modern first editions

Criteria:
  • Category = modern first editions
  • 1 off the rist: by CHILDISH, Billy
    CHILDISH, Billy
    1 off the rist: new poems.

    London: 2016. Scarce. Limited edition, number 84 of only 100 copies. Published by Tangerine Press. Book is hardback in hand sewn and handmade marbled paper covered boards with a Japanese Silk spine. The front cover artwork is embossed in black with Heritage book white archival quality, Fourdrinier made, acid-free text paper on the inside and Hahnemuhle Ingres endpapers. 24 pages. The limitation is numbered in red, and signed by Billy Childish in blue pencil, with Hangman gallows stamp. In fine / as new condition.

    Book ID: 3902
    View basket More details Price: £280.00
  • 12 Books That Changed The World by BRAGG, Melvyn
    BRAGG, Melvyn
    12 Books That Changed The World

    London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2006. First edition in original dust jacket. Hardback in black cloth with gilt title to spine. 24 colour plates and many b/w illustrations. 372 pp. 240 x 160 mm (9½ x 6¼ inches). Near fine in a near fine unclipped dust jacket. The 12 books are: Principia Mathematica (1687) by Isaac Newton; Married Love (1918) by Marie Stopes; Magna Carta (1215); Book of Rules of Association Football (1863); On the Origin of Species (1859) by Charles Darwin; On the Abolition of the Slave Trade (1789) by William Wilberforce in Parliament, immediately printed in several versions; A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) by Mary Wollstonecraft; Experimental Researches in Electricity (three volumes, 1839, 1844, 1855)…

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    London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2006. First edition in original dust jacket. Hardback in black cloth with gilt title to spine. 24 colour plates and many b/w illustrations. 372 pp. 240 x 160 mm (9½ x 6¼ inches). Near fine in a near fine unclipped dust jacket. The 12 books are: Principia Mathematica (1687) by Isaac Newton; Married Love (1918) by Marie Stopes; Magna Carta (1215); Book of Rules of Association Football (1863); On the Origin of Species (1859) by Charles Darwin; On the Abolition of the Slave Trade (1789) by William Wilberforce in Parliament, immediately printed in several versions; A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) by Mary Wollstonecraft; Experimental Researches in Electricity (three volumes, 1839, 1844, 1855) by Michael Faraday; Patent Specification for Arkwright's Spinning Machine (1769) by Richard Arkwright; The King James Bible (1611) by William Tyndale and 54 scholars appointed by the king; An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776) by Adam Smith; and The First Folio (1623) by William Shakespeare.

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    Book ID: 2073
    View basket More details Price: £10.00
  • A Chair for the Prophet. by CLAUDE
    CLAUDE
    A Chair for the Prophet.

    London: Faber & Faber, 1959. First edition of this novel, the title of which derives from an old Jewish legend. Set in the newly established state of Israel, it follows the story of a young couple, who have gone to search for oil. Original dust wrapper. A little nicking and bumping to the top edge. Slight darkening to the edges. Green boards - these have an old damp stain to the spine and boards - also visible to the inside boards, but doesn't affect the wrapper or the rest of the book. Rest of book is clean and tidy, with just a touch of darkening / foxing to the closed page edges. This is Claude's third novel. 223 pages. 190 by 130mm (7½ by 5 inches).

    Book ID: 4020
    View basket More details Price: £40.00
  • A Christmas Carol in Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Yule-Tide by DICKENS, Charles
    DICKENS, Charles
    A Christmas Carol in Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Yule-Tide

    East Aurora NY: The Roycroft Shop, 1902. First Roycroft Press edition, signed limited issue, number 4 of 100 copies. Signed by Elbert Hubbard (Founder of the Roycroft Artisan Community) to the limitation page. A beautiful limited edition on Japanese vellum. Book is three quarter bound in fine blue leather, with a gilt foliate design and titles to the spine. Cream boards. A touch of rubbing to the edges of the spine only. Very presentable. There is the bookplate of Isaac H. Blanchard to the inside front board. Blanchard was the owner of Blanchard Press in New York. He was also well known as a philanthropist, and supporter of workers, having written the first Collective Bargaining Contract in the city,…

