First Edition Literature

H.G. Wells

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of War of the Worlds by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=H.+G.+Wells&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">H.G. Wells</a>.<ul><li>H.G.&nbsp;Wells (English).</li><li>London: Heinemann, 1898.</li><li>Bound in publishers original grey cloth with black titling to the front board and spine, Heinemann company logo to rear board, with 16 catalogue pages to the rear.</li></ul> The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells depicts a devastating Martian invasion of Earth, told from the viewpoint of an unnamed narrator fleeing destruction across England. Wells blends cutting-edge science with social critique as heat-rays, tripods and toxic “black smoke” overwhelm human defences. The novel explores imperialism, vulnerability and survival while pioneering modern science fiction. Humanity’s eventual salvation—through microbes—underscores Wells’ theme that even the most powerful invaders remain subject to nature’s unseen forces.&nbsp;

War of the Worlds First Edition

Agatha Christie

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of The Body in the Library by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Agatha+Christie&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Agatha Christie</a>.<ul><li>Agatha&nbsp;Christie (English).</li><li>London: Collins Crime Club, 1942.</li><li>In the dust wrapper, which has not been clipped, showing 7s 6d as called for. </li></ul> Agatha Christie’s The Body in the Library (1942) features Miss Marple investigating the shocking discovery of an unknown young woman found dead in the Bantrys’ library. The seemingly respectable setting contrasts with the lurid nature of the crime. As Miss Marple unravels alibis, social pretenses, and hidden motives, the case leads to a seaside resort and a web of deceit involving identity, greed, and manipulation.

The Body in the Library First Edition

Ian Fleming

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/james-bond" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Bond</a> novel From Russia With Love by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Ian+Fleming&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ian Fleming</a>.<ul><li>Ian Fleming (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1957.</li><li>The dust wrapper is finely illustrated by Richard Chopping, and has been neatly clipped.</li></ul> The fifth title in the James Bond series. One the original 15,000 printed in 1957.

From Russia With Love First Edition

George Orwell

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of Nineteen Eighty Four by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=george+orwell&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">George Orwell</a>.<ul><li>George&nbsp;Orwell (English).</li><li>London: Secker&nbsp;and Warburg, 1949.</li><li>In&nbsp;the&nbsp;unclipped&nbsp;wrapper&nbsp;which still retains its red color, which is rare for this title, accompanied by the Evening Standard ‘Book of the Month’&nbsp;wrap-around&nbsp;band, housed&nbsp;in&nbsp;a&nbsp;solander box.</li></ul> The novel depicts&nbsp;a&nbsp;totalitarian state—Oceania—where surveillance, propaganda,&nbsp;and linguistic manipulation enforce&nbsp;absolute power. The novel follows Winston Smith, who works rewriting history for the Party but secretly longs for truth&nbsp;and personal freedom. His relationship&nbsp;with&nbsp;Julia&nbsp;and brief rebellion bring him&nbsp;into conflict&nbsp;with&nbsp;the omnipresent Big Brother&nbsp;and the enigmatic&nbsp;Inner Party. Through Newspeak, thoughtcrime,&nbsp;and the terror of Room 101, Orwell explores&nbsp;authoritarian psychology, the fragility of&nbsp;individuality,&nbsp;and the systematic destruction of reality. The novel remains&nbsp;a&nbsp;foundational critique of modern political oppression. This, the variant&nbsp;maroon&nbsp;wrapper&nbsp;usually browns&nbsp;and fades&nbsp;with&nbsp;large chipping. This example has neither&nbsp;and is&nbsp;almost the perfect&nbsp;copy.&nbsp;

Nineteen Eighty-Four [1984] First Edition

Henry James

<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">First edition</a>, first printing of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Henry+James&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Henry James</a>'s early novel, The Portrait of a Lady.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 3 volumes.</li><li>Henry James (American-British).</li><li>London:&nbsp;Macmillan and Co,&nbsp;1881.</li><li>266; 253, [1]; 248 pages, followed by 24-page publisher's catalogue in Volume III, dated April 1881.</li><li>With all half titles.&nbsp;</li><li>Modern gilt-stamped half brown morocco with marbled boards, raised bands, gilt-stamped spine. Top edges gilt, other edges uncut, marbled endpapers.</li></ul> The Portrait of a Lady is among the most important 19th-century novels to lay the groundwork for the stream-of-consciousness approach of the great 20th-century modernists like Virginia Woolf. James describes the struggles of his American ex-pat heroine in Europe with all the tenderness and nuance of psychological realism. Bound in striking period style by leading contemporary bookbinder Trevor Lloyd, MBE, one of just 750 copies of the first edition.

