Displayed below are some selected recent viaLibri matches for books published in 1931

WALT DISNEY
        Disney Signs A Photograph Of Himself Speaking At Hallmark Cards
      PS. 9 ½? x 7?. No date. No place. A black and white photograph signed ?Walt Disney? in the upper left corner in blue ink. It shows Disney speaking at a lectern at a Hallmark Cards event; there are students behind him and adults in the audience. The Hallmark and Disney companies had a long history of working together; in 1931, Hallmark signed their first licensing agreement with Disney. The original photograph has been cropped, including the very top portion of the ?y? in the autograph. There are mounting remnants on the verso.

      [Bookseller: Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc.]

Disney, Walt
        Mickey Mouse Story Book
      Philadelphia: David McKay Company, 1931. First edition, first printing.. Fine. Yes. 8vo. (2),62pp. Original tan cloth blocked in black on the upper board; pictorial color pasteon. Nicely done black and white illustrations throughout accompanying the stories about Mickey having Traffic Trouble; going to a Birthday Party; stepping Out; and going Fishin' Around. Minnie and Pluto are featured, as well as the seldom seen Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow. The binding is fine and bright with only a few stray marks, a trace of soil and wear; it is very nice indeed. The text has a few fingering smudges and stains else is fine as well. Overall a truly lovely copy and scarce in this condition. This title seems to have been issued in three bindings: pictorial card covers, cloth spine with pictorial card boards, and full cloth with pictorial pasteon. So far as we can determine, the ful cloth binding is the scarcest of the three.

      [Bookseller: Thorn Books]

Stein, Gertrude
        HOW TO WRITE. Signed
      Dijon: Darantiere Press, 1931 Presentation Copy. One of 1000 copies printed for Stein & Alice B. Toklas by Darantiere Press. First Edition. Very good or better, without dustwrapper as issued. Inscribed but not signed by Stein in a later hand, to John James, an American journalist living in France: "To John James / in Paris / May 46 / Happy Days". Wilson A17. Rarely Found Inscribed. Stiff Mylar custom fitted clear protective wrapper. An extremely good copy.. Signed by Author. 1st Edition.

      [Bookseller: TBCL The Book Collector's Library]

        Die Erotik in der Photographie. Die geschichtliche Entwicklung der Aktphotographie und des erotischen Lichtbildes und seine Beziehungen zur Psychopatia sexualis. Von E. Wulffen, E. Stenger u.a
      Wien/Bln./Lpz., Vlg. für Kulturforschung (1931-32).. 3 Bde. (Mit Ergänzungs- u. Nachtragsbd.). 4°. 252; 127 S., 2 Bll.; 126 (1) S. Bd .1 mit 29 (dav. einige farb.) photogr. Taf. u. 200 teils farb. u. mont. (1 doppelbl.gr.) photogr. Textabb.; Bd. 2 mit 117 teils farb. photogr. Taf.; Bd. 3 Mit 173 Tafelabb. OLn. Durch Feuchtigkeitseinwirkung stellenw. fleckig. 1 Rückenkante am ob. Kap eingerissen. 3 fehlende Bll. im 2. Bd. durch Kopien ergänzt. Selten komplett mit Ergänzungs- u. Nachtragsband.

      [Bookseller: Antiquariat Burgverlag]

SCHRÖDINGER, ERWIN.
        Spezielle Relativitätstheorie und Quantenmechanik.
      Sonderausgabe aus den Sitzungsberichten der preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften Phys.-Math Klasse 1931, XII. 12 pages. Orig. cover.. Niels Bohr's copy. With a printed inscription on the front wrapper: 'Überreicht vom Verfasser'.** Schrödinger was the 1933 laureate in Physics (together with Paul Dirac) and the discoverer of the wave function of quantum mechanics (1926) which satisfies the famous Schrödinger equation. He stayed at Niels Bohr's Institute of Theoretical Physics in 1926 but never agreed with Bohr on the interpretation of quantum mechanics

      [Bookseller: Vangsgaards Antikvariat]

HUYSMANS J.-K.
        MARTHE. Vingt-neuf eaux-fortes originales de Auguste Brouet.
      In-4 gr., bross. alla francese, custodia e astuccio in cartonato edit., testo e tavole a fogli sciolti, pp. (10),125,(5), molto ben illustrato da 29 composizioni di Brouet incise all?acquaforte e così composte: 1 antiporta, 1 vignetta al frontesp., 12 grandi testate, 7 finali e 8 tavv. f.t. + ?le deuxième état avec remarques du frontispice, des 8 hors-texte, des 12 bandeaux (suite di 21). In aggiunta 2 (su 3) tavole ?refusées? + ?un dessin original de l?artiste? a noi mancante. Nel ns. esempl. è stato inserito anche ?le premier état? di: antiporta, frontesp., 3 testate, 7 finali e 8 tavv. f.t. (suite di 20). Cfr. Carteret,IV, p. 212: ?Belle publication cotée? - Benezit,II, p. 848: ?Auguste Brouet (1872-1941), graveur, illustrateur, élève de Gustave Moreau.. observateur de la vie populaire, il met l?accent sur un clair-obscur pratiqué selon la leçon de Rembrandt?. Bella edizione di 221 esempl. numer. Il ns., 23, è ?sur japon impérial?, molto ben conservato.

