Search Results: Books from B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA

New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1927 Early edition. Publisher's three-quarter black cloth and blue paper-covered boards with white paper spine label lettered in black. About very good with some light wear to extremities, toning to spine and page edges, both hinges starting, small bookseller's sticker to front free endpaper. Presents well. Yost 31. The King's Henchman is a story inspired by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a set of manuscripts written in the ninth century that detail the history of the Anglo-Saxons in England. Millay's story tells of the travels of Aethelwold, a henchman to the fictional king of England, who falls in love with the woman that the king is supposed to marry and finally kills himself out of guilt for denying them both a marriage to each other. This story was first written as the libretto for an opera commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera in New York. American composer Deems Taylor enlisted Millay as his librettist upon the suggestion from his wife.… Read More

London: W. H. Allen, 1951 First UK edition, first printing. Publisher’s yellow cloth, titles in blue to spine; original blue dust jacket designed by Peter Rudland, lettered in white and yellow. Book with a hint of toning to pages, else fine; near fine unclipped dust jacket with minor wear to spine ends and top edge of front panel, and a touch of rubbing to front panel. Overall, a beautiful copy. Memoirs of Hecate County is a collection of thematically linked short stories and a novella, all of which feature an unnamed narrator. The short stories are: “The Man Who Shot Snapping Turtles,” “Ellen Terhune,” “Glimpses of Wilbur Flick,” “The Milhollands and their Damned Souls,” and “Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn at Home.” The novella, “The Princess with the Golden Hair,” tells of the narrator’s obsessive love for two women, a Ukrainian waitress named Anna Lenihan and the seductive and chronically injured Imogen Loomis. The novella’s… Read More

New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1921 First American edition, first printing. Publisher's navy cloth, with front board and spine stamped in gilt; in its original pale blue dust jacket, printed in green, with Paul Brown's rendering of a Conrad bust sculpted by Jo Davidson to front panel. Near fine book, with a tiny bump to bottom right corner of front board, a touch of rubbing to spine ends and corners, light offsetting to endpapers, and slightly dusty top edge of text block; good unclipped dust jacket, with some creasing and small closed tears to panel edges and spine ends, some rubbing along flap folds and joints, medium-sized split to top of front flap fold, and some thumbsoiling to panels and spine. Overall, a solid copy, internally clean. Notes on Life and Letters is a collection of twenty-six essays, including "Henry James," "Stephen Crane: A Note Without Dates," "Tales of the Sea," "An Observer in Malaya," "Poland Revisited,"… Read More

New York: A. L. Burton & Company, 1905 Early reprint. Publisher's decorative mustard yellow cloth with an illustration of three figures framed by a rectangular background stamped in black, orange, and white to front board beneath the title and author lettered in black, ruled in orange, lettered in black to spine, with a black and white frontispiece and six pages of publisher's ads after text. About fine with some light toning to text block edges and a few tiny spots to rear endpapers; lacking dust jacket. This historical fiction novel tells the story of Raoul de Coubert, a former French soldier who is approached by a military leader to come to the country's aid in breaking the pact of peace between France and England. A journalist and author, Parrish began his career working for the Associated Press and related newspapers, later to devote his work to novels, many of which were bestsellers.. Hard Cover. Fine.

New York: Royal Composing Room, 1985 Designed by Martin Solomon. Illustrated by Isadore Seltzer. Special edition. Publisher's black cloth, stamped to front board in gilt with the author's facsimile signature, lettered in silver to spine, dark gray endpapers; in the original matching black cloth slipcase. A fine copy. This special edition of Coriolanus is the nineteenth in a series of annual Shakespearian keepsakes prepared for the friends of the publishers. One of Shakespeare's last tragedies, this play is based on the life of the Roman general Caius Marcius Coriolanus, whose military successes ultimately lead to his political downfall.. Hard Cover. Fine. Illus. by Seltzer, Isadore.