The Portrait of a Lady | First Edition

Jane Austen

<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">First US edition</a> of Northanger Abbey by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Jane+Austen&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jane Austen</a>, in a <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Subject=Fine%2520bindings" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fine art binding</a> by the acclaimed Argentinian design bookbinder Sol Rébora.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2 volumes.</li><li>Jane Austen (English).</li><li>Philadelphia:&nbsp;Carey &amp; Lea,&nbsp;1833.</li><li>12mo.</li><li>195, [1]; 196 pages.</li><li>Cotton and abaca handmade paper grey-pink endpapers.&nbsp;</li><li>Modern full grey-lavender design binding by Sol Rébora in Can Can structure with one layer of cotton cloth and two layers of Japanese paper, each element hand-painted with acrylics and textured with a patterned design impressed with deep-relief hot-stamping from silk; spines and boards stamped in dark grey.</li></ul> Often misread as critical of the gothic novels that were popular at the period of its first composition, Northanger Abbey is a more complex exploration of the genre that is especially notable for its passages in defense of the novel form – written, uncharacteristically, in first person directly from the narrator. First published in late 1817 in three volumes, this is the first edition to appear in the United States, published in two volumes by Carey &amp; Lea in an edition of only 1250 copies; it includes the famous "Biographical Notice of the Author" that first revealed Austen's name to the public as the author (as her books were all published anonymously in her lifetime). Sol Rébora is an internationally recognized design bookbinder based in Buenos Aires. Her works embody a minimalistic elegance that is nevertheless subtly complex, as in the carefully structured multiple layers used here. They are not only visually stunning, but supremely tactile. From Rèbora's artist statement: "The cloth texture is achieved using silk with a patterned design that evokes the aesthetic of the time period in which the original edition was produced, creating a visual connection with antique paper. This design also appeals to the collective memory of how custom bindings from the early 19th century might have appeared, complete with deep-relief hot-stamping impressions."

Northanger Abbey First American Edition

Terry Pratchett

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of The Colour of Magic by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Terry+Pratchett&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Terry Pratchett</a>.<ul><li>Terry Pratchett (English).</li><li>United Kingdom: Colin Smythe, 1983.</li><li>In a fine unclipped wrapper, without the overprint to the front flap.</li></ul> The first printing is said to have comprised 506 copies, but 400 of these were seemingly issued to libraries making fine copies difficult to come by. First issue examples without the overlay are exceptionally scarce and probably number a handful at best. The second state featuring the printed overlay found on the inner front flap of most copies was pasted over the original blurb as a result of inaccuracies spotted when the jacket was returned from the American printers.

The Colour of Magic | First Edition, First Printing

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of Mansfield Park by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Jane+Austen&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jane Austen</a>, in a silk-impressed <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Subject=Fine%2520bindings" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fine binding</a>.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2 volumes.</li><li>Jane Austen (English).</li><li>Philadelphia:&nbsp;Carey &amp; Lea,&nbsp;1832. </li><li>12mo.</li><li>4, 200; 204 pages.&nbsp;</li><li>Publisher's catalogue bound at front of volume I. </li><li>Cotton and abaca handmade paper peach endpapers.</li><li>Modern full pink design binding by Sol Rébora in Can Can structure with one layer of cotton cloth and two layers of Japanese paper, each element hand-painted with acrylics and textured with a patterned design impressed with deep-relief hot-stamping from silk; spines and boards stamped in dark grey. </li></ul> First US edition of Austen's third published novel — in a stunning fine art binding by the acclaimed Argentinian design bookbinder Sol Rébora. "I was quiet but I was not blind." Among Austen's works, Mansfield Park especially demonstrates how careful contrasts of characters and plot twists can bring out subtle ironies. First published in 1814 in three volumes, this is the first edition to appear in the United States, published in two volumes by Carey &amp; Lea in an edition of only 1250 copies. Sol Rébora is an internationally recognized design bookbinder based in Buenos Aires. Her works embody a minimalistic elegance that is nevertheless subtly complex, as in the carefully structured multiple layers used here. They are not only visually stunning, but supremely tactile. From Rèbora's artist statement: "The cloth texture is achieved using silk with a patterned design that evokes the aesthetic of the time period in which the original edition was produced, creating a visual connection with antique paper. This design also appeals to the collective memory of how custom bindings from the early 19th century might have appeared, complete with deep-relief hot-stamping impressions."

Mansfield Park | First American Edition

Ernest H. Shepard | A.A. Milne

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Winnie+The+Pooh&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Winnie The Pooh</a> by A.A. Milne.<ul><li>A.A. Milne (English).</li><li>Illustrated by E.H. Shepard (English).</li><li>London: Methuen, 1926.</li><li>Illustrated, map endpapers.</li><li>Bound in the original publisher’s green pictorial cloth gilt, top edge gilt, in dust jacket with ‘7/6 Net’ to spine and ‘117th Thousand’ at the head of the rear flap.</li></ul> A timeless children’s classic about the gentle adventures of a loveable bear, Pooh, and his friends—Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, and Christopher Robin—in the Hundred Acre Wood. Through simple stories and quiet humor, Milne captures themes of friendship, imagination, and kindness. Inspired by his son’s toys, the book’s charm and Ernest H. Shepard’s illustrations made it an enduring favourite, celebrating innocence, curiosity, and the joy of everyday life.

