Rare Books

Norwegian explorer of polar regions (1872-1928) who led the first expedition to cross the Northwest passage in 1906 and the first expedition to the South Pole in 1911. Set of 2 volumes, first edition, 1908, hardcover, published by Archibald Constable, London. With many illustrations, one folded color map at the end of volume 1, each book is 7 x 9.4 inches. Some wear on edges, but in overall excellent condition - highly collectible.

Antique book, astrological calendar of the year 1738, published that year in Salzburg, by Johann Joseph Manrdseel. Gilded edges, bound with new covers, spine with some damage, otherwise in excellent condition, 6 x 8.1 inches.

American playwright (1832-1890) and publisher located in Boston. Small patriotic written play "The Amateur Drama One Hundred Years Ago" in two acts by Baker. Size is 4.75 x 7.5 inches, first edition, 1876, loose covers, inside in very good condition.

Vincenzo Bellini: La Sonnambula L`Opera Completa per piano solo, Milan, Francesco Lucca - circa 1833. Oblong folio, PN 11922, 89 pages. Size is 14.75 x 11 inches, fine condition.

Published by Albin Michel, Paris, 1927, 314 pages, 5 x 7.5 inches, first edition, copy nr. 242, one of the 350 on Holland paper (1st paper before 600 on verged pure thread Vincent Montgolfier and an indeterminate number on Alfa). Very good copy.

Three small volumes (3.5 x 5.5 inches) in half-tan sheepskin, red title piece on spine, nr. of pages: 358 + 356 + 323+XVII (tables) for volumes 1, 2 and 3 respectively.  A folding frontispiece board for each volume: View of the Fountain of Vaucluse, View of the port of Marseille (small marginal wet), View of the Arsenal and the port of Toulon (small marginal wet). Book written by Laurent-Pierre Bérenger (1749-1822), associate member of the Athénée du Vaucluse and member of the Epicurean Troubadour Society of Marseille.  Some wear on covers and spine, ownership writing, overall in good condition.

Rare, complete, with 24 hand-colored lithographs of opera singers and ballet dancers, complete first volume, with descriptions in German. The twenty-four lithographs of performers and their roles are listed in the table of contents, include prominent opera stars, ballet dancers and ballerinas, and actors and actresses.

Small booklet about Teatro La Scala, Milan, 48 pages, including some charts, in French, issued in 1856 by Dominique Salvi, Milan. Some rust on pages, ownership signature on first blank page, 4.5 x 6.9 inches, in good condition. See scans of cover and some pages.

Large book with printed plans for the Teatro Nuovo di Bologna, rebound with modern binding and covers.  Size is 16 x 20.25 inches, 15 original pages, some pages in excellent condition, others with some dirt and repairs, original plate marks clearly visible, in overall very good condition. ALSO INCLUDED is a facsimile of the 1975 edition of the book with original covers, size is 13,75 x 19.5 inches.

Fantastic book with many illustrations, some in color, about historical ballet. Text in Italian, published by Editoriale Domus, Milan, covers with gilt decorated cloth.  Limited first edition of 994 numbered copies, 118 numbered pages plus extras, large size: 12 x 16 inches. Stains on covers, otherwise book is in excellent condition. See scans of front cover and some internal pages.

Original book published in 1832 by Chez Paulin, editors, printed in Paris in 1832, text by François Henri Joseph Castil-Blaze, full title in English is "Dance and Ballet, from Bacchus to Miss Taglioni". Size is 4.5 x 7.5 inches, 373 numbered pages plus extras, original covers, some rust and damage on spine, in overall very good condition. See scans of covers, title page and central pages.

Original vintage book, published in 1894 by Charpentier & Fasquelle, Paris, with 400 reproductions of women dresses from 1794 through 1894. Size is 5 x 7.4 inches, hardcovers, in very good condition. See scans of front cover, title pages, second title page, central pages.

