Sparrow's Bookshop

Sparrow's Bookshop Online vintage & rare bookstore specializing in hard-to-find items, unique titles and first editions

Xenogenesis by Octavia Butler. Guild America Books, 1989. Special omnibus book club edition containing the entire Xengen...
12/07/2022

Xenogenesis by Octavia Butler. Guild America Books, 1989. Special omnibus book club edition containing the entire Xengenesis (aka Lilith's Brood) trilogy: Dawn / Adulthood Rites / Imago.⁠

$50⁠

Future Earth. Human and Alien conflict. Hybrid super species. This trilogy packs a punch. ⁠

Can you really do much better than three Octavia Butler books in hardcover for $50? Not to mention, it’s the whole ding-dang trilogy (and with the original title, now published as Lilith’s Brood) 😎

Book: Near fine. Dust jacket: Very good. Jacket is protected in archival sleeve but with some mild shelf wear around the edges including small tears/chipping to spine ends and fore corners. Boards are straight and clean with mildly bumped corners and softened spine ends. Binding is tight, spine is square and all pages are clean and unmarked.⁠

Comment sold, DM, or checkout on sparrowsbookshop.com. Free US shipping on $30+.⁠

———⁠

The Peripheral (Signed!) by William Gibson. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2014. First edition, signed by the author on title page....
12/06/2022

The Peripheral (Signed!) by William Gibson. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2014. First edition, signed by the author on title page. Now the basis of Amazon’s TV adaptation of the same name, which started streaming in October 🍿

$350⁠

William Gibson has been a mainstay of the science fiction genre for nearly fifty years! His bibliography is vast and beloved, but what might be more impressive is when authors this prolific continue to produce quality content so consistently. ⁠

The Peripheral, one of his more recent novels, tells a fast pace near-future novel of suspense and mystery. Gibson takes tropes and turns them on their head with this absolutely break-neck romp through the future.⁠

But if you don’t know how to read, then go check out the new TV series adaptation on Prime Video!⁠

Book: Fine. Dust jacket: Near fine. All pages are bright, clean and unmarked. Jacket protected in mylar and remains free of any creasing or tears, but very faint ding along spine, else fine. Board corners and spine ends remain sharp. Binding and hinges secure. Overall, a remarkably crisp copy.⁠

Comment sold, DM, or checkout on sparrowsbookshop.com. Free US shipping on $30+.⁠

———⁠

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. Bantam, 1996-2005. Book club editions of the first four books in the epic ...
12/05/2022

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. Bantam, 1996-2005. Book club editions of the first four books in the epic fantasy series ⚔️

$325⁠

Will George R.R. Martin ever finish writing his long winded fantasy epic? Who can really say at this point, but now is as good of a time as ever to pick them up and enjoy what he has given us so far.⁠

Who do you think would be the best author to step in and finish the series if Martin beefs it before he finishes? Better yet, who would be the worst….? 🤣

Book: Very good. Dust jacket: Near fine. Jackets are protected in archival sleeves and have the faintest shelf wear, mostly limited to spine ends. Boards are straight and clean with very mild blemishes from handing to boards of A Game of Thrones and small bump/tear to bottom edge of rear board of A Feast for Crows. Corners and spine ends very slightly bumped. Bindings are very tight, spines are straight and all pages are clean and unmarked though with some tanning to text block of A Feast for Crows. Text block ever so slightly sagging.⁠

Comment sold, DM, or checkout on sparrowsbookshop.com. Free US shipping on $30+.⁠

———⁠

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. Viking, 1987. First edition.⁠⁠$95⁠⁠Copies this nice of Eyes of the Dