Rare Antiques & Collectibles Books

Softcover. Las Vegas NV, Sahara Hotel, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Color PR photo of a young Johnny Carson, probably mid-60s. Clean, no writing on address side. 4 3/4 x 7".

Hardcover. Philadephia, Charles J. Peterson, 1870, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, 3/4 leather with black cloth covers, raised bands on spine, gilt lettering. January thru December 1870, all hand-colored plates and fold-outs present, dozens of steel and wood engravings. Edge and corner wear, chipping to black leather, front hinge cracked but volume is solid, binding sound. Previous owner's leather label, ruled and lettered in gilt, on front cover.

Hardcover. NY, Harper & Row, 1st, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 192 pages. Includes index and bibliography. Illustrated with 102 plates in full color, many color plates within the text and many diagrams and photographs in black & white. A remainder mark rubberstamped in the shape of a "star" to the bottom edge, otherwise bright and clean.

Hardcover. Paris, J. Schemit, 1st, 1924, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, red leather spine and corners. gilt lettering on spine, black cloth boards. Text is in French. 208 b&w plates containing 2300 documents. A stunning and comprehensive presentation of pre-industrial wrought iron items on display at Musee Le Secq des Tournelles, France (the museum is housed in in a 16th-century church). This is Volume 2 ONLY of a two-volume set. Architect ALBERT KAHN'S COPY with his ownership signature on the half title page in pencil. Light wear to top of spine and a small sticker at base of spine. Previous owner's bookplate on front fly leaf. Otherwise clean. DOMESTIC SHIPPING ONLY.

Hardcover. New York, HarperCollins Publishers, 1st US, 1987, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 168 pages illustrated in color. Dust jacket with light wear and rubbing to edges, covers. Clean, tight copy.

Hardcover. New York, Clarkson N. Potter, 1st, 1971, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 144 pages. Illustrated with full color and black & white examples of fine book design. Dust jacket shows standard wear with small tears or rubbing along edges.

Softcover. New Haven, Yale University Press , 1st, 1970, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover set. Two volumes in a cardboard slipcase, 344, 300 pages. Illustrated with b&w photographs throughout. Vol. 1 covers New England, Vol. 2 - The Middle Colonies and the South. Clean, tight copies.

Hardcover. Tokyo, Sophia University, 1st, 1970, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 210 pages, b&w illustrations. Beige cloth spine with patterned boards and a bright dust jacket with a glassine wrapper.

Hardcover. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1st, 2020, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. In Crap: A History of Cheap Stuff in America, Wendy A. Woloson takes seriously the history of objects that are often cynically-made and easy to dismiss: things not made to last; things we don't really need; things we often don't even really want. Woloson does not mock these ordinary, everyday possessions but seeks to understand them as a way to understand aspects of ourselves, socially, culturally, and economically: Why do we--as individuals and as a culture--possess these things? Where do they come from? Why do we want them? And what is the true cost of owning them? Woloson tells the history of crap from the late eighteenth century up through today, exploring its many categories: gadgets, knickknacks, novelty goods, mass-produced collectibles, giftware, variety store merchandise. As Woloson shows, not all crap is crappy in the same way--bric-a-brac is crappy in a different way from, say, advertising giveaways, which are differently crappy from commemorative plates. Taking on the full brilliant and depressing array of crappy material goods, the book explores the overlooked corners of the American market and mindset, revealing the complexity of our relationship with commodity culture over time.

Softcover. Philadelphia, Henry Disston & Sons, 1st, 1911, Book: Good, Dust Jacket: None, Flexible leather covers very worn and chipped, 206 pages, Interior is clean and firm with one loose page, and page 60 looks like a photo of a hammer was cut out, otherwise clean, bright pages. Loaded with b&w photos and illustrations of vintage tools from 1911. This is the original printing.

