Rare books from Appledore Books, ABAA

Philadelphia: Henry Altemus, 1918. Decorative Cloth. Very Good/Very Good. A VERY EARLY EDITION IN ITS ORIGINAL PICTORIAL DUSTJACKET(!!). Published by Henry Altemus of Philadelphia as part of its "Wee Books for Wee Folks" series, the publication date can be pinned down conclusively between 1918-1921 but not more specifically than that. Dustwrappers earlier than this on editions of "Little Black Sambo" rarely appear. As it stands, this is a wonderful and colorful jacket design. The front panel of the dustjacket--which mirrors the cover of the book itself-- has a hand-colored image of "Sambo" under an umbrella with a black and white jungle relief behind him. The back panel lists other titles by Altemus in the "Wee Books for Wee Folks" series. Both the book and the jacket have held up nicely, given their age. A solid VG copy in bright boards and in a VG/VG- dustjacket with light chipping along the top and bottom edges of the covers and light chipping at the spine extremities. One dime-sized chip as well… Read More

London: Phaidon Press, 1973. Decorative Cloth. Collectible; Very Good/Very Good. 1973 1st English language edition (following the original 1972 German edition published out of Salzburg). The definitive monograph on Schiele and the catalogue raisonne of his paintings, watercolors and drawings. Tall, sqaure quarto, "282 plates, including 84 in color, and 612 text illustrations". A solid, VG+ copy in a bright, VG dustjacket, with light soiling and creasing to the panels. Internally very clean, with no writing or markings of any kind. The text translated into English by Alexander Lieven.

New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1947. 1st. Cloth. Collectible; Fine/Good. INSCRIBED BY EDWARD WESTON on the front free endpaper. A solid copy to boot of the 1947 stated 1st printing. Clean and Near Fine in a bright, price-intact, G+/VG- dustjacket, with closed tears and chipping along the panel edges and at the lower tip. Still though, a presentable, attractive copy. Oblong quarto, crisp black-and-white reproductions thruout. THIS COPY ALSO INCLUDES A KODAK COLOR PRINT OF WESTON AND 2 OF THE CATS FROM WILDCAT HILL LAID-IN. Signed by Author.

New York: Artists & Writers Guild (Simon & Schuster), 1944. Hardcover. Very good/very good. Corinne Malvern. The 1944 6th printing, IN THE UNCOMMON PICTORIAL DUSTJACKET. Clean and VG (with just a touch of wear at the spine ends) in a bright, price-intact, VG dustjacket, with a bit of light chipping to the spine crown. Arranged by Leah Gale, nicely illustrated thruout by Corinne Malvern.

New York: Harper & Row, 1964. Leather bound. Near Fine. BEAUTIFULLY INSCRIBED (A WARM, FULL-PAGE INSCRIPTION) BY EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER on the front free endpaper. (Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the 5th child of Rose and Joseph Kennedy, championed the disabled and made work on their behalf one of the great causes of her adult life. She was credited with being a driving force behind --and essentially a founder of-- The Special Olympics and in this dedication cites the work of a renowned psychiatrist, a man whose "wisdom, courage, knowledge and counsel and love for the mentally retarded and their families has inspired and created more action and benefits for the retarded than anyone else in our country. With the great admiration of all the Kennedys, Affectionately, Eunice Kennedy Shriver"). A very nice copy to boot of the 1964 Memorial edition, in the publisher's uncommon full-leather binding. Tight and VG+ in its navy-blue morocco, with the Presidential seal in gilt and gilt-bordering on the front panel.… Read More

San Francisco: City Lights Pocket Bookshop, 1956. Original wraps. Near Fine. A remarkable Association copy of the 1956 correct 1st edition. This copy not only conforms to all the original issue points but is in beautiful, near-pristine condition. Furthermore, THIS COPY IS SIGNED BY 5 OF THE KEY FIGURES IN THE BOOK'S GENESIS: 1) ALLEN GINSBERG (on the title page); 2) LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI (on the copyright page); 3) LUCIEN CARR (on the dedication page); 4) WILLIAM BURROUGHS (also on the dedication page); and 5) CARL SOLOMON (on the first blank endpaper). In other words, this copy is signed by the book's author, its publisher and by 3 of its 5 dedicatees (only Jack Kerouac's and Neal Cassady's signatures are missing from this copy). Notably, of the 5 signatures, all critically important to the birth and evolution of "Howl", Lucien Carr's appears to be the most elusive. We know that Carr's relationship with the Beats grew tense early on and that he insisted his name be removed from all subsequent… Read More

Venice: Battista Tramontin, 1689. Vellum. Very Good -. The very scarce 1689 original printing of Antonio Biondini's "Prattica D'Algebra" ("Treatise of Algebra"). Published in Venice in its commonly-read Latin, the original vellum binding is still strong and firmly in place. Forgivable spotting and staining to the panels, internally the pages are surprisingly clean and bright. Octavo, decorative mottled edges. (Cited in "History of Mathematics", Vol. II, pg. 409, David Eugene Smith, Ginn and Company, Boston, 1923).

