Search Results: 19th Century from Turtleman Used Books

Book shows wear as might be expected after over 125 years. The cover is two-toned tan and blue fabric, with gilt print and decoration on the front and spine. The fabric over the spine is shiny and unworn (seems to have some kind of coating) while it is dull and pitted on the front and rear. There is some wear at the corners and the head and tail of the spine as well. A hinge split in front has resulted in the free endpaper to the half-title page coming loose (3 sheets). The next packet of six sheets is flirting with the idea of declaring it's freedom as well. A split in the rear endpaper is much less severe, with nothing loose at this time. The remaining pages are clean, tight and unmarked. There is no publication date within the book, but the original owner was kind enough to sign and date the title page (see photos). Originally published in 1776 in two volumes, this edition houses all five books in a single book. This is a rather rare book.

Maroon cover shows a little wear at the lower corners and the head and tail of the spine. Gilt print on the front and spine. Two names and a few other notations on the front endpaper. Pages are clean, tight and unmarked. Six maps included, three in color. Could be a first edition, as nothing is said about any previous editions, but publishers were bad about including that kind of information back in the old days. I found four other copies on the market, with dates of 1895, 1902 and 1916, supporting the first edition assumption. The author was a History professor at Harvard. This is a very rare volume.

Red fabric covered boards with black and yellow decoration on the front and spine and gilt print on the spine. A small smudge of something on the front, possibly paint. Wear at the corners and head and tail of the spine, fairly mild for the book's age. Pages are clean and yellowed. Stitching is still solid, but a split is forming in the front endpaper and has fully formed at the penultimate page (see photos 4 and 5). No date, but research into the publisher has led me to the conclusion that this was published about 1897. A somewhat rare edition.

No dust jacket. Maroon fabric covered boards, showing wear at the corners (boards peeking out) and at the top and bottom of the spine. The pages are generally clean and tight, with just a little bit of penciled marginalia ending after a handful of pages. Quite a bit of writing on the front endpaper, including the owner's name, with a date two years before the publication date on the title page (proving time travel IS possible, I guess). The rear endpaper has a split showing the binding fabric, which is still holding tight. The rear endpaper also has an envelope glued thereon, containing some notes taken by the original owner. A rare book.

Published as campaign material during Lincoln's campaign for his first term in 1860. Cover of stamped dark brown fabric with gilt on the spine. Spine states "Honest Old Abe" followed by The Life of Abraham Lincoln and the authors name. A gilt axe and portrait of Lincoln precedes the publisher's name at the base of the spine. The free portions of the spine are missing, top and bottom, as is most of the fabric on the edges (see photos, #6 shows the top edge and #7 the lower edge). There is a split along the lower rear edge of the spine of about 5 cm (see photo #5). The binding is solid, and the pages are tight, with some foxing and tanning as would be expected, although I've seen far younger books with much more of both. A gift inscription in faded pencil on the front free endpaper indicates that S. Randall received this book April 10 of 1860 from Uncle Chauncy. The bulk of this book is all about Lincoln, but at the end is a short biography of his running mate, Hannibal Hamlin. This is a very rare book… Read More

George Cavendish was in Cardinal Wolsey's employ from 1526 until the Cardinal's death in 1530. Cavendish then retired to write this biography, completed about 1557, but not published until 1641, credited at that time to George's brother William. This 1852 edition corrects that and other errors from earlier publications.This volume has been expertly rebound in leather. New material was added over the spine (photo #8) and at the corners (photo #9). The remaining portion of the original spine was glued onto the new material and the original cover panels were retained, thus saving the marbled endpapers (photo #4), which matched the marbled decoration on the page edges all around (photo #3). Red fabric tape was added to the endpapers, stabilizing the new binding. The pages are clean, tight and unmarked, and appear to retain their original stitching. This rebinding was not done recently although I have no basis to guess just how long ago the job was undertaken. This was a very good job of preservation.
This… Read More

Former library copy from Central Washington University. Well worn, boards showing through the fabric on most edges. Reenforced tape has been applied on the cover joints, front and rear. Contains fifty short biographies of men in five categories (with some examples); Artists and Sculptors (Watteau, Turner, Millet), Prose Writers (Swift, Voltaire, Dickens), Composers (Handel, Beethoven, Wagner), Poets (Goethe, Wordsworth, Longfellow), and Inventors (Watt, Edison, Bell). Small portraits of each are included (see photo #2). This book will ship at over two pounds. Excess shipping cost is included in the list price.

A book from before the Civil War. Reading textbook, in both prose and poetry. Leather covers, scraped and worn. The leather has worn off at the corners, allowing the boards to peek through. The covers are held on by the stitching, as the leather is no longer connected to that of the spine. Some of the leather has been lost at the top of the spine (about 4-5 mm). Pages are stained and spotted, but remain solidly attached to their stitches. Some writing onthe front free endpaper and the lower corner has been torn off the rear free endpaper. A rare book.