Winnie The Pooh | First Edition, First Printing

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of Animal Farm by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=George+Orwell&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">George Orwell</a>.<ul><li>George Orwell (English).</li><li>United Kingdom: Secker and Warburg, 1945.</li><li>'Searchlight Books’ advertisement printed in red to the verso as called for.</li><li>In the unclipped dust wrapper, housed in a custom-made solander box.</li></ul> A political allegory that uses farm animals to depict the corruption of socialist ideals and the rise of totalitarianism, mirroring the Russian Revolution and Stalin’s regime. The story follows the animals’ rebellion against their human owner, only for their leader, Napoleon the pig, to become as oppressive as the humans they overthrew. Written during World War II, the novel was initially rejected by several publishers due to its criticism of the Soviet Union but was finally published in 1945 by Secker &amp; Warburg, achieving immediate success and lasting global influence.

Animal Farm | First Edition First Printing

The <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first United Kingdom edition</a> of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/james-bond" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Bond</a> book Moonraker y <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=ian+fleming&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ian Fleming</a>.<ul><li>Ian Fleming (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1955.</li><li>Dust wrapper designed by Kenneth Lewis has not been price clipped, showing the correct price; publisher’s black boards, with the titles to the front panel and spine in silver gilt.</li></ul> The third title in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. This is the ‘second state’, showing ‘shoot’ rather than ‘shoo’ on the tenth page.

Moonraker | First Edition, First Printing

First US edition of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=jane+austen&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Austen</a>'s first novel — in a stunning <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Subject=Fine%2520bindings" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fine art binding</a> by the acclaimed Argentinian design bookbinder Sol Rébora.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2 volumes.</li><li>Jane Austen (English).</li><li>Philadelphia:&nbsp;Carey &amp; Lea,&nbsp;1833.</li><li>12mo.</li><li>199, [1]; 189, [1] pages.</li><li>Modern full grey-pink design binding by Sol Rébora in Can Can structure with one layer of cotton cloth and two layers of Japanese paper, each element hand-painted with acrylics and textured with a patterned design impressed with deep-relief hot-stamping from silk; spines and boards stamped in dark grey, cotton and abaca handmade paper grey-pink endpapers.</li></ul> Austen's first novel uses the love stories of two sisters to explore the complexities and contradictions in the gendered expectations of the Regency era: a woman will be praised for her capacity to feel emotion (her sensibility), but not too much; a woman will be praised for her independent and responsible nature (her sense), but not too much. First published in late 1811 in three volumes, this is the first edition to appear in the United States, published in two volumes by Carey &amp; Lea in an edition of only 1250 copies. Sol Rébora is an internationally recognized design bookbinder based in Buenos Aires. Her works embody a minimalistic elegance that is nevertheless subtly complex, as in the carefully structured multiple layers used here. They are not only visually stunning, but supremely tactile. From Rèbora's artist statement: "The cloth texture is achieved using silk with a patterned design that evokes the aesthetic of the time period in which the original edition was produced, creating a visual connection with antique paper. This design also appeals to the collective memory of how custom bindings from the early 19th century might have appeared, complete with deep-relief hot-stamping impressions." A magnificent, unique copy of an Austen first.

Sense And Sensibility | First American Edition

The <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first US edition</a>, first printing of Pride and Prejudice by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=jane+austen&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jane Austen</a>.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2 volumes.</li><li>Jane Austen (English).</li><li>Philadelphia:&nbsp;Carey &amp; Lea,&nbsp;1832.</li><li>12mo.</li><li>199, [1]; 209, [1] pages</li><li>Publisher's catalogue bound at front of Volume I.</li><li>Modern full peach design binding by Sol Rébora in Can Can structure with one layer of cotton cloth and two layers of Japanese paper, each element hand-painted with acrylics and textured with a patterned design impressed with deep-relief hot-stamping from silk; spines and boards stamped in dark grey, cotton and abaca handmade paper peach endpapers.</li></ul> First US edition in a stunning fine art binding by the acclaimed Argentinian design bookbinder Sol Rébora. Austen's most beloved novel is simultaneously a unique production of profound artistic confidence and an entertaining popular love story: it builds on a long-established tradition of English courtship novels in conversation with many women authors before her like Frances Burney (from whose book Cecelia Austen may have borrowed the very phrase "pride and prejudice"). Austen admitted in a letter that she thought her book's heroine, Elizabeth Bennett, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print" (29 January 1813) – and generations of readers have agreed with her. First published in 1813 in three volumes, this is the first edition to appear in the United States, published in two volumes by Carey &amp; Lea in an edition of only 750 copies. Sol Rébora is an internationally recognized design bookbinder based in Buenos Aires. Her works embody a minimalistic elegance that is nevertheless subtly complex, as in the carefully structured multiple layers used here. They are not only visually stunning, but supremely tactile. From Rèbora's artist statement: "The cloth texture is achieved using silk with a patterned design that evokes the aesthetic of the time period in which the original edition was produced, creating a visual connection with antique paper. This design also appeals to the collective memory of how custom bindings from the early 19th century might have appeared, complete with deep-relief hot-stamping impressions." A magnificent, unique copy of an Austen first.

Pride And Prejudice | First American Edition

Robert Louis Stevenson

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first English edition</a> of the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Robert+Louis+Stevenson&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Robert Louis Stevenson</a>.<ul><li>Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish).</li><li>London:&nbsp;Longmans, Green and Co,&nbsp;1886.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>Issue with the “6” in the date on upper wrapper changed by hand from “5,” half-title with list of works on verso, ads for Longman’s Magazine on inner front wrapper, inner back wrapper advertising novels by Whyte-Melville, outer back wrapper advertising The Dynamiter and two works by Bret Harte.</li><li>Quarter brown morocco and marbled boards, preserving front and back wrapper.</li></ul> Stevenson’s dark tale of Victorian hypocrisy. Published one day after the New York edition.

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | First English Edition

Thomas Wolfe

An <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inscribed</a> <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of Of Time and the River by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Thomas+Wolfe&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thomas Wolfe</a>.<ul><li>Thomas Wolfe (American).</li><li>New York:&nbsp;Charles Scribner's Sons,&nbsp;1935.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>[xii], 912 pages.</li><li>Dark blue cloth.</li></ul> Wolfe’s masterpiece, inscribed, “For Hazel Abrams. Sincerely, Thomas Wolfe, Hollywood. — Sept. 3, 1935.”

Of Time and the River: A Legend of Man's Hunger in His Youth | Inscribed First Edition

Henry Roth

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of Call it Sleep by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Henry+Roth&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Henry Roth</a>.<ul><li>Henry Roth (American).</li><li>New York:&nbsp;Robert O. Ballou,&nbsp;[1934].</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>v, [i], [1]-599 pages.</li><li>Original blue cloth.</li></ul> Near fine copy in the scarce first state dust jacket by Stuyvesant Van Veen.

Call it Sleep | First Edition

Rupert Brooke

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of 1914 and Other Poems by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Rupert+Brooke&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rupert Brooke</a>.<ul><li>Rupert Brooke (English).</li><li>London:&nbsp;Sidgwick &amp; Jackson [Printed at the Complete Press, West Norwood],&nbsp;1915.</li><li>Small octavo.</li><li>63 pages.</li><li>Inscribed by Eddie Marsh to John Drinkwater.</li><li>Photogravure frontispiece portrait in profile view by Sherril Schell. </li><li>Blue cloth, printed spine label, morocco book label of John Drinkwater.</li></ul> First edition of the poet's posthumous second book.&nbsp;Inscribed before publication from Edward Marsh to John Drinkwater on the front flyleaf: John from Eddie, June 4th 1915. Marsh, who was Brooke’s agent, edited the Collected Poems. Both he and Drinkwater wrote memoirs of Brooke. An outstanding association from the inner circle of Rupert Brooke’s poet friends.

1914 and Other Poems | First Edition

Thomas Hardy

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Thomas+Hardy&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hardy</a>’s rare first book, Desperate Remedies.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 3 volumes.</li><li>Thomas Hardy (English).</li><li>London:&nbsp;Tinsley Brothers,&nbsp;1871.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>&nbsp;vi, 304; [vi], 291; vi, 274 pages.</li><li>Part of an edition of 500 copies, with all half-titles.</li><li>Bound in forest green half morocco backed marble boards with gilt ruling, gilt titles on five-banded spine, and top edge gilt, marble endpapers with handsome bookplate of heiress Gustavia Senff on upper pastedowns.</li></ul> Hardy's first novel manuscript was turned down by George Meredith, reading for Chapman &amp; Hall, who advised him to write something with a more "complicated" plot, than the first novel, which he'd entitled The Poor Man and the Lady. He decided to write a a mystery novel with tinges of the Gothic romance, but also heavy with allusions to Shakespeare, Milton, and Shelley, and with entire youthful Hardy poems inserted into the text as prose. An ambitious first novel, it transcended the contemporary models that he had used for structure – Wilkie Collins, for instance – by showing his complicated characters as dominated by their own instincts and the limitations of their social worlds.

