Premium Reference Books and Unit Histories

An ORIGINAL 1908-1910 COLT Firearms Cash Ledger

This is a unique book, as it was the Cash ledger for the company for the fiscal years June 1908 to June 1910. This was a significant period in the company's history as the 1911 pistol was in development and government contracts as well as suppliers were recorded.

The book is sewn, heavy leather bound and the pages are machine numbered 1 to 500.  Entries start at page 1 and end at page 499.

• Front Cover

• Back Cover

• Sample detail Pages 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5

This is an invaluable reference if you are a historian of the COLT P.F.A. Mfg. Co.

The condition is good to near very good, as shown.  This book has signs of considerable use, with bumped corners, wear to the cover boards, soiling and wear and tear on the leather covers.  The contents are in near very good readable condition.  The ink is faded from exposure to humidity and moisture.  Some pages are stuck together but can be separated without damage to content. The entries are written in a very clear script hand and are not difficult to decipher for the most part.  There are the usual cryptic accounting notations.

It measures 17-1/2 x 13 inches.  There are 499 pages of text content (some pages are left intentionally blank when accounting practices didn't require supplemental data to be present).

This is a very intriguing book, especially in the light of the historical nature of this famed American corporation.

An ORIGINAL 1988-1929 Prohibition Pharmacy Prescripton Records Book

This is a unique book, as it was the original prescriptions as written by physicians to their patients for a variety of drugs.  Of significant interest is the number of narcotics that were prescribed, as these were controlled items, reportable to the US Government.  There are a number of intriguing combinations of drugs for a variety of ailments, including scripts for Morphine, Cocaine and opiate derivatives, Ephedrine, and similar items.  All of the narcotic scripts are annotated with the reporting form number and registration.

The book is sewn, with cloth covered boards, heavy leather bumper corners and the pages are heavy and thick to support the scripts pasted on both sides of each page.  There are approximately 8 to 10 scripts per side, and about 200 sides (100 pages or more) for a total number of 1600 to 2000 prescriptions from more than a dozen different physicians.  The book measures 11 by 16 inches and is 5 inches wide at the spine.

Sample detail pages are shown here: 1 -- 2 -- 3

This is an invaluable reference if you are a historian of Prohibition or collect early 20th century medical drug related miscellanea.

The condition is good to near very good, as shown.  This book has signs of considerable use, with bumped corners, wear to the cover boards, soiling and wear and tear on the leather covers.  The contents are in near very good readable condition.  Some ink is faded from age. The entries are written in generally very clear script (for doctors) with the usual Latin abbreviations and annotations. For any experienced collector, they are not difficult to decipher for the most part.  There are the usual cryptic narcotic notations.

This is a very intriguing book, especially in the light of the soon to come crash of the Stock Market (about 6 months after the last entry in the book, made in March 1929).

An ORIGINAL 1945 New York Times BOUND Newspaper Set

This is a very hard to find book, as it contains in one binding the complete month of the most dangerous fighting on Iwo Jima and other events of significance from the 30 day period from February 18, 1945 through 19 March, 1945.

The book is sewn, heavy pasteboard paper cover bound with cloth spine cover and corners. The entire contents of each day's paper is present including the advertising copy and classified sections. Sunday edition special photo essay inserts are also bound in. There are a number of the famous AP photographer Joe Rosenthal photographs with accompanying news stories of the day.

• Spine Label Top

• Spine Label Bottom

• Sample detail Pages 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9

This is an invaluable reference if you are a historian of the Battle of Iwo Jima or other events of this particular time frame.

The condition is very good to near excellent, as shown. This book has signs of considerable use, with slightly bumped corners, wear to the cover boards, soiling and wear on the covers.  The contents are in near very good readable condition.

It measures 17-1/2 x 23 inches.  There are approximately 500 pages of content (some pages are left intentionally blank). It is over 3-1/2 inches thick.

This is a very intriguing book, especially in the light of the historical nature of this period in time.

This is a rare set (two of an original three volumes) of the classic Erotica Reference Books of the Works of Jean de Bosschère (1st 1929 English Translation)

This set was published by Covici-Friede of New York in 1929 as the first English Translation of All of the Extant Works of Francois Rabelais by Samuel Putnam and illustrated by Jean De Bosschère. There are many colorful lithographs as well as some black & white illustrations attributed to Francois Rabelais.

