The Obscene Bird of NightDonoso, José; Martin, Hardie St.; Mades, Leonard
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Publication Date: 1973
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Publication Date: 1973
An excellent first US edition of one of the great works of twentieth-century Latin American literature, Isabel Allende’s celebrated debut novel, The House of the Spirits.
First published in English translation, this acclaimed work established Allende as a major literary voice and was hailed as “one of the great novels not only of Spanish America but of our time.” A sweeping family saga blending political history, social upheaval, memory, and magical realism, the novel remains one of the most important and enduring works of contemporary fiction.
This attractive copy is presented in the publisher’s original blue-green boards, with gilt-stamped decoration to the front board and green stamping with gilt lettering to the spine. It is housed in the original unclipped ($7.95) colour pictorial dust jacket. The volume retains its machine-deckle fore-edge and contains 440 pages.
The dust jacket is near fine, with only light edgewear, gentle creasing to the flaps, and faint toning to the margins. The book itself is very good plus, with slight bowing to the front board, a few faint spots of soil, and minor sunning to the extremities. The interior remains bright, crisp, and clean throughout.
A handsome and well-preserved first American edition of a modern classic, ideal for collectors of world literature and significant twentieth-century fiction.
The Painted BirdKosinski, Jerzy
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
Publication Date: 1965
Details
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
Publication Date: 1965
Details
A rare presentation copy of Jerzy Kosinski’s acclaimed debut novel, offered here as a first edition, first printing, first issue, signed and inscribed by the author in the year of publication.
This first issue is identified by the distinctive textual point on page 270, where the final line of the preceding page is repeated at the top of page 271, with the duplicated line on page 270 crossed out in pencil. The copy is inscribed by Kosinski on the front free endpaper:
“For Mr. Harold D. Klipstein — with appreciation.”
Bound in the publisher’s original brown cloth, with the author’s name stamped in blind to the upper board and titles in black to the spine. The book is near fine, with the front and rear inner hinges professionally repaired. It is accompanied by the original unclipped dust jacket, also near fine, showing only light foxing and gentle toning.
A fine example of Kosinski’s first novel, enhanced by a contemporary presentation inscription from the author. A desirable signed first edition of an important work of post-war American literature.
The Prince
Published by Charles Estienne, Paris.
Publication Date: 1553
Le Prince. Traduit d'Italien en Francoys Par Guillaume Cappel. - [THE BIRTH OF MODERN POLITICAL THOUGHT]
Macchiavelli, NiccoloPublished by Charles Estienne, Paris.
Publication Date: 1553
An extraordinarily rare and historically significant first French translation of Niccolò Machiavelli’s Il Principe (The Prince), published in Paris by Charles Estienne in 1553 — the first translation of this foundational work into any language.
A landmark in the history of political thought, Machiavelli’s The Prince transformed the study of politics and remains one of the most influential works of modern philosophy. This 1553 edition represents not merely an early translation, but the beginning of the international transmission of Machiavelli’s ideas beyond the Italian original. Guillaume Cappel’s translation became the foundation for later European versions and is still regarded as one of the closest and most faithful renderings of Machiavelli’s text, preserving both its force and distinctive character.
This exceptional copy is beautifully preserved in a nineteenth-century red morocco binding, finely executed with five raised bands, elaborate gilt spine decoration, blindstamped frame borders and gilt ornamental centrepieces to the boards, gilt edges, and richly gilt inner dentelles.
The volume contains Estienne’s printer’s device to the title page and fine woodcut initials throughout. Measuring as a small quarto, it comprises (8), 148 pages. The text is remarkably clean and attractive, with only light brown spotting to the first and last leaves. The final three leaves have been sympathetically restored, including a neatly closed tear without loss and minor repairs to the upper margins, well away from the printed text.
Guillaume Cappel’s translation occupies a unique place in Machiavellian scholarship. Unlike later adaptations, Cappel approached the work with a deep appreciation of Machiavelli’s literary and political achievement, producing a version praised for its accuracy, clarity, and close adherence to the original. His translation helped establish The Prince as a European intellectual force and directly influenced subsequent translators, including Jacques Gohory’s important 1571 version.