Hardcover. Hanover NH, University Press of New England , 1st, 2009, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 458 pages. Through furniture, this exhibition catalogue will explore the cultural identity of a little-studied region of 18th and 19th century New England: southeastern Massachusetts, an area that stretches from just south of Boston to Providence, east to the tip of Cap Cod, and includes the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. The era between 1710 and 1850 was marked by enormous changes in the landscape, population, and economy of this area, as well as in the activities of furniture craftsmen and the purchasing patterns of local residents. Three themes are paramount here: 1. Regionalism in the character of furniture made in the area and the forces that shaped that identity. 2. Fashion, changing tastes and the growing affluence of local residents over time. 3. Shop practices and the evolving craft practices of furniture makers through the recreation of two shops, the rural handcraft tradition of Samuel Wing of Sandwich in 1800 and the mechanized operation of a New Bedford or Fall River chair factory in 1850. The exhibition will include approximately 75 pieces of furniture from private and institutional collections, tools and equipment from the Samuel Wing cabinet shop (now owned by Sturbridge Village), and selected household furnishings depicting interiors in southeastern Massachusetts during the 18th and 19th centuries. Still in publisher's shrinkwrap. DOMESTIC SHIPPING ONLY.

Softcover. NY, Sotheby's, 1st, 1997, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 131 lots, illustrated in color and b&w. Light wear to edges and spine, else in very nice condition.

Hardcover. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Highfill Press Inc., 1st, 1992, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 1223 pages, illustrated throughout with charts and photographs in color and b&w. Black leatherette with silver titles to front and spine. White dust jacket. Slight wear to dust jacket, else a beautiful copy.

Hardcover. Stratford, John Edwards, Reprint, 1971, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 409 pages. Hardcover. Features more than 5700 buttons illustrated, identified and described. Previous owners stamps on front endpaper. Dust jacket with light wear along edges. Clean, unmarked text.

Hardcover. Major Cities Publishing Company, 2nd Edition, 1975, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, 234 pages. Haardcover. Ford Model "A" 50th Anniversary Commemorative Printing. B/w illustrations throughout. Orange decorated cover boards. Dust jacket has some agewear (chipping, tanning, light foxing). Pages unmarked. Binding very good. Spine straight.

Softcover. Burlington VT, The Horn Company, 2nd pr., 1980, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 75 pages, cream wrappers with black lettering, gun stock on cover. First published in 1975, this second edition has a glued binding that's not destined to last. All there and in good condition. Scarce reference.

Softcover. United Printing , 1st, 1986, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, pictorial wraps, 120 pages, illustrated in color. INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR on title page. Contents include Histories of les Cinq Grands (Nevers, Rouen, Moustiers/Marseilles, Strasbourg); Decline of French Faience; Faience in the Age of Industrialization; Faience Fine: Montereau, Creil, Gien; Grand Feu: Quimper, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Desvres, Malicorne, Blois, Angouleme; Petit Feu: Faienceries of the East: Luneville and St. Clement, Sarreguemines; Index of Marks; Bibliography; Index. Clean copy.

Softcover. Kenosha WI, privately printed, 1998, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 30 pages, almost 300 color photos of shells with a description underneath. Clean copy.

Softcover. Chicago, The Martin D'Arcy Gallery of Art, 1st, 1975, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 72 pages. B&w illustrations. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Boston, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 1st, 1965, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 276 pages. Half cloth boards. Illustrated with black & white photographs of furniture in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Mass. Slipcase slightly sunfaded. Bottom edge of case torn approx. 1" along seams. Otherwise clean, tight copy.

Hardcover. Grand Rapids, Periodical Publishing Company, 1st, 1931, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Non-paginated. Hardcover with slipcase. Features 101 black & white plates with design measurements and details. Book clean and tight, with bright gilt titles on cover and spine. Moderately worn slipcase with a deep abrasion confined to bottom right corner of spine - approx. 1".

Softcover. New Philadelphia, OH, Tuscarawas County Historical Society, Inc., 1st, 1978, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Spiral bound softcover. 128 pages, b&w photographs. Light edge wear, rubbing to covers. Small scratches on rear cover. Else a very clean, tight copy.

Softcover. Los Angeles, CA, Wizard Promotions, 1st, 1980, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 136 pages. Softcover with black and white photos. Minor wear to paper wrappers.

Hardcover. NY, Praeger Publishers, 1st, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. 156 pages with 10 color and 232 b&w plates. The chapters are: general history before 1850 with factory marks; excavations on the Caughley site: other early Coalport porcelain; Messrs Antice, Horton & Rose's Coalport porcelain; 1815-1850 & the factory pattern-books; porcelain from 1850: Coalport artists; early Coalport porcelain mentioned in 19th century catalogues; the 1841 & 1861 census returns. Clean, bright copy.

