Our members list new acquisitions and recently catalogued items almost every day of the year. Below, you'll find a few highlights from these recent additions...
Theodore Roosevelt, Men of the Day. No. 849
by FLAGG, JAMES MONTGOMERY
London: Vanity Fair, 1902. unbound. very good. Lithograph. 15.75" x 10.5". In very good condition. Men of the Day No. 849, The President of the United States. American artist and illustrator best remembered for his depiction of Uncle Sam on recruiting posters during the First and Second World Wars.
Offered by Argosy Book Store.
by MRS. COWLEY; AUGUSTIN DALY (REDUCED AND RE-ARRANGED BY)
New York: Privately Printed from the Prompt Books of Daly's Theater, 1893. Hardcover. Very Good. Hardcover. Folio. This unique copy belonged to ??? and was sold at auction with many of his other books and collections (item 297). This book is extra-illustrated with 161 plates, portraits, photographs, scarce play-bills, newspaper reviews, original drawings, and watercolors. The text and plates were inlaid by August Toedteberg. Bound in three quarter olive green morocco over marbled paper covered boards. Gilt title, decoration, and raised bands to spine. Marbled endpapers and top edge gilt. A signed binding by Stikeman and Co. Heavy wear to spine with losses to two of the raised bands and chipping to spine ends. Scuffing to boards and wear to edges of boards. A silk playbill from 1867 for "Under the Gaslight" is laid-in to rear. Clean, bright interior. A thorough and fascinating documentation of the run of this play. Unpaginated.
Offered by Kelmscott Bookshop.
by (BINDINGS - JEWELLED). FALCONER, WILLIAM
Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black, 1858.
From the superb collection of American bibliophile Phoebe Boyle, this is a magnificent example of a jewelled binding from the Edwardian golden age of the craft, when Sangorski & Sutcliffe and Riviere engaged in a competition to produce the most lavish works imaginable and thereby created treasures sought after by generations of bibliophiles. Perhaps the premier practitioner of the art of the jewelled binding, the atelier founded by Francis Sangorski and George Sutcliffe reached its zenith in the first dozen years of the 20th century, when their most gorgeous gem-encrusted bindings were produced. The binders drew detailed designs that reflected the contents of the book in question, and even went so far as to register some of these--like the present item--with the Patent Office to ensure they were not copied. Stephen Ratcliffe estimates that "no more than 300 were ever produced," and given the labor-intensive process required to produce a binding like the present one, this small number is not surprising: hundreds of man-hours would have been required to craft these intricate inlays and onlays, to make the thousands of applications of gold, and to set the dozens of gemstones. Our appropriately nautical binding covers a fine illustrated edition of the popular poem by Falconer (1732-69), recounting the wreck of a ship on the coast of Greece. Written in three cantos, the work first appeared in 1762, with revised versions issued in 1764 and 1769, the year the author was drowned at sea, himself the victim of a shipwreck. The present edition is enriched with engravings after Birket Foster (1825-99), described by DNB as "the most sought-after poetry illustrator of the day, associated with all the popular names, including Sir Walter Scott." New York collector Phoebe A. D. Boyle was the widow of a canvas manufacturer who had made a fortune providing tents to the U.S. Army in the Civil War. George Sutcliffe described his important client as "rivalling the Medici in her patronage of the production of beautiful books." (Shepherd, "The Cinderella of the Arts," p. 63) Stephen Ratcliffe describes the Boyle collection as "unrivalled" for its jewelled bindings and modern illuminated manuscripts, and any book from the Boyle collection, which was put together with the greatest taste and discrimination, is recognized as desirable beyond its intrinsic merit.. 201 x 153 mm. (7 7/8 x 5 5/8"). xxxvi, [2], [11]-153, [1] pp.With a life of the author by Robert Carruthers.
Offered by Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books.
Greenpoint, NY, 1869. Scarce large albumen prints of the beginning of the construction of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, the most daring engineering feat of its time. The images are held by the Museum of the City of New York, but not by the Brooklyn Museum or Brooklyn Public Library. Showing construction of the bridge, an object of fascination for the public, although newspaper editorials scoffed at the enormous undertaking. The Talfor view is taken from the Brooklyn side looking toward Manhattan across the East River, with a massive pile of rocks in the forming the base of the pier. In the foreground wooden hoists frame the foundation, and temporaryconstruction shacks surround it. In the middle ground lies the East River, and tall -masted ships can be seen at anchor on the Manhattan side.
Robert B. Talfor is known for the very rare 'Photographic Views of Red River Raft' of 1873. The 113 hand colored photographs measuring 9 x 7" document the landscape and the lives of the crews working on this massive project to remove the thousand year old log jam which blocked the Red River in Louisiana. The lot sold for $93,750, in February 2018. During the Civil War Talfor was a topographic engineer who mapped out battlefields. (The maps are listed on OCLC.) After the war he founded a photography studio in Greenpoint (Brooklyn). Curtain's Greenpoint Directory of 1868/9 records him in Brooklyn as follows: Talfor, Robert B. photographs, Washington c Greenpoint Ave, h. Eagle. By the early 1870s Talfor was in Louisiana taking the striking images of the Red River Raft project.
