Rare books from William Reese Company - Literature ABAA-ILAB

[Washington, DC: Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, 1924].. 7,[1]pp. Octavo. Printed self wrapper. A couple of small rust marks to rear wrapper, otherwise fine. First separate printing of this address by the poet activist, given by Johnson at the VI International Summer School of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Chicago May 1924. In large part, Johnson's comments are made in reference to the causes and consequences of the US occupation of Haiti following the assassination of the Haitian President in July of 1915. OCLC: 26035710.

New York: Privately printed for An American Place, 1931.. Large octavo. Cloth. Tipped-in facsimile. A very fine copy in original glassine and faintly edgeworn box. First edition, deluxe issue. Edited, with an introduction, by Herbert J. Seligmann. From a total edition of four hundred copies, this is one of fifty deluxe copies, numbered and signed by Marin. The approximately eighty letters collected here are largely to Alfred Stieglitz, but include as well texts contributed to exhibition catalogues, and letters to Paul Strand, Egemont Arens and Lee Simonson. This limited issue is uncommon.

[ New York?], 1966.. [2] leaves plus ten etchings. Quarto (36 x 25.5 cm; 14 x 10"). Loose sheets, laid into folding cloth portfolio. A few smudges to portfolio, otherwise fine. One of a total edition of 110 copies (including 10 artist's proofs), consisting of ten original etchings (plate size 12.5 x 9.5 cm) by Schwartz, printed on handmade Italia paper by Emiliano Sorini, with each etching signed and numbered in the margin by the artist. A beautiful suite by this notable master of several media, whose other works have illustrated or been accompanied by texts by, among others, Anthony Hecht (PREDATORY BIRDS, Gehenna Press 1958), and Czeslaw Milosz (CATS, Privately Printed 1994).

[Rapallo: Arti Grafiche Tigullio, March 1936].. Narrow folio broadside (44 x 14.5 cm.) Text on recto only, printed in double columns. Griffin device at head and toe. Folded across middle, otherwise a very nice copy. First separate printing of this prospectus for a course of studies devoted to Antonio Vivaldi. Potential subscribers to the series are instructed to contact Pound or the "Instituto Fascista di Cultura." The text was also printed in the 14 March issue of IL MARE. A translation appears in EZRA POUND AND MUSIC, pp.384-7. Uncommon and fragile. GALLUP E2n.

Np, Nd.. Original ink signature, "Wm. James Agent," clipped from canceled check. About fine, and suitable for framing. One of a small lot of such examples of the signature of the American psychologist/philosopher, clipped from checks executed by James on behalf of one or the other of his sons, retained by James descendants until very recently. Each:.

Chicago: The Ralph Fletcher Seymour Co., 1912.. Tan Japanese paper over boards, lettered in dark blue, with abstract Crane device stamped in olive green. Fibrous Japanese paper endsheets. Neatly rebacked in tan paper board. Boards slightly smudged and lightly edgeworn, attractive period bookplate on front pastedown, otherwise a good copy, in oversize folding clamshell box. First published printing of the first edition, preceded by another printing which Wright disliked and destroyed (but for an alleged 'few'). This is one of the copies printed Japan vellum, of which, depending on the reference, there were either thirty-five or fifty copies. Inscribed by Wright in 1915 at the lower edge of the first blank, and signed with initials. This was Wright's first book for which he was the sole author of the text, and is the most substantive of his publications devoted to his pioneering passion for this subject. SWEENEY 109.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1892.. Publishers quarter vellum and boards, t.e.g., others untrimmed. Binding somewhat soiled and worn, former owner's bookplate, otherwise a very good copy. Cloth folding box. First edition, limited issue. One of an unknown number of out of series copies, unnumbered, in addition to 250 numbered copies, signed by the publisher. In this copy, on a sheet of matching handmade paper inserted in place of the front free endsheet Field has neatly copied out his poem, "Little Boy Blue," in red and black ink, in his diminutive hand, with rubricated initials at the beginning of each stanza and two small hand-colored drawings (a toy soldier and a toy lamb) in the margins. Beneath the poem is his presentation inscription, which reads: "For My Dearest and Most Beautiful Julia, Ever yours devotedly, / Eugene Field." On integral blank leaves at the back of the volume the author has written out his poem, "Dutch Lullaby" (beginning "Wynken, Blynken and Nod one night / Sailed off in… Read More

London: James R. Osgood McIlvaine, 1891.. Small quarto. Gilt green cloth backed cream cloth over boards, elaborately decorated in gilt and red. Plates, illustrations and decorated endsheets. Binding a bit darkened, with some pale discolorations at edge, 1895 ownership signature on preliminary blank, corners a trifle worn, the plates by Shannon somewhat faded (as usual) but still legible, a few small nicks and a short tear to the edges of the front free endsheet but a good, sound copy, a few leaves unopened. First edition. Design, illustrations and decorations by C. Ricketts and C. Shannon, with plates by the latter. One of one thousand copies printed. Mason/Millard gives an account of the circumstances which led to the faint state of the Shannon plates. Contains four short stories: "The Young King" (which first appeared in THE LADY'S PICTORIAL, Christmas Number, 1888), "The Birthday of the Infanta" (which first appeared in PARIS ILLUSTRÉ, March 30, 1889), "The Fisherman and His Soul," and "The… Read More

Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1863.. 319,[1] pp. Original green cloth, stamped in blind, spine lettered and decorated in gilt. Portrait frontispiece engraving of the author after Rowse's crayon sketch, with tissue guard. Small nick and some fraying at the crown of the spine, faint old spot and tide mark at top edge near the gutter (faintly beginning at p. 207, then to end); still, a very good, bright, tight copy. First edition of Thoreau's third book, published posthumously and equipped with a preliminary 33 page biographical sketch by Ralph Waldo Emerson. BAL records the edition consisted of 1558 copies. BORST A3.1.a. BAL 5236 and 20111.

[Neuchâtel]: Editions Media, March 1978.. Quarto (9.5 x 9.5"; 24 x 24 cm). Loose sheets, enclosed in plain stiff card envelope. Envelope a bit smudged, otherwise fine. First edition. A sequence of nine original serigraphs (some in color) with explanatory text by the artist. One of only fifty copies, with each serigraph signed and numbered in pencil on the verso by de Vries. OCLC locates only the copy at the BN. OCLC: 469670123.

[Moscow: State Publishing House of Graphic Arts, June 1932.. Folio (41.5 x 30cm). Typographic wrappers. Heavily illustrated with photographs. Corners a bit bumped, some wear along spine, with split below lower staple, otherwise very good. Founded by Maxim Gorky and published in the Soviet Union from 1930 to 1941 (and 1949), under the general editorship of G. Piatakov. An issue of this innovative periodical devoted to Soviet Civil Aviation. This is the French language edition, translator not identified. "All the visual strategies of the propaganda photobooks, designed by Lissitsky, Rodchenko and others were developed in USSR in Construction, one of the most beautifully produced magazines of the twentieth century" - Parr-Badger. Versions were also published in Russian, German and English. PARR-BADGER I:148.

[New York]: Harper Trophy / HarperCollins, 1999 through 2006.. Fourteen volumes, plus related. Publisher's pictorial and paper boards, except for PENULTIMATE PERIL (plain boards, pictorial dust jacket) and ... AUTOBIOGRAPHY (glazed pictorial boards, dust jacket). Illustrated throughout by Brett Helquist. Volume 6 is priced $8.95. Volume 4 has a small rust-like spot on the fore-edge, volume 9 has soft creases to the lower fore-corners of two leaves, some very minimal shelf- rubbing to a few lower edges, otherwise an excellent set. First editions, all but one being first printings -- the exception, THE AUSTERE ACADEMY (5), is the second printing. All but one volume, THE PENULTIMATE PERIL (12), bear the author's characteristic blindstamp, the first two additionally dated, but the remainder inscribed in various ways to, or embellished for, two close friends, one of whom supplies a name for a character in the final chapter of THE GRIM GROTTO (so referenced in Handler's inscription - "To Kit in Chapter 13… Read More

New York: Lyle Stuart / Loujon Press Award Book, [1965].. Quarto. Pictorial stiff wrappers. Illustrations by Noel Rockmore. About fine, but without the bellyband. First edition. One of 3100 copies printed in New Orleans at the Loujon Press, signed and dated by the author ("3-20-65"). There were also several subvariants of various deluxe natures. The author's second major collection, in print for nearly a decade at the original price through Lyle Stuart, its publisher. KRUMHANSL A15.

[Paris: Maeght, February 1966].. Folio. Pictorial wrapper. Photographs. Minor shelf rubbing at edges, otherwise fine. First edition, ordinary issue. Illustrated with seven original color lithographs (2 double-spread), including a lithographed wrapper design.

New York: The Dial Press, 1942.. Large, thick octavo. Cloth, with pictorial cover vignette label and spine label. Color double-spread frontis. Illustrations, plates and photographs. Cloth very slightly faded, spine label rather chipped, rear endsheets darkened with gutter discoloration from now absent unknown tip-in. A good copy, without the dust jacket, First edition, trade issue. With a full-page, expansive presentation inscription from Dali incorporting a drawing of a picador-like figure in horeseback: "Pour Jean Deering Hommage Amiable de Salvador Dali 1954." Affixed to the verso of the opposite blank is a 2 3/4 x 4 inch vintage print of a photograph of Dali with the recipient, with a manuscript caption affixed below: "Jean Bartlet Deering Salvadore [sic] Dali St. Regis Hotel, New York, NY 1942." Accompanied by another loose photograph from the same sitting, though somewhat out of focus. Accompanied by yet another photograph, captioned and dated 1943 on the verso, roughly the same dimensions but… Read More