Rare books from Anniroc Rare Books

First edition of Thoreau's first book – 1000 copies published at his own expense of which only 550 were bound - less than 300 were sold or given away by the publisher and Thoreau, and in 1853 the remainder was returned to him whereupon he hauled it up to his attic and sarcastically bemoaned the dismal sales. Top edge uncut. Minor wear to spine ends, minor sporadic foxing, lettering at spine foot rubbed off(a common occurrence with the wispy spine cloth), else a Fine, crisp copy with bright gilt. Scarce in this condition, even 100 years ago when this copy sold at auction.
Ex-Jacob Chester Chamberlain, famed turn of the century collector with three lines of text dropped by the publisher penciled in his hand on page 396, along with his acquisition slip from another noted collector, Beverly Chew of the Grolier Club in New York City. Housed in an amazing contemporary custom pull off case with elaborate tooling, commissioned by Chamberlain, as was his custom for many of his most fantastic books. Sold at… Read More

Second edition. Remboitage in contemporary leather binding of the same book. Concord Library stamp to title page, fore-edge a bit chipped. Pages quite clean, Very Good. HDT s ownership signature and annotations in bold ink.***The signature is an early one, sometime around 22 years of age. Thoreau had studied Greek and the Classics at Harvard, graduating in 1837 and began translating Aeschylus in his journal circa 1839 - his translation of Prometheus Bound would appear in the third installment of The Dial in 1843. This is a young Thoreau still developing as a person and an intellectual. He obviously used this book heavily, as it contains lengthy annotations on 16 pages - his additions of Greek words with definitions. ***This book was gifted in 1874 by his devoted sister, Sophia, to the Concord Library and later de-accessioned by the library in 1906 and purchased by the celebrated collector Stephen H. Wakeman. It doesn't need any trinkets of imaginative dressing from me, but to go full bore, it's more… Read More

The first edition in a modern language of one of the most important historical works.Lhistoire de Thucydide Athenien, de la guerre, qui fut entre les Peloponnesiens et Atheniens(The History of the Peloponnesian War)Thucydides, translated by Claude de SeysselParis, 1527Folio(330 X 230mm). 16 preliminary leaves, 281(CCLXXXI) leaves. Signatures: a8, e8, a-z8, A-L8, M10(the final blank, lacking). Contemporary blind-stamped calf(likely an old remboitage). Apart from a few minor stains and a tiny worm track in the bottom margin of the last quire, the interior is in quite clean, lovely condition. Near Fine. Elaborate woodcut border on the title page with contemporary ownership entry crossed out. Various notes on the pastedowns including a very cool contemporary one in French stating,"Today this book belongs to my lord Jacques du Faux, a cloth merchant." A beautifully printed, wide-margined copy of an important and very rare book.The study of Thucydides was part of the Renaissance tradition of turning to… Read More

Quarto. (40), 614, (34), 112, (8) pp. Bound with the original free end-papers in well-executed 20th century quarter calf and marbled boards, with four raised bands, gilt title-label and gilt ornaments to spine. Textblock edges a bit browned. Copper engraved portrait of Spinoza(after leaf 20). Overall Near Fine. The portrait is somewhat browned and has a tiny repair to the lower outer corner of the blank margin, and a small tape repair on the verso of the upper right corner – neither affecting the plate. A dynamic image of the iconic philosopher and a tremendous scarcity.Provenance: Ownership inscription on title page of Samuel Parr(1747-1825), an influential English literary figure who was widely involved in intellectual and political life.According to a handwritten note to front paste down, the book was bound by A.N.L. Munby(1913-1974). He worked in the rare book trade at Quaritch and Sotheby's before becoming Librarian at King's College, Cambridge in 1947.__Opera Posthuma(1677) features the first… Read More

An unbelievable survival of a landmark work
System der Wissenschaft. Erster Theil, die Phaenomenologie des Geistes.(The Phenomenology of Spirit)
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Bamberg & Wurzburg, 1807
First edition, first issue - identifiable by leaf A1, the sub-title, stating "Erster Theil. Wissenschaft der Erfahrung des Bewusstseyns(Science of the Experience of Consciousness)." During the printing process, Hegel requested this be changed to "Wissenschaft der Phänomenologie des Geistes(Science of the Phenomenology of Spirit)."
UNCUT in publisher's wrappers. Front cover with some stains, spine toned and moderately chipped. Interior with sporadic minor foxing, but still extremely fresh. Small stamp on the title page of the Schloss Buldern Castle library, founded in 1955 by the heir of Gisbert von Romberg III. Overall, an awe-inspiring Near Fine copy that's survived as it was off the press, housed in a custom blue chemise and slipcase. Rebound copies do appear on the market with some regularity, but… Read More

