Search Results: Biography, Autobiography, True Stories from Louise Aird

This book, compiled by the American baseball historian David Nemec, illustrates the evolution of baseball, over 92 years. It contains 1229 photographs, year-by-year highlights, player information--it's an exhaustive encyclopedia.

It's a large, very heavy book: 9" x 11 1/2" x 2", 592 pages.The dust jacket and cover are identical. The dust jacket is a little battered, with a couple of taped tears at top and bottom.

The book is in superb condition, save for a tear to the paper of the spine, at the back. At the front, it is inscribed from a mother to her son, but I don't think he read it. There are no marks in it and the spine is unbroken. Great baseball book.

This is a first edition of the two-volume edition of the biography of Abraham Lincoln, written by the American poet, journalist and biographer Carl Sandburg (1878-1967). Sandburg wrote the biography in two sections:Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Year (1926), and Abraham Lincoln: The War Years (1939). In 1940, he won the Pulitzer for the completed biography. In 1954, his publisher issued the two books in one volume. This is one of those books.

It is in superb condition.
762 pages with lots of photos.
There is a doodle on page 762. One dogear at page 17.
Almost no shelfwear.
There are some fingerprints on the cover and there is a little loosening to the cover at the back.
Other than that, it's perfect.

This is a near-perfect First Edition of Act One, An Autobiography of Moss Hart, by the American playwright, screenwriter and director Moss Hart (1904-1961). Hart is best known as the writer of A Star is Born (1954), the director of My Fair Lady (1956) and, with George S. Kaufman, the writer of numerous successful plays, including You Can't Take it With You (1936), for which he won the Pulitzer Prize.
As you can see, the dust jacket of this book is not in great shape.
444 unadorned pages. The front endpapers are brown paper.
The book itself is nearly perfect (it includes a leaf someone pressed into it). Its only flaw is a tiny fold to the upper right corner, which is from improper storage. Other than that, it is in pristine condition.

This is an unread copy of African Kingdoms, part of the Great Ages of Man series which Time-Life Books began publishing in the 60s. This book was written in 1967 by the British historian Basil Davidson (1914-2010); Time-Life's editors updated it and it was republished in 1980.

This book was well received. Reviews say it's very progressive and takes pains to point out the flaws in many traditional ideas about African culture and history, including the perspective that Africa is one large monolithic culture. It's a good place to start if you're someone who wants a basic grasp of African history.

It's 8 3/4" x 10 3/4". 191 pages, including loads of photos.
Pristine condition.

This is a pristine copy of a much-loved work of non-fiction from T.H.White.
It has never been opened. It is brightly coloured boards with a brown spine and numerous images inside. Comes in a slip case.
The Age of Scandal, An Excursion through a Minor Period. A collection of entertaining essays on18th century England by the novelist Terence Hanbury White (1906–1964). White was known for his sequence of Arthurian novels, The Once and Future King, first published together in 1958. One of his most memorable stories is the first of that series, The Sword in the Stone, published as a stand-alone book in1938.
The Age of Scandal
focuses on the period in late 18th-century England following the Age of Reason--a period characterized by dilettantism, material comfort & eccentricity. People are sentimental, dramatic, tearful, lovers of gossip, fashion & exhibitionistic behavior. It is a fascinating record of the eccentricities of the 18th-century Royal Family, the fashions of the nobility and the… Read More

The Jameses remain of the most distinguished family in American intellectual life. Henry's novels, celebrated as among the finest in the language, and William's groundbreaking philosophical and psychological works have won these brothers a permanent place at the center of the nation's cultural firmament.
Their sister Alice was a fascinating woman who is most famous for her diaries. She was tormented throughout her short life by an array of nervous disorders, constrained by social convention and internal conflict from achieving the worldly success she desired, but she was a brilliant and witty writer and an acute social observer.
This is a first edition of her biography, written in 1980 by the American biographer Jean Strouse. It was very well reviewed.
367 pages with photographs. The dust jacket has discoloration and shelfwear; the book itself is pristine.

