Search Results: moby dick

New York: Harper & Brothers,, 1851. His masterpiece, in the original cloth First US edition of Melville's greatest work, in the first issue binding (BAL's "A" state, with the publisher's device on the covers and orange endpapers), a very smart copy notably free from any of the usual foxing. The US edition was the first to appear under the familiar title and contains 35 passages and the epilogue omitted from the slightly earlier British edition. Moby-Dick was originally issued in London earlier the same year, set from the New York sheets and titled The Whale. Now universally acclaimed, at the time the novel was a "complete practical failure, misunderstood by the critics and ignored by the public; and in 1853 the Harpers' fire destroyed the plates of all his books and most of the copies remaining in stock" (DAB, vol. 12, p. 523). Copies in first issue bindings appear in black, blue, grey, green, purple-brown, red, and slate-coloured cloth, without any priority. As Sadleir notes, it was the custom of… Read More

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851. First edition, first issue binding, with the circular Harper's device of Melville's masterpiece. Octavo, original purple-brown cloth (BAL's A grain), covers stamped in blind with the publisher's circular device at the center within a heavy blind rule frame, original orange-coated endpapers. Of the 2,951 copies printed, 125 were review copies. About 1,500 sold in 11 days, but then sales slowed to less than 300 the next year. After two years copies of the first edition were still available, and almost 300 were destroyed in the 1853 fire of Harper's warehouse. In near fine condition with some of the usual light foxing and light shelfwear to the spine tips. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A completely unrestored example of this cornerstone. A superior example.

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851. First American Edition; preceded slightly by the English edition, although this edition has numerous additions to that text. Publisher’s green cloth; stamped in gilt and in blind; first binding, although this cataloguer has never seen either of the later two bindings in the wild. Some fading and wear; foxed (as seems inevitable); faded contemporary owner’s inscription on the front free endpaper; bookplate of author and collector Carolyn Wells. The final 50 or so leaves are marginally waterstained at the lower corners, far from any text; bottom corners of the three advertising leaves slightly chipped, likewise not near any printing. Overall, a good copy of a book often found repaired, rebacked, restored or otherwise suffering from previous owners’ good or bad intentions. In a custom quarter-morocco clamshell box (corners frayed).

New York: Harper and Brothers, 1851. FIRST EDITION of one of the greatest and most important literary works in the American oeuvre. The American edition contains thirty-five passages and the "Epilogue" omitted from the English edition published as THE WHALE. 8vo, in the publisher's ORIGINAL FIRST STATE BINDING of green/gray cloth, both boards stamped in blind with ruled frame and the Harper and Brothers' circular device at the center, the spine gilt lettered and with gilt banding at the head and tail, the endpapers coated orange. Now protectively housed in a handsome folding cloth-covered case backed in dark chocolate morocco with blind-ruled bands and gilt lettering. xxiii, 635, [6 ads] pp. A rare example in that the book is in fully original state. Most copies seen nowadays are either rebound or show evidence of restoration. Internally the foxing, always present in the book due to the materials used, is much lighter in tone then typically found and appears in most places more like gentle… Read More

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851. First American edition. 1 vols. 8vo. Publisher's red cloth, cover bordered in blind and with central Harper & Brother's circular stamp in blind, spine lettered in gilt. First American edition. 1 vols. 8vo. Melville's Masterpiece, in Red Cloth. First American edition of the greatest American novel. This edition was technically preceded by the extremely rare English edition (Richard Bentley) two months earlier, but textually this is the far more important of the two, having been printed from Melville's manuscript, whereas the Bentley edition was set up from the sheets of the American edition. Furthermore, for political or editorial reasons, Bentley made some thirty-five unauthorized deletions from the original, and the American edition remains the standard text, never having been further revised. Printed on cheap wood-pulp paper and in one bulky volume, Moby Dick rarely survives without foxing, and is generally found chipped and shaken. "[Melville's] great book,… Read More