First appearance of one of the greatest and most revered novels of all time.***The iconic novel was serialized in 13 installments starting in January 1875. This copy was created by a devoted reader who removed all the parts containing the story from all 13 issues of the journal and bound them into this single volume.*** Contemporary half-morocco, rebacked preserving the original gilt spine[owner name also in gilt at the bottom in Polish(?)]. New endpapers. Sporadic ink marks throughout with heavier ones on the first and last few leaves, some general staining and rubbing, some water stains mainly on the later pages. Sections of text not from Anna Karenina are covered in paper. Overall, Very Good and a crazy survival. Housed in a splendid, red half-morocco box with gilt tooled spine. *** Issues that contained Anna: 1875: January - April 1876: January - April & December 1877: January - April Collation: pp. [243]-336, [1], [742]-817, [2], [246]-316, [1], [572]- 641, [1], [305]-390, [679]-745, [1],… Read More

An inscribed copy of Hegel's last book - a potent elucidation of his whole philosophical system.*** The third and definitive edition - with improvements and a new foreword by Hegel. Preceded by two smaller editions in 1817 and 1827, he and his contemporaries considered the Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences to be his most important work. Hegel prepared it for use during his lectures, turning the numerous thesis paragraphs into points of exploratory discussion. *** Contemporary paper-covered boards with manuscript label to spine. Corners bumped, some scattered rubbing, else Very Good. Gothic letter text the pages quite clean with just occasional light browning. A nice copy of this key work of German Idealism. *** Inscribed to theologian, Philip Marheineke on front free endpaper: "Dem Herrn Dr. u. Professor Marheinike als Zeichen seiner innigen Hochachtung und Freundschaft der Verfasser" ["To Dr. and Professor Marheinike as a mark of the author's deepest respect and friendship"] Presentation… Read More

First edition in English, first impression. Translated by the prolific Basil Creighton. Fine, original black cloth book with red top edge, Australian bookseller sticker on front pastedown, seemingly unread and even retains the publisher s laid-in ads. In the rare, intriguingly designed jacket that appears from time to time, but never like this one - a Fine, unsurpassably pristine copy housed in a custom case.*** Hesse s classic, mystically philosophical text speaks to successive generations because it taps into our bone-deep yearning for something more fulfilling than the soul-draining banalities we re taught to appreciatively accept.*** Reality is an especially active force in the rare book world, routinely crushing our dreams of attaining perfect copies of cherished works. Every so often, copies like this stymie its woeful force and enable our dreams to come true. ***Please email us for better pricing.

The genesis of an American mythos *** First edition, first printing. Illustrated plates by Arthur I. Keller. Fine, original tan cloth book with the rare jacket in tremendously satisfying shape - chipped at spine panel ends and corners, a few closed tears else a bright, Near Fine example that retains its visual dynamism. The few Virginian jackets that occasionally surface typically look ravaged. Contemporary female owner signature on front endpaper dated June 1902, Boston. An excellent copy housed in a custom case. *** In 1885, the Harvard educated Wister sought recuperation at a Wyoming ranch after suffering a nervous breakdown. He d begin writing various pieces about the West, culminating in this 1902 magnum opus that he dedicated to his friend, President Theodore Roosevelt. It effectively created the Western genre we know today a mysterious, chivalrous cowboy rides into the West, grapples with moral dilemmas, and encounters a schoolteacher love interest. It also contains classic genre features like… Read More

First edition, first state("wearily" unbroken on p. 135) of Wharton's highly lauded tragic novel of secret love set against a bleak New England winter. One of the first 2500 copies(top edge gilt) from an overall edition of 6000. 
Publisher's red cloth in Fine condition with the crazy rare dust jacket – scattered chipping with the largest loss at the upper corner of the rear cover, toned, else Very Good. An unrepaired, super-satisfying rarity housed in a custom case. No other unrepaired jackets appear in the sales records since the Truman presidency.
The legendary Wharton was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction. She would utilize her great literary talents to attack the character failings of the New York aristocracy she was a part of. Ethan Frome is a departure from that upper crust setting and was written during an emotionally turbulent time for her – living in a crumbling marriage with a flagrantly unfaithful husband as she sought solace in her own intense affair. Her real… Read More

First English edition, comprised of American first printing sheets from the same year with a cancel title-page bearing a London imprint - the subsequent 1846 English edition used second printing sheets. There were perhaps 1500 copies of these first printing sheets with an unknown number sent overseas for this English edition - it's a noted rarity. No other copies in the sales records since the height of the second World War. I've seen only one copy in the trade, and its pages were so foxed that it could have had a place in a grotesque Poe story. An exceptionally scarce copy of an iconic book.

