fleetwood, pa 19522 484-575-8825 international league of
TRANSCRIPT
CHARLES AGVENT 37 Ridge Drive
Fleetwood, PA 19522
484-575-8825
[email protected]; www.charlesagvent.com
Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA)
International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB)
SIGNED BOOKS
SEE ITEM 23: SIGNED Martin Luther King, Jr.
1. ANDERSON, Sherwood. HORSES AND MEN. TALES, LONG AND SHORT,
FROM OUR AMERICAN LIFE. New York: B. W. Huebsch, Inc., 1923. First
Edition. Light orange cloth with a paper spine label. A superb Association
copy INSCRIBED "To/My dear friend/Marietta Finley" and SIGNED "Sherwood
Anderson" on the front endpaper. Anderson met unmarried, 24-year old
"Babs" Finley at the Art. Institute of Chicago in the autumn of 1914. They
were devoted friends and likely lovers. His correspondence of over 300
letters to her was published in the book LETTERS TO BAB: SHERWOOD ANDERSON
TO MARIETTA D. FINLEY, 1916-33. Only two letters from her apparently have
survived, but it seems that Finley had hoped, early on, for marriage but
settled for a friendship that sometimes bordered on abusive. "The world
has pretty muddy feet Bab," Anderson wrote to her in 1930. "It doesn't
leave a man's house very nice." Paper split to front hinge; rear endpapers
darkened from former clipping which partly remains. Spine soiled with wear
to paper label. Very Good, lacking the dustwrapper. (#020659) SOLD
2. CAPOTE, Truman. IN COLD BLOOD. New York: Random House, (1965). First Edition. INSCRIBED & SIGNED on the half-title page: "for Rachel
Gorlin/from/Truman Capote." Capote's masterpiece, a trendsetting book that
opened a floodgate of "nonfiction" novels that has yet to abate. Made into
a movie starring Robert Blake. Gorlin's name on the front endpaper with
the notation "Esquire." We believe Gorlin may have been on the staff of
ESQUIRE Magazine at the time, a magazine that Capote was closely connected
to. BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S was first published there in 1958, and in 1975
Capote published his long fiction piece "La Côte Basque 1965" there. It
was supposed to be part of ANSWERED PRAYERS, the novel he was writing, but
his revelations about his society friends turned them against him, even
causing one of them to commit suicide two weeks before the issue became
publicly available. The novel was not published until 1987, three years
after Capote's death. Very Good in like dustwrapper. (#020681) SOLD
3. CARTER, Jimmy. THE VIRTUES OF AGING. New York: Ballantine,
(1998). First Edition. SIGNED "J Carter" on the half-title page. Fine in a
Fine dustwrapper. (#020705) SOLD
4. CARVER, Raymond. WHERE I'M CALLING FROM. NEW AND SELECTED
STORIES. NY: Atlantic Monthly, (1988). First Edition. His strongest story collection and the last to be published in his lifetime. Several of these
served as the basis for films, including SHORT CUTS directed by Robert
Altman. SIGNED by Carver on a front blank. Remainder mark on bottom edge
of text. Near Fine in a close to Fine dustwrapper. (#020680) SOLD
5. CATT, Carrie Chapman & SHULER, Nettie Rogers. WOMAN SUFFRAGE
AND POLITICS: THE INNER STORY OF THE SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1923. First Edition. Blue cloth stamped in
silver; (xii), 504 pages including an Index. SIGNED by Catt on the front
endpaper. Ex Library with minimal markings: small black marks on front and
rear pastedowns to cover a library or owner's name with offsetting to
endpapers; white lettering at the base of the spine. Very Good, lacking
the dustwrapper. (#020676) $850
Carrie Chapman Catt (1859-1947) succeeded Susan B. Anthony as President of
the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 1900 and played an
essential role in bringing about the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment
in 1920, the same year she founded The League of Women Voters.
