Manhattan Rare Book Company, ABAA, ILAB

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION, the basis for the 1983 Academy Award winning film starring Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1975. Octavo, original cloth, original dust jacket. Usual mild age-toning to text, only the slightest wear to extremities of jacket. A beautiful copy.…

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION of Cornwell's second published book in the Sharpe series on the Napoleonic Wars. Set in August 1810 during the Peninsular War and featuring the destruction of Almeida. Although it is Cornwell's second book in the series, it is the ninth book chronologically in the fictional epic. London: Harper Collins, 1981. Octavo, original cloth, original dust jacket. Book fine, dust jacket price-clipped, otherwise fine.…

no binding. Condition: Fine. 5th edition or later. Beautiful 1660 engraving of the Baths of Caracalla, by Marco Sadeler. Exquisite original engraving from 1660 of Rome showing parts of the Baths of Caracalla. Engraved by Marco Sadeler, part of the most famous European print-making family of the 17th Century. Plate #19 from: Vestigii dussa parte di dentro delle terme d'Antonino caracala. Roma: G.Giacomo de Rossi, 1660. A few stray spots, otherwise fine with exceptionally large margins. Engraving: 14.5 x 10.25 in.; image alone: 10.25 x 6 in.…

Soft cover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION of one of Prince's most influential books, published in conjunction with the artist's landmark 1989 exhibition at the Institute of Modern Art in Valencia, Spain. Illustrated with over 200 color images and with a preface by Corinne Diserens & Vincent Todoli and an 'interview' with Richard Prince and the author J.G. Ballard. (Valencia, Spain/New York): Aperture/A New Images Book & IVAM/Col.lecció Centre del Carme, (1989). Quarto (286x195mm), original photo-pictorial wrappers. A fine copy. …

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1992. Octavo, original grey boards, original dust jacket. Slight creasing to top of rear panel of dust jacket. A BRIGHT, CLEAN COPY.

No Binding. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. LEAF FROM A 15TH CENTURY BREVIARY FEATURING A LARGE INITIAL ''P" Lovely manuscript leaf from a 15th century breviary on vellum containing writing from the book of Job. 14 lines of text on each side scribed in a gothic hand with brown-black ink and red rubrics. Verso contains a beautiful border and lavishly illuminated 7-line initial "P." Closely cropped foliate border contains pink, blue, green, and red flowers as well as gold. The text, from Job starting with the initial P: Pelli meae, consumptis carnibus, adhaesit os meum: et derelicta sunt tantummodo labia circa dentes meos. Miseremini mei, miseremini mei, saltem vos amici mei, quia manus Domini tetigit me The flesh being consumed, my bone hath cleaved to my skin: and there are left only lips about my teeth. Have mercy upon me, have mercy upon me, at the least you my friends (English translation). Size: 115x77 mm (approx. 4.5 x 3.0 inches). France: c. 1475. Text on recto is faded. Some flaking to the top and bottom of the large initial. Closely cropped margins. A small, but elegant leaf with an exceptionally large initial.…

