Rare books from William Reese Company - Literature ABAA-ILAB

[ Brewster, MA]: Published by Stephen Albahari [21st Publications], [ 2002].. Two volumes. Folio (38.5 x 34.5 cm). Full publisher's Niger goatskin, enclosed in cloth clamshell box, accompanied by portfolio of loose plates, enclosed in matching box. Fine. First edition, the deluxe "Museum Edition." Illustrated throughout with plates, including drytrap tritones, hand-pulled photogravures and color planographs. One of fifty-five numbered copies in this format, accompanied by the separate portfolio, from a total edition of 1420 copies. This number is devoted to "an insightful examination of the ways in which artists today make conscious attempts to create work that can often be unsettling, difficult, even horrific, yet all the while retaining that strangely mysterious sense of what can only be called beautiful." The portfolio contains a selected set of fourteen of the photogravures and planographs, each signed and numbered by the photographer, including images by Sally Mann, Michal Macku, Connie Imboden,… Read More

New York: Harrison Smith & Robert Haas, [1932].. Large octavo. Rough woven tan cloth, lettered in blue and orange. A fine copy in equally fine and unusually bright and fresh pictorial dust jacket, with the very slightly chipped and tanned outer glassine wrapper carefully preserved. First edition, first printing, first binding. The first printing consisted of 8500 copies, a relatively small number of which appeared with blue stamping only (a characteristic of the bindings of the later impressions). The error "Jefferson" on p.340 has no bibliographic significance, as it reoccurs in the reprints. PETERSEN A13a. MASSEY 103.

Chicago: The Ralph Fletcher Seymour Co., 1912.. Tan Japanese paper over boards, lettered in dark blue, with abstract Crane device stamped in olive green. Fibrous Japanese paper endsheets. Neatly rebacked in tan paper board. Boards slightly smudged and lightly edgeworn, attractive period bookplate on front pastedown, otherwise a good copy, in oversize folding clamshell box. First published printing of the first edition, preceded by another printing which Wright disliked and destroyed (but for an alleged 'few'). This is one of the copies printed Japan vellum, of which, depending on the reference, there were either thirty-five or fifty copies. Inscribed by Wright in 1915 at the lower edge of the first blank, and signed with initials. This was Wright's first book for which he was the sole author of the text, and is the most substantive of his publications devoted to his pioneering passion for this subject. SWEENEY 109.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1892.. Publishers quarter vellum and boards, t.e.g., others untrimmed. Binding somewhat soiled and worn, former owner's bookplate, otherwise a very good copy. Cloth folding box. First edition, limited issue. One of an unknown number of out of series copies, unnumbered, in addition to 250 numbered copies, signed by the publisher. In this copy, on a sheet of matching handmade paper inserted in place of the front free endsheet Field has neatly copied out his poem, "Little Boy Blue," in red and black ink, in his diminutive hand, with rubricated initials at the beginning of each stanza and two small hand-colored drawings (a toy soldier and a toy lamb) in the margins. Beneath the poem is his presentation inscription, which reads: "For My Dearest and Most Beautiful Julia, Ever yours devotedly, / Eugene Field." On integral blank leaves at the back of the volume the author has written out his poem, "Dutch Lullaby" (beginning "Wynken, Blynken and Nod one night / Sailed off in… Read More

New York: Printed for the Convention, 1893.. [28],566,[2]pp. Folio. Original heavily gilt decorated vellum over boards, with brass fore-clasps, t.e.g., others untrimmed, ribbon marker. Printed in red and black, with floriated borders by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, title in black letter. Binding a bit dust soiled, with bruises to foretips and small chip from lower corner of front pastedown, front inner hinge cracked, but webbing sound, some occasional dust and finger smudging to the margins of the early leaves, bookplate and small label on front pastedown, some bleed-through on the title from the array of original ink signatures on the verso, otherwise about very good. Copy #12 of the limited issue of the revised Book of Common Prayer, overseen by D.B. Updike, and signed in ink on the verso of the title of many of the principals associated with the revision approved at the 1892 General Convention, including financier J.P. Morgan, who helped fund the edition's publication. The limited edition was… Read More