6. COOLIDGE, Calvin. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CALVIN COOLIDGE. New York: Cosmopolitan Book Corporation, 1929. Second Edition. INSCRIBED and
SIGNED by Coolidge on the recto of the frontispiece portrait, as usual:
"To Julia Driscoll Eckel/With Best Wishes/Calvin Coolidge." One encounters
the signed limited edition of 1000 copies much more frequently than signed
trade editions of this title. Tasteful bookplate on front pastedown; small
white paint drip on spine; some wear to rear spine edge. Very Good,
lacking the uncommon dustwrapper. (#020673) $650
7. (COPLAND, Aaron) BERGER, Arthur. AARON COPLAND. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1953. First Edition. INSCRIBED and SIGNED to
pianist Erno Balogh. Fine in close to Fine dustwrapper. (#020704) $350
8. DOTY, M. R. (Mark). THE EMPIRE OF SUMMER. Birmingham [AL]: Thunder City Press, 1981. First Edition. Wraps. One of 300 copies of the
poet's third book, preceding his first trade book, TURTLE, SWAN, by 6
years. SIGNED by Doty on the title page and dated soon after publication:
1/25/82. In addition, he has INSCRIBED the half-title page, nearly filling
it: "for Paul/w nostalgia/for summer monarchy/in the middle of the/winter
of generalized/discontent,/having had enough/(but not quite--still/
hoping)--/with love,/cookies,/and furniture,/Mark." Some rubbing, fading
to the front cover. Very Good. (#020684) $500
9. EARHART, Amelia. 20 HRS. 40 MIN. OUR FLIGHT IN THE
FRIENDSHIP. THE AMERICAN GIRL, FIRST ACROSS THE ATLANTIC BY AIR,
TELLS HER STORY. NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1928. First Edition.
Illustrated with photographs. SIGNED by Earhart on the blank recto of the
frontispiece, as usual. Earhart's account of her transatlantic flight when
she became the FIRST WOMAN TO TRAVEL BY AIR ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. She was
lost at sea in her attempt, shortly before her fortieth birthday in 1937,
to become the first woman to fly around the world. After her disappearance
the most extensive air and sea search in naval history to date took place.
After spending $4 million and scouring 250,000 square miles of ocean over
a two-week period, the United States government reluctantly called off the
operation. Slight crack to hinge at half-title page which is lightly
browned along edges. Gilt still strong, mild rubbing to the spine edges.
Near Fine, lacking the dustwrapper. (#020665) SOLD
10. [Eleanor ROOSEVELT] HARRITY, Richard & MARTIN, Ralph G.
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT. HER LIFE IN PICTURES. NY: Duell, Sloan & Pearce, (1958). First Edition. Illustrated with photographs. INSCRIBED and SIGNED
by the First Lady on the front endpaper to old friends Henry Morgenthau
Jr. and his wife Marcelle: "To Henry & Marcelle/A Merry Xmas & a happy New
Year/from/Eleanor Roosevelt/Xmas 1958." Henry Morgenthau was a long time
friend of Franklin Roosevelt and was his Secretary of the Treasury. An
uncommon title to find signed let alone with such a fine association.
Slight wear with fraying to a small portion of the top front board. Still
Near Fine in a Very Good or better dustwrapper. (#020699) $2,500
11. [FORD, Gerald]. TRIBUTES TO HONORABLE GERALD R. FORD
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO COMMEMORATE HIM FOR HIS YEARS
OF SERVICE TO THE NATION February 1, 1977. Washington DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1977. First Edition. Issued by the 95th
Congress, 1st Session: House Document No. 95-120. Gilt-lettered red cloth
issued without dustwrapper; xii, [ii], 222 pages. Collection of tributes
to Ford from members of the House of Representatives, illustrated with a
photograph frontispiece of Ford. SIGNED by the President on the front
endpaper. An uncommon title, especially signed. As New. (#020674) $750
12. FROST, Robert. A BOY'S WILL with AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT
STANZA. New York: Henry Holt and Company, (1934). First Illustrated
Edition. Redesigned with the text completely reset and with the addition
of woodcuts by Thomas Nason. This copy is INSCRIBED to Don Smith and
SIGNED by the poet on the front endpaper where Frost has also written out
the second stanza of the two-stanza poem in the book, "The Vantage Point":
And if by noon I have to [sic] much of these
I have but to turn on my arm and lo
The sunburned hillside sets my face aglow
My breathing shakes the bluet like a breeze
I smell the earth I smell the bruisèd plant
I look into the crater of the ant.
