Our members list new acquisitions and recently cataloged items almost every day of the year. Below, you'll find a few highlights from these recent additions...
General Order No. 3 [contained in The New York Herald, No. 10,539]
New York City: Friday, July 7, 1865
By [Texas]: [Juneteenth]: Granger, Gordon
New York City: Friday, July 7, 1865. Very good.. 8pp. Large folio. Disbound, leaves loose. Some light creasing and wear. A rare contemporary newspaper printing of General Gordon Granger's historically-important General Order No. 3, which communicated to the slaves of Texas their outright freedom on June 19, 1865. The general order, which references the Emancipation Proclamation directly, is printed here on the fifth page of the July 7, 1865 edition of The New York Herald under the heading, "All Slaves Declared Free...." The order is quoted as it was communicated in The Houston Telegraph, Galveston News, and Floke's Galveston Bulletin.
"The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with the proclamation from the Executive of the United States, 'all slaves are free.' This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former master and slaves, and the connection hereto existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts, and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere." The Juneteenth order is printed here as part of a larger section reporting "Important Orders from General Granger"; the Juneteenth Proclamation is followed by General Order No. 5 stipulating that all cotton be turned over to the Quartermaster Department until the arrival of proper Treasury agents in Galveston.
On the fourth page under the heading "The Situation," the Proclamation is also mentioned, mixed in with other news of the war: "General Gordon Granger, commanding in Texas, in a recently issued order gives the people of that State distinctly to understand that slavery has ceased to exist there, and that this result involves an equality of personal rights and rights of property between the negroes and their former masters. At the same time he counsels the coloured people to remain on the plantations and continue to work, and warns them against idleness." Interestingly, the lead story of the present issue is the hanging of the four Lincoln assassination conspirators, with heavy coverage of the sentencing and the erecting of the scaffold.
A nice contemporary example of the dissemination of the Juneteenth proclamation, in both official and colloquial language.
Offered by The Joe Fay Company.
Power Lot
By Greene, Sarah P. McLean
New York: The Baker & Taylor Co., 1906 Illustrated by Alex O. Levy with five plates including a frontispiece. First edition, first printing. Publisher's blue-green decorative cloth, with Art Deco landscape stamped in blue, green, and gilt to front board and spine, and top edge gilt. Near fine, with light rubbing to spine ends, light spotting to text block edges, and soiling to copyright page. Overall, an elegant decorative binding.
Sarah Pratt McLean Greene (1856-1935) was an American regionalist writer, whose works were set in New England and, later in life, the western United States. She is best known for her 1881 book Cape Cod Folks, which was adapted into a 1924 silent film titled Her Man. She wrote fourteen books in total, including Vesty of the Basins (1892) and Deacon Lysander.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine.
Offered by B&B Rare Books.
VINTAGE GENERAL MAGIC EPHEMERA LOT [425+ books, booklets, and other ephemera]
By Vernon, Dai; Joseph, Eddie; Kardyro, Tony; Karson, Joe; Lam, Louis; Klayder, J; Leech, Al; Jennings, Larry; Marlo, Ed; Musson, C.V; Osborne, Tom; Orben, Robert; Ovette, Joseph; Vergilio, Ron; Walton, Roy; Koslowski, Mike; Larsen, William; Goldstein, Phil;
1940-1970s. Saddle-stitched. Lot of 425+ pieces of ephemera related to a variety of magic disciplines and authored by a variety of renown magicians. Overall condition of ephemera is Good with mild age toning, shelf wear, and the occasional minor stain to cover. Includes a few duplicates.
Offered by Second Story Books.
Ulysses
by Joyce, James
Paris: Shakespeare and Company, 1922. First edition. Very Good +. One of 750 copies on handmade paper, from the wider first edition limitation of 1,000 copies. Based on Sylvia Beach's records, it has been asserted that, out of the three issues of the first edition, this one was sent out first. This copy marked as number 482. Modern blue half morocco gilt over marbled boards, bookplate of Giles Alexander Esme Gordon to front pastedown. Front free endpaper with some marginal restoration, a few small unrestored closed tears to preliminary leaves, a little occasional foxing, a few gatherings a little roughly opened. Housed in a custom morocco-backed clamshell case. A Very Good+ copy.
Arguably the key text of the Modernist movement. "Joyce, not to mince words, is Ireland's Shakespeare, its Goethe, its Racine, its Tolstoy" (John Sutherland). The book also proved to be a major test case for laws of freedom of expression. "Forced underground by censors, this was a cryptoclassic already before it was read, a subversive colossus" (Sherry).
Provenance: Giles Gordon was a literary agent and writer, working for publishers Secker & Warburg and Gollancz (the latter as Editorial Director) before representing writers such as Peter Ackroyd and Vikram Seth.