First Edition. LEAFS FROM A 15TH-CENTURY FRENCH BOOK OF HOURS, BEAUTIFUL FLORAL DESIGNS. Illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum from a Latin Book of Hours. Beautiful gilded design with diversely colored extensions, including dark pink, light red, and subtle shades of blue, gold, black, and green. Floral-patterned designs outside the text feature flowers and fruits. Seventeen lines of text per page.2 2-line initals and 13 1-line initials in burnished gold on pink and blue backgrounds. Red rubrics. Text includes psalms 110, 113, and 122. Text in Latin reads: Implebit ruinas: conquassabit capita in terra multorum. De torrente in via bibet: propterea exaltabit caput Gloria patri. Psalmus. Laudate pueri dominum: laudate nomen dñi. Sit nomen dñi benedictum ex hoc nunc usque in saeculum. A solis ortu usque ad occasum sum laudabile nomen dñi. Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus super caelos gloria eius. Quis sicut Dominus Deus noster qui in altis habitat et humilia respiciat in caelo et in terra. Suscitans a terra inopem Et desolatos cogens pauperem Ut collocet eum cum principibus cum principibus p? sui Qui habitare facit i? sterilem i? domo matrem filioru? laetante? Gloria patri. Psalmus Laetatus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi in domum domini ibimus. Stantes erant pedes n[ost]ri in atriis tuis Ierusalem. Ierusalem que edificat[ur] ut civitas cuius participatio eius in idipsum. Illuc enim ascenderunt tribus tribus d[omi]ni: testimonium israhel ad confiten[du]m no?i English Translation: He will fill [the places] with ruins; he will crush heads in the land of many. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore shall he lift up his head. Glory be to the Father. Praise the Lord, you children; praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations; his glory is above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high, and looks down upon the lowly in heaven and on earth? He raises the poor from the earth and lifts the needy out of the dungheap, that he may seat him with princes, with the princes of his people. He makes the barren woman dwell in a house as a joyful mother of children. Glory be to the Father. I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We will go into the house of the Lord. Our feet were standing in your courts, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem, which is built as a city that is compact together. For there the tribes have gone up, the tribes of the Lord, a testimony to Israel, to praise the name of the Lord. This passage includes recitations of Psalms 110, 113, and 122 in fine Gothic Quadrata Script. This manuscript is especially notable for its intricate border drawings containing floral designs and fine detailing. These sheets are also unique for their diverse hues. As ink was often difficult to acquire, different shades of green, pink, and red might be indicative of a wealthier client able to afford more color Size of leaf: 161 x 119 mm Likely Paris: c. 1450. Slight staining to outer margins that does not impact text or border. …

Condition: Very Good. First Edition. BEAUTIFUL LEAF FROM AN EARLY 15TH CENTURY BOOK OF HOURS; PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS. Illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum from a Book of Hours in Latin. Utrecht, Netherlands, early 15th century (c. 1425). Single column, 18 lines of text on each side in ink, additional two lines written outside of the rubrication. Two 3-line initials on verso in gold on blue and pink backgrounds. 6 additional gold 1-line initials on recto with blue and red penwork. Line extensions in blue and red with gold. Text from Isaiah 12:2-6, followed by Gloria Patri. Size: 122 x 97 mm Netherlands, Use of Utrecht: c. 1425. Some discoloration to margins. Stain on text recto. …

No Binding. Condition: Fine. AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED by Noel Coward, with content pertaining to theater. Addressed to a young admirer, Robert Bishop, Coward writes: "I was very interested to get your nice letter. I had a miniature theater when I was younger than you & I have never forgotten all the pleasure it gave me. "I think, taken all round, it is a good plan to go to a training school such as Italia Conti - although I did not do so myself. I rather advise it as it is so much easier to get an opening through a school than on one's own. Anyway, all good luck to you. "Yours Sincerely [signed] Noel Coward" Quarto (8x10 in.), one sheet (recto and verso, 1.5 written pages); folds, otherwise fine. WITH: Three letters (three sheets total) on Coward's letterhead to Robert Bishop from Lorn Lorraine, Coward's secretary. Signed by Author(s).…

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. FIRST EDITION OF CREWS' first novel. New York: William Morrow & Co., 1968. Octavo, original green cloth, original dust jacket. Book very good with slight lean but no discoloration to endpapers (as usual); dust jacket near fine with only most minimal wear. A superb copy.…

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION of Truman Capote's first novel. Published in 1948, when Capote was only 23 years old, "Other Voices almost immeditaely jumped onto the New York Times best-seller list, where it remained for nine weeks. It sold more than 26,000 copies. Although many other novels of 1948, including Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead and Irwin Shaw's The Young Lions, outsold it several times over, no other was so much discussed, or became so controversial. Truman's reputation, which had been building among literary people since "Miriam," exploded in all directions. People who had never walked into a bookstore suddenly knew the name and, most certainly, the face of Truman Capote" (Clarke, Capote). New York: Random House, 1948. Octavo, original cloth, original dust jacket. Book fine; dust jacket clean and bright with light toning to spine and a few tiny abrasions. A very attractive copy.…

