Advance reading copy of Titan: The Life Story of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., signed by the author on Mount Vernon bookplate.
Thick octavo, [irregular paging]. Velo binding with clear acetate front cover and stiff black back cover. Lightly worn text block. In 1998, this work by Ron Chernow would be named one of the ten best books of the year by both Time Magazine and The New York Times. It would remain on The New York Times bestseller list for 16 weeks.
John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (1839-1937) was the founder of Standard Oil Company in 1870, which he ran until 1897. At its peak, Standard Oil controlled 90% of all oil in the United States, making Rockefeller the richest American of all time.
Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Bart. by John Gibson Lockhart, two volumes published in Philadelphia in 1838.
Octavo, [two volumes], xvi, 17-600pp; viii, 11-765pp. Full brown leather, title in gilt over red leather spine labels, raised bands, gilt ruling. Sprinkled edges. Marbled endpapers, decorative gilt board edges. Frontispiece portrait in Volume I with tissue cover, some offsetting to title page. Toning to spines, rubbing to spines, spine ends and corners. Splash marks on the front cover of Volume I, corners of Volume II bumped. Solid bindings, some mild foxing to text pages, no notations or other markings to text. Bookseller’s label on front pastedown of Volume I, typed label with the word “TUCKER” pasted to endpapers of both volumes. (American Imprints 51311) A nice example of this biography of Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott, by his son-in-law.
First American Edition of the Life of Napoleon Buonaparte: Emperor of the French, by Sir Walter Scott.
Octavo, [three volumes], xv, [17]-516pp; viii, [9]-399pp; viii, [9]-368pp, [lxix appendix]. Full marbled calf, title and embellishments in gilt on spines. Speckled edges. Solid text blocks, cracked joints, still sound. Rubbing to edges and corners. Varied foxing and toning throughout. Some loss of leather to spines of Volumes I and III. Previous owner’s name in ink on front pastedown endpaper in each volume. Frontispiece of Napoleon in Volume I. (Shoemaker 35121)
First appearance of “Love of Life” by Jack London in the December 1905 issue of McClure’s Magazine.
Quarto. Original illustrated wrappers. Solid text block, small closed tears to edges of cover, crease along front. With three full-page color plates throughout London’s story, running from pages 144-158. Includes other works by notable authors including William Allen White, Anne O’Hagan, and W.B. Yeats.
McClure’s Magazine, founded in 1893, began with investigative journalism looking to expose the injustices in the U.S. government and large corporations. The initial group of journalists working for the magazine left in 1906 to begin The American Magazine. McClure’s continued operations by focusing on literary works, publishing pieces by authors like Jack London and Rudyard Kipling, as well as art pieces by N.C. Wyeth, among others.
First edition of Love of Life and Other Stories by Jack London.
Octavo, v, 265pp, [4pp ads]. Original blue cloth, title in gilt on spine and front cover. No additional printings listed on copyright page. Solid text block, light wear to corners, faint dust remnants to top edge, a near fine example. (Sisson & Martens 36) (BAL 11904)
Jack London (1876-1916) was one of the first American authors to gain international fame and accumulate wealth from his writing. Despite his popularity, London never received any literary awards for his work. London is remembered today through retellings of his stories on film and television, most recently in a movie adaptation of The Call of the Wild starring Harrison Ford.
John Adams and the Good Life of the Mind by David McCullough, inscribed by the author.
Twelvemo, [6],12pp. Blue softcover pamphlet, bound at spine. Includes frontispiece portrait. Printed by The Ascensius Press, as stated on the rear cover.
This copy is inscribed on the title page: “For John, with greetings, David McCullough.” A scarce signed example.
This work was a speech given by David McCullough at Harvard’s Memorial Church in March of 2002. John Adams was one of the founders of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
First edition of the memoirs of General George A. Custer, My Life On The Plains, published in 1874.
Octavo, 256pp. Burnt orange cloth, title in gilt on spine, decorative gilt and black stamping to the spine and front panel. Bookplate remnant on front endpaper. Fully illustrated with 8 full page woodcut engravings by A. Roberts, including frontispiece of Custer with tissue cover. Frontispiece is tipped-in after the copyright page, possibly a printing error. A near fine copy, with faint sunning to spine and bumped corners. A bright example with a solid text block. (Howes C981) (Graff 961) (Tal Luther 7) The first edition was also found in blue, maroon and green.
Published in 1874 before the infamous “Last Stand” of General Custer at Little Big Horn, this work details Custer’s military exploits in the American Indian Wars. It’s considered a valuable piece of primary source information. The legend of General George Armstrong Custer was much of his own making, in that he was known to covet the media and encourage coverage of his military exploits. His legend was also cultivated after his death by his wife, Elizabeth Custer, who wrote Boots and Saddles (1885), Tenting on the Plains (1887) and Following the Guidon (1890).
First American edition of Still Life by Louise Penny.
Octavo, viii, 312pp. Black hardcover, title in gilt on spine. Stated “First St. Martin’s Minotaur Edition: July 2006” with full number line on copyright page. A fine text block. In the publisher’s dust jacket, $22.95 retail price on front flap, vibrantly illustrated.
The first edition of The Life and Times of William Lowndes Yancey: A History Of Political Parties In The United States, From 1834 to 1864 by John Witherspoon DuBose.
Octavo, xiv, [2], 752pp, [2]. Publisher’s full brown cloth, title stamped in gilt. Light wear to tips of spine, rubbing to cloth along bottom edge of rear board. Solid text block, free of foxing or notations. From the private Americana library of Lucius Bryan Dabney of “Belmont.” Complete with frontispiece portrait and 8 full page photographic plates, all with tissue covers. (Howes D524) A bright, near fine example.
