20th Century Books

This is a very good set of the sales catalogues produced by Christie's for the sale of the magnificent collection put together by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge, 23rd - 25th Feb...

AUTHOR: MARX, Karl. TITLE: Capital A Critique Of Political Economy. PUBLISHER: Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1906, 1933, 1909. DESCRIPTION: FIRST EDITION FIRST PRINTING OF VOLU...

Grey, Zane. Riders of the Purple Sage. A Novel. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1912 (1940s). Illustrated by Douglas Duer. Presented in full gray Moroccan leather with gilt tooling to fr...

Shepard, Alan, Deke Slayton, Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon. Atlanta: Turner Publishing, 1994. First Edition. Signed by Alan Shepard on the full title page...

Nixon, Richard. The Memoirs of Richard Nixon. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1978. First Edition. Signed and inscribed on a pasted down bookplate. In original dust jacket and boards. Pr...

This is the complete set of the 12 monthly issues that were ever printed of "Flair", which at the time of its production was very stylish and innovative, it folded after only one yea...

Enchanting book of marine botanicals lovingly collected, dried, pressed on paper and bound in a folio with abalone or mother of pearl covers.

Essays by Pierre Berge, Peter Marino and Reed Krakoff A stated first edition of a very scarce book on the husband and wife sculptors Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne. Beautifully p...

Truman, Harry. Memoirs by Harry S. Truman: Year of Decisions [and] Years of Trial and Hope. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1955-1956. Special Kansas City Limited Edition. Two Volumes...

Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929. First trade edition, first issue. In the original first-state dust jacket and publisher’s black cloth boards. Presented in a new archival ¼ leather and cloth clamshell case, with raised bands, gilt tooling, and titles to the spine. Presented is a first trade edition, first issue of Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. The book was published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in New York, in September of 1929. This first printing is presented with its original first issue dust jacket. The dust jacket, as designed by Cleonike Damianakes Wilkins, is considered by many to be one of the greatest of the 20th century and rivals even The Great Gatsby in its collectibility. Set during World War I, A Farewell to Arms tells the story of a young American Lieutenant serving as an ambulance driver in Italy struggling through love and war. The story is told through first person narration detailing many aspects of war that would have been very familiar to readers at the time, as the book was published only 11 years after the 1918 armistice. The simple, direct tone his character uses when giving his unromanticized account of the war later defined Hemingway’s writing style. A Farewell to Arms is loosely based on Hemingway’s own experiences. The author briefly served overseas as an ambulance driver in the Italian Army, sustained injuries, and met a nurse who he eventually proposed marriage to but was declined. The novel’s post-war disillusionist subject assigned Hemingway to the “Lost Generation” of Modernist artists. A Farewell to Arms was Hemingway’s most successful publishing venture to date. Charles Scribner's Sons issued seven impressions of the novel in the short time between September and December of 1929, with over 100,000 volumes sold. The novel secured Hemingway’s place as a popular American author and became his first bestselling book. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was an American author and journalist. His distinctive writing style, characterized by economy of words and dry understatement, strongly influenced 20th-century fiction, as did his life of adventure and his public image. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Hemingway published seven novels, six short story collections, and two non-fiction works during his lifetime; a further three novels, four collections of short stories, and three non-fiction works were published posthumously. Many of his works are now considered classics of American literature. The book’s striking dust jacket design was illustrated by the artist Cleonike Damianakes Wilkins, who worked under the pen name of Cleon. Wilkins was known for her distinctive fusion of Art Deco and Hellenistic styles. She designed the dust jackets for Hemingway’s earlier The Sun Also Rises in 1926 and his later publication In Our Time in 1930, as well as Conrad Aiken’s Great Circle, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s All the Sad Young Men,and Zelda Fitzgerald’s Save Me the Waltz. Wilkins was chosen by Hemingway’s celebrated editor at Scribner’s, Maxwell Perkins. In order to differentiate Hemingway’s tale from other, competing WWI novels on the bookshop shelves, Perkins sought to widen its appeal through the dust jacket. The resulting design was Wilkins’ interpretation of Sandro Botticelli’s epic oil painting “Venus...