Condition: Very Good. First Edition. BEAUTIFUL INTRICATE LEAVES FROM A 15TH-CENTURY FRENCH BOOK OF HOURS. Two illuminated manuscript leaves on vellum from a French Book of Hours in Latin. Beautiful gilded design with diversely colored extensions, including dark pink, light red, and subtle shades of blue, gold, black, and green. Floral-patterned designs outside the text depict flowers and fruits. Seventeen lines of text per page. 3 2-line initials in gold on blue and pink background. Additional 10 1-line initials in gold on blue and pink backgrounds. Red rubricated text. Text from Psalm 127:4-5 and Psalm 128:1-6. Text in Latin reads: Ad uesperas Sicut sagittae in manu potentis, ita filii excussorum. Beatus vir qui implevit desiderium suum ex ipsis: non confundetur cum loquetur inimicis suis in porta Donapatu. Psalmus Beati omnes qui timent dñ?m qui ambulant in viis eius. Labores manuum tuarum. quia manducabis, beatus es, et bene tibi erit. Uxor tua sicut vitis abundans in lateribus domus tuae. Filii tui sicut nouellae olivae in circuitu mensae tuae. Ecce sic benedicetur homo qui timet dñ?m. Benedicat tibi Dominus ex Sion: et videas bona Ierusalem omnibus diebus vitae tuae. Et videas filios filiorum: pacem super Israel. Gloria. A Pulchra es et decora filia Ierusalem terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata. Qualis cedrus exaltata sum in Libano: quaet cypressus in monte Sion: sicut palma exaltata sum in Cades: et quasi plantatio rosae in Jericho. Deo gratias. ? Ora pro nobis Sancta Dei Genetrix: ad Dominum Deum nostrum. Sancta Dei Genitrix. Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto. ? Ora pro nobis Sancta Dei Genitrix. ? Ut digni tata es Sancta Dei Genetrix, sup duxos angelor ad caelestia regna. Domine exaudi orationem meam et dñ?o: n?ms ad te veniat or? Famulos tuos, quos Domine dedicas ignio, ut qui tibi placere de actibus nostris non valemus genua, assis tu Domine nostra idu, ad tuam misericordiam saluemur. Per eundem Dominum nostrum. English Translation: At Vespers: As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of youth. Blessed is the man who has filled his desire with them; he shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies at the gate. Glory be to the Father. Psalm. Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways. You shall eat the labor of your hands; because you shall eat, you are blessed, and it shall go well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine along the sides of your house. Your children are like young olive shoots all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion, and may you see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of your life. And may you see your children's children: peace upon Israel. Glory be to the Father. You are beautiful and lovely, O daughter of Jerusalem, terrible as an army set in array. Like a cedar exalted am I in Lebanon; and like a cypress on Mount Zion; like a palm exalted in Cades; and like the planting of a rose in Jericho. Thanks be to God. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God: that we may be made worthy to approach the Lord our God. You are praised, O Holy Mother of God, who led the angels to the heavenly kingdom. Lord, hear my prayer, and let it come to you, O Lord. Your servants, whom, O Lord, you have consecrated with fire-so that we, who are not able to please you by our deeds, nor even bend the knees-assist us, O Lord, in our weakness; may we be saved by your mercy. Through the same our Lord. This passage is from Psalm 127:4-5 and Psalm 128:1-6 in fine Gothic Script. Size of each page: 161 x 119 mm; Size when opened: 236 x 161 mm Likely Paris: c.1450. Small marginal tear to second leaf. Minor marginal scattered browning. A bright, clean bifolium.…

First Edition. LEAF FROM A 13TH CENTURY BIBLE CONTAINING STORY OF JOSEPH. Illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum from a Bible in Latin. Northern France, likely Paris, c. 1250. Written in two columns of forty-five lines in a fine Gothic script in dark brown ink. Large initial P (verso). The text spans Genesis 42-44. In this portion of Genesis,Joseph tests his brothers during the famine, culminating in Judah's offer to sacrifice himself for Benjamin. The fine Gothic pearl script, precise ruling, and rich illumination are characteristic of Parisian Bible production during the height of manuscript refinement in the mid-13th century. These portable Bibles were widely produced for university and ecclesiastical use. Size: 124 x 84 mm (4.9 x 3.3 inches); written Area: 96 x 64 mm (3.8 x 2.5 inches) Likely Paris: c.1250. Small hole in upper margin edge not impacting text. A bright and clean leaf in excellent condition.…