There is some minor staining to the covers, but it does not affect any of the artistic content or text pages. Every page and illustration in these 11 inch by 13-1/4 inch books is in near perfect condition and the bindings are very strong. There originally were three volumes to this set, however only Volume One and Volume Two remain. The publication run was limited to 1300 printings and these two books are numbered "10".

François Rabelais  (c. 1494 - April 9, 1553) was the son of a French lawyer. He was a major French Renaissance writer, doctor and humanist. He is regarded as an avant-garde writer of fantasy, satire, the grotesque, dirty jokes and bawdy songs.

Jean de Bosschère, Illustrator was a poet, painter, illustrator, novelist, essayist, art historian /critic: this lengthy and far from exhaustive list of labels for the creative identities of Jean de Bosschère tells of multiple interests, marshaled in a lifelong pursuit of evocative emotion. One facet of Bosschère’s particular genius stands out for anyone who studies this strange and affecting figure closely: his lifelong quest to marry word and image.

• Spines

• Front cover

• Title Page and Frontispiece (Vol I)
  
• Publication data (Vol I)
  

• Sample detail pages (Vol I) 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7

• Title Page and Frontispiece (Vol II)

• Frontispiece Detail (Vol II)

• Sample detail pages (Vol II) 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9

This is an invaluable reference if you are a collector of early 16th Century or Renaissance era erotica.

The condition is apparent in the many images provided.

This is a very rare book titled The United States Album Embellished with the Arms of Each State and other Appropriate Engravings containing the Autographs of the President and Cabinet, the 28th Congress, Supreme Court, Ministers, and other Officers of Government.

This set was arranged and designed by J. Franklin Reigart of Lancaster City, Pennsylvania in 1844 with engravings by P. S. Duval, Philadelphia. There are many fantastic original engravings as well as a facsimile of the Declaration of Independence including the signatures of the Signers. The complete Constitution of the United States and Bill of Rights (numbering 12 Amendments in 1844) text is also included.

There is some minor to moderate wear to the gilt embossed leather covers, but it does not affect any of the artistic content or text pages. The front cover shows a depiction of the Capitol as it appeared in 1844 and the rear cover has "The President's House" (White House), also embossed in gilt. Every engraving in this 8 inch by 10-1/4 inch books is in near excellent condition and the binding is strong and tight. The first 2/3 of the book has the engravings and text, the remainder of the book is blank pages. A couple of the pages have period notations, one is dated October 16, 1864.

• Rear Cover

• Title Page

• Publication Data

• Declaration of Independence

• Representative Autographs

  • President Tyler
  • House
  • Ministers
  • Territories
  • Supreme Court
  • Virginia

This is an invaluable reference if you are a collector of early 19th Century pre-Civil War autographs.

The condition is apparent in the many images provided. There is some minor to moderate foxing to the interior pages from age.

This is an early cloth covered two volume set with gilt, silver, black and red on blue covers. There is a large folded map in a pocket at the back of Volume 2. It is fragile, but intact

The title is THREE YEARS OF ARCTIC SERVICE: An Account of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition of 1881-1884 and the Attainment of the Farthest North. by ADOLPHUS W. GREELEY Lieutenant US Army, Commanding the Expedition. With Nearly One Hundred Illustrations Made From Photographs Taken By the Party, and With the Official Maps and Charts.

The technical specifications are 2 volumes. First edition (Editorial Copy). 2 frontispieces with 42 full page plates (several folded), 81 text illustrations, 8 maps, 1 large unattached folded map in rear pocket. 8vo, blue pictorial cloth boards embossed in gold, silver, red and black. V1 xxvi, 428; V2 xiv, 444 with index.

The title pages of both volumes are quill pen annotated with "Editorial Copy -- With Compliments of Charles Scribners Sons" Volume 1 Volume 2  The copyright dates are shown as 1895 on Vol 1 and Vol 2

This particular book regards the actions of one of early tragic events in the history of polar exploration. Only six members of the expedition survived. The story is related in the first person, told by Lieutenant Greely with supporting text from the diaries of Lieutenant. Lockwood and Sergeant Brainard.

