BIJOU ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE HOLY LAND
[circa 1850]
First American edition of this true miniature book of engraved views of various holy sites.
World History
DAS SCHWEINE ALBUM
[1886]
A pun on the German for autograph book, "Sein-Album," this SCHWEINE ALBUM invites the signers to blindly draw pigs instead of write their signatures.
Original Photograph Album of an Evacuated Bank's Business Activities During WWII
[circa 1939]
Album of photographs chronicling the activity of the Hambros Bank after it was evacuated to an estate at the start of WWII — once owned by a Hambros employee and likely produced by them for workers.
Panorama of Monks of Various Orders
[circa 1830]
Book of attire featuring different orders of Italian monks, all hand-colored and presented accordion style.
RUSSES ET FRANCAIS
[circa 1893]
Satirical novelty pamphlet marking the Russian diplomatic visit to Toulon, France during the formation of the Franco-Russian Alliance, a key development in the lead up to World War I.
THE SAD TALE OF THE ZEPPELINS
[circa 1916]
First edition of this fascinating piece of World War I ephemera, celebrating the downing of four zeppelins in a parody of the "Ten Little" rhyme.
WEIHGESCHENT FUR JEDEN ECHTEN PREUSSEN
[circa 1835]
First edition of this miniature gift book of Prussian and Russian royalty, published during a push for unification.
SCRIPTORES RERUM GERMANICUM SEPTENTRIONALIUM
1706, 1679, 1694, 1676
First collected edition, featuring Adam of Bremen's chronicle of peoples from the Old North and the earliest known mention of the Vikings' discovery of North America, one of three key works in the history of Hamburg within a larger sammelband of six works total.
THE GULF IN HISTORIC MAPS, 1493-1931
(1996)
Inscribed first printing of this beautifully illustrated selection of over four centuries of maps of the Persian Gulf, compiled by the geographically minded ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah.
LOST CITY OF STONE
(1978)
First edition of Ballinger's investigation of Nan Madol, a Micronesian "monolithic stone corpse of a city" identified as a remnant of the lost continent Mu by James Churchward and his followers.
THE CITY OF FALLING ANGELS
2005
Signed first printing of Berendt's tale of Venice and the catastrophic fire at the Fenice Opera House.
LA BIBLE, QUI EST TOUTE LA SAINTE ESCRITURE DU VIEIL ET DU NOUVEAU TESTAMENT
[1678]
Petite French copy of the Bible, apocrypha, and a musical Psalter, with a manuscript title page to disguise its content – a fascinating piece of Huguenot Protestant history.
THE MASKS OF GOD: Primitive Mythology
1959
First printing of the first volume in Campbell's four-volume work, THE MASKS OF GOD, examining cultural variations on the so-called "monomyth."
THE MYSTERIOUS UNKNOWN
(1972)
First edition in English of Charroux's enthusiastically indiscriminate collected notions on ancient astronauts, transmigration of souls, the location of Atlantis, and the end of the world.
ESCRAVOS BRASILEIROS DO SÉCULO XIX NA FOTOGRAFIA DE CHRISTIANO JR.
(1988)
First printing of this history of Christiano Jr.'s photographs of African enslaved people and laborers in Brazil, a collection he sold as a souvenir to European tourists — a rare title.
THE SECOND WORLD WAR
(1948-1952)
Finely bound set of first editions of the complete history of World War II by one of its central players.
CEREMONIES DES DOUZE MOIS : Fetes Annuelles Cambodgiennes
[circa 1951]
Colonial-era introduction for Francophone readers to the annual holidays and religious observances in Cambodia, with a pamphlet for the Office des Arts Cambodiens laid in.
TAXCO : The Enchanted City
(1950)
Inscribed midcentury travel guide to Taxco for English speakers, illustrated throughout with photographs.
POSTHUMOUS HUMANITY: A Study of Phantoms
1887
Rare first edition in English of this investigation of life after death, seeking to explain scientifically phantoms, lycanthropes, vampires, and Doubles by reference to "magnetic fluid" and the mesmeric ether.
ADMIRANDA NARRATIO FIDA TAMEN, DE COMMODIS ET INCOLARUM RITIBUS VIRGINIÆ
1590
First edition of this historic account of Virginia and its environs, including the landmark map of Virginia and all the famed engravings of Native American life in the 1580s.
LONDON, A PILGRIMAGE
1890
First US edition of this epic overview of 1870s London, with a focus on the squalor and poor working conditions of the city's poor — executed by Doré in his signature dramatic style.
BUCANIERS OF AMERICA
1684; 1685
First edition in English of Exquemelin's illustrated history of famous pirates, the central primary source on the subject during its most famous era, with the continuation by Ringrose.
THE LIVING ARTS OF NIGERIA
(1971)
First printing of this history of various artforms in Nigeria, including beadwork, brass work, carving, pottery, and weaving – illustrated with photographs of objects and diagrams by Michael Foreman.
SURRENDER ON DEMAND
(1945)
First printing of this account of the work of the Emergency Rescue Committee, formed to smuggle Jewish refugees out of Vichy France — by the one of the founders of the group and the first American to be recognized by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations.
HOME LIFE IN TURKEY
1909
First edition of this historical overview and contemporary portrait of social, religious, and domestic life in Turkey of the early 20th century.
