Rare books from Stanley Louis Remarkable Books (IOBA)

London: Macmillan and Co, 1869. Second Edition. Very Good. Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 â€" 1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator He is best known for independently conceiving the theory of evolution through natural selection His paper on the subject was jointly published with some of Darwin's writings in 1858This prompted Darwin to publish On the Origin of Species Like Darwin, Wallace did extensive fieldwork; first in the Amazon, and then in the Malay Archipelago, where he identified the faunal divide now termed the Wallace Line, which separates the Indonesian archipelago into two distinct parts: a western portion in which the animals are largely of Asian origin, and an eastern portion where the fauna reflect Australasia This 2 volume set is the second edition, 1869, of his seminal work in the Malay Archipelago Includes half-titles, and one folding color map only (of 2, lacking the Physical Map in vol1), wood-engraved plates, other maps… Read More

London: John Murray, 1869. Fifth (Tenth Thousand). Good. Considered one of the most important books every published, any edition (there were six) of The Origin of Species that was published during Darwin's lifetime (he died in 1882) is exceptionally sought after, since the print runs were relatively small for such a significant work Only 10,000 copies were printed cumulatively through this fifth edition (which was for only 2,000 copies) This copy was custom bound in full leather with gilt tooling, but the spine and front board are loose and the back board has detached But the hinge breaks are clean and should be repairable The text block is very sound however, and except for the hinge detachments, the leather binding is in relatively good condition There is modest foxing on the ffeps, but otherwise the contents are in very good condition with only minor age toning The edges are marbled, as are the endpapers.

Glasgow: Robert and Andrew Foulis for Edward and Charles Dilly, 1768. First. Very Good. xxi, [3], 382 pp Folding copper-engraved map (8vo) 20x12 cm (8x4¾"), period full calf, raised bands, morocco lettering piece Some rubbing to spine and extremities, joints tender, minor wear to covers, small repair to rear cover; short stub tear to map, else very good or better, an attractive copy This was the first work to bring Boswell fame; it also brought the cause of Corsican independence, fought for under the handsome and impressive General Paoli, to international attention Boswell's urgent calls for support and the romanticized account of Paoli as lionized father figure nearly brought England into war with France over Corsica Eventually the struggle for independence was lost, and Paoli fled to England, where he enjoyed widespread adulation Even for an 18th century work, there are a significant number of variations for this first edition, which may occur in various combinations Following the general… Read More

London: J. Dillon, and Co, 1799. Second. Very Good+. George Adams the younger (1750â€"1795) was an English optician and writer He was mathematical instrument maker to King George III of Great Britain, succeeding his father George Adams in the post He also made globes Adams wrote elementary scientific works, and on the use of mathematical instruments He often combined religious with a scientific content, against, according to the Gentleman's Magazine, the "growing errors of materialism, infidelity, and anarchy" He started writing at a young age, and developed a love for it, His main interest included math and science For some of Adams's books, (such as this one) plates were published separately, and most of his works had more than one edition Complete second edition, including the often missing vol 5, which contains the index and all 43 double-page and/or folding engraved plates covering the complete set Ex-lib small library stamps on ffep's only from the Birmingham Assay Office Library and 1806… Read More

London: Macmillan and Co, 1876. First. Near Fine. Geographical Distribution of Animals, with twenty engraved plates and seven colored maps (5 in Vol 1 and 2 in Vol 2) This is an exceptional set of this seminal work in scientific evolution Light pencil notations in margins on at least one plate London: Macmillan and Co, 1876 First Edition Two octavo volumes Original full green cloth with gilt titles and designs in excellent, sound condition, after a professionally done reinforcement of hinges for both volumes, (since these are heavy books), but all of the original binding and brown endpapers are preserved Corners are slightly bumped Slight foxing on first few and last few pages of each volume, but otherwise text is undamaged throughout Mostly unopened Near fine Provenance: Estate of Russell Johanson, Ravenna Rare Books, Seattle, Wa Ink ownership signature on FFEP's of WA Herdman, (Sir William Abbott Herdman (1858-1924) and eminent Scottish marine zoologist and oceanographer in his own right and… Read More

