Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - May - 2021 Issue

Fine Books from Many Fields Offered by Raptis Rare Books

John Adams graces the cover of Raptis Rare Books' latest catalogue.

Raptis Rare Books has published a new catalogue of fine books. As usual, it comes without a title, but has a table of contents to inform readers of what sort of material is being offered. Here is the list for this catalogue: History, Philosophy & Religion, Americana, Literature, Children's Literature, Scientific Theory, Economics & Finance, Fine Art & Photography, and Sports & Leisure. The items are all of first rate, important and in excellent condition. Here are a few selections from this latest catalogue.

 

We begin with a most unexpected item considering the author. It is a manuscript entirely in the hand of Isaac Newton. Newton is certainly one of the top candidates for being called the greatest scientist ever, along with Einstein. His groundbreaking theories on the law of motion and universal gravitation, as well as his work on optics were beyond groundbreaking for his time. What most people don't realize is that Newton's greatest interest was not so much science as religion. He was a devout believer in God and the bible. His scientific work was intended to support those beliefs. Newton believed that the perfection of scientific laws could only come from the hand of a deity, thereby proving the correctness of religious beliefs. Nonetheless, Newton didn't publish his writings on theology, though he wrote much on the topic. The reason was that his theological views would have been very controversial at the time and could have placed him in great jeopardy, for his career and even his life. This manuscript concerns some of Newton's theological beliefs and some of his disputes with orthodoxy. Newton did not believe in the Trinity, thinking it a corruption of the original wording of the bible, resulting from an interpretation enforced by the church in the fourth century. Challenging the concept of the Trinity would have been very risky in Newton's time, so he kept his views to himself and a few close friends. Item 119750. Priced at 150,000.

 

This is a book that was very controversial in its time. It might be even more controversial today given the nature of the relationship between an older man and a way too young girl. The book is Lolita, and despite the subject matter, it is regarded as one of the greatest books of the last century. Offered is a copy of the 1955 first American edition of Vladimir Nabokov's novel. This copy is very special. It is signed and inscribed by Nabokov, a true rarity. Nabokov refused to autograph his books. He only ever signed them to his closest friends. This one is signed “For Jason and Barbara from Vladimir August 18, 1958.” Jason was Jason Epstein, Nabokov's editor at Doubleday and his advocate when nobody else wanted to publish Lolita. And, there is even more. Nabokov has drawn a butterfly above the inscription and colored it. It's not a bad drawing. Perhaps he could have been an artist if the writing hadn't worked out. Item 121875. $125,000.

 

Here is another book that seems to have generated more controversy today than it did in its time, though I'm having a hard time understanding why. This is a first edition, first issue of the first Curious George book, appropriately titled Curious George. It is credited to just H. A. Rey, but all of these books were co-written by his wife, Margaret Rey. Hans Augusto did the illustrations. Apparently they believed a male author would work better, so many children's books being written by women. You all know the story. The Man with the Yellow Hat captures George, the little monkey, in Africa and brings him home to England. This and the following Curious George books are the adventures of George, the mischievous monkey who is always getting into trouble. The Man has to bail him out. Supposedly the issue is that taking a monkey from Africa is racist. Poor George has gotten himself in trouble again! Seems like a stretch to me. Item 119542. $5,500.

 

Next we have a collection of original documents for Oskar and Emilie Schindler as they prepared to immigrate to Argentina in 1949. There are various travel documents that were required for them to make the trip. Oskar, of course, was the great hero in a terrible place during World War II. He opened an enamelware and ammunition factory in occupied Poland in 1940. He went there as a business venture, a plan that he thought would make him a lot of money. It didn't turn out that way, but only because he was an amazing humanitarian. Schindler, a member of the Nazi party, hired many Jews to work in his factory as they were the cheapest labor available. However, as Jews became threatened with extermination, Schindler turned protector. He was able to keep his factory open because it was needed for the war effort, but he could have found other workers. Instead, he claimed the 1,000 Jews who worked for him were irreplaceable in their skills. That alone was not enough, so he began bribing officials so that his workers would not be carted off to a concentration camp. Instead of making more money, he ended up spending his fortune in bribes to protect what were known as “Schindler Jews.” His story, obscure and known by only a few, became familiar to the world with the enormously successful 1993 film Schindler's List. Sadly, his humanitarianism did not make him a hero in his home country after the war. The Schindlers moved to Argentina to start a business anew, but it failed and so did their marriage, Oskar returning to Germany several years later. Item 118106. $25,000.

 

Philip A. Fisher was an investor, and a very good one at that. He made lots of money for himself and his clients but he was a private and obscure personality. That all changed when he published this book, Common Stock and Uncommon Profits. In it Fisher argued for growth investing – doing thorough research to find great but undervalued companies, buy their stock, and then hold... and hold. Only in dire circumstances would he sell his stock. He was no trader and as long as his judgment was upheld by performance, he never sold. His book became very popular and many people learned from his ways, including one Warren Buffet. Considering that Buffet made something like $100 billion, this might be worth a read. It will surely pay for itself. Item 119748. $7,500.

 

Raptis Rare Books may be reached at 561-508-3479 or mail@raptisrarebooks.com. Their website is found at www.raptisrarebooks.com.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000
  • 19th Century Shop
    Catalogue 198 just published
    19th Century Shop. Darwin and Wallace, first printing of the first paper on natural selection
    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas
  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD

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