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    East Aurora NY: The Roycroft Shop, 1902. First Roycroft Press edition, signed limited issue, number 4 of 100 copies. Signed by Elbert Hubbard (Founder of the Roycroft Artisan Community) to the limitation page. A beautiful limited edition on Japanese vellum. Book is three quarter bound in fine blue leather, with a gilt foliate design and titles to the spine. Cream boards. A touch of rubbing to the edges of the spine only. Very presentable. There is the bookplate of Isaac H. Blanchard to the inside front board. Blanchard was the owner of Blanchard Press in New York. He was also well known as a philanthropist, and supporter of workers, having written the first Collective Bargaining Contract in the city, and for his support of Apprentices. Engraved portrait of Dickens as a frontis, with tissue guard. Decorated title page matching the foliate design on the spine. The typography of the book is lovely, with head- and tailpieces by Samuel Warner. Hubbard had travelled to England and met William Morris in 1892. On his return, he founded the Roycroft community, which promoted the Arts and Crafts style and techniques. [vi], 142 pages. 230 by 160mm (9 by 6¼ inches).

    . Première édition de Roycroft Press, édition limitée signée, numéro 4 sur 100 exemplaires. Signé par Elbert Hubbard (fondateur de la Roycroft Artisan Community) sur la page de limitation. Une belle édition limitée sur vélin japonais. Le livre est relié aux trois quarts en cuir bleu fin, avec un motif de feuillage et des titres dorés au dos. Les planches sont de couleur crème. Un peu de frottement sur les bords du dos seulement. Très présentable. L'ex-libris d'Isaac H. Blanchard se trouve à l'intérieur de la première planche. Blanchard était le propriétaire de Blanchard Press à New York. Il était également bien connu en tant que philanthrope et défenseur des travailleurs, ayant rédigé le premier contrat de négociation collective dans la ville, et pour son soutien aux apprentis. Portrait gravé de Dickens en frontispice, avec protège-tissu. La page de titre est ornée d'un décor assorti au motif foliacé du dos de l'ouvrage. La typographie de l'ouvrage est ravissante, avec des têtes et des queues de Samuel Warner. Hubbard avait voyagé en Angleterre et rencontré William Morris en 1892. À son retour, il fonda la communauté Roycroft, qui promouvait le style et les techniques Arts and Crafts. [vi], 142 pages. 230 x 160 mm

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    Book ID: 4139
    View basket More details Price: £900.00
  • A Gentleman of France. by WEYMAN, Stanley
    WEYMAN, Stanley
    A Gentleman of France. Being The Memoirs Of Gaston De Bonne Sieur De Marsac

    London: Longmans Green & Co, 1894. New edition. Blue cloth hardback beveled boards with gilt title to front and spine. From the library of the author Maarten Maartens. Black end papers. Frontis with tissue guard, illustrated title page. Book is in a fair condition only, as it is foxed throughout. Text is in English. 412 pages. 190 x 130 mm (7½ x 5 inches). Nouvelle édition. Plats biseautés cartonnés en toile bleue avec titre doré au recto et au dos. De la bibliothèque de l'auteur Maarten Maartens. Feuilles de garde noires. Frontis avec garde en tissu, page de titre illustrée. Le livre est dans un état passable seulement, car il est entièrement recouvert de rousseurs. text en Anglais. 412 pages. 190 x 130 mm (7½ x 5 pouces).

    Book ID: 2857
    View basket More details Price: £15.00
  • A Man of No Moon. by McPHEE, Jenny
    McPHEE, Jenny
    A Man of No Moon.

