Search Results: Titles starting with C from B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1921 First edition. Publisher's dark blue cloth designed by Margaret Armstrong (unsigned); in the scarce original dust jacket, light green laid paper stamped in dark green, a simple design, not matching the binding. Very good or better book, text block uniformly toned and with some darker foxing to endpapers and prelims, small nick to rear free endpaper at top edge, some very light wear to corners, cloth bright and clean; in a very good unclipped dust jacket, with some toning to spine, light scattered foxing and soiling most notably to rear panel, shallow chipping to head of spine and two small holes near middle of spine. Overall, an attractive book in an excellent example of the extremely scarce dust jacket. Camp-Fires and Guide-Posts is a collection of essays and reflections by Henry Van Dyke, minister, diplomat, and professor of English at Princeton University. Specifically, it includes "Fishing in Strange Waters," "Japonica,"… Read More

New York: The Viking Press, 1945 First edition, advance issue in the publisher's blue wrappers. An excellent copy with only some minor fading to spine, else fine. Cannery Row is a Depression-era novel set in Monterey, California. The plot takes place on a grungy street with "the gathered and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered wood, chipped pavement and weedy lots, junk heaps, sardine canneries of corrugated iron, honky tonks, restaurants and whore houses, and little crowded groceries, and laboratories and flophouses." The actual street in Monterey has since been renamed "Cannery Row" in honor of this iconic novel. The plot features an unlikely cast of characters, including a marine biologist, a grocer, a restaurateur, and a group of local vagabonds. Cannery Row is exemplar of Steinbeck's talent for making even the most unsavory characters relatable and endearing; Mack and his group of homeless squatters are described as "gentlemen and philosophers united… Read More

London: Macmillan & Co., 1897 Illustrated with a frontispiece and twenty-two black and white plates by Isaiah West Taber. First edition, first printing. Publisher's blue cloth stamped in gilt to front board and spine, all edges gilt, black coated endpapers; original off-white dust jacket with boating illustration to front panel, list of Kipling's works to rear panel, lettered in blue. Fine with a tiny bookseller's stamp to front pastedown, exceptionally bright gilt; very good unclipped dust jacket with a bit of thumbsoiling to front panel, some toning to spine, curved closed tear to upper portion of spine, minor chipping to spine ends, a few small closed tears to front and rear panels, and corners lightly chipped. Overall, a gorgeous copy, in its exceptionally scarce first issue jacket. Housed in a custom blue slipcase with folding chemise. Originally published serially in McClure's Magazine beginning in November 1896, Captains Courageous is a story about Harvey Cheyne, the… Read More

Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit, 1982 First edition, first printing. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Beckett to Mel Gussow on title page: "For Mel Gussow / With all good wishes / Sam Beckett / 24.6.83." Publisher's original white wrappers, front wrapper and spine lettered in blue and black. About fine, with just some light toning to spine and edges. Overall, an excellent association copy, from Mel Gussow's personal library. In Catastrophe, an imperious director and his assistant prepare a man, who stands on an 18" black block with his eyes looking down, for the last scene of a dramatic performance. After making dehumanizing adjustments to the man's appearance, like stripping him down to his pajamas, they do a run through of the scene, which ends with the director exclaiming "There's our catastrophe! In the bag." They do one more run through, but this time the man raises his eyes defiantly to the crowd. Catastrophe, often interpreted as a… Read More

London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1920 First edition, first printing of the author's first novel. Signed and inscribed by Hilton: "'a first of the first' / from / James Hilton / New Year 1935". Original publisher's cloth. A good copy with light wear, fading and a few small stains to the spine. A scarce title, and seldom found signed. James Hilton wrote and published Catherine Herself at the age of 20 while attending Christ's College in Cambridge as an undergraduate. The novel tells of a young female pianist and her teacher. As with many of his fictitious teachers, including the notable Mr. Chips, Hilton based the teacher character on his own father, who taught for many years. After producing a few successful novels, Hilton was invited to Hollywood to help write the screenplays for film adaptations of his works. He continued to write both screenplays and novels and won awards in both fields, including the Hawthornden Prize in 1934 for his novel Lost Horizon and an Oscar for his… Read More