      [Bookseller: Libreria Antiquaria Malavasi]

Wharton, Edith
        Leurs Enfants. [The Children] Traduit de l'anglais par Louis Gillet
      Librairie Plon Paris: Librairie Plon. 1931. First French Edition, Inscribed by the author, on the front free endpaper, "L.B. / from E.W. / aout 1931". 16mo; 304pp; yellow printed paper wrappers printed in black with author and title, translator and publisher on front cover, reverse of wrapper is cover for another title from Plon; wrappers dusty, spine a bit soiled, ex-libris of Leon Belugou on verso of front wrapper, very good. The first edition was published in 1928; this French translation not cited by Garrison. Louis Gillet, the translator of this novel was the curator of a museum at Chalis as well as a literary critic and art historian, who eventually became one of France's "immortals" a member of the Academie Francaise. His first translation of one of Wharton's novels was in 1927 when he published Le Bilan (The Mother's Recompense). Her evident approval of Gillet's previous translation led to this 1932 translation. Wharton's friendship with Gillet continued until her death; he was one of the mourners at her funeral. French editions of Edith Wharton's novels are scarce. See an Image.

      [Bookseller: Priscilla Juvelis, Inc. ]

HAHN, OTTO. (1879 -1968) German chemist who received the 1944 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He is considered a pioneer of radioactivity and radiochemistry, and regarded as "the father of nuclear chemistry"
        Autograph Letter Signed, in German, on magnificent hotel multicolored stationery, 4 full 4to pages, Partenkirchen, Thursday, September 3, 1931
      This is an extremely long gossipy letter to his wife Edith,[Hahn]. ?I do want to write you a real letter?And today I got the one you sent?I thank you for all of them. But I never got the card you sent to the Karwendel hut, nor the card Baeyer sent here; he had not put his return address on it, so the stupid hotel desk clerk probably threw it out instead of keeping it until Professor Hahn would arrive. Here, too?Two days ago I drove to Lake Eib with Baeyer?. Baeyer, Bodenstein and I spent the evening in one of the local pubs. Today, Baeyer and I took the funicular up to the ?Wank,? another 3,000 ft higher. Baeyer was able to walk those 3,000 ft back down, which he paid for with a lot of sweat. But during the day, he only drinks seltzer, lemonade, and coffee. And only in the evening it?s beer, but then several glasses. But it?s easier here than in Berlin and it does as little harm as in Munich?Of course it all costs more than in the Pinzgau, where everything is more primitive and where there are fewer opportunities to spend money. Now a little more regarding your letters. The pneumothorax may not be all that bad. Our acquaintance, Dr. Riehl (used to be in the laboratory, now is with Auer) has one done almost every month; meanwhile, he?s been back with Bauer and hopes to be fully recovered soon. - I am happy that Hartmut is biking and swimming again and hope the limping will improve as well?Well, I won?t say anything about the Punch and Judy show and will wait to be surprised?How is Lise [Meitner]? I wrote her a while back to think about coming here for a few days, but two days ago I wrote her that it wouldn?t be worth it now for such a short time. I may well make a detour from Frankfurt if she is somewhere in Germany before her physics conference. It wouldn?t hurt if we were able to talk about the program of the Bunsengesellschaft before it takes place. She must be quite exhausted coming straight from the lab. Why don?t you call and invite her?.? Signed, ?Your Otto?. With holograph envelope.

      [Bookseller: David Schulson Autographs ]

Hammett, Dashiell
        The Maltese Falcon
      New York: Grosset & Dunlap 1931 New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1931. Later edition, seventh printing. 8vo. . With the recipient's leather bookplate on the spine, some cloth spotting, front hinge cracked and partially mended, very good. Included is the orginal G&D dust jacket, as well as the two promotional wraparound bands, one of which features illustrations from the film with Bebe Daniels, the first Brigid O'Shaughnessy of the screen. In a custom clamshell box . An extraordinary association copy, inscribed by the author to the female lead of the first film version of his most famous and enduring novel: "For Ben Lyon and Bebe Daniels with all good wishes - Dashiell Hammett. Hollywood, August, 1931." The 1931 film's reputation has been eclipsed by the 1941 John Huston version which starred Humphrey Bogart (the 1931 film starred Ricardo Cortez as Spade) and Mary Astor as Brigid O'Shaughnessy. Daniels married actor Ben Lyon in 1930; the film was released in May, 1931 to very favorable reviews, and its success was a huge boost to Hammett's career

      [Bookseller: James Cummins Bookseller ]

BEDNYI
        OLD DOLLS
      1931. Paperback. 2. RUSSIAN. STARBYE KUKPI [OLD DOLLS] by Bednyi (pseud. Efim Alekseevich Pridvorov). 1931. 4to, pict. wraps, light spine and cover wear, VG. Illus. by Koukryniksi with full page satirical portrayals ridiculing the political figures of the past. Koukryniksi is a composite name for 3 famous Soviet illustrators who were satirists, poster designers and painters whose names were Mikhail KOUriyanov, Porfiry KRYlov and NIKolai Sokolov. Quite striking. See Leveque Dictionnaire p. 120.

