Search Results: Autobiography-Biography-Journals-Letters from Gargoyle Books

New York, NY, U.S.A.: Ray Long & Richard E. Smith, Inc., 1933. First Edition Later Printing . Hardcover. Fair/Fair. Memoir by the warden of the infamous correctional institution in Ossining, NY, from 1920-1941, who oversaw some 303 executions, but also initiated some daring reforms. Basis for the 1932 movie starring Spencer Tracy & Bette Davis, in 412 pages with black-and-white author photo as frontispiece. Orig. published in 1932, this is a 1933 printing by the same publishers (NOT the later A.L. Burt reprint). Hardcover book with blue cloth-covered boards & black lettering to front & spine is downgraded to Fair due to water damage along outside (fore edge) side of both front & rear boards: does NOT impact interior pages! Other than this aesthetic flaw, the book is very clean, binding tight & square, pages creamy off-white, with modest tanning around edges. Former owner's bookplate inside front cover, partially removed. The unclipped DJ is intact, but missing a large… Read More

Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1971. Book Club Edition (BCE) . Hardcover. Fine/Very Good. True story of the bizarre kidnapping & rescue in 1968 of college student & heiress Barbara Jane Mackle from a motel in Decatur, Georgia, while she & her mother were en route home to Coral Gables, Florida. Includes, for the first time, her account of the crime & her ordeal while buried underground for 83 hours. In 416 pages + 8 pages of black-and-white photos. From the collection of one true-crime enthusiast (with their name label on ffep), this is a Book Club Edition (BCE) of the First Edition from 1971. With beige cloth over boards lettered in black to spine, the hardcover book is in Fine condition: completely clean, binding strong & straight, pages slightly off-white. The unclipped DJ is VG, with mild edgewear & rubbing to extremities, but no fading; protected in new mylar cover Free! Our photos depict the Exact book you will receive, never "stock" images… Read More

Chicago, Illinois: Rand McNally & Company, 1958. First American Edition . Hardcover. Near Fine/Good. Continues the adventures of the author & his team in the Southeast Pacific Ocean begun in his 1950 account, "Kon Tiki," this time chronicling their journey to explore the mysteries of Easter Island. In 384 pages + 62 full-color photos throughout text, map endpapers. Orig. published in Norwegian in 1957, this is the First American Edition, First Printing, from 1958. 8bo has brown cloth-covered boards with an embossed tiki design to front cover , with deeper brown title box lettered in gilt to spine. Condition is VG+: very clean, binding strong & straight, pages creamy white & unmarked save for former owner's name in small pen to ffep. Foxing to top outside page edges & to the outer edges of a few photos. Mild rubbing to extremities & tiny circular faded mark to mid-fore edge side of front board. The price-clipped DJ is downgraded to only Good due to moderate… Read More

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Pyramid Books, 1963. Mass Market Paperback. Good+. Biography based on the 1959 screenplay by Malvin Wald & Henry Greenberg for the film of the same name that starred Rod Steiner as Scarface. Originally published in 1959, this is the Second Printing from 1963. Condition is Good+, with heavily tanned pages & some edgewear/rubbing/light creasing to back cover/soiling, but no markings. Nicely protected in new mylar collector bag FREE! Our photos show the Exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have on hand. Same day shipping on all orders received before 2 pm (Pacific) Weekdays; later orders, Weekends, & holidays ship very next business day.

York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1988. First American Paperback Edition . Soft cover. Near Fine. Lavishly illustrated biography of the infamous occultist, magician, & Satanist who called himself "The Beast." This First American Paperback Edition, First Printing, from 1988 is an oversized softcover in 127 pages. From a local collector's estate, whose books all look like they were just kept on the shelf & never opened. Condition is Near Fine: just lacks that Brand New crispness! Completely clean, binding strong & straight; pages white. Extremely slight edgewear & a hint of tanning around the edges of both inside covers. Our photos depict the Exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have! Same Day Shipping on all orders received by 2 pm Weekdays (PST); later orders, weekends & holidays ship very next business day.

