Rare books from Gargoyle Books

Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A.: Arena Editions, 1998. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine/No Jacket. Izu, Kenro. A FIRST EDITION, First Printing, SIGNED with a gift inscription by Arthur Ollman ("To Joni, with thanks for your help on this during its somewhat messy birth"), who wrote the 10-page introductory "Essay" discussing the photographer, his love of Japanese gardens & flowers, & his artistic technique. Preceded by a 1-page "Introduction" by actor Richard Gere. The remainder of the book consists of 55 duotone plates, each featuring a different "Still Life" photographed by the artist, 1992-1996, printed on luxurious heavy, off-white matte stock. Oversized square hardcover has deep claret cloth-covered boards, black lettering to spine, debossed author's name & pictorial pastedown on front cover (two very shallow dings here). Condition is Near Fine: looks, feels, & smells just about brand new except for 2 tiny rubbed holes… Read More

New York, New York, U.S.A.: St. Martins Press, 1972. Reprint . Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good. The classic tales from the East, "rendered into English fro the literal & complete French translation by Dr. J. C. Mardrus by Powys Mathers" in this 1972 edition (1977 printing). Lovely 4-volume hardcover set in blue cloth-covered boards with gilt lettering to spine. Each book contains 500-600 pages. The books are Near Fine, marred only by bumped corners, slight rubbing, & the occasional foxed spots/small stains to external page edges. Interiors look As New: completely clean, binding strong & straight, pages a creamy off-white but completely unmarked. Former owner's bookplate neatly glued to ffep in all four books; easily covered with your own. The unclipped DJs range from Good+ to Near Fine, with varying degrees of spotting/foxing/slight wrinkling; NO rips or tears or chips. all 4 are nicely protected in new clear mylar covers for years of reading pleasure.Photos depict the Exact… Read More

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1985. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Fine/Fine. Three years after "A: Is for Alphabet" kicked off the author's renowned alphabet series featuring female private investigator Kinsey Millhone, she's back for "B,'' & would continue to appear over the next three decades until Grafton's untimely death in 2017, with the final book "Z" remaining unwritten. From the estate of a local mystery collector, this is a FIRST EDITION, First Printing hardcover book with original, unclipped DJ, which has been protected in a mylar cover since purchased Brand New. SIGNED by the AUTHOR in black marker (her name only) on title page. Both book & DJ are in Fine condition (our highest grade): just slightly less crisp than Brand New! Completely clean, binding strong & square, creamy white pages. Absolutely NO writing or underlining or highlighting. NOT ex-lib; NOT bce. The DJ is virtually flawless:… Read More

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1982. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Fine/Fine. The very first book in the author's renowned alphabet series & the one that introduced female private investigator Kinsey Millhone to the world. From the estate of a local mystery collector, this is a FIRST EDITION, First Printing hardcover book with original, unclipped DJ, which has been protected in a mylar cover since purchased Brand New. SIGNED by the AUTHOR in black marker (her name only) on title page. Both book & DJ are in Fine condition (our highest grade): just slightly less crisp than Brand New! Completely clean, binding strong & square, creamy white pages. Absolutely NO writing or underlining or highlighting. NOT ex-lib; NOT bce. The DJ is virtually flawless: bright & colorful NO fading or wear. A beauty! Please see our photos--they show the EXACT book you will receive from us, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have on hand!… Read More

New York, New York: Stein and Day, 1974. First Edition Later Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good. A beautiful copy of this scarce classic, purported to be "the first truly complete herbal guide since the seventeenth century!" Offers thorough, step-by-step instructions for growing, purchasing, & using herbs for staying healthy as well as curing ills. In 371 pages with Index & 100+ illustrations throughout text. Orig. published in 1974, this is a FIRST EDITION, but later printing (since the paperback edition from 1975 is noted on copyright page). Hardcover book has rust-colored paper over boards with gilt lettering to front & spine. Condition is Near Fine: exceptionally clean & bright, but marred by 1) foxing to top outside page edges, 2) small faded band wrapping around bottom spine to both front & back boards, 3) a single small smudge to bottom outside page edges, 4) slight mustiness (which we feel adds to its appeal as a volume of ancient knowledge!). Binding… Read More

