Search Results: Titles starting with B from Quercus Rare Books

New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1958. The incredible story of Pappy Boyington, Medal of Honor winner, leader of a famous flying squadron of misfits known as "the Black Sheep." Definitely the stuff of legends! This is a Later Printing (6th) of the First Edition; a Near Fine copy, with bright orange cloth binding with silver lettering. The dustjacket is from the Fifth Printing, and is unclipped. Some chipping and creasing at the margins. In an archival plastic protector. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Later Printing.. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Very Good.

London: Chatto & Windus, 1996. Third in a quartet of novels by the critic and winner of the Booker Prize ("Possession"), focusing on the 1960s "with undertones of sex and cruelty" - in short, a good read! This is a Fine copy of the First Edition. Black cloth binding with gilt lettering on the spine. 618 pages, clean and fresh text. The dustwrapper is unclipped and also Fine; in an archival plastic protector. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. First Edition.. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine.

New York: William Sloane Associates, 1947. Bill Mauldin's second book has his famously subversive GIs, Willie and Joe, coping with postwar America. A Near Fine copy of the First Edition (stated First Printing). Gray cloth binding with black spine and white lettering. Fresh and supple text to enjoy the cartoons! Previous owner name on FFEP. The DJ is unclipped (design by Oscar Ogg), has minor tanning and chipping at the top. In an archival plastic protector. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. First Edition.. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Very Good. Illus. by Bill Mauldin.

New York: Brentano's, 1921. This is a Very Good copy of the First American Edition of one of Shaw's greatest plays. Beginning in the Garden of Eden in 4004 B.C. (Bishop Usher's reckoning of the age of the world), it stretches "As far as Thought can reach" - about 32,000 years. The great Irish playwright is prolix, but manages to pull it off in a mere 300 pages. Green cloth binding, showing mild wear, with a darkened spine. "Methuselah" on the paper spine label has faded but is readable. Contemporary (1921) previous-owner signature on FFEP. Clean text, mildly foxed here and there, particularly on the endpapers. No dustjacket. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. First American Edition.. Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket.

London: Macmillan, 1913. Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), the first scientist to be knighted, ended his political career in disgrace, but his fame as the founder of empirical philosophy lives on. Quercus will ignore the idea that Bacon was also Shakespeare; did he not already accomplish enough? This is a Near Fine copy of a lovely little reissue; many editions, with added material, since the original publication in 1862. Cloth boards; smooth calf spine and tips; ruled in gilt, with six raised bands on the spine. A delight to hold, and well-worth reading today. Marbled endpapers. Clean text; 388 pages. Previous-owner signature on the front free endpaper; minor rub to the leather tips. Size: 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Reprint.. Half-Leather. Near Fine/No Jacket.

New York: R. Worthington, 1878. George Baker (1849-1906) wrote this cute treatise on the etiquette of New York, with a sort of anti-Mrs Grundy take. Originally published in 1875, it was reprinted several times by various publishers, but remains scarce on the market. This is a Very Good Plus copy. Blue cloth binding with a fancy stamped design on the front cover. Clean text; 173 pages. The spine and the front cover fore-edge have darkened, but the book remains attractive. Size: 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Reprint.. Decorative Cloth. Very Good Plus/No Jacket.

Boston: David R. Godine, 1980. The first of the Israeli author's books to be tranlated into English. A Fine copy of the First American edition. Maroon cloth binding with gilt lettering.Translated from the original Hebrew by Dalya Bilu. DJ has been clipped and shows a bit of edgewear; tiny chip at top of spine. Jacket illustration by Nancy Lawton. In an archival plastic protector. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. First American Edition.. Hard Cover. Fine/Very Good.

Dublin: The Bailey Ltd., 1965. "The Bailey" is known to be dated from 1837, although it may have existed earlier. This small-format softbound advertisement relates its history and some its many famous customers. Uncommon as a First Edition. Cover has a representation of the building in black over the Irish tricolour. Clean text; 27 pages; with lovely illustrations by Asgeir Scott. Hardly any wear, but some faint floodmarks, mainly on the rear cover.. First Edition. Soft Cover. Very Good (Plus)/No Jacket. Illus. by Asgeir Scott. 16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall.