    Berkeley: Counterpoint, 2007. First edition. Hardback black boards under original unclipped dust jacket. Neat author's dedication to fellow author Fay Weldon; as this was once Ms Weldon's copy. Beginning in post war Rome, the novel follows the story of a successful writer and his relationship with two American film actress sisters, as they struggle to make sense of life, and love. Both the book and dust jacket are in fine, almost unread, condition. 271 pages. 220 x 150 mm (8¾ x 6 inches).

    . Première édition. Couverture rigide en carton noir sous jaquette d'origine non fermée. Belle dédicace de l'auteur à sa consœur Fay Weldon, car il s'agissait autrefois de l'exemplaire de Mme Weldon. Commençant dans la Rome d'après-guerre,…

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    Berkeley: Counterpoint, 2007. First edition. Hardback black boards under original unclipped dust jacket. Neat author's dedication to fellow author Fay Weldon; as this was once Ms Weldon's copy. Beginning in post war Rome, the novel follows the story of a successful writer and his relationship with two American film actress sisters, as they struggle to make sense of life, and love. Both the book and dust jacket are in fine, almost unread, condition. 271 pages. 220 x 150 mm (8¾ x 6 inches).

    . Première édition. Couverture rigide en carton noir sous jaquette d'origine non fermée. Belle dédicace de l'auteur à sa consœur Fay Weldon, car il s'agissait autrefois de l'exemplaire de Mme Weldon. Commençant dans la Rome d'après-guerre, le roman suit l'histoire d'un écrivain à succès et sa relation avec deux sœurs actrices de cinéma américaines, alors qu'elles luttent pour donner un sens à la vie et à l'amour. Le livre et la jaquette sont en parfait état, presque sans avoir été lus. 271 pages. 220 x 150 mm

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    Book ID: 4208
    View basket More details Price: £25.00
  • A Philosophical Investigation. by KERR, Philip
    KERR, Philip
    A Philosophical Investigation. The Mind of a Killer - the Heart of Murder.

    London: Chatto & Windus, 1992. First edition. Signed by the author to the title page. Clean and tidy dust wrapper. White is still bright! Book itself is clean and tidy. A little darkening to the pages only. Neatly signed. 330 pages.
    240 x 160 mm (9½ x 6¼ inches).

    Book ID: 2306
    View basket More details Price: £25.00
  • Beautiful copy of the illustrated edition
    A Window in Thrums. by BARRIE. J.M.
    BARRIE. J.M.
    A Window in Thrums.

    London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1892. First edition. Illustrated with 18 etchings by William Hole. Limited edition. This copy is 450/550. By the creator of Peter Pan. Original blue cloth with gilt titles. Very nice clean copy with almost no bumping or edgewear. Internally spotless, with a foxing to the end papers only. xiv, 217 pp. 270 x 190 mm (10¾ x 7½ inches).

    This copy was owned by Mrs Van der Poorten Schwartz - the wife of Dutch author Maarten Maartens. Almost certainly given to her by William Robertson Nicoll, who wrote anecdotes of 19th Century Literary history with T.J. Wise, and edited 'The Expositor' for Hodder & Stoughton.

    Book ID: 2380
    View basket More details Price: £120.00
  • Again, Dangerous Visions. by ELLISON, Harlan (Ed.)
    ELLISON, Harlan (Ed.)
    Again, Dangerous Visions.

    Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1972. First edition. In original price clipped dust jacket. An anthology of 46 specially written original science fiction short stories from 42 writers - including Dean Koontz, Ray Bradbury, Ursula K. Le Guin, Gregory Benford and many more. Illustrated in b/w by Ed Emshwiller. Dust jacket is in a good condition with only minor shelf wear, and one very small chip to top at front. Inside, the book is very clean and fresh. Previous owner's gift message in pen to half title. Overall a great copy of the sequel to Ellison's speculative fiction collection from five years previous: Dangerous Visions. The book jacket's description closes by saying "This book takes off where…

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    Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1972. First edition. In original price clipped dust jacket. An anthology of 46 specially written original science fiction short stories from 42 writers - including Dean Koontz, Ray Bradbury, Ursula K. Le Guin, Gregory Benford and many more. Illustrated in b/w by Ed Emshwiller. Dust jacket is in a good condition with only minor shelf wear, and one very small chip to top at front. Inside, the book is very clean and fresh. Previous owner's gift message in pen to half title. Overall a great copy of the sequel to Ellison's speculative fiction collection from five years previous: Dangerous Visions. The book jacket's description closes by saying "This book takes off where Dangerous Visions stopped and it is a better book than Dangerous Visions". 830 pages. 225 x 145 mm (8¾ x 5¾ inches).

