More

[Austin, TX]: Privately printed by John S. Mayfield, 1928. First edition. One of a stated 96 copies of this fragile, privately printed production. The first appearance of Jeffers' poem, "An Artist," preceding its appearance in a revised version in CAWDOR the same year. Also includes "Robinson Jeffers: The Man" by Benjamin DeCasseres; brief letter from Havelock Ellis; brief note by Jeffers; facsimile portion of the original manuscript; and bibliography compiled by R. H. Griffith. Small 4to (approximately 7.5 x 10.75") stapled paperwraps printed on "Buckeye" watermark paper; heavier Buckeye paper covers with label tipped to front; and tipped-in frontispiece on coated paper (reproduction of an inscribed copy of a photo of Jeffers by Johan Hagemeyer), as called for [Broomfield A8]. Alberts reported 200 copies printed but colophon states, "...strictly limited to an edition of ninety-six copies." Mayfield himself confirmed there were only 96 copies in total to George M. "Marty" Barringer, a family friend… Read More

London: Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, 1791. First edition. Two volumes. First state with "gve" p.135:10 in first volume. Engraved portrait of Johnson after Sir Joshua Reynolds in Volume I and two engraved plates in Volume II, as called for (facing pp. 92 and "588"). Quarto (4to), full-leather sympathetically recased with original contemporaneous mottled calf laid down, new gilt-ruled leather spines with gilt-lettered black leather title and volume labels supplied. Text blocks appear to have been trimmed approximately 1/8" on tops, bottoms and fore edges, Foxing to plates and opposing pages, otherwise both volumes are quite clean. Housed in lightly worn custom half-morocco slipcase and chemise. BOSWELL'S JOHNSON, THE MOST CELEBRATED BIOGRAPHY IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

circa 1970. A treasure trove of research material gathered by Donald McCormick, a Senior Manager at the Sunday Times in the late sixties and early seventies. McCormick (1911-1998) " ...was attracted to controversial topics on which verifiable evidence was scarce. He wrote on the Hellfire Club, Jack the Ripper, the Cambridge Apostles and rather extensively about spies. He wrote histories of the Russian, Chinese, Japanese, British, and Israeli secret services, and biographies of Sir Maurice Oldfield and Ian Fleming." (Wikipedia). Includes correspondence from Alexandre Rossmann, Sydney Paulden, A. G. K. Leonard, Evelyn Irons, R. B. Pynsent, et al - most being in response to an open appeal for information made by McCormick in a letter to the editor (Times Literary Supplement, March 19, 1970, clipping included). CORRESPONDENCE discusses the identity of Traven, his life, and his work and includes copies of letters, documents, press cuttings, etc., sent as enclosures, and memos and notes from research… Read More

Paris: E. Dentu & H. Floury, 1892 - 1903. First edition. French language. Eight volumes, complete. First 4 volumes published by E. Dentu, last 4 by H. Floury. Collects Geffroy's impressions, criticism, and reviews of art and artists of the day, covering the Paris Salons of the period as well as the 1900 Paris Exposition/World's Fair. EACH VOLUME WITH ORIGINAL FRONTISPIECE ILLUSTRATION BY A RENOWNED ARTIST AS FOLLOWS: Volume 1 (1892) -- dry point by EUGENE CARRIERE; Volume 2 (1893) -- dry point by AUGUSTE RODIN; Volume 3 (1894 [1897], see note* below) -- dry point by AUGUSTE RENOIR; Volume 4 (1895) -- dry point by J. F. RAFFAELLI; Volume 5 (1897) -- lithograph by FANTIN-LATOUR; Volume 6 (1900) -- etching by CAMILLE PISSARRO; Volume 7 (1901) -- etching by DANIEL VIERGE; and Volume 8 (1903) -- lithograph by WILETTE. [*NOTE: Third volume is comprised of the original 1894 E. Dentu sheets (including Dentu title page) bound up in H. Floury covers dated 1897 on front with fine-paper reprint of the original… Read More

[No-place: no-publisher, no-date] circa 1920s. First edition. 197-page manuscript of an unpublished work. Horton's stated intent was to "record the names of many soldiers of the World War and show their descent from soldiers of former wars"; and, in doing so, she brought together numerous "sketches" (brief biographies) of Tennesseans who served in WWI and in wars prior as well as details of various local women's relief efforts during WWI. According to Horton's foreword, she made appeals through the press and to various women's organizations for the information compiled herein. Horton's handwritten "Summary" of contents notes her inclusion of "103 SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR with line of descent established from soldiers of the American Revolution. 147 SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR [ONE] with line of descent established from soldiers of War of 1812. 30 SKETCHES OF WORLD WAR [ONE] SOLDIERS some of whose ancestral lines are traced through Colonial times. 25 SKETCHES OF SOLDIERS of 1812. 15 SKETCHES OF MEN AND WOMEN… Read More