Condition: Very Good. First Edition. LEAF FROM A 13TH CENTURY BIBLE AS JOSEPH REVEALS SELF TO BROTHERS. Illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum from a Bible in Latin. Northern France, likely Paris, c. 1250. Written in two columns of forty-five lines in a fine Gothic script in dark brown ink. Two large initals in alternating blue and red. Delicate extensions in blue, pink, and gold, with red rubrications. The text begins with Genesis 44:17 and continues to 46:24. Excerpted section reads: et dixit fratribus suis ego sum Ioseph adhuc pater meus vivit nec poterant respondere fratres nimio timore perterriti ad quos ille clementer accedite inquit ad me et cum accessissent prope ego sum ait Ioseph frater vester quem vendidistis in Aegypto nolite pavere nec vobis durum esse videatur quod vendidistis me in his regionibus pro salute enim vestra misit me Deus ante vos in Aegyptum biennium est quod fames esse coepit in terra et adhuc quinque anni restant quibus nec arari poterit nec meti praemisitque me Deus ut reservemini super terram et escas ad vivendum habere possitis English translation: And he said to his brethren: I am Joseph. Is my father yet living? His brethren could not answer him, being struck with exceeding great fear. And he said mildly to them: Come nearer to me. And when they had come near, he said: I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Be not afraid, and let it not seem to you a hard case that you sold me into these countries; for God sent me before you into Egypt for your preservation. For it is two years since the famine began to be upon the land, and five years more remain, wherein there can be neither ploughing nor reaping. And God sent me before you, that you may be preserved upon the earth, and may have food to live. This passage recounts Joseph's reunion with his family, his role in protecting them during famine, and the beginning of the Israelites' growth in Egypt. The fine Gothic pearl script, precise ruling, and rich illumination are characteristic of Parisian Bible production during the height of manuscript refinement in the mid-13th century. These portable Bibles were widely produced for university and ecclesiastical use. Likely Paris: c. 1250. Closely cropped top. Minor stray spots of browning in margins. Size: 124 x 84 mm (4.9 x 3.3 inches); written Area: 96 x 64 mm (3.8 x 2.5 inches).…

First Edition. LEAF FROM A 13TH CENTURY BIBLE CONTAINING JACOB'S REUNION WITH JOSEPH THROUGH THE BLESSING OF JACOB'S SONS. Illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum from a Bible in Latin. Northern France, likely Paris, c. 1250. Written in two columns of forty-five lines, in a fine Gothic pearl script in dark brown ink. Large initial (verso) marks the beginning of Genesis chapter 48. The text begins with Genesis 46 and continues through 48. This passage recounts Jacob's arrival in Egypt, Joseph's management of the famine, and Jacob's blessing of his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. The fine Gothic pearl script, precise ruling, and rich illumination are characteristic of Parisian Bible production during the height of manuscript refinement in the mid-13th century. These portable Bibles were widely produced for university and ecclesiastical use. Size: 124 x 84 mm (4.9 x 3.3 inches); written area: 96 x 64 mm (3.8 x 2.5 inches) Likely Paris: 1250. Slight browning to outer edge. Closely cropped top. Otherwise a clean, bright leaf.…

No Binding. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Large initial "D" cut from a Spanish antiphonal (c. 1500) richly painted on parchment. Initial painted in shades of brown on a decorated purple background. Framed in a lovely gold frame with custom matting and UV protected glass. A few spots of flaking and a hint of rippling; colors strong and dark. Frame Size: 10x12 inches (255x305mm); Cutting: 3.5x5 inches (90x130mm).…

No Binding. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Brightly painted initial "E" cut from a Spanish antiphonal (c. 1500) on parchment. Initial painted in gold & red on a beautifully decorated violet background framed in gold. A little flecking at border, otherwise fine. Initial is framed in a lovely gold frame with custom matting and UV protected glass. Frame Size: 10x12 inches (255x305 mm) Cutting: 3.75x4.5 inches (113x93 mm).…