New York: Royal Composing Room, 1990 Designed by Martin Solomon. Illustrated by Isadore Seltzer. Special edition. Publisher's light blue cloth, stamped to front board in gilt with author's facsimile signature, lettered in gilt to spine, light blue endpapers; in the original matching light blue slipcase. About fine, spine lightly toned. Originally published in Shakespeare's First Folio in 1623, this comedy tells the story of King Leontes, whose wife, Hermione, is pregnant with what he believes to be another man's child. After imprisoning his wife and ordering the newborn to be taken away, Leontes' other young son dies of a broken heart. Upon receiving word that his wife has also died, Leontes is stricken with guilt and remorse, and spends years mourning his family, only to be reunited with them sixteen years later. This special edition of The Winter's Tale is the twenty-fourth volume in a series of annually published Shakespearian keepsakes prepared for friends of the… Read More

London: The Alpine Club, no date [circa 1962] From the library of mountaineer George Lowe. Single white leaf, lettered in black. Fine, with only some faint creasing to the extremities, otherwise clean and completely unused. A fresh piece of Himalayan mountaineering ephemera. This piece of letterhead stationery is an example of the sheets used for the 1962 British-Soviet Pamirs Expedition, a collaborative effort sported by the Alpine Club, the Scottish Mountaineering Club, and the Mountaineering Federation of the U.S.S.R. After the successful 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition, George Lowe, along with his former climbing teammate Wilfrid Noyce, again followed expedition leader John Hunt into the Himalayas for this expedition. Unfortunately, the British-Soviet Pamirs Expedition was the final excursion for Noyce and fellow Ian Smith, who fell to their deaths while descending form the summit of Mt. Garmo.. Fine.

New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1929 First edition, first printing. Publisher’s navy cloth, lettered in light blue, deckled fore edge; lacking dust jacket. Near fine book with light toning to spine, a touch of wear to head of spine, slightly dusty top edge of text block, a bit of offsetting to endpapers, previous owner’s inscription in pencil to front free endpaper, and light toning to pages. Overall, an excellent copy without any nicks or tears to pages. I Thought of Daisy, set in 1920s Greenwich Village, tells the story of a young writer in love with two very different women - poet Rita Cavanaugh and chorus girl Daisy Coleman. Some characters in the book are representations of real figures, like Rita, who’s a thinly veiled portrayal of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, whom Wilson was in love with for a number of years. Edmund later wrote that the book was inspired by James Joyce and Marcel Proust, and that he had intended it to be “a sort of… Read More

London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, 1961 Translated from the Welsh by Waldo Williams. First edition. 8vo. Publisher's blue cloth, lettered in blue; white dust jacket with black and green lettering. Near fine book with light wear and very light stain to rear board; dust jacket with light soiling, wear to spine, and a 1" closed tear to spine head. Overall, a very good and attractive copy of a lovely story. The Old Farmhouse was originally written in Welsh, under the title Hen D? Ffarm. It embodies the oral story-telling tradition of Welsh culture, and as such was chosen by UNESCO to be translated to serve as a glimpse into both country life in England and this rural art form. Specifically, it is the story of a Carmarthenshire farmer who was born in 1885, and his stories of his grandfather's time.. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Dust Jacket Included.

New York: Horowitz/RAE Book Manufacturers & Royal Composing Room, 1988 Designed by Martin Solomon. Illustrated by Isadore Seltzer. Special edition. Publisher's orange cloth, stamped to front board in gilt with author's facsimile signature, lettered in gilt to spine, forest green endpapers; in the original matching orange slipcase. About fine with light toning to spine. Set during the end of the Trojan War, this play follows two parallel stories. The first, for which the play is named, tells of the Trojan prince Troilus, who declares his love for Cressida, only for her to be taken by the Greeks in exchange for a Trojan prisoner. The second story follows Troilus's father, Priam, the leader of Trojan forces, during his struggle for power against Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks. This special edition of Troilus and Cressida is the twenty-second volume in a series of annual Shakespearian keepsakes prepared for the friends of the publishers.. Hard Cover. Fine. Illus. by Seltzer, Isadore.