Aperture Photography Magazine Collection of 6 Early Issues 1950s. Not real familiar with rating condition of magazines and books. Please ask any questions. Appear to be in nice condition as a set with some minor wear. APERTURE: Volume 5, Number 1 Published by Aperture, Rochester, New York, 1957 8vo., 42 pp, illustrations from photographs. Pictorial stiff wrappers. Fine. Includes an editorial and an essay, "Peeled Paint, Cameras and Happenstance" by Minor White; a continuation of "More Books for the Creative Photographer"; Part 3 of "The Education of Picture Minded Photographers"; Beaumont Newhall on "Teaching the History of Photography"; and a portfolio "Ellis Island" by Shirley Burden with his, and Lewis Hine's images. Covers illustrated by Walter Snyder and Ansel Adams. Aperture Vol. 4 No. 1. Rochester, NY: Aperture, 1956. First edition. Softcover. An early issue of this long running photography magazine. Features a selection from "Creative Photography - 1956 with text by Van Deren Coke. Includes images by Charles Sheeler, Arnold Newman, Reva Brooks...

This is a very good copy of a scarce book on the furniture which was designed and produced by one of the 20th centuries most innovative and sought-after designers. His client list during his career between 1930 and 1970 included many of the most influential royal houses in the Middle East. Including Kings Saud and Faisal of Saudi Arabia, King Hussein of Jordan, King Farouk of Egypt...

Le Pavillon De La Societe de L'Art Applique Aux Metiers a L'Eposition Internationale Des Arts Decoratifs Et Industriels Modernes preface by Yvanhoe Rambasson. Rare complete publicati...

Times to Remember Written by and signed by Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. First Ed hardcover with Brodart covered dust jacket. Signed by Mrs. Rose Kennedy on front end paper with the following inscription: “To Col. Michael Paul With Best Wishes, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy.” Mrs. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy was the wife of Ambassador Joe Kennedy, mother of President John Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy and Senator Ted Kennedy. Gives insight into one of history’s most influential political families. With many family photos. From the estate of Colonel Paul. Paul Michael...

Limited Edition. A painter's book The first complete work designed in gouache and cut-out paper by Matisse, JAZZ is the most accomplished painter's book. The set of colour plates, b...

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. First edition, first issue. Octavo. In the original publisher’s black cloth boards, with gilt titles to the spine. In the original publisher’s first issue dust jacket. Presented with an archival clamshell case. This is a very collectible first edition, first issue printing of J. D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye. The book was published by Little, Brown and Company in Boston, on July 16, 1951. This book is presented in its original black cloth boards and original first issue dust jacket with $3.00 price on the front flap and with the Lotte Jacobi photo credit on Salinger’s portrait on the rear panel. This first edition, first issue is without “Reprinted July 1951” on the copyright found in later issues. The Catcher in the Rye details two days in the life of 16 year old Holden Caulfield, after he is expelled from his school. Confused and disillusioned, Holden is both intrigued and repelled by the trappings and realities of adulthood. An immediate success upon its publication in 1951, and popular with young readers since, the book has sold over 65 million copies. Since the book’s publication, Holden Caulfield has entered the pantheon of American literary heroes. Very few works of art have had the cultural and literary impact of Salinger’s novel. “The Catcher in the Rye was a symptom of a need, after a ghastly war and during a ghastly pseudo-peace, for the young to raise a voice of protest against the failures of the adult world. The young used many voices--anger, contempt, self-pity--but the quietest, that of a decent perplexed American adolescent, proved the most telling" (Anthony Burgess, 99 Novels, pp. 53-54). CONDITION: Good condition overall. Octavo. In the original publisher’s black cloth boards with gilt titles to the spine. The boards show slight wear to the edges, minor creasing to the spine, and some light spotting to the edges. In the original publisher’s first issue dust jacket. Dust jacket has minor separation along the front flap panel fold, some toning, minimal soiling, and chipping with loss to "th" in "the" and touching the "E" in "CATCHER" on the spine. The dust jacket is not price-clipped. Interior pages are mostly healthy, save light toning. Book has a previous owner’s inscription “Harry Weber...