Paper split to front hinge but cover very tight. Near Fine in a Near Fine
dustwrapper with light edgewear. (#020683) $4,500
13. FROST, Robert. THE COMPLETE POEMS OF ROBERT FROST. New York: Limited Editions Club, 1950. First Edition. Two large octavo (7-3/4" x
11") volumes bound in full blue denim with new black leather labels
stamped in gold. Copy #811 of 1500 copies illustrated with wood engravings
by Thomas Nason, perhaps Frost's most sympathetic illustrator, and
designed by Bruce Rogers. SIGNED by the poet, the illustrator, and the
designer of the book on the colophon page. The most beautiful of the
several issues of this great poet's complete works. Contents bright and
fresh; spines evenly sunned. Near Fine in a Near Fine, slightly darkened
slipcase with a little wear along the joints. (#020664) $2,000
14. [GARFIELD, James A.] MANGNALL, Richmal. COMPREHENSIVE
SUMMARY OF UNIVERSAL HISTORY. With a Biography of Distinguised
Persons from the Earliest Period to the Present Time.... Philadelphia: E. S. Jones & Co., 1852. Stereotyped Edition. Gilt-lettered
black morocco-backed black cloth. James Garfield's copy SIGNED by the
future President on the front free endpaper: "J. A. Garfield" with his
printed bookplate ("Library of/James A. Garfield/Inter Folia Fructus") on
the front pastedown with the ink note in an unknown hand: "Case 2 -- Shelf
B." Books signed by Garfield are rather uncommon. Garfield served only
four months as President before being shot by Charles Guiteau. His term
was the second shortest served by a President. Housed in a recent chemise
and gilt-lettered black morocco-backed slipcase. Small dampstain to the
upper corner of the first few pages; light rubbing to the spine and spine
edges. Near Fine in a Fine, handsome slipcase. (#020703) $4,500
15. GIOIA, Dana. FILM NOIR. (West Chester): Aralia Press, 2014. First Edition. Black morocco-backed gray boards with a printed paper label on
the front cover. Of a total of 156 copies printed, this is copy "O" of 26
lettered copies SIGNED by the author. Fine. (#020660) $125
16. HESSE, Herman. GEDENKBLÄTTER. Zurich: Fretz & Wasmuth, [1948]. New Enlarged Edition. INSCRIBED in German & SIGNED with initials in ink by
the Nobel Prize winner on the front endpaper dated 1948. Owner name of
George Goetz at the top of the endpaper; spine a bit faded, soiled. Very
Good, lacking the dustwrapper with the flaps laid in. (#020702) SOLD
From the estate of George Goetz, a Danish Jew living in Sweden because of
persecution. He maintained a correspondence with Hesse, only recently
discovered, from 1939 to 1951. Their letters discussed everything from the
trivial to Hesse's work and its place in Nazi Germany. One common point of
interest was the German-Jewish philosopher Constantin Brunner (Goetz would
later become President of the International Constantin Brunner
Institute.). This book, as well as several other titles inscribed to
Goetz, were discovered with the letters and is now being offered for
public sale for the first time.
17. HOOVER, Herbert. AN AMERICAN EPIC. Famine in Forty-Five
Nations. The Battle on the Front Line 1914-1923. Chicago: Henry Regnery Company, 1961. First Edition. Third volume of what would become
four volumes on America's role in the 20th century. INSCRIBED and SIGNED
by Hoover on the front endpaper: "To Reese Taylor/The Good Wishes/of/
Herbert Hoover." About Fine, lacking dustwrapper. (#020672) $450
18. HOOVER, Herbert Clark (Nichols, William; editor). FISHING
FOR FUN AND TO WASH YOUR SOUL. New York: Random House, (1963). First Edition. Illustrated with drawings by Bill Hofmann. Copy #36 of 200 SIGNED
by Hoover on the limitation page. Fine in a Near Fine original slipcase
with gold foil label on the front cover, as issued. (#020661) $950
19. IRVING, John. A SON OF THE CIRCUS. New York: Random House, (1994). First Trade Edition. SIGNED on the title page by the author. Near
Fine, lacking the dustwrapper. (#005354) $100
20. KELLER, Helen. HELEN KELLER'S JOURNAL 1936-1937. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc., 1938. First Edition. INSCRIBED and
SIGNED by the author in pencil, as customary, on the front free endpaper
"To dear Uncle Walter/with my love/Helen Keller/April 7th 1938." A superb
association copy. Walter G. Holmes, referred to as "Uncle Walter" by most
who knew him, was on the Board of Directors of THE MATILDA ZIEGLER
MAGAZINE FOR THE BLIND, a philanthropic institution that published a
magazine in Braille and distributed it monthly to tens of thousands of
blind people at no cost to them. Holmes managed and edited the magazine.
