Shop history books featuring beautifully bound complete collections, first editions and more. Browse by period (<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/history?Period%20-%20General=Antique" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">antique</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/history?Period%20-%20General=Contemporary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">contemporary</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/history?Period%20-%20General=Vintage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">20th century</a>) or subject matter (<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/history?Book%20Subject=British%2520history" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">British History</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/history?Book%20Subject=Americana" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Americana</a>&nbsp;and more). <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">All Books</a>

History Books

Signed limited edition of The History of American Sailing Ships by the naval architect, Howard Chapelle.<ul><li>Howard I. Chapelle (American).</li><li>New York:&nbsp;W.W. Norton &amp; Co., Inc.,&nbsp;1935.</li><li>Limited edition of 121 numbered and signed copies, this being number 36.</li><li>Bound in full navy morocco with a gilt-tooled border, nautical details, and label lettering in gilt-tooling on the panels.</li></ul>

The History of American Sailing Ships

First edition set of General Grant's memoirs with a frontispiece portrait.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2.</li><li>Ulysses S. Grant (American).</li><li>New York:&nbsp;Charles L. Webster &amp; Co.,&nbsp;1885.</li><li>Bound in full blue morocco with the spines displaying raised bands and gilt-tooled panel details, top edges are gilt with marbled endpapers.</li><li>Housed in a linen slipcase with a gilt-tooled seal in the side.</li></ul>

Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant

Finely bound Extra Illustrated Edition of Froissart's Chronicles of England, France, Spain &amp; Other Adjoining Countries.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 4.</li><li>John Froissart (French)</li><li>London:&nbsp;William Smith,&nbsp;1839.</li><li>Bound in full red morocco with the covers displaying a double border and floral details in the corners, both gilt-tooled, raised bands, bordering, ornate floral details, and label lettering, all gilt-tooled, all of the edges are gilded with ornately gilt-tooled turn-ins and linen endpapers.</li></ul>

The Chronicles of England, France, Spain & Other Adjoining Countries

Finely bound set of Trevelyan's history of the American Revolution. <ul><li>Sold as a set of 10.</li><li>George Trevelyan (English).</li><li>New York, London, Bombay &amp; Calcutta:&nbsp;Longmans, Green &amp; Co.,&nbsp;1909.</li><li>Bound in three-quarter brown morocco and linen boards, bordered in gilt tooling, raised bands with gilt-tooled label lettering, top edges gilt with marbled endpapers.</li></ul>

The American Revolution

Fine prize bindings of Jameson's third edition of the historical art text Sacred and Legendary Art.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2.</li><li>Anna Jameson (Anglo-Irish).</li><li>London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1905.</li><li>818 pages.</li><li>19 full-page steel plate etchings with tissue guards.</li><li>In-text woodcut illustrations.</li><li>Full leather binding with burl flame boards, gilt embossed title, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt with gold prize stamp to the front board of each.</li></ul>

Sacred and Legendary Art

Finely bound first-edition copy of Latimer's&nbsp;Europe in Africa in the Nineteenth Century.<ul><li>Elizabeth Wormeley Latimer (English-American).</li><li>Chicago: A.C. McClurg and Co., 1895.</li><li>451 pages which includes an introduction, table of contents, list of illustrations, foldout map as well as two other maps, a postscript and an index.</li><li>Includes 22 full-page illustrations, including a frontispiece of David Livingston, that are all protected by tissue guards and three maps including a foldout map of the Political Divisions in Africa.</li><li>In publisher’s original&nbsp;&nbsp;three-quarter morocco leather binding over patterned boards with elaborate ribbed gilt decorated spine, gilt ruling to the front and rear covers, patterned endpapers that match the boards, and top edges gilt, and with a binding stamp on the bottom of the first free endpaper, “Bound by binder for A.C. McClurg and Co.”</li></ul> From the publisher: Elizabeth Wormeley Latimer’s Europe in Africa in the Nineteenth Century is a comprehensive study of European imperialism and the history of colonization on the African continent, which had crucial impacts not only on diplomacy during the 19th century but the two World Wars fought in the first half of the 20th century. As Latimer noted at the beginning: "Europe in Africa in the Nineteenth Century has been a vast subject to be crowded into the limits which I have allowed myself in this series. If I am told by my critics that my book is deficient in historical perspective, I can only reply: 'You are right; but my aim has been to tell only what interested myself, and what I hoped might be interesting to other people. I therefore have put many persons, events, and other matters into the foreground, which, if I aimed to be an historian, I ought to have relegated to a less prominent position.' Almost every chapter of the book forms a narrative by itself. It was nearly as hard to write as would be a history of the United States with no reference to our General Government. The chapters on Uganda, South Africa, and the French in Central Africa, were especially bewildering; but I have had good material, and only hope I may have succeeded in making clear what seemed a Dark Forest in history before it had been penetrated and explored."

