Rare books from B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA

New York: The Viking Press, 1945 First edition, advance issue in the publisher's blue wrappers. An excellent copy with only some minor fading to spine, else fine. Cannery Row is a Depression-era novel set in Monterey, California. The plot takes place on a grungy street with "the gathered and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered wood, chipped pavement and weedy lots, junk heaps, sardine canneries of corrugated iron, honky tonks, restaurants and whore houses, and little crowded groceries, and laboratories and flophouses." The actual street in Monterey has since been renamed "Cannery Row" in honor of this iconic novel. The plot features an unlikely cast of characters, including a marine biologist, a grocer, a restaurateur, and a group of local vagabonds. Cannery Row is exemplar of Steinbeck's talent for making even the most unsavory characters relatable and endearing; Mack and his group of homeless squatters are described as "gentlemen and philosophers united… Read More

London: Printed for Taylor and Hessey, 1823 First edition, first issue, published without the half-title, with the publisher's single-line Fleet Street address to the tile page, lacking publisher's terminal advertisements. Finely bound in full navy morocco, with five raised bands to the spine, decorative gilt stamping to the spine bands and compartments, spine lettered in gilt, boards ruled in gilt, all edges gilt, elaborate gilt turn-ins, maroon coated endpapers. Very good or better, with some light wear and rubbing to the extremities, a hint of toning to the spine, front hinge tender with some wear, front hinge repaired, bright and fresh pages. A clean copy of the scarce first issue in a lovely morocco binding. Elia is a collection of Lamb's popular essays, each of which was originally published in London Magazine. Specifically, it includes "The South-Sea House," "Christ's Hospital Five and Thirty Years Ago," "Dream-Children; A Reverie," and… Read More

London: Edward Moxon, 1844 First edition, mixed issue as usual. First impression of Volume I, with "let the flood / of your salt scorn" to page 141. Second impression of Volume II, with the page numbers battered on pages 161 and 163, and with "the end'' to page 175. Publisher's green cloth, spines lettered in gilt and ruled in blind, boards decorated with embossed vine borders. Near fine, with some toning to the spines, a few tiny closed tears to the spine ends, spine head of Volume II rubbed and worn, clean bindings, former owner's bookplates to the front pastedowns, spines very lightly cracked inside the rear covers, otherwise sturdy spines and secure bindings, otherwise bright and fresh pages. A clean and pleasing set, free of any repairs or restoration. Housed in a custom light brown slipcase with dark brown morocco spine, with matching chemises. Published under her maiden name Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Poems is a two-volume collection of Browning's poetry that… Read More

Corke: Printed for Eugene Swiney, 1766 Pirated Corke edition. Bound in contemporary full brown calf, with five raised bands to the spine, contrasting red calf label to the spine, lettered and decorated in gilt, board edges tooled in blind. Very good, with some wear to the extremities, light rubbing to the boards and spine, minor spotting to the fore edge, former owner's bookplate to the front pastedown, some minor creasing to the otherwise bright pages. Overall, a tight and unsophisticated copy. Housed in a custom quarter morocco red slipcase with a matching chemise. This pirated edition of The Vicar of Wakefield was published in the same year as the first authorized edition that consisted of two volumes printed by R. Collins in London. The pirated Corke edition was also issued in two volumes; in the case of this copy, a previous owner had his binder combine the two parts into a single volume. The Vicar of Wakefield is a Victorian novel that is narrated by Dr. Charles Primrose, the fictional… Read More

New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1916 First edition, first state, with duplicate lines on p. 88 and "Come" for "Gone" on p. 93. Publisher's dark blue cloth lettered and decorated in gilt; in the original gray dust jacket printed in black. A near fine copy with a touch of rubbing to extremities a small area of the front board, slight lean to spine, a bit of rubbing to the gilt on the front board visible in the "T" in "Mountain" but otherwise bright, a few spots to endpapers, contemporary ownership inscription to front free endpaper; in a near fine dust jacket with a few tiny chips to spine ends and corners, very faint dampstaining to spine. Overall, an exceptional copy. Crane A4. Mountain Interval is Frost's third published collection of poetry, and is the first appearance of "The Road Not Taken." It also includes the poems "Christmas Trees," "In the Home Stretch," "Birches," "Snow," and "The… Read More

Paris: Michel Lévy Frères, 1872 First edition. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Hugo on the half-title to close friend and fellow writer, Ernest d'Hervilly: A mon cher et charmant/ poëte d'Hervilly / Victor Hugo." Finely bound in three-quarter blue crushed morocco over black and blue marbled boards, spine lettered in gilt, four raised bands, speckled edges, gray marbled endpapers, original gray printed front wrapper bound in at front. Spine lightly faded, mild rubbing and slight wear to the extremities, front wrapper with some light staining; internally, very clean with a few scattered spots, else near fine. . Signed by Author. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine.