      [Bookseller: Aleph-Bet Books, Inc. ]

Robinson, W. Heath
        Pen and Ink drawings of the book "Beds" by Groucho Marx for the magazine The Passing Show. The three illustrations depict a sleepless man, "Counted more Sheep in one night than anyone else in the world"; a child carrying its father, "Pick me up and pace the floor"; and a prim couple, "Victorian Couples, particularly when they are engaged to be married, always avoid any reference to beds" [third illustration on a separate panel]
      n.p. n.d. n.p., n.d.. 2 vols., 22 x 15 inches and 15 x 10 inches. . . The three whimsical illustrations were published in a double-page spread in The Passing Show Summer Holiday Annual 1931

      [Bookseller: James Cummins Bookseller ]

Walton, Izaac
        The Compleat Angler
      London: George G. Harrap 1931 London: George G. Harrap, [1931]. (RACKHAM, ARTHUR) First Rackham Edition, one of 775 numbered and signed by Rackham. 4to. Illustrated title-page in green and black, 12 colored plates, numerous black and white illustrations in text, pictorial endpapers by Rackham. Full white parchment, lettered and ruled in gilt, t.e.g., fore and lower edges uncut. Very Fine copy in custom cloth slipcase. Latimore and Haskell, p. 66; Coigney 312 . Of all the Rackham books, one of the most delightful and sought-after, and a gem for any Walton collector. A much nicer copy than ordinarily encountered

      [Bookseller: James Cummins Bookseller ]

BANNERMAN,HELEN
        LITTLE BLACK SAMBO
      1931. 1. BANNERMAN,HELEN. LITTLE BLACK SAMBO. Cleveland: Harter (1931). 4to (7 5/8 x 10"), red patterned cloth, circular pictorial paste-on, near Fine. STATED FIRST EDITION! Boldly and brightly illustrated in color by FERN BISEL PEAT with 8 color plates plus 12 full page and 1 smaller black and whites. Extremely rare in this first edition.

      [Bookseller: Aleph-Bet Books, Inc. ]

TSIOLKOVSKIJ, K(ONSTANTIN E(DUARDOVICH). - TSIOLKOVSKI, TSIOLKOVSKIY, TSIOLKOWSKY, CIOLKOWSKY, ZIOLKOWSKY, TZIOLKOWSKY.
        Dirischabli (Russian). (Dirigibles).
      Kaluga, 1931. Small 8vo. (15,5 x 11 cm). Orig. purple printed wrappers. A few small holes to the last leaves, not affecting text, otherwise very well preserved. 32 pp. (= pp. 1-32).. Rare first edition (in Russian). "The works of Tsiolkovskiy that date from the Soviet period repeat the principle assumption of his theory of the metal aerostat, provide counsel on the practical organization of experimental work, survey critically the existing types of dirigibles, and point out the errors in the research into metal-envelope dirigibles in the USSR and abroad." (Collected Works, 1959, III: p. 23).Being the father of the all-metal dirigible aerostat with changeable volume and gas heating, his technical foresight was greatly in advance of the level of industrial development at the time. He came up with a number of entirely new ideas concerning dirigible design. He set out to develop a dirigible that would be safe as well as fast, up until then the dirigibles in use were neither. He wanted to ensure a longer flight-time, and was certain this could not be attained with the fabric envelopes in use at the time, -they leaked gas, lost hight and couldn't stay aloft for long at a time. Besides that they were insecure due to fire-hazard and not sufficiently strong. As the very first, T. developed the idea of an all-metal envelope that was capable of altering size, - the "breathing" metal envelope. "Tsiolkovskiy's ideas found no support either in Russia or abroad. His ideas were dozens of years ahead of the science and technology of his time. The subsequent development of the technology of dirigible construction shows that Tsiolkovskiy's ideas were adopted by many authors who, however, treated them as recent discoveries, without mentioning the name of Konstantin Eduardovich." (Collected Works, 1959, III: p. 11-12). "Forty years of experimenting were needed to produce concepts that had already been expressed by K.E. Tsiolkovkiy, while aeronautics was still in the cradle." (Collected Works, 1959, III: p. 17). With the invention of the all-metal dirigible T. has proved to be ahead of both contemporary scientists and inventors as well as of his time. "His work is now a shining beacon in science, attracting the attention of the scientists and designers called upon to provide mankind with a reliable transport dirigible." (Collected Works, 1959, III: p. 26).The father of modern rocketry, Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovski (1857-1935), is probably most widely known for his works on rocket propulsion, however his contributions to several fields of science have been immense and of exceedingly seminal character. Deafened at the age of nine and as a consequence thereof unable to go to school, he was forced to learn everything on his own hand. His father, a forester, was fond of scientific experiments, and though not wealthy, he had books on science and natural history. Tsiolkovski began by reading all books he could find on these subjects and as a consequence was able to construct quite complicated devices for measuring distances and many other things. Having seen how gifted his son was, his father sent him to Moscow, where Tsiolkovski spend all three years in libraries, receiving no teaching but his own, but still succeeding in taking a degree in physics from the university. T. can thus be seen as a purely self-taught man. After Moscow he settled in the small city of Borovskoye, where he taught physics at a school, spending all his spare time conducting experiments and writing about them. He devoted his intellect mainly to three scientific problems of the greatest importance at the time: The aeroplane, the (long-range) rocket and the all metal dirigible. Self-taught as he was and unable to come in touch with new publications in his fields of interest, he began with nothing and made all necessary calculations himself. Calculations and experiments were always at the base of his scientific works, and no conclusions were derived from intuition and guesswork. He was the first in the world to solve numerous problems concerning his three main interests, but unable to be recognized by the tsar-regime and considered, at best, a dreamer and a utopian, the struggle for his inventions was long and hard. Aged 24 he was the first in the world to formulate the possibility of applying the principle of reactive motion for flight in a vacuum, thus presenting a simple plan for a spaceship. He established the possibility of space travel by means of rockets, and is thus called the father of rocketry. He is also called the father of the all-metal dirigible. He is the first to propose and state that liquid fuel is necessary for spaceflight. He was the first in the world to make calculations for the air-jet and turbo-prop-planes, and it is in his works we find the most complete elaboration of the theory of rocket propulsion for many years to come. "In his works on rocket dynamics Tsiolkovsky, the first in the history of science, calculated the efficiency of the rocket and pointed out the advantages of rocket motors at high velocities." (Kosmodemyansky, Moscow, 1956, p. 69). T. saw it as necessary step for mankind to explore and inhabit outer space and nothing could prevent him from working on the possibilities of this; in short, among many other things, we owe to him the fundamental principles of rocket dynamics.After the Revolution T. became a member of the Academy, was allotted a personal pension in 1921, and became able to devote himself entirely to his scientific work. Now his contemporaries finally saw him as the founder of a new domain of human knowledge, a new science, he was, and he was awarded the Red Banner of Labour Order for outstanding services to his country