Dunedin, New Zealand: New Zealand Alpine Club, Inc., no date [circa 1954] From the library of mountaineer George Lowe. Single cream leaf, lettered in black. Fine, with only a hint of faint soling, otherwise clean and completely unused. A bright piece of New Zealand mountaineering ephemera. This piece of letterhead stationery is an example of the sheets used for the New Zealand Alpine Club's Himalayan Expedition to the Barun Valley in 1954. After the successful 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition, the New Zealand mountaineers George Lowe and Sir Edmund Hillary again teamed up for an expedition to the Khumbu region of the Himalayas. In addition to climbing several notable peaks, this expedition achieved the first ascension of Baruntse and completed important reconnaissance work.. Fine.

New York: Farrar, Straus, and Young, 1953 New edition. Publisher’s white cloth-backed blue boards, titles lettered in blue to spine; original pictorial dust jacket with wraparound illustration of a woman standing at the entrance of Washington Square Park. Near fine with a touch of toning to spine and heavy toning to pages; very good unclipped dust jacket with light edgewear, lightly nicked corners, and a bit of toning to spine. Overall, a handsome book in a striking dust jacket. I Thought of Daisy, set in 1920s Greenwich Village, tells the story of a young writer in love with two very different women - poet Rita Cavanaugh and chorus girl Daisy Coleman. Some characters in the book are representations of real figures, like Rita, who’s a thinly veiled portrayal of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, whom Wilson was in love with for a number of years. Edmund later wrote that the book was inspired by James Joyce and Marcel Proust, and that he had intended it to be… Read More

New York: Finch, Pruyn, & Company, 1986 Designed by Martin Solomon. Illustrated by Isadore Seltzer. Publisher's light brown cloth, stamped in gilt to front board with author's facsimile signature, lettered in gilt to spine, brown endpapers; in the original matching brown cloth slipcase; publisher's greeting slip laid in. About fine with very light toning to spine. This comedy follows Sir John Falstaff, who made his first appearance in Henry IV parts I and II, as he attempts to court two wealthy, married women after finding himself in need of money after arriving in the town of Windsor. Not interested in the penniless, overweight knight, the women play along with Falstaff's advances for their own amusement, involving their husbands and friends in the plot, until ultimately revealing their true intentions to Falstaff. This special edition is the twentieth in a series of annual Shakespearian keepsakes prepared for friends of the publishers.. Hard Cover. Fine. Illus. by Seltzer, Isadore.

New York: A. Horowitz & Son, 1983 Designed by Martin Solomon. Illustrated by Isadore Seltzer. Special edition. Publisher's navy blue cloth, stamped to front board in gilt with author's facsimile signature, lettered in silver to spine, pale green endpapers; in the original matching blue slipcase. A fine copy. A comedy, Twelfth Night tells of a pair of twins, Sebastien and Viola, who are separated in a shipwreck and brought to shore separately. Masquerading as a young man named Cesario, Viola begins working for Duke Orsino, only to find that his love interest has fallen for her male disguise. This special edition is the seventeenth in a series of annual Shakespearian keepsakes prepared for friends of the publishers.. Hard Cover. Fine. Illus. by Seltzer, Isadore.

New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1912 First American edition, first printing. Publisher's navy cloth, front board and spine stamped in gilt. Very good, with light toning to spine, mild dimming to spine gilt, boards slightly bowed, minor wear to spine ends and board corners, a touch of soiling to rear board, bookseller's book listing affixed to front pastedown, small pencil mark to p. 7, and text slightly damaged on pp. 52-53. Overall, a pleasing and tight copy. Housed in a brown cardboard shipping slipcase from Book-Of-The-Month Club. In this memoir, Conrad gives a stream of consciousness account of his Polish upbringing, life at sea, his entrance into the navy, and the writing of his first novel, Almayer's Folly (1895). The work first appeared in Ford Madox Ford's English Review in 1909 and was subsequently published in book form in 1912 as Some Reminiscences in the UK and A Personal Record in the US.. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good.