London: Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, 1819 First edition, third Sherwood issue (Viets IV), with no author credited on the title page and without the references to Mary Godwin and Jane Clermont, and "lmost" to page 36. Finely bound in three-quarter red morocco, with two raised bands to the spine, boards ruled in gilt, spine lettered in gilt, light marbled endpapers. Near fine, with only some light scattered spotting and foxing throughout, lacking the half-title and ads at rear. Overall, an attractive copy of the first vampire story in English literature. The Vampyre was originally published by Henry Colburn in the April 1, 1819 issue of New Monthly Magazine under the title "The Vampyre: A Tale by Lord Byron." Although the tale was in fact written by John William Polidori, Byron's physician, this false attribution was continued in the first book form, also by Henry Colburn. Colburn's first state, with himself as publisher and Byron credited as author, was suppressed and no… Read More

London: Printed by John Baskerville for J. and R. Tonson, 1758 Two volumes. First Baskerville edition. Bound in full brown calf with gilt borders with designs in four corners to boards, gilt designs to edges, spines with five raised bands and designs in gilt to each compartment, black labels with titles in gilt to spines, brown topstains and speckled edges, marbled endpapers, John Earl of Hyndford bookplates to front pastedowns. Very good set, spine ends and corners with some repair, outer hinges reinforced, with some wear to corners, some wear and thin cracks to spine hinges, a bit of rubbing to gilt on spines and edges. Overall, an excellent and well-preserved set. Paradise Lost includes a preface by the set's famed printer, John Baskerville, which gives insight into his approach to printing. Paradise Regain'd includes a biographical section titled "Life of Milton" and two additional works by Milton - "Samson Agonistes" and "Poems upon Several Occasions." Both… Read More

London: Colburn and Bentley, 1831 Two volumes: No. IX with Frankenstein (complete) and Ghost Seer (Vol. 1); No. X with Ghost Seer (Vol. 2) and Edgar Huntley (complete). Illustrated by Theodor von Holst and engraved by William Chevalier. First illustrated edition, first printing, third edition overall. Publisher's brown boards, black labels with gilt lettering to spines, Frankenstein and The Ghost Seer with frontispiece and title page illustrations, cream endpapers. Very good unsophisticated set with minor rubbing and soiling to exterior, toning to spines and edges, a bit of cloth separation to rear hinges of both volumes, some spotting and offsetting to frontispiece and title page, light foxing to a few pages, some loss to spine labels on No. IX (bottom label is missing the "S" in "Standard" and the top label is split vertically down the center and missing a few letters), No. IX's spine with a slight lean, bookseller's ticket to center of No. IX's front board,… Read More

Edinburgh: printed for Archibald Constable and Co., 1820 Three volumes. First edition, first issue, with pages 159-306 in Vol. I misnumbered as 151-298, bound with all fly-titles present, half-title present in volume II. Finely bound in contemporary full brown calf, diamond-patterned boards, spine compartments ruled, lettered and decorated in gilt, marbled page edges, gray endpapers. Some wear and mild rubbing to the extremities, small former owner signature to title pages, pencil signature to front endpaper of volume I. A few scattered spots and overall, extremely clean and fresh pages. Overall, a very good set free of any repairs or restoration. Todd & Bowden 140Aa. Widely considered Scott's most popular work, Ivanhoe is a historical novel set in late 12th century England during the reign of Richard I. Specifically, Ivanhoe, set in 1194 shortly after the Third Crusade, presents the development of modern England as the result of the enmity between the Saxons and Normans. The mythical… Read More