This is a first edition of American Dreams, Lost and Found, by the American writer Studs (Louis) Terkel (1912 –2008).

This book was out of print for a long time—it has recently been revived. If you look around for copies of this book, they all say 'First Edition 1983', but the date on this copy is 1980.

Terkel was an author, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for The Good War and is best remembered for his oral histories of common Americans, and for hosting a long-running radio show.

The New York Times Book Review calls this collection Terkel's best. In it, he persuades Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ted Turner, Jesse Helms, Joan Crawford and many others to tell their versions of The American Dream. In this group portrait of hopes, we see that American reality defies our stereotyped expectations. Starting with an embittered winner of the Miss U.S.A. contest who sees the con behind the dream of success, Terkel discusses ideals and… Read More

This is a stated first edition of Ancient Mariner: The Amazing Adventures of Samuel Hearne, the Sailor Who Walked to the Arctic Ocean. It was written by the Canadian author Ken McGoogan and published in 2003.

Samuel Hearne was an 18th-century British sailor who, McGoogan proves, was the model for Samuel Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner. He served at sea during the Seven Years' War, then entered the service of the Hudson's Bay Company. For 17 years he was in the Arctic, and he became the first European to travel overland across the Arctic Circle. He also enjoyed good relations with the Indians, to the point of marrying a half-Indian wife; founded new fur-trading outposts; and was one of the first Europeans to adopt Indian and Inuit survival techniques in the Arctic. When he returned to England, he turned his diaries into one of the first major memoirs of Arctic exploration. This is a ripping yarn about the life of a relatively unknown hero of exploration and maritime history.

This book… Read More

This is an unread copy of Ancient Egypt, part of the Great Ages of Man series which Time-Life Books began publishing in the 60s. This book was written in 1965 by the American academic Lionel Casson (1914-2009); Time-Life's editors updated it and it was republished in 1978.

This book was well received. One review says it is "especially readable and fascinating with incredible illustrations and photographs of Ancient Egyptian major works of art. A very enjoyable read--I recommend it to anyone desiring to gain a better acquaintance with Ancient Egypt and its culture and history."

It's 8 3/4" x 10 3/4". 191 pages, including loads of photos.
There is an attractive bookplate on the inside front cover, which is already coming off on its own.
Pristine condition.

Note: Also listed here, I have three other books from this series: Ancient China, the Rise of Russia and Imperial Rome

Note: If you are outside of North America, the quoted shipping price is for surface mail without tracking. For other… Read More

Irving Berlin (1888–1989) was unable to read or write music and could only play the piano in the key of F-sharp major; yet, for the first half of the twentieth century he was America's most successful and most representative songwriter, composing such hits as "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "Cheek to Cheek," "Let's Face the Music and Dance," "Puttin' on the Ritz," "White Christmas," "Anything You Can Do," "There's No Business Like Show Business," and "God Bless America." As Thousands Cheer, winner of the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award, explores with precision and sensitivity Berlin's long, prolific career; his self-doubt and late-blooming misanthropy; and the tyrannical control he exerted over his legacy of song. From his immigrant beginnings through Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and Hollywood to his reclusive and bitter final years, this definitive biography reveals the man who wrote 1500 songs but could never quash the fear that, for all his success, he wasn't quite good enough.
This is a copy of the… Read More

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was an American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Franklin was a leading writer, printer, political philosopher, politician, Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.
His autobiography is considered a masterpiece, and a key element in the understanding of American history.
This copy was first published in 1941 by Walter J Black, and then again for the Classics Club in 1969.
It is beige tweed boards with red and gold on the cover and spine. The tops of the pages are dyed red.
It has not been read, or even opened.
However, there is a 2" white smear on the spine. It may come off; 'not sure.
That is its only flaw. It is otherwise pristine.
Note: If you are outside of North America, the quoted shipping price is for surface mail without tracking. For other options, please contact me.