New York, New York: Freeway Press, Inc., 1974. Paperback Original (PBO) . Soft cover. Good+. Simon, Peter. Never previously published in any format, this is a Paperback Original (PBO) from the Freeway Press, First Printing, 1974. With decorative red paper wrappers bearing photos of "The Greatest" on front & rear, with more inside throughout the 128 pages of text. Condition is Good+: generally very clean, binding strong & straight, pages moderately tanned, commensurate with age. Former owner's name & date in neat pen inside front cover. Fairly heavy edgewear, chipping & rubbing, small but deep 1" tear to back cover. Nicely protected in protective mylar collector bag free! Our photos depict the Exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have! Same Day Shipping on all orders received by 2 pm Weekdays (PST); Weekends & holidays ship very next business day.

Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1965. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good. Inspirational, true story of an orphan girl from Lake Nyassa (now Lake Malawi), Africa, who grew up in abject poverty, but began to lift herself up to remarkable achievements, eventually pursuing doctoral studies in CA, after attending a mission school, being adopted by an American couple & coming to the US, where she appeared on a segment of "This is Your Life." A FIRST EDITION, First printing from 1965, SIGNED by AUTHOR with a personalized gift inscription to former owner Elsie Lurance (whose bookplate is also present) on ffep. Additional clippings & paper ephemera from her numerous personal appearances laid in. With glossy pictorial cloth over boards showing the Princess on front cover, matching design on accompanying dJ, this hardcover book is in Near Fine condition: very clean & bright, binding straight & strong, hinges intact, pages… Read More

Penguin Press, 2007. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Fine/Fine. Authorized biography of Alice Waters & her Berkeley, CA, restaurant--Chez Panisse--exploring its French roots, uncertain beginnings from its 1971 opening, & growth into one of the most influential forces on food culture & the movement toward local sourcing & market cooking. SIGNED by the AUTHOR (his name only) on title page. In 380 pages, with black-and-white photos throughout. A FIRST EDITION, first printing from 2007 , this hardcover book & DJ are in Fine condition (our highest grade): completely clean & bright, binding straight & strong, pages white. The unclipped DJ is equally flawless: bright & colorful with no edgewear or fading & protected in new mylar cover to stay that way Free! Our photos depict the Exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have! Same Day Shipping on all orders received by 2 pm Weekdays (PST); later orders, weekends… Read More

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Bantam, 1981. Boxed Set. Very Good. Complete softcover boxed set of all 3 of the beloved veterinarian's bestselling titles: "All Creatures Great and Small,'' "All Things Wise and Wonderful,'' & "All Things Bright and Beautiful." Orig. published separately, 1972-1977, this set is a 1981 issue from Bantam. All 3 books are completely clean, bindings strong & straight (with some spine creases), pages mildly tanned, heavier around all edges & inside covers. The gold-colored box with same illustration on both sides is downgraded to only Good due to some rubbing, scratches, & slight tearing at flaps of the side that folds in (back side). Our photos depict the exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have! Same Day Shipping on all orders received by 2 pm weekdays (Pacific); later orders, weekends & holidays ship very next business day. SORRY: set is too large for… Read More

New York, NY, U.S.A.: St. Martin's Press, 1974. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Very Good/VG-. Second book in this beloved veterinarian's memoirs where he continues sharing his fond reminiscences about all his clients, human & otherwise. A FIRST EDITION, First Printing, from 1974, this hardcover 8vo has matte black cloth-covered boards & gilt lettering to spine, in 378 pages. Condition is VG: very clean with mild foxing to top outside page edges. Binding strong & straight, hinges intact, but cracked at gutter of title page. Pages creamy white & unmarked; former owner's bookplate inside front cover. The unclipped DJ (with orig. $10 price intact) is VG-: bright & clean with darkening to spine & an unclosed 2" tear descending from head of spine down back cover; nicely protected in new clear mylar cover free! Our photos depict the exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have! Same Day Shipping on all… Read More