The Talfor albumen photograph: 16 x 10 1/2" laid down on board 19 x 14 1/4". Title printed below the image with "East River Bridge" in an elaborate type font. Edges of board rubbed, corners slightly chipped. Photograph with a few small marks at lower edge, outside image. Period note on verso, "Which do you put first, [ditto] faces glass". Possibly a window display note? [with] 3 additional large albumen photographs of the terminal buildings under construction at each end of the Brooklyn Bridge. These massive multistory shed-like structures were also called terminal sheds; here commuters embarked and disembarked to take other mass transit. Two of the images appear to be the Manhattan terminal building (at Park Row) under construction, because tall buildings surround the cast iron structure, and tram lines are visible in the road. These two images depict the terminal at the very beginning of construction (a close up of the steel outer shell, with workers in the foreground and standing on the roof ridge), and the finished building, with city dwellers passing on the sidewalk below. One is "N.Y. Station, East River Bridge.", ca. 1875 according to the Museum of the City of New York website. The third albumen likely shows the Brooklyn terminal building under construction, as the surrounding area is not as developed as the Manhattan side. Two men stand in the foreground of the half completed steel structure. The three terminal building photographs: 8 1/2 x 6 1/4" mounted on board, 14 x 11". Board dusty, one scratch at lower edge of print. Second image, 16 1/2 x 13" on board 20 1/4 x 16 1/4", board extensively chipped at edges, one corner repaired on verso with archival tape; damp stains top edge of image. Third image 10 3/4 x 8 1/2", borders extensively scuffed & marked. Images are mounted in archival mounts. Scarce photographs of the very beginnings of the construction of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.
Offered by Antipodean Books, Maps, & Prints.
'Space Race' Wooden Tabletop Game
Midcentury French tabletop wooden game based on the Space Race of the 1950s and 1960s between the Soviet Union and the United States, housed inside of a hinged wooden box and comprised of a revolving spring-loaded wooden launcher, two original plastic rockets for launching, a set of score-keeping beads, and a color illustration of Soviet and American rockets and satellites in space affixed to the inside of the lid with eight different target cups bearing the names of various planets and rockets, the same illustration affixed to the exterior of the lid. Very light signs of wear and shallow scratches to exterior, excellent overall condition. Vox measures 21-1/2 by 11-3/4 by 3 inches, closed. N.p. (France) n.d. (circa 1960s). The Space Race officially began on August 2, 1955, when the Soviet Union responded to the announcement made by the United States 4 days ealier of their intent to launch artifical satellites, by declaring that they would also launch a satellite in the near future. This game features major figures from the Space Race, with the red launch rocket (and corresponding red target cup and accompanying illustration) referring to Yuri Gagarin, the first human to orbit Earth, and the yellow launch rocket (and corresponding yellow target cup and accompanying illustration) referring to Leroy Gordon Cooper, the US astronaut who manned the longest and final Mercury spaceflight in 1963. The other target cups have labels for the moon, Mars, Venus, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto. A well-made tabletop game, from a time of global fascination with outer space and spaceflight.
Offered by F.A. Bernett Books.
by Winston Churchill
London: Cassell & Co., Ltd, 1948. First edition. Original cloth, original dust jacket. Fine/Fine. FIRST ENGLISH EDITIONS (the preferred editions) in original dust jackets of Churchill's masterpiece. A BEAUTIFUL, FINE SET.
"In order to write The Second World War Churchill assembled a team of researchers under the leadership of his pre-war assistant, the Oxford historian William Deakin. Churchill and his team enjoyed the full co-operation of the cabinet secretary, Norman Brook, who gave them almost unlimited access to wartime files. In return Churchill submitted drafts of the book to be vetted by Whitehall, thus turning it into a semi-official history. His method was to have all the relevant documents set up in galley proof so that he could then insert linking passages or narratives of events. The tone and structure of the final text were unmistakably Churchillian, and so too were his personal recollections... Appearing in six volumes between 1948 and 1954, The Second World War was published in hardback in fifteen countries and translated into eleven languages. It was not history, Churchill insisted, but a contribution to history. Nevertheless he imprinted his version of events on the minds of a generation" (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography).