He was also on the Board of Directors of The American Foundation for the
Blind and invented the "Talking Book" published by the foundation,
possibly the first recorded readings of books. Holmes had a brother who
was blind, and he devoted his entire life to helping the sight-impaired.
He and Keller developed a strong relationship. Upon the death of Holmes,
Keller gave a long tribute which parallels the themes of this book: "The
passing of one of the tenderest, noblest champions that the blind of
America and indeed of the world have ever had, has left me benumbed, and I
am but one of a multitude who grieves for Walter G. Holmes. So far as I
know he was unique. As a seeing spokesman of those who are both blind and
poor, an editor of a world girdling Braille magazine, a tireless
encourager of the dull and the faltering to explore and develop their
dormant faculties, a fighter for the deaf-blind as human beings to be
loved and understood, he had no equal in the annals of the sightless. God
always gives where He takes away, and I am sure He will raise up a Gideon
to lead the blind on with the irresistible might of the Spirit. 'Uncle
Walter,' as we all affectionately called him, will keep forever his place
in the hearts of us who have clasped his hand and felt his uncountable
acts of love enriching our lives. He was a saint of the little and
forgotten. Many varied, warm tributes have been written and spoken during
Uncle Walter's life which especially pleased him. The best tribute we can
pay now is so to live that he will be happy in his spiritual return to us.
This, I know from his conversations and the stories he liked most,
immortality was his silent wish. With him it was a feeling almost akin to
transmigration. His soul seemed hardly to dwell in its own body, so
constantly did it move into other's existence, taking their sorrow as its
own and increasing their happiness. His whimsical humor, simplicity,
enthusiasm for whatever work he was doing, and his modesty, his delight in
tending flowers when he was able, his warm constancy in friendship, his
quaint gallantries and his abounding good-will towards the blind
everywhere, yes, even in enemy nations-- all these form an inseparable
part of the mental picture we cherish of Uncle Walter. Let us then, try to
believe more in ourselves, to enrich each other's faith and opportunities,
to make blindness not a cause for pity, but rather for pride in victory
over difficulties, and when Uncle Walter returns, though unseen to our
earth orbit, he will be still happier in our gratitude and remembrance."
Front endpaper slightly darkened; spine sunned with minor fraying at the
top. Very Good, lacking the dustwrapper. (#020711) $1,000
21. KELLER, Helen. LET US HAVE FAITH. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1940. First Edition. INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author in pencil, as
customary, on the front free endpaper "To Uncle Walter/for whom we give
thanks/at the remembrance of his/faith in the blind/Affectionately/Helen
Keller/Christmas 1940." A superb association copy. Spine sunned. Near Fine
in a Very Good dustwrapper. (#020710) $1,500
22. KENNEDY, Robert. TO SEEK A NEWER WORLD. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1967. First Edition. INSCRIBED and SIGNED on the front
endpaper by the author "For John A. ----/With Best Wishes/Robert Kennedy."