A profoundly rare and desirable edition: the first French translation of The Prince, a cornerstone of Renaissance political literature and one of the most important milestones in the history of political philosophy.
The RoadMcCarthy, Cormac
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Publication Date: 2006
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Publication Date: 2006
Details
An extraordinary association copy of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, The Road, distinguished by exceptional provenance and a remarkable archive of McCarthy-related ephemera.
Published in 2006, this first edition is a superb Fine copy in the original Fine dust jacket designed by Chip Kidd, retaining the original $24.00 price and “10/2006” code. The volume is presented in the publisher’s black and orange paper-covered boards with metallic copper stamping to the spine and remains bright, square, and exceptionally well preserved.
Laid in at the front are three unique pieces of ephemera from the collection of the late Santa Fe bookseller and longtime McCarthy associate Nicholas Potter, offering an extraordinary glimpse into the author’s famously limited signing practices following the publication of The Road:
• Signed sales receipt — A Nicholas Potter Books receipt dated October 16, 2006, documenting McCarthy’s purchase of a “Toynbee Set” and signed by Cormac McCarthy in black ink.
• Nicholas Potter autograph note — A contemporary handwritten note explaining McCarthy’s refusal to sign trade editions of The Road, even for friends. Potter records McCarthy’s belief that the 250 signed limited editions given to his son John, the book’s dedicatee, represented a legacy that should remain protected. Potter notes that McCarthy stated any signed trade edition he encountered would be a forgery.
• McCarthy handwriting specimen — A rare pencil specimen of McCarthy’s distinctive “architectural” handwriting, reading: “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country,” accompanied by Potter’s identifying note dated 4.24.07.
All three pieces of ephemera remain in Fine condition and provide a compelling documentary record of the relationship between author and bookseller, as well as the unusual circumstances surrounding signed copies of McCarthy’s most acclaimed late work.
From the library of Nicholas Potter — a devoted collector, bookseller, and close acquaintance of McCarthy — this copy represents perhaps the closest possible approximation of a signed American trade edition of The Road. It stands as a remarkable artifact of literary friendship, collecting history, and authorial intent.
A stark and devastating vision of a post-apocalyptic world, The Road follows a father and son’s journey through a ruined landscape, exploring survival, love, memory, and the persistence of hope amid absolute devastation. Written in McCarthy’s spare, elemental prose, the novel became one of the defining literary works of the twenty-first century and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
A truly exceptional presentation: a flawless first edition of The Road accompanied by unique provenance and original McCarthy-related material unavailable in ordinary signed copies.
The Satanic Bible
Lavey, Anton Szandor
Published by University Books.
Publication Date: 1969
Lavey, Anton Szandor
Published by University Books.
Publication Date: 1969
A scarce first hardcover edition of Anton LaVey’s most famous and influential work, an uncommon appearance in the original cloth binding.
Published in the publisher’s original red cloth with black lettering, this copy remains in very good condition. The volume shows some expected signs of age, including a noticeable musty scent, faint dampstaining to the rear board, and foxing to the edges. It is housed in an attractive original dust jacket with light rubbing and some wrinkling to the rear panel.
Best known as LaVey’s defining work, this title occupies a distinctive place in twentieth-century countercultural and religious publishing history. Original hardcover copies are considerably less common than later paperback editions, making this an appealing example for collectors of alternative movements, esoteric literature, and controversial works of modern publishing.
A desirable early hardcover edition of a title that remains one of the most recognizable and discussed books of its kind.
The Satanic VersesRushdie, Salman.
Published by Viking Press, London.
Publication Date: 1988
Published by Viking Press, London.
Publication Date: 1988
Details
An exceptional limited first edition of Salman Rushdie’s most controversial and internationally significant novel, The Satanic Verses — number 24 of only 100 copies issued, signed by the author.