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    Book ID: 3957
    View basket More details Price: £50.00
  • All on the Irish Shore. by SOMERVILLE, E. Œ and ROSS, Martin
    SOMERVILLE, E. Œ and ROSS, Martin
    All on the Irish Shore. Irish Sketches

    London: Longmans, Green & Co, 1903. First edition. Eleven short stories of rural Irish life, with illustrations by Somerville. Frontis with tissue guard, and nine other full-page illustrations. Original grey cloth, lettered in black and gilt. This copy was a gift from the author Philip 'Henry' Gosse, the English naturalist, to Ada (the daughter of the author Maarten Maartens ). Dedication to FFEP is dated 1905. [viii], 274, [6] pp. 200 x 135 mm (7¾ x 5¼ inches). Spine cloth is starting to split at the head, and there are signs of tiny water splashes to tail of spine. Foxing throughout, but overall this is a reasonable copy.

    Book ID: 2817
    View basket More details Price: £30.00
  • Americans Abroad. An Anthology. by NEAGOE, Peter [Editor]
    NEAGOE, Peter [Editor]
    Americans Abroad. An Anthology. With Autographed Photographs and Biographic Sketches of the Authors.

    The Hague: Servire Press, 1932. First Edition. Hardback in dust jacket. Orangey yellow boards with grey cloth spine. Top edge with publisher's blue stain. Authors and poets included range from Ernest Hemingway to Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams to Gertrude Stein, and many more. This would be the first appearance of Henry Miller in a book. The dust jacket is fragile and has some tears and small losses to the edges, and spine of dust jacket has a split, but now protected by a clear wrap. The book is very clean and tidy both inside and out with no markings. Prelims are age toned, but clean. Overall a good copy. xi, 475 pp. 235 x 165 mm (9¼ x 6½ inches).

    Book ID: 3204
    View basket More details Price: £125.00
  • An Awkward Lie. by INNES, Michael
    INNES, Michael
    An Awkward Lie. The third detection featuring Bobby Appleby together with his father, Sir John Appleby.

    London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1971. First UK edition. Publisher's red cloth. In an unclipped dust jacket. 192 pages. 205 x 140 mm (8 x 5½ inches). Both book and dust jacket in a very good / near fine condition. The preceding books are: 'A Family Affair' and 'Death at the Chase', in which Bobby Appleby played only a minor part. This time he does most of the detecting; and even finds the corpse!

    Book ID: 2556
    View basket More details Price: £10.00
  • An Old Olive Tree. by MACLEOD, Joseph
    MACLEOD, Joseph
    An Old Olive Tree.

    Edinburgh: M. Macdonald, 1971. First edition. Softback with original card dust jacket. The dust jacket is very slightly sun faded in spine area. Neat ex libris to front endpaper. Otherwise the book and contents are spotless.
    Joseph Todd Gordon Macleod (1903–1984) was a British modernist poet, actor, playwright, theatre director and historian, and also a BBC newsreader. He sometimes published poetry under the pseudonym Adam Drinan. Whilst studying at Rugby School, Macleod was a close friend of Adrian Stokes, and at Oxford he was a close friend of Graham Greene. This is his final poem sequence, entirely autobiographical, containing poems which meditate upon his friendships and familial ties, and the process of aging.
    37 pages. 220 x 150 mm (8¾ x 6 inches).