Light rubbing to spine tips. Near Fine in a Good dustwrapper with edgewear
and a small chip at the heel of the spine. (#020671) $1,350
23. KING, Martin Luther, Jr. STRENGTH TO LOVE. New York: Harper & Row, (1963). First Edition. King's second book and first collection of his
sermons. SIGNED by the author on the front free endpaper: "Best
wishes/Martin Luther King." A number of copies of this title bear an ink
stamp with the same words. Genuinely signed copies by King, such as this
one, are much more difficult to come by. Small skim mark on the front
pastedown with a slightly larger one on the rear. An owner's name has been
neatly taped over just above King's writing; owner ink stamp and date in
ink vertically along margin of half-title page. Still Near Fine in a close
to Fine dustwrapper with light soiling at the rear. (#020670) SOLD
24. McPHEE, John. TABLE OF CONTENTS. New York: Farrar Straus
Giroux, (1985). First Edition. Wonderfully INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the
author on the half-title page: "for Irene Bradford/from Jack--/The four-
year-old in/your canoe, who is as devoted to/you now as he was then--/and
also, chimerically, with/warm regards from/John McPhee/12-85." Fine in a
Fine dustwrapper. (#020682) $650
25. MILLAY, Edna St. Vincent. WINE FROM THESE GRAPES and
EPITAPH FOR THE RACE OF MAN. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1934. First Edition. Copy #150 of 299 numbered copies of a total edition of 335, with
one volume SIGNED by Millay. Stylish owner name and date on front endpaper
of each volume, otherwise Fine in Fine slipcase. (#020691) $350
26. NASH, Ogden. MARRIAGE LINES. Notes of a Student Husband. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., (1964). First Edition. INSCRIBED and SIGNED
by Nash to Frances and Albert [Goodrich]: "with all affection//Ogden/10-5-
64." Near Fine in lightly soiled, Very Good dustwrapper. (#020690) SOLD
The Goodriches were screenwriters and playwrights; their credits include
THE THIN MAN, EASTER PARADE, and THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.
27. NIXON, Richard. SIX CRISES. Garden City: Doubleday, (1962).
First Edition. INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author on the front endpaper
"To/J. M. Stuchen,/with grateful appreciation/for his generous support/in
my Seventh Crisis!/Dick Nixon." An unusual inscription referring to the
title and subject matter of the book and, being undated, one can only
guess at which crisis Nixon is referring to. Stuchen was an industrialist
and active leader in the Greater Los Angeles Jewish Federation-Council who
was elected Mayor of Beverly Hills in 1966. About Fine in a Very Good,
bright dustwrapper with light wear. (#020696) $750
28. O'BRIEN, Tim. NORTHERN LIGHTS. New York: Delacorte Press,
(1975). First Edition. Scarce second book, harder to find than his first
and due to its poor manufacturing seldom seen in this condition. INSCRIBED
and SIGNED on the front endpaper: "To Elsie,/I hope you enjoy this/book,
and those that/follow./Love, Tim." Owner address label at the top of the
front endpaper. Near Fine in a Fine dustwrapper. (#020707) $750
29. PARKER, Dorothy. AFTER SUCH PLEASURES. New York: Viking, 1933. First Edition. A collection of short stories. Copy #25 of only 250 SIGNED
by the author. Internally clean and bright; spine is heavily darkened, the
lettering barely readable, with the foxing spreading a bit to the front
cover. Very Good in a Very Good slipcase. (#020689) $750
30. PARKER, Dorothy. NOT SO DEEP AS A WELL. NY: Viking, 1936. First Edition. Decorated boards. Decorations by Valenti Angelo. Copy #36
of 485 copies SIGNED of Parker's Collected Poems containing her classic
gems including the two-liner that helped to bring about the contact lens
industry. Bright, Fine copy, lacking the slipcase. (#020700) $850
31. PARKER, Dorothy. SUNSET GUN. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1928. First Edition. Second printing, the same month as the first. Batik boards
with a black cloth spine. INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the poet in dark pencil
on the front endpaper: "with best wishes--/Dorothy Parker." A collection
of short poems, such as this: SUPERFLUOUS ADVICE
Should they whisper false of you,
Never trouble to deny;
Should the words they say be true,
Weep and storm and swear they lie.
Owner name on front endpaper above Parker's. Spine gilt dull. Close to
Fine, lacking the dustwrapper. (#020701) $500
32. RAWLINGS, Marjorie Kinnan. CROSS CREEK. New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons, 1942. First Edition. In the first issue dustwrapper.
Illustrations by Edward Shenton. "Cross Creek is a bend in a country road,
by land, and the flowing of Lochloosa Lake into Orange Lake, by water."