New York: Scholastic Press, 1998 Illustrated by Mary GrandPré. First American edition, first printing, in a first state dust jacket: spine lacking Year 1, dust jacket priced at $16.95 and with review from The Guardian on the rear panel. Publisher's red cloth and purple boards with diamond pattern in blind, lettered in gilt; in the original pictorial dust jacket designed by GrandPré, with an illustration of Harry catching the Snitch to the front panel, illustration of Dumbledore and Hedwig to the rear panel, lettered in gilt. Near fine book with touch of wear to bottom edges of boards, previous owner's signature to front free endpaper, and a bit of soiling to rear endpapers; in a near fine unclipped dust jacket with a small nick to upper corner of front panel, and light creasing to top of front panel and spine ends. Overall, a true first printing (which is becoming exceedingly rare in collectible condition) that presents beautifully. Errington A4(a). First published by… Read More

London: Printed [by Humphrey Lownes] for H. Lownes, G. Lathum, and R. Young,, 1628 Fourth edition. Title page with engraving of Cicero's Magistra Vitae holding up the earth by Renold Elstracke dated 1614, portrait of Raleigh engraved by Simon de Passe, "Minde of the Front" leaf, and eight folding maps as issued (pages 56, 108, 152, 218, 350, 270, 386, 388). Royal folio. Full contemporary brown calf, covers and edges stamped in blind, raised bands to spine with title stamped in gilt, red speckled edges, plain endpapers. Very good with light wear and cracking to calf, rebacked with original spine laid down, inner hinges reinforced, original endpapers and endbands, engraved title page tipped onto a stub, some repair to edges and strengthening along gutters on portrait, Mind of the Front, and first page of the Preface, some dampstaining throughout (most noticeably to gutters of text, Contents, and Tables), small spots of soiling to some text leaves, portrait with contemporary notation of… Read More

New York and Auburn: Miller, Orton & Mulligan, 1855 Introduction by Dr. James McCune Smith. First edition, first printing. Original publisher’s brown cloth, with decoration in blind to boards, titles in gilt to spine, three engraved plates including frontispiece portrait of Douglass engraved by John Chester Buttre. Minor rubbing to cloth, spine lightly faded, touch of fraying to foot of spine, a bit of offsetting to endpapers, and pages lightly spotted. Overall, a very handsome copy, free of repairs or restoration. Extremely uncommon in this condition. Housed in a fine custom quarter-leather folding box. In My Bondage and My Freedom, Frederick Douglass gives an account of his life as an enslaved person in Maryland and his eventual escape to the North. Almost three times the length of his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845), My Bondage provides considerably more detail about Douglass’ time enslaved and updates his story to include some of the major… Read More

Paris: Shakespeare and Company, 1922 First edition. Limited to 1000 copies. The 1000 copies were divided into three limitations: 100 copies (nos. 1-100) printed on Dutch paper and signed by Joyce; 150 copies (nos. 101-250) printed on Vergé d'Arches paper; and the final 750 copies (nos. 251-1000) printed on linen paper, of which this is number 349. Original publisher's teal paper wrappers, lettered in white. Light rubbing to wrapper edges, wear to spine with a small chip below first spine band and some loss to lower spine, very mild crease to first several leaves, front wrapper joint tender but holding. Housed in custom slipcase with folding chemise, slipcase with some wear. Joyce's masterpiece, Ulysses, was first published serially in The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, at which time copies of the magazine were seized and the magazine's publishers were taken to trial due to the sexually explicit nature of the novel. Because of the controversy surrounding… Read More

Philadelphia: Chilton Books, 1965 First edition, first printing; in its first state dust jacket, with four lines at bottom of rear jacket flap. Publisher's light blue boards, with titles in white to spine, and gray endpapers with wavy design; in its original dust jacket with wraparound illustration by John Schoenherr, and map of Dune on rear panel. Very good book, with light toning to edges and spine ends, bottom right corner of front board lightly bumped, binding slightly cocked, and light soiling to fore edge of text block; very good unclipped dust jacket, with light toning to spine, light rubbing to folds, light wear and some shallow chipping to spine ends, minor creasing to bottom edge of front panel, some light spotting to rear panel, and small sticker to rear panel. Overall, an attractive copy in its very hard-to-find first state dust jacket. Dune is a science fiction epic set thousands of years in the future, where humanity is spread across the universe and ruled by an emperor. The story… Read More