First Edition. LEAF FROM A 13TH CENTURY BIBLE CONTAINING THE STORY OF MOSES FROM EXODUS. Illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum from a Bible in Latin. Northern France, likely Paris, c. 1250. Written in two columns of forty-five lines in a fine Gothic script in dark brown ink. Three large initials in alternating red and blue . The 2 line initial "E" (recto) marks the beginning of Exodus, Chapter two; the 2 line initial "M" (verso) is the beginning of chapter three; the 2 line initial "R" (verso) is the beginning of chapter four. Delicate extensions from initials in blue, pink, and gold, with red rubrications. The text begins with Exodus, chapter one and continues to contain all of chapters two and three and the beginning of chapter four. This passage includes the birth and rescue of Moses (chapter 2) and God appearing to Moses in the burning bush (chapter 3). The fine Gothic pearl script, precise ruling, and rich illumination are characteristic of Parisian Bible production during the height of manuscript refinement in the mid-13th century. These portable Bibles were widely produced for university and ecclesiastical use. Size: 124 x 84 mm (4.9 x 3.3 inches); written Area: 96 x 64 mm (3.8 x 2.5 inches). Likely Paris: c. 1250. Closely cropped top. Minor stray spots of browning in margins.…

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. SIGNED LIMITED FIRST EDITION of one of Newton's most successful books, illustrated with 180 black-and-white photographs. Although the limitation is not stated, it is believed that the edition was limited to 200 copies. (New York): Xavier Moreau Inc., (1984). Tall quarto, original silver-stamped gray cloth, original slipcase. A fine copy. Signed by Author(s). …

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION of Kipling's popular nautical tale, with vivid descriptions of the Massachusetts fishing industry. The basis for the 1937 film starring Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore, and Mickey Rooney. London: Macmillan, 1897. Octavo, original cloth gilt, all edges gilt. With illustrations by I.W. Taber. Book slightly cocked (as often); a few spots to cloth, crease to rear endpaper. Text unusually clean and cloth gilt bright. Without scarce dust jacket.…

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION, profusely illustrated with full-page black and white photographs. Warhol's Moderna Muséet catalog "is a fine example of the catalogue-as-artist's-book, a form that ostensibly began with the Dadaists and Surrealists, and is produced with some of the roughest reproductions ever seen, which are entirely appropriate, and supplemented by a long section of Factory snapshots by Billy Name. The genre was revitalized by the Pop movement, and Warhol in particular, which demonstrates his position as a latter-day Dadaist. The Moderna Museet publication especially had a great influence upon Japanese photography in the late 1960s and 1970s, particularly the photobooks of the Provoke era" (Parr and Badger, Vol II). Published by Moderna Muséet, Sweden, in 1968 as an exhibition catalogue for the show "Andy Warhol" at the Moderna Muséet in Stockholm, February - March, 1968. Stockholm: Moderna Muséet, 1968. Quarto (approx. 8.5 x 10.5 in.), original illustrated paper wrappers. Small piece of tape at top of spine; superficial split at center of glue binding (as often), everything holding. An outstanding copy of a fragile book that is extremely prone to wear.…

Soft cover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First French edition, SIGNED BY BECKETT on title page; one of only 112 copies printed on "bouffant select marques" and reserved for the publishers. A collection of six short plays, translated from English by Beckett. Includes: Comédie, Va et vient, Cascando, Paroles et musique, Dis Joe, Acte sans paroles II. Paris: Les Editions de Minuit, (1966). Octavo, original printed wrappers; glassine. Unopened. A FINE COPY. Signed by Author(s). …

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION of one of the most important papers in the history of statistics, introducing the 'chi-squared' test of goodness of fit, "one of the most useful of all statistical tests" and "one of Pearson's greatest single contributions to statistical methodology" (DSB). "Specification or stochastic modeling of data is an important step in statistical analysis of data. Karl Pearson was the first to recognize this problem and introduce criterion, in a paper published in 1900, to examine whether the observed data support a given specification. He called it chi-squared goodness-of-fit test, which motivated research in testing of hypotheses and estimation of unknown parameters and led to the development of statistics as a separate discipline. In an article entitled "Trial by Number", [Ian] Hacking says that the goodness of fit chi-square test introduced by Karl Pearson (1900) 'ushered in a new kind of decision making' and gives it a place among the top 20 discoveries since 1900 considering all branches of science and technology" (C.R. Rao, "Karl Pearson Chi-Square Test: The Dawn of Statistical Inference"). In: Philosophical Magazine, Series 5, Vol 50, pp. 157-175. Complete volume (July-Dec 1900) offered. London: Taylor & Francis, 1900. Octavo, modern cloth. Provenance: with library stamp on volume title from the prestigious Gmelin Institute (after 1996, part of the Max Planck Institute). A fine copy.…