      [Bookseller: Lynge & Søn A/S]

Ford, Henry
        The Jewish Question (A selection of the Articles (1920-22) published by Mr. Henry Ford's paper The Dearborn Independent and reprinted later under the general title of The International Jew)
      ditions R. I. S. S. Paris ?ditions R. I. S. S. 1931vg Octavo. 314,[1]pp. Three-quarter leather over brown cloth, gold lettering on spine. Statement by Henry Ford to Louis Marshall (p.9-11): "For some time past I have given consideration to the series of articles concerning Jews which since 1920 have appeared in The Dearborn Independent. Some of them have been reprinted in pamphlet form under the title "The International Jew". Although both publications are my property, it goes without saying that in the multitude of my activities it has been impossible for me to devote personal attention to their management or to keep informed as to their contents. It has therefore inevitably followed that the conduct and policies of these publications had to be delegated to men whom I placed in charge of them and upon whom I relied implicitly. To my great regret I have learned that Jews generally, and particularly those of this country, not only resent these publications as promoting anti-Semitism, but regard me as their enemy. Trusted friends with whom I have conferred recently have assured me in all sincerity that in their opinion the character of the charges and insinuations made against the Jews, both individually and collectively, contained in many of the articles which have been circulated periodically in The Dearborn Independent and have been reprinted in the pamphlets mentioned, justifies the righteous indignation entertained by Jews everywhere toward me because of the mental anguish occasioned by the unprovoked reflections made upon them. This has led me to direct my personal attention to this subject, in order to ascertain the exact nature of these articles. As a result of this survey I confess that I am deeply mortified that this journal, which is intended to be constructive and not destructive, has been made the medium for resurrecting exploded fictions, for giving currency to the so-called Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion, which have been demonstrated, as I learn, to be gross forgeries, and for contending that the Jews have been engaged in a conspiracy to control the capital and the industries of the world, besides laying at their door many offenses against decency, public order and good morals. Had I appreciated even the general nature, to say nothing of the details, of these utterances, I would have forbidden their circulation without a moment's hesitation, because I am fully aware of the virtues of the Jewish people as a whole, of what they and their ancestors have done for civilization and for mankind and toward the development of commerce and industry, of their sobriety and diligence, their benevolence and their unselfish interest in the public welfare. Of course there are black sheep in every flock, as there are among men of all races, creeds and nationalities who are at times evildoers. It is wrong, however, to judge a people by a few individuals, and I therefore join in condemning unreservedly all wholesale denunciations and attacks. Those who know me can bear witness that it is not in my nature to inflict insult upon and to occasion pain to anybody, and that it has been my effort to free myself from prejudice. Because of that I frankly confess that I have been greatly shocked as a result of my study and examination of the files of The Dearborn Independent and of the pamphlet entitled "The International Jew". I deem it to be my duty as an honourable man to make amends for the wrong done to the Jews as fellow-men and brothers, by asking their forgiveness for the harm that I have unintentionally committed, by retracting so far as lies within my power the offensive charges laid at their door by these publications, and by giving them the unqualified assurance that henceforth thay may look at me for friendship and goodwill. It is needless to add that the pamphlets which have been distributed throughout the country and in foreign lands will be withdrawn from circulation, that in every way possible I will make it known that they have my unqualified disapproval, and that henceforth The Dearborn Independent will be conducted under such auspices that articles reflecting upon the Jews will never again appear in its columns. Finally, let me add that this statement is made on my own initiative and wholly in the interest of right and justice and in accordance with what I regard as my solemn duty as a man and as a citizen." (Dearborn, Mich. June 30, 1927. Henry Ford). Following Ford's letter is Louis Marshall's powerful reply.Age wear, scuffing and some staining on binding, abrasions on leather. Two-inch split along tail of spine on front board, part of bottom backstrip peeling. Slight age toning to outer edges of interior pages. Binding in good-, interior in overall very good condition.

