Rare books from Odysseus Books

Oxford: Oxford University Press / Humphrey Milford, 1925. Book. Near Fine. Cloth. First Edition. First illustrated edition, first printing, first state, with the plate showing the Old South Church in Boston incorrectly as the place where Patrick Henry gave his famous "Give me liberty, or give me Death" speech at page 271, which was substituted with the plate showing the Boston Harbor in the second state. The vast majority of the first-state copies were recalled and destroyed by the publisher with only 12 known copies surviving. In the original-issue dark-blue cloth binding with gilt lettering and decoration on the spine and front cover. xiii + 354 pages, followed by 15 pages of b/w maps. Many full-page b/w illustrations throughout. Large, heavy book measuring 8 1/8" x 5 5/8" x 1 1/8" and weighing nearly 2 pounds. In NEAR FINE condition. Book is very bright and clean, tight and square, with strong, firm hinges with no cracking. Very slight bumps to the tips of two corners, very… Read More

London: J. Dodsley, 1768. Book. Very Good +. Full-Leather. First Edition. First edition, first printing, of Thomas Gray's first collected poems. Title page dated 1768. Includes the scarce half-title page. 120 text pages followed by a "Contents" page with 10 titles listed. Three original blank pages precede and one original blank page follows the text. 19th-century signed fine binding by "Riviere & Son" in light-tan full calf. Spine ornately decorated in gilt with five raised bands and brown leather title label lettered in gilt. Triple-ruled gilt bordering on both covers. Ornately decorated gilt borders on inside covers. All page edges gilt-covered. Bluish-green endpapers. In VERY GOOD + condition. Spine remains very bright and unworn. Light wear to the edges and minor touches of wear to the front cover. Tightly bound and square with no cracking. Light crease at the top corner of the front blank pages and small faint writing in pencil on the first text page. Otherwise… Read More

London: Printed by William Bulmer and Co., Shakspeare Press, for John Porter, Bookseller to Her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte, 1814. Book. Very Good. Full-Leather. First Edition. Folio - over 12 - 15" tall. "With memoirs of his life and writings by William Mason. To which are subjoined extracts philological poetical and critical from the author's original manuscripts selected and arranged by Thomas James Mathias." In Two Volumes (complete). First edition, first printing, with both title pages dated 1814. Original dark-brown full-calf fine binding. Ornate gilt decoration on spines. Red and black morocco title and volume labels with gilt lettering. Gilt borders on both covers. Marbled endpapers. Huge and very heavy folio-size volumes, measuring 12" x 10" x 2". 581 and 634 text pages. Includes Gray's poems, letters and prose, with most of the prose published for the first time. Illustrated with a facsimile reproduction of Gray's original handwritten copy… Read More

Florence: G. Orioli, 1930. Book. Near Fine. Cloth. First Edition. Hand-numbered limited first edition: one of 810. In original dust jacket and custom heavyweight beige-cloth clam-shell foldout box with gilt-lettered red morocco title label on spine. Large beige cloth book with reddish orange illustration on front cover and reddish orange lettering on paper title label on spine. Uncut page edges. 216 text pages. Pale olive-green dust jacket with "The Lungarno Series" list of books with prices on front flap. NEAR FINE book in VERY GOOD + dust jacket in FINE clam shell box. Book has a very slight bump at the top front corner tip, along with another slight bump at the front corner of the top spine end. Otherwise Fine, with a nearly immaculate flawless interior. No previous owner markings. Pages appear unread. Dust jacket has a sun-toned spine along with sun-toning to the edges, a tiny closed tear at the top edge of the front panel and a small closed tear at the bottom edge of the rear spine… Read More

Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard, 1842. Book. Very Good -. Cloth. First Edition. 12mo - over 6¾ - 7¾" tall. First edition, first printing, in two volumes. Both title pages dated 1842. Copyright 1842. Publisher's original brown cloth binding with tan paper labels on spines. J. Fagan, stereotyper / I. Ashmead and Co., printer. (3) xii + 236 (2) and (2) 247 (2) pages. Dark-blue cloth-covered custom slipcase with tan cloth title label with dark-blue lettering on spine. GOOD + / VERY GOOD - books in NEAR FINE slipcase. Books show moderate wear and staining to the covers, worn spine ends and corner tips, and worn but intact title labels. Partial cracking to the inner hinges but binding is still sound and all pages secure with no looseness. Pages are moderately foxed. Vol. I has open tears at bottom corners of the front blank pages with increasingly smaller open tears continuing through the first 21 text pages with no loss of text. No other defects to the pages. Previous owner… Read More

Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran and Company, 1942. Book. Very Good. Soft cover. 1st Edition. Advance review copy preceding the publication of the first edition hardcover book. Softcover book with French flaps with publisher's $2.50 price on front flap. Illustrated covers are identical to the dust jacket of the first-edition hardcover. Title page is dated 1942 and "First Edition" is stated on copyright page. 310 text pages preceded by four bound pages of facsimile copies of four of the publisher's signed typewritten letters describing the book and the author, the last dated December 1, 1941. Measures 7 3/4" x 5 1/2" x 1 1/4". In VERY GOOD condition. Book is tightly bound. Heavy vertical creasing, slight concavity and light wear to the spine. Covers and flaps are otherwise bright and clean, illustrated front panel especially so with colors remaining vibrant. Slight creasing at the corners. One 1" closed tear at bottom edge of rear panel, which also has some… Read More

London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1969. Book. Very Good +. Hardcover. First Edition. First UK edition, first printing, with "First published in Great Britain 1969" stated on copyright page with no additional printings stated. First-issue dust jacket with publisher's "42s" price on front flap. Pink cloth hardcover with gold lettering on spine. Blue dust jacket with multi-colored lettering on front cover and spine. 416 pages. VERY GOOD + book in VERY GOOD dust jacket. Book is bright, clean and unworn, tightly bound and square. Slight touch of creasing at top spine end. Sun-toning to top and bottom spine edges and top edges of boards. Foxing to outer edges of the text block. Excellent interior with flawless pages. Previous owner signature on front pastedown. Dust jacket is very bright and clean with no sun-toning. Light wear to the top and bottom edges of the spine and front panel. Rear panel has a one-inch open tear and long crease at top edge and a one-inch closed tear and small… Read More

London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1911. Book. Very Good. Hardcover. Third Edition. Revised Third Edition of The Golden Bough: Part II. Title page dated 1911. "Third Edition May 1911 / Reprinted November 1911" stated on the copyright page. Publisher's original dark-green cloth binding with gilt illustration on front board and gilt lettering on spine. Large and heavy volume measuring 9" x 6" x 1 1/2". xv + 446 pages + 2 pages publisher's ads. In VERY GOOD condition. Bright and clean, tightly bound and square, with strong uncracked hinges. Spine is not sun-faded and gilt illustration and lettering are bright and unworn. Chipped and frayed top spine end and a tiny chip at the bottom spine end. Rubbed top front corner. Boards have some very faint small stains. Flawless interior with no browning to endpapers and only slight age-toning to pages with no foxing. No previous owner markings..

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1961. Book. Fine. Hardcover. First Edition. Stated "Second Printing" of the first edition with title page dated 1961. First-issue dust jacket with $5.95 publisher's price on front flap and the original photo of Heller across entire back panel. Blue cloth hardcover with silver lettering on spine, red topstain and untrimmed page edges. 443 pages. FINE book in VERY GOOD + dust jacket. Book is bright, tight and clean with no sunning or bumping. Flawless interior. No previous owner markings. Dust jacket is bright and clean with no sun-toning. Lightly chipped top spine edge. Three small closed tears: top edge of spine, top edge of front panel and bottom edge of rear panel. Light rubbing on spine panel and some faint spots of discoloration on blue front panel. Thin strip of black adhesive remnant at top edge of rear panel. Otherwise excellent with no creases. Jacket is protected in a mylar cover..

New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970. Book. Near Fine. Hardcover. First Edition. The true first trade edition, first printing, with "First Edition" stated on the copyright page in the first-state dust jacket with the $10.95 publisher's price on the front flap and the "0171" date code at the bottom edge. Later printings are slightly smaller so that dust jackets without the "0171" code will not fit correctly on this larger volume, including the second-state dust jackets that came with the smaller second-state stated first editions. Reddish-orange cloth boards with black cloth spine with blue lettering and orange decoration. Golden-tan endpapers. 487 pages. Illustrated throughout with b/w photographs. NEAR FINE book in VERY GOOD dust jacket. Book is very bright, clean and unworn with no sunning. Tightly bound, straight and square, with strong hinges with no cracking. Fine except for slight wrinkling to the cloth at foot of spine and some slight faint foxing along… Read More