Collection of special issues of the theatrical periodical "Comoedia Illustré" and souvenir programs devoted to Ballets Russes and Rubinstein's Galas Russes for the seasons 1909-1921, with introductory letterpress text for each season by V. Svetloff. With splendid color and gilt illustrations of costume and set designs, as well as numerous photographic portraits of dancers and production artists. Published by De Brunoff, Maurice, & Jacques de Brunoff, editors. M. de Brunoff, Paris, 1922. Profusely illustrated with full color covers, mounted and full-page plates, and photographs, AMAZING ballet illustrations from the period. 187 leaves, bound and stored in a case. An outstanding visual record of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and Ida Rubinstein's Galas Russes in their most influential years, lavishly illustrated with the works of Bakst, Gontcharova, Larionov, Picasso, Matisse, Massine, Derain, and others.   Bakst is the most frequently represented artist in the group; the illustration inlaid to the upper cover is by Natalia Gontcharova. Original cloth, with inlaid illustrated upper cover from "The Firebird" by Natalia Gontcharova. Covers and spine rubbed and soiled, internally fine, but lacking cover for Ballets Russes program from May 1921 featuring Picasso illustration on recto and verso. Signed on first blank page by one of the editors (Jacques de Brunoff) and American dancer, teacher and dance writer Lillian Moore (1911-1967) who owned it. Size is 10.5 x 13.3 inches, 1.25 inches thick, hardcovers, damage on spine, which is mostly missing, with some lose pages but complete, otherwise in very good condition. Comes in a luxury cardboard case to protect it. See some sample photos.

English naturalist (1809-1882), geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. The first edition in Russian of his book "The Origin of Species" from 1864 (NOT SIGNED BY DARWIN). Size is 6.5 x 9.5 inches, 399 pages, hardcovers, leather binding; some ink markings and stains, in overall very good condition.

Beautiful photo book "Der Kunstlerische Tanz" (The Artistic Dance) with many thumbnail photographs (5-6 photos per page) published by Eckstein-Halpaus, Dresden, 1930. Size is 11.25 x 9.25 inches, 54 pages, some cracks and dirt on the front cover, inside in excellent condition.

"The Artistic Dance of our Time" by Hermann and Marianne Aubel, published by Karl R. Langewiesche, Leipzig, 1930. Photographs of leading figures in the dance world of the early 20th century, including Vaslav Nijinsky, Isadora Duncan, Anna Pavlova, and others, photos by some important photographers, text in German. Over 100 photographs including many full page plates. Size is 7.5 x 10.25 inches, 112 pages, in very good condition.

American (1877-1927) dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance, and performed to great acclaim in Europe and the U.S. Short mini-book "The Dance" authored by her, with many pictures and facsimiles of programs of her performances, published by The Forest Press, N.Y., 1989.  Size is 8.75 x 11.5 inches, semi-hard covers, 29 pages, some wear on both covers, inside in excellent condition.  

Photograph book, published by the American photographer, author and editor. Book contains 26 real photos (cibachrome A2 color photos and black and white silhouettes printed by the author) mounted on pages, opposite to text and images also printed on luxurious linen paper, 70 pages bound with red, leather-bound hardcovers. Photographs show dancers from the Kirov Ballet and were taken between 1982 and 1989 Printed in Greece in 2014, only 10 copies were made, size 10 x 14.25 inches, in excellent condition. 

French actress (1821-1858), well known in her time as "Rachel", was a prominent figure in society, reputed to be the mistress of Napoleon III and other important figures. The first edition of the two-volume book "Memoirs of Rachel Felix" published by Hurst & Blackett (London) in 1858 right after her decease. Each volume's size is 5.25 x 7.8 inches, over 330 pages (vol.1), over 340 pages (vol.2); some signs of wear and cracks on the spine, original covers, handwritten text on the full title page by previous owner, in overall very good condition.

