Rare books from Midnight Books

Privately printed by Imprenta Gutenberg, 1940. Hardcover. Very Good. 0x0x0. Lavish compilation of 45 ca. 1940 Ecuadorian photographic prints by Theodore Roosevelt's cousin Andre Roosevelt. Image topics include architecture, industrial installations, landscapes, native residents and more. Of special note is a rare photo of the Guayaquil Golf Club. Pages facing photos display explanatory, rubricrated captions. Inscribed and signed by author/photographer Andre Roosevelt to unnamed recipient thus: "To remind you that we are expecting | you back in Quito very soon - where | you will find peace and .... good investments. | We did have fun! | Andre Roosevelt." Foreword by Juan L. Gurrell. Bound in brown felt llama leather with finished versos. Stitched edges, gilt-stamped title and author to front panel and cloth tie. Letterpress printing on vellum. Limited Edition of 400 copies, 300 in English only and 100 with an additional index in Spanish. This copy, among the 300, states on page 100 that… Read More

Editorial de Autores S. R. L, 1955. Softcover. Very Good. Collectible First Edition of WWII Fascist Party Secretary Carlo Scorza's biography of Vittorio Valdani. A prominent Fascist leader in Argentina, Valdani founded the influential newspaper Il Mattino d'Italia and was instrumental in spreading Fascism in Argentina. Valdani's calling card stapled to front free endpaper recto. Inscribed and signed by Valdani on half title page. dated August 2, 1961. Text in Italian. Scarce. Tight, otherwise unmarked copy with light shelf wear and tanning to spine panel. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.

The British and Foreign Bible Society, 1862. Hardcover. Good. Mid-19th century KJV English Bible printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1862. Bound in dark-brown leather with gilt "Holy Bible" to spine panel. Blind rulings and decorative elements to spine, front and back panels. Presumably a personal copy of prominent Seventh Day Adventist leader and pastor and later one of its most outspoken critics D. M. Canright. Inscription on front free endpaper reads: "R Deming Bible | Bought January 24, 1866 | of Elder Canright | Seventh day adventist | Price $3.00". Numerous additional inscriptions on endpapers, likely in Deming's hand. Unpaginated. 6 7/8" x 4 5/8". Tight copy with moderate shelf wear, slightly bumped corners and superficially split hinges (not affecting integrity of binding). Light staining to front pastedown and two preliminary blanks. Short tears to fore edges of front and terminal blanks.… Read More

Privately Printed, 1924. Softcover. Very Good. Original exhibition catalog issued on the occasion of an exhibition of books containing illustrations by celebrated painter, engraver, publisher and illustrator Jean-Gabriel Daragnes - specifically, woodcuts. Illustrated with an original portrait etching of Daragnes by Andre Dunoyer de Segonzac, 11 black-and-white Daragnes plates, three depicting lesbian scenes, and an original Daragnes hand-colored engraving laid in showing a husband walking in on his wife in bed with her lover - a scene from Fielding's Tom Jones. Signed and inscribed on front free endpaper thus: "Pour Madame Legat | Ce registre d'etat und des infants | qu'un pere demature confie a | l'assistance publingier | le pere indigne | Daragnes." Translation: "For Mrs. Legat: This register of state and children that a father has entrusted with the assistant publisher. The unworthy father, Daragnes." Also signed and inscribed on front free endpaper by an… Read More

Faber, 1950. Hardcover. Very Good. 9x5x1. Influential Italian architect Bruno Zevi's mid-century study of modern architecture with an emphasis on American activity, more specifically Frank Lloyd Wright's work between the two World Wars. Densely illustrated with many previously unpublished photos, detailed floor plans and renderings. First and only edition. Includes two laid-in handwritten notes and one 3 1/2" x 5" photo of the rear of a Harvey Park Clark designed house at 3900 Sandhill Road in Woodside, California. Photos of the front of this house appear on the front panel of the dust jacket and in one of the photo sections. Clark is also mentioned in the text. See images below of the notes for relevant content on the house. Scarce. 180 pp. 9" x 6". Tight, unmarked copy with minimal shelf wear. Price-clipped dust jacket in archival Brodart sleeve with small areas of loss to head and tail of spine panel and two small tears to bottom edge of front panel. A presentable copy… Read More