SIGNED in the year of publication by Rawlings on the front endpaper "Best
Wishes from/Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings/March 1942." Additionally SIGNED by
Robert Camp Jr., the dustwrapper artist, below his printed name at the
bottom front flap of the dustwrapper, and on the half-title page by Norton
Baskin (Rawlings's husband), Dessie Smith Prescott (her friend, Florida_s
first professional woman guide and the first female licensed pilot in the
state), Idella Parker (her maid), and J. T. "Jake" Glisson (a confidante
and protege of his neighbor, Rawlings, who encouraged him to write and
draw. He was supposedly the model for Jody in THE YEARLING.) All the
additional signatures were acquired by Philip S. May, Jr., son of Philip
May Sr., Rawlings's attorney in the Cross Creek trials. The respective
families developed a close, lasting relationship. The front pastedown has
an inscription, mostly hidden by the dustwrapper front flap, that we are
unable to identify: "To Papa on this 62nd anniversary/from/Richard/March
1942." A handful of pages with small brown stains; the spine foxed but not
affecting the lettering; front hinge a little loose. A Good copy in a Good
dustwrapper with a few very small pieces missing and some tape repairs.
Somewhat exceptional collection of autographs in a book in somewhat
unexceptional condition. (#020677) SOLD
33. RAWLINGS, Marjorie Kinnan. THE SOJOURNER. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1953. First Edition. INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author
of THE YEARLING filling the front endpaper "Dearest Cliff and Gladys:--
/Here is an advance copy/of the book which/was finished, after all!/With
all my love,/Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings/Christmas 1952." A scarce book to
find signed in the trade edition (There was a signed Presentation Edition
of 600 numbered copies.), let alone one with such a fine and early
inscription. Small newspaper clipping pasted to the rear endpaper; a brown
stain on the bottom of the fore-edge of the bulked text with no effect on
the text. Very Good in a Near Fine dustwrapper. (#020678) SOLD
34. RAWLINGS, Marjorie Kinnan. THE YEARLING. NY: Charles Scribner 1939. First Pulitzer Prize Edition. Made into a film, this edition was
published the year after the original publication and features 14 color
plates by N. C. Wyeth. This is the trade edition and is SIGNED by Rawlings
on the front endpaper. As such it is much scarcer than the limited edition
of 750 signed by both Rawlings and Wyeth. Both hinges are cracked with the
covers loose. Good, lacking the dustwrapper. (#020679) SOLD
35. REAGAN, Ronald. AN AMERICAN LIFE. NY: Simon & Schuster, (1990). First Edition. Reagan's autobiography, illustrated with photos. INSCRIBED
and SIGNED by Reagan on the page with the publisher's logo preceding the
title page: "To ---/With Very/Best Wishes,/Ronald Reagan/March 8 - 1991."
Fine in a Fine dustwrapper. (#020658) $2,500
Books genuinely signed by this popular President have become quite scarce
and usually turn up with a signed bookplate rather than actually signed in
the book, as the case here. Last we heard, the Reagan Presidential Library
was still selling copies, though reprints with a signed bookplate, for
$4,000. One should also be aware that the market has been flooded with
fake Reagan signatures in books sold on ebay where "signed" often means
forged.
36. ROGERS, Will. ROGERS-ISMS. THE COWBOY PHILOSOPHER ON THE
PEACE CONFERENCE. New York: Harper & Brothers, (1919). First Edition. Decorated orange and white boards lettered in black. Illustrated with a
frontispiece of Rogers. According to the front cover, "You can't tell
Peace from War without this Book" and "I made this book short so you could
finish it before the next war." INSCRIBED "To Mr. S. D. Green" and SIGNED
"Will Rogers" with the notation "Amateur Author" on the front endpaper.