Paris: Maeght Éditeur, 1957 Illustrated by Marc Chagall with fifteen original lithographs (thirteen in color, including wrappers, frontispiece, and four fold-outs, and two in b/w) printed by Mourlot Frères, and other color and b/w plates throughout. Text in French by Jacques Lassaigne. First edition, first printing. Publisher's pictorial wrappers, with Chagall artwork to front and rear wrappers, and spine printed in black. Near fine, with a touch of rubbing to head of spine, wrappers and spine very bright except for some light toning to foot of spine, small chip to bottom right of front wrapper, and slight creases to edges of pp. 23-38 and edge of fold-out between pp. 80-81. Overall, a beautiful and scarce art book, with exceptionally bright pages and lithographs. Marc Chagall (1887 -1985) was one of the most important modernist artists of the 20th century, known for his lyricism, incorporation of Jewish symbolism, and masterful use of color. Born to a Jewish family near Vitebsk,… Read More

London: Methuen & Co., Ltd., 1914 First edition, second issue, with the title page as a cancel leaf pasted upon the remaining hinge left by the removed first issue title page and with eight pages of publisher's advertisements dated August 1913 bound in at the end of the text. Earliest obtainable issue; "only some fifty copies of the first edition of Chance with the genuine first title-page were issued and... the cancelled titles were destroyed by the binders" (Wise, 22). A near fine copy with some wear to the spine ends, only a hint of dimming on the spine and gilt, fresh pages. A novel in two parts: Part 1: "The Damsel" and Part 2: "The Knight." Narrated by Conrad's familiar narrator Charles Marlow, Chance is somewhat different than Conrad's other works in its focus on a female main character and its discussion of feminism as a social issue.. 1st Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine.

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964 Illustrated by Joseph Schindelman. First edition, second state, with five-line colophon. Publisher's red cloth, with the title in blind to the front board, spine lettered in gilt, black topstain; in the original first issue dust jacket designed by Schindelman, lacking the ISBN number to the rear panel, with illustration of a chocolate candy bar, Charlie, and Willy Wonka to the front panel, and illustration of Wonka dancing in front of billboards to the rear panel. Near fine, with mild dimming to gilt, some toning to foot of spine, a small nick to cloth at foot of spine, and a hint of soiling to front and rear free endpapers; good or better unclipped dust jacket, with light toning to spine and edges, 1 ½" loss to foot of spine ("Factory" missing), shallow chipping to head of spine, light soiling to front panel and front spine fold, a couple of creases to bottom of front panel, lightly nicked corners, and a few small chips to flap folds. Overall,… Read More

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1952 First edition, first printing. Illustrated by Garth Williams. Original publisher's light tan cloth, lettered in blue and black, pictorial blue endpapers with a cobweb illustration in white; in the original pictorial dust jacket, with Garth's illustration of Fern holding Wilbur and looking at Charlotte to the front panel, lettered in black, blue, red and green. Fine book, with just a touch of rubbing to bottom corners; near fine unclipped dust jacket, with light toning to spine and upper margin of front panel, some very light surface marks to spine and front panel, a touch of soiling to panels, and two tiny chips to front flap fold. Overall, an exemplary copy of E. B. White's classic book. Charlotte's Web tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and how the farmer's daughter Fern and his spider friend Charlotte endeavor to save Wilbur from slaughter. Just as White's Stuart Little, the story of a mouse in a big city, appealed to urban American… Read More

London, 1783 24 mo. Five volumes. Early edition. Finely bound in contemporary tan mottled calf, boards triple-ruled in gilt and spines stamped in gilt, board edges and turn-ins gilt, text block edges gilt, red and blue marbled endpapers; green silk markers in each volume. A near fine set with just some light wear to extremities, most pronounced in Vol. II, two small holes in the leather of Vol. V, bookplate of Philibert Bruys de Gardes to front pastedown of each volume. Overall, a beautiful set. This set includes the complete dramatic works of two noted French dramatists, brothers Pierre and Thomas Corneille. Both were active writers during the 17th century, publishing dozens of works each. Pierre, older than his brother by 19 years, is the better known of the two, and is counted among some of the greatest dramatists of the 17th century, alongside Molière and Racine. His most famous work, the tragicomedy Le Cid (1637), was performed at the Théâtre du Marais in Paris, and was an… Read More