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1920. Cloth. Near Fine. A very sharp, well-preserved copy of the April, 1920 true 1st edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's first published book. Tight and Near Fine in its dark-green cloth, with bright, very lightly-dimmed gilt-titling along the spine. Internally, clean as could be, with no writing or markings to speak of. Firmly-bound, clean, crisp boards. Only 3,000 copies of the 1st edition were printed and, as legend has it, these were sold out in 3 days, prompting a 2nd and even a 3rd printing to come out in the same month, April of 1920. (Facsimile dustjacket included).

New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1963. Pictorial boards. Very Good +. Maurice Sendak. A crisp, surprisingly well-preserved copy of the 1963 correct 1st edition, with the olive green/gray cloth spine, the Library of Congress # AND the 1963 copyright on the title page. Bright and VG+ to Near Fine in its Sendak-illustrated boards, with one small name and date at the front free endpaper. Otherwise, clean as could be and legitimatley approaching Near Fine to Fine. Oblong quarto, wonderfully illustrated throughout by the great maestro. Lacking the dustjacket.

New York: W.D. Gann & Son, 1941. Cloth. Very Good. A solid, well-preserved copy of the uncommon 1941 1st edition. Tight and VG to VG+ in its purple cloth, with still somewhat-bright gilt-titling along the spine. Very mild spotting to the panels, very light soiling at the endsheets and pastedowns. Clean as could be to the text and otherwise internally, with no writng or markings of any kind. Octavo, black-and-white photos of the author and his son (the dedicatee) at the front, copious charts at the rear. An important early title in investment and trading literature, scarce in its original 1941 edition.

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1953. Boards. Very Good/Very Good. Joe G. Rinaldi. The 1953 stated 1st printing. A solid, very presentable copy. Tight and VG (light spotting to the boards, mild offsetting at the pastedowns and endpapers) in a bright, price-intact ($2.95), VG dustjacket, with very light creasing and chipping --and one or two tiny closed tears-- along the top-edges. Foreword by Walt Disney himself, nicely illustrated throughout by Joe G. Rinaldi. A handsome copy.

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1939. Pictorial boards. Very Good +/Very Good. Ludwig Bemelmans. The 1939 1st edition, 2nd issue (without the matching 1939 date to the title page). Clean and VG+ to Near Fine (with the correct number {12 girls} in the "They went home and broke their bread" illustration) in its wonderful pictorial boards. And in a clean, price-clipped, VG- to VG dustjacket, with light chipping along the spine and the panel edges, and mild darkening to the top-edges and the rear panel's fore-edge. Still though, very presentable and uncommon even as such, in this 2nd issue of the 1939 true 1st edition.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co, 1943. Pictorial cloth. Very Good/Very Good -. Virginia Lee Burton. The 1943 correct 1st edition, with the matching dates to both the title and copyright pages, AND the $2.00 price to the dustjacket. This is a solid, presentable copy. Tight and VG in its pictorial blue cloth, with very light staining along the rear hinge and the front panel's lower-edge. And in a bright, price-intact, VG- dustjacket, with light creasing and several closed tears along the panel edges, and mild soiling to the panels. A warm, inspiring tale by the formidable Virginia Lee Burton (of "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" and "The Little House" fame). Oblong quarto, wonderfully illustrated throughout in rich color by her as well.

New York: Charles L. Webster & Co, 1886. 1/2 leather. Very Good. The 1885 1st edition, in the publisher's less common 1/2 deluxe brown morocco over chocolate-brown boards. Complete in 2 volumes, the first published in 1885, the second and final volume published in 1886. Both volumes solid and very presentable, with lightly-rubbed gilt-titling along the spines and bright gilt-medallions at the front panels. A bit of light wear to the outer hinges and mild scuffing at the panels. Internally, all plates present and no writing or markings to speak of, save for 2 blank preliminary pages in Vol. II with light crayon. Thick, uniform octavos, matching edges, pastedowns and endsheets. THIS COPY ALSO INCLUDES SOME VERY INTERESTING EPHEMERA, such as the original 1885 printed receipt for the purchase of the set and a well-executed, late 19th century pencil sketch of the set's "erudite" first owner, a woman named Matilda Ziegler. (Opposite the sketch is an original, pasted-on memorial card of Matilda produced by… Read More

San Francisco: The Arion Press, 2019. Decorative Boards. Fine. Tim Hawkinson. A pristine copy of this lovely 2019 Arion Press rendering of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". Clean and Fine in its decorative boards, with an immaculate die-cut chemise and pictorial cloth slipcase to match. #85 OF 220 COPIES PUBLISHED (in addition to 26 lettered copies hors de commerce). All are signed at the colophon by the artist Tim Hawkinson, who has here contributed "nine prints and a vignette from hypodermic ink drip drawings". Octavo, Introduction by Todd Hosfelt. A beautiful fine press offering of Mary Shelley's 1818 timeless novel.