Rare books from Peruse the Stacks

New York: Harcourt, Brace, & World, Inc, 1966. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. First edition of the Nebula Award-winning novelization of this short story originally published in 1959, itself winning a hugo. This classic story has been widely taught in schools as well as challenged and banned since its publication, its themes centering on the treatment of the developmentally disabled, man playing God, the influence on family on one's future endeavors, and even sexuality as personal identity. Very good with some soiling and toning to edges of page block and gray cloth boards. Cloth lightly worn at lower corner tips. Jacket shows a couple small closed tears to lower edge and some soiling and smudging, mainly along folds and spine. Original price of $4.95 intact.

Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Good/Good. Stated first edition, 8vo, 277 pp. Ex-library copy of this classic from Salinger. Good condition with ffep removed and front pastedown partially torn at hinge. Library copy stamp to bottom of page block edge else clean and complete internally. Jacket good with a large chip from top edge of front panel, measuring approximately 2.5 x 1.5" and consisting of "Catc" of Catcher. A small portion of this is laid in for potential conservation. The jacket is also trimmed 1/4" along top and bottom edges, and glued to the boards at flaps. There are a few tears and some toning to flaps. The spine is darkened and shows some rubbing along the joints. The front panel colors remain bright. Original price of $3.00 in tact. An honest copy of the first edition of this iconic work. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall.

Boston: Printed by John Wilson and Son, 1865. First edition thus. 8vo, 23 x 17cm, [vii], viii, [ix], xi, [1], 104pp. Original brown pebbled cloth ruled in blind and gilt stamped lettering to front cover. T.e.g. Very good with fading to cloth around edges, softening to spine ends, and some spotting to rear board. Clean and sound internally. Important early American translation of Dante, published shortly before Longfellow's version of the Divine Comedy in 1867. Thomas William Parsons, poet and dentist from Boston, made frequent trips to Italy to study the Italian master, committing much of his work to memory, its influence becoming apparent in his own verse. His most famous poem, "On a Bust of Dante," was originally published in 1841 and is included in this volume. Also printed here is Parsons' letter to the Duke of Sermoneta, Don Michelangelo Caetani, explaining his method of translating Dante, in which he "developed the alternate quatrain, which is our measure nearest to the Italian." Parsons… Read More

New York: William Morrow & Company, 1956. First edition. 8vo, 254pp. Publisher's pink cloth with black decoration and lettering in in jacket with illustration by Beth and Joe Krush. Very good, slightly cocked with some light soiling and bumping to edge of rear board and corners. Jacket has shallow chipping at spine ends and corners, rubbing along folds, and wrinkling to rear panel. Original price of $2.75 intact. Cleary's scarce 7th book for juveniles, published the year after Beezus and Ramona. The fact this novel, with its period themes of innocent adolescent romance, is still in print today is a testament to the relatability of Cleary's young characters through universal feelings and emotions.

New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1895. First edition. 16mo, [5], 58pp, [6] publisher's ads. Gray cloth decorated in blue and gilt. Very good, Baptist Church library copy with stamps, checkout sheet to ffep, adhesive residue to rear pastedown. Wear and soiling along joints else clean. Translation of this work by Eugène Bersier (1831-1889), a student of the Réveil, or protestant revival in Switzerland and France, who later went on to help found the Evangelical Church of l'Etoile. Abolitionist Jeremiah Rankin (1828-1904), frequent correspondent with Frederick Douglass, became pastor of the First Congregational Church of Washington in 1869, bringing unbiased leadership to the church following the schism over the issue of race. He later went on to serve as president of Howard University. This short work explores the constant difficulty the church faces in keeping young people engaged and involved in Christianity, certainly no less relevant today. The publisher's advertisements at the end are for… Read More

Portland: F. W. Baltes & Co. Printing House, 1890. 12mo, 16 x 10cm, [1], 39, [1], plus 12 leaves of ruled paper for notes, pagination includes covers. Printed on white and pink paper with illustrations throughout, single fold out advertisement on yellow cardstock. Original blue paper boards lettered in gilt show chipping along spine and wear to edges, else clean and complete. The first leaf of notepaper has been used to work on some spelling/vocabulary words and a few math story problems involving farmland and bushels of corn by the former owner. Scarce pocket business directory for Portland, Oregon courtesy of Palmer & Rey Type & Founders who were advertised to have kept "the only stock of type, job and Cylinder presses and printing material in the Northwest," at the time. Not in OCLC as of March, 2022.

