Children's classics, revolutionary theater, and the investment Bible that shaped Wall Street.
Welcome to our most expensive sales of January, February, and March 2025. Leading our list is a delicate survivor of the 1920s with the lesson that love makes things real. There is also a rare copy of Charlotte's Web with an unlikely inscription, plus a near-fine copy of the novel that first introduced the world to Bond – James Bond.
First published in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit has become one of the most beloved children's stories of all time. This rare and fragile first edition is particularly notable for its seven color illustrations, some double-page, each with its original printed caption. The endpapers feature delightful drawings of rabbits.
This exceptional copy retains its paper-covered boards with Nicholson's illustrations and original publisher's pictorial dustwrapper with matching design. It presents in near-fine condition, with only a short split to the foot of the upper joint and light spotting to early pages. The dustwrapper, while showing a small chip to the spine foot and minor fraying, remains remarkably well-preserved for such a delicate publication.
Sold by Jonkers Rare Books
The Velveteen Rabbit has struck a chord with child and adult readers alike since its original publication in 1922, with its combination of Margery Bianco Williams’s underlying message and William Nicholson’s striking double page colour illustrations, which work in harmony with the text. The first edition is both rare and inherently fragile so copies in such exemplary condition are very seldom found. In thirty years as a specialist in rare children’s books this is only the fourth such copy we have sold.
This first edition of Waiting for Godot, published by Les Éditions de Minuit in 1952, preceded the play's French debut by three months. The revolutionary work follows two wanderers waiting by a country road for the mysterious Godot who never arrives – a masterpiece of dramatic minimalism that transformed modern theater. A poll of 800 theater professionals at the British Royal National Theatre voted it the most significant English-language play of the 20th century.
Beckett's signature on the title page makes this copy particularly rare. When Peter Hall directed the first English production at London's Arts Theatre Club in 1955, influential critics Kenneth Tynan and Harold Hobson heralded it as a pivotal moment in theatrical history.
Sold by Manhattan Rare Book Company
Although Waiting for Godot was famously described by the critic Vivian Mercier as a play in which 'nothing happens, twice', that 'nothing' is only on the surface, for Beckett’s play overflows with wit, humor, emotion, and profound expressions of the human condition. It is one of the undisputed masterpieces of 20th-century theater and this first edition of the play precedes its theatrical premiere, making this the first form anyone experienced the work. First editions are somewhat common on the market, but signed firsts – like this one – are extremely rare.
While teaching at Columbia University, Benjamin Graham developed the concept of "value investing" that would revolutionize Wall Street. His most famous student, Warren Buffett, called The Intelligent Investor "the best book about investing ever written."
The work's enduring influence stems from Graham's vivid metaphors, particularly "Mr. Market" – his personification of the stock market as an emotional, erratic business partner.
This rare 1949 first edition from Harper & Brothers retains its original, unclipped dust jacket ($3.50).
Sold by Lise Bohm Books
E.B. White and British novelist Elizabeth Taylor maintained a literary friendship despite rarely meeting in person. Their connection flourished through The New Yorker, where White's wife Katherine served as Taylor's first editor. This first edition of Charlotte's Web carries their relationship in ink – White's inscription reads "For Elizabeth Taylor / and I do like Irish whiskey," a fitting note from an author known to store manuscripts in whiskey boxes and keep a bottle ready for guests.
The first issue (marked 'First edition, I-B' on verso) features Garth Williams' original color dustwrapper and line drawings, showing only slight toning to the spine.
Sold by Jonkers Rare Books
Charlotte Web has long been a popular with children the world over, but what makes this book particularly special is the inscription by the books author, E.B.White to fellow novelist, Elizabeth Taylor. The notion of author to author associations strikes a particular chord with sophisticated book collectors, the book marking an intersection of the author’s creative endeavour and their life outside the text. It is evidence of this personal contact which influences the author’s work which gives books like this an animation all of their own. Taylor had the misfortune to be a contemporary of the much more famous actress of the same name, but was nevertheless a successful (and lately, increasingly read) author in her own right, described by Kingsley Amis as 'one of the best English novelists born this century’.
Few books have sparked such immediate controversy as Atlas Shrugged. When Random House published Rand's ambitious work in 1957 – originally titled The Strike – critics roundly dismissed what would become a multimillion-copy phenomenon.
This pristine first edition tells a deeper story. Tucked within its striking original dust jacket is a typed letter from Rand herself, dated November 23, 1957. Written to theatrical producer Ralph Roseman amid the initial storm of criticism, the letter thanks him for appreciating Atlas "for the right reasons."
Sold by Pen Ultimate Rare Books
Casino Royale launched Fleming's James Bond series with a remarkably small first printing of 4,728 copies in 1953. Among these, only 2,400 featured the second-state dust jacket – identified by Christopher Pym's Sunday Times review on the front flap and "The Author" on the rear panel.
This unrestored copy, free from any inscriptions, represents one of the scarcest treasures in modern British literature. Jonathan Cape published the novel in hardcover with a striking design by Kenneth Lewis, establishing the visual style that would define the series. The novel's success would establish Fleming as the defining voice of Cold War espionage fiction.
Sold by Yves G. Rittener - YGRbookS
We sell books - from the very rare to the rather common - you are always most welcome.
Among Mozart's published works, this complete Sonata for Piano and Violin stands as a remarkable testament to 18th-century music publishing. Printed between 1788 and 1794, during the composer's final years, the edition comprises two distinct parts: a 13-page piano score and its accompanying 7-page violin section.
Time has been unusually kind to this copy. It retains its original blue paper wrapper with string binding, the untrimmed pages, and even its printed price of 1 florin. Its survival in this state is extraordinary – the Mozarteum holds the only other documented example.
Sold by Antiquariat Hardy Eppler
Rare first edition from the estate of a musical family. Another rare title still available in my collection.
1968 marked a turning point in science fiction with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Dick's tale of bounty hunter Rick Deckard stalking artificial beings through a post-apocalyptic landscape would redefine the genre's approach to human consciousness and artificial life.
In its original grey cloth binding with gilt spine lettering, this review copy offers a rare glimpse into the novel's publication. The inclusion of the publisher's publicity slip and unclipped dust jacket makes this example particularly noteworthy in Dick's bibliography.
Sold by Halcyon Books
As one of the genre’s most influential authors, Dick's exploration of themes like reality, identity, and authoritarianism has left a lasting impact on literature and film. His thought-provoking narratives, often blending dystopian futures with psychological intrigue, have inspired numerous adaptations, including the iconic Blade Runner.
"All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn," Hemingway famously declared. This set unites that revolutionary 1885 work with its predecessor, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). A telling printer's error – "Him and another man" repeated on page 88 – identifies this Huck Finn as a coveted early state.
The Bayntun-Rivière bindery has preserved both volumes in dark blue morocco, retaining the original cloth beneath while adding their distinctive "Huck Finn" spine stamps..
Sold by Neverland Books
"Insomnio" traces its journey from manuscript to masterwork through three significant moments: its creation in Borges's distinctive sepia ink, its debut in Revista Sur, and its inclusion in his 1964 collection "El otro, el mismo." The poet's meditation on sleeplessness survives here in its most intimate form – two handwritten pages bearing his signature.
This manuscript's provenance links directly to Federico Vogelius, whose collection of Borges materials stands among Argentina's literary treasures. The original slipcase continues to protect these pages, preserving both their physical form and their connection to one of Latin America's most influential writers.
Sold by Chaco 4ever Books