Soft cover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL WRAPPERS of the discovery of the "Lamb shift" "Shortly after World War II, Lamb began his work to check the accuracy of the predictions of Paul Dirac as they related to the energy levels and spectral lines of hydrogen. Dirac's quantum mechanical theory predicted that the hydrogen atom had two possible energy states with equal energies. Lamb's accurate work using radiofrequency resonance techniques, reported in 1947, revealed that there was a minute difference in these energy levels. Small as it was, this Lamb shift necessitated a revision of the theory of the interaction of the electron with electromagnetic radiation. For this work Lamb was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics, which he shared with another leader of research at Columbia, Polykarp Kusch, with whom he had performed wartime research in developing microwave radar" (.Biographical Encyclopedia of Scientists). Particle Physics: One Hundred Years of Discoveries: "First measurements of the fine structure of the hydrogen atom, the Lamb shift. Nobel prize to W.E. Lamb awarded in 1955 'for his discoveries concerning the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum.'" IN: The Physical Review, Vol 72, No 3, August 1, 1947, pp. 241-243. Lancaster, PA., and New York, NY: American Physical Society, 1947. Quarto, original wrappers. Tiny bump to outer edge, otherwise fine. Rare in wrappers.…

Original wrappers. Condition: Good. First edition. FIRST EDITION ASSOCIATION COPY SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY ANDRÉ BRETON. Written within the span of only three weeks during the summer of 1930, André Breton and Paul Éluard's L'Immaculée Conception is a quintessential example of the Surrealist practice of automatic writing. While Surrealism today may at first evoke painters such as René Magritte and Salvador Dalí, Surrealism was demarcated by its founders, namely Breton, as an experiment as much, if not more, in language and literature as the visual arts. Thus, the process of automatic writing which he developed across his lifetime sits at the heart of the first Surrealist Manifesto (1924)-and L'Immaculée Conception represents a pinnacle automatic text executed by two of the major Surrealist vanguards themselves. In a 1961 interview with Judith Jasmin, Breton maintained that the mission of Surrealism has been the same since 1924, and that Surrealism continues to be defined as: "automatisme psychique pur, par lequel on se proposait d'exprimer, par écrit ou de tout autre manière, le véritable mécanisme de la pensée. Il s'agissait d'une dicté de la pensée en dehors de tout contrôle-et ceci était très important-de tout contrôle exercé par la raison et en dehors de toute préoccupation esthétique ou morale." (Breton, 1961) [pure psychic automation, by which one proposes to express, in writing or any other manner, the true mechanism of thought. It was a dictation of thought beyond any control-and this was very important-any control exercised by reason and beyond any aesthetic or moral concern.] Barring re-reading and editing, the authors consequently forbade themselves "d'apprecier encours de route le produit de cette activité" [from appreciating, en route, the product of this activity] (Breton, 1961). At times losing "syntactical clarity" and "grammatical intelligibility", L'Immaculée Conception interrogates what it means to be human and divine and tackles sacred Christian doctrine in a meeting of Breton's and Éluard's characteristic wits (Conley, p. 607). Skirting all censorship and demonstrating an intelligence defiantly detached from the human faculties of reason and logic, L'Immaculée Conception reinforces the Surrealist style of surprise and inverted expectation. This first edition copy is signed by André Breton to Monique Fong (a.k.a. Monique Fong Wust) with the following inscription: "'Le rosier d'écume de mer' à Monique Fong avec les affectueux compliments d'André Breton" ["'The sea-foam rose' to Monique Font with the affectionate compliments of André Breton"] In this personalised message, Breton quotes from the penultimate chapter's final section, "L'idée du devenir": "Si c'était à recommencer, si c'était à recommencer. Le rosier d'écume de mer est debout à côté de moi dans ce portrait poétiquement définitif" (Breton and Éluard, p. 110) [If I had to star over, if I had to start over. the sea-foam rose stands at my side in this poetically-definitive portrait.] A Surrealist writer and intellectual closely connected with many other prominent champions of the movement, Fong Wust first met Breton at a party hosted by Claude Lévi-Strauss and would later maintain a lifelong correspondence with Marcel Duchamp-documenting much of the movement's aims, ambitions and successes. The book is number 179 of 2,000 copies printed on hand-made paper from Sorel-Moussel. Formerly "la véritable capitale du papier" [the true capital of paper], Sorel-Moussel is a village in northern France renown for its paper mills constructed in 1814 and operated by famed printer Firmin Didot, which ceased production in the later half of the twentieth century (Cathelinais, p. 5). References: André Breton, "Le sel de la semaine", interview by Judith Jasmin, Radio-Canada (27 February, 1961), C. Cathelinais, "L'ancienne papeterie devenue entrepôt abritera une turbine électrique", Paris-Normande (26 February, 1987) Katharine Conley, "Writing the Virgin's Body: Breton and Eluard's Immaculée Conception", The French Review. Signed.…