Offered by Whitmore Rare Books.
The Warlord of Mars
by BURROUGHS, Edgar Rice
Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co, 1919. First edition, first issue with the "W. F. Hall" imprint on the copyright page. Octavo (7 1/4 x 4 7/8 inches; 185 x 123 mm [viii], 296, [7, publisher's ads,] [1, blank] pp. With inserted sepia frontispiece. Original pictorial dust jacket with artwork by J. Allen St. John (repeated as frontispiece).
Original red glazed buckram. Front board and spine lettered and ruled in gilt. Jacket with some minor wear along top and bottom edges, with a some minor creasing and a few tiny closed tears. Some minor chipping at jacket extremities. Back panel with some light soiling. A tiny tear to middle of jacket spine, not affecting any letters. Overall, an about fine copy.
The third of Burroughs' ten "Mars" books, and the end of the original John Carter trilogy that changed the face of American science fiction: A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars, and The Warlord of Mars.
Offered by Heritage Book Shop.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by Rowling, J. K.
New York: Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic Press, 1998. First American edition. Fine/Near Fine. A Fine copy in Near Fine dust jacket (with just a bit of sunning to the spine panel). With The Guardian blurb on the rear panel (as required for the first issue jacket).
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first book in the series, brought the wizarding world to muggle readers across the United States. This first printing of Sorcerer's Stone was limited to 30,000 copies, unlike the first print runs of later books in the series, which soared into the millions. The first British edition, entitled Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, had been published in the summer of 1997 in an initial print run of just 5,000 paperback copies and 500 hardcovers (about half of which went to libraries). Of course, the Harry Potter series has since become a phenomenon, completely reshaping pop culture and defining the childhoods of millions of young readers worldwide.
Sorcerer's Stone follows the orphan Harry as he discovers the truth about his parents, leaving the abusive home of his aunt to begin his magical training in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts School. Alongside new friends Hermione and Ron, Harry begins to realize that not all is as it seems, and that evil forces will soon require him to be a hero. Fine in Near Fine dust jacket.
Offered by Whitmore Rare Books.
Penny Lane [with] Two Penny Lane [with] Three Penny Lane [Complete Trilogy]
by DAWSON, Fielding
Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1977-81. First, Limited Edition. Three small octavo volumes. "Penny Lane" and "Three Penny Lane" are each from the signed limited edition of 250 copies (no. 56 & no. 179 respectively); "Two Penny Lane" is letter "F" of 26 lettered copies, signed on colophon and with an original drawing by Dawson tipped in after the title page. Original cloth-backed boards in publisher's acetate dustjackets; some mild foxing to upper edge of text block of "Three Penny," else uniformly fine.
Offered by Lorne Bair Rare Books.
The Charles Addams Mother Goose (First Edition, inscribed in the year of publication)
By Charles Addams
New York: Harper Crest, 1967. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition. INSCRIBED by the author on the front endpaper: "For Alice Stern / All best / Charles Addams / 1967."
Near Fine in a Very Good plus, price-clipped dust jacket. Jakcet is lightly toned at the extremities, with a few tiny chips at the spine ends and edges. Price of $4.43 at the bottom right corner of the front flap.
Offered by Royal Books.
HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE
by Carnegie, Dale
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1936. Very good in good jacket.. Rare first printing of the iconic self-help book, "one of the most successful books in American history" (Emmeche). Developed from his YMCA public speaking course and published during the Great Depression, HOW TO WIN FRIENDS offered hope in an era of pessimism. Carnegie argued that readers could improve their lives through changing their own mindset, regardless of outside forces. In the Depression, "not only did people lose their savings; they lost their pride and sense of control. That is exactly what Carnegie gave them back" (McHugh, 227). HOW TO WIN FRIENDS emphasized confidence and self reliance, while offering the tools of business etiquette and modern psychology. All these combined to form a foundational blueprint for how to achieve success in the modern American landscape.
HOW TO WIN FRIENDS is incredibly scarce in the original dust jacket. It was initially titled HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE, but "make" did not fit well on the first edition's cover design, so Carnegie changed it to "win" (McHugh, 228). After a modest print run of three thousand copies, it hit the NYT best-seller list, going into dozens of printings within the first few years. A rarity in the the true first printing of this American touchstone. 7.75'' x 5''. Original red cloth stamped in gilt to spine and front board. In original unclipped ($2.00) photographic dust jacket, "Chicago University" on front flap. 337, [5] pages. Pencil owner name to front fly leaf; a few self improvement-related pencil notes to final leaves (e.g. "study astronomy"). Jacket with moderate chipping primarily around spine ends, long closed tear to front fold, rubbing. Book with light sunning and soil; hinges firm.
Offered by Brian Cassidy Bookseller at Type Punch Matrix.