      [Bookseller: Eric Chaim Kline - Bookseller ]

HARADA, YOSHITO & KAZUCHIKA KOMAI (ed.).
        Mu-yang-ch'eng. Han and pre-Han sites at the Foot of Mount Lao-T'ieh in South Manchuria. Appendices I & II: The ruined Site of an Ancient Castle near Fu=shan=shien, Shan=tung, facing Mu=yang=ch'eng, on the Opposite Shore. In both German and English.
      The Toa-Kokogaku-Kwai, or The Far-Eastern Archaeological Society, Tokyo & Kyoto 1931. Folio. X + 37 pages of english text + 5 pages of german text + 13 pages of lists of findings + 2 pages of english text + LXII plates + appendix 1 with V plates + appendix II with III plates + 45 figures with text in chinese and with several tipped-in illustrations + several pages in chinese + 1 plate in colour at the frontispice of the chinese textpart. All illustrations in b/w, except the frontispice illustration. In orig. full cloth binding with reinforced cloth edges and spine. With only very light signs of use, light signs of handling at spine and botoom of edges. In fine- condition, a very nice and well kept copy.. Archaeologia Orientalis volume II

      [Bookseller: Vangsgaards Antikvariat]

Fox, John Jr
        The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come
      Charles Scribners Sons. New York. Charles Scribners Sons. 1931. Bound in 1/2 gilt ruled Vellum and cloth covered boards. Gilt titles. 4to. 8.25" x 11.0". This Edition Limited to 512 numbered copies of which this is #102. Signed boldly in ink by N.C. Wyeth to the Colophon. Illustrated with Tipped-in colour plates by N.C. Wyeth. Usual extremely mild soiling to Vellum. Some pages yet uncut. A Very Fine copy.

      [Bookseller: Heldfond Book Gallery, ABAA-ILAB ]

DELVINCOURT, Claude 1888-1954
        Autograph musical manuscript being part of his incidental music to the comedy "La femme barbe," first performed in 1938
      2 pp., ca. 348 x 268 mm. Folio. 56 measures scored for both spoken and sung voices, including sections for chorus with instrumental accompaniment. Apparently complete. Marked "Scène IX les mêmes: puis les trois emissaires du Sultan - puis Croquendot..." Notated in black and red ink with some markings in blue crayon. Unsigned. Slightly worn; creased at central fold. . Delvincourt, a French composer, was appointed director of the Versailles Conservatory in 1931 and of the Paris Conservatoire in 1941. "His most important decisions were the founding of the Orchestre des Cadets and a chorus (so avoiding the evacuation of his pupils to Germany), and his invitation to Messiaen, despite much comment, to teach the philosophy of music...""After Debussy and Ravel, he was one of the most ardent of French composers in trying to recapture the spirit of the Middle ages and the Renaissance, as in the Danceries..." Alain Louvier in Grove online

      [Bookseller: J & J Lubrano Music Antiquarians LLC ]

CATHER, WILLA
        Shadows on the Rock
      Alfred A. Knopf New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1931. FIRST EDITION. Hardcover. One of 619 numbered copies printed on Croxley hand-made paper and signed by the author. Fine copy in very good dust jacket with a small piece torn from the spine panel (partly obscuring the title) and in publisher's box (professionally repaired along two edges).

      [Bookseller: Robert Dagg Rare Books ]

Boyer, Ralph L
        "FATHERS OF AMERICAN SPORT" The complete set of six hand-colored aquatint portraits, with engraved titles, each signed in pencil "R. L. Boyer", lower left
      New York: The Derrydale Press 1931 New York: The Derrydale Press, 1931. First (and only) edition, limited to 250 proofs only. Image size is approximately 10 x 8 inches, the plate measuring 13 x 9 1/2 inches, with additional margins. Fine condition. Two plates (Washington and Morris) matted and framed. Ordeman, The Aquatints, Drypoints and Etchings of The Derrydale Press, p. 24-5, et seq . An extremely handsome and decorative set of American sporting notables. The six portraits, each set in an appropriate background, are of: SAMUEL MORRIS, ESQ., Foxhunter, first president of the Gloucester Foxhunting Club, America's oldest; COL. WILLIAM RANSOM JOHNSON, "Napoleon of the Turf"; COL. GEORGE WASHINGTON, Foxhunter; COMMODORE JOHN COX STEVENS, Yachtsman, owner of the "America" and a founder of the New York Yacht Club; THADDEUS NORRIS, ESQ., Angler, author of The American Angler's Book, who did much to elevate and advance the art of fly fishing; HENRY WILLIAM HERBERT, ESQ., "Frank Forester", the father of American sporting literature.A SUPERB SET OF ONE OF THE MOST ATTRACTIVE OF THE DERRYDALE PRESS SPORTING PRINTS SERIES

      [Bookseller: James Cummins Bookseller ]