San Francisco: H. H. Bancroft & Company, 1863. 8vo, 16.5 x 11cm, [3], 420, [2]pp, plus Bancroft's advertisements on front and rear endpapers. Original taupe cloth stamped in gilt on front cover and spine, and in blind on rear cover. Near fine with some uneven toning and light bubbling to cloth. Clean and complete internally save for the ownership signatures of John Hume and O. Harvey on the front flyleaf. Second issue of this Civil War era almanac and business directory from Bancroft, first published in 1862. In unusually clean condition for this cheaply produced volume and also quite interesting for its provenance. John Hume was the brother of western detective and lawman, James B. Hume, famous for his bringing of the notorious outlaw and stage coach robber, Black Bart, to justice. At the time of this publication, John served as District Attorney in El Dorado County, his salary of $2,000 being noted in the almanac. Obed Harvey was a politician and leading physician in El Dorado county (Placerville).… Read More

Chicago: Passenger Department Chicago & North-Western Railway, 1908. Second edition. 12mo, [2], 14, [2]pp, illustrations, map. Plain paper printed wraps in very good condition with single hole punch to inner margins, chipping and wear to corners, else clean internally. An article originally printed in The Saturday Evening Post Philadelphia, and later in "The Strategy of Great Railroads," published by Charles Scribner's Sons [1904]. This first, separate edition in pamphlet form, was offered in 1905 by the Passenger Department of the railway. The "North Western" was chartered in 1859 and became one of the longest lines in the U.S. through a series of acquisitions and mergers over the next century. In 1995 it was purchased and became integrated with the Union Pacific. In its early years, it served a great number of Chicago commuters as well as carrying agricultural imports from the west. The pamphlet is scarce, with OCLC locating only 3 holdings. Our copy which states "Second Edition - Fiftieth… Read More

Livingston, Montana; Yellowstone Park, Wyoming: Yellowstone Park Lodges and Camps Company, 1925. Brochure, 22.5 x 10cm folded, 11pp. Black and white photographic illustrations, map, printed in red and black throughout. Illustrated, stapled wraps show light wear and rubbing with a few bent corners, else fine. Beautiful brochure advertising stays at the park, with photos of lodges, sights, wildlife, maps, and pricing. "Any railroad agent can tell you about Yellowstone National Park, or address Yellowstone Park Lodge and Camps Co." Vernon Goodwin is listed as president, taking over from Howard Hays in 1924.

Sheridan: Clouds Peak Printery, 1950. Single sheet brochure, 17 x 36cm, folded to 17 x 9cm, four panels on each side. Halftone photographs, cover illustration, map. Some light toning and wear, else fine. Small advertisement for the Deer Haven Lodge, member of the Dude Ranchers Association. Nice map of the Bighorn National Forest, showing the location of the Lodge. Pictures include Paint Rock Creek and Lake Solitude. "Some of the finest fishing available is to be had in the lakes and streams....accessible only by 'packing in.' Ca. 1948-1950. Worldcat locates a single copy, at Yale.

