“ONE OF THE BEST PORTRAIT-PAINTERS IN THE WORLD”

(HOLBEIN, Hans) CHAMBERLAINE, John. Imitations of Original Drawings. London, 1792-1800.

First edition of Chamberlaine’s magnificent volume of 84 color stipple-engraved plates, rarely found complete, an impressive collection of full-page engravings after Holbein’s legendary portraits of Jane Seymour, Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas More, a young Edward VI, Anne of Cleves, and other court figures, with color frontispiece portraits of Holbein and his wife, with all but four portraits engraved by the great Bartolozzi. With the very rare extra suite of eight Holbein portraits of the court of Francis II, only included with some copies. Beautifully bound. $38,000.

EXCEPTIONAL PRESIDENTIAL PARDON SIGNED BY ABRAHAM LINCOLN

LINCOLN, Abraham. Manuscript pardon signed. Washington, June 18, 1861.

Manuscript pardon boldly signed by Abraham Lincoln and countersigned by Secretary of State William H. Seward, granting clemency to Benjamin Ogle, who had served three years of an eight-year prison term for manslaughter, after shooting to death a ten-year-old boy named John Webb of Georgetown in 1858. Webb was one of a group of young boys that had been harassing and throwing stones at a sole African American boy; Ogle, whose house stood nearby, emerged with his gun, warned the white boys away, and then shot once, hitting Webb in the back of his head and killing him. The pardon notes that "this was the first criminal charge ever brought against the said Benjamin Ogle… the wife and children… have been brought to great distress by reason of his conviction and imprisonment… and are in extreme need of his care and assistance." $35,000.

"THE FINEST EDITION OF DON QUIXOTE THAT HAS EVER BEEN PRINTED"

CERVANTES. El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Madrid, 1780. Four volumes.

The magnificent Ibarra Quixote, with engraved portrait of Cervantes, engraved frontispiece in each volume, 31 full-page engraved plates, numerous headpieces, tailpieces and historiated initials, and a double-page map showing Don Quixote’s route through Spain and the sites of his adventures. A handsome set in full morocco-gilt. $26,000.

FIRST EDITION OF THE DOUBLE HELIX, INSCRIBED BY FRANCIS CRICK AND SIGNED BY JAMES WATSON

(CRICK, Francis) WATSON, James D. Double Helix. New York, 1968.

First edition of Watson's controversial personal account of the DNA discovery, inscribed on the title page: "Best wishes to A—- and R—- G—-. Francis Crick" and signed by James D. Watson. $23,500.

SIGNED BY RICHARD FEYNMAN

FEYNMAN, Richard P. Recommendations. No place, circa 1986.

Mimeograph of the galleys of the Recommendations of the Rogers Commission tasked with investigating the Challenger disaster, signed on the front page by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman with his additional note: "PRIVATE (CLOSE HOLD)." $22,500.

SIGNED BY ABRAHAM LINCOLN

LINCOLN, Abraham. Document signed. Washington, November 4, 1861.

Civil-War era document signed by President Lincoln and countersigned by Acting Secretary of State Frederick W. Seward, appointing John Clark as Consul to Singapore. $21,000.

THE FIRST SERIAL PRINTING OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

(CONSTITUTION) CAREY, Mathew, editor. American Museum, or Repository of Ancient and Modern Fugitive Pieces. Philadelphia, July-December, 1787.

First edition of a true American classic: Mathew Carey's American Museum for 1787 (Volume II: Nos. I-VI), containing in the September issue the first serial printing of the U.S. Constitution and featuring the first serial printings of the first six Federalist papers issued outside of New York City, in original marbled boards. $18,500.

“THE HIGHEST POINT IN ENGLISH BIBLE PRINTING”

(BIBLE). The Holy Bible Containing the Old Testament and the New. Cambridge, 1763.

First Baskerville edition, one of only 1250 copies, an impressive folio production splendidly bound in early full morocco gilt. $18,000.

"PRODUCED A GREAT EFFECT UPON THE MIND OF THE AMERICAN COLONISTS DURING THE REVOLUTION"

(AMERICAN REVOLUTION) (BURGH, James). Political Disquisitions. London, 1774-1775. Three volumes.