    Book ID: 3865
    View basket More details Price: £50.00
  • Ar Fanc Siôn Cwilt: Detholiad o Ysgrifau Sarnicol by SARNICOL, [Thomas Jacob Thomas]
    SARNICOL, [Thomas Jacob Thomas]
    Ar Fanc Siôn Cwilt: Detholiad o Ysgrifau Sarnicol

    Llandysul: Gwasg Gomer, 1972. Argraffiad cyntaf. Prin. Llyfr clawr caled mewn siaced lwch wreiddiol. Llun blaen o Sarnicol. Mae rhai geiriau wedi'u tanlinellu mewn ar dudalen neu ddwy. 100 tudalen. Mewn cyflwr da. 220 x 145 mm (8¾ x 5¾ inches).

    Book ID: 3803
    View basket More details Price: £30.00
  • Ariel by PLATH, Sylvia
    PLATH, Sylvia
    Ariel

    London: Faber & Faber, 1965. A good + copy of this first edition in a Good + wrapper. Wrapper (now in mylar protection sleeve) has a little nicking to the head and tail of the spine. 3 cm closed tear to the top of the rear panel, and with creasing to the edge of this. A little marking to the rear panel, and darkening to the spine. Still an attractive copy. Boards are in clean condition, with a touch of bumping to the bottom edge. Slight fading to the bottom edge, particularly to the rear board. See pictures for wrapper and book. Internally very nice, fractionally darkened pages. To the inside board is an owner's signature for David S.…

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    London: Faber & Faber, 1965. A good + copy of this first edition in a Good + wrapper. Wrapper (now in mylar protection sleeve) has a little nicking to the head and tail of the spine. 3 cm closed tear to the top of the rear panel, and with creasing to the edge of this. A little marking to the rear panel, and darkening to the spine. Still an attractive copy. Boards are in clean condition, with a touch of bumping to the bottom edge. Slight fading to the bottom edge, particularly to the rear board. See pictures for wrapper and book. Internally very nice, fractionally darkened pages. To the inside board is an owner's signature for David S. Miall. dated April 17th. 1965. Then aged 18, he later became professor of English at the University of Alberta. 86 pages. 220 by 140mm (8¾ by 5½ inches).

    . Un bon exemplaire de cette première édition dans un bon emballage. La couverture (maintenant dans une pochette de protection en mylar) présente quelques entailles à la tête et à la queue de la colonne vertébrale. Une déchirure fermée de 3 cm en haut du panneau arrière, avec des plis sur le bord de celui-ci. Un peu de marquage sur le panneau arrière et un assombrissement du dos. Il s'agit néanmoins d'un bel exemplaire. Les planches sont en bon état, avec un petit choc sur le bord inférieur. Légère décoloration sur le bord inférieur, en particulier sur le panneau arrière. Voir les photos de la couverture et du livre. L'intérieur est en très bon état, les pages sont légèrement assombries. La signature du propriétaire, David S. Miall, datée du 17 avril 1965, figure à l'intérieur du livre. 1965. Alors âgé de 18 ans, il devint plus tard professeur d'anglais à l'Université d'Alberta. 86 pages. 220 x 140 mm

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    Book ID: 4085
    View basket More details Price: £475.00
  • Artsy Fartsy Funnies. by Rosenkranz, Patrick and Hugo Van Baren
    Rosenkranz, Patrick and Hugo Van Baren
    Artsy Fartsy Funnies.

    Laren: Paranoia, 1974. A magazine in the tradition of the anarchic comics of the 1970's. This is a guide to this sort of comic, and includes examples and illustrations from many of them. Good clean condition with slight marking to the covers only. Remnant of price sticker to the top edge. 80 pages. Owner's name stamp to the front end paper. 260 by 210mm (10¼ by 8¼ inches).

    Book ID: 3685
    View basket More details Price: £35.00
  • Belfast Story, A Novel. by O'DOHERTY, Malachi.
    O'DOHERTY, Malachi.
    Belfast Story, A Novel.

    Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear: Erdesdun Pomes: 1976. Published in Conjunction with Ostrich by Erdesdun Pomes. Original yellow illustrated wrappers. Slightly soiled - a very good copy. The novel was produced as a fund raiser for the Tyneside Socialist Centre. O'Doherty is a writer, broadcaster and journalist from Donegal. He is based in Ulster. Raised as a Catholic, he has written for a variety of publications in Northern Ireland, and was a regular on Radio Ulster. Belfast story is not listed on his own website bibliography. 56 pages.

    Book ID: 1811
    View basket More details Price: £30.00
  • Berlin Game by DEIGHTON, Len.
    DEIGHTON, Len.
    Berlin Game

    London: Hutchinson & Co, 1983. A lovely copy of this First Edition. Clean, unclipped dust wrapper, with just a fractional darkening to the white portions of the dust wrapper. No chips or tears. Book itself is clean and tidy inside and out. The first volume in the Game, Set and Match series, from the author of the Ipcress File. 304 pages. 225 by 140mm (8¾ by 5½ inches).

    . Un bel exemplaire de cette première édition. Une jaquette propre, non décousue, avec juste un petit assombrissement des parties blanches de la jaquette. Pas d'éraflures ni de déchirures. Le livre lui-même est propre et bien rangé à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur. Le premier volume de la série Game, Set and…

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    London: Hutchinson & Co, 1983. A lovely copy of this First Edition. Clean, unclipped dust wrapper, with just a fractional darkening to the white portions of the dust wrapper. No chips or tears. Book itself is clean and tidy inside and out. The first volume in the Game, Set and Match series, from the author of the Ipcress File. 304 pages. 225 by 140mm (8¾ by 5½ inches).

    . Un bel exemplaire de cette première édition. Une jaquette propre, non décousue, avec juste un petit assombrissement des parties blanches de la jaquette. Pas d'éraflures ni de déchirures. Le livre lui-même est propre et bien rangé à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur. Le premier volume de la série Game, Set and Match, de l'auteur du dossier Ipcress. 304 pages. 225 x 140 mm

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    Book ID: 4268
    View basket More details Price: £22.00
  • Billets-doux. by REISBORD, Coriander
    REISBORD, Coriander
    Billets-doux. Being an exquisite Nosegay, or Posy, now newly pluckt from popular Letter-writing Manuals of Yore, that is to say, the early Nineteenth Century. Here offered as an edifying Guide to affairs of the heart for the Amorous, the Pestered, or the merely Confused. And lovingly embellished with numerous ingenious Decorations, cunningly wrought.

    [New Haven, Conneticut]: Prickly Pair Editions, 1998. First edition. Bound in gold cloth hardback boards with inset cover decoration and label. Lovely colour illustrations. Decorated title page, frontispiece, and page decorations. Titles printed in red. Printed in an edition of only forty-five copies. The type is Walbaum, machine-set by Michael & Winifred Bixler. Decorations and binding by Coriander Reisbord; typography and printing by Asa Peavy. With compliment slip from Coriander Reisbord loose inside. Boards and pages water stained to bottom third, hence low price. Boards and 21 pages. 235 x 185 mm (9¼ x 7¼ inches).

    Book ID: 3761
    View basket More details Price: £30.00
  • Cardboard Castle. by WREN, Percival Christopher
    WREN, Percival Christopher
    Cardboard Castle.

    Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1938. First edition. No dust jacket. Orange boards faded to front and spine. Ex library, with a few stamps to front blank pages. Overall good reading copy. 311 pages. 195 x 130 mm (7¾ x 5 inches).
    P.C. Wren is best known for his work Beau Geste. This story involves a woman, who thought herself a widow because her husband was officially declared dead, remarrying only to meet her 'dead' husband alive many years later. The invention of a fictional South-American country called Boruela, and its wicked dictator, only add to a strange plot.

    Book ID: 3868
    View basket More details Price: £30.00