Literary First Editions from Tennyson Williams, Books and Fine Art

New York and London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1903. 431 pages. Octavo. In the scarce dust jacket. Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the twentieth century. The book is in very good condition: clean, bright, and tight; very shallow chipping at head of spine; 3/4" closed tear at top of front gutter;… Read more about this item

New York: D. Appleton-Century Company, Inc., 1947. 281 pages. First printing of the first book by Goodis. It is a noir novel sometimes called his "revenge novel" because the primary female character is based on the wife who had just left him. The portrait of her is unflattering, but she is the prototype for the women in… Read more about this item

New York: Harper & Row, 1975. (12), 66, (2) pages. Illustrated by Brad Holland. First edition of Orr's second book of poetry. SIGNED by Orr on the title page and inscribed by him to Virginia Poet Laureate Joe Awad. The title poem reflects the poet's trauma resulting from his having accidentally shot and killed his brother when he was twelve… Read more about this item

New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1893. 232 pages + 4 pages of publisher ads. First American edition of this collection of 3 novellas written by Henry James (1843-1916) at the height of his popularity. BAL binding variant "C" (no priority established): blue cloth with spine and front cover stamped in gold and silver; no stain on… Read more about this item

Not Yet Published: Clyde Edgerton, 1990. 256 pages (typeprint is on one side of paper only). A very scarce corrected proof, not yet published but later published by Algonquin Books. Signed by Edgerton and inscribed to publisher's rep Rick Gill, "For Rick Gill, With appreciation for your help up in Virginia and down in N.C--and with thanks for selling my… Read more about this item

New York: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 1997. 85 pages. 8vo. First printing of this collection of poetry by the 20th Poet Laureate of the United States. Black Zodiac was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1998. Boldly SIGNED by Wright and inscribed by him to Virginia's Poet… Read more about this item

New York: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 1995. 96 pages. First printing of this collection of poetry by the 20th Poet Laureate of the United States. In 1996 Chickamauga was awarded the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, which is awarded annually by the Academy of American Poets for the best volume of poetry written by a living U.S. citizen… Read more about this item

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1935. Published prior to publication in book form, the seven installments printed in 7 consecutive issues (May 1935 - November 1935) of Scribner's Magazine constitute the true first edition of Hemingway's nonfiction novel about his experiences in Africa. The seven issues are in very good condition: internally clean and tight, with some minor… Read more about this item

New York: F. J. Huntington & Co., 1869. The rare first printing of the second book in a trilogy of Civil War novels by John Esten Cooke.  Sabin 16318.  The book has been professionally rebacked, with the original spine cloth retained.. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Book.

Hartford, Connecticut: The American Publishing Company, 1897. 712 pages. 193 illustrations by 11 different artists. Mixed state of the first edition: only one publisher on the title page and no signature "11" on page 161. The book is in very good+ condition: clean and tight; bright, unrubbed gilt on the spine; very minor edgewear and rubbing of… Read more about this item

Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan Univ. Press, 1959. 56 pages. First printing of Wright's relatively scarce second book. The title poem is a sonnet that makes clear this comment by poet and critic Ben Friedlander: "One does not turn to James Wright for laughter." The poem begins: "When I went out to kill myself, I caught a pack… Read more about this item

London: Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., 1896. frontis, viii, 515, (2) pages. First edition: mixed state, with pages 1 and 2 numbered, but final pages in all chapters are unnumbered. Bound in original green cloth, with gilt decoration on front cover. The book is clean and tight, with some wear & tear at spine extremities, but no chipping.… Read more about this item

Norwalk, Connecticut: The Easton Press, 2008. 566 pages. Octavo. First edition thus. A typical Easton Press gift edition, beautifully bound in full burgundy leather, decorated in gilt. All edges gilded. Lovely silk moire covered endpapers. A beautiful gift edition of Franzen's magnum opus, and it is SIGNED by the author. Perhaps Wikipedia best… Read more about this item

New York: NBI Communications, Inc., 1967. Vinyl LP on which Ayn Rand reads her short story. Written in 1940, the short story was first published in The Objectivist newsletter in November 1967, the same year in which the author recorded this oral version. . First Edition Thus. Collectible-Fine/Very Good+. 12 1/2" by 12 1/2".

London: T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1805. 235 pages. 16mo (6 1/2" by 4 1/4"). First edition thus. Bound in what may be the original gilt-decorated green morocco. All edges gilt. A year later it was reprinted with illustrations that were not included in this first printing. The book is in about very good… Read more about this item

London: Richard Bentley and Jacob Tonson, 1691. 336, 66, 57 pages. Folio (12 1/2" by 7 7/8"). Fifth edition, and the second illustrated edition of PARADISE LOST. The title pages for both PARADISE REGAIN'D and SAMSON AGONISTES indicate that those 2 titles were printed in 1688 by Randal Taylor. Sympathetically rebound in full brown leather. … Read more about this item

London: Various Publishers, 1786. 4to (10 3/8" by 8 3/8"). Three bookplates on front endpapers tell an ownership story: Henry St. John Dixon (1773-1846) arrived in Abingdon, Virginia in 1798 with his friend and fellow student, Henry Clay. Clay decided to move on to Kentucky; Dixon remained in Abingdon. Robert W. Hughes (1821-1901) was a newspaper… Read more about this item

New York: Burgess & Stringer, 1846. Two volumes bound as one. xiv, 7-249 pages; 230 pages. 12mo. First United States edition of the third novel in Cooper's Littlepage Manuscripts trilogy written as a reaction to the Anti-Rent War (1839-1845) in upstate New York. The book is in about very good condition in its original binding: clean… Read more about this item

London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, 1835. xliv, (2), 491 pages. First edition of this early English translation of Goethe's Faust, translated by the Irish professor and poet John Anster. His translation of the second part was published in 1864. The book is in very good+ condition: clean and tight; attractively bound in full tan… Read more about this item

Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1883. 624 pages First edition: first state with all points: 1) illustration with Twain bust, urn, and flames on page 441; 2) with caption on page 443 reading "St. Louis Hotel"; and 3) uncorrected "it it" on page 444. Relatively scarce thus. The book is now housed in an unusual… Read more about this item