The full title of this book is The Backwoods of Canada: Being the Letters of the Wife of an Emigrant Officer, Illustrative of the Domestic Economy of British America. It was first published, in the UK, in 1836. This is a facsimile reprint. Catharine Parr Traill (1802-1899) was a successful English writer when she married a British officer who, in 1832, was posted to Canada. She was wholly unprepared for the struggles they endured while establishing themselves in the vast, still unexplored, wilderness. But she remained positive and upbeat, wrote many letters to her mother about her experiences, and they became this book. The book was meant to serve as guidance and advice for other immigrants, but it became a best-seller, and a classic, of both social history and nature writing. This is a trade paperback, 351 pages with many illustrations. It has one dogear, on page 19. Unread after that. It is otherwise perfect.PLEASE NOTE: THE STATED EXPECTED SHIPPING DATE APPLIES ONLY WITHIN NORTH AMERICA.… Read More

This is a stated first US edition of Baron Philippe: The Very Candid Autobiography of Baron Philippe de Rothschild. Rothschild (1902-1988) co-wrote the book with his companion, the British writer and theater director Joan Littlewood (1914-2002)Philippe, Baron de Rothschild was a member of the Rothschild banking dynasty who became a Grand Prix race-car driver, a screenwriter and playwright, a theatrical producer, a film producer, a poet, and one of the most successful wine growers in the world. He led a fascinating life and this is an excellent book.This copy (331 pages) has no dust jacket and the spine is somewhat faded, as is the gold lettering on the spine.Inside, the book was pressed open to the center photo spread, and again at another photo spread at the back of the book.Other than that, there's no evidence that it was read. All of the pages are clean, clear and creamy white.

This is an unread first edition of Baudelaire, written by the English journalist Joanna Richardson and published in 1990.
It is a full biography of the French poet Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), which was a best-seller and very well received by critics.
It's a big book with few photos.
It is mylar-wrapped--you can remove it if you like. The spots you see on the cover are from the price tag. No one has ever read this book, or even opened it. It is in mint condition.

This is a first edition (1929) of The Bellamy Trial, by the American writer Frances Noyes Hart (1890-1943).
It is the first legal drama written by an American author and defined the genre of the court-room mystery dramas. It was made into a film in 1929.
Noyes wrote the book in 1927. In 1929, it became part of the Front Page Mystery Series, published by Doubleday Doran. So this is a first edition from that series, rather than from the book's original printing.
The Bellamy Trial is an "absorbing story of the mis-alliances and crossed lives of two couples from the gentry of upstate New York; one wife has been murdered, and the husband and the other wife are the accused," so say 20th Century Crime & Mystery Writers. It is based on the infamous Hall-Mills murder case of 1922. Only the Lindbergh kidnapping received more media attention than this case; The Bellamy Trail also illustrates American society of the 1920s and depicts the first 'media circus'.
It is 324 pages. Red boards with very minor wear to… Read More

Black & White is the ultimate resource for connoisseurs and collectors of black and white fine-art photography.
December 2001 - Special Issue, Visual Dialogue Foundation
152 pages
See scans for the Table of Contents.
There's a little crease mark on the cover but you can only see it in certain light. Otherwise Perfect condition.

Black & White is the ultimate resource for connoisseurs and collectors of black and white fine-art photography.
Winter 1999
112 pages
See scans for the Table of Contents.
There are two tiny fold to the back cover; otherwise in perfect condition.

Black & White is the ultimate resource for connoisseurs and collectors of black and white fine-art photography.
Feb. 2001
144 pages
See scans for the Table of Contents.
There are two tiny scuff marks to the cover; otherwise in perfect condition.

Black & White is the ultimate resource for connoisseurs and collectors of black and white fine-art photography.
August 2004
144 pages
See scans for the Table of Contents.
There's a little bit of wear to the cover; otherwise in perfect condition.

Black & White is the ultimate resource for connoisseurs and collectors of black and white fine-art photography.
December 2000
144 pages
See scans for the Table of Contents.
There are a couple of tiny faint scratches on the back cover; otherwise in perfect condition.