I’ve obtained about 500 books these past few weeks, and they include some interesting and attractive ‘finds’. I’ve already added most of them to my “EdsList” pages. (I now have three pages, alphabetized by author A–F, G–N, and O–Z.) Here are a few stand-outs at the high end:
(Aircraft, Airports). Davis-Monthan AFB. REGISTER Davis-Monthan Aviation Field, Tucson, Arizona. Established July 26, 1919. (First Municipal Aviation Field in U.S.A.) Register is a copy of the names of pilots, passengers, type of aircraft, home station, arrival at field, departure from field, from 1919 to 1935. Hardcover. Special edition by Arizona/Print-Copy. No date. About 11″ tall. Gilt and silver devices and lettering (including “Volabamus Volamus”) on dark navy blue leather or similar material. Very good to fine throughout. Paperback replicas exist but this one is hardcover; I cannot find a copy on any database. There are three packets of letters, etc., laid-in loosely at the front pastedown: A letter to John Sumner of 2 typed pages plus 2 pages of Notes on Civilians that appear in the Register, made by Ruth A. Reinhold; a 14-page list of ‘Notable Personages’ in alphabetical order, who appear in the Record, including Lindbergh, Wallace Beery, Amelia Earhart, ‘Hap’ Arnold, and many others. Also 8 -pages of the Bylaws of the Order of Daedalians, the National Order of Military Pilots. A unique item. $350.00
Ball, Eve. MA’AM JONES OF THE PECOS. Publisher: The University Of Arizona Press, Tucson. 1969.Fine in lightly solied dust jacket with few small tears at top of spine. First Edition. Amazing mother of 10 who epitomizes what a Pioneer Woman is. (Western Americana) $75.00
Bopp, Franz. Vergleichende Grammatik des Sanskrit, Zend, Griechischen, Lateinischen, Litthauischen, Gothischen und Deutschen. Berlin, 1833. Gedruckt in derDruckerei der Konigl. Akademie der Wissenschaften. Bei Ferdinand Dummler. 288 pgs. Text is filled with various graphs and comparisons of Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Avestan, Lithuanian, Gothic and German words, and accompanied with profuse notes. Text and interior is very good throughout and without damage or annotations. Richly-mottled boards worn at edges and corners. Covers starting loose and spine peeled off revealing the underbinding. An important book which was followed by a succession of further research, finally finished in 1849. This is the first, which stands entirely on its own, and is the most important. $650.00
Cantu, Cesar. HISTOIRE UNIVERSELLE – Traduite Par Eugène Aroux et Piersilvestro Léopardi – Tome Hardcover. Publisher: Paris, Chez Firmin Didot Freres, Editeurs. 1846. 707 pages en format 14 -22 cm – reliure rigideen cuir au dos et coins avec cinq nervures et fleurons et titre en dorure. Good to very good condition throughout in green leather covers with rsised bands on spine. Leather on back cover is torn to the boards. Compare 1879 editions at $96.00. Can’t find any this early on any database. (French language, history, antiquarian.) $125.00
Dick & Fitzgerald. THE WORCESTER LETTER-WRITER AND BOOK OF BUSINESS FORMS FOR LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. 1879. Published by Dick & Fitzgerald, New York, 1879. Colorful and inventive front cover designs; back cover has D&F booklist. This book is referred to variously on the Internet, but nobody (at press time) has a copy for sale. $95.00
Ernst, Else. DAS SPUKHAUS IN LITAUEN. Edited by Frederick Betz. American Book Company, New York, 1937. First American edition. Good to very good throughout. German soldiers during W.W.I. have to spend a cold winter’s night during a storm in an old house in Lithuania and tell ghost stories to each other to stay alert during the numbing cold. Scarce. $35.00.