New York, NY, U.S.A.: St. Martin's Press, 1977. First American Edition . Hardcover. Fine/Near Fine. Third book in this beloved veterinarian's memoirs where he continues sharing his fond reminiscences about all his clients, human & otherwise. Orig. published in the UK as two separate books, this is the First American Edition, First Printing in this format from St. Martin's Press from 1977, this hardcover has black cloth-covered boards & gilt lettering to spine, in 432 pages. Condition is truly Fine: completely clean, binding strong & straight, pages bright & white & unmarked. The unclipped DJ is downgraded to Near Fine due to a smudge of blue on bottom edge of front cover; else, clean & bright with just a tad of discoloration to white areas. Beautifully protected in new mylar cover Free! Our photos depict the Exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have! Same day shipping on all orders received Weekdays by 2 pm… Read More

New York, New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1952. First Edition Later Printing . Hardcover. Very Good+/Very Good. An insider's portrait of small-town America & the early assimilation of immigrants therein, drawing on the author's personal recollections of growing up in Galesburg, Illinois. In 445 pages with Index, photo endpapers of family & community members. A First Edition, slightly later printing (no statement) from 1952, this hardcover 8vo is bound in handsome medium-green cloth with darker green insight title boxes & silver lettering to front & spine. Condition is VG+: completely clean, but lacking that brand new crispness. Binding strong & straight, but rear hinge starting. Pages creamy white with a whisper of tanning, but completely unmarked. Very modest pushing to both ends of spine. The price-clipped DJ is VG, with light chipping at both ends of spine, rubbing to extremities, slight spine fading; protected in clear mylar by former owner. Our photos depict… Read More

Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press, 2012. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. As New/As New. True travelogue, journal, & letters home written by 23-year-old Carrie Winter, a missionary teacher from Connecticut, as she traveled to her first assignment at a boarding school for girls--the Kawaiaha'o Female Seminary--in Honolulu in 1890. Provides fascinating, first-person detail of what life was like in Hawaii during the last years of the monarchy, as well as how young, single women struggled to find a voice & life path. In 417 pages, with illustrations & black-and-white vintage photos throughout. A FIRST EDITION, First Printing hardcover from 2012, SIGNED by author S. Bonura with a personalized inscription on full title page. Both book & unclipped DJ are in Fine condition: guaranteed gift-giving quality! As clean & bright as when first published, they are both completely clean, binding strong & straight, pages white. The unclipped DJ is equally flawless &… Read More

Berkeley/Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 1949. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine/VG-. Correspondence in the form of letters written 1862-1874 between author Hans Christian Andersen & his American editor, Horace Elisha Scudder. Edited, with copious explanatory Notes, by Waldemar Westergaard, with an Introduction by Jean Hersholt (who made new translations of Andersen's famous fairy tales) & an Interpretive Essay by Helge Topsoe-Jensen. In 181 pages with Index, this is a FIRST EDITION, First Printing from 1949. In publisher's aqua green cloth over boards lettered in gilt to spine, this hardcover is in Near Fine condition: completely clean, binding strong & straight, hinges secure. Pages creamy white with modest tanning. Foxing only in front matter, heaviest to verso of frontispiece. Mild pushing to both ends of spine & bumping to corners. The unclipped DJ is VG-, with a few small chips & mild paper loss at both end of spine, 2 tiny… Read More

Grand Central Pub, 1991. First Paperback 1st Printing. Soft cover. VG-. An unforgettable & scandalous portrait of "Manhattan society in the strobe-lit 1970s,'' with artist Andy Warhol, his "Factory," & an entourage of celebrities front & center. The author worked as Warhol's typist during this period, & was allowed to 20,000+ pages of his personal diaries after his death, which he as distilled here to capture the essence of this most "enigmatic man." In 839 pages with Index + 32 pages of black & white photos on glossy paper in two sections. Orig. published in hardcover in 1989, this is the First Paperback Edition, first printing, from 1991. Huge softcover 8vo has decorative orange/black/gray wrappers with Warhol's image reproduced to the front cover in the style of so many of his painting. Condition is VG-: completely clean inside, pages white with significant tanning to edges (inside & out), but unmarked. Binding strong &… Read More