Softcover. Denver CO, Roberts Publishing Co., reprint, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, orange wrappers, 136 pages, profusely illustrated with 152 instructional drawings in black & white. The first of a series of papers on the repair of the complex mechanisms of complicated watches, providing an in-depth analysis of mainly chronograph movements. Written by the Dean and President of the American Academy of Horology. Clean, bright copy.

Hardcover. NY, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1st, 1928, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, green cloth, 263 pages. 320 b&w plates from drawings by the author. VOLUME 3 ONLY. This volume contains the B&W plates 211-320 Remnants of small sticker on bottom of spine, otherwise clean.

Hardcover. Secaucus, N.J., Chartwell Books, 1st, 1989, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 128 pages, color illustrations. Clean, tight copy. Discusses the main collecting areas, provides expert advice on how to avoid expensive mistakes, how to care for old toys, and how to spot the works of the masters.

Hardcover. Boston, Bruce Humphries, Inc., 1st, 1939, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, decorated boards with red cloth spine, 96 pages. INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR ON FRONT ENDPAPER. Previous owners signature at top of front endpaper. Illustrated with black & white photographs. Spine cloth faded. Clean, tight copy.

Hardcover. New York, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1st, 1980, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 282 pages, plus index. Text by Bernard Barenholtz and Inez McClintock, photographs by Bill Holland. Light blue cloth covers with gilt titles to spine, illustrated laminate dust jacket, 285 illustrations including 100 plates in full-color. Light rubbing to dust jacket, clean boards, pages crisp and unmarked; a very clean, tight copy in great condition.

Hardcover. Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, 1st, 1996, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 211 pages, hardcover, 186 illustrations, 23 in color. A well illustrated detailed study of the 21 European clocks (19 French, 2 German) in the Getty Museum with detailed biographies of their makers.

Hardcover. Atglen PA, Schiffer Publishing, 1st, 1988, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 9 1/2" x 12, 250 pages. A handsome volume with over 450 illustrations of the world's finest wristwatches produced by the top 17 watch houses. Includes Blancpain, Breguet, Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Rolex, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Chopard, Girard-Perregaux, IWC, Corum, Ebel, Piaget, Ulysse Nardin. Like new, clean.

Hardcover. Boston, Little Brown & Company, 1st, 2001, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket, 408 pages, b&w illustrations. Imperial Green Jade, also known as jadeite, is one of the rarest stones in the world. This volume combines original historical research, a travelogue, and investigative journalism to tell the secret history of jadeite. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Geneve, Musee Barbier-Mueller, 1st, 2016, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 215 pages illustrated in color. FRENCH TEXT. Catalog of an exhibition held at the Musee Barbier-Muller, Geneva, February 11-October 30, 2016. Includes bibliographical references. The study conducted by Anne Vanderstraete on currencies and exchange objects selected from the collections of the Barbier-Mueller Museum explains not only the practices linked to the use of these items in their original context but also explores the aesthetic richness of this collection. Many works are revealed to the public for the first time. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Iola, Wisconsin, Krause Publications, inc., 3rd Expanded, 1990, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 482 pages, illustrated throughout in color and b&w. Pictorial paper boards, no dust jacket. Slight wear and rubbing along edges, else a very nice, tight copy.

Softcover. Shelburne, Shelburne Museum, 1st, 2015, Book: Very Good, 180 pages. Softcover exhibition catalog. Features full color photographs and information related to furniture manufactured in the state of Vermont up to 1850. Light wear to covers. Clean, unmarked text. A nice copy.

Kentucky, Collector Books, 1st, 1993, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, glazed boards illustrated in color. 252 pages. Black & white and color photographs.

Hardcover. Burlington VT, self-published, 1st, 1970, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Fair, Hardcover, 9" x 11 1/4", red cloth with silver gilt titling and decorative detail to front board and spine, 313 pages, map illustrated endpapers, Dust jacket very worn with minor paper loss. SIGNED BY CARLISLE on title page, also with a promotional sheet laid in with the author's comments on sales, addressed to publisher of Garden Wat Publications. Biographical sketches of 983 Vermont craftsmen. Limited to 1000 copies.