London: G. Woodfall, 1754. First. Very Good. Elizabeth Canning (1734 â€"1773) was an English maidservant who claimed to have been kidnapped and held against her will in a hayloft for almost a month She ultimately became central to one of the most famous English criminal mysteries of the 18th century She disappeared on 1 January 1753, before returning almost a month later to her mother's home, emaciated and in a "deplorable condition" After being questioned by concerned friends and neighbors she was interviewed by the local alderman, who then issued an arrest warrant for Susannah Wells, the woman who occupied the house in which Canning was supposed to have been held At Wells' house, Canning identified Mary Squires as another of her captors, prompting the arrest and detention of both Wells and Squires London magistrate Henry Fielding (yes, the famous author of Tom Jones!) became involved in the case, taking Canning's side Further arrests were made and several witness statements were taken, and… Read More

London: Adam and Charles Black, 1905. First, limited. Very Good. Kate Greenaway. A very good copy of this limited edition (No 35 of 500) of a biography of most famous Victorian era children's illustrator Cream cloth binding with gilt titles on spine and front cover and top edge gilt Front cover blind stamped with arts and crafts geometric design Endpapers reproduce appealing wall paper created by the artist Spine ends fraying a bit from shelf wear, edges also have minor shelf wear and corners are bumped But binding is still sound and hinges intact, unusual for such a large and heavy book of this age Text all in very good condition Bookplate of previous owner, Helen C Waterhouse, herself a noted artist, affixed on the ffep, together with a second label from her son, T Waterhouse on the next blank page Most importantly, this copy is one of a few that incorporates an actual pencil sketch by Greenaway of a young boy framed on a special page before the half title The sketch page is signed by her… Read More

London: Printed for W. Johnston, 1762. First Edition. Near Fine. Thomas Leland was an Irish historian, translator and academic and the author of the early Gothic novel "Longsword, Earl of Salisbury: An Historical Romance," published in 1762 It is a medieval romance based on the life of William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, the son of Henry II "some would argue that Thomas Leland's 'Longsword, Earl of Salisbury' (1762) - subtitled 'A[n] Historical Romance' - is really the first Gothic novel" Rictor Norton, Gothic Readings : the first wave, 1764-1840 London Leicester University Press, 2000 Both leather-bound volumes of this very scarce first edition feature an illustrated frontispiece Both have been neatly repaired with new spines and endpapers Each text's bindings and hinges are solid and intact Some remnants of library treatments remain visible on the title page and first few pages of each volume A small handwritten note in pencil appears on the first page of the first chapter in each book… Read More

London: Heinemann, 1966. First editions, first printings all. Fine/Near Fine. This is a complete set of the 8-volume official biography of Winston Churchill, together with the complete 13 companion volumes of Churchill's papers up to 1939 (Four additional volumes of his wartime papers were published later) All 21 volumes are the British first (i.e. "true first") editions, first printing All are in near fine to fine condition, and all include dust jackets There are some minor tears on several dust jackets, apparently from shelf wear, but the books themselves appear unread The companion volumes are all essentially pristine There is really nothing else in print to rival the scale and comprehensiveness of this set, which documents the life of one of the 20th century most important leaders (The last three companion volumes total nearly 5,000 pages by themselves!) In 1966, Winston Churchill's son Randolph began writing a was intended to be a definitive, comprehensive biography of his father However, he… Read More

London: Cassell, 1948. First. Very Good+/Very Good-. A complete set of first editions of all of Churchill's speeches after WWII These volumes are scarcer than his War Speeches, since they were published in smaller quantities These are all the "true first" British editions US editions were published for the first four, but there was no US edition of the last, The Unwritten Alliance All DJ's are in protective mylar covers The Set includes: 1 The Sinews of Peace - 1948, 256 pp Book is fine in orange cloth, with no marks or damage at all Unclipped DJ is near fine, with just slight edge wear at spine ends [Woods A124] 2 Europe Unite - 1950, 506 pp Book is near fine in green cloth, with just very slight bumping at spine ends and extremely slight fading at top spine end Unclipped DJ is very good, with slight chipping at spine ends, and slight darkening on rear [Woods A128] 3 In the Balance, 1951, 406 pp Book is near fine in blue cloth, with just slight bumping on spine ends Cipped DJ is very good, with… Read More