Chicago: The Lakeside Press, 1930. First edition thus. Near Fine/Near Fine. One of 1000 copies of Kent's illustration masterwork. Inscribed by Kent on the front endpaper: "To Joe Sinel: Skaal! Rockwell Kent". Accompanying the inscription is a small sketch of Sinel riding on the back of Moby Dick, filling a champagne glass from the whale's spout. Joseph Sinel is credited as the father of American Industrial Design. Originally from New Zealand, Sinel had a lengthy career in art, advertising, and design. As a book designer and illustrator in his own right, the sense that Kent and Sinel shared a mutual respect and admiration is evident. Kent's playful sketch of Moby Dick shows a more humorous side of the illustrator. The three volumes are Near Fine overall, very slightly faded on the spines and lacking the glassine jackets, but otherwise in excellent condition overall. Housed in the original aluminum slipcase, which is also Near Fine with a few minor scratches and some felt attached to the lower side… Read More

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851. 12mo. (7 3/8 x 4 7/8 inches). xxiii, [1], 635, [1], [6]pp. Publisher's ads in the rear. Foxing. Publisher's red cloth, cover bordered in blind and with central Harper & Brother's circular stamp in blind, spine lettered in gilt, rebacked retaining the original spine, original brown/orange coated endpapers. Housed in a cloth box. Rare first American edition of arguably the greatest work in American literature. The first American edition followed the three-volume English edition by a month and contained some thirty-five passages which had been edited out of the English edition. "[Melville's] great book, Moby Dick, was a complete practical failure, misunderstood by the critics and ignored by the public; and in 1853 the Harpers' fire destroyed the plates of all of his books and most of the copies remaining in stock [only about sixty copies survived the fire] ... Melville's permanent fame must always rest on the great prose epic of Moby Dick, a book that has no equal in… Read More

San Francisco: Arion Press, 1979. Moser, Barry. Folio. xvi, 577pp. One of 265 copies. Hand-set in Goudy Modern, with initial letters printed in blue at the start of each of 135 chapters in Leviathan Capitals, a special alphabet designed for the purpose. Printed on Barcham Green's handmade paper, which has a bluish cast and is unusually soft to the hand. Barry Moser's carefully researched wood engravings were intended to provide "informative depictions of subjects mentioned by Melville: places, creatures, objects or tools, and processes used in the whaling industry," thus leaving "the Pequod, Ahab, and Moby-Dick described only by Melville's words." The book went into production more than ten years after Robert Grabhorn and Andrew Hoyem began planning it, and more than five years after the first experimental pages were printed. Bound in full blue morocco with silver titling on the spine. Housed in a blue linen slipcase. Slightest toning to spine, slipcase shows some soiling and fading, and top panel… Read More

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851. Hardcover. Small 8vo. Original pebble-grained red cloth with gilt spine lettering and blind-embossed rules and front board publisher's device. xxiii, 635pp, (6pp ads). Good plus. Internally a sound "Very good," as it's internally tight and unrestored, showing only mild sporadic age toning and occasional light foxing; binding is sound and decent, with exposed tips; somewhat rough spine has had 1" X 1" excision archivally and discretely restored and chipped spine head and tail archivally rebuilt (see images); pencilled 1852 ownership signature on inner flyleaf. A tight, presentable and quite handleable first U.S. edition, first issue, of this giant of 19th century literature. One of only 3000 U.S. copies, the American edition -- preceded by the 2-volume English version one month prior -- met with little fanfare, and supposedly many unsold copies were destroyed in an 1854 warehouse fire. Original terra cotta endpapers. Despite wear this is a respectable copy,… Read More

New York: The Lakeside Press, 1930. First Edition Thus. Near Fine/Very Good. First edition thus, limited to 1,000 copies. Three volumes in publisher's acetate jackets, in aluminum slipcase. Presentation copy signed by Rockwell Kent on the front free end paper of Volume I, "Inscribed with affectionate friendship to Putzie - Rockwell Kent, 1950." Volumes II and III bear Rockwell Kent-illustrated bookplates of Marie Luise Hinrichs. Near Fine. Narrow strips of sunning to spine cloth at ends, light rubbing to cloth at extremities and light abrasions to black topstains. Pages toned and with offsetting from illustrations. Acetate wrappers are wrinkled and shrunken with age, as is typical, and show a bit of chipping and edge wear, with some separation starting between the acetate and a paper flap on both volumes II and III; acetate on volume II with light staining. Aluminum slipcase is lightly worn, bumped at top and bottom edge. A stunning presentation copy, inscribed by Kent, and with bookplates designed… Read More