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. The Czech translation of Proust's masterpiece, complete in original wrappers, with book design by Karel Teige. With simple designs, distinctive topography and titles printed in red and black, Teige's edition of Proust is a quintessential example of his work and a classic representation of the Czech avant-garde. Praha [Prague]: Odeon, 1927-1930. Complete in 15 volumes with the supplement (Benjamin Cremieux, Marcel Proust, 1928). Octavo, original wrappers in various colors. Owner signatures. General minor wear to wrappers, fading to spines. First title page neatly detached. A monument of book design; rare in original wrappers.…

nb. Condition: Very Good. FIRST EDITION OFFPRINTS. RARE FIRST EDITION OFFPRINTS of Gamow and Teller's early papers on cosmology, including "a kind of blueprint" for Gamow's later theory of the Big Bang. In "On the Origin of Great Nebulae," "written jointly with Edward Teller, his friend and colleague at George Washington University, Gamow dealt for the first time explicitly with the Friedmann-Lemaitre equations. The two authors concluded that, 'our theory of nebular formation requires that the velocity of expansion remains nearly constant while the distances between nebulae increase by a factor of 600.' In the last section, they considered the cosmological consequences which they discussed from the form of the fundamental (Friedmann-Lemaitre) equation for the expanding universe as given by Richard Tolman in his important textbook of 1934. [and concluded]: 'Thus in order to understand the formation of great nebulae and to satisfy the condition of continuity at the moment of their separation, it is necessary to accept the hypothesis that space is infinite and ever expanding.' As they noted, this went against the conclusion that Edwin Hubble and Tolman had reached in 1935, namely that the universe must be closed and uncomfortably small. However, Gamow and Teller argued that the discrepancy might be resolved if it was admitted that the absolute luminosities of very distant (hence young) galaxies were higher than those nearer by. This idea was to play an important role in cosmology in the 1950s, but in 1939 it was merely a suggestion that lacked independent support. "Gamow's work with Teller of 1939 was based on the expanding universe but did not presuppose any explosive event in the past, what ten years later would be coined the big bang. All they had to say about the state of the universe before the separation of the nebulae about 1.8 billion years ago was, 'Before that time, space must have been uniformly populated by stars, or by gas molecules, if we suppose that the formation of stars took place after the separation of nebulae.' Although still in the pre-big-bang tradition, the paper was in several respects to serve as a kind of blueprint for Gamow's later contributions to cosmology" (Kox and Eisenstaedt, The Universe of General Relativity). In "Energy Production in Red Giants," published two weeks after "On the Origin of Great Nebulae," Gamow and Teller "carried out one of the earliest studies of the temperature dependence of thermonuclear reaction rates and applied their ideas to an investigation of energy production in red giant stars" (Libby and Bibber, Edward Teller Centennial Symposium). On the Origin of Great Nebulae. Offprint from: Physical Review, Vol. 55, April 1, 1939, pp. 654-657. Four pages, as issued without wrappers. Light edgewear, a little foxing. Energy Production in Red Giants. Offprint from: Physical Review, Vol 55, April 15, 1939. One page, as issued without wrappers. Small closed tear to margin, otherwise fine. Lancaster and New York: American Institute of Physics, 1939. Housed together in custom cloth case. RARE.…