Stapledon, William Olaf
        LAST AND FIRST MEN: A STORY OF THE NEAR AND FAR FUTURE
      New York: Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith New York: Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith,. [1931]. original purple cloth, all panels ruled in blind, spine panel stamped in gold, top edge stained black, fore and bottom edges rough trimmed.. Private owner's bookplate affixed to front paste-down. A fine copy in. fine pictorial dust jacket (designed by Arthur Hawkins). A stunning. copy of a very handsome book. (#114650). First U.S. edition, first binding. "The author's first work of fiction, inaugurating those anatomies of the future that blend romance and philosophy, spectacle and prophecy, cosmological in scope, teleological in tone, for which the term 'novel' is wholly misleading. With its telescopic focus, the Stapledonian romance eschews characters and dialogue, replacing them with Man and Evolution. The half-century to come, as predicted by the author in his foreword, would indeed be critical, coinciding with the high watermark of those social engineering schemes that seemed so congruent with the kind of utopian visions emblazoned here." - Robert Eldridge. "... one of the most remarkable imaginative works in the field of futuristic fiction: an account of human development during the next hundreds of millions of years." - Clarke, Tale of the Future (1978), p. 58. "On his own terms, Stapledon is unequaled, and he certainly has been one of the major influences on contemporary science fiction." - Survey of Science Fiction Literature III, pp. 1140-43. "LAST AND FIRST MEN and STAR MAKER soar far beyond the accepted limits of science fiction... Stapledon is the great classical example, the cold pitch of perfection as he turns scientific concepts into vast ontological epic prose poems, the ultimate SF writer." - Aldiss, Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction, p. 198. Stapledon's "influence, both direct and indirect, on the development of many concepts which now permeate genre SF is probably second only to that of H. G. Wells." - Clute and Nicholls (eds), The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1993), pp. 1151-53. Aldiss, Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction, p. 198. Anatomy of Wonder (1976) 3- 56; (1981) 2-98; (1987) 2-109; and (1995) 2-119. Bleiler, Science-Fiction: The Early Years 2086. Clareson, Science Fiction in America, 1870s-1930s 718. Clarke, Tale of the Future (1978), p. 58. Clute and Nicholls (eds), The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1993), pp. 1151-52. Gerber, Utopian Fantasy (1973), p. 151. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, pp. 204-05. Stableford, Scientific Romance in Britain 1890-1950, pp. 200-03. Survey of Science Fiction Literature III, pp. 1140-43. In 333. Bleiler (1978), p. 185. Reginald 13553. Satty and Smith A3.2.1.

      [Bookseller: L. W. Currey, Inc. ]

GÖDEL, KURT. - [GÖDEL'S INCOMPLETNESS THEOREM]
        Über formal unentscheidbare Sätze der Principia Mathematica und verwandter Systeme I [In: Monatshefte für Mathematik und Physik, XXXVIII. Band. I. Heft]. ["On Formally Undecidable Propositions of Principia Mathematica and Related Systems].
      Leipzig, 1931. 8vo. Extract, stapled in private blank paper wrappers with hand-written title to front wrapper. With the original front warpper for the entire 1. issue of volume 38 of Monatshefte für Mathematik und Physik, from which it is extracted. Uncut. Some marginal pencil markings (probably by Jørgen Jørgensen). Pp. (173)-198.. Extremely scarce first printing of this milestone paper in mathematical logic, one of the most influential works of the twentieth century, in which Gödel sets forth and proves his incompleteness theorem - without doubt one of the most famous and important papers in the history of mathematical logic. "Kurt Gödel's astonishing discovery and proof, published in 1931, that even in elementary parts of arithmetic there exist propositions which cannot be proved or disproved within the system, is one of the most important contributions to logic since Aristotle." (Introduction by Braithwaite to the English translation of Gödel's "On Formally Undecidable Propositions...", p. VII).The present paper not only affected mathematics in general more than any other work of the twentieth century, and mathematical and philosophical logic more than any other work since the time of Aristotle, it also affected and shook the general view of the world of twentieth century man, and it caused a tremendous scandal in the world of science. "Gödel [with the present paper] was the first to prove any unprovability theorem for arithmetic, and his way of proof was subtler and deeper than the metamathematical methods previously employed. Either of these facts would have ranked this paper high in the development of metamathematics. But it is the fact that it was a proposition of whole-number arithmetic which he showed to be undecidable that created such a scandal." (Introduction by Braithwaite to the English translation of Gödel's "On Formally Undecidable Propositions...", pp. 3-4)."Finally, Gödel's incompleteness theorem - "the most important mathematical truth of the century," as it would soon be described in a ceremony at Harvard University - set a permanent limit on our knowledge of the basic truths of mathematics: The complete set of mathematical truths will never be captured by any finite or recursive list of axioms that is fully formal. " (Yourgrau, A World Without Time, p. 3).Gödel's incompleteness theorem destroyed once and for all the laurels on which the positivists thought to be able to rest after having laid to rest the ghost of mathematics, and it thus also ruined the credulity of the Vienna Circle. Gödel was in all respects an opponent of positivism, and due to his great classical philosophical interest and his view of phenomenology as greatly important in the understanding of the world, one of his aims was to use mathematics in a relevant way for the non-analytical philosophers as well, making his discoveries as generally applicable as unavoidable. Though the incompleteness theorem was without doubt the single most important contribution to formalism -the governing strand/notion of the twentieth century- , it was also of the greatest importance to reappropriation of mathematics to all other branches of philosophy. As Plato, mathematics was also for Gödel a deep source of philosophical inspiration, as the means of describing the physical world, as well as in itself, and naturally in its relationship to logic."Unlike Einstein, a classicist who forever sought continuity with the past, Gödel was at heart an ironist, a truly subversive thinker. With his incompleteness theorem he had shaken the foundations of mathematics, prompting the great mathematician David Hilbert to propose a new law of logic just to refute Gödel's results. The Gödel universe, correctly understood, shares with the incompleteness theorem an underlying methodology and purpose. It is a bomb, built from cosmology's most cherished materials, lobbed into the foundations of physics." (Yourgrau, A World Without Time, p. 8).The present paper, which is of the utmost scarcity in the first printing, is without doubt one of, if not the, most famous and important papers in the history of mathematical logic. "It is no exaggeration to regard U ("On Formally Undecidable Propositiones...") as the greatest single piece of work in the whole history of mathematical logic. In many ways it pulled together, consolidated, and raised previous work to a much higher level in nearly all major directions, proving surprising central results, making old concepts precise, introducing new concepts, and opening up wholly new horizons." (Wang, Reflections on Kurt Gödel, p. 275).From the library of the highly important Danish logician and philosopher Jørgen Jørgensen (1894-1969), who was an active collaborator with the logical positivists from the Vienna Circle. After Hans Hahn's death he became editor of the series of the Vienna Circle, the "Einheitswissenchaft" ("Unified Science"), and later he collaborated on the International Encyclopedia, to which he contributed with the essay "The Development of Logical Empiricism", 1951. Jørgensen is also widely recognized for his three volume work "Treatise of Formal Logic; Its Evolution and Main Branches, with its Relations to Mathematics and Philosophy", 1931.Apart from the paramount importance of the paper, it is also of the utmost rarity, as evidenced by the fact that it is neither present in the collection of Honeyman, Barchas, Haskell Norman, nor Hook & Norman: Origins of Cyberspace, and furthermore, the paper has not been up for sale on any of the major auction houses for at least the last 50 years