Europe in Africa in the 19th Century

Finely bound National Edition set of Webster's Writings and Speeches.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 18.</li><li>Daniel Webster (American).</li><li>Boston: Little, Brown, &amp; Co., 1903.</li><li>Numerous plates and illustrations.</li><li>Limited to 1,050 numbered copies, this being number 98.</li><li>Bound in three-quarter maroon morocco, ribbed gilt decorated spines and top edges gilt.</li></ul>

The Writings and Speeches of Daniel Webster

Inscribed first-edition presentation copy of&nbsp;Waugh in Abyssinia.<ul><li>Evelyn Waugh (English).</li><li>London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1936.</li><li>Inscribed on the half-title"for Audrey from Waugh in Ickleford August 1945."</li><li>Bound in publisher's original gilt-lettered red cloth binding.</li></ul>

Waugh in Abyssinia

Leaflet printed by Gutenberg as the first secular work ever published.<ul><li>Johannes Balbus (Italian).</li><li>Mainz: [Johann Gutenberg], 1460.</li><li>Printed in double columns with 66 lines to the page, rubricated 15 on recto and 38 on verso.</li><li>Galliziani paper, the half of the sheet without the watermark and with the characteristic shadows at wire-line intervals of ca. 5 mm.</li></ul>

Catholicon Gutenberg 66-Line Leaf

Single annotated leaf from the original Polycronicon with forty lines of text.<ul><li>Ranulf Higden (English).</li><li>Published by William Caxton (English).</li><li>Polycronicon, or, Polychronicon.</li><li>[Westminster]: William Caxton, 1482.</li><li>Folio leaf with headline, black letter, rubricated in red, ink annotations to outer margin in an early hand.</li></ul> William Caxton was the first of the 15th century printers to publish in English.

Polycronicon 

Finely bound set of the revised enlarged edition of The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 4.</li><li>William Milligan Sloane (American).</li><li>London: The Times Book Club, 1912.</li><li>Bound by Zaehnsdorf in full maroon morocco, all edges gilt with marbled pastedowns and endpapers.</li></ul>

The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte

Finely bound first-edition set of Churchill's chronicle of World War I.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 6.</li><li>Winston Churchill (English).</li><li>London:&nbsp;Thornton Butterworth Ltd.,&nbsp;1923.</li><li>Bound in full navy morocco with the covers displaying lion details, the publication date, bordering and label lettering, all gilt-tooled, all the edges are gilt.</li></ul>

The World Crisis

Finely bound limited-edition copy of Ward's biography of Sophia of Hanover.<ul><li>Adolphus William Ward (English).</li><li>London, Paris &amp; New York:&nbsp;Goupil &amp; Co.,&nbsp;1903.</li><li>This edition is limited to 1,000 copies; this is number 894.</li><li>Bound by Riviere &amp; Son in three-quarter red morocco and linen boards, bordered in gilt tooling, raised bands, dotted in gilt tooling with panels displaying bordering lion detailing, and label lettering, all gilt-tooled, top edge is gilt with marbled endpapers.</li></ul>

The Electress Sophia and the Hanoverian Succession

Finely bound set of the second edition of Yule's biography of Marco Polo with numerous notes, maps and illustrations.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2.</li><li>Henry Yule (English).</li><li>London:&nbsp;John Murray,&nbsp;1875.</li><li>Bound in full tan calf with covers displaying gilt-tooled borders and floral cover details, raised bands with panels displaying ornate floral detailing and label lettering in black and gilt tooling and the labels in brown and red morocco, top edges are gilt with marbled endpapers.</li></ul>

The Book of Ser Marco Polo

Finely bound copy of Nolhac's biography of Marie Antoinette.<ul><li>Pierre de Nolhac (French).</li><li>Paris:&nbsp;Goupil &amp; Co.,&nbsp;1897.</li><li>Includes a frontispiece and various other illustrations.</li><li>Bound by Riviere &amp; Son in three-quarter red morocco and linen boards, double-bordered in gilt tooling, raised bands, dotted in gilt tooling with panels displaying borders, fleurs de lis details and label lettering, all gilt tooled, top edge is gilt with marbled endpapers.</li></ul>

