Essays from

This is a boxed set of non-fiction travel books written by Robert Louis Stevenson. It was published by the Folio Society in 2004; these copies have clearly not been read, or even opened. They are pristine. All have illustrated covers and some illustrations inside, by the English artist Nick Hardcastle. As would be expected from the Folio Society, they are… Read more about this item

In 1933, the great Irish writer George Bernard Shaw made his one and only visit to the United States, and addressed a gathering of the Academy of Political Science in New York. He made the speech entitled "The Political Madhouse in America and Nearer Home". In it, rather than use flattery to persuade, he used ridicule, shock and irritation to… Read more about this item

This is a mint-condition copy of Dickens' London, published by the Folio Society in 1966. It is a selection of Charles Dickens' newspaper essays on London Society, on topics from the worst of the slums to the high and mighty at Whitehall. It contains the original illustrations by George Cruikshank. This book does not appear to have been read; there isn't… Read more about this item

This is a stated first edition, and first US printing, of Last Essays, by Joseph Conrad. It was published in 1926 and includes 'Legends', the essay he was working on when he died (of a heart attack). It also includes a photo of the hand-written text of 'Legends'; these are the last words he wrote. As you can see, this book… Read more about this item

This is a first edition, stated eighth printing, of Soul on Ice, the brilliant memoir and collection of essays written by the American activist Eldridge Cleaver (1935-1998). At the time of its writing, Cleaver was serving time in Folsom Prison. He would go on to become a highly influential member of the Black Panthers, as well as a Muslim, a… Read more about this item

This is 7 of the 12-book set of The Works of Charles Lamb, published in 1903 by Dent London and then co-published by Dutton New York. This collection was a best-seller and was printed four times. Four of these books are first editions from 1903; three are 1914 reprints. The set was printed in the UK and is of the… Read more about this item

This is a pristine first edition of The Donkey Inside, by Ludwig Bemelmans. It is a travelogue of a trip he took to Ecuador and was published in 1949. 23 pieces and 155 pages, including 4 double-page color illustrations. No jacket. The book may have been read, or leafed through, but it is in mint condition.

This is a perfect copy of The Children of Dickens, the famous book, written in 1812, by the American minister and essayist Samuel McChord Crothers (1857-1927). It is beautifully illustrated by the great American illustrator Jessie Wilcox Smith (1863 -1935). The book is excerpts from Dickens' works involving children, including Pip, David Copperfield, Micawber Junior, Joe the Fat Boy, Oliver Twist, Sissy… Read more about this item

This is edition 105 (2009) of Granta: The Magazine of New Writing (it was originally a magazine). This is a special edition, titled Lost and Found, and contains short stories, essays and memoirs relating to people and places undergoing tremendous change (see contents photo). 256 pages, trade paperback with laminated covers. Heavily illustrated with photographs and drawings. This book has not… Read more about this item

This is edition 108 (2009) of Granta: The Magazine of New Writing (it was originally a magazine). This is a special edition, titled Chicago, and contains short stories, essays and poetry relating to Chicago and contains works by Peter Carey, Don Delillo, George Saunders, Elaine Showalter et al (see contents photo). 288 pages, trade paperback with laminated covers. Heavily… Read more about this item

This is what I believe is a first Hurst edition of Crown of Wild Olive, a collection of three lectures by the English critic and philosopher John Ruskin (1819-1900). It is three of Ruskin's most famous lectures: Traffic (1864), which is about the conflict between taste and morality; Work (1865) which is about the conflict between those who produce and those… Read more about this item

This is an unread copy of The New Morningside Papers, the second volume of letters, opinion and stories by the famed Canadian journalist and broadcaster Peter Gzowski (1934-2002). Gzowski hosted various shows on CBC Radio for 30 years; his pieces are funny, sad, entertaining and informative. I say that this is a first edition because I don't believe that his books… Read more about this item

This is the stated second printing of The Purple Decades, a Reader, by the American author and journalist Tom Wolfe (1930-2018). It is a collection of 21 essays selected by Wolfe; they are from the '60s and '70s and are accompanied by his own black-and-white illustrations. Included are his famous profiles of Baby Jane Holzer and racecar driver Junior Johnson,… Read more about this item

This is a first edition (1989) of Erotic Works of D.H. Lawrence, Illustrated in Color with the Erotic Paintings of D.H. Lawrence. It includes novels, novellas, short stories, essays and poetry -- see contents photos. D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) is known as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. He was prolific, but is most famous for his novels… Read more about this item

This is a stated first edition (2010) of I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections, by the American writer Nora Ephron (1941-2012). In it, Ephron takes a "cool, hard, hilarious look at the past, present and future, recalling with her signature clarity and wisdom everything she hasn't yet forgotten." This book has not been opened, until now. Mint condition.

This is a pristine first edition of The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, the second book written by Barack Obama. In it, Obama expounds on many of the subjects that became part of his 2008 campaign for the US presidency. It was a massive best-seller. 376 pages, unclipped dust jacket. This book has not been read, or even… Read more about this item

Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (1561 – 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General, as Lord Chancellor of England and as legal advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. His works are credited with developing the scientific method and remained influential through the scientific revolution. Bacon argued for the possibility of scientific knowledge based only upon… Read more about this item

This is a first edition of Young Winston's Wars: The Original Dispatches of Winston S Churchill, War Correspondent 1897-1900, edited by Churchillian expert Frederick Woods. This book has been a best-seller and has been re-issued several times. Churchill had a gift for the language, and his dispatches from Pakistan, Sudan and South Africa are great reading. This copy is in near-mint… Read more about this item

This is a first edition of Churchill's Generals, edited by the English military historian John Keegan (1934-2012), and British soldier and fellow adventurer Michael Alexander (1920-2004). This is one of the original copies, from the UK print run. It is a unique collection of essays by eminent historians. Churchill's reputation as Prime Minister during World War II… Read more about this item

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society, and he disseminated his thoughts through dozens of published essays and more than 1,500 public lectures across the United States. This is… Read more about this item