A Philip Johnson Townhouse - Important 20th Century Furniture Collection - May 6, 1989 Sotheby's, New York. 1st Edition. Dark gray cloth hardcover book with silver lettering and dust...

A two volume set of books in a slipcase which is now out of print. It is dedicated to the body of ceramic works that Picasso undertook in the later years of his prolific career and w...

Le Corbusier Der Modulor book. Le Corbusier published Le Modulor in 1948, followed by Modulor 2 in 1955. These works were first published in English as The ...

40 Years of Danish Furniture Design is a four volume work of 1,350 pages and 1,800 pictures, each volume covering a decade. The author - G...

Miniature Rooms, the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. Softcover book, published in 1984 by Abbeville Press. Printed in Japan, 168 pages.

Mural Painting of the Mexican Revolution 1921-1960: Fondo Editorial De La Plastica Mexicana, Mexico. Banco National de Commercio Exterior S.A. 1960 1st edition - one of 5000 copies i...

The revival of the decorative arts in post-war France is extremely diverse, from the 40's style which endures through official orders to classical or neoclassical furniture whose suc...

Revel in the eccentricities of Salvador Dalí with this first Spanish edition of "Les diners de Gala", published in Barcelona in 1974. This visually compelling tome delves into the fl...

A collection of Annie Leibovitz's most classic photographs. The photographs made up her first museum show, which "took place in 1991 at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D...

Industrial Art and the Museum by Charles R. Richards. 1st Ed hardcover published by The Macmillan Company, 1927. Including: Industrial Art Museums of Germany (München, Hess. Landesmu...

Rare to find in this condition 20 pages

Lithograph "Combat entre un lion et un python" (French: "Fight between a lion and a python") by "Paul Jouve" (1878 - 1973) "Signed "Jouve Lithograph with limited edition - number ...

Thonet 19th Century Bentwood Furniture - UCLA Art Galleries - September 18 - October 15, 1961 w/ a foreward by Henry Dreyfuss. Artistically photographed illustrations / text / list o...

Wallace Collection Catalogues. Furniture. Text with Historical Notes and Illustrations by F.J.B. Watson. 1s Ed hardcover Published by William Clowes for the Trustees Wallace Collecti...

PICASSO CERAMICS and works by Jean Cocteau - 1991 Auction Sale Catalog - Bonhams, London. Soft cover catalog. 35 pages w/ 78 color illustrated lots w/ description. Look at all pictur...

A French pair of Nouveau Dictionnaire Des Sciences books by Paul Poiré. The collection of books is leather bound with gold lettering stating the author, title, and respective volume....

An attractive leather bound set of the poetic and dramatic works of Robert Browning (1812-1889) published in 1906 by Houghton Mifflin and Company, New York and Boston. Top edges gilt...

A very scarce book printed in 1971, now long out of print, but still held to be one of the Classic books on interior decoration and design. The book covers a period of approximately one hundred years from 1880 to the year of printing. During this time Jansen expanded...

A smart set of the major novels of beloved author, Jane Austen, this set with the lively illustrations of Hugh Thomson. A smart set containing the major novels of Austen, complete w...

Fashion Theory Hardcover by Carol Digrappa 1980s.This vintage hardcover book titled "Fashion: Theory" by Carol Di Grappa is a must-have for any fashion enthusiast. The book, publishe...

Extremely uncommon Fulvio Bianconi Milan, circa 1959. Small folio, cloth with jacket, 72pp. one of 500 copies, signed by Bianconi with an additional inscription initiated by Bianco...

5 Antique Saddle Leather and Gilt Steel Grey Bound Gilt Theatrical Books in Greek European and early 20th-century authors, including Anton Chekhov, et al. Five enchanting Antique Sa...

Maroc by Albert Watson. Published by Rizzoli International Publications, New York, 1998. White hardcover binding with illustrated dust jacket. Photographs by renowned photographer ...

Important Orientalist Paintings from the Collection of Coral Petroleum Inc. - May 22, 1985 Sotheby's, New York. Hardcover cloth book w/ gilt lettering and decorated dust jacket. Sixt...