228 pp. and (4) pp. of advertisements. Late 19th century half-calf, browned title page repaired, another leaf with a tiny corner restoration, tear to last ad leaf repaired. Old owner signature in red pencil on title page. Minor sporadic smudges at the margins, otherwise the pages are quite clean. The text block is entirely untrimmed. Overall, a Very Good copy housed in a custom slipcase.

Ex-Vincent… Read More

The Suzhou Astronomical Chart(Tienwen Tu)
Huang Shang and Wang Zhiyuan
Suzhou, 1247(stele), late 19th century(rubbing)
Ink rubbing taken from a famed 13th century stele, mounted on a hanging paper scroll fashioned with wooden rods. 227 x 106 cm. total size.
This highly detailed map of the visible cosmos was created between 1190 and 1193 by Huang Shang, scholar and tutor to the emperor's son. It was later engraved on a stone stele in 1247 by Wang Zhiyuan, from which this rubbing is taken. This stele, along with 3 other major Song Dynasty steles, is preserved in the Suzhou Confucian temple in the Jiangsu province.
Rubbings of this stele are rare and highly regulated as a preservation effort, this being only the third or fourth example on the market in the last fifty years.
A fine, dark impression, showing the stone in nice detail. Small closed tear on left side of mounting paper. Two small holes in the lower half. Sightly dusty, some folds and creasing throughout. Overall, a Near Fine example.
The chart… Read More

Parts 10-18(of 29 total) in one volume. Folio, 36.8 x 22.23 cm. Blind-stamped pigskin, clasps and one corner metal fitting gone, rusting, front wooden board renewed, covers well-worn, numerous wormholes particularly in the early leaves, text largely clean and crisp though, overall Good or slightly better. Importantly and excitingly, it retains a 5 link, 16 cm. chain on the rear cover.
Fifth edition of the Swiss physician and polymath s universal encyclopedia, posthumously enlarged and edited by his son, Jakob. It s a compilation of thousands of extracts to produce a universal history that displays how humanity s good and evil natures affect everything.
And now, more on this item s most significant feature. Starting in the late Middle Ages as a means of theft prevention, books housed in libraries and monasteries would be fashioned with a chain and connected to a desk; books were still rather expensive productions. While a cover s chain hook sometimes survives, the chain itself rarely does. It… Read More

A special presentation copy
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First edition, first printing, the separately published second issue(the first issue was bound within Two Rivulets). Original plum cloth, green endpapers, all edges gilt. Spine lightly sunned, minor stains on the covers and endpaper margins, small abrasion on rear cover. Remembrance copy leaf with a detailed presentation to his sister, two portraits of Whitman, and advertisement leaf in the rear. Overall, a fresh Very Good copy housed in a custom case.
Memoranda is a compilation of Whitman's journal entries during the Civil War - a cataclysm that profoundly affected him as it did the rest of the nation. It's estimated that no more than 100 copies of this issue were published, and this copy has a lofty provenance - a loving inscription to his younger sister, Mary. At 19, she married a shipbuilder, moved to Greenport, Long Island, and had 5 children. She appeared in several of his early stories, and she represented the close, normal family life he idealized. Walt's visits… Read More

"A pretty broken and prematurely old man who hasn't a penny except what he can bring out of a weary mind and sick body."
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Contract
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Culver City, 1937
Typescript employment contract enclosed in stiff brown folder. 20 pages on legal paper dated August 21, 1937. Some minor creases along the margins, else Fine. Housed in a beautiful custom leather clamshell case. Initialed on page 2 and also signed at the end by Fitzgerald.
The contract is initialed and signed as well by studio vice-president and notorious "fixer" Eddie Mannix, a real-life Ray Donovan figure who was responsible for countless coverups of often serious crimes and dirty dealings involving stars like Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, and George Reeves(Mannix is rumored to have been involved in his infamous and mysterious death) amongst many others.
Having faded into near oblivion, the American icon sought redemption in the West. His meteoric of meteoric rises, a decade of era-defining success,… Read More