Desperate Remedies:  A Novel | First Edition

James Joyce

The <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=James+Joyce&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Joyce</a>'s first fiction, Dubliners.<ul><li>James Joyce (Irish).</li><li>London: Grant Richards Ltd, [1914].</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>278 pages.</li><li>One of 746 bound for Richards (1250 copies printed).</li><li>Original dark red cloth, gilt stamped lettering on the spine and front cover.</li></ul> The rocky publishing history of Dubliners is well documented: finished in 1905, it was rejected by 15 publishers before Grant Richards accepted it. Richards' printers refused to set some of the type – inaugurating Joyce's lifelong struggle with censorship – and Joyce refused most of Richards' changes. It was then taken up by Maunsel &amp; Roberts of Dublin, who eventually came to a similar conclusion. Maunsel even burned all but one of the copies of the sheets, which Joyce managed to wheedle out of him, and it was given back to Richards, who set the type from the lone Maunsel sheet saved from the flames. Joyce subsequently added "A Little Cloud" and "The Dead" – possibly his most famous single story – to the collection.

Dubliners | First Edition

J.K. Rowling

The <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first impression, hardback issue of the first <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Harry+Potter&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> book; the rarest and most desirable format of the series by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=J.K.+Rowling&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">J.K. Rowling</a>.<ul><li>J.K. Rowling (English).</li><li>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.</li><li>London: Bloomsbury, 1997.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>Original matt laminated printed paper boards, spine and front cover lettered in white, yellow, dark green and black, without dust jacket, as issued, housed in a red quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery.&nbsp;</li></ul> All the required points of the first printing are present: Bloomsbury imprint, 10-down-to-1 number line, no space between “Thomas” and “Taylor” on p. 4, the list of equipment on p. 53 with “1 wand” appearing twice, and the misprint “Philospher’s” on the rear cover. Both paperback and hardback issues of the first impression were published on 26 June 1997. Only 500 copies of the first printing of Philosopher’s Stone were issued in hardback, of which it is thought around 300 were sold to libraries and schools. The publisher has stated “I think the assumption in 1997 would have been that you would sell 500 hardcovers of any good book to public libraries so that edition would be aimed at them. The general edition for the market would be a paperback” (Errington, p. 4). Identifying libraries as the intended buyers of this issue explains the lack of a dust jacket (Errington states a jacket “was simply not required by libraries”). The small number of copies not accessioned by libraries explains the scarcity of this issue, and why copies in collectible condition are rare. This copy, bearing a price sticker from W. H. Smith on the rear cover, identifies it as one of a small number sold on the high street.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | First Edition, First Impression

William Pène du Bois

<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">First edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=P%C3%A8ne+du+Bois&amp;pfilters.dateRange=past" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pène du Bois</a>'s notoriously scarce first book, about the ghost of a cow who is a little too sweet to scare people.<ul><li>Pène du BoisPène du Bois (American).</li><li>New York:&nbsp;Thomas Nelson,&nbsp;1936.</li><li>48 pages.</li><li>&nbsp;Illustrated by Pène du Bois with yellow title page and 21 full-page images, a number with the cow ghost highlighted in yellow.</li><li>Original yellow cloth stamped in blue, in original unclipped ($.75) black and yellow pictorial dust jacket.</li></ul> "I am the ghost of the fiercest cow that ever existed. I shall haunt you and scare you day and night." Earliest version of this tale of the afterlife of the gentlest cow, sold to the publisher when du Bois was only 19 and a student at the Carnegie School of Technical Architecture; seizing the opportunity of this early success, he left school and never went back. In 1964, du Bois rewrote the text of this first edition and re-drew the illustrations for a new publication of the engagingly tragic tale; the exceedingly hard-to-find original shows starker scenes in black and white, with a haunting, floating Elisabeth the Cow the only subject in color: a fetching buttercup yellow. The Cow's trouble, familiar to many frustrated young children, lies in her inability to terrify a grown man; this is due to her gentle nature and frankly adorable physique, the former of which cannot be camouflaged by any fearful disguise.

Elisabeth The Cow Ghost First Edition

Charles Dickens

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, second issue of A Christmas Carol by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Charles+Dickens&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Charles Dickens</a>.<ul><li>Charles Dickens (English).</li><li>A Christmas Carol In Prose Being A Ghost Story of Christmas.</li><li>London: Chapman and Hall, 1843.</li><li>Chapter heading reading "Stave One", illustrated with 4 hand colored engraved plates by John Leech and 4 black and white illustrations by W.J. Linton.</li><li>Bound in fine full red morocco, ribbed gilt decorated spine, covers ruled and paneled in gilt, front cover with gilt portrait of Dickens, rear cover with Dickens signature in gilt, gilt dentelles, marbled pastedowns and endpapers, all edges gilt, original cloth covers and 1 yellow endpaper bound in, by Bayntun.</li></ul> Regarded as Dicken's most widely read novel and considered to be "the greatest Christmas book ever written in any language" selling more than 6000 copies in the few days leading up to Christmas. The work was extravagantly costly as Dickens for the first time (and incidentally his last) used color in the title-page and etchings as he wanted to make the book a beautiful gift and to be a celebration of the Christmas spirit. After the initial success, Dickens continued the series throughout the 1840's, maintaining "the Carol" philosophy to "strike a sledgehammer blow" for the poor, uneducated, and repressed.