      [Bookseller: Lynge & Søn A/S]

Kent, Rockwell [illus]:
        VENUS AND ADONIS
      Rochester NY: The Printing House of Leo Hart 1931. Rochester, NY: The Printing House of Leo Hart, 1931.. Quarto. Publisher's full polished maroon calf, ruled in gilt, t.e.g., others untrimmed. Spine extremities a bit worn, otherwise a fine copy. Slipcased. First edition, deluxe issue. Illustrated with twenty-one engravings by Rockwell Kent, printed in two colors. One of seventy-five numbered copies printed on handmade paper, specially bound, and signed by Kent, from a total edition of 1250 copies printed at the Oxford University Press after a design by Will Ransom. Accompanied by an extra suite of the engravings, matted and enclosed in a matching cloth box. STANLEY (GROLIER) 40.

      [Bookseller: William Reese Company - Literature ABAA-]

(WEST, Nathanael). HUXLEY, Aldous
        The Cicadas
      Chatto & Windus London: Chatto & Windus. 1931. Nathanael West's copy of Huxley's collection of poetry, with West's holograph notes on five of the front and rear endpages. Approximately 250 words, mostly quotes of other writers -- Huxley, Gray, Shakespeare; some light, but most quite serious: "In matters of love it is absurd to stand on your dignity and claim your rights. Such experiences cannot be judged and calculated like a matter of business. One gives as much and as long as one can & one does not bargain. Take what is given to you." West concludes with: "The paths of glory lead but to the grave." The year this book was published, West published his first novel. Later in the 1930s, both West and Huxley were employed as Hollywood screenwriters. West died in 1940 at the age of 37. The provenance of this book leads from West to his brother-in-law, S.J. Perelman, to the writer and bookseller, George Sims, who recounts the circumstances of his purchasing books from Perelman in the early 1970s, presumably including this one. A photocopy of a note from Sims is laid in. Fading to spine, spotting to cloth, short tear to lower front joint; still very good, without dust jacket. Publisher's extra spine label tipped to rear free endpaper. A wonderful glimpse of West's musings and inner life. . First Edition. Hardcover.

      [Bookseller: Ken Lopez Bookseller, ABAA ]

SHAW, Charles G
        Nightlife: Vanity Fair's Intimate Guide to New York After Dark
      New York: John Day. (1931). First. First edition. Illustrated by Raymond Bret-Koch. About fine in good plus dustwrapper with modest chips and tanning on the spine. A wonderfully kooky guide to the Big Apple. Exceptionally scarce, especially in jacket. .

      [Bookseller: Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABA]

Janniot, Alfred with a preface by J. Charbonneaux
        Le Bas-Relief du musee des colonies (First Edition, inscribed by Janniot and the principal architects and designers of Rockefeller Center)
      Paris: Librairie d'art Louis Reynaud, 1931. Small folio. Portfolio by Alfred Janniot, French sculptor who contributed to the bas-relief sculptures of Rockefeller Center in New York City. The portfolio is a record of Janniot's bas-reliefs on the Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris, delivered in 1931 for the Paris Colonial Exposition and designed by Janniot between 1928 and 1931. The work he contributed to Rockefeller Center is the gilded panel "Paris and New York Joining Hands Above Figures of Poetry, Beauty and Elegance" on the façade of Le Maison Française (circa 1930).INSCRIBED by Janniot on the title page. Additionally, an inscription on the front pastedown to John Amore is signed by six of the architects of Rockefeller Center and two of its most important contributing artists. The architects who have signed include John R. Todd, L. Andrew Reinhardt, Henry Hofmeister, Wallace Harrison, J. Andre Fouilhoux, and George N. Pauly. Reinhard and Hofmeister are credited with Rockefeller Center's basic scheme, with Raymond Hood contributing significantly to the design of the main buildings. The artists who have signed are Rene F. Chambellan (who co-designed and cast the Atlas sculpture and designed several promenade fountains) and Gaetano Cecere (sculptor).Folded title sheet with an introduction (in French) and 66 full-page plates printed on rectos only. In a folding photo-illustrated portfolio with brown silk tie as issued. Plates Near Fine, portfolio Very Good with some wear along the hinge folds.