There are a number of engravings from original sketches, photos, and drawings from this U.S. Army expedition that was sent to establish a scientific observation post at Lady Franklin Bay (just north of the 81st parallel). They actually reached 83°24' by advancing along the coast of Greenland, breaking the English record by 4 miles. The high number of fatalities was a clear indication of the extreme difficulty of reaching the North Pole.

The condition is generally good to very good. with some rubbing wear present on the heavy cloth covered boards. The boards are detaching from the binding at all gutters. The corners are bumped and worn, as is the top and bottom of the spine covers. The contents are intact and remain bound throughout. The map is in complete and intact condition, with some foxing on the reverse side and minor yellowing to the exposed surfaces. There is very little foxing on the pages.

This set was originally part of the Henry Watterson Memorial Collection. Watterson was a 19th century journalist and received this set from the publisher for review. There are library markings on the title pages, and accession numbers in the usual places. This set was removed from service as excess.

It measures 9 by 13-1/2 inches.

An ORIGINAL 1923 Edition The Book of the American Indian by Hamlin Garland with Many Drawings by Frederic Remington Some in Color Unit History in original shipping sleeve and dust jacket.

This is a very rare 1923 First Year Edition of this work. It is in exceptional condition, having been stored in its original pasteboard sleeve case. It is unlikely you'll find a cleaner or tighter copy of this particular book.

The book is profusely illustrated with a number of illustrations from several noted artists of the Old West, notably Frederic Remington and others.

• Sleeve

• Title Page

• Table of Contents

• Table of Illustrations

• 1923 Copyright

• Detail Page 1

• Detail Page 2

• Detail Page 3

This is an invaluable reference if you are a historian of the Native American or appreciate the artworks of noted artists of the turn of the century.

The condition of the book is near mint, as shown.  The sleeve has some significant wear and tear, however the sleeve did its job protecting the contents in nearly mint condition. The only significant flaw to the book is a 1 inch tear (virtually invisible) on the front just to the left of the title.

The publisher's custom made sleeve measures 9-1/2 x 13 inches, and has a Frederic Remington rendering on the face with the title data.  There are 276 pages of text and illustration content.

An ORIGINAL April 1940 (Anno XVIII) 1st Edition Legione di Roma in Terra Iberica Legions of Rome in Spain Italian Spanish Civil War Unit History.

This is a very rare 1940 First Edition of this work.  It was formerly in the Library of Congress and disposed as a surplus duplicate copy. It has the original Library of Congress book plate, acquisition stamp (dated 3 May 1945), perforated LC embossings on the title page and page 99, and the surplus disposal stamp.

The book is profusely illustrated with a number of illustrations from photographs and original combat art prints and detailed narrative descriptions of the various Legions of Rome active during the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939.

• Foreword

• Preface

• Table of Contents 1

• Table of Contents 2

• Mussolini portrait

• Detail Page 1

• Detail Page 2

• Detail Page 3

This is an invaluable reference if you are a historian of the Italian military or the Spanish Civil War.

The condition is near very good, as shown.  This book has signs of moderate use, with bumped corners, wear to the cover boards and some looseness in the binding.  The gutters are intact and not split (unusual for this very large oversized book).  The contents are in very good to near excellent condition.

It measures 9-1/2 x 13-1/2 inches.  There are 314 pages of text content and an additional 30 pages (Roman numbered) of front matter. There are about 6 colored one-sided unnumbered pages of combat art prints.

This is a very well presented book, with coarse weave cloth (linen) in Spanish colors.

An ORIGINAL 1920 1st Edition The Stars and Stripes: The Complete File of The Stars and Stripes The Official Newspaper of the American Expeditionary Forces Printed in France From February 8th 1918 to June 13th 1919 Unit History.

This is a fairly rare 1920 First Edition First Printing of the landmark newspaper that served to inform and entertain the members of the AEF in France.

The book is profusely illustrated with a number of photographs, many articles and news from the front and abroad. All period advertising and pages are set just as originally printed.