Rare first edition of this major revolutionary work, an important influence on America’s Founding Fathers, and praised by John Adams as "a book which ought to be in the hands of every American who has learned to read." Washington, Jefferson, Hancock and other leaders of the Continental Congress read this powerful work, and both The Federalist Papers and Common Sense refer to it. Edited by Burgh's close friend, Benjamin Franklin. $18,000.

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL ECONOMIC TREATISE OF THE 20TH CENTURY, FIRST EDITION IN THE SCARCE ORIGINAL DUST JACKET

KEYNES, John Maynard. General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. London, 1936.

First edition of Keynes' last major work, considered the most influential economic treatise of the 20th century, rarely found in the original dust jacket. $17,500.

"ONE MAY JUSTLY HAIL ROUSSEAU AS THE DISCOVERER OF THE CHILD"

ROUSSEAU, J.J. Emile. La Haye [Hague; i.e. Paris], 1762. Four volumes.

First edition of one of Rousseau’s greatest works, a vastly influential philosophical novel whose "originality lay in the fact that it was the first comprehensive attempt to describe a system of education according to nature," with five finely engraved illustrations after designs by Charles Eisen—a splendid copy in contemporary mottled calf-gilt. $16,000.

"WHEREVER THEY'S A FIGHT SO HUNGRY PEOPLE CAN EAT, I'LL BE THERE"

STEINBECK, John. Grapes of Wrath. New York, 1939.

First edition, first issue, of Steinbeck's most important novel, his searing masterpiece of moral outrage and "intense humanity," winner of the 1940 Pulitzer Prize. $15,000.

"TRUTH IS FAR GREATER THAN FICTION… IT CHILLS THE BLOOD" (FREDERICK DOUGLASS): VERY RARE FIRST EDITION OF SOLOMON NORTHUP'S TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE, 1853

(NORTHUP, Solomon). Twelve Years a Slave. Auburn, 1853.

First edition, rare first printing, of Northup's powerful first-hand account—"one of the most authentic descriptions of slavery from the viewpoint of the slave"—documenting slavery's brutality and electrified by his resolve "to portray the institution of slavery as I have seen and known it," with engraved frontispiece and six full-page engravings of his torture in a slave pen, his near-escape from a lynching and much more, in original cloth. $13,200.

LIMITED FIRST EDITION OF ONE OF ROOSEVELT'S PRIVATELY PRINTED TRAVEL LOGBOOKS, INSCRIBED ON THE TITLE PAGE BY PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT

(ROOSEVELT, Franklin D.) [WATSON, Edwin]. Log of the Cruise of President Franklin D Roosevelt in the Gulf of Mexico. Washington, 1937.

Limited first edition, one of an unnumbered limited, of this privately printed travel logbook about FDR's cruise in the Gulf of Mexico, inscribed on the title page: "For Paul Hart from Franklin D. Roosevelt." $12,500.

“AMONG QUAKER WOMEN OF HER DAY, HUME HAD AN EXTRAORDINARY KNOWLEDGE OF THE ARTS, LITERATURE AND THEOLOGY”

(QUAKERS) H[UME], S[ophia]. An Exhortation to the Inhabitants of… South-Carolina. Philadelphia, 1747.

Very rare first edition of this pioneering and electrifying work by Quaker minister Sophia Hume, famed across England and America for her eloquence, printed with the aid of Philadelphia Quakers and issued by the publishing house of William Bradford, who arrived in America with William Penn in 1682 and whose firm published Paine’s Common Sense, scarce in contemporary calf. $12,500.

“OH, CARRIE, CARRIE! OH, BLIND STRIVINGS OF THE HUMAN HEART!”

DREISER, Theodore. Sister Carrie. New York, 1900.

Exceptionally rare first edition of Dreiser’s controversial first novel. The Frank Hogan copy, with his bookplate. $12,500.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, WARMLY INSCRIBED BY HARPER LEE

LEE, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia and New York, 1960.

First edition, third printing, of Lee's cherished masterpiece—"the Huckleberry Finn of the 20th century"— inscribed by the author in the year of publication: "To ———, with my best wishes, Harper Lee, September 17, 1960." $12,500.

“THAT DIALOGUE OF MIND, HEART AND VOICE”

BOSWELL, James. Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. London, 1791. Two volumes.

First edition, first state of "the most famous biography in any language, one of Western literature's most germinal achievements." $12,000.