New York: Printed by C.S. Van Winkle, 1819 - 1820.. Seven parts bound in two volumes. Large octavo. 19th century calf, spines gilt extra. Bound without wrappers and adverts. Early manuscript index on front binder's blank in both volumes. Spines darkened and slightly crazed, joints a bit worn and slightly cracked in places (but sound), occasional spotting and foxing to Part I, brown spot in fore-edge of Part VII, clean 5 cm tear in top edge of leaf 63/4 of Part VII, with no loss, still a good set in contemporary dress. Old morocco faced slipcase. First editions, first printings, of each part of Irving's second major sequence publication, with BAL's state 'A' of the text on page 240. Neither the terminal blank for Part I, nor the slip against piracy that was inserted in some copies of Part II are present. THE SKETCH BOOK is among Irving's masterworks, printing for the first time in complete book form "Rip Van Winkle" (Pt. I), "Old Christmas" (Pt. V), and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (Pt. VI). "That… Read More

London: Richard Bentley, 1840 & 1842.. Two volumes. [6],v,[3],338,[2]pp. with inserted extra-engraved title (a proof before letters), numbered colophon leaf, engraved title, and six etched plates; vii,[3],288pp. with engraved title and seven etched plates. Octavo. Full claret crushed levant, gilt extra, a.e.g., by Riviere, with the side panels and spine of the original binding of the first volume bound at the end. Plates and illustrations by Leech, Cruikshank and Buss. Bindings a bit darkened and slightly discolored at extremities, light rubbing to joints, some foxing to the prelims of the first volume, with an old tide-mark in the lower gutter areas of the plates; otherwise, a very good set. With the armorial bookplate of Sir David Lionel Salomons (1851-1925) in each volume, and a tipped-in bookseller's description in the first volume. The very rare private issue of the first two volumes of Barham's most successful work, specially printed on heavier cream-toned paper, with the special limitation… Read More

Cambridge: Printed by John Baskerville, Printer to the University, 1763.. [573] leaves. Royal folio. Full contemporary blue-black morocco (faded to emerald), spine gilt extra, narrow gilt borders on boards, marbled endsheets, a.e.g. Fore-corners bumped, joints a bit worn (but not cracked), lower fore- corners of several leaves exhibit an old ink stain (with old mends to two corners), but otherwise an attractive copy. The Baskerville Bible, one of the highpoints of the imprint, and indeed, of all English Bible-making, was printed in an edition of 1250 copies, priced at four guineas. This copy of what Dibdin declared "one of the most beautifully printed books in the world," has the subscribers list in the third state, concluding with the entry for Charles York. Such an ambitious undertaking stretched Baskerville's finances to their limits, and of necessity, in 1768, he remaindered 556 copies to the London bookseller, R. Baldwin, at 36s each. As late as 1771, Baldwin was advertising copies in sheets in… Read More

[Camden, NJ(?)], [nd].. One page, in ink, hastily scrawled on recto of 10 x 18cm slightly irregularly trimmed oblong slip of orange-yellow paper. Three old vertical folds, strip of residue from former mat tape along extreme top edge verso, otherwise very good. Whitman writes "Dear M.P.," forwarding manuscripts of poems [not present] for consideration for publication: "...This is the best I can do for yr request -- The pieces have not hitherto been publish'd [insertion: 'at all'] but are to be [insertion: 'finally'] included in the [insertion: 'vol. to come'] little & out (such 'out' as it may be probably small one) in ab't three weeks or longer -- If Mr R can publish them before it will do & the proprieties conformed to - the price is $10." Below the body of the letter, the following appears in underlined bold in Whitman's hand: "New Poetry by Walt Whitman." Attempts to call up this letter in the database of the online Whitman Archive using several search criteria have been unproductive. Accompanied… Read More

New York: The Dial Press, 1942.. Large, thick octavo. Cloth, with pictorial cover vignette label and spine label. Color double-spread frontis. Illustrations, plates and photographs. Cloth very slightly faded, spine label rather chipped, rear endsheets darkened with gutter discoloration from now absent unknown tip-in. A good copy, without the dust jacket, First edition, trade issue. With a full-page, expansive presentation inscription from Dali incorporting a drawing of a picador-like figure in horeseback: "Pour Jean Deering Hommage Amiable de Salvador Dali 1954." Affixed to the verso of the opposite blank is a 2 3/4 x 4 inch vintage print of a photograph of Dali with the recipient, with a manuscript caption affixed below: "Jean Bartlet Deering Salvadore [sic] Dali St. Regis Hotel, New York, NY 1942." Accompanied by another loose photograph from the same sitting, though somewhat out of focus. Accompanied by yet another photograph, captioned and dated 1943 on the verso, roughly the same dimensions but… Read More