• Copyright Title Page

• Page 1

This is an invaluable reference if you are a historian of World War I.

The condition is near very good, as shown.  This book has signs of moderate use, with bumped corners, torn gutters, wear to the cover boards and moderate soiling on the cloth covers.  The contents are in near excellent condition. however it was printed on newsprint and reasonable care in handling is necessary to avoid tearing fragile pages.  The content is readable and complete throughout.  The last page has a minor tear at the lower corner that does not affect content.

The paper was printed weekly, each issue having 8 pages.  This book has Volume 1, Number 1 through Volume 1, Number 52 and Volume 2, Number 1 through Volume 2 Number 19, which was the entire printing run of 71 weeks.

This is the A.E.F. Publishing Association, Minneapolis printed edition which is harder to find in very good to near excellent condition than the more commonly available Washington National Tribune edition.

It measures 24 x 18 inches.  There are 568 pages of newspaper content and some front matter additional content.

An ORIGINAL 1965 1st Edition Fighting the Flying Circus by Captain Eddie V. Rickenbacker Unit History.

This is a fairly rare First Edition of the landmark book which is a fascinating account of the most prolific ace in US aviation history, recording 26 confirmed kills in approximately 6 months of active combat flight time, a feat that has not been met or exceeded to this day.  Captain Rickenbacker was the recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in shooting down two planes in one sortie

The book is illustrated with a number of photographs from the International of aviators and their aircraft during WWI.

The condition is near very good, as shown.  This book has signs of light use, with virtually no wear to the cover boards and original plastic covered dust cover.  The contents are in near excellent condition.

The book is signed and dated 1918/1965 and dedicated as shown. Also included in this lot is one of Captain Rickenbacker's early calling cards with his Rockefeller Center address and NYC letter code phone exchange phone number (pre-1965).

It measures 8-3/4 x 5-3/4 inches.  There are 296 pages of text content and an additional 8 pages (unnumbered) of photographs with captions.

An ORIGINAL 1957 1st Edition British Aeroplanes: 1914-1918 by J. M. Bruce Unit History.

This is a fairly rare 1957 First Edition of the definitive reference work on the aircraft used by British forces during WWI.  There are hundreds of makes and models listed, pictured, and detailed in text, as well as the Allied and German Empire planes they engaged during the war.

This massive book is profusely illustrated with hundreds of photographs from the a variety of period references.

• Title Page

• Sample photo page

• Sample text and table page

This is an invaluable reference if you are a historian of the aviation and aerial warfare during the formative years of powered flight.

The condition is near excellent, as shown.  This book has signs of very slight use.  The contents are in near excellent condition.

It measures 9 x 11-1/4 inches.  There are 742 pages of text and photographic content.

An ORIGINAL 1932 1st Edition I Saw Hitler! by Dorothy Thompson Unit History.

This is a fairly rare 1932 First Edition of her landmark book which ridiculed Hitler and his posturing for power by one of the premier journalists of the era.  Hitler was so infuriated with her that he ordered her expelled from Germany with only 24 hours notice in 1934.  She later married author Sinclair Lewis, and was a radio commentator (very unusual for a woman in those early days).

The book is profusely illustrated with a number of photographs from the International News Pictures service.

• Copyright Title Page

• Page 1

• Sample detail

This is an invaluable reference if you are a historian of the Third Reich.

The condition is near very good, as shown.  This book has signs of moderate use, with bumped corners, wear to the cover boards and soiling on the cloth covers.  The contents are in near excellent condition.

It measures 8-1/4 x 5-1/2 inches.  There are 36 pages of text content and an additional 75 pages (unnumbered) of photographs she captions with her own style of narration.

This is a very intriguing book, especially in the light of history.  Some of her speculation is eerily prescient, and she completely misses the mark on some of her predictions.

This is the last one of the great barber catalogs before the Stock Market crash of October, 1929.  The production quality is outstanding throughout with sixteen pages of literally breath-taking brilliant color plates, and nearly 100 illustrations on 156 hard milled glossy heavy stock pages.