[Laramie?]: Missionary District of Wyoming, 1920. First edition. Thin 4to, 25.5 x 18cm, [5], 110pp, photographs. Blue buckram with gilt title to spine, original front wrapper bound in. Lightly bumped corners else fine. Wonderful publication from the Missionary District of Wyoming, now the Episcopal Diocese, with reports from clergy and institutions of the state, including Indian territory. Profusely illustrated throughout with photographs of buildings and interiors, church members, events, etc. Missions and districts include now defunct mining towns and smaller communities including Atlantic City, Big Muddy, Grovont, and others. Photographs of note of Chief Washakie and the Washakie Mission, the Wind River Indian Reservation, Ethete, and many more. The Wyoming Missionary District was formed in 1907, having previously been a part of the Missionary District of Boise and before that, Idaho and Wyoming. It became the Episcopal Diocese in 1967. A scarce and rich repository Native Americana and the… Read More

London: Elkin Mathews & Marrot, 1928. Limited editions. Eighteen volumes, thin octavos, each limited to 530 copies signed by their respective authors. The E.F. Benson title is number #514, designated a presentation copy, all others are numbered below 500. Each printed on rag paper, bound in decorated paper boards with matching, printed jackets. Generally very good or better with a few bumped corners, spine ends worn, light chipping to jackets, some toning to endpapers. Complete set of the very stylish Woburn Books, each title a short story by a popular author of the time. Several of the stories are supernatural in nature, including the classic horror tale from Robert Graves, and the whole series sold quite well and quickly upon publication. The books in order: 1. The Sword of Wood, by G.K. Chesterton 2. The Dewpond, by T.F. Powys 3. A Wedding Morn, by Sheila Kaye-Smith 4· Portrait of The Misses Harlowe, by Martin Armstrong 5. The Apple Disdained, by R.H. Mottram 6. The Man Who Missed the Bus, by… Read More

London: Richard Bentley, 1866. First one volume edition. 8vo, 20.5x13.5cm, [iii], iv, (plus extra table of contents leaf bound in), [1], 470pp. plus 20 illustrated plates. Signature of Edward Eberstadt and date of 1912 on front flyleaf. Later 3/4 crushed morocco, spine decorated and lettered in gilt, red cloth boards. Marbled endpapers, t.e.g. Nearly fine with light wear to cloth boards, one or two instances of marginal chipping and previous owner's bookplate to ffep. Beautiful edition of Thomas Mayne Reid's (1818-1883) folkloric adventure novel, owned by the legendary American dealer and collector of Western Americana, Edward Eberstadt. The work first appeared in parts from 1865-1866, being one of the early Western pulps in England. The story was in part based on Reid's adventures in the U.S., specifically Texas, the author having served in the Mexican-American War. This and other tales from Reid were widely read and influential to such figures as Theodore Roosevelt and Arthur Conan Doyle. The… Read More

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1947. First edition. 4to, 47pp. Illustrations throughout including vignette endpapers. Publisher's red cloth stamped in black. Near fine copy with light edge wear in very good jacket which retains its bright yellow and red colors, showing some darkening to spine, and loss at head and some tears at heel. Original price of $2.50 intact. Small Bullock's Wilshire sticker, bearing the same price, to upper margin of rear flap. First edition of the second original Curious George adventure. Date of 1947 on the title and copyright pages, original price of $2.50. Not the more common and likely later Junior Literary Guild edition. Curious George Takes a Job was published 6 years after the first book in the series from the duo of Margaret and Hans Augusto Rey. The titular monkey originally appeared in France in 1939 in "Rafi et les 9 singes," with a different name. George, always getting into mischief, fares no differently in this title, memorably passing out from ether fumes in… Read More

Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1908. First edition. 8vo, 362pp. Publisher's green cloth stamped with red lettering and black staircase and window illustration on upper board and spine. Illustrated dust jacket. Signed card from Rinehart laid in. Nearly fine, spine slightly cocked and with rubbing to spine ends and corners. Bookplate to front pastedown else clean internally. Original, untouched jacket is very good with chipping to upper corner of rear panel and along upper edge of front panel including head of spine. Some rubbing at folds. First impression with September statement of this Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone and first book from Rinehart. Originally published in 1907 as a serial in All-Story, the work quickly established Mary Roberts Rinehart's popularity as a mystery writer when it became a bestseller shortly after publication in book form the following year. The thriller was later adapted for the stage as The Bat, becoming a major Broadway hit. Hailed the American Agatha Christie,… Read More