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1851. [5], vi-xxiii, [2], 2-634pp, [8]. Original blue-green cloth, title, author and publisher in gilt to spine with publisher's circular blind stamp to centre of covers, orange endpapers. Rebacked, with original back strip laid down, gilt to spine has largely been retouched (ie. bands to head, title, and author). Back strip lightly stained. Internally lightly browned and lightly foxed throughout, but nothing too obtrusive. Housed in a very good morocco backed drop back box, made by Asprey & Garrard. BAL 13664 (noting a variety of cloth and endpaper colours). First Edition. Hardback. Good. 8vo.

Kent, Rockwell. Kent, Rockwell, illustrator. MOBY DICK by Herman Melville. Lakeside Press, Chicago, 1930. The Artist and the Book, 140. Edition of 1000 copies. First edition thus. Three volumes, quarto, 279, 284, and 282pp. 280 illustrations by Kent after his ink and wash drawings, except that the title pages of each volume are prints made from copper-plate engravings by Kent (Burne-Jones 58-60). Housed in the original aluminum slipcase. Jo Mielziner's copy, with his signature on the front endpaper. Near Fine throughout, with some light scuffs from use to the slipcase and the volumes.and with the ineviable offsetting from the illustrations, and lacking, as with most sets, the original acetate wrappers.

Saint-Paul, A.-M: Les Cahiers du Contadour, 1939. First edition in French, one of a very few copies printed. With headpiece after woodcut by Alexandre Noll and two plates. 512, [4], xx pp. 1 vols. 8vo. Nut brown half morocco with gilt decorative paper sides, spine gilt, t.e.g., wrappers preserved, by Devauchelle. Textblock lightly toned, else fine. First edition in French, one of a very few copies printed. With headpiece after woodcut by Alexandre Noll and two plates. 512, [4], xx pp. 1 vols. 8vo. 'Je m'appelle Ishmaèl" - véritable édition originale de Moby Dick en français. The first notice of Moby Dick in French dates from the first volume of the Revue des Deux Mondes (1853) but Melville's vast novel was not translated into French until the 1930s. Jean Giono (1895-1970) was deeply influenced by American writers of the nineteenth century, starting with Whitman. "The second great American Giono discovered (in the 1930s) was Melville ... translating Melville was a labor of love - for years Giono… Read More

Chicago: The Lakeside Press. Very Good. 1930. First Edition. Hardcover. Three quarto volumes in black cloth, stamped and decorated in silver. Upper edges stained black. Limited to 1000 copies, printed under the supervision of William A. Kittredge. The first edition of this, the most beautiful illustrated edtion of a masterwork. The volumes have minor but uniform fading to the spines. There is some wear, fraying to the spine ends. This is most noticeable to the lower spine of volume one. Minor bumps to the corners. Short splits to the upper spine corners of volume three. There is the usual offsetting from many of the illustrations. The pages are largely unopened. Without names, bookplates or other markings. Very tight. Does not include the publisher's dust jackets or the aluminum slipcase. ; 4to 11" - 13" tall .

Black Mountain, North Carolina: (Black Mountain College Press), 1951. First edition. One of approximately 50 copies printed. Boughn A6. Butterick A 4. Presentation copy, inscribed by Olson to his mentor Edward Dahlberg at the end of the poem: "for Edward (Melville's & my / Ned / with the love of another battler Charles / Dec 51, for his Laurels for Borrowers." (See Olson to Dahlberg, letter of Dec. 19, 1951, in In Love, In Sorrow: the Complete Correspondence of Charles Olson and Edward Dahlberg pp. 192-195.) Olson's long poem, a fiery diatribe against professional academicians and Melville scholars, was a great hit with the students at Black Mountain, and was printed at their expense at the Black Mountain College press. Front cover evenly sunned, otherwise in very good condition. An important association copy. Long sheets, folded and tipped into a printed folder. Front cover evenly sunned, otherwise in very good condition. An important association copy.