New York, New York: Viking Press, 1939. First Edition Later Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine/VG-. From a single collector's estate, this is a true FIRST EDITION, but later (7th) printing ) from June 1939, with all requisite points of issue. Hardcover book has nubby oatmeal-colored cloth over boards with embossed design in brown that wraps around front to back & brown lettering to front & spine. Condition is Near Fine: very clean, with one small faint rust-colored spot to top edge of rear board. Mild tanning to all pages, slightly heavier around edges. Binding secure & straight, corners crisp. The unclipped DJ (with orig. $2.75 price at top corner of front flap) is VG-, with some rubbed areas to spine & small chips at all corners & both ends of spine. Light soil, darkening to spine. One 1.5" tear at top intersection of rear flap/back cover. A handsome copy! Beautifully protected in new mylar cover. Our photos depict the Ex act book you will receive from us, never… Read More

New York, New York: Covici Friede, 1936. Second Edition . Hardcover. Fine/Near Fine. Steinbeck's first book, published when he was just 27 years old, & his only work of historical fiction. Orig. published by Robert M. McBride in 1929, this is the first printing of the Covici Friede reissue from 1936, commonly referred to as the Second Edition, with the Second State DJ ("Of Mice and Men'' mentioned on front of DJ). From a single collector's estate, this hardcover book has rich navy cloth over boards with embossed design to front & bright gilt lettering to spine. Condition is stunningly Fine: exceptionally clean & crisp, with sharp, crisp corners. Even blue publisher's topstain. Binding straight & strong. Pages are supple, not brittle, but show moderate tanning, commensurate with age, heavier around edges; NO foxing. Former owner's name & address in faded ink inside front cover. The brilliantly colored DJ, clipped at all four flap corners, is Near Fine:… Read More

New York, New York: Stein and Day, 1966. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Fine/Very Good+. In this extremely hard-to-find & long out-of-print cookbook, one of the principal dancers in the New York City Ballet & (at the time) wife of George Balanchine offers a highly personalized collection of dancers' favorite recipes, along with backstage portraits, biographical information, & anecdotes about the dancers themselves & dance life in the company. In 424 pages with Index & photos throughout of dancers like Allegra Kent, Alicia Alonso, Margot Fonteyn, Edward Villella, Maria Tallchief, Melissa Heyden, Suzanne Farrell, Rudolf Nureyev, & Balanchine himself. A true FIRST EDITION, First Printing, this hardcover book with mustard-colored boards & beige linen-wrapped spine is in breathtakingly Fine condition: completely clean, binding strong & straight, pages creamy white with a whisper of tanning; NO foxing. NO writing, underlining, or highlighting; not ex-lib.… Read More

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Grosset & Dunlap, 1971. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Fine. Dolwick, Bill. Breathtakingly beautiful condition on this FIRST EDITION, first printing (listing to self ion back cover, self-summary in front matter) from 1971 of Book #33 in the second Tom Swift YA series, the very last in this series of 33 volumes written under the pseudonym Victor Appleton II. With colorfully decorated matte paper over boards & golden yellow spines/back covers, in 180 pages with a plain frontispiece, internals, & endpapers by illustrator Bill Dolwick. From a single owner collection, condition is Fine: cleanest & brightest copy we have EVER seen! Looks like it came from the store yesterday! Covers bright, NO fading pages white, with no tanning or foxing. Binding straight & strong, hinges intact. NO writing/underlining/highlighting. Virtually flawless save for very slight rubbing/bumping to corners. NO DJ, as issued. Our photos depict he EXACT book you will… Read More

New York, New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1937. First Edition Later Printing . Hardcover. Very Good+/VG--/G+. Tandy, Russell. Book #12 in the classic series featuring girl sleuth, Nancy Drew, & her chums, Bess & George. First published in 1932, this is an extremely early printing (1937A-7 per Farah's 11th), in the thick blue format with orange silhouette to front cover, orange silhouette endpapers, & glossy frontispiece + 3 internals by illustrator Russell Tandy! Hardcover 12mo, original text in in 218 pages + 2 pages of ads for other books (to ND#10 & JB #9) in rear. Condition is VG+: very clean, with mild darkening/dust dulling to outside fore edge. Binding strong & straight, both hinges secure. Pages creamy white with age-appropriate tanning to edges, but completely unmarked. The unclipped DJ (with 5050 code & listing to ND#13 on front flap, JB#9 on back cover & DG#6 on rear flap) is VG-/G+, downgraded due to chipping at both ends of spine, lighter chipping &… Read More

Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1944. First Edition, 2nd Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine/Good. An intimate glimpse into Eskimo life, as witnesses by few other white men at the time, by the author, who first came to this remote land in 1910 as an evangelist, then returned as a teacher at Eskimo schools in Sinuk & Wainwright & as part of an archaeological excavation of a prehistoric village. Orig. published in 1941, this is the Second Printing of that First Edition from Sept. 1944, in 242 pages with Index, sepia photographs throughout text, map endpapers. Hardcover has tan cloth over boards with green & silver design & lettering to front & spine. Condition is Near Fine: exceptionally clean & bright, binding straight & strong, hinges secure, but staring to crack at verso of half title page where it was SIGNED with a personalized inscription by the AUTHOR'S DAUGHTER: To Tom and Taleh from the author's daughter Olivia (to you)". NO other writing,… Read More

New York, New York: John Day Company, 1931. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. Author's second novel, winner of the Pulitzer prize for fiction in 1932 & the first in what would evolve into a trilogy known as "The House of Earth." From 1931, this is a true FIRST EDITION, First State, with correct full publisher's name, "flees" vs "fleas," in publisher's tan cloth with gilt design & lettering to front & spine, green pictorial endpapers (with former owner's bookplate affixed inside front cover). In 375 pages + publisher's emblem on final page. The topstain appears to have been brown, not green, but is largely worn away; lots of foxing to these top edges, though, to both the extremities of the boards & the page edges; other outside page edges also show foxing. Condition is soundly VG: clean & bright, binding straight & strong, hinges secure, pages creamy white with modest tanning to all edges,… Read More

Pasadena, California, 1896. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine. The HMMBA (Hotel Men's Mutual Benefit Association) was an organization comprised of the leading hotel men in the US, created in Chicago, IL, in 1879. They held annual meetings around the country, & while in each area, engaged in "excursion parties.with the entertainment on so colossal a scale that all who attended were amazed, delight, & enthusiastic as never before." Authored by then HMMBA president G. Wharton James, the present volume chronicles the group's 1896 California trip, lavishly illustrated throughout with duotone photos & drawings of the cities & attractions & hotels they visited. Self-published by the author from Pasadena, CA, he dedicated the book "to those who came & enjoyed & to those who stayed home & sighed." In 338 pages + unpaginated (16 pages) of vintage ads in rear, edged on all sides in gilt, which is bright. Textured floral patterned… Read More

San Francisco, California: Sleuth Publications, Ltd., 1981. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Fine. Challenge your wits against the great detective in this parlor game from 1981 suitable for solitaire, pair, or multiplayer team play. Faux leather/plastic covered three-ring binder in brown with white design & lettering to front & spine. Condition is Fine: all elements complete & looks brand new & never opened/played! Includes: 1) Clue Book (bound in the rings); 2) 6 stapled booklets (London Directory, 2nd ed.; Quiz book; Rules; Case Book; Rules, Clues, Case Solutions Set #1; Newspaper Archive. 3) Solution Checklist pad of tear-off sheets, 4) registration card; 5) fold-out map of Holmes's London. Only flaw is small scraped spot to front cover, mid-spine & a streak of slight rubbing to center image of Holmes. Else, completely clean & bright & flawless! Our photos depict the Exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually… Read More

New York, New York: MacMillan Company, 1948. First Edition First Printing 1st Printing. Hardcover. Good/VG-. Hader, Berta; Hader, Elmer. Lovely tale depicts how the birds & animals of the woods & meadows go about preparing for winter, informed by the authors' own experiences & observations as they made their own home in a stone house they built themselves in the countryside overlooking the Hudson River at Nyack, NY. This was their fifth book, & won the 1949 Caldecott Award for their illustrations. A true FIRST EDITION, First Printing, from 1948 (with the requisite date on title page as well as the copyright page), this hardcover small 4to (8.5" x 10.25") has medium blue cloth-covered boards stamped with white lettering & snowflake design to front/white lettering to spine. As an EX-LIB copy, it has a card pocket in rear & minimal markings both there & in front matter. Condition is Good: generally quite very clean, with an occasional small smudge. Stitched… Read More