The Gramophone magazine is a UK-based monthly magazine dedicated to classical music, particularly to reviews of recordings, but with a large amount of content related to artists and composers. The first issue was in 1923, this publication is now 100 years old and has become a world authority in classical music. Treasured by a collector for over half a century, these bound volumesare full of interesting articles about classical music and opera recordings and performers, and a treasure trove of interesting information, photos, reviews, and more.All 53 volumes are bound, each one is approximately 8.5 x 11 inches, and thickness varies a lot depending on the volume. All magazines are in very good to excellent condition. Sold as a full only, and at a bargain price, will not be split into parts. These volumes are sometimes sold one at a time, at around $45 each, except the first ones - which are very hard to find - sold for quite more.FOR PICK UP IN NEW YORK ONLY, will not be shipped due to size, weight, and cost - This collection is stored in 5 rather heavy boxes, each one is 14 x 14 x 14 inches in size. Shipping cost will be refunded upon pickup. Sold at a bargain price.  

Famous Polish dancer and ballet master (1894-1977). Rare ballet book about him, a thin volume published in a limited edition of 350 numbered copies (this is copy #333), with six visual art works, twelve photographs, and five pages of text by Cyril W. Beaumont describing Idzikowski in various roles and as a presence in ballet. A sketch by Randolph Schwabe shows the dancer in costume, seated in his dressing room. Following are four color images of Idzikowski in ballet poses, reproductions of paintings by Vera Willoughby. Then, there are twelve publicity photographs are of him in various costumes of his choreographed roles. Rebound with new covers, book comes in a special new case/envelope created to protect it, size is 8 x 12.5 inches, ownership stamp on frontend page by Lillian Moore, in very good condition, rare!. See some pictures of inside.

Published by Giz, 1928, Moscow-Leningrad. Full title is "How Kol´ka Pankin Flew to Brazil, and Piotka Ershov didn´t believe anything. Size is 5.1 x 6.8 inches, in very good condition. This is a delightful children´s book, but one that triggered the Soviet authorities´ suspicion of it being a parody of the Marxist dialectic and hidden political tract. The story involves two little boys in banter between the ideal and the real, mirroring much of the early days of the Revolution between communist ideologies. The authorities may have also been offended with the parrots on the front cover and monkeys on the rear, possibly reading more than the author intended, but the date was on the cusp of deepening suppression and conformity to party doctrine which jelled in 1930, when Kharms was arrested for sedition and his work banned for the first time, and he was exiled.  The illustrator Evgeniia Konstatinovna Evenbakh (1889-1981) was an important children´s book artist who studied under V.V. Lebedev and initially employed Constructivist techniques in her work. The present work is considered to be her finest. OCLC locates only one institutional holding, in Princeton.  

Published in Leningrad by Giz, 1930. Original color lithographed wrappers, 12 pages, illustrated by Vladimir Mikhailovich Kosnashevich. A rare children´s book by the great Russian absurdist poet and playwright Daniil Kharms (1905-1942). With the banning of this adult work and that of other members of the avant-garde group Oberiu (Association for Real Art), Kharms (born Daniil Luvachev) and other members of the group turned to children´s books as a refuge for work and a means to channel their creative imaginations.  Igra is one of Kharms´ most child-friendly poems. Here, three little boys run around their town, pretending to be modern forms of transportation: Petka is an automobile, Vasa a boat, and Mishka, a Soviet airplane.  V. M. Kosnashevich proved that he was a master in drawing the body language of children in his loose, spirited line drawings for this work. Kharms soon fell out with the Soviet authorities, was initially exiled and later charged with treason. He died in the psychiatric ward of the Leningrad Prison. OCLC locates 4 holdings of this book worldwide (Columbia, Princeton, Amherst and Univ. of Chicago).

First edition, complete collection of this rare satirical literary journal directed with many drawings by French illustrator Adolphe Willette (1857-1926). 51 issues from July 6, 1888 to September 20, 1889) including the special numbers at the end of the album, published two years after the bankruptcy of "Le Pierrot" - all real masterpieces of lithography. Each magazine is 11.5 x 15.5 inches, consists of two sheets in folio format, illustrated on the first page of a lithograph of A. Willette and for some issues, caricatures on the third page. Editor was Emile Goudeau. Adolphe Willette is inseparable from the Montmartre district where he decorated many cabarets, pubs and the famous Moulin Rouge. Painter first, he exhibited at Chat Noir after having participated in its creation. A controversial figure, Willette ran as an anti-Semitic candidate in the 1889 legislative elections in Paris.  Bound in one hardcover volume, in very good condition. See examples of some pages and cover.