Charity Poster of 'Earl "The Pearl" Monroe.'
By NEIMAN, Leroy
Amsterdam, 1976. unbound. very good(+). Neiman, Leroy.. Signed at bottom in pencil. Offset lithograph. Some abrasions to lower center margin and scuffs. 34.75'' x 25.75''.
Original 1976 print after a painting (made in the same year) of New York Knick Great Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. No lithographs of this work exist, but Neiman signed unframed copies at a Sloan Kettering fundraiser in 1977 for those patrons who pledges $1,000 or more. Leroy Neiman (1921-2012), is a New York City artist best known for his surrealist style in portraying action scenes involving sport, entertainment, and political subject. This is a nice example of his work with an interesting provenance.
Offered by Argosy Book Store.
Black Motorcycle Culture and First Black Motorcycle Police Officers in America, 1960s-1970s
1960. Black motorcycle photo archive documenting African American riders, police motor officers, and the motorcycle community in the postwar United States, primarily during the 1960s and 1970s. Motorcycles became important symbols of freedom, visibility, masculinity, and fellowship during this period, particularly as Black riders formed clubs, organized rides, and claimed public space within a largely segregated leisure culture. The archive places Black riders inside several overlapping worlds at once: civilian biker culture, dealership promotion, stunt riding, and law enforcement motor patrol.
Photo archive of 8 photographs, various sizes, ranging from 3.5" x 3.5" to 7.5" x 8.5", United States, circa 1960s-1970s. A large group portrait gathered outside a Triumph motorcycle dealership includes Black and white riders posed around a Triumph motorcycle beneath banners reading "Sales Triumph Service Motorcycles." Several images show Black men seated on motorcycles in casual outdoor settings, including one rider wearing sunglasses and an afro hairstyle astride a street bike and another lifting a motorcycle into a wheelie down a residential street. Additional photographs depict Black police motor officers in uniform and white helmets, including one identified on the verso as "San Diego 1964 1st Black Officer." A small group of riders appears lined along a rough roadside, while another snapshot bears the inscription "Uncle Wesley 1968," preserving the personal and familial context of ownership.
The Archive records a period when motorcycles became central to a broader American biker subculture shaped by club affiliation, mechanical skill, fashion, speed, and public performance. African American riders often established their own motorcycle associations and riding communities at a moment when mainstream motorcycle culture and many national clubs remained overwhelmingly white. The inclusion of Black police motor officers is especially notable, linking motorcycles to Black advancement within municipal authority structures during the civil rights era while also reflecting the visibility and prestige attached to motor patrol divisions. Light handling wear, scattered creasing, minor silvering, and occasional edge wear consistent with vernacular snapshot use. Overall in good condition.
Offered by Max Rambod, Inc.
A Pale View of Hills
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Stated first American Edition; A Fine book in a Near Fine dust jacket, with only light foxing to the flap edges and faint soiling to the exterior text block. SIGNED by the author to the title page. An exceptional copy of this Nobel winning author's first novel. The binding is tight, the pages are white; this volume is not price clipped, not ex-lib, no other markings are present...a beautiful copy of a work who's author is now being recognized as one of the finest of our generation; this novel is uncommon in this condition due to a reportedly small first print run; getting scarce signed. Protected in a fresh mylar cover and will ship carefully wrapped in a sturdy box.
Offered by Grayshelf Books.
A Game of Thrones. Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire
By Martin, George R. R.
London: Voyager / HarperCollins, 1996. Uncorrected Proof, Advance Readers Copy. 693 pp. 8vo. Printed wrappers. Signed on the title page. Fine copy, with loosely inserted folded poster for London promotional event on 22 August 1996 and an invitation for an event with Martin and Raya Golden at Midtown Comics in New York City. Uncorrected Proof, Advance Readers Copy. 693 pp. 8vo. A superior copy of the first advance proof of George R. R. Martin's fantasy epic of power politics and family strife, A Game of Thrones, international best selling first book in the series "A Song of Fire and Ice" and the work which gave the popular TV adaptation its name. UNCOMMON AND IN CHOICE CONDITION.
Offered by James Cummins Bookseller.
Unbound. Very good. This set of 26 French illustrated trade cards features illustrations of bratty children and rude adults. They are printed in color on a gold background. These cards were intended to be used by L. D. Wilbur & Company of Fall River, Massachusetts to advertise his clothing and general merchandise company. J. H. Franklin and Company, a Fall River, Massachusetts, printing firm overprinted the French cards with Wilbur's business information.
These charmingly humorous cards are in pristine condition and obviously were never distributed by Wilbur.
A complete set of this unusual advertising card series in pristine condition. Individual cards or small groups of two or three in used condition, often with glue or scrapbook remnants on their reverse.