William Lowndes Yancey (1814-1863) was a prominent American politician and diplomat from Alabama. Known as a leading secessionist and an influential figure in the Confederate States, Yancey was a key advocate for states’ rights and slavery. He served as a U.S. Senator and as a member of the Confederate Congress. He was also appointed as the Confederate commissioner to Britain and France during the Civil War, aiming to gain European support for the Confederacy.
The first edition of Uncle Henry’s Own Story by Henry Wallace, signed by Vice President Henry A. Wallace. This work is about “Uncle Henry” Wallace, the father of Agriculture Secretary Henry C. Wallace and grandfather of Vice President Henry A. Wallace.
Octavo, [three volumes], 119pp, 129pp, 114pp. Red pebbled cloth, title in gilt on front cover. Each volume with frontispiece portrait of Henry Wallace, with numerous other photographs throughout. Light sunning to spines, notable sunning to volume III. Housed in custom cloth slipcase.
This work is signed in Volume III by Vice President Henry A. Wallace.
This book is signed by Henry A. Wallace, the 33rd Vice President of the United States. Vice President Wallace came from a family with a notable background in politics and agriculture. Born on October 7, 1888, in Orient, Iowa, he was the son of Henry C. Wallace and Carrie May Wallace. His father, Henry Cantwell Wallace, served as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1921 until his death in 1924 under Presidents Harding and Coolidge. This role underscored the family’s long-standing commitment to agricultural development and reform.
Wallace’s grandfather, “Uncle Henry” Wallace, was also a prominent figure in American agriculture. He was the founder of the influential farm journal “Wallace’s Farmer,” which achieved national distribution and played a crucial role in the advancement of agricultural practices and policies in the Midwest. His newspaper studied Iowa farms, pioneered crop rotation, and fertilization programs, thereby greatly increasing production yields. “Uncle Henry” died at the age of 80 in 1916, before this work on this life was published.
Signed first edition of Superfortress: The B-29 and American Air Power by General Curtis E. LeMay. Octavo, xvi, 222pp. Gray hardcover, blue cloth spine. First edition with full number line on copyright page. In publishers near fine dust jacket, retail price on front flap, light shelf wear. Signed by General Curtis E. LeMay on the front free endpaper.
Comments: General Curtis LeMay (1906-1990) was a general in the United States Air Force. He is best remembered for the strategic, yet controversial, bombings of mainland Japan. His firebombing of Tokyo was considered crucial to the allied victory in the Pacific Theater, but resulted in a massive loss of civilian life. Later in life, LeMay was asked by Alabama Governor George Wallace to join his presidential ticket in 1968.
Octavo, viii, [4], 465pp. Dark blue cloth, title in gilt on spine and cover, light wear to title on spine. First edition with Scribner’s “A” on copyright page. Top edge dyed pink. Publishers first edition dust jacket, near fine, with $3.50 on front flap, 2 cm tear along bottom of back panel, light shelf wear along edges, small stain on front panel, otherwise bright illustrations and vibrant colors. An excellent example.
Comments: Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) was an American lawyer and high profile member of the ACLU. He entered the national stage during the Scopes “Monkey” trail and the Leopold and Loeb trial.
Twelvemo, 493pp, [3pp ads]. Brown cloth, title in gilt on spine, embossed illustrations on cover. Yellow end papers. Intermittent foxing. 4 illustrated plates, frontispiece portrait of Fremont with tissue cover. (Sabin 25839)
Comments: John C. Fremont was an American politician, soldier and western explorer. He was the first republican candidate for president in 1856 and served as the head of the Department of the West during the Civil War.
First edition of John Quincy Adams’ Eulogy for the fifth president of the United States, James Monroe.
Octavo, 100pp. Bound in brown morocco with gilt-ruled covers. Title in gilt on spine, raised bands with gilt-ruled compartments. Gilt-ruled turn-ins with “A. Taffin Rel.” stamped on front turn-in. Marbled endpapers and silk bookmark. Hinges starting to crack on both covers, text block sound. Light toning throughout, free of any marks or notations. (American Imprints 5630) (Sabin 279) A handsomely bound copy, in near fine condition.
First English edition of Travels to the Source of the Missouri by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, published in London in 1814.
Quarto, [iii]-xxiv, 663pp, [1pp ads]. Lacking half title and printers notice. Page 323 misprinted as 223. Marbled boards, contemporary half calf spine with gilt title and gilt bands. Chipping and cracking of original spine, front hinge reinforced. General shelf wear to edges of boards. Light foxing to illustrations and maps, mostly clean interior pages. Contains a large engraved foldout map of Lewis and Clark’s Tract across the Western Portion of North America, from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean, tipped in before title page. Additional plates, all dated April 28th, 1814, include “Ancient Fortification of the Missouri” and “Great Falls of the Columbia River” opposite pp 45; “Great Falls of the Missouri” opposite pp 193; “Lower Falls of the Columbia” and “Mouth of the Columbia” opposite pp 377. Includes two additional plates from Forty Etchings, From Sketches Made With the Camera Lucinda, In North America, In 1827 and 1828 by Basil Hall. (Sabin 40829) (Howes L-317) (Literature Lewis & Clark 5A.2)
The first English edition is a reprint of the first American edition, printed in Philadelphia in 1814. The original sheets were sent to London, where English publisher, Dr. Thomas Rees, reprinted the American edition for a British audience. The English edition omits the appendix and the “Life of Lewis.” Rees notes that the appendix was omitted because it deals with United States Indian affairs, which are “altogether of a local nature.” The English edition does include a letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1806 about the voyage and excerpts of a letter written from Lewis to Jefferson in April, 1805. The map is a close copy of the Philadelphia map, but lacks the “Southern Pass” on Henry’s route and has “Lake Riddle” for “Lake Biddle.” (Wheat, 2:59, N.13)
