Rare books from AARDWOLF Fine Books

, . Vintage custom conservation box for the parts issue of Dickens’ "The Old Curiosity Shop," 14 3/4" x 11" x 4". Leather covered wood, brass piano hinges, padded interior lined with black satin. Gilt titles on spine and front board reading, "The Old Curiosity Shop, Charles Dickens, 1840." Excellent condition. A unique piece, ideal for the seasoned or aspiring Dickens collector.

Hatborough Monumental Association/ W.W.H. Davis, Printer, Doylestown, PA, 1862; First Edition; tall 8vo, 12 pages. Address by Rev. Jacob Belville given at the dedication of the Hatborough Monument on December 5, 1861 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to commemorate the Revolutionary War "Battle Of The Crooked Billet," which took place May 1, 1778 when Brigadier General John Lacey’s American detachment was surprised at daybreak and put to flight by Col. Abercrombie’s British regulars and Major Simcoe’s Queen’s Rangers. Twenty-eight Americans were killed, many of them cruelly burned alive as they attempted to hide in haystacks and wheat fields of neighboring farms. A stirring and impassioned speech delivered at the outset of to the Civil War which makes a fervent plea for the preservation of the Union which the Revolutionary War heroes had fought and died for. Also contains a full description of the dedication proceedings, names and titles of all speakers, a detailed description of the… Read More

Lothrop Publishing Company, Boston, MA , 1902; First Edition; 8vo, 337 pages plus 4-page publisher’s catalog at the back. Illustrated with four color plates and elaborate page margin decorations by George Wright. Charming Victorian novel of gardening and gardeners, centering upon one Patrick Monahan, "the kindliest Old Irishman alive." Beautifully bound in embossed boards of floral design in green, peach, and gold. Page edges untrimmed. Signed by the author on f.f.e.p. Fine condition. A treasure of a book.

C. Hulmandel, London, 1832-1837; Hand colored stone lithograph by John and Elizabeth Gould of a Rufus-Backed Egret (Ardea rufsata ) from Gould’s "The Birds Of Europe," issued in parts between 1832-1837. Frame size 19 1/2" x 25 1/2", inside matte dimensions 13 1/2" x 19 1/2". Excellent condition, clean, vivid, no tears, or creases. Narrow mat burn. Original descriptive text leaf affixed to the back of the frame together with the shop label of prestigious Brooks Frame and Art Shop, Westwood Village, California, now long gone. A graceful and delicate ornithological subject. Ships to U.S. only.

G.P. Putnam’s Sons, NY, 1923; First Edition; large octavo; red cloth boards; gilt titles; top edges gilt; illustrated. History of the world’s literature and art, from earliest beginnings to date. Authored by renowned poet-dramatist John Drinkwater and artist Sir William Orpen, R.A. Five volumes, containing a total of 1,000 b&w illustrations and 50 color plates. Extensive indices at the back of each volume. Fine in all respects,clean, bright, bindings tight, sound and square, corners sharp, text and illustrations pristine, no ownership signatures or any other markings of any kind. A handsome matched set of a monumental work. Domestic shipping only on this item.

Editions Albert Skira, Paris, 1939; First Edition; tall quarto (11 1/4" x 15 1/4"). Large portfolio of selections from the works of Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, and Camille Pissarro. An entry in the "XIX Century Masterpieces Of French Painting," series printed in Paris in conjunction with French and European Publications, Inc., New York. Authoritative eleven-page English language introduction by Pierre Francastel, containing one in-text tipped-in plate, is followed by 13 beautiful full-page laid-in color plates tipped onto heavy card stock, suitable for framing. Printed in Switzerland. Very Good Plus, tiny chip of the paper covering in the blank area at the uppermost extremity of the spine panel, not affecting titles or graphics. Clean, crisp, bright, corners sharp. All plates brilliant and Fine.

Sri Niranjanananda Swamy, India, 1949; Second Edition; 8vo, 376 pages plus a 14-page index at the back. Commemorative 50-year celebration volume of the life and work of Bhagavan Sri Ramana, comprised of over 75 writings by numerous notable Indian mystics and public figures, as well as such Westerners as C.G. Jung, William S. Spaulding, D. Fuchsberger, and Eleanor Pauline Noye. Color frontispiece portrait plate of Ramana. Very Good Plus, in a Very Good dust jacket that has a couple of closed tears on the blank back panel. Clean, crisp, and bright. No ownership signatures or any other markings of any kind.

Graphis Arte Editions, Livorno, 1993; First Edition in English; Limited to 1000 copies; quarto, 275 pages; blue cloth; gilt titles; illustrated. Definitive catalogue raisonné of the graphic work of Marino Marini (1901-1980), the culmination of twenty years of research by Giorgio and Guido Guastalla resulting in considerable changes to the previous cataloguing, ordering, and dating of the artist’s works. Illustrated with over 435 reproductions in color and b&w, quite a number full-page. Exhaustive catalogue at the back with photo, date, and technical data for every graphic work in Marini’s oeuvre. Includes eight previously unpublished works. Foreword by the authors, preface by Marina Marini, the artist’s wife, and eight-page introductory critical essay by renowned Italian art critic Mario de Micheli. Translation to English from the original Italian supervised by Leslie J. Sachs. Finely published and printed on Brilliant Garda Matt paper from the Garda Mill, by Grafiche Favillini in Livorno,… Read More

Henry Regnery, Chicago, 1972; First Edition; 8vo, 245 pages; photo Illustrated. Biography of America’s greatest showman, Florenz Ziegfeld, creator of the famed "Ziegfeld’s Follies." Inscribed and signed on the f.f.e.p. by Matilda "Goldie" Golden, Ziegfeld’s indispensable private secretary, who entered his employ in 1923 and assumed immense importance in his life, as confidante and keeper of secrets of the Ziegfeld Empire. Very Good, in a Very Good dust jacket. Clean, crisp, and bright.