Comprising: The Gathering Storm (Vol 1); Their Finest Hour (Vol 2); The Grand Alliance (Vol 3); The Hinge of Fate (Vol 4); Closing the Ring (Vol 5); Triumph and Tragedy (Vol 6). London: Cassell & Co., Ltd., (1948-54). Octavo, original cloth, original dust jackets. Six volumes. Neat owner signature (dated 1948) on front free endpaper of volume I. Only trivial flaws to books, with red top stain particularly rich and unfaded. Dust jackets with tiny chip on volume IV, otherwise nearly perfect. Overall, the jackets are in remarkably good condition with all text and color sharp, crisp, and unfaded (very unusual with this set). An extraordinary set, one of the nicest we've seen; extremely rare in such fine condition.
Offered by Manhattan Rare Book Company.
Collection of Books and Photos from the Library of Joyce's Friend John F. Byrne
New York and Sydney, Australia This collection contains seven books inscribed by their respective authors or editors to John Francis Byrne (1880-1960). Byrne, a cryptographer and a writer, was a close friend of the noted Irish author James Joyce. The two attended the same university, and Byrne was the model for Joyce's character "Cranly" who appears in several of his novels. Additionally, Joyce drew some of his inspiration for Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of his modernist novel Ulysses, from Byrne - including his address, 7 Eccles Street. Notably, Joyce's biographer, Richard Ellman, corresponded frequently with Byrne, relying on his insight and information on Joyce's life to inform his writing.
Contents:
1. Ellman, Richard. James Joyce. New York: Oxford University Press, 1959. First edition. Inscribed by the author to John Francis Byrne to front free endpaper: "To Jeff Byrne, / the best friend of Joyce's youth / with every good wish from / Dick Ellman / 22 October 1959." Publisher's blue cloth stamped in blind and gilt; lacking dust jacket. Near fine.
2. Joyce, James. Stephen Hero. New York: New Directions, 1955. New edition. Contemporary gift inscription from Morgan Library curator Herbert Cahoon to John Francis Byrne: "To / J. F. Byrne / with the cordial best wishes / of Herbert Cahoon / 10 January 1956." Publisher's yellow cloth lettered in black to spine; in the original dust jacket printed in black on blue paper. A near fine book in an about very good dust jacket.
3. Byrne, John Francis. Silent Years: An Autobiography with Memoirs of James Joyce and Our Ireland. New York: Farrar, Straus and Young, 1953. First edition. Author's son's copy, presentation copy inscribed by Byrne to his son: "To my Jack, / from dad Jeff / J. F. Byrne, / Nov 10. 1953". Publisher's pale gray cloth lettered in dark gray to spine; lacking dust jacket. A very good copy.
4. Clarke, Joseph I. C. The Fighting Race, and Other Poems and Ballads. New York: American News Company, 1911. First edition. Inscribed by the author to John F. Byrne to front free endpaper "To / John F. Byrne / with the sincere regards / of / The Author" and additionally signed and dated by him to p. [v]. Publisher's green cloth lettered in gilt; lacking dust jacket. A very good copy.
5. Hodgart, Matthew J. C. and Worthington, Mabel P. Song in the Works of James Joyce. New York: Temple University, 1959. First edition. Inscribed by Worthington to front free endpaper: "To J. F. Byrne, / with thanks for help, / and best wishes - / Mabel Worthington." Publisher's green cloth lettered in silver to spine; in the original teal dust jacket lettered in white and yellow. A near fine copy in an about very good dust jacket.
6. Sullivan, Kevin. Joyce Among the Jesuits. New York: Columbia University Press, 1959. Early printing. Inscribed by the author to front free endpaper: "Feb 23, 1959 / For John F. Byrne / with sincere regards / Kevin Sullivan". Publisher's quarter gray cloth lettered in metallic purple over pink and gray striped boards; in the original matching dust jacket lettered in white. A near fine book; in an about very good dust jacket.
7. Gilbert, Stuart; and Ellman, Richard. Letters of James Joyce. New York: The Viking Press, 1957. First edition. Inscribed by Joyce's biographer Richard Ellman to front free endpaper: "To J. F. Byrne / with all good wishes / from the chronologer / Dick / 3 October 1957" and additionally signed "Richard Ellman" beside where Ellman's name appears in the Chronology section, with his printed name crossed out. Publisher's green cloth lettered in gilt; in the original brown and green dust jacket. A near fine book; in an about very good dust jacket.
8. Campbell, J. W. "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," An Appreciation. Sydney, Australia: The Sydney University Literary Society, 1933. First edition. 15 pp. Publisher's gray paper wrappers lettered in black. A poor copy, lacking the rear wrapper and with pages disbound. Photographs & Ephemera
9. Four original black and white. Signed by Authors. Hard Cover. Very Good/Dust Jacket Included.
Offered by B. & B. Rare Books.
by Virginia Woolf
London: Hogarth Press, 1928. First British, and the first trade edition, preceded by the Crosby Gaige limited edition. One of 5080 copies printed. Portrait frontispiece, plates. 299 pp. 1 vols. 8vo. Original orange cloth, pictorial dust jacket. Some spotting to pastedowns, some minor rubbing, light wear and dust soiling to jacket. First British, and the first trade edition, preceded by the Crosby Gaige limited edition. One of 5080 copies printed. Portrait frontispiece, plates. 299 pp. 1 vols. 8vo. First English and First Trade edition.