Dr. George Vajna & Co, 1937. Hardcover. Very Good. 0x0x0. Frances Shires' English translation of Sly Mike: A Hungarian Story. Beautifully bound in white buckram with red-stamped title and hand cross-stitched embroidery design to front panel. Includes 10 hand-colored etchings printed by hand-press. Limited edition of 250 copies, this being #138. Signed in blue ink on limitation page by artists Lidia Farkas and Zoltan Poharnok. Printed in Hungary. An exquisitely charming and beautiful book, now rare in commerce and libraries. 48 unnumbered pages. 9 1/4" x 6 1/2". Clean, unmarked copy with no visible shelf wear and slight bumping to head of spine panel. Hinges sturdy. A remarkably presentable copy of an 83-year-old book, nearly flawless. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.

Herald Publishing House, 1892. Softcover. Good. Peter M. Hinds' brief, early history of Lamoni, Iowa, then headquarters of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (renamed The Community of Christ in 2001). Assuming RLDS leadership in 1860, Joseph Smith's eldest son Joseph Smith III sought to create a living Zion, and, to this end, Lamoni was selected for the grand experiment because of its rich soil and sparse settlement. It was the only town ever founded by the sect, and between 1870 and 1890 reigned as RLDS headquarters, becoming home to Smith III and the legendary Herald Publishing House. Bound in dark green cloth-covered wrappers embossed with cherubs and botanical elements. Includes two engravings and six photos, among these Smith III's house and the Herald Publishing House. 29 numbered pages plus unnumbered engraving and 4 pages of ads. Ads also appear inside front and back panels. Also includes an 8-page booklet of ads laid in with Park Addition ad to front… Read More

Privately Printed for W. S. Van Dyke by California Graphic Press, 1931. Hardcover. Very Good. 0x0x0. Collectible first edition, first printing of legendary American film director W. S. Van Dyke's journal written during the filming of Trader Horn in central Africa, a film, in turn, based on the book Trader Horn by celebrated ivory trader Alfred Aloysius "Trader" Horn. "First Printing" so stated on copyright page. Inscribed and signed by W. S. Van Dyke on front free endpaper thus: "To you Tyler - | and don't be too hard | on it! | W. S. Van Dyke | L. A. | 1-22-35." Signature unconditionally guaranteed to pass any COA examination. Bound in dark blue linen with gilt lettering to front and spine panels and gilt water buffalo to front panel. Includes 26 full-page photos of natives, big game animals and more, taken on location. 219 pp. Tight, unmarked copy with minimal shelf wear. An exceptionally presentable copy of an important African safari collectible.

The United States Naval Institute, 1884. Hardcover. Good. 0x0x0. Collectible first edition of Lieutenant W. H. Jaques' 1884 study of the establishment of steel gun factories in the United States. Volume X in the Naval Institutes series of Proceedings. Also includes sections on England France, Germany and Russia. Emphasis on large caliber gunnery and cannon. Exceptionally detailed technical content. Illustrated with 78 plates, many of two, three and four-panel fold outs. 136-page index. Rare. Bound in pebbled burgundy cloth with gilt lettering to front and spine panels. Collated and complete as issued with all 78 plates present. [blank, 3] [iv-vii] 532-909 [blank] [essay] [blank, 3]. 9 1/4" x 6". Tight, unmarked copy with light shelf wear and slight fraying to head and tail of spine panel and scattered areas of superficial erosion - and then much less so in areas along front and back panel joints. Sturdy hinges with unusually clean, crisp internals. A presentable copy of an early and… Read More

Doubleday & Co., Inc, 1957. Hardcover. Very Good. Collectible first edition, first printing of Carmen Aboy Valldejuli's The Art of Caribbean Cookery. Per Doubleday's practice of designating first editions, "First Edition" so stated on copyright page. Signed in blue ink by Valldejuli on front free endpaper. Signature unconditionally guaranteed to pass any COA examination. Includes priced dust jacket in archival Brodart sleeve. At the time of publication, notably, Valldejuli was the dominant authority on Caribbean cuisine, often referred to as the Puerto Rican Julia Child - and this the only book that featured recipes from across the Caribbean. She and her husband traveled extensively from island to island, sampling recipes and recording them faithfully. Cultural authenticity was their focus. The first edition was printed in relatively small numbers, thus its present scarcity, and the dust jacket even more scarce. 254 pp. 8 1/2" x 6". Tight, unmarked copy with minimal… Read More