Thirty-five Works by Le Corbusier - December 8, 1987 Sotheby's, London - Softcover Auction Catalog w/ card - Sotheby's International Realty & Le Corbusier - Les Maisons Jaoul, Neuil...

A ten volume collection of Algemene Kunstgeschiedenis. This set of books is bound in pressed fabric with gold lettering stating the title and respective volume. Written in 1956-1959...

AUTHOR: BRETONNE, Nicolas Restif de La. TITLE: L'Oeuvre de Restif de La Bretonne. 1 - Les Nuits de Paris, 2 - Les Contemporaines, 3 - Le Pornographe, 4 - La Vie de mon Pere, 5 - Le...

Woodrow Wilson. A History of the American People. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1902. Alumni Edition #29 of 350 copies. Volume I signed by Woodrow Wilson...

A lovely small edition of the works of one of the great Romantic poets, with a lovely binding signed by Riviere & Son. Keats, John: The Poetical Works of John Keats; Reprinted from ...

Early, and possibly the first, portfolio catalog of Gaetano Pesce’s experimental handcart molded resin objects—each a unique creation within a series. Published by Fish Design, circa...

Japanese Prints by Gabriele Fahr-Becker. The major section of the book consists of the 139 reproductions, grouped by artist, each accompanied by a detailed, sensitive commentary. Street scenes, lovers’ trysts, festivals, portraits of courtesans and actors, landscapes and travelogues - these are the motifs of the ukiyo-e print. The dominant theme, however, is woman’s beauty, the grace of her posture and attitudes, and the decorative aesthetics of her flowing garments. Amongst the most celebrated of the artists featured here are Utamaro, with his beautiful courtesans and geishas; Sharaku, with his portraits of actors on the kabuki stage; Hokusai, with his landscapes, among them the "36 Views of Mount Fuji...

AUTHOR: MILNE, A. A. TITLE: Winnie The Pooh. PUBLISHER: London: Methuen & Co., Ltd, 1965. DESCRIPTION: SIGNED AND DATED BY CHRISTOPHER (ROBIN) MILNE. 1 vol., 7-7/16" x 5-1/4", ill...

A collection of sixteen volumes of a Dutch encyclopedia set published from 1932-1938. This set of books is leather bound with the Dutch title; Winkle...

AUTHOR: KIPLING, Rudyard. TITLE: La Guerre Sur Mer. PUBLISHER: Paris: Payot et Cie, 1919. DESCRIPTION: FIRST FRENCH EDITION SIGNED. 1 vol., signed by Kipling above his name on th...

AUTHOR: CHURCHILL, Winston. TITLE: A History of The English-Speaking Peoples. PUBLISHER: NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1956-56-57-58. DESCRIPTION: 4 vols., 8-1/4" x 5-3/4", title-pag...

A collection of twenty volumes of novels by Dutch author J. Van Lennep. Leather bound with gold lettering, this set includes multiple works from the novelist. The pages have signs o...

A collection of twenty volumes of works by Dutch novelists J. Van Lennep and J. J. Cremer. This set of books is bound in pressed fabric with gold lettering. There are minor signs of...

AUTHOR: CHURCHILL, Winston TITLE: A History of The English-Speaking Peoples. PUBLISHER: London: Cassell and Co, Ltd., 1956-8. DESCRIPTION: ALL FIRST LONDON EDITIONS. 4 volumes. Bo...

Capote, Truman. Breakfast at Tiffany's: A short novel and three stories. New York: Random House, 1958. First edition, first issue printing. Signed by Truman Capote. In the original p...

An early PIRATED edition of the scandalous novel by D.H. Lawrence. Privately Printed, 1928. 8vo, 8 7/8 x 6 1/4 in. (225 x 158 mm); half title, Limitation page, title, 365 pp. 3/4 r...

“The deeper the white man went into Africa, the faster the life flowed out of it, off the plains and out of the bush…vanishing in acres of trophies and hides and carcasses” proclaime...

A truly beautiful limited edition set of the works of Anglo-Irish novelist Oliver Goldsmith, illustrated throughout and with a number of volumes signed by the artists. The twelve vo...