No dust jacket. Cover is brown cloth with embossed decoration, front and back, with deteriorating tooled black leather over the spine with the remains of gilt print. Fabric is worn through at all four corners. Free endpapers are missing front and back, plus any other pages that might have preceeded the title page. Remaining pages are present, moderatey tight, unmarked, with a few stains scattered throughout. Contents include a section on the "Principles of Elocution", followed by 186 alternating Lessons in Prose and Lessons in Poetry. This is a very rare book, priced to reflect the condition.

A small, pocket-sized book containing a collection of 12 religiously tinged stories. The author claims the stories to be true, but I have my doubts. The author does clearly express a low opinion of Catholics and the Catholic Church. There is no date within the book, but an inscription before the frontispiece is dated 1868. This book was first published in 1852, although I haven't discovered the original publisher. This volume is covered with stamped dark brown fabric, faded over the spine, with gilt print and decoration on the spine. Wear to the fabric is remarkably mild for a book so old. The pages are clean, tight and unmarked, other than the previously mentioned inscription, with slight foxing and tanning. A rather rare book in this format.

First edition. No dust jacket. Deep green fabric covered boards with gilt decorationon the front and gilt print on the spine. Boards showing through at the corners and the fabric is splitting along the upper rear edge of the spine (about 4 cm, see photo #4). The pages are clean, tight and unmarked. A tear on the title page was once repaired with tape. The tape is long gone, but the tear remains (photo #3).
I have found that this has been considered a book important enough to have been reprinted in this century, some editions are quite fancy. However, there appear to be no copies of this original on the market, until now, that is. Hence, this book is about as rare as can be. I have no idea if my price is fair or a bargain. You be the judge.

No dust jacket. Maroon fabric covered boards, worn through at the lower corners (photo #4), with additional wear at the upper corners and the head and tail of the spine. Embossed "Astor Edition" on the front cover and gilt print on the spine. Hinge splits at both endpapers (photo #5). Rear endpaper has some notes. Stamp on the title page from the Russian Library and Bookstore of New York. Translated from the original Russian. Pages appear tight and intact, with scattered underlining and margin notes. Appears to be a rare book.

No dust jacket. Brown fabric covered boards, with wear and stains in various locations. Not too bad for a 150 year-old book. Endpapers are split both front and rear. Notes written throughout, with a half-dozen or so torn pages.

A very thick paperback. The story is long enough, but this volume has over 60 pages of added attractions. Some minor wear at teh edges and corners, plus a number of spine creases. Pages remain tight, clean and intact. Originally published in 1839.

Here we have one of the older books in my collection. A book on calculating quickly. Covers are paper over boards, with fabric over the spine. The paper is worn in places, while the fabric hasn't failed yet, but it is clearly thinking about it. Owner's names on the front endpapers, but the pages are clean, tight and unmarked. A somewhat rare book.

The binding is very loose, with endpaper splits front and rear. Pages are clean, intact, yellowed and a bit brittle. Owner's name inside the front cover. This is two books in one. The Parlor Book of Magic and Drawing-Room Entertainments runs 117 pages, followed by the 96-page Parlor Pastimes; or, the Whole Art of Amusing. This is a very rare book fron the late 19th century.

Very little wear. Pages clean, tight and unmarked. Originally published in 1874, this could be looked upon as historical fiction, except is was more like current events when Trollope wrote it, making commentary about 19th century British politics. This is the fourth of six novels in Trollope's Palliser series.

Book shows some wear at the edges and corners. Pages are clean, tight and unmarked, and the spine is creaseless. The page prior to the title page is missing a piece of the lower left corner. Other pages all appear to be intact. The fourth of six books in the Palliser Novels series. Originally published in 1874. Some illustrations.

A little wear at the edges and corners, plus a spine crease and another crease on the front cover, parallel to the spine. 556 pages are clean, tight and intact.

No dust jacket. Generally in good shape, although there are splits after the endpapers, front and rear, showing the binding fabric (front split shown in photo #6). Green fabric boards show mild wear at the corners. Front and back decorated with embossed designs. Has a gilt signature on the front and gilt print and decoration on the spine. The pages are deckle-edged, with gilt along the top edges. Other than the previously mentioned splits, the pages are clean, tight and unmarked. The owner's name is on the front pastedown. No date is given in this edition, but research seems to indicate that it was produced near the end of the 19th century. The Authorized Edition by D. Appleton was a three-volume, limited edition issue. This is just volume two of those three and is hand numbered as #55 of 1000. This is a dense book which will ship at over two pounds. Excess shipping costs are included in the list price.