Marie Antoinette

First and only edition of the rare Shipwreck and Death of Lord Royston with only six known existing copies to date.<ul><li>Phillip York (English).</li><li>Printed by Thomas Plummer (English).</li><li>Published by Thomas Tegg (English).</li><li>London: Printed for T. Tegg, n.d. [1808].</li><li>Shipwreck and death of Lord Royston, and other persons of distinction; who went passengers from Liebau for Carlscrona in the Agatha commanded by Captain Koop : which was unfortunately stranded near Memel, April 7, 1808, when near twenty persons perished : including the wonderful preservation of some of the crew, particularly the women and children : and a remarkable instance of the want of fortitude and patience in a servant maid ... : also the loss of the Portuguese ship, Bowaniong : which was wrecked on her passage from Calcutta to China, June 17, 1807, and her captain, John Nepremassena, with several others drowned.</li><li>28 pages.</li><li>Folding frontis of the loss of the Agatha illustration.</li><li>Bound in half diced brown calf with gilt lettered spine.</li></ul> The Agatha was sailing the icy waters north of the European continent when it began leaking profusely. For a couple of days, the crew and passengers pumped and bailed while searching for a harbor where they could land, avoiding the dangerous sea ice. The ship sank deeper and many of the passengers and crew made a run for the lifeboats. Lord Royston and a few others made it to one boat, but were promptly washed away. When a lifeboat reached the ship, it found Captain Koop and a few others clinging to the bow. They were rescued, but the Captain had to report all of the others were lost. However, several passengers had taken shelter in the ship's round-house, unbeknownst to the Captain. They took turns coming out on deck for brief periods of time to signal to shore that they were still alive. Finally, after several harrowing rescue attempts, they were saved.

Shipwreck and Death of Lord Royston

Finely bound New Edition set of the Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 7.</li><li>Fanny Burney (English).</li><li>London: for Henry Colburn, 1854.</li><li>Engraved frontis in each volume.</li><li>Bound in full tan calf with gilt lettered maroon and tan spine labels, marbled edges, pastedowns and endpapers.&nbsp;</li></ul>

Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay

First edition copy of England's Propheticall Merline on the influence of the stars, planets and comets regarding future predictions.<ul><li>William Lilly (English).</li><li>Englands Propheticall Merline, foretelling to all Nations of Europe untill 1663. the Actions depending upon the influence of the Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, 1642/3. The Progresse and motion of the Comet 1618. under whose affects we in England, and most Regions of Europe now suffer.</li><li>London: John Raworth for John Partridge, 1644.</li><li>[viii], 136 pages.</li><li>Title with illustrated woodcut boarder and numerous&nbsp;woodcut astrological charts in text.</li><li>Bound in half maroon morocco, ribbed gilt lettered spine and top edge gilt.</li></ul>

Englands Propheticall Merline

Finely bound set of Rhodes' History of the United States.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 7.</li><li>James Ford Rhodes (American).</li><li>History of the United States from the Compromise of 1850 to the Final Restoration of Home Rule at the South in 1877.</li><li>New York: The Macmillan Company, 1910.</li><li>Illustrated with foldout maps.</li><li>Bound in half brown morocco, ribbed gilt decorated spines, marbled pastedowns and endpapers with top edges gilt.</li></ul>

History of the United States

First edition finely bound two-volume set of the book The Congo and the Founding of its Free State by the explorer Henry M. Stanley.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2.</li><li>Henry M. Stanley (Welsh-American).</li><li>The Congo and the Founding of Its Free State: A Story of Work and Exploration.</li><li>New York:&nbsp;Harper &amp; Brothers,&nbsp;1885.</li><li>Full-page pictorial frontispieces with tissue guards; black-and-white plates and in-text illustrations throughout.</li><li>Each volume with foldout map in pocket to rear.</li><li>Original green pictorial cloth bindings with gilt lettering and brown endpapers</li></ul>

The Congo and the Founding of its Free State

First London edition of the famous contemporary account of the Salem Witch Trials.<ul><li>Cotton Mather (American).</li><li>The Wonders Of The Invisible World : Being An Account Of The Tryals Of Several Witches Lately Excuted [Sic] In New-England: And of several remarkable Curiosities therein Occuring.</li><li>London: John Dunton, 1693.</li><li>Bound in red leather with detailed line-work pressed into the cover and gilt title and decoration to spine.</li></ul>