Natural history, general and particular, containing the Epochs of nature. Volume thirteenth (13) only of this work (23 volumes in total). Published by the royal printing office, Paris, 1778. Full-calf brown of the time with the back to five nerves. 372 pages, 6 inset boards. The binding shows wear, minor aging tone on borders, in the interior in great condition.

Ukrainian-born French ballet dancer, choreographer (1905-1986), principal dancer of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, and director of the Paris Opera Ballet. Book "A L'Opéra" with many illustrations published by Champrosay (Paris), limited edition of 750 copies made with a special type of paper, no year indicated (circa the early 1940s).  Size is 10.2 x 13.4 x 0.8 inches, some wear on the front cover, inside in excellent condition.  

Published in St. Petersburg-Kiev by Yiddisher Folks-Farlag, 1919, 8.2 x 10.4 inches, 16 pages, in very good condition. Illustrated by Iosif Chaikov. "Dos Kelbel" (The Calf), is an abridgement of Moykher-Sforim´s Sefere ha-behemot (The Book of Beasts). His real name was Sholem Yankev Abramovich (1836-1917), and is credited with founding modern literature in Yiddish. He was an editor, satirist, and teacher who opposed traditional Yiddish writing in a biblical manner. His pseudonym means "Mendele the itinerant bookseller". In keeping with the author´s tradition, Chaikov combines cubist techniques with folk iconography in his rendering of the Shtetl life. OCLC locates one copy in Princeton. 

Program for the opera and ballet gala performances celebrating the 1972 Olympiads in Munich.  Size is 9.25 x 8.6 inches, in German, 190 pages, soft covers, minor stains of covers, inside in excellent condition.

American writer (b.1954), music critic, editor, producer, and professor. Book "Carnegie Hall Treasures" authored by him. Book full of copies of memorabilia, colorful pictures and illustrations.  Total size (including case) is 9 x 12.6 inches, 2 iches thick, hard covers, 220 pages, in almost new condition.

Original children´s book by Boris Pasternak (1890-1960) with illustrations by Nikolai Kupreyanov (1894-1933), published in Moscow, 1929, 16 pages, original color lithographed wrappers, 7 x 8.5 inches. Very rare children´s book by the author of "Doctor Zhivago", long before he wrote his Nobel Prize winning novel. Pasternak was already known as one of Russia´s greatest poets, and wrote only 2 books for children, both after the birth of his first child. "Zverinets" is a long and little-known poem about the animals of the zoo. Although poet Marina Tsvetaeva called it "a brilliant bestiary", the book was not successful and Pasternak admitted that he really couldn´t write for children. Nikolai Nikolaevich Kupreyanov was an important Soviet graphic artist whose short career came to a sudden tragic end when he drowned in a river near Moscow in 1933. Very rare! See scans of cover and central pages. 

Published in Paris by Gabriel Quinet, 1678. 1st Edition. Full-Leather bound with gilded spine and all borders, 3.5 x 5.5 inches, 617 pp. 3-parts in I small volume. A charming collection of prose and poetry, many of them dedicated to the King. Filled with sonnets, madrigals and elegies, a rare poetry antique book, in very good condition.

Roman fabulist (1st-century CE), whose full name was Gaius Julius Phaedrus was a 1st-century CE Roman fabulist and the first versifier of a collection of Aesop's fables into Latin. Full book in Latin "Fabularum Aesopiarum" with German notes, published in Nuremberg, 1778, second edition.  Size is 3.25 x 5 inches, 119 pages, calf leather on the spine, evident wear, stains on the front end pages, signed by its first owner Joseph Stieglitz, probably in 1779.

Original mini-almanac book from 1807, from Riders British Merlin series, the oldest almanac series published in the UK, this is the 1807 issue. 60+ pages, including some in the front left in blank on purpose, a few of them are handwritten with cooking recipes. Red leather covers, probably the originals, with a pocket behind the front cover, size is 3.5 x 5.25 inches, some minor stains but in overall very good condition. ALSO INCLUDED is an interesting printed and handwritten document for a court citation, mentioning King George III, year 1807 - Document was left inside the mini-almanac front pocket. See scan. 