London: Leonard Smithers, 1898. Wilde used his prisoner's number as his nom de plume for the early printings. This is a Very Good copy of the "Fourth Edition" (Printing). Tan and cream-coloured binding with gilt titling on the spine. Clean text; 31 pages, text printed only on the recto. There is a contemporary (22 May 1898) previous-owner signature (only three letters) on the front free endpaper. There is a tiny bookseller label (Brentano's, Paris) on the rear paste-down. The paste-downs and free endpapers are typically tanned. The corners are bumped; surfaces soiled; and there is a crease on the rear cover. The spine has darkened but the lettering remains readable. Within this rather used-looking exterior the textblock is wonderfully fresh and bright. A solid copy of this rare edition.. Fourth Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1940. G & D's reprint series of "Cameo Classics" began in the 1930s and continued to 1948; it featured high production values and illustrations. This is a Near Fine copy of Wilde's famous poem. Although undated, it probably was published in 1940. Black cloth binding, titled and decorated in gilt on the spine. The front cover features a raised cameo in white, with gilt titling. Clean text; v, 120 pages. Striking illustrations. Spine is a bit faded. The acetate cover is present, but is in pieces - split and with large chips.The illustrated slipcase is present and is in fairly reasonable condition - there is a split along one top corner, with a 1/2" chip. . First Thus. Hard Cover. Very Good (Plus)/Fair. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

London: Leonard Smithers, 1899. First published in 1898 anonymously under Wilde's Prisoner identification number, this is a copy of the Seventh Printing, which was the first to identify him by name. This copy also states "Entered at the Library of Congress Washington, U.S.A." indicating an American issue; a bit uncommon thus. Ochre cloth binding, with gilt lettering on a linen spine. Clean text; 31 pages. This is a Very Good copy, but there are some issues. The corners are bumped; there is a spot on the front cover and a few stains on the rear. Some cracking to the hingesgive it a shaken feel. Also, there is a long inscription in Latin (also done into English) on the FFEP, and a signature on the Dedication Page. A decent-enough place-holder, but certainly not for the advanced collector. . Later Printing. Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

New York: E.J. Clode, 1903. Perhaps Wilde's most well-known poem, originally published with his prisoner number ("C.3.3.") as a pseudonym (by the publication of this version his name had been revealed and used by other publishers). This is a Very Good copy of the First Edition, which was LIMITED to 259 copies. An uncommon to scarce edition. Bound in vellum, with titling in gilt on the spine and front cover. Clean text; printed in red and black with edges deckle. Not paginated; Quercus counts 57 and the limitation page. Period (1906) previous-owner signature on FFEP (with the notation "her wedding day.") Rubbed at the margins, with soiling or darkening definitely showing due to nature of the binding. The spine is darkened and has some tiny tears; while the gilt is bright, it is a bit of a chore to read without a squint or two.. Limited. Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

New York: Brentano's, 1905. This is a Very Good (Plus) copy of an early printing (1905) of Wilde's poem. Gray-green paper-covered boards with paper labels on the front cover and spine. Clean text; 39 pages. Nicely bright and clear, printed on quality laid paper. There is some rubbing and darkening around the margins. The fragile spine label is chipped vertically with about 50% loss. In an archival plastic protector.. Later Printing. Hard Cover. Very Good (Plus)/No Jacket. 16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall.

New York: Heritage Press, 1937. George Macy conceived of the Heritage Press as a way to offer less-expensive versions of his publications with the Limited Editions Club. They are beautiful productions in their own right; here is Macy's offering of Oscar Wilde's most famous poem. Bound with a smooth, polished cloth in a design of a prison's barred window set in a brick wall. Clean text; xii, 43 pages, page edges are stained red. With an Introduction by Barton Rascoe, and illustrated with eight black-and-white lithographs by Zhenya Gay. Lacking a slipcase, the book remains in Fine condition. Size: 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. First Thus.. Hard Cover. Fine/No Jacket. Illus. by Zhenya Gay. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1890. This is a Near Fine copy of the First American Edition, which preceded the English issue. Decorative green cloth binding with titling, greek ruling and decorations ingilt on the front cover. Titling in gilt on the spine. Clean text; 85 pages. Tiny bit of wear to the tips and margins of the spine; else a Fine copy. Quite a lovely book; in an archival plastic protector.. First American Edition.. Decorative Cloth. Near Fine/No Jacket. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall.