Big Sur, CA, 1944 - 1945. Eleven full-page handwritten letters (one on back of brochure for UK edition of MURDER THE MURDERER); one 2-page letter (front and back); an inscribed review-style photo; and 4 postcards. Most of the letters open with either "Dear Rudolph Gilbert" or "Dear friend Gilbert"; each one is signed in full. No envelopes present; 3 postcards are addressed to Gilbert "c/o Santa Barbara Museum of Art," where he was assistant director. There are references to Miller's expenses (or lack thereof) sprinkled throughout the correspondence. Several letters mention, though not by name, Gilbert's essay "Between Two Worlds," for THE HAPPY ROCK (Berkeley: 1945), and various aspects of its publication. In a number of the letters, Miller comments on various books sent to or received from Gilbert and, in a few, he mentions meeting people in the general area. SOME HIGHLIGHTS - On 4/14/44, Miller thanks Gilbert for sending his new book, "Am saving the real reading for the new place I move into in day… Read More

London: Benjamin Motte, 1731. Second issue of the 1727 third edition of GULLIVER'S TRAVELS with 1731 cancel title pages and divisional title pages [Teerink 295]. Includes the four maps, two plans and the four illustrations as in the 1727 issue as well as 12 pages of Verses (Teerink calls alternately for none, 20 or 24 pp). No frontis portrait present (not called for but sometimes found in this issue). THIS COPY ANNOTATED WITH EXTENSIVE CONTEMPORARY COMMENTARY, EMENDATIONS AND AMENDATIONS TO THE TEXT SOMETIMES EXTENDING TO SEPARATE LEAVES WHICH HAVE BEEN BOUND IN (or interleaved). Partial name at head of first volume title page -- "Ch. Wren" -- is the only clue to the identity of the annotator whose notes herein range from his own thoughts on the text ("CW") to those of John Boyle ("Lord Orrery") a writer and friend of Swift's who published REMARKS ON THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF JONATHAN SWIFT (1751); John Hawkesworth ("Hawks") who edited and published an edition of Swift's works (1754-1755); and Swift… Read More

Chicago: Covici Friede, 1930. First edition thus: illustrated by Kent and translated by Van Wyck. THE DELUXE EDITION. Number 28 of only 75 copies SIGNED BY KENT at end of second volume and with an extra suite of FIVE SEPARATE 5-PANEL PLATES, EACH ONE SIGNED BY KENT. Two folio-sized full-leather volumes housed together in publisher's slipcase with three separate compartments - one for each volume and the center one for the 40 x 15.5" plates which are folded into a cloth-covered chemise. The modernized text, "rendered completely and without deletions into modern verse" by Van Wyck, is printed side-by-side with Chaucer's original. Near fine with spines sympathetically re-backed in complementary leather. In a very good, solid slipcase with dividers and chemise still present. The chemise, which is stored in center compartment and houses the extra suite of signed prints is more flimsy than one might expect allowing them to sag just a bit though they are otherwise nearly fine. Includes original prospectus.… Read More

New York: Dodd Mead, 1940. Exceedingly scarce first U.S. edition, the first edition with this title. Originally published in the UK with a racist term in the title. AND THEN THERE WERE NONE is the world's best-selling mystery and one of the best-selling books of all time. Adapted numerous times for film, radio, stage, and television. Good to very good with some tanning to upper and lower spine areas; in fair to good price-clipped dust jacket with portions of upper and lower spine missing, few areas of internal archival-tape repair, and rubbed creasing to front panel. Scarce to rare in dust jacket.

Williamsburg, PA: [no-publisher], 1928. First edition. Scarce souvenir booklet published by Stultz's hometown of Williamsburg, PA, in commemoration of his historic trans-Atlantic flight June 17-18, 1928, with Lou Gordon and Amelia Earhart. Issued on the occasion of his "Home-coming Celebration" in Williamsburg on July 18, 1928. SIGNED ON FRONT COVER BY EARHART, GORDON, and STULTZ. 7.5 x 5.25" oblong cord-tied paperwraps with illustration of the soaring "Friendship" in red on front; 16 pages plus covers. The text covers Stultz's life and accomplishments in aviation and features black-and-white photographs including one of Amelia Earhart in flight gear on page 4. Two-page "Programme" of events at center details the planned arrival of the Friendship crew by train at 9:30 am followed by a Military Parade replete with marching bands "covering principal streets in the town" and over 2 hours of "Formal Exercises" introducing the pilots to the crowds, etc., before the planned departure of the fliers at 4:30… Read More