A Christmas Carol First Edition

Dylan Thomas

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first impression of Twenty-Five Poems by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Dylan+Thomas&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dylan Thomas</a>.<ul><li>Dylan Thomas (Welsh).</li><li>London: J.M. Dent &amp; Sons Ltd., 1936.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>Publisher's grey boards, titles to spine in blue, with the dust jacket.</li></ul>

Twenty-Five Poems First Edition

Robert Graves

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Robert+Graves&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Robert Graves</a>' autobiography Goodbye to All That.<ul><li>Robert Graves (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1929.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>Photographic frontispiece portrait, 7 plates and maps including one double-page.</li><li>First edition, first issue, with reference to spiritualism on page 290 and un-authorised transcription of poem by Siegfried Sassoon on pages 341-343.</li><li>Publisher's light red cloth, in the original dust-jacket.</li></ul> The rare first issue of the first edition of Good-Bye to All That by Robert Graves, complete with the Siegfried Sassoon poem he published without the author's permission, much to Sassoon's dismay. Sassoon took umbrage at much of the content of the first edition of Good-Bye to All That, and alongside fellow poet Edmund Blunden wrote extensive marginal notes in Blunden's copy contradicting Robert Graves' original text; that annotated copy now resides in the New York Public Library.

Good-Bye to all That: An Autobiography First Edition

E. M. Forster

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first issue of Where Angels Fear to Tread by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=E.M.+Forster&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">E.M. Forster</a>.<ul><li>E.M. Forster (English).</li><li>Edinburgh &amp; London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1905.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>2 pages, advertisements, followed by 32 pages.</li><li>Publisher's catalogue correctly dated '5/05' and with Forster not listed.</li><li>Burgundy endpapers, publisher's cloth with title blocked in black on upper cover and lettered in gilt at spine.</li></ul> The first novel by E.M. Forster, contrasting English and Italian sensibilities, the title derived from Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism: 'For fools rush in where angels fear to tread'. The novel's success established the author as a leading literary light of the twentieth century.

Where Angels Fear to Tread First Edition

Len Deighton

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of SS-GB by Len Deighton, with an uncorrected proof copy.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2 volumes.</li><li>Len Deighton (British).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1978.</li><li>Red top stain, in dust wrapper.</li></ul> Complete with the rare pack of stamps, an ephemera item issued in small numbers to promote the launch of Len Deighton's 'what if?' WW2 thriller SS-GB. The tiny item, the same size as a pack of royal mail stamps was issued alongside the book in a small number of locations on its launch date in 1978. With the rare uncorrected Proof (which is actually titled SS -). SS-GB is a story about what would have happened if Hitler and the Nazis had invaded Great Britain. The ephemeral pack of stamps features 18 stamps in 3 different denominations and colors. Each stamp in the style of King George VI but instead with Hitlers head. There are also adverts along with a page that states 'Observe the Curfew'. Not many of these are left due to many being recalled and destroyed - mainly by the Royal Mail, as they looked so real.

SS-GB First Edition, with Uncorrected Proof

Science Fantasy, No. 60 Volume 20, Terry Pratchett's First Commercial Appearance in&nbsp;print.<ul><li>Mervyn Peake [Terry Pratchett] (English).</li><li>London: Nova, 1963.</li><li>Small Octavo.</li><li>112 pages.</li><li>First edition.</li><li>Card wrappers featuring a design by Gerard Quinn.</li></ul> Terry Pratchett's very first published work, an eleven-page story&nbsp;written when he was just fifteen years old. This issue also includes Mervyn Peake's hitherto&nbsp;unpublished story Same Time, Same Place, which is preceded by a four-page appreciation&nbsp;of Peake by Michael Moorcock.

Science Fantasy - No. 60 Volume 20 First Edition

Thornton Wilder

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of The Bridge of San Luis Rey by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Thornton+Wilder&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thornton Wilder</a>, accompanied by a handwritten and <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed</a> letter discussing the novel.<ul><li>Thornton Wilder (American).</li><li>London: Longmans, 1927.</li><li>In an unclipped wrapper.</li></ul> Within, a page long hand-written letter SIGNED by Wilder is affixed and unfurls from the front pastedown and is dated October 9th 1934 (originating from The University of Chicago). The letter discusses the letters of Marquesa de Montemayor and states her character is based on ‘that of Mme de Sevigne’. A marvelous association to the novel. A bridge in Peru collapses, killing five people. Brother Juniper investigates, seeking divine meaning in the tragedy. One victim is the Marquesa de Montemayor, a wealthy, lonely woman estranged from her daughter. Known for her eloquent letters, she transforms from bitterness to compassion through her unrequited love. Her death, along with the others, forms part of Wilder’s meditation on fate, love, and human connection. The novel ultimately suggests that love endures beyond life’s seeming randomness, giving meaning where reason fails.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey First Edition | With Signed Letter