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben.
Salt Lake City, UT: Utah Pioneers Book Publishing Company, Publishers, 1913. First edition. Leather bound. Very good. 1319pp. Thick quarto [31 cm] Full leather with a gilt stamped title and designs on the backstrip, and the word "Pioneers" in blind on the front cover. Lovely marbled text block edges and endpapers. Rubbing to the extremities. A bit of staining to the lower fore-edge of the text block (not affecting the pages). Text block cracked a couple of times at the beginning, but still very solid. A superior copy. May require extra postage due to weight. Edition De Luxe. One of 4500 copies. Number line blank. Hundreds of biographies of early settlers of the Territory. Profusely illustrated with portraits.
Offered by Ken Sanders Rare Books.
Brave New World [Limited Edition, Signed by McAfee]
By Aldous Huxley; Ashley Montagu [intro.]; Mara McAfee [illus.]
Avon, CT: Limited Editions Club, 1974. Very Good +. Avon, CT: Limited Editions Club, 1974. First Thus, Limited to 2000 copies signed by the illustrator, of which this is no. 1661. Quarto; publisher's glossy pictorial paper-covered boards, orange topstain, housed in publisher's paper-covered slipcase; xxv,[1],237pp.; ten leaves of plates. Printed out copy of prospectus laid in; lacks member letter. Light rubbing and a few faint scuffs to boards; binding sound; pages unmarked. Slipcase edgeworn with brief exposure to extremities and soiling to spine, else sturdy and sound; Very Good or better.
Offered by Capitol Hill Books.
[Kelmscott Press- Folded Folio Sheets in their most authentic state] Uncut Sheets of The Earthly Paradise, the First Two Books
by Morris, William
Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1896. First Edition. First Edition. The first two volumes, complete (of the eight-volume work) in original folded folio gatheredi sheets, uncut and unopened (preserved in contemporary marbled paper folders with gilt spine labels). Unfolded folio sheet size measure 18.3 x 12.8 inches (46.5 ◊ 32.5 cm). Printed in Chaucer type in black and red on Kelmscott handmade paper bearing the characteristic apple watermark. The sheets remain as full folio sheets folded twice to form quarto gatherings (8 separate pages) as issued to subscribers who chose to commission their own bindingsóa very small bespoke number such provided to certain friends or members of the Press. The Kelmscott Earthly Paradise was one of the pressís largest and most ambitious undertakings, issued in an edition of 225 paper copies and only seven on vellum; a small but undocumented portion of the paper copies were supplied in this unbound state, and surviving examples remain notably scarce. In fact, we haven not found one uncut folded folio leaf (8 pages) on recored in recent memory, let alone the 44 provided here! The present two volumes comprise 44 full folio sheets (plus bifold blanks), including numerous blank and preliminary leaves as issued, entirely consistent with Kelmscott production. The text pages are in excellent condition, crisp and fresh with strong original folds, and gathered together in archival form, preserved in the contemporary folders by a contemporary, fastidious collector. A rare and most desirable survival of Kelmscott Press books in their original issued state, offering an unusually direct view of Morrisís printing before the intervention of the binder and embodying the collaborative ideals at the heart of the private press movement.
Offered by Nudelman Rare Books.
Cowperthwait, Desilver & Butler, 1855. Hardcover. Good. Rebound in green cloth boards. 2 plates are missing, #18 North Carolina and #19 South Carolina. All other plates are included. The following plates have old tape applied to a backside edge (none are attached to the map side), most are simple small strips with none being more than 4 inches in length and most being 1 or 2 inches in length. #6 Eastern side of double sheet map of USA, #10 Connecticut, #20 Georgia, #44 Chili La Playa and Uruguay, #45 and #46 Double sheet map of Europe, #53 Germany, #71 China, #73 Egypt. The applied tape is either unseen or only lightly seen on the map sides. The Georgia map photo can be viewed as an example. Colors are bright and clear. No marks or notations. Folio. Ships insured with signature confirmation to domestic US customers.
Offered by Ed's Editions Bookstore.
THE BELL JAR
by Plath, Sylvia; Victoria Lucas
London: William Heinemann, 1964. Book. Very good+ condition. Hardcover. 2nd Edition. 12mo - over 6¾ - 7¾" tall. [iv], 258 pages of text. Dark green hardcover binding with minor bumping to the lower corners. The unclipped dustjacket has minor sunning to the spine, and minor shelfwear and soiling; protected in archival Mylar. A publication in the Contemporary Fiction series, an associated enterprise with Readers Union. This edition of this work, published the year after the First edition, is the final edition to be published under a pseudonym, which was not published in the USA until 1971. The text is clean and unmarked. Height = 190mm. Second edition.
Offered by Kurt Gippert Bookseller.
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