Rogers was born in Indian Territory in 1879 and had some Native American
blood in his veins. He began in vaudeville and moved on to motion
pictures, a career that was cut short when he died in a small plane crash
in 1935 near Point Barrow, Alaska. Perhaps he was best known, however, for
his syndicated newspaper column which had such a massive following that
the proposition that he run for President was once seriously advanced. His
saying, "All I know is what I read in the newspapers," became a popular
catchword of the times. Books signed or inscribed by this most popular of
American humorists and member of the Cherokee Nation are uncommon. Light
wear to the corners and the tips of the spine which is sunned. Very Good,
lacking a dustwrapper. (#020662) $1,000
37. [ROOSEVELT, Franklin D.]. THE DEMOCRATIC BOOK 1936. First Edition. Folio (11" x 14") in original gilt-lettered brown leather with
the original pictorial wraps bound in; 384 pages. SIGNED by Roosevelt
beneath a color image of the White House on the limitation leaf, #2212 of
an unstated limitation of 2500 copies, often found removed from the book
as it makes a beautiful display piece. A voluminous book of information
and advertising (many liquor ads) used as a fund raiser for the Democratic
Party. It contains FDR's acceptance speech, the Democratic Platform of
1936, and biographies of all the Cabinet members as well as articles on
Congress, the Supreme Court, the Cabinet departments, and reproductions of
the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Recipient's name in
gilt at the bottom of the front cover: Lloyd Stark who served as the
governor of Missouri from 1937 to 1941. Contents bright and fresh. Light
bump at the top of the rear joint. Near Fine. (#020698) $3,000
38. ROOSEVELT, Theodore. REALIZABLE IDEALS (The Earl Lectures). San Francisco: Whitaker & Ray-Wiggin Co., 1912. First Edition. Green gilt-
lettered cloth; [vi], 154 pages. SIGNED "Theodore Roosevelt" on the front
endpaper. Likely signed during the "Bull Moose" Party Presidential
Campaign of 1912. In 1908 Roosevelt dictated by fiat the nomination of his
successor, W. H. Taft, then Vice-President. Though he was an effective
reformer in his own right, Taft alienated the progressive Republicans
headed by Robert LaFollette and Roosevelt. In 1912 the Republican party
was fractured over the presidential nomination. The Taft faction, however,
controlled the convention of 1912, and Taft was nominated for re-election.
Roosevelt led his followers out of the convention and organized the
Progressive Party (also called the Bull Moose Party). Roosevelt was
nominated for President on this third-party slate. In the election he ran
second to Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson. Forced into retirement,
Roosevelt denounced the policies of Wilson, and after the outbreak of
World War I he attacked Wilson's neutrality policy. When the United States
entered the war, he vainly pleaded to be allowed to raise and command a
volunteer force. He died soon after the end of the war. REALIZABLE IDEALS,
drawn from a series of lectures delivered at Pacific Theological Seminary,
Berkeley, California in 1911, is a very personal and highly moral appeal
to the responsibilities of educated and well-positioned college men as
leaders of society. It is so powerfully phrased and well spoken that one
almost hears the vigorous voice and bully heart that orated to these men
of the West so many decades ago. A scarce book to find signed. Paper split
to front hinge, covers tight; browning to endpapers. Spine faded a bit
with tears along edges. Still Very Good. (#020668) $3,500
39. SANDBURG, Carl. THE PEOPLE, YES. NY: Harcourt, Brace & Co., (1936). First Trade Edition. Published after the edition of 270 numbered
and SIGNED copies. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. INSCRIBED and SIGNED on
the front endpaper: "Agnes Knaus Engelking/1 9 5 3/Carl Sandburg/Wade
House Day." The inscription is a reference to a pioneer day camp
introducing children to daily life in Wisconsin in the 19th century.
Inscribee's name dated 1936 at the top of the endpaper. Close to Fine in a
Near Fine dustwrapper rubbed on the front spine edge. (#020708) $350
40. SANDBURG, Carl. SMOKE AND STEEL. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Howe, 1920. First Edition. Dark green cloth stamped in orange. INSCRIBED
and SIGNED on the blank page opposite the title page: "Mary MacMillan/-may
luck and the years/be good to her--/Carl Sandburg/Cincinatti [sic]/Feb. 7,
1921." Laid down on the front pastedown is a striking 4-3/4" x 6-1/2"
original portrait photograph of Sandburg staring menacingly into the
camera. Inscribee's name on the front endpaper. Small tears at the top of
the spine. Near Fine, lacking the dustwrapper. (#020709) $450
41. (SANGER, Margaret) LADER, Lawrence. MARGARET SANGER. AN
AUTOBIOGRAPHY. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, (1938). First Edition. Frontispiece photograph. INSCRIBED and SIGNED by Sanger on the front
endpaper: "Greetings & regards/to/Sidney Hillman/from/Margaret Sanger."