Shelley House, Chelsea: The Ashendene Press, 1935.. Folio. Full dark brown cowhide, stamped in gilt. Illustrated with facsimiles, specimen leaves, photogravures and collotypes. Trace of offsetting from binding to endsheets, a few minor foxmarks to endsheets, minor rubs to spine, otherwise a fine copy in slipcase. First edition of Hornby's lavish record of his press's achievement, itself one of the most desirable productions of his talents. One of three hundred and ninety numbered copies, printed by hand on handmade paper, chiefly in Ptolemy type, and signed by Hornby. It is profusely illustrated with woodcuts, devices, and specimen leaves representative of the format of the earlier books, specimens of the initial letters and devices designed for the press by Gill, Hewitt and others, illustrations of bindings (standard and other), type specimens, etc. Accompanied by two autograph letters, signed, from Hornby to a "Mr. Bain," Shelley House, 1 Sept 1934, one page octavo, thanking the recipient for his… Read More

London: Imprinted by [John Wolfe for] John Day, 1583.. [6],322,[19] leaves; [12],136,[16]pp. Quarto. Full 19th century crushed levant, raised bands, gilt inner dentelles, a.e.g. by Jenkins & Cecil. Both titles within elaborate woodcut borders, with woodcut map on verso of ¶8 and Royal Arms at conclusion of St. John. Woodcut initials. Texts in black letter, that in the second work in double columns. The first work wants the two preliminary blanks and the final blank. Joints rubbed, clearly washed and pressed at the time of binding, though with occasional light foxing and minor spotting remaining, a handful of small marginal repairs, lower margins of U2-3 in second work a bit frayed (with a few small chips not affecting text), old vertical crease in title pressed flat; generally a very good (if somewhat processed) copy. The Geneva - Tomson text of the New Testament, revised by Tomson from the translation by Whittingham, Gilby, Sampson and others. First printed in 1576, Tomson's revision eventually… Read More

[Np], [ca. 1938 or slightly later].. One page, in ink, on recto only of oblong sheet (15.5 x 20.5 cm) of plain paper. Tanning from former mounting strips on verso visible on recto at extreme edges, vertical fold across middle neatly reinforced on verso, otherwise a good example. Formerly from the Charles Feinberg collection. Thirteen lines plus full signature at end, ca. 120 words. A good manuscript example of one of Frost's "dark" poems, beginning: "It is getting dark and time he drew to a house,[/] But the blizzard blinds him to any house ahead...." It was first published in the SATURDAY REVIEW OF LITERATURE, February 1938, and then was collected in book form in Frost's Pulitzer- winning collection, A WITNESS TREE, in 1942, with the title slightly altered from "Willfull Homing," as it appears in this draft, to "Wilful Homing."

Paris: Printed at the Three Mountains Press and for sale at Shakespeare & Company [/] London: William Jackson, 1924.. 30,[2]pp. Small quarto (26.5 x 17 cm). Decorated boards, printed in black and red. Frontis portrait by Henry Strater. Inevitable tan offsetting to endsheets from the binder's glue, minuscule losses at extreme crown and toe of spine, a bit of light rubbing, but a very good copy, rather above the norm, with the small Shakespeare & Company book label on the rear pastedown. Cloth slipcase and chemise (with sunning to the spine and some discoloration to the lower panel). First edition of Hemingway's second book, published as the sixth and final title in Ezra Pound's Inquest Series. This is copy number 71 of 170 numbered copies printed on Rives handmade paper, from a total printing of approximately 300 copies. Grissom records sources indicating that in addition to the 170 numbered copies offered for sale, the additional 130 copies were marred by an imperfect placement of the frontis image… Read More

New York: The Viking Press, 1939.. 619pp. Cloth, pictorial endsheets printing a page from the score of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." A fine copy, in very near fine dust jacket with the price and the 'First edition" denotation on the front flap intact and a hint of uniform darkening and minor edgewear to the spine panel. Cloth slipcase and chemise. First edition, first printing, of Steinbeck's standout novel of the 1930s dust bowl struggle of the Joad family. It won both the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize, and was perhaps the fundamental reason for Steinbeck's eventual receipt of the 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature, whereupon it was referred to it as an "epic chronicle." The book was among the best-selling novels of 1939 and elicited strong sentiments on both sides of the issue for its depiction of the bleak prospects for farmers and workers during the preceding decade. The Grapes of Wrath was adapted to the screen in 1940, based on Nunnally Johnson's superior screenplay, directed by John… Read More