New York: Boni & Liveright, 1927 First edition, first printing. Original publisher's blue cloth, lettered in gilt; light blue dust jacket, lettered in black. Near fine with light fading and a touch of wear to the spine; dust jacket unclipped with some wear and shallow chips to the spine ends, spine lightly toned. Nobel laureate in Literature Eugene O’Neill’s play Marco Millions references the story of Marco Polo as a backdrop for a satirical comedy. Despite being set in the 1200s in faraway lands, O’Neill uses the play to criticize what he saw as the rampant materialism of his day. The character of Marco is inspired by both the author’s alcoholic father and the famous financier Otto Kahn. Kahn was a person O’Neill often used as a model in his work. The character Marco notably complains, "I hate idleness, where there's nothing to occupy your mind but thinking,” cuttingly implying that the elite class used finance as a diversion from their desolate internal… Read More

New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1926 Introduction by Richard Curle. First American edition, first printing. Publisher's navy cloth, stamped in gilt; in its original pale blue dust jacket, with Conrad portrait attributed to Arthur H. Harlow to front panel, lettered in red. Fine book; good unclipped dust jacket, with some toning to spine, light chipping to spine ends, split from bottom of front spine joint to midpoint with a small chip, corners lightly nicked, light bleeding to red titles on front panel, mild dampstaining to edges of rear panel. Overall, a beautiful copy of the book, in its scarce original dust jacket. Last Essays, published two years after Conrad's death, contains twenty of the author's essays, which "show clearly the rich diversity of his mind, his powers of cogent argument, of fond memory, and of noble expression." Some of the volume's titles include: "Geography and Some Explorers," "Christmas Day at Sea," "Memorandum on… Read More

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955 First American edition, first printing. Publisher's blue paper-covered boards, lettered in gilt and brown; original orange wraparound pictorial dust jacket, lettered in black and white, designed by Dick Dodge. Near fine book, with light toning to head of spine and top edges of boards, light spotting to front endpapers, and small closed tear to fore edge of p. 55; very good unclipped dust jacket with light spotting to rear panel and front flap, a few light nicks and small closed tears to edges, pen squiggle to right margin of rear panel, and a tiny chip to foot of spine. Overall, an attractive copy. In Bertie Wooster Sees it Through, Bertie grows a mustache, and Florence Craye, a woman whom he was formerly engaged to, loves it. The two go to a nightclub together, and when her new fiancé, "Stilton" Cheesewright, finds out he becomes enraged and comes to Brinkley Court, home of Bertie's Aunt Dahlia, to have it out with Bertie. Meanwhile,… Read More

New York: McGraw Hill, 2001 First edition, seventh printing. Signed by Feller in blue pen on title page. Publisher's black paper covered boards, titles in gilt to spine, black endpapers; in its original black dust jacket, with photo of Feller pitching to front panel, lettered in tan and white, jacket designed by Nick Panos. Fine book; in a fine unclipped dust jacket with a hint of creasing to the spine ends. Overall, a lovely, bright copy. In this pocket-sized volume, Bob Feller gives wonderful insight into his Hall of Fame career and philosophy of life. The book is divided into five parts, and features bite-sized chapters, like "Backyard Games I Played with my Dad," "The Day I Struck Out Eighteen Batters," "My Love of Flying Planes," and "Loyalty in Sports: Is There Any?" There is also a short section at the end with "Feller Family Sayings" - quotes that Feller's dad used to repeat to him, like "The man who knows how will always have a… Read More

New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1978 First edition. Signed by Jim Palmer on front free endpaper. Publisher's boards with wraparound sports collage, white label with titles in black to front board and spine; original dust jacket with photograph of Palmer to front panel; right edge-facing titles in orange to front panel. Near fine book with light toning to spine and some spotting to top edge of textblock; fine dust jacket with a touch of wear to corners. Overall, an attractive copy. Jim Palmer: Great Comeback Competitor tells the story of the Hall of Fame Baltimore Orioles pitcher. Palmer joined the team in 1963 after turning down a basketball scholarship from UCLA. He's the only American League player to win the Cy Young Award three times and won four Gold Glove Awards. Palmer won three World Series with the Orioles in three decades (1960s, 1970s, 1980s), and has been a part of all six of the Orioles' World Series appearances. . Signed. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Dust… Read More