Some typical items offered are:

• Hydraulic barber chair oil to wall clocks
• Enamel and Electric signs (color)
• Revolving and non-revolving barber poles (color)
• Streamline Mirror and Art Deco Tile Barber Stations (color)
• Column and Art Deco pedestal hydraulic barber chairs (color)
• Electric Globes and window signage (color)
• Razor Strops (Russian Eagle, Horse Hide, Chamois Shell, etc)
• Shaving mugs with Fraternal and Society Designs
• Electric Massage Vibrators
• Vibrator Accessories

This is the title page, showing the 1929 date and catalog number.

The price list shows the (1929) price of every item and it is well-indexed and cross-referenced.  A couple of pages of detail are shown here and here.

The condition is near excellent with some slight wear present on the heavy cloth spine cover.

It measures 9 by 12 inches.

This is a scarce book detailing the history of NBC in context to WWII from the 1930s to the (then) present, 1944.

The title refers to the Fourth Chime (G-E-C-C), used in wartime and times of emergency by NBC in lieu of the usual three-note "G-E-C" familiar to almost everyone. There is some speculation about the significance of the notes, the most prevalent being that the G-E-C was a subliminal reference to General Electric Company (Corporation), the parent of NBC at the time.

This is the title page, showing the 1944 date and NBC logo.

An indication of the subject matter is shown in the table of contents.

The condition is near excellent with some minor wear present on the heavy red cloth spine cover.

It measures 8-1/2 by 11-1/4 inches.

This is a very scarce book with instructional text, photographs, sheet music, and detailed specifics regarding the study and learning of classical dance forms (primarily ballet).

The history of Vera Caspary and her various forays into writing fiction and non-fiction before and during the Great Depression and her ties to the Communist Party in the US and connection to the party (which she had rejected after having issues with the secrecy and philosophy) nevertheless caused her grief in later years. 

After her graduation from high school in 1917, her father enrolled her in a six month course in a business college. By January 1918, Caspary found herself working as a stenographer. Caspary went through a string of menial office jobs, looking for one where she could write instead of taking dictation from people with bad grammar. While working at an advertising agency composing copy, she invented the fictitious "Chicago School of Classic Dancing", a mail order dance course -- of which this appears to be the complete manual.

This is the title page, showing the 1922 date and First Edition printing.

An indication of the subject matter is shown here:

• text detail
• photo detail
• dance detail

The condition is near very good with some moderate wear present on the leatherette cover.  The gilt embossed cover with an elaborate Russian-derivative style coat of arms is detached from the binding, but could be easily reattached, if desired.

It measures 8-1/2 by 11-1/4 inches and nearly 3 inches thick.

This is a hard to find book in near excellent original condition with the original plastic covered paper dust cover.

This is a very readable book, measuring 5-3/4 by 8-1/2 inches. It is complete and intact with virtually no wear to the hard board covers or spine. There is some extremely minor bumping on the corners apparent.  The contents are near excellent.

It has more than 209 pages of outstanding narrative content of various unit activities, personalities and maneuvers.

The character "Hilts" played by Steve McQueen in The Great Escape was based on Colonel Sage's exploits and deeds in the POW camp.

This is a hard to find book in near excellent original condition with the original paper dust cover in generally good condition.

This is a very readable book, measuring 5-3/4 by 8-1/2 inches. It is complete and intact with virtually no wear to the hard board covers or spine. There is some extremely minor bumping on the corners apparent.  The contents are near excellent.

It has more than 370 pages of outstanding narrative content, with dozens of black and white photographs various unit activities, personalities and maneuvers.

This is a view of the dedication and autograph page.

This is a hard to find book in near excellent original condition with the original paper dust cover.

This is a very readable book, measuring 5-3/4 by 8-1/2 inches. It is complete and intact with virtually no wear to the hard board covers or spine. There is some extremely minor bumping on the corners apparent.  The contents are near excellent.

It has more than 246 pages of outstanding narrative content, with 21 black and white illustrations and photographs, and 12 maps of various unit activities, personalities and maneuvers.

This is a view of the dedication and autograph and the foreword page.

This is a hard to find book in near mint original condition with the original paper dust cover.