London: Jonathan Cape, 1925. America’s greatest novel signed by one of our greatest Presidents. This book President Franklin D. Roosevelt has inscribed it on the front blank as follows: "Junior Debating Society Prize, Groton School, 1942 / David Seall Biddts / from Franklin D. Roosevelt." This copy of Moby Dick, is bound in half brown morocco binding, with the Groton School seal stamped in gold on the front cover. The book is the prize Roosevelt gave and awarded to the winner of that year's debate competition. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was home schooled until the age of 14, after which he attended exclusive preparatory Groton School for grades 8 to 12, on his way to the mandatory 4 years at Harvard University. Roosevelt probably read Melville's great novel at Groton or Harvard, and that it impacted his intellectual life thereafter. FDR had a lifelong interest in the nautical world with collecting of Naval prints and autographs, as well as serving as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President… Read More

Studio Script, 1956 This lot includes The original studio film script housed in a quarter leather clam shell box. The script is signed on the front cover under the title printed on a simple label affixed to a plane brown wrapper. In addition there are 2 other scripts. One is a 134pp copy of the "final" script which is textually different from the original. Another copy of a script, in two parts, both spiral bound and dated 2/22/54 is stamped "final" and is signed in ink by Bradbury under his name on the title page. The former is copied on 8 1/2" x 14" paper and the latter on 8 1/2" x 11. Also included is a copy of the book, Moby Dick or the White Whale, London: Collins 1954. Later edition. An impressive copy signed twice and inscribed by the director and co-author, John Huston and members of the British cast of the film. 16 signatures in all. Bradbury inscribed the title page: "Ray Bradbury, Screenwriter, Damn Huston! Nov. 13, 1998" a reference to… Read More

Folio Society, 2009. Limited Edition No. 1106 of 1750. Hardcover. As New. Books unread and in crisp, clean and collectable condition/Insignificant rubbing on slipcase.

New York: Random House, 1930. First Edition Thus. First trade edition of Melville's novel illustrated by Rockwell Kent, following the three-volume Lakeside Press edition published the same year. One of the most iconic illustrated books of the 20th century, and a highpoint of Art Deco design and typography. A superior copy of a book that is almost always found well-worn. Tanselle, A Checklist of Editions of Moby Dick (1922-1951), No.18. Thick octavo (18.5cm); black cloth, with titling and decorations stamped in silver on spine and front cover; dustjacket; xxxii,822,[8]pp; illus. Tipped onto the front endpaper is a drypoint illustration of a whaling ship at sea (measuring 5.25" x 6 6/8"), signed "Albert V. Sielke 30" in plate, and "A.V. Sielke 30" in pencil directly below. Base of spine gently nudged, else a fresh, Fine copy, with the decorative elements entirely unrubbed. Dustjacket shows some trivial wear, three tiny tears, and minute loss to upper corner tips, else a bright, fresh, copy, without… Read More

MS: Barre Publishers. Fine with no dust jacket. 1968. First Edition. In case. Color Lithographs; Benton Spruance Moby Dick: The Passion of Ahab, signed edition, one of 50 sets which include a signed original lithograph "The Master of the Pequod" and His red inkstamp 'BS' along with pencil date of 1967 [looks like a 4], folio includes 26 lithographs printed on Rives heavyweight paper and booklet, folio measures 23-1/4" x 17-1/4", prints Fine, booklet in Fine with some minor wear to drop down case, this is the hard to find deluxe edition. Small corner tear to signed plate which appears to have occurred in production. He began work in 1965 on a set of prints that are generally regarded as his most masterful works. These are the twenty six lithographs based on his reading of Moby Dick, themes from which recur often in the prints made during the last two decades of his life. The prints were exhibited for the very first time in 1968. Spruance died in December… Read More