Published in Hamburg by B. G. Hoffmann, 1806, book by Moritz von Schuckmann (1770-?), in German, 137 printed pages, new covers, book is in excellent condition. Size is 4 x 6.5 inches, has inscription by previous owner on frontend page, dated 1931.

Two volumes (original title "Die Auffuhrungen der Opern von Richard Strauss im 20 Jahrhundert") of a colossal work listing all the performances of Strauss operas, including those few in the 19th century, and all of the 20th century, in all theaters. Conductors, directors, singers of the principal parts. These 2 volumes contains information about almost 4,400 productions revivals, revised productions, guest performances of visiting companies, performances during Strauss`days and concert productions of the 16 operas by Strauss in the world - totaling almost 50,000 performances, almost 7,000 casts with 13,000 artists.  Written in German, but easy to consult since this is mostly a huge database in tables - only 74 pages with text are written in German, 2 with important information are translated into English. Published by Hans Schneider. 2 Volumes - See a scan of an example of a table with information.

Rare first edition of this famous ballet book, and one of the most fundamental ballet publications in the beginning of the 20th Century. 133 numbered pages plus extras, many illustrations including some in color, photographs. Many of the illustrations are by Bakst. Original covers in light green cloth, professionally repaired, faded colors, but in good condition. First edition, published by R. Golike & A. Vilborg, St. Petersburg, Russia, 1911, with Bakst illustration. Handwritten in ink on the back of front page, signed and dated in 1944 by another hand. In overall very good condition.

First edition libretto for a performance in Naples of Un Ballo In Maschera, in the same year or its world premiere in Rome (1859). The opera was just premiered after a long, complicated fight with the censors, and the action had to be moved to Boston instead of Europe, and the Naples premiere followed soon after the Rome world premiere. Libretto has no covers but is otherwise complete, 4.25 x 6.75 inches, in very good condition.

Vocal score, PN51635, 4ff., 366 pages, French text, blind stamped 10/1894. Ownership dated Oct 31st, 1894 (19 days after the Paris premiere), a fine copy. Original boards. First edition of the second version, Hopkinson 63B. This is a special version of the opera made by Verdi for the Paris Opera, where it was given on October 12th, 1894. First edition to contain Act III ballet music composed by Verdi for the production and it also includes other revisions made by the composer. Size is 8.5 x 11 inches.

First edition book by Francois Voltaire, published in 1731 by Josse, Paris. Full title is "Le Brutus de Monsieur de Voltaire, Avec un Discours sur la Tragedie". No original covers (newly bound), stains on first pages, then much reduced in size, 112 pages, 5 x 7.75 inches, in overall good condition.

Lohengrin, romantische Oper in Drei Akten - Vocal score 1851, Leipzig, Breitkopf & Hartel. First edition of the vocal score in quarter leather and marbled binding. Excellent condition, 237 pages (pages 229-236 in facsimile), 10.25 x 13 inches.

Wagner: Tannhauser und Der Sangerkrieg auf Wartburg - Klavier Auszug, C. F. Messer, Berlin PN2676, WWV 70, 1876. Folio in original cloth. First edition of the revised version, Hopkinson, 5 A (a), with a rare jumbo photo portrait of Richard Wagner by Hafstaengel (which is almost always removed). Slight spotting, but this score with the original ornate binding is in excellent condition.

German teacher (1778-1853) of Geography and Germanic languages, as well as the founder of the Berlin Foundation for the Blind. First volume of the book "Das Nibelunglied: Die urschrift nach des besten Lesarten neu bearbeitet, und mit Einleit und Wörterbuch zum Gebrauch für Schulen versehen" (The Nibelung song: The original according to the best readings revised and provided  with introductory and dictionary for use in school), published in Berlin, 1815, compiled by August Zeune. Size is 4 x 4.6 inches, 440 pages, hardcovers, some wear on the spine, some stains on the front end page, otherwise in excellent condition.