Search Results: Authors starting with B from Mac Donnell Rare Books

Bell, Alexander Graham. TELEPHONE. ROBERTS' OPERA HOUSE, APRIL 27, 1877... [Hartford: Alexander Graham Bell, April, 1877] Broadside flyer or ticket, 3 x 4 1/2 inches, on dark green (teal) paper. Two corners chipped, and one crease, but a remarkable survival for such an ephemeral piece printed on such poor quality paper. This small flyer, which may also have served as a ticket of admission, invited potential customers to come to Bell's first public demonstration of a long distance telephone system (or "exchange"). This historic demonstration was held in Hartford and New Haven with transmissions made over a "borrowed" telegraph line and an "operator" in Middletown making the system (or "exchange") connections. Up until this time phones had been leased in pairs, and the customer had to string their own line (usually between office and home) to the second phone; if they wished to be able to call a third party, yet another line had to be strung directly between the original caller and the third party, but… Read More

[CARADOC PRESS] [BIBLE] IN PRAISE OF WISDOM. Chiswick: Caradoc Press, 1902. First edition, one of 350 copies printed. Original full brown pigskin, with trio of stylized lotus flowers on front cover, t.e.g., silk marker, uncut, printed in red and black, with edges colored yellow. Extracts from the canonical and uncanonical books of the Bible. Fine copy in a distinctive and appealing binding, signed by Bumpus. Tomkinson 8. Ransom, p. 225.

[Twain, Mark] [Clemens, S. L.] Billings, Josh [Shaw, Henry Wheeler]. EVERYBODY'S FRIEND. Hartford: American Publishing Co., 1874. First edition. Original black cloth, gilt. Illustrated by Thomas Nast. Spine ends and corners frayed, else a very good copy. Includes the first book printing of Twain's letter to Billings making fun of his spelling, at pages 573-75. Billings had published this letter in his `Spice-Box' newspaper column in `The New York Weekly' in July, 1873. Early in his career Twain was influenced by the comic writers known as the "Phunny Phellows" (Billings, Ward, etc.) but soon moved beyond their… Read More

[TWAIN, MARK] [Clemens, S. L.] Harper Brothers. STIRRING TIMES IN AUSTRIA DESCRIBED BY MARK TWAIN IN HARPER'S MARCH. [New York: Harper, 1898] Color lithograph poster, 15 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches, printed in yellow, terra cotta, brown, and black. Contains Twain's portrait, the title, and large lettering at bottom "IN HARPER'S MARCH." Designed by Edward Penfield (per DAS FUHE PLAKAT 388). An unusually attractive poster; of the four Harper posters that advertise Twain's works, this is the only one to feature his portrait. Professionally framed using museum mat board (thin nick to one edge of frame). `Stirring Times in Austria' appeared in… Read More

[TWAIN, MARK] [Clemens, S. L.] Harper Brothers. STIRRING TIMES IN AUSTRIA DESCRIBED BY MARK TWAIN IN HARPER'S MARCH. [New York: Harper, 1898] Promotional leaflet for the magazine, reproducing the poster by Edward Penfield on the first page, and listing the contents within, including Twain's `Stirring Times in Austria,' which appeared in `Harper's Magazine' in March, 1898. With the imprint of news vendor Charles Pratt, New York on last page. Cf. Das Fruhe Plakat 388. Cf. Kiehl 208.

[TWAIN, MARK] [Clemens, S. L.] Brownell, George Hiram, and Chester L. Davis, editors. THE TWAINIAN. 1939-1989. Vol. I-III (old series) and Vol. I, number 1 to vol. 48, number 4 (new series), both complete, an unbroken run, with 14 issues from 1942-44 in old photocopy, and one of the earlier issues inscribed and signed by George Hiram Brownell, the original editor. Original self-wrappers, stapled, as issued. A complete run through 1989. There was no issue for July/August, 1960 (19:4) and the Special Mark Twain Number of `The American Book Collector' (also present here) was sent out instead with a rubber-stamp notice on… Read More

Byron, George Gordon Lord. THE WORKS OF LORD BYRON WITH HIS LETTERS AND JOURNALS AND HIS LIFE. London: John Murray, 1832-33. 17 vols. First edition thus, second issue of the first volume (with spine gilt directly on cloth rather than on label). Original dark green moire muslin, gilt. Mild dust and some normal aging, else a fine set, unread, with virtually no wear. Usually found rebound, this edition of Byron (with Thomas Moore's biography) is a landmark in the history of book-binding, being the first example of gilt-stamping on regular book cloth. As early as November, 1827, some English silk bindings had… Read More

Byron, Lord. THE PRISONER OF CHILLON AND OTHER POEMS. London: John Murray, 1816. First edition, first issue with recto of E8 blank, half-title present, and Murray's November, 1816 catalogue at rear. Original drab grey wrappers. Some chips to spine paper, else a nice copy in the original fragile binding, with owner's 1817 gift inscription on rear end paper. Although this poem is chock-full of quotable lines, the phrase "stone walls do not a prison make" is a line by Richard Lovelace that is often misattributed to Byron's PRISONER OF CHILLON. Wise, p. 113. Housed in quarter leather slipcase. Read More