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Bramhall House/Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1970. First Thus . Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. Thoreau's epic classic tale of "Life in the Woods,'' with Introduction, Notes, & Bibliography that enhance 21st-century readers' enjoyment & understanding of 19th-century language. Also includes his essay, Civil Disobedience'' (also annotated), a Chronology of the author's life, & various essays about this book & its place in American literature. In 502 pages with line drawings & maps throughout. A must-have edition that will give you a richer appreciation of Thoreau & his times! Orig. published in 1970, this is the First Printing of the Bramhall House edition (First, thus), approximately same year. Large hardcover 4to has a gold cloth-wrapped spine, lettered in green, over dark green paper-covered boards. Condition is Near Fine, marred only by foxing to top outside page edges. Else, completely clean, binding tight &… Read More

Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1995. First Edition First Printing . Soft cover. Near Fine. A loving tribute by his wife "Sissy" to the late Mississippi artist Walter Inglis Anderson (1903-1965). Orig. published in hardcover in 1989, this is the First Trade Paperback Edition, First Printing, from 1995. In 177 pages + 16 pages of candid black-and-white photos in center. With light blue decorative wrappers, it is in Near Fine condition: completely clean, binding strong & straight, pages with just a whisper of tanning & unmarked save for former owner's address label to ffep. modestly tanned but completely unmarked. Mild rubbing to extremities, particularly along spine, lightly bumped corners. The unclipped DJ is nicely protected in new clear mylar cover free! Our photos depict the Exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have! Same Day Shipping on all orders received by 2 pm Weekdays (Pacific time);… Read More

London, England: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1968. First British Edition . Hardcover. Fine/Fine. Nearly 20 years after the publication of "The Naked and the Dead,'' the author returned to the theme of war, this time chronicling his adventures over a four-day period in Oct. 1967 at demonstrations in Washington, D.C. against the Vietnam War, followed by "an objective history of the battle of the Pentagon.'' Orig. published in a lengthy excerpt in Harper's Magazine, this is the First British Edition, First Printing from 1968, in 288 pages with map endpapers depicting the DC area. Hardcover 8vo has soft blue-gray cloth-covered boards, lettered in gilt to spine. Condition is Fine: as clean & bright as Brand new with extremely mild rubbing from shelf to lower extremities. Binding tight & square, pages creamy white & unmarked. The unclipped DJ (with 45s. net price intact to bottom front flap) is equally Fine & protected to stay that way in clear mylar. An… Read More

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Ronald Press Company, 1961. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine/No Jacket. The master golfer's first book, weaving personal reminiscences about games he's played together with the techniques that made him a champion & will improve your own game! In 142 pages, well-illustrated with black-and-white photos & diagrams throughout. A First Edition, first printing from 1961, this hardcover book has teal cloth-covered boards with silver lettering to front & spine. Condition is Near Fine: just about perfect save for age-appropriate tanning to outermost page edges & a few foxed spots here & there. Otherwise, completely clean, binding straight & strong. NO DJ. Our photos depict the Exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have! Same Day Shipping on all orders received by 2 pm Weekdays (PST); Weekends & holidays ship very next business day. SORRY: book is too large for expedited… Read More

Garden City, New York: Garden City Publishing Company, Inc., 1927. First Thus . Hardcover. Very Good+/No Jacket. First book, purported by him to be fictional, by this pioneering civil rights activist (1871-1938), who played a leadership role in the early days of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Orig. published anonymously by Knopf in 1917, this is the 1927 edition from Garden City (First, thus), the first under his true name, in 211 pages. Hardcover small octavo has black cloth-covered boards stamped in yellow to spine. Condition is VG+, marred only by a tad of rubbing to both boards & extremities, mild corner bumping. Else, completely clean, binding strong & straight, hinges secure, pages modestly tanned but completely unmarked save for some initials & date on last page in pen. NO DJ. Our photos depict the Exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have! Same day shipping on all orders received… Read More