, 1927; Original manuscripts of Jed Dooley (1884-1973), vaudeville comedian who before going solo was partnered with his sister Ethel and brother Billy in a trick cycling act billed as "The Three Dooleys." Included are eight hand-typed gag sheets recording recent changes and additions to Dooley’s comedy act, dated June 19 through December 12, 1927, and identified at top as, "Original gags added to my act since my last registration, Nov. 16th, 1926." Each sheet is hand signed by Dooley in numerous places. Also included are two handwritten versions of one of Dooley’s acts which featured standup, cycling, saxophone playing, and rope tricks, all with accompanying patter. The first is a nine-page full-length act from the late twenties, and the other a condensed three-page version labeled "Short Version of Act As Done at Coast-Guard, Feb 22, 1943." The long version is handwritten on both sides of engraved letterhead stationery from the Hotel George Washington in… Read More

Editions D’Art Albert Skira, Geneva, 1948; First Edition; tall quarto (11 1/4" x 15 1/4"). Finely published portfolio of Derain paintings. An entry in the Albert Skira "Le Tresors De La Peinture Francaise" Swiss series on 19th century French painting. Eight-page illustrated introduction by Jean Leymarie, followed by ten beautiful full-page laid-in plates tipped onto heavy card stock, suitable for framing. All plates in brilliant color. Printed in Switzerland. Very Good Plus, with a small (1/4") chip in a blank area of the paper covering of the uppermost spine panel, unaffecting titles or graphics. Clean, crisp, bright, corners sharp. All plates Fine. Text in French.

Chapman and Hall, London, 1868 ; 8vo; blank; flyleaf; frontispiece; i-vi; 1-522; 4 pg. postscript; vii; flyleaf; blank; half calf boards; pebbled cloth; raised bands; gilt spine decorations; gilt rules; black morocco spine labels; gilt titles; marbled end papers; marbled page edges; illustrated. No printed publication date, but circa 1868, with preface by Dickens in which he deflects criticism received from America regarding his satirical characterizations and social commentary incorporated into "Chuzzlewit" to reflect the various coarse aspects of American life he encountered during his first trip to America in 1842. "As I had never, when writing fiction, had any disposition to soften what is ridiculous or wrong at home, so I then hoped the good humored people of The United States would not be generally disposed to quarrel with me for carrying the same usage abroad." Dickens returned to the United States in 1867 amid restored popularity, and in a speech delivered at the NY Press… Read More

Printed by E. Guyer, Harrisburg, PA, 1839; First Edition. 8vo, 16 pgs. A special message from Pennsylvania Governor Joseph Ritner (1780-1869) criticizing the rejection of his petition to the state legislature to provide payment to Pennsylvania militiamen for their service in putting down the recent insurrection at Harrisburg, commonly known as the "Buckshot War," giving a detailed chronology of the events leading up to the incident and explaining his reasoning in taking the actions he did, together with complete copies of the correspondence between state and federal officials involved in the matter –William B. Reed, Martin Van Buren, George Douglas Ramsay, A.J. Pleasonton, and J. B. Pointsett. The conflict began over a question of the legitimacy of the electoral vote count subsequent to the election of 1838. Both political parties in the State Legislature refused to seat certain members from the other side, resulting in a bitter fight and riot as onlookers stormed the chamber threatening… Read More

, . 5 1/8" x 6 3/4" signed letter from Robert Dale Owen (1801-1877) dated May 5, 1865 at Cincinnati and addressed to publishers Mssrs. Tickner & Fields, acknowledging receipt of $50 as payment for his article on Hofwyl appearing in Atlantic Magazine that month, a fond history of his years at Hofwyl school, the independent self-governing private college in Switzerland to which Owen credited the molding of much of his character and philosophy. In addition to his notorious involvement with social reforms, Robert Dale Owen served in the Indiana legislature and the U.S. House Of Representatives (1843 to 1847), where he introduced and secured passage of the bill to establish the Smithsonian Institution, for which he was appointed to its first board of regents. Never without controversy, in the 1850 ‘s he turned to spiritualism, and while his book on the subject, "Footfalls On The Boundary Of Another World" was popular with the general public, it incurred ridicule from a number of his… Read More

, 1848; Large (16 3/4" x 21") two-page indenture by which Ann E. Venicomb conveys to Isaac Darnel, both of Evesham Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, a tract of land in Evesham of approximately twenty one acres, bordered by lands of Daniel W. Lippincott, Joseph Even, Rachel Boggs, et. al., Note is taken that the land had come to Venicomb by deed from her sister Rachel E. Boggs, wife of Ossley (Ashley?) Boggs, as part of her late mother’s trust. Boundaries, corner points, and various landmarks are annotated. A note on the front adds that the courses and distances were taken from the old version in the year 1813. Signed by both parties, affixed with a seal, and witnessed by Ezra Evans, Commyssioner (sic) for the County of Burlington, September 12, 1848. Accompanying the deed is a hand drawn survey map of a twenty-plus acre plot, noting it is a "draft taken from several different deeds and not from actual running," and dated March 31, 1850 by Wm. W. Wills. The map is most… Read More