George H. Doran Co, 1924. Hardcover. Very Good. Collectible first US edition of Michael Arlen's The Green Hat, Dikran Kuyumjian here writing as Michael Arlen. Per Doran's practice of designating first editions, a GHD colophon appears under the copyright date on the copyright page, and a title list on the half title page verso includes this title and four additional titles, all published earlier. Notably, however, the dust jacket presents a significant challenge. The front panel notes that two editions have been published, this one, titled the Iris March edition, and another, titled the Gold Edition, which also included Arlen's other books, all bound uniformly in black cloth with gilt lettering - a total of six volumes listed on the back panel. The difficulty is that one of the six titles on the back panel (May Fair) was first published in 1925, a year later than The Green Hat. Since the book itself possesses all necessary first printing issue points, it would seem probable that the dust… Read More

Hutchinson & Co., Ltd, 1926. Hardcover. Good. Collectible first edition of English essayist, poet and academic Arthur Christopher Benson's Basil Netherby, a collection of two posthumously published horror stories discovered by his brother Fred after A. C.'s death. In the context of his main body of work, Benson's two stories are joltingly anomalous, perhaps especially so given that his father was Edward White Benson (1829–1896), Archbishop of Canterbury. Scantily reviewed in its first appearance, "Basil Netherby" and its companion story, "The Uttermost Farthing" made little noise in British literature but through the years "Basil Netherby" especially has evolved into a work celebrated for its brilliance. Noted horror critic R. S. Hadji included Benson's "Basil Netherby" on a list of "unjustly neglected" horror books. Per Hutchinson's practice for designating first editions, no statement of edition is present.… Read More

Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc, 1927. Hardcover. Good. Lewis Historical Publishing Company's landmark history of Cincinnati, Ohio. Four volumes complete. First two volumes comprise a general history (see attached images for table of contents), the second two individual biographies of notable citizens. Numerous black-and-white photos and engravings throughout. Vol. I: 1-384; Vol. II: 385-829; Vol. III: 1-328; Vol. IV: 329-761. Includes 19-page index in Vol. IV. Four at 10 3/4" x 8". All copies tight and unmarked with light spotting to back panel of Vol. III. Hinges of Vol. IV superficially cracked but solid. A presentable set of an important Cincinnati history. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly. US sales only.

Hyperion, 2001-11-27. hardcover. Like New. 9x9x10. Lavish tribute to the top award winning musical in Broadway history, The Producers, scoring 12 Tony and other winning nominations out of 15 total. Signed in black sharpie on title page by co-authors Mel Brooks and Tom Meehand. Includes Brooks' text of the play, notations from the original score, the score itself and the lyrics. Signatures unconditionally guaranteed to pass any COA examination. First edition so stated as "FIRST EDITION" on copyright page with full number line 1 to 10. Densely illustrated with color photos. Bound in gray boards with gilt lettering to front and spine panels. Priced dust jacket in archival Brodart sleeve. Large format. Tight, immaculate copy. Extremities crisp. Unmarked front to back. Dust jacket flawless with US $40.00 and Canadian $57.00 prices to front flap. 224 pp. 11 1/4" x 9 1/2". A stunning copy of an important Broadway collectible. Photographs of or additional information about this item… Read More

Little, Brown, 1982. Hardcover. Very Good. 12x8x0. Noted National Geographic photographer William Albert Allard's debut book, a beautiful compilation of color photos of then present day cowboys and the West, capturing a vanishing breed. Deluxe first edition bound in Canapetla cloth over 1/4 cowhide with gilt lettering to spine panel. Includes matching Canapetla slipcase with photo of solitary cowboy mounted to front panel. One of 750 copies, this being #82, signed on the limitation page by both William Albert Allard and acclaimed author Thomas McGuane, who wrote the foreword. 144 pp. 12 1/4" x 8 3/4". Tight copy with minimal shelf wear and tiny scuff to spine panel. Dedication inscription and signature to front free endpaper. Slipcase with minimal shelf wear, tiny dent to top edge of photo and faint lettering impressions. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.