Dublin: The Talbot Press, 1908. Robert Dwyer Joyce (1830-1883) was a physician and noted Irish collector of traditional music (he wrote, as well; e.g., "The Wind That Shakes the Barley"). Originally published in Boston in 1872, this is a reissue with additions by his more-famous brother, Patrick Westin Joyce (1827-1914). First Edition Thus, a Very Good (Plus) to Near Fine copy, issued as part of "The New Era Library." This is an uncommon title, and raely seen in nice condition. Green cloth binding, blindstamped with rules and a Celtic knot on the front cover. Lettering on the spine filled with gilt. There is no publication date, but per Copac, Quercus asigns it to 1908, which seems about right. Clean text; x., 212 pages; Index in the front serves also as the Table of Contents. Mildly bumped, and with very light soiling; foxing is confined to endpapers. A very nice addition to collections of music, folklore, or the Irish Revival. Size: 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾"… Read More

New York: George J. Coombes, 1887. Brander Matthews (1852-1929) was a prominent academic who established Theatre as a legitimate subject of study. He was a prolific writer. Although his academic works are solid, his creative writing is undistinguished and largely unknown today. He was a friend to many of the greatest writers of the time. Here is an early volume of poetic bibliophilia he has selected, in an edition LIMITED to 100 copies, and SIGNED by the publisher, George Coombes, a bookseller who issued catalogues of the "old and curious." The half-title refers to a series called "Books for the Bibliophile;" Quercus speculates that this must have been a series, although this is the first we have seen. RARE. (LOC has several of his titles, as do Folger, Grolier, and NY Public; but this title is not among them.) This is a Very Good (Minus) copy. Paper-covered boards with a paper label on the spine. Clean text; 174 pages. Paper label is rubbed but still readable. This volume is… Read More

New York: The Macmillan Company, 1929. Poet and editor Padraic Colum was also one of the lights of the Irish Literary Renaissance, but relocated to America prior to the Easter Uprising, and enjoyed a long and fruitful career as an ex-pat.This is a Very Good copy of the First Edition. Illustrated paper boards in black and red with incredible artwork by Boris Artzybasheff - emblematic of the Roaring 20s, art deco, and going uptown to Harlem. 123 pages, clean and bright text. Laid-in is an advertising bookmark from Macmillan with "Baloon" as one of the featured titles.The boards show just a minor bit of rubbing on the edges and tips. No dustjacket; in an archival plastic protector. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. First Edition.. Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

New York: The Macmillan Company, 1929. Poet and editor Padraic Colum was also one of the lights of the Irish Literary Renaissance, but relocated to America prior to the Easter Uprising, and enjoyed a long and fruitful career as an ex-pat.This is a Very Good copy of the First Edition. Illustrated paper boards in black and red with incredible artwork by Boris Artzybasheff - emblematic of the Roaring 20s, art deco, and going uptown to Harlem. 123 pages, clean and bright text. The paper boards are heavily rubbed at the edges, red slightly dulled, but it does not detract from the attractive illustrations. No dustjacket.. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

New York: D. & J. Sadlier & Co., 1872. This is a Very Good (Plus) set of the Works of Michael Banim (1796-1874) and his brother/collaborator John (1798-1842). Several of the collaborative works were first published anonymously as "The O'Hara Family." Although very popular during the 19th Century, their works are uncommon today.This set is missing Volume II, but all others are present and complete. Most are dated 1869, but one is dated 1872, and Quercus accepts that as the publication year for the set. Quarter-bound with marbled paper and green leather spine and tips; five raised bands on the spines, which are also ruled; gilt titling and decorations. Although rubbed at the margins, all are in very sound condition, and remain attractive as a set. The texts are in excellent condition: bright, clear, almost completely free of foxing. All have the small bookplate of "Rev. John J. Duffy, D.D." on the front paste-downs. The Title Pages bear a stamp from a Paulist Retreat, St.… Read More