The Wonders of the Invisible World

First edition of Stetson's non-fiction Women and Economics.<ul><li>Charlotte Perkins Stetson [Charlotte Perkins Gilman] (American).</li><li>Women and Economics: A study of the economic relation between men and women as a factor in social evolution.</li><li>Boston: Small, Maynard &amp; Company, 1898.</li><li>Bound in red cloth with title affixed to spine.</li></ul>

Women and Economics

First edition of Sidney's highly influential Discourses Concerning Government.<ul><li>Algernon Sidney (English).</li><li>London: Bookfellers of London and Westminster, MDCXCVIII.</li><li>Leather-bound with title and raised bands to spine.</li></ul>

Discourses Concerning Government

First printing of The Stages of Economic Growth, which established a model of historic economic growth.<ul><li>W. W. Rostow (American).</li><li>The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-Communist Manifesto.</li><li>Cambridge: University Press, 1960.</li><li>Bound in full blue cloth with title to spine, and with original blue and white book jacket with geometric pattern.</li></ul>

The Stages of Economic Growth

Victorian edition of this important survey of Norse literature and history with a fore-edge painting of a Viking ship, a color frontispiece of Yggdrasil, and an excerpt from the Prose Edda.<ul><li>Paul Henri Mallet (Swiss).</li><li>Contributions by Sir Walter Scott (English).</li><li>Northern antiquities: or, An historical account of the manners, customs, religion and laws, maritime expeditions and discoveries, language and literature of the ancient Scandinavians.</li><li>London: H.G. Bohn, 1859.</li><li>Bound in full green morocco with coat of arms of Queen Elizabeth I and heraldic crests, ribbed spine with floral motif, greek key inner dentelles, and marbled endpapers.</li></ul>

Northern Antiquities

Finely bound and illustrated set of Vasari's Lives of Painters.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 10.</li><li>Giorgio Vasari (Italian).</li><li>Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects.</li><li>London:&nbsp;Macmillan &amp; Co., Ltd,&nbsp;1912-14.</li><li>500 illustrations.</li><li>Bound in three-quarter red morocco and marbled boards, top edges are gilt with marbled endpapers.&nbsp;</li></ul>

Lives of Painters

Finely bound copy of Creighton's biography&nbsp;Queen Elizabeth.<ul><li>Mandell Creighton (English).</li><li>London, Paris &amp; Edinburgh:&nbsp;Boussard, Valadon &amp; Co.,&nbsp;1896.</li><li>Illustrations throughout.</li><li>Bound in three-quarter red morocco and linen boards by Riviere &amp; Son with royal detailing and label lettering and top edge is gilt with marbled endpapers.</li></ul>

Queen Elizabeth

Finely bound copy of Masson's Josephine: Empress &amp; Queen.<ul><li>Frederic Masson (French).</li><li>London &amp; Peris:&nbsp;Goupil &amp; Co.,&nbsp;1899.</li><li>Includes frontispiece and illustrations throughout.</li><li>Bound in three-quarter red morocco and linen boards by Riviere &amp; Son with gilt tooling, top edge gilt with marbled endpapers.</li></ul>

Josephine: Empress and Queen

Finely bound copy of de Nolhac's&nbsp;Marie Antoinette the Dauphine.<ul><li>Pierre de Nolhac (French).</li><li>Paris:&nbsp;Goupil &amp; Co.,&nbsp;1897.</li><li>Includes frontispiece and illustrations throughout.</li><li>Bound in three-quarter red morocco and linen boards by Riviere &amp; Son with fleurs de lis details, top edge gilt with marbled endpapers.</li></ul>

Marie Antoinette the Dauphine

First-edition finely bound Royal Edition set of Foster's French Art.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 3.</li><li>J.J. Foster (English).</li><li>London:&nbsp;Dickinsons,&nbsp;1905.</li><li>Printed on vellum and illustrated with 45 hand-colored plates, 35 of which are printed only for this edition.</li><li>Limited to 35 copies, this is number 3.</li><li>Copy belonging to Alexandra Federovna, Tsarina of Russia, with her bookplate in volumes II and III.</li><li>Bound in full red morocco by Zahnsdorf with an elaborate geometrical bordering gilt-tooled design, top edges gilt and silk endpapers.</li></ul>