"AMONG EXPERIMENTAL PHILOSOPHERS FARADAY HOLDS… THE FOREMOST PLACE"

FARADAY, Michael. Philosophical Transactions (Experimental Researches in Electricity). London, 1832.

Scarce first edition—preceding their appearance in the first collected edition by seven years—of Faraday’s first two groundbreaking papers in electrical research, illustrated with two engraved plates. $11,000.

KEYNES’ A TREATISE ON MONEY, IN RARE ORIGINAL DUST JACKETS

KEYNES, John Maynard. Treatise on Money. London, 1930. Two volumes.

First edition of Keynes’ important work on monetary theory, in rare original dust jackets. $11,000.

FIRST FOLIO EDITION OF THE WORKES OF KING CHARLES, THE FIRST ROYALLY SANCTIONED EDITION OF EIKON BASILIKE, 1662

CHARLES I. Basilika: The Workes of King Charles. London, 1662.

First folio edition of the works of King Charles I—the enormously popular (and vainly suppressed) testament to the executed monarch's political principles and spiritual devotion—the first edition directly approved by Charles II, beautifully printed with three magnificent double-page copper-engraved plates, engraved frontispiece (by Hollar) and title page, in lovely morocco-gilt with the king's coat of arms stamped in gilt on the covers. $10,500.

FIRST EDITION OF JOHN COTTON'S THE CHURCHES RESURRECTION, 1642

COTTON, John. The Churches Resurrection. London, 1642.

First edition of this learned 17th-century American examination of the Revelation in light of the events of the English Civil War. $9800.

PRESENTED AND INSCRIBED BY FDR TO THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB

ROOSEVELT, Franklin D. Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt. New York, 1938.

First trade editions of the first five volumes of Roosevelt’s papers, in the original dust jackets and slipcase, the first volume inscribed by him: "For the National Press Club, from Franklin D. Roosevelt." $9500.

"THE GREATEST JEWISH PHILOSOPHER OF THE 18TH CENTURY… THE 'JEWISH SOCRATES'"

(PLATO) MENDELSSOHN, Moses. Phaedon. London, 1789.

First edition in English, preceded by the 1767 first German edition, of Mendelssohn's "classic of rational psychology" on the immortality of the human soul, a defining work by the preeminent philosopher "who launched the Jewish thinking of the modern age," his tribute to Socrates modeled on Plato's dialogue the Phaedo. $9500.

"CREDITORS HAVE BETTER MEMORIES THAN DEBTORS"

FRANKLIN, Benjamin. The Way to Wealth. Paris: 1795.

Rare large-paper Paris printing of one of Franklin's most famous works, the first edition in English of Franklin's Way to Wealth to be published in France, featuring engraved frontispiece portrait of Franklin by Dupleisse, one of a very small number of copies printed on large paper, in original boards. $9500.

IMPORTANT THIRD EDITION OF DARWIN’S ORIGIN OF SPECIES, “EXTENSIVELY ALTERED” BY DARWIN

DARWIN, Charles. On the Origin of Species. London, 1861.

Third edition, of which only 2000 copies were printed, of “certainly the most important biological book ever written” (Freeman), published just two years after the first edition and “extensively altered” by Darwin, in the original cloth. $9000.

A RARE LANDMARK IN BIBLICAL PRINTING

HEBREW BIBLE. Biblia Hebraica Sine Punctis. Oxford, 1750. Two volumes bound as one.

First separate Hebrew Bible printed in England, very rare, preceded only by its appearance as part of the London Polyglot (1655-57). Beautifully bound. $9000.

“IT WILL LIVE AS LONG AS AESOP’S FABLES”

HARRIS, Joel Chandler. Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings. New York, 1881.

First edition, first state, of the first and most beloved Uncle Remus book by Harris, the one American writer of the Reconstruction who "has made the most permanent contribution," with eight plates and numerous text illustrations by Church and Moser, in original cloth-gilt. $8500.

“AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION, IT IS FOR MOST ENGLISHMEN SECOND ONLY TO THE BIBLE”

BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER. Book of Common Prayer. London, 1723.

Beautiful early 18th-century tall folio edition of the venerable Book of Common Prayer— the treasury of ritual, prayer and Scripture that has indelibly shaped the piety and literature of the English-speaking world—with fine engraved frontispiece, handsome in nicely restored contemporary calf featuring the gilt device of King George I in the corners and spine panels. $8250.

“HERE BEGAN THE HORRID PRACTICE OF FORCING AFRICANS INTO SLAVERY”: WITH FAMOUS FOLDING PLATE OF THE SLAVE-SHIP BROOKES

(SLAVERY) CLARKSON, Thomas. History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition. London, 1808. Two volumes.

First edition of Clarkson's classic history of the slave trade, with the famous large folding engraving of the arrangement of slaves on decks of the slave-ship Brookes according to the "humane" Dolben Bill of 1788, in contemporary tree calf boards, a handsome copy. $8200.

CHURCHILL’S IMPORTANT SECOND BOOK, THE RIVER WAR

CHURCHILL, Winston. The River War. London, 1899. Two volumes.

First edition, first printing, of Churchill's rare second book, one of only 2000 copies printed, in original cloth. $8000.

FIRST EDITION OF AGRICOLA'S TREATISE ON WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, 1533

AGRICOLA, Georgius. Libri Quinque de Mensuris & Ponderibus. Basel, 1533.

Rare first edition of Agricola's treatise on weights and measures, with five elaborate woodcut initials, printed at the famed Froben press in Basel in 1533. $7500.

SPLENDID 18TH-CENTURY BIBLE AND BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, WITH 51 FINELY ENGRAVED PLATES

BIBLE. The Holy Bible (King James Version). Oxford, 1755. Mid-18th century editions of the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer, extra-illustrated with engraved frontispieces and additional title pages, six engraved folding maps and plans and 51 finely engraved plates, elegantly bound together in full contemporary morocco-gilt. $7200.

“ONE OF THE WORLD’S LITERARY MASTERPIECES”

CONRAD, Joseph. Lord Jim. Edinburgh and London, 1900.

First edition, first issue, of Conrad's brilliant exploration of morality and the torment of guilt, "second only to Heart of Darkness in renown," unusually bright in the original cloth—the Doheny copy, with her morocco bookplate. $7000.

FIRST EDITION OF CARTIER-BRESSON'S DECISIVE MOMENT

CARTIER-BRESSON, Henri. The Decisive Moment. New York, 1952.

First edition in English, published simultaneously with the French, with 126 photographic illustrations by "the Raphael of 20th-century photographers." $6500.

EIGHT DISCOURSES BY FARADAY

FARADAY, Michael. Discourses to the Royal Institution. London, 1852-61. Eight offprints of Faraday's original discourses on electric and magnetic principles. $6500.

"THE MOST INFLUENTIAL AFRICAN AMERICAN OF THE 19TH CENTURY"

DOUGLASS, Frederick. My Bondage and My Freedom. New York and Auburn, 1855.

First edition of Douglass' second autobiography—his "'true' life story"—with three engraved plates, including the stipple-engraved frontispiece from the classic daguerreotype of Douglass, and printed extracts from his famous speeches, in original cloth. $6500.

"AT CERTAIN DISTANCES, DANGER AND PAIN ARE DELIGHTFUL"

(BURKE, Edmund). Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime. London, 1757.

First edition of Edmund Burke's influential work on "themes that dominated Burke's thinking," a touchstone in the development of British Romanticism and the theoretical foundation for his celebrated 1790 work, Reflections on the Revolution in France, an early association copy with the owner signature on the half title of American physician and historian Dr. Franklin James Didier, very scarce in contemporary tree calf. $5000.

"NOTHING CAN BE OF SO MUCH CONSEQUENCE TO US AS LIBERTY"

(AMERICAN REVOLUTION) PRICE, Richard. Observations on the Nature of Civil Liberty. London, 1776.

First edition of Price's powerfully influential British defense of the American revolution, a work of crucial importance in "determining the Americans to declare their independence" (ODNB). $4800.

“OF ALL THE HOUSES… NOT ONE THERE IS THAT HAS BEEN REDUC’D TO STRANGER EXTREMITIES THAN THAT OF THE MEDICIS”

(MEDICI) VARILLAS, [Antoine]. Anekdota Heterouiaka… Secret History of the Medicis. London, 1686.

First edition in English of Varillas’ fascinating anecdotal history of the Medicis, issued only one year after the first, a work also seen by the English as alluding to the controversial reign of King James II, definitive in a genre of court secret histories that peered into how “sex, favoritism and politics… produced intrigues” with often murderous effect. $2400.