London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1976 First UK edition, first printing. Publisher's green boards with titles in gilt on spine; purple dust jacket with wraparound illustration. About fine book with light soiling to top and bottom of front board and some foxing to text block edges; about fine dust jacket, purple color has faded to pink on spine and top of rear panel. An excellent and sturdy copy. Children of Dune, the third book in the acclaimed Dune series, picks up the story nine years after the emperor Paul Atreides disappeared in the deserts of Arrakis. Paul's sister, Alia, sits as regent on the throne, but her position is threatened by rebellious forces and her own deteriorating mental health. Meanwhile, Paul's young twins, Leto II and Ghanima, both of whom have supernatural abilities, attempt to navigate the dangerous political landscape and bring about their plans for the betterment of the empire. Children of Dune was the first hardcover bestseller in the science fiction genre and was… Read More

London: Faber and Faber, 1984 First edition thus. Presentation copy, inscribed by Beckett to Mel Gussow on title page: "For Mel / from his friend / Sam / Paris / July 1985." Publisher's original green, white, and gray patterned wrappers, with illustration of Beckett by Sue Linney to front wrapper, lettered in black and green. Near fine, with a few light marks and creases to edges of wrappers, very mild toning to spine, and edges of pages lightly toned. Overall, a lovely presentation copy. This copy comes from Mel Gussow's personal library. This volume contains twenty-nine of Beckett's shorter plays, including classics like All That Fall, Krapp's Last Tape, Embers, Acts Without Words, and Catastrophe. These shorter works are exemplary of Beckett's signature minimalism. According to Britannica, "Beckett's later works tended toward extreme concentration and brevity…. Such brevity is merely an expression of Beckett's determination to pare his writing to… Read More

Döberitz, Germany: 1915-1919 [WWI] Collection of Letters from POW British Navy Soldier to Welsh Nurse Döberitz, Germany: 1915-1919. 41 pieces of WWI correspondence: 25 hand-written postcards, 14 hand-written letters, 1 Easter card, 1 photographic postcard of soldier Roberts. All written from William F.J. Roberts, a member of the Royal Navy Division of the British Army, a prisoner of war in Germany, to Kathleen Touzel Wynne-Edwards, a nurse from North Wales, UK (with the exception of one letter, which was written to Kathleen from Roberts' father.) Most written on Kriegsgefangenensendung "prisoner of war mail" postcards or letterhead issued by Döberitz, a few on blank paper, mostly written in pencil with the others in ink. Generally very good, with some toning and soiling, a few with tears to edges. William F.J. Roberts was a member of the Royal Navy Division of the British Army during World War I. The group notably participated in battles at Antwerp in 1914 and Gallipoli… Read More

London: Jonathan Cape, 1963 First edition, first printing of the author's first book. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Fowles to the front endpaper: "To Margaret Davies/ with the author's regards/ John Fowles/ [crossed out number] October 1st, 1963/ Cheltenham." Original publisher's orange cloth, spine lettered in gilt; original first issue dust jacket, designed by Tom Adams. About fine with a slight lean to spine; in an unclipped dust jacket with a very slight touch of toning the upper spine ends and some mild toning to rear panel, and two tiny abrasion at front panel and spine, else fine. A beautiful inscribed copy of the author's scarce first book. The Collector is a chilling psychological thriller that puts the reader into the mind of both abductor and captive. The story follows the abduction of Miranda Gray, a middle-class art student, by Frederick Clegg, a lonely and psychotic young clerk. Believing Miranda will fall in love with him in time, he keeps her… Read More

Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit, 1980 Translated from the original English by the author. First French trade edition, first printing. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Beckett to Mel Gussow on title page: "For Mel Gussow / With all good wishes / Sam Beckett / Paris / July 1982." Publisher's original white wrappers, front wrapper and spine lettered in blue and black. Near fine, with light toning to spine and edges, and a small patch of light surface damage to rear wrapper. Overall, a fresh and clean copy. This copy comes from Mel Gussow's personal library. Compagnie (Company) is a semi-autobiographical prose piece that tells the story of an older man lying on his back in the dark as an ethereal, unidentified voice narrates an extended third person monologue. As with many of the author's prose and dramatic works, Compagnie is lauded for its deconstructive form. Beckett, an Irish author and native English speaker, moved to France and subsequently transitioned from… Read More

New York: Charles L. Webster & Co., 1889 First edition, first state with "S"-like ornament between "The" and "King" to p. 59. Original publisher's three-quarter brown morocco and pebbled cloth, four raised bands to spine, compartments ruled and lettered in gilt, red marbled endpapers, and marbled text block edges. Very good, with some rubbing to morocco and cloth, 2" split to top of front joint, corners worn to boards, previous owner's ownership label to front pastedown and signature in pencil to front flyleaf, a touch of staining to top front and rear board corners and top corners of a few pages at rear, some fading to marbled edges, and page edges lightly toned. Overall, a solid copy in the scarce publisher's morocco. BAL 3429. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is Twain's satire of the portrayal of chivalry in the Middle Ages in 19th century literature. The novel begins when Hank, an engineer from Connecticut, is transported back in time to King Arthur's court. Immediately ridiculed for… Read More

Chicago: A. G. Spalding and Bros., 1887 First edition. Original publisher's cream wrappers, lettered and decorated in black with a Spalding advertisement to rear. Very good, with a tiny closed tear to head of spine, longer closed tear to foot of spine, small chips to bottom edge and left corner of front wrapper, and light soiling to front wrapper. Overall, a well-preserved example of an early baseball publication. This official booklet contains the National League's 1887 Constitution which is divided into these broad sections: "Membership," "Officers," "League Club, Umpires, Managers and Players," "Disputes and Complaints," "Playing Rules," "Championship," "Annual Meeting," and "Amendments." The booklet also contains an in-depth list of sixty-seven updated playing rules, batting and fielding averages for the eight 1886 NL teams, and team standings from 1876 to 1886. The National League was founded in 1876 by… Read More

New York: Covici-Friede, 1934 First edition, first printing. Publisher’s tan cloth with titles in green to front board and spine; original orange dust jacket with wraparound illustration of youth holding a gun, lettered in black, jacket designed by William Cotton. Near fine book with light spotting to cloth (mostly around the spine), “155” written neatly to bottom edge of text block, some light soiling to bottom edge, touch of offsetting to front free endpaper; near fine unclipped jacket with small chip to top left corner of front panel, some rubbing along folds and small nicks to corners and spine ends, else bright and clean. Overall, an excellent copy in a beautiful and vibrant example of its scarce dust jacket. A Cool Million tells the story of Lemuel Pitkin, a poor boy who optimistically goes out into the world to find his fortune and is met with a series of devastating mishaps, most of them resulting in some type of disfigurement. At the same time, an unscrupulous banker and… Read More

New York: Royal Composing Room, 1985 Designed by Martin Solomon. Illustrated by Isadore Seltzer. Special edition. Publisher's black cloth, stamped to front board in gilt with the author's facsimile signature, lettered in silver to spine, dark gray endpapers; in the original matching black cloth slipcase. A fine copy. This special edition of Coriolanus is the nineteenth in a series of annual Shakespearian keepsakes prepared for the friends of the publishers. One of Shakespeare's last tragedies, this play is based on the life of the Roman general Caius Marcius Coriolanus, whose military successes ultimately lead to his political downfall.. Hard Cover. Fine. Illus. by Seltzer, Isadore.

London: James Bohn, 1846 First edition, first printing. A very good copy in the publisher's original olive green paper cloths, with small tears along the edges, chipping to the spine, slight loss to the spine head and tail and the panel corners, slight offsetting around the edges of each page, one uncut page, otherwise clean. A nineteenth century pamphlet containing a series of essays containing literary criticism relating to Shakespeare, authored by Charles Badham, the son of the doctor who discovered bronchitis and a university professor in Australia.. 1st Edition. Soft Cover. Very Good.