French Art from Watteau to Prud'hon

Finely bound set of Tipping's English Homes illustrated throughout with photographs and details of houses from the years 1066 to 1760.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 8.</li><li>H. Avray Tipping (French-English).</li><li>New York &amp; London:&nbsp;Charles Scribner's Sons, George Newnes &amp; The Offices of Country Life,&nbsp;1921.</li><li>Bound in three-quarter blue morocco and linen boards, bordered in gilt tooling with top edge gilt and marbled endpapers.</li></ul>

English Homes

Finely bound limited-edition copy of Lang's Prince Charles Edward.<ul><li>Andrew Lang (Scottish).</li><li>London, Paris, New York &amp; Edinburgh:&nbsp;Goupil &amp; Co.,&nbsp;1900.</li><li>Limited to 1,500 copies; this is number 696.</li><li>Bound in three-quarter red morocco and linen boards Riviere &amp; Son, with gilt tooling, raised bands, royal detailing, top edge gilt with marbled endpapers.</li></ul>

Prince Charles Edward

Finely bound set of Motley's The Rise of the Dutch Republic.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 3.</li><li>J. L. Motley (American).</li><li>London:&nbsp;Bickers &amp; Son; John Bumpas; Simpkin, Marshall, &amp; Co.; W.H. Smith &amp; Son; and Henry Sotheran &amp; Co.,&nbsp;1875.</li><li>Bound in full tree calf with floral gilt-tooled borders, all edges marbled with marbled endpapers. </li></ul>

The Rise of the Dutch Republic

Finely bound and illustrated limited edition copy of Bouchot's biography of Catherine de Medici.<ul><li>Henri Bouchot (French).</li><li>Paris:&nbsp;Goupil &amp; Co.,&nbsp;1899.</li><li>Bound in three-quarter red morocco and linen boards, raised bands gilt with panels displaying borders, french detailing, and label lettering, all gilt-tooled, top edges gilt with marbled endpapers.</li></ul>

Catherine De Médicis

This dazzling tribute to Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s 1974 boxing match in Kinshasa, Zaire, brings together the best of Norman Mailer's classic commentary.&nbsp;The Fight&nbsp;includes color and black-and-white photographs from the two men who captured Ali like no one else: Neil Leifer and Howard L. Bingham.<ul><li>Norman Mailer&nbsp;(American).</li><li>Köln:&nbsp;Taschen, 2016.</li><li>264 pages.</li><li>Hardcover.</li><li>Art Edition No. 1–125, edition of 125.</li><li>Numbered and signed by Leifer and Bingham.</li><li>Accompanied by a signed pigment print by Neil Leifer,&nbsp;Ali vs. Foreman – Ali Glaring at Foreman.</li><li>Presented in&nbsp;a clamshell box.</li></ul>

The Fight: Art Edition

This Art Edition is a collection of close to 500 pages of stunning images sourced from dozens of archives and collections,&nbsp;depicting San Francisco from its&nbsp;early history to the present day.<ul><li>Edited by Reuel Golden (British).</li><li>Author Richie Unterberger (American).</li><li>Photographer Fred Lyon (American).</li><li>Köln:&nbsp;Taschen,&nbsp;2022.</li><li>480 pages.</li><li>Hardcover.</li><li>Limited Art Edition No. 76-150, edition of 75.</li><li>Accompanied with the print&nbsp;Seagull over Golden Gate Bridge, early 1950s, numbered and signed by photographer Fred Lyon.</li><li>Presented in a slipcase.</li></ul>

Filters

Book Type

Author

Price

Book Subject

Book Special Feature

Book Language

Era

Materials

Color

Region of Origin

Item Location by Country

Available for International Shipping

Howard I. Chapelle

Ulysses S. Grant

John Froissart

Sir George Otto Trevelyan

Anna Jameson

Elizabeth Wormeley Latimer

Daniel Webster

Evelyn Waugh

Johannes Balbus

Ranulf Higden

William Milligan Sloane

Winston Churchill

Sir Adolphus William Ward

Henry Yule

Pierre De Nolhac

Phillip York

Fanny Burney

William Lilly

James Ford Rhodes

Henry M. Stanley

Cotton Mather

Charlotte Perkins Stetson

Algernon Sidney

W. W. Rostow

Paul Henri Mallet

Giorgio Vasari

Mandell Creighton

Frederic Masson

Pierre De Nolhac

J.J. Foster

H. Avray Tipping

Andrew Lang

J. L. Motley

Henri Bouchot

Norman Mailer

Reuel Golden