Clifford D. Simak

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first paperback edition</a> of All Flesh is Grass, <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed</a> by the author <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Clifford+D.+Simak&amp;pfilters.dateRange=past" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Clifford D. Simak</a>.<ul><li>Clifford D. Simak (American).</li><li>United States: Berkley Medallion, 1966.</li><li>Signed on the title-page.</li></ul>

All Flesh Is Grass Signed First Paperback Edition

Victor Canning

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of Mr. Finchley Takes The Road, by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Victor+Canning&amp;pfilters.dateRange=past" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Victor Canning</a>.<ul><li>Victor Canning (English).</li><li>London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1940.</li><li>Bright green boards, in a very good unclipped wrapper, showing 9s.</li></ul> A charming sequel to&nbsp;Mr&nbsp;Finchley&nbsp;Discovers His England. In this novel,&nbsp;the&nbsp;mild-mannered&nbsp;Mr.&nbsp;Finchley, now free from office work, sets out on a whimsical journey across England in a horse-drawn caravan. Along&nbsp;the&nbsp;way, he encounters eccentric characters and humorous adventures, reflecting a nostalgic and warm view of British life.

Mr Finchley Takes The Road First Edition

Stephen King

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of The Stand by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=stephen+king&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stephen King</a>.<ul><li>Stephen King (American).</li><li>USA: Doubleday, 1978.</li><li>In an unclipped wrapper.</li></ul> The&nbsp;author's fifth novel of 70,000 copies, identifiable by&nbsp;the&nbsp;'First Edition' statement on&nbsp;the&nbsp;copyright page and 'T39' printing code to&nbsp;the&nbsp;bottom gutter of page 823. A post-apocalyptic epic where a deadly virus wipes out most of humanity. Survivors are drawn to two opposing figures:&nbsp;the&nbsp;benevolent Mother Abagail and&nbsp;the&nbsp;evil Randall Flagg. As society rebuilds, a final battle between good and evil unfolds. Blending horror, fantasy, and social commentary, King explores human nature, morality, and resilience. The&nbsp;Stand is a gripping tale of survival, faith, and&nbsp;the&nbsp;choices that define&nbsp;the&nbsp;future of civilzation.

The Stand First Edition

Ezra Pound | Henry Strater

A limited <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> draft of XVI Cantos of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Ezra+Pound&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ezra Pound</a> for the beginning of a <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?Book%20Subject=Poetry" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">poem</a> of some length, with two prospectuses for Cantos XVI-XXVII.<ul><li>Ezra Pound (American).</li><li>Engravings by Henry Strater (American).</li><li>Paris and London:&nbsp;Three Mountains Press; John Rooker,&nbsp;1925; 1927.&nbsp;</li><li>Tall Quarto.</li><li>65, [2] pages, with duplicates of the first, second, and third cantos (p. 5-12) and a partial duplicate of the eighth and sixth cantos (p. 27-28, 21-22), plus 2 prospectuses of [4] pages each.</li><li>Limited First Edition: #65/70.</li><li>Signatures of the&nbsp;Draft of XVI. Cantos&nbsp;and the prospectus are printed on Roma paper with deckled edges; pages of the&nbsp;Draft&nbsp;are watermarked "Ezra Pound" followed by the colophon for the Three Mountains Press.</li><li>Each canto is accompanied by an engraved initial, with titles and initial caps appearing in vibrant red ink.</li><li>Prospectuses contain the first pages of the twenty first and twenty fifth cantos as specimens, each with engraved initials. </li><li>Unbound, housed in a paper wrap.</li></ul>