Farrar, Stewart. THE SERPENT OF LILITH A NOVEL OF WITCHCRAFT. Arrow Books, London, 1976. No previous editions mentioned. Softcover. 254 pgs. + occult book notices. Unattributed cover art: naked woman touches an inverted pentacle on a nude (Lilith?) statue, as two enormous snakes glare at her. The story starts out quite tamely, however, slowly building in interest and ferocity. Very good throughout, with no markings, names or other distractions. $25.00
Gallico, Paul. THE ABANDONED. International Polygonics, New York, 1991. Softcover. Second Printing of the ‘New Edition’. Published in England as ‘Jennie’. Cover art of numerous alley cats by Quay. Very good to fine throughout. As fresh as brand-new kitty litter. $35.00
Garza, Edward C., and Shaw, Elizabeth. SAGA OF THE HIDDEN SUN. Composer Edward C. Garza Librettist: Elizabeth Shaw Written and privately printed by the authors in Spiral bound notebook format. 171 pgs. No date or place. Unique: Many handwritten annotations of the libretto by the author. This opera may never have been performed. It yields to a search on the ‘Opera America’ website. “Synopsis: As the curtain opens, the Rainbow Goddess appears standing in…” $150.00
London, Jack. ADVENTURE. Donohue & Co., Chicago. ‘Set up and electrotyped. March, 1911.’ Hardcover. Poor condition; needs rebinding; spine absent Top edge at spine appears to have been chewed upon by some Malamute or Husky with great effect. 405 pages, age-darkened. Few little names and words, f.e.p. and inside back cover. SIGNED by AUTHOR boldly above name of publisher on title page: “Jack / London / the author who [wrote?] it” $200.00
Massey, Calvin R. SILENT RIGHTS : THE NINTH AMENDMENT AND THE CONSTITUTION’S UNENUMERATED RIGHTS. Temple University, Philadelphia. 1995. Presumably the First Edition. Hardcover. Bright gilt on dark green cloth. No dustjacket. Very good to fine throughout, with no signs of wear and no underscoring or other damage. Scarce. $45.00
Mencken, H.L. The American Language + Supplements I & II. Knopf, New York. 1977, 1978 and 1980. Set of three books in hardcover, with dustjackets. Very good to fine books, as new, in very good dustjackets. Large, heavy books, will require extra shipping. Mencken, a consummate prose artist who always found the right turn-of-phrase, the insouciant and unexpected word, edited the first 3 or 4 editions of this opus himself, finally throwing in the towel in 1936 when it was approaching the gravitas of its Oxford counterpart. Does for American English what Oxford’s does for British English. $50.00
Middleton, Susan & Liittschwager, David. WITNESS : ENDANGERED SPECIES OF NORTH AMERICA. Introduction by E.O. Wilson, in Association with the California Academy of Sciences. Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1994. ISBN 0811802582. Very good to fine condition, no signs of wear. Introduction by biologist E. O. Wilson. An outstanding, beautifully photographed, book . SIGNED and INSCRIBED on Title Page by BOTH AUTHORS. First Edition. Wraps. Very Good/No Jacket. Folio – over 12″ – 15″ tall. (Ecology, endangered species, signed books, nature photography, biology.) $75.00
Morris, Bernadine (text), Walz, Barbra (photographs) The Fashion Makers: An Inside Look at America’s Leading Designers. Random House, New York, 1978. Photos of 50 famous fashion designers accompanied by interviews. Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Halston, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Oscar de la Renta, among others. Copper gilt on black cloth and beige boards, good to very good throughout in a dustjacket with several small tears and a 1” tear on the front panel. $35.00
Painter, Muriel Thayer. WITH GOOD HEART : YAQUI BELIEFS And CEREMONIES In PASCUA VILLAGE. Hardcover, ISBN 0816508755 Publisher: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ., 1986 Book is fine in near fine dustjacket. There are no markings, etc. (Native American religions, rituals, traditions. Arizona, Yaqui.) $100.00
Parker, Thomas W. THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS IN ENGLAND. Publisher: University of Arizona Press 1963 University of Arizona Press 1963 Illus, notes & bibliography , , pp 195, Original cloth , 1st edition , 8vo . Quite scarce. In dustjacket. Very good condition throughout. Dustjacket good to very good. (History, Knights, mysteries of history, Malta, Jerusalem, Christianity Crusades, Crusaders.) $75.00.
Peters, H.F. MY SISTER, MY SPOUSE A BIOGRAPHY OF LOU ANDREAS-SALOME. With a Preface by Anais Nin. W.W. Norton, New York. 1974. Softcover. 320 pgs. Incl. Biography. Matched wits with the like of Nietzsche, just one of her many attachments. Very good throughout text and interior. Bit of wear to cover corners and edges. ‘No Return’ stamp on title and bottom edge by Bookman’s. Scarce. $18.00
Pierson, Mrs. Helen W. HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE. Hardcover Publisher: George Routledge & Sons Ltd., N Y, 1883 FIRST EDITION. Beautifully illustrated boards in VERY GOOD condition showing only shelf wear to extremities and corners mildly worn, black cloth spine – 195 pages, no writing or underlining. Pages coming loose, but covers are tight. Brown spine with black lettering, and back cover shows Earth with ads for author’s other books at the corners. Both covers have bright lithographic art Artwork in good condition. Quite rare. A true collectible. (Antiquarian books, American History for Children. 19th Century Children’s Books, Illustrated Books.) $100.00
Plato. THE DIALOGUES OF PLATO : Volume III : The TRIAL AND DEATH Of SOCRATES. Three Sirens Press, New York, nd (circa early 1930′s). Translated by B. Jowett. Very good to fine condition, three-quartersleather deluxe binding. Cannot find another example on the database. (Plato, Socrates, Socratic method, philosophy, ethics, how to bravely face death.) $45.00.