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION of the first description of WIlson's famous cloud chamber, the first type of detector to show the tracks of elementary particles. Cloud chambers "developed from the work of Charles Wilson at the Cavendish Laboratory in the 1890's. He was interested in creating artificial mist, in order to investigate its effect on light, and did so by building a desktop-sized apparatus in which a glass chamber full of moist air was connected to a piston which could be suddenly moved outward, lowering the pressure and causing mist (or cloud) to form in the chamber. The mist droplets grow on tiny particles of dust in the air (cloud condensation nuclei). But, to his surprise, Wilson found that even when all the dust had been removed from the chamber, when the piston was rapidly moved out over a large distance a very thin mist still formed in the chamber. He surmised that the droplets were condensing around electrically charged particles (ions), and proved this, early in 1896, by operating the cloud chamber alongside a source of X-rays (X-rays had only been discovered in the preceding year) and seeing it fill up with condensation as the X-rays passing through it ionized the atoms in the air inside the chamber. Cloud chambers became an essential tool of physics (it was a cloud chamber photograph, for example, that first revealed the existence of the positron) and grew much larger, many being several meters across. They are still used, although superseded for many purposes by other detectors, including bubble chambers and wire chambers." (Gribben, Q is for Quantum). Wilson shared the 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his method of making the paths of electrically charged particles visible by condensation of vapour." Also includes an early paper by Ernest Rutherford, "A Magnetic Detector of Electrical Waves and some of its Applications" (p. 1-24). IN:Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series A, pp. 265-307. London: Harrison and Sons, 1897. Quarto, original publisher's burgundy blind-stamped cloth. A fine copy.…

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION, illustrated with 65 images of the Jewish ghetto in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. With preface by poet Zalman Chneour in Hebrew and German. "In the same year that his Paris was published, Moà Ver - under his real name of Moshà Vorobeichic- produced Ein Ghetto im Osten (A Ghetto in the East). The book, with both Hebrew and German text, featured his photographic record of the Jewish ghetto in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, documenting a way of life that would soon disappear under terrible circumstances. Even more so than Paris, Ein Ghetto im Osten was ostensibly a documentary book, but as he had done in his view of the French city, Moà Ver could not resist pushing the envelope of the documentary form. Once again, he used a variety of New Vision strategies, the most obvious being to take many images from upstairs windows looking on to the narrow streets of Vilnius's old Jewish quarter. This creates odd angles and a dynamic mise en scà ne for his pictures of people going about their everyday business on the street.But Moà Ver didn't stop there. He also introduced cinematic cutting and montaging techniques to heighten the interest. A poignancy has been added [to Ein Ghetto im Osten] in hindsight: it was made at the beginning of a desperately traumatic time for European Jewry" (Parr/Badger, The Photobook). Zurich and Leipzig: Orell Fussli, 1931. Small octavo, publisher's photo-illustrated boards. Very minor rubbing, some foxing to the early and end leaves, some light soiling, generally an excellent copy.…

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL WRAPPERS, of Arrhenius's landmark discovery of the theory of electrolytic disassociation. Arrhenius was awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in chemistry "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered to the advancement of chemistry by his electrolytic theory of dissociation." By 1880, "it was known that solutions of certain compounds conduct electricity and that chemical reactions could occur when a current was passed. It was thought that the current decomposed the substance. In 1883 Arrhenius proposed a theory that substances were partly converted into an active form when dissolved. The active part was responsible for conductivity. In the case of acids and bases, he correlated the strength with the degree of decomposition on solution. This work was published as Reserches sur la conductibilite galvanique des electrolytes (1884; Researches on the Electrical Conductivity of Electrolytes) and submitted as his doctoral dissertation. Arrhenius sent his work to several leading physical chemists, including Jacobus van't Hoff. Friedrich Ostwald, and Rudolf Clausius, who were immediately impressed" (Biographical Encyclopedia of Scientists). Arrhenius soon gained high international acclaim, ultimately being awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work. Recherches sur la conductabilite galvanique des electrolytes. Two volumes. Bihang till K. Svenska Vet.-Akad. handlingar, volume 8, nos.13 & 14. Stockholm: Norstedt, 1884. Octavo (216 x 136mm), both volumes in original printed wrappers. One plate (volume 1). Owner's initials at base of top wrapper to volume two. Both wrappers neatly split along top joint- volume two detached and volume one literally hanging by a thread; otherwise fine. WITH: Three others by or about Arrhenius: Undersokning med Rheotom ofver den galvaniska polarisationens forsvinnade (Stockholm, 1882), The Foundations of the Theory of Dilute Solutions . Electrolytic Dissociation by Svante Arrhenius (Edinburgh, 1961) and Svante Arrhenius till 100-arsinnet av hans fodelse (Uppsala, 1959). All contained in a folding cloth box.…