Hardcover. NY, Christie's, 1982, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Two hardcover volumes, light blue cloth covers stamped in gilt, auction catalogs illustrated throughout in color. Part 1: Important French Porcelain, 161 pages, 468 items. Part 2: Important French Furniture, Works of Art, Old Master Paintings, Drawings and Chinese Porcelain and Jade. 292 pages, 456 items. Auction held March 21- 23, 1991. Clean bright copies. Scarce in hardcover format. Ms. Firestone was heir to the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. fortune and considered one of the last great post-war collectors.

Hardcover. NY, Harper & Bros, 1868, Book: Good, Dust Jacket: None, 864 pages, b&w engravings throughout. 3/4 black calf leather over pebble grain cloth covered boards. Rubbing to the leather. Subjects: Lookout Mountain & How We Won It, John Bull in Abyssinia, Among the Andes of Peru and Bolivia, Fashions in Guinea, Chinese Embassy to Foreign Powers, Explorations in Lower California, Shooting Stars and Meteors, Fish Culture In America, many other articles. Hinges cracked, library bookplate on inside front cover, otherwise a clean, tight copy.

Hardcover. Moscow, Beresta, 1st, 1994, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 171 pages, 122 illustrations in color. From the Russian Decorative Metalwork series. Text is in Russian and English. Silver gray cloth covered boards with blind and silver stamping to the spine and covers, and paper dustjacket. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Framingham MA, Old America Company, Revised Ed., 1924, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, 716 pages, illustrated with more than 1500 examples in photographic plates. This is revised and expanded from the 1921 edition (which had 587 pages). Dark green cloth with gilt lettering. Minor wear to front corner at bottom otherwise very good.

Hardcover. New York, Dryden Press, 1st, 1945, Book: Good, Dust Jacket: Good, 114 pages. Hardcover. Illustrated with 66 black & white photographs. Previous owner has carefully glued-in additional black & white photographic images of related Chinese bronzes to preliminary pages front and rear, and to a few random pages. Dust jacket with chipping along edges - jacket now protected with clear plastic cover.

Softcover. New York, Sotheby's, 1st, 1995, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 75 pages. Softcover with paper warppers. Like new. Color photographs throughout.

Hardcover. Chicago, Henry Regnery, 1st, 1974, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a lightly worn dust jacket. A comprehensive guide to lacemaking, patterns and techniques, as well as a profusely illustrated history of this exquisite, enduring craft. Whether you want to make lace, learn to appreciate it as a connoisseur, or only contemplate its loveliest examples in the splendid photos, you will find it in this book. The author has included design notes, beautifully drawn diagrams, and clear, complete instructions for lacemaking in four categories: network, needle laces, bobbin laces, and mixed laces. These instructions will enable you to realize the ornate and flowery patterns of the past no less than the free-flowing forms of modern art. Clean copy.

Hardcover. London/NY, Ingram/Hastings House, 1st, 1981, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 128 pages. Consists of eleven reproduced French doll and toy catalogues before WW I, with descriptions and prices of the era. Some color, mostly b&w. Clean copy. Mild musty smell.

Hardcover. NY, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1st, 1928, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, green cloth, 205 pages. 320 b&w plates from drawings by the author. VOLUME 2 ONLY. This volume contains the B&W plates 116-210 Remnants of small sticker on bottom of spine, otherwise clean. Architect Albert Kahn's copy with his ownership signature in pencil on the front fly leaf. Otherwise clean copy.

Hardcover. West Chester, Pa., Schiffer Pub Ltd, 1st, 1997, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 248 pages, illustrated throughout in color and b&w. Some sun-fading and edgewear to dust jacket. Overall, a tight clean copy.

Hardcover. West Chester PA, Schiffer, 1st, 1987, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 265 pages. Illustrated with full color photographs. 3 paperclip impressions at top edge of same amount of pages. Copy of "Penny Bank" Antique and Collectible Commercial Perfume Bottle Pocket Price Guide - Third Edition - laid-in. Clean, tight copy. Comprehensive guide to collecting the past and present bottles used by perfumers. Beautiful color pictures of flacons made by R. Lalique, Baccarat, J. Viard, Brosse, A. Jollivet, Cristal Nancy, Wheaton, C. K. Benda, and Lucien Guillard. Figural, novelty dimestore, and bottles with the original packaging are shown. Lavishly illustrated with catalog and ad pictures. Histories of many famous perfume houses and bottle makers are included. A directory of hundreds of American and European perfumers from 1870 to the present, with the names of thousands of scents makes dating a bottle easier for the collector.