Sidney Hillman was an American labor leade, head of the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers of America and co-founder of the American Labor Party in
1936. He was a key figure in the founding of the Congress of Industrial
Organizations and in marshaling labor's support for Franklin Delano
Roosevelt. Near Fine, lacking the dustwrapper. (#020697) $850
Margaret Sanger, the originator of the phrase "birth control" and its
best-known advocate, sought to create equality between the sexes by
freeing women from what she saw as sexual servitude. She survived Federal
indictments, a brief jail term, numerous lawsuits, and hundreds of street-
corner rallies and raids on her clinics to live to see much of the world
accept her view that family planning is a basic human right.
42. TAFT, William Howard. THE UNITED STATES AND PEACE. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1914. First Edition. Publisher's dark blue cloth
ruled and lettered in gilt; xii, 182 pages. INSCRIBED and SIGNED on the
front endpaper: "For J. D. Green Esq./with best wishes/Wm H Taft/March 22
1927." In this book, published one year after leaving the Presidency, Taft
describes the League to Enforce Peace which he founded after the outbreak
of the First World War in 1914. A leader of the progressive conservative
wing of the Republican Party, Taft was a pioneer in international
arbitration and a staunch advocate of world peace. Rather faint stains and
soiling to covers. Near Fine. (#020666) $4,500
43. TRUMAN, Harry. MEMOIRS. YEARS OF TRIAL AND HOPE. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1956. First Edition. Early but not first printing.
INSCRIBED to Bernard M. Gress and SIGNED by the author on the dedication
page on 15 December 1956. Water damage to the edges of the front and rear
covers that extends to the endpapers and slightly to a couple of other
pages but not the inscribed page. Good in a Good dustwrapper with a foxed
spine that is chipped at the heel. (#020675) $300
44. WHARTON, Edith. THE CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRY. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1913. First Edition. Original red cloth, lettered in
gilt. INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author on the front endpaper: "'For Miss
Reubell/from Edith Wharton/Nov. 1913." A scarce book to find signed, this
is to Henrietta "Etta" Reubell, described by Wharton in her autobiography,
A BACKWARD GLANCE, as "my old friend, and Henry James's" (Chapter 11).
Reubell had a salon at her home where cosmopolitan expatriate writers and
artists would visit including James McNeill Whistler, Oscar Wilde, and
John Singer Sargent, who painted her portrait. In an 1876 letter from
Paris to his brother, William James, Henry describes several women,
including Reubell: "The other is a certain Miss Reubell, who has lived
here always, is twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and extremely ugly,
but with something very frank, intelligent and agreeable about her. If I
wanted to desire to marry an ugly Parisian-American, with money and toutes
les elegances, and a very considerable capacity for development if
transported into a favoring medium, Miss R would be a very good objective"
(Edel, Leon: HENRY JAMES LETTERS, Volume II, pp. 41-42). James wrote more
than 100 letters to Reubell. It is not known how many he received from
her. This copy has 7 minor corrections made to the text, certainly by
Wharton. The most recent inscribed copy we could locate at auction, which
sold at Christies London in 2002 for about what we are charging for this
copy, was noted as having 3 corrections, matching 3 of the 7 here. On the
front pastedown is the bookplate of The American Library in Paris Inc.
1920. Bookplate stamped "Discarded" with slight offsetting to endpaper;
perforated stamp to bottom margin of one text page; slight foxing to the
front endpaper and a few other pages; rear endpapers with library slip and
pocket, also stamped; front hinge cracked and a little loose. Covers are
bright with strong gilt, a small white ink symbol on the spine. Easily
Very Good or better, despite the library markings. (#020667) $7,500
45. WILSON, Woodrow. DIVISION AND REUNION, 1829-1909. New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1916. New Edition. Blue cloth stamped in white
and gilt. Thirteenth Impression. Part of the EPOCHS OF AMERICAN HISTORY
series. First published in 1893 and brought up to date by Edward Corwin.
Illustrated with 6 maps. INSCRIBED and SIGNED as President on the front
endpaper: "To my faithful friend and/assistant, Charles L. Swem,/with
cordial Christmas wishes/Woodrow Wilson/1916." Swem served as President
Wilson's stenographic secretary and campaign reporter. Writing bold and
dark. Near Fine. (#020669) $3,000