Published by Viking Press in London in 1988, this rare limited edition was released simultaneously with the first trade edition. The volume is beautifully bound in quarter goatskin over navy buckram cloth, with gilt ruling and gilt lettering to the spine, complemented by the publisher’s textured endpapers. It retains the original plain paper dust wrapper with its publisher’s typed spine label.
The book is in fine condition internally, with the text block exceptionally clean and well preserved. The dust wrapper, rarely encountered at all, shows toning and some larger chips to the spine ends, but has successfully protected the binding beneath.
Rushdie’s fourth novel, The Satanic Verses is one of the defining literary controversies of the late twentieth century. A richly complex work of magical realism, the novel explores migration, identity, cultural displacement, transformation, faith, and the divided self through a series of interconnected narratives rooted in both contemporary and historical experience.
The publication of the novel provoked unprecedented international debate over literature, censorship, and religious expression. In 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death, leading to decades of controversy and profound consequences for the author, translators, publishers, and readers associated with the work.
Despite — and in many ways because of — the controversy surrounding it, The Satanic Verses has endured as a major achievement of modern fiction. Literary scholar Timothy Brennan described it as “the most ambitious novel yet published to deal with the immigrant experience in Britain,” while Rushdie himself has emphasized the novel’s broader concerns with migration, metamorphosis, love, mortality, and the experience of living between cultures.
A superbly rare signed limited edition of one of the most important and debated novels of the twentieth century — a landmark of contemporary literature and publishing history.
The Second Sexde Beauvoire, Simone
Published by Alfred A. Knopf & Warburg, New York.
Publication Date: 1953
Published by Alfred A. Knopf & Warburg, New York.
Publication Date: 1953
A desirable first American edition and the first edition in the English language of this important work.
This attractive copy is bound in the publisher’s original green cloth over quarter dark blue cloth, with blind-stamped lettering to the boards and gilt titling to the spine. The book is in near fine condition, showing only light edge wear, mild tanning to the pages, and slight bumping to the upper corners.
The volume is housed in the original unclipped dust jacket, also near fine, with gentle toning, light soiling, and minor wear to the extremities while remaining complete and presentable.
A scarce and collectible first English-language appearance, preserved with its original dust jacket and highly desirable for collectors of significant works in translation and twentieth-century literature.
The Secret Life of BeesKidd, Sue Monk
Published by Viking, New York.
Publication Date: 2002
Published by Viking, New York.
Publication Date: 2002
Details
The Story of OReage, Pauline ; Anne Desclose ; Jean Paulhan [Preface]
Published by The Olympia Press, Paris.
Publication Date: 1954
Published by The Olympia Press, Paris.
Publication Date: 1954
A scarce first English-language edition of one of the most influential and controversial works of twentieth-century erotic literature, The Story of O by Pauline Réage.
Published as an uncommon paperback original, this edition is presented in the original purple wrappers over card covers. This copy is in near fine condition, with only light wear to the tips, a slightly creased spine, and mild fading to the notoriously fugitive purple colour — considerably less than is typically encountered.
Written by Anne Cécile Desclos under the pseudonym Pauline Réage, The Story of O first appeared in French and quickly became a landmark of modern erotic fiction. The novel has been the subject of intense literary debate, frequently compared with the writings of the Marquis de Sade, and has been examined from perspectives ranging from feminist criticism to discussions of BDSM, power, desire, and consent.
This edition includes Jean Paulhan’s influential essay, “A Slave’s Revolt: An Essay on The Story of O,” included at the end of the volume. Paulhan, a major French literary figure and Desclos’s longtime lover, provides a significant contemporary perspective on the work and its reception.
A well-preserved example of an elusive paperback original, this is an important collectible edition of a provocative and enduring work of twentieth-century literature.
The Story of the Eye
With Essays By Susan Sontag and Roland Barthes
Bataille, Georges
Published by Marion Boyars Publishing Ltd, London.
Publication Date: 1977
With Essays By Susan Sontag and Roland Barthes
Bataille, GeorgesPublished by Marion Boyars Publishing Ltd, London.
Publication Date: 1977