A Draft Of XVI. Cantos Of Ezra Pound, with Two Prospectuses For Cantos XVI-XXVII

Laurence Sterne | Ugo Foscolo

The <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first Italian language edition</a> of Yorick's Sentimental Journey through France and Italy by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Laurence%20Sterne&amp;pfilters.dateRange=past" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Laurence Sterne</a>.<ul><li>Laurence Sterne (Irish).</li><li>Translated by Ugo Foscolo (Italian).</li><li>iaggio sentimentale di Yorick lungo la Francia e l’Italia. Traduzione di Didimo Chierico [i.e. Ugo Foscolo].</li><li>Pisa: Giovanni Rosini, 1813.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>Presentation copy from Foscolo to Giovanni Lessi, inscribed on half-title “A Giovanni Lessi/ Ugo Foscolo/ Candidamente Dona/ Firenze MDCCCXIII."</li><li>Engraved portraits of Sterne and “Didimo Chierico” (Foscolo), uncut in nineteenth century vellum, spine gilt with red morocco title label.</li></ul>&nbsp;Ugo Foscolo, pen name of Niccolò Foscolo, (1778 — 1827) was a poet and a novelist, whose poems articulated the feelings of many Italians during the turbulent times of the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and the restoration of Austrian rule. Foscolo’s poems rank among the masterpieces of Italian literature. Born of a Greek mother and a Venetian father, Foscolo was educated at Spalato (now Split in Croatia) and Padua and moved with his family to Venice in about 1793. There, he was introduced to the most important literary circles of the city. In 1797, the performance of his tragedy&nbsp;Tieste made him famous to a national level. Foscolo’s early enthusiasm for Napoleon, proclaimed in his ode ‘A Bonaparte liberatore’ (1797), quickly turned to disillusionment when Napoleon ceded Venice to Austria in the Treaty of Campo Formio (1797).&nbsp;Foscolo’s very popular novel Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis (1802) contains a bitter denunciation of that agreement and shows the author’s despise of Italy’s social and political situation. Some critics consider this ‘romanzo epistolare’ as the first modern Italian novel. When the Austrians and Russians invaded Italy in 1799, Foscolo joined the French side. Made a captain in the Italian division of the French army after the defense of Genoa in 1800, he had commissions in Milan, Bologna, and Florence, where he found time to get involved in many love affairs. Finally, Foscolo was sent to serve in France (1804–06). During that period he translated some classical works and Sterne’s ‘Sentimental Journey’, into Italian whilst writing odes and sonnets.&nbsp;The dedicatee of the present copy was Foscolo’s friend Giovanni Lessi (1743–1817), a man of letters and a professor, who contributed to promoting Foscolo’s version of the Iliad. In 1807, Foscolo returned to Milan and established his literary reputation with ‘Dei Sepolcri’, a polemic and patriotic poem against Napoleon’s decree of forbidding tomb inscriptions. In 1808, the poem won the chair of Italian at the University of Pavia for its author. When the chair was abolished, Foscolo moved back to Milan. Satirical references to Napoleon in his tragedy ‘Aiace’ (first performed 1811) again contributed to lifting suspicion on him from the authority. In 1812, he moved to Florence, where he wrote ‘Ricciarda’ and most of his highly acclaimed, unfinished, poem ‘Le Grazie’ (published in fragments 1803 and 1818; in full in1822).&nbsp;In 1813, Foscolo returned to Milan. Napoleon fell the following year, the Austrians returned to Italy, and Foscolo, refusing to take the oath of allegiance, fled to Switzerland and then to England in 1816. In London, Foscolo supported himself by teaching and writing commentaries on Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch for The Edinburgh Review and The Quarterly Review. He died in poverty. In 1871, with great national ceremony, his remains were moved from England and interred in the church of Santa Croce, in Florence.

Viaggio Sentimentale di Yorick lungo la Francia e l'Italia [Yorick's Sentimental Voyage Through France and Italy] | First Italian Edition, Presentation Copy From Foscolo To Giovanni Lessi

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of The Passionate Friends: A Novel by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=H.G.+Wells&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">H.G. Wells</a>, <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inscribed</a> by the author.<ul><li>H.G. Wells (English).</li><li>London: MacMillan and Co., 1913.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>Presentation copy, affectionately inscribed by the author to his friend Daisy Blumenfeld: “D. B. / from H. G. / and someday we will win at tennis.”</li><li>Bound in the original green vertically ribbed cloth, spine and front board with gilt lettering and vine motifs in blind, top fore-edge gilt.</li></ul> Daisy Blumenfeld was the wife of R. D. Blumenfeld, chief editor of the Daily Express for over 30 years. He was a close friend and a neighbor of Wells, who was often invited at the residence to play tennis and discuss politics and narrative.

The Passionate Friends: A Novel | Inscribed First Edition

Oscar Wilde

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=A+Woman+of+No+Importance&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Woman of No Importance</a> by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Oscar+Wilde&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Oscar Wilde</a>.<ul><li>Oscar Wilde (Irish).</li><li>London: John Lane, 1894.</li><li>Quarto.</li><li>One of 50 large paper copies, printed on hand-made paper.</li><li>Publisher’s straw colored buckram with gilt decorations by Charles Ricketts, gilt lettering to spine, housed in custom purple cloth chemise and matching quarter morocco slipcase.</li></ul> One of only 50 large paper copies. This play contains some of Wilde's most famous epigrams. First performed in April 1893, prior to being published in book form, A Woman of No Importance addresses many social issues with Wilde’s wit and dark humor. The run of the play was cut short as a result of Wilde’s arrest and prosecution. The scandal dampened enthusiasm for Wilde’s work until after his death in 1900, when interest in his work began to revive.

A Woman of No Importance First Edition

Joseph Conrad

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first impression of The Secret Agent by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Joseph+Conrad&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joseph Conrad</a>.<ul><li>Joseph Conrad (Polish-British).</li><li>London: Methuen, 1907.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>First issue with 40 page publisher's catalog (dated September 1907) at end.</li><li>Bound in the publisher's red cloth, titles to spine gilt.</li></ul> Conrad’s thriller was based on a true incident from the late nineteenth century - a bombing in Greenwich Park. His treatment of the psychology of his protagonists in this novel is truly one of his greatest achievements. A Haycraft Queen cornerstone.

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H.G. Wells

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George Orwell

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