Modern Collectibles and Curiosities

Set of 8 American Modern sterling silver matchbox holders, ca 1920. Retailed by Udall & Ballou in New York. Rectangular with open ends; sides have cutout tubes. On each is applied en...

Pair of Italian Armillary Spheres Vane began 20th Century material: iron and stone HEIGHT 80 cm DIAMETER 60 cm WIDTH 60 cm DEPTH 85 cm good conditions

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...

Important and Exclusive Spanish Terrestrial Globe 20th century of the zodiac made of metal on a solid hardwood base. A unique highly decorative collector's item for any room in the h...

Led Zeppelin A Photographic Collection Book by Neal Preston. Led Zeppelin: A Photographic Collection Book by Neal Preston. 1st Edition: 2002, out of print. Author: Neal Preston. Softcover book. 192 page large photo history book of the legendary rock band Led Zeppelin.This is a huge soft cover volume, Dimensions: 12 1/2" x 9 1/2" x 1/2" thick. Neal Preston's collection of behind the scenes Led Zeppelin shots are some of the most revealing ever photographed. The more legendary a rock band becomes, the harder it is to peer through the myth. And the more unpredictable and off color their actions, the harder it is for an outsider to get inside and gain their confidence to photograph their real world. Preston and his "candid" camera were right t, on their private jets, at the after shows ; live recording sessions taking unique pictures during their 70's reign as the Lords of Misrule.This is a very sought after and out of print photo collection...

Set of 7 antique fishing big fishing rods and parts. Made in Spain, circa 1900. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patin...

Set of 8 antique fishing big fishing rods and parts. Made in Spain, circa 1900. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patin...

A pair of silver gilt Torah finials or Rimonim by Moses Salkind London, 1925 Height 41cm, diameter 9cm Moses Salkind & Co., based on Mulberry St. London, were leading makers of ...

Angel trumpeter - original hand painted recovery weapon England early 20th Century Original antique English weather vane in hand painted iron depictin...

Sailor with glasses - original hand painted recovery vanity - england early 20th century. Original antique English weather vane in hand painted iron depicting a sailor looking t...

A large and very rare silver-inlaid antique Judaica tray Jerusalem, c.1900 Height 2.5cm, diameter 62cm This large and remarkable work is a copper and silver-inlaid antique Jewish tray, featuring meticulous and exceptional metalwork, and was made in Jerusalem around the turn of the twentieth century. It features a twelve-fold repeating pictorial decoration, which is set between two circles, that of the central ring in which a large menorah...

An early 20th century antique brass Judaica Menorah by the Bezalel Academy, Jerusalem Israel, c.1930 Measures: 28cm high x 20cm wide x 5.5cm deep Ma...

A large Holy Land mother-of-pearl, abalone shell and olive wood icon Jerusalem, early 20th century Icon: height 55.5cm, width 52cm, depth 18cm Case: height 15.5cm, width 61.5cm, depth 57.5cm In fitted case, presented by the President of the Senate...

A set of 15 Bezalel Academy Judaica silver and brass decorated WWI shell cases Jerusalem, c.1930 28cm high x 9cm in diameter Valuable both for the...

FIREPLACE IN SERENA STONE early 20th century Italy HEIGHT 130 cm WIDTH 140 cm DEPTH 70 cm WEIGHT 340 Kg FIRE MOUTH WIDTH BY HEIGHT 90 X 96 cm MATERIAL Sand-stone

Trumeaux fireplace in limestone early 20th century. Italy Measures: Height 210 cm Width 160 cm Depth 80 cm Weight 350 Kg Fire mouth width by height 105 x 90 cm. Material Limes...

A silver-gilt and enamel Austro-Hungarian horse drawn carriage model Austro-Hungarian, Early 20th Century Case: 28cm high x 89cm wide x 44...

A beautiful sterling silver funnel from luxury maker Dunhill, by Mary Dunhill, circa early-20th century, London, England. As marked: "Mary Dunhill", "Ste...

Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth. Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1905. First edition, first issue This is the book that launched Whart...

"30's Mechanical Football Toy Game" Manufactured by CHESTER-POLLARD AMUSEMENT COMPANY - New York City Mechanical football toy game from the 30s very rare cafe bar pub. See phot...

Kinetoscope projector Thomas Edison, dated about 1904, is a museum piece. Film Projector Thomas Edison, USA, in excellent condition. Mounted on a ...

Study camera with bellows in very good condition, two objectives and mounted on easel on casters for professional use that has crank for the adjustment of the camera in height and in...

Interesting modernist, cubist handmade wood cello case from the 1900-1920s. Great folk art object with dovetail joinery and replete with old traveling stick...

Modernist hourglass with silver details, 1990's.