New York: Back Bay Books / Little, Brown and Company, 2013. Book. Fine. Soft cover. Signed by Author(s). First Edition. SIGNED by Stephenie Meyer and 9 cast members of the movie The Host. First edition, first printing, of the "Media Tie-in Edition," only published in softcover, with scenes from the movie on both covers and spine. Full number line on copyright page ending in "1". Signed on the title page in black marker by Stephenie Meyer, Jake Abel, Max Irons and Diane Kruger. Signed by six other cast members (including Alex Russell, Shawn Carter Peterson, Scott Lawrence, Jaylen Moore, Lee Hardee) in gold and silver markers on the following three pages. Large and thick trade paperback book. 620 pages followed by the author's 32-page "Reading Group Guide." In FINE condition. Very bright, clean and unworn, tightly bound and square. Obviously unread and as new except for a few minor blemishes to the outer page edges. Flawless interior..

New York: The New American Library, 1966. Book. Fine. Hardcover. First Edition. First edition, "First Printing" stated on copyright page. First-issue dust jacket with publisher's $6.50 price on front flap. Black boards and green cloth spine with silver lettering. 309 pages. FINE book in VERY GOOD + dust jacket. Book is very bright and clean, tight and square, spotless and unworn with no bumping. Thin strip of mild sun-fading along top edge of spine. Flawless interior with bright pages appearing possibly unread. No previous owner markings. Dust jacket is very bright and very clean with no sunning. Light wear to the spine ends. A small scrape with closed tear on the rear spine fold. Front panel has just slight surface wear. Rear panel has one small closed tear at both the top and bottom edges along with some faint creasing and is otherwise unworn. Excellent inner flaps. Jacket is protected in a new archival mylar cover..

London: Smith, Elder and Co., 1900. Book. Very Good +. Cloth. 12mo - over 6¾ - 7¾" tall. Two title pages dated 1900. One volume in the seven-volume illustrated Haworth Edition of the Life and Works of Charlotte Bronte and Her Sisters. Both novels complete in one volume with a preface and memoir of both authors by Charlotte Bronte and an introduction by Mrs. Humphry Ward. Publisher's green-cloth binding with gilt lettering on spine and front board. Gilt-covered top edge. Dark-blue endpapers. Eleven full-page b/w illustrations, including frontispiece portrait of Emily Bronte protected with tissue and facsimile reproductions of the title pages from the three-volume 1847 first edition. lviii+ 557 text pages + 2 pages publisher ads. Thick and heavy volume measuring 8 1/8" x 6" x 1 7/8". In VERY GOOD + condition. Bright and very clean exterior with no sunning. Gilt lettering is bright and unworn. Tightly bound and square with strong, secure hinges with no cracking.… Read More

New York: Random House, 1957. Book. Near Fine. Hardcover. First Edition. First edition, with "First Printing" stated on the copyright page. First-issue dust jacket with publisher's $6.95 price and 10/57 date printed on front flap. Green cloth binding with gold lettering on black title block on the spine. Blue top edge. Peach endpapers. Untrimmed page edges. 1,168 text pages. NEAR FINE book in VERY GOOD + dust jacket. Book is bright and clean with just a few very slight touches of wear, some light creasing in the cloth at the spine ends, a slight touch of sunning to the spine and a moderately sun-faded blue top edge. Tightly bound, straight and square, with no bumping to the edges and no cracking to the hinges. Excellent interior with flawless pages except for a light bottom corner crease on the dedication page and the following contents page. No previous owner markings. Dust jacket is very bright and very clean with no sun-fading. Light wear at the spine ends and folds. Very slight touch… Read More

Indianapolis / New York: Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1943. Book. Near Fine. Hardcover. First Edition. Later printing of the first edition, with 1943 copyright date but with no printing statement on the copyright page. Original-issue dust jacket with three review blurbs under photo of author on the rear panel and publisher's $3.00 price at the bottom of the front flap and publisher's yellow sticker advertisement for the 1949 movie The Fountainhead starring Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal and Raymond Massey on the front panel. Blue cloth binding with gold lettering on the front cover and spine. 754 pages. Text includes all the typographical errors found in the first printing. NEAR FINE book in NEAR FINE dust jacket. Book has a lightly bumped top spine end and top corner tips and is otherwise Fine. Very bright, very clean and unworn with no sunning. Tightly bound and square, with strong, sound hinges. No previous owner markings, no browning to the endpapers and flawless pages. Dust jacket is very bright… Read More