      [Bookseller: Royal Books, Inc. ]

SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM
        Works
      Ernst Ludwig Presse (Leipzig: Ernst Ludwig Presse, 1925-1931). Seven volumes, a complete set as published. One of 250 copies. Only 200 copies of the seventh volume were printed. The dedication notes that this edition was produced as an homage to T.J. Cobden-Sanderson and the German editions of Goëthe printed at the Doves Press. Designed and with initial lettering by Christian Heinrich Kleukens, incorporating a font that carries the same austere elegance as the Doves fonts. An uncommon set, this copy is even more so for its binding of vellum-backed green boards, in their original green paper dust wrappers and paper-covered slipcases. The gilt work on the spines is reminiscent of the work done at the Doves Bindery. Light wear to slipcases, one of which shows staining. One jacket significantly chipped and torn, a few others with smaller tears to spines, mostly closed. Overall, a fine set of perhaps the most beautiful edition of Shakespeare's works printed in Germany.

      [Bookseller: Bromer Booksellers ]

YARDLEY, HERBERT O. - ["THE MOST FAMOUS BOOK ON CRYPTOLOGY".]
        The American Black Chamber.
      Indianapolis, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, (1931). 8vo. Publisher's original black full cloth with title in red to front board and spine. Uncut. 375 pp. + 9 photographic plates, including frontispiece. A bit of sunning to spine and a few very vague spots to front board. Internally nice and clean. With the book-plate of Charles J. Fritz to inside of front board.. First edition of Yardley's highly influential and controversial book on cryptography and The Black Chamber, also known as MI-8. The book has been described as "the most famous book on cryptology ever published". Yardley, who had been working extensively with Japanese codes and code breaking, exposed fundamental flaws in the Japanese system which caused a diplomatic furore between the US and Japan. A member of the Japanese House of Peers said that "The disclosure of this breach of faith committed by the United States Government will doubtless serve as a valuable lesson for the future to Japan in participating in international conferences".Herbert Osborne Yardley, allegedly the most famous cryptologist in history, was a prodigy within cryptology; within a few years he went from being a desk clerk to being head of the Black Chamber, a forerunner of the National Security Agency. As a consequence of the Great Depression, the Black Chamber lost its funding in October 1929, and Yardley found himself without a job and no money, which resulted in the writing of The American Black Chamber. "When his old MI-8 friend, Manly, with whom he had been in contact all during the 1920s, had to turn down his request for a $2,500 loan in the end of January, 1931, Yardley, in desperation, sat down to write what was to become the most famous book on cryptology ever published." (Kahn, pp. 360-1).Despite of The American Black Chamber's controversial contents, Yardley had not broken the law by writing it, as no law existed on the area. It was due to this that rules concerning leakage of Yardley's sort were written into American law. When Yardley a few years late began writing The Chinese Black Chamber, the Roosevelt administration had passed a law which made it illegal to publish any transmission between The United States and any foreign government and as a consequence the book was made classified and first published in 1983."The circumstances of the production of The American Black Chamber, as much as its narrative structure, helped to define the nascent genre of the US spy memoir" (Egerton, Political Memoir: Essays on the Politics of Memory, Routledge 1994, 315 p.)"With all its faults and falsehoods, his book had captured the imagination of the public and inspired untold numbers of amateurs to become interested in cryptology. To the extent that the impact of their fresh ideas enriched American cryptology, the credits most go to him." (Kahn, The Code Breakers, New York, 1968, 369 p.).See: David Kahn, The Code Breakers, New York, 1968

      [Bookseller: Lynge & Søn A/S]

WOOLF, Virginia.
        The Waves.
      London: The Hogarth Press, 1931.. First edition, 8vo, 325, (1) pp. Original purple cloth, d.w. designed by Vanessa Bell with some light spots to the spine and lower wrapper, very minor loss to top corners and spine ends, top edge of lower wrapper with some creasing, a very good clean copy. Kirkpatrick A16a.

      [Bookseller: Bow Windows Bookshop, ABA, ILAB]

RAPHAELSON, Samson
        Junge Liebe [Young Love]
      Drei Masken Verlag A.G. Berlin: Drei Masken Verlag A.G.. 1931. First. First German edition. Translated by Hans Reisiger. Text in German. Full calf, elaborately gilt. Almost certainly a presentation binding. Joints lightly rubbed, near fine. The playwright's own copy, Signed by him: "Personal Copy of Samson Raphaelson." Originally published in the U.S. in 1928 as Young Love, the play starred Dorothy Gish on Broadway. It appeared as a play in Germany, when this book was prepared, and then was later filmed in German by Georg Jacoby in 1933 as Moral und Liebe. Both the German play and the film featured Oskar Homolka and Grete Mosheim. Raphaelson has written "Cast" and the names of four actors, including Homolka and Mosheim, on a preliminary blank page. Apparently the German version of the play was issued in very small numbers, possibly only a few; OCLC locates no copies. A unique copy. .

      [Bookseller: Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABA]