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CHARLES AGVENT has been buying and selling rare books, manuscripts, and autographs in a variety of fields since 1987. We have books from the 15th to the 21st century and feature a stock strong in Signed Books & Autographs, Literary First Editions, Presidential material, African-American Literature & History, and Fine Press & Illustrated Books. In addition, we carry the largest inventory of Limited Edition Club books and ephemera in the world. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers and adhere to their high ethical standards.

Please search or browse our inventory of approximately 6000 items. Use the links to the left to browse our many specific categories and to see descriptions of new arrivals. If you can't find what you want, let us know and we'll be happy to search our extensive private inventory for you.

You can also click on the Catalogs link to see our pdf catalogs, including our latest catalog:

SPRING MISCELLANY 2013: 50 Select Items

Our new catalog--SPRING MISCELLANY 2013--contains 50 select items, all new arrivals. Highlights include exceptional presidential material including an inscribed Theodore Roosevelt ROUGH RIDERS as well as a book inscribed by Roosevelt to Jacob Riis, whom he called the best American; two copies of the very limited (25 copies) edition of Eisenhower's CRUSADE IN EUROPE each inscribed by Ike to a brother; a John Quincy Adams Signed book; George Washington's Secretary's copy of Thomas Jefferson's NOTES ON VIRGINIA; and others. Also there are excellent hand-colored plate books including Downing's scarce 1847 edition on American Fruits and some nice early printed titles including the heavily illustrated 17th century Jonston HISTORIAE NATURALIS. Literary titles include a Signed First Edition of Flannery O'Connor's A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND and the First American Edition of WUTHERING HEIGHTS.

SPRING MISCELLANY 2013: 50 Select Items (click to download)

Featured Items

Kennedy examines the McLellan Committee enquiry into union and management corruption with a focus on Jimmy Hoffa's links to organised crime. An exceptional Association Copy of Kennedy's first book, INSCRIBED and SIGNED on the front endpaper by the author "To my old antagonist Senator Goldwater/from his friend/Bob Kennedy."

THE ENEMY WITHIN Inscribed to Barry Goldwater
KENNEDY, Robert
New York: Harper & Brothers, (1960). Kennedy examines the McLellan Committee enquiry into union and management corruption with a focus on Jimmy Hoffa's links to organised.. more
Price: $7,500.00

Five volumes bound in 7 large octavo (6-5/8" x 10") volumes with green morocco leather spines and marbled boards, the plates bound separately in the two extra volumes. Illustrated with a total of 225 plates: a portrait, 4 folding maps, 10 black-and-white plates, and 201 delicately hand-colored plates of mammals and birds.

OEUVRES COMPLETES DE BUFFON, SUIVIES DE LA CLASSIFICATION COMPAREE DE CUVIER, LESSON, ETC., ETC
BUFFON, Georges-Louis Leclerc de
Paris: Pourrat Freres, 1837. Five volumes bound in 7 large octavo (6-5/8" x 10") volumes with green morocco leather spines and marbled boards, the.. more
Price: $2,500.00

Two quarto (6-1/2" x 9") volumes; [1]-256; [257]-594 pages. Illustrated with two engraved allegorical pictorial title pages and 44 inserted portraits engraved after contemporary prints, paintings, and medallions. Among those depicted are Lorenzo Medici and Niccolo Machiavelli, both of whom contribute songs to this collection. A very interesting copy for several reasons. First, it exists in an unbound state with modern board covers and appears never to have been bound previously. On the half-title page of each volume in early ink is written a statement in Italian regarding one F. Enrico of Bologna applying for license. This copy matches the second impression point of Brunet, V, columns 988-989, regarding the spelling of "Mostreremvelo," but the information regarding signatures OO and PP and the errata does not match either the first or second impression. Graesse, VI: II, page 217, which essentially repeats in distilled form the information in Brunet.

TUTTI I TRIONFI CARRI, MASCHERATE O CANTI CARNASCIALESCHI ANDATI PER FIRENZE DAL TEMPO DEL MAGNIFICO LORENZO DE' MEDICI FINO ALL' ANNO 1559. In questa seconda Edizione corretti, con diversi MSS. collazionati, delle loro varie lezioni arricchiti, notabilme
[GRAZZINI, Antonio Francesco (editor)]
Cosmopoli [Lucca]: [Pel Benedini], 1750. Two quarto (6-1/2" x 9") volumes; [1]-256; [257]-594 pages. Illustrated with two engraved allegorical pictorial title pages and 44 inserted.. more
Price: $1,000.00

A hand-lettered poster @11" x 11" in black, red, and green inks for Bukowski's first known public readings at The Bridge bookstore, Los Angeles, on December 19 and 20, 1969. The text reads: "Charles Bukowski will give his first public demolition poetry reading at the Bridge," along with the address and dates. Accompanied by a handwritten letter dated 1994 from Bukowski's bibliographer, Sanford Durbin, describing in detail how he acquired the poster at the time. In part: "At intermission I went out in the alley to pee; as I walked back in I saw someone peeing under a light; it was Hank. He looked at me & said kinda wimpy, 'Hi Neeli.' -- How many were there -- the Bridge, N. Kenmore? Maybe 50? A bar? a night spot? -- Maybe the sign was in front, maybe I saw it walking from the Bridge back to his place. On a utility pole. Sure I want it, down it came."

Handmade POSTER for Bukowski's First Known Poetry Reading
(BUKOWSKI, Charles)
[Los Angeles]: [1969]. A hand-lettered poster @11" x 11" in black, red, and green inks for Bukowski's first known public readings at The.. more
Price: $4,500.00

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18th Century 18th Century Literature 19th Century 19th Century American Literature 19th Century British Literature 19th Century French Literature 19th Century Literature 20th Century American Literature 20th Century British Literature Advance Copy Advance Review Copy African-American Literature Americana Anthology Art Association Copy Autobiography Autograph Letter Autographs Bibliography Biography Books on Books Broadsides Charles Bukowski Children's Children's Literature Classics Color Plates Drama Environmental LIterature Essays Fiction Fine Binding Fine Bindings Fine Press First Book French Literature George Bernard Shaw German Literature Hand-Colored Plates Hand-colored High Spot History Horror Humor Illustrated Books Inscribed Irish Literature Jewish Literature Limited Limited Editions Limited Editions Club Literary Criticism Literary Firsts Literature Literature: American Literature: English Mark Twain Modern First Editions Modern Firsts Modern Poetry Movie Fiction National Book Award Native Americans Natural History Nobel Prize Nonfiction Officina Bodoni Original Art Periodicals Philosophy Photography Plays Poetry Presidential Autographs Presidents Proof Pulitzer Prize Rare Reference Religion Robert Frost Roman Literature Science Science Fiction Short Stories Signed Signed Photograph Slavery Southern Literature Tennessee Williams Theater Travel Uncorrected Proof Vietnam Literature W. H. Auden Western Americana Western Literature Women's Literature Wood Engravings