Posner, Rebecca. THE ROMANCE LANGUAGES. Publisher: Anchor Books, New York, 1966. How do the Romance languages reflect the temperaments of the peoples who speak them? On what basis can it be asserted that they descend from a common mother tongue? A couple of the vital questions explored by this major work. Cover design by George Giusti; 336 pages. Couple first pages have small creases at top corner. Otherwise very good throughout. Nice clean copy. $45.00
Pyle, Howard [artist] et al. ST. NICHOLAS. Hardcover. Publisher: Vol. XX, Part I: Nov 1892 to April 1893., 1892 Used, good, Publisher: Vol. XX, Part I: Nov 1892 to April 1893. Date of Publication: 1892 Binding: Hardcover Condition: Red decorated cloth. Slight wear at spine ends. A hardcover book in good condition. (19th Century Annual compilation of stories, features, and art. Antiquarian books.) $90.00
Robertson, William. The History of the Reign of the Emperor Charles V with a View of the Progress of Society in Europe, […]. New edition. Basil, J.J.Tourneisen, 1793. Was published in 4 vols. (4),XII,393(26),352,418,418 pp. Gilt half calf, marbled boards. This is one volume comprising both vols. 3 & 4, and rebound in turn-of-the-19th/20th Century brownish red cloth that is stamped in gilt on the spine: WILL ROBERTSON / HISTORY OF CHARLES V / 3–4. Cannot find a similar. (Holy Roman Empire, 16th Century, Spain.) $125.00
Shaw, Mary Lewis [Mellarme, Stephane]. PERFORMANCE IN THE TEXTS OF MELLARME : The PASSAGE FROM ART TO RITUAL. Pennsylvania State Press, University Park, 1993. Very good condition throughout, in a good dustjacket slightly creased-and-crinkly around the edges. Inscribed by author to her mother on f.e.p, and very detailed and critical 4-pg review of her daughter’s book is laid-in at f.e.p. $65.00
Slobin, Mark. MUSIC IN THE CULTURE OF NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN. Viking Fund Publications in Anthropology Number Fifty-Four. University of Arizona Press, Tucson. 1976. Softcover. Very good to fine throughout, not ex-library, not marked or otherwisedamaged in any way. $30.00
Twain, Mark. LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI. Publisher: Harper & Brothers, N.Y, 1911. Author’s National Edition. Hardcover. Good plus, light wear, green cloth cover, Illustrated. From the Authorized Uniform Edition Of Twain’s books. (Samuel L.Clemens, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Western Americana, American Literature.) $45.00
Van Dyke, John C., (historical notes) and Cole, Timothy (engraver and comments). OLD ENGLISH MASTERS Engraved by Timothy Cole. The Century Company, New York, 1902. Hardcover. 223 pgs. Profusely illustrated with page-sized plates from the Old Masters. Bright gilt lettering and floral borders on buff cloth covers. Without dustjacket, as issued. Deckled page-edges, top edge, gilt. Corners and edges are as new. Spine extremities are as new. Stain mildly affecting spineward portions of front and rear covers. Text and interior, including tissue over frontispiece, in very good to fine condition, no trace of wear or damage of any kind. $75.00
Walker, Kenneth. MYSTIC MIND. Emerson Books, New York, 1965. Hardcover. Very good throughout in a good dustjacket which is torn at edges and corners. Hardcover Publisher: Emerson: New York, 1965., 1965. First U.S. edition, Published in London as ‘The Conscious Mind’; 176 pages. Very good condition in a near very good dust jacket.; includes dustjacket. Scarce. $28.00
Williams, Eric. THE NEGRO IN THE CARIBBEAN. Bronze Booklet No. 8, Associates in Negro Folk Education, Washington, D.C. 1942. Hardcover Publisher: The Associates in Negro Folk Education, Washington, D.C., 1942. A clean, well-preserved copy of the 1942 1st edition. Bright and VG+ in its decorative boards, with very light fraying at the spine crown. Octavo, 119 pgs., “Bronze Booklet No. 8″. Rare. $200.00.
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Well, that’s a start, anyway! I wanted to bring these books up, front-and-center so there would be more of a chance they’d be noticed! I really appreciate all & any BOOK BUSINESS that I can do, it compliments my other efforts! ———Ed