Woolf's singular feminist masterwork was written as "a tribute to [Vita] Sackville-West in the form of a parodic biography of a four-hundred-year old character, who starts out as a young aristocratic man in the Elizabethan age, changes from male to female in the course of the seventeenth century, and winds up as a modern woman driving a motor car in the 'present moment' ... Satirizing both the history of literature and the history of sexuality, Woolf playfully suggests both might be a matter of style" (Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature, p. 277). Wollmer 185; Kirkpatrick A11b.
Offered by James Cummins Bookseller.
The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America
by John James Audubon and Rev. John Bachman
New York: J.J. Audubon (-V.G. Audubon), 1849. Three volumes, elephant folio broadsheets. (27 1/4 x 21 1/4 inches). Three lithographic titlepages, three leaves of letterpress contents. 150 handcolored lithographic plates after John James Audubon and John Woodhouse Audubon, the backgrounds after Victor Audubon, printed and colored by J.T. Bowen of Philadelphia. Expertly bound to style in half dark purple morocco over period purple cloth covered boards, spine with raised bands lettered in the second and third compartments, the others decorated in gilt, marbled edges and endpapers [With:] The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America .
New York: J. J. Audubon, 1846-1851-1854. 3 volumes, small 4to (10 x 7 inches). Half-titles, list of subscribers. 6 hand coloured lithographed plates [i.e. plate 124 and plates 151-155]. Expertly bound to style uniform to the above in half purple morocco over period purple cloth covered boards, marbled endpapers. A beautiful set of the first elephant folio edition of Audubon's Quadrupeds, complete with the separate text volumes.
This is Audubon's final great natural history work. Unlike the double-elephant folio edition of the Birds of America, which was printed in London, the Quadrupeds was produced in the United States. It was the largest and most significant color plate book produced in America in the 19th century, and a fitting monument to Audubon's continuing genius. The work was originally published in thirty parts, each containing five plates, and priced at ten dollars per number. The first proofs were ready in 1842, but Audubon was fully employing the services of the lithographer J.T. Bowen on the octavo edition of The Birds of America, which was the greatest money-maker of any of the Audubon family ventures. Instead, Audubon and his sons busied themselves in gathering subscribers, signing up over 200 by the summer of 1844 (eventually the subscription list reached 300). The last part of the octavo Birds appeared in May, 1844, and publication of the folio Quadrupeds commenced immediately with the first number being issued in January, 1845 and the first volume completed within the year.
Audubon's health began to fail dramatically, and responsibility for new art work fell mainly on his son John Woodhouse Audubon, with some help from his brother Victor. The second volume was completed in March, 1847. But, as John Woodhouse travelled first to Texas, then to London and Europe, the pace slowed further. The final number was issued early in 1849. By this time the elder Audubon had become completely senile ("his mind is all in ruins" Bachman wrote sadly in June, 1848). He died in early 1851. In the end, about half of the plates were based on the work of John James and half on the efforts of John Woodhouse.
Audubon's collaborator on the text of the Quadrupeds was the naturalist and Lutheran clergyman, John Bachman, who was a recognized authority on the subject in the United States. The two began their association when Audubon stayed with Bachman and his family in Charleston for a month in 1831. This friendship was later cemented by the marriage of Audubon's sons, Victor and John to Bachman's daughters, Maria and Eliza. Audubon knew Bachman's contribution to the Quadrupeds would be crucial, especially because of his concerns over his own technical knowledge. By 1840, Bachman had become indispensable to the Quadrupeds project, and as Audubon showed increasing signs of vagueness, found himself writing most of the text, with some help from Victor (who was the primary business manager of the project).
The text appeared between December, 1846 and the spring of 1854. Two issues of the third volume of the text are known, the present being the preferred second issue, with the supplementary text and the six octavo sized plates issued in 1854, being images not found in the folio atlas. The elephant folio edition of Audubon's Quadrupeds will always be compared to the incomparable Birds. It should be judged in its own right, as one of the grandest American works of natural history ever produced, and one of the greatest American illustrated works ever created. Bennett, p.5; Wood, p.208; Nissen 162; Reese, Stamped with a National Character 36; Sabin 2367; Ford, Audubon's Animals , New York, 1951; Boehme, Sarah, ed.: John James Audubon in the West, New York, 2000, especially Ron Tyler's essay, "The Publication of the Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America", pp. 119-182, and Robert Peck's essay "Audubon and Bachman, a Collaboration in Science", pp. 71-115.
Offered by Donald A. Heald Rare Books.
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