London: Cassell, 1948. First. Very Good+/Very Good-. A complete set of first editions of all of Churchill's speeches after WWII These volumes are scarcer than his War Speeches, since they were published in smaller quantities These are all the "true first" British editions US editions were published for the first four, but there was no US edition of the last, The Unwritten Alliance All DJ's are in protective mylar covers The Set includes: 1 The Sinews of Peace - 1948, 256 pp Book is near fine in orange cloth, with just slight bumping on spine ends and slight darkening of endpapers Unclipped DJ is very good, with just slight chipping at spine ends and slight foxing on rear [Woods A124] 2 Europe Unite - 1950, 506 pp Book is very good in green cloth, with front hinge cracked and very slight bumping at spine ends and top corner Unclipped DJ is very good, with chipping at spine ends, and minor foxing on rear and flaps [Woods A128] 3 In the Balance, 1951, 406 pp Book is near fine in blue cloth, with just… Read More

Los Angeles: General Publishing Group, 1994. First. Very Good+/Fair. A possibly unique artifact of one of the most famous soaps of them all! All My Children was one of the most popular daytime "soap operas" of all time and ran for 41 years, from 1970 to 2011 One of its main characters, Erica Kane, portrayed by Susan Lucci, became well known even beyond the show's base audience In 1995, the show held a 25th anniversary celebration, which was attended by most of the many actors and production team, as well as many of the celebrity guests who had appeared over the years This book was published in recognition of that anniversary This book's original owner, named Thomas, attended that celebration, (his ticket in laid in the book) and he apparently spent most of his time circulating the crowd and collecting autographs in this book By my count, there are at least 65 signatures, many of them personalized to Thomas In addition to most of the primary cast members (yes, including Susan Lucci), it's been… Read More

New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc, 1931. First. Near Fine/Good. A near fine copy in burgundy cloth with paper title label on spine Signed by Pirandello on ffep but no other marks at all Minor darkening to endpapers Unclipped DJ has some edge wear and chipping, but overall good Works signed by this Nobel laureate are exceedingly scarce, particularly in dust jacket From Wikipedia: Luigi Pirandello (1867 â€" 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power to turn psychological analysis into good theatre" He was an Italian nationalist and supported Fascism in a moderate way, at one point giving his Nobel Prize medal to the Fascist government to be melted down as part of the 1935 Oro alla Patria [it] ("Gold to the Fatherland") campaign during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays,… Read More

London: Printed for Eben. Tracey, 1708. Thirteenth. Good-. Three books bound in a single volume 4to [4], 159, [5]; [2], 111, [3]; 104, [4] pp Period sheep boards with chips and minor loss to edges, sympathetically re-backed Title page has a small chip There is toning and foxing throughout in varying degrees, one corner-chip removing a few words and one page with a 2" tear with no loss but obscuring several words An early ink signature to title, and a few leaves with shaved headlines A very scarce edition No other copies currently available on the Internet [ESTC T71890] [4], 159, [5]; [2], 111, [3]; 104, [4] pp pp.

New York: Harper & Row, 1973. First. Near Fine/Near Fine. A near fine copy in red cloth with gilt titles on spine A small water spot on front cover and very slight bumping at corners and spine ends Otherwise, in pristine condition Unclipped DJ is also excellent, with just very slight edge wear Now in protective mylar cover Signed by both Arthur C Clarke and Ray Bradbury on title page A certificate of authenticity is laid inside the front cover Overall an excellent copy signed by two towering figures in science and science fiction "Gift Quality" 143 pp.