This is a very readable book, measuring 6-1/2 by 9-1/2 inches. It is complete and intact with virtually no wear to the hard board covers or spine. The author was an assistant professor of history at the US Naval Academy when he wrote the book. He provides a unique perspective to the operations of the OSS in the CBI.

It has more than 340 pages of outstanding narrative content, with dozens of black and white photographs of various unit activities, personalities and maneuvers.

This is a hard to find book in near excellent original condition with the original paper dust cover.

This is a very readable book, measuring 6-1/2 by 9-1/2 inches. It is complete and intact with virtually no wear to the hard board covers or spine. It is in near mint condition.

It has more than 282 pages of outstanding narrative content, with several pages of black and white photographs of various unit activities, personalities and maneuvers.

This is a view of the dedication and autograph page.

We occasionally have unsigned editions available at $74.99 each in similar condition available. Inquire for availability.

This is a hard to find book in near excellent original condition signed when Colonel Banks was 99 years old.  He lived to be 103.

This is a very readable book, measuring 6-1/4 by 9-1/8 inches. It is complete and intact with virtually no wear to the hard board covers or spine. It is in near mint condition.

It has more than 216 pages of outstanding narrative content, with several pages of black and white photographs of various unit activities, personalities and maneuvers written by the acknowledged Father of the US Army Special Forces.

This is a view of the dedication and autograph page. The signature is dated 31 May 2002 and shows some wavering from his age.

This is a hard to find book in near MINT condition.

This is a VERY heavy book, measuring 6-1/2 by 9-1/2 inches and 1-1/2 inches thick.  It is complete and intact with virtually no wear to the hard board covers or spine.  There is some extremely minor bumping on the corners apparent.  The contents are near excellent with some occasional yellow highlighter markings at selected passages made by a previous owner.

It has more than 725 pages of outstanding narrative content, with a number of color illustrations of various unit insignia, and hundreds of photographs.

This is a view of the table of contents and the publication data page.

This is a SHAEF London England G-2 Branch issued version of this book. It was originally classified CONFIDENTIAL. It is identified as E.D.S./G/5

This book has 7 parts and 4 annexes, listed below:

1. Historical Background and Development
2. Organization
3. Conscription and Training
4. War Service and Military Training
5. HJ Leadership, Ranks, & Uniforms
6. HJ Abroad
7. Opposition Youth Movements

Annexes:

• Order of Battle Tables
• HJ Personalities
• Diagrams and Plates
• Abbreviations

The condition is very good to near excellent throughout, with light signs of routine use. The cover boards are in very good to near excellent condition. There is some corner and edge wear from occasional reference.

The book measures 8-1/2 by 13-1/4 inches. There are approximately 170 pages of content with one large foldout map supplements.

We occasionally have photocopies of this book on hand. Inquire by email as to price and availability.

This is an expansion set of the JAN #1 incorporating a number of additional uniform and insignia elements. It was originally classified For Official Use Only and Not For Sale. These restrictions were lifted following the end of the war.

Introduction is shown here.  A page of content is shown here. There are several iterations of this book, there may be some variation in content and minor cosmetic differences in condition.

This book has 11 tabbed parts, listed below:

1. Japanese Navy (two tabs)
2. Italian Navy
3. Spanish Navy
4. German Navy
5. German Army
6. German Air
7. French Navy
8. Turkish Navy
9. Portuguese Navy
10. Netherlands Navy

Expansions include:

• Japanese Army
• Japanese Marines
• Italian Army
• Italian Air Force
• More

The condition is very good to near excellent throughout, with light signs of routine use. The cover box is in fair condition, with the corners split and some wear to the cloth covering.  The contents are near excellent.

The book measures 6-1/2 by 10 inches. There are approximately 150 pages of content, most colored plates with several uniforms per page.

This is a very detailed analysis of the state of the German military forces as it was known in February 1944. It was originally classified RESTRICTED and "This document must not fall into enemy hands". These restrictions were lifted following the end of the war.

The table of contents indicates the scope of the book. (1 - 2 - 3 - 4)

The condition is very good throughout, with moderate signs of routine use.

The book measures 5-1/4 by 7-3/4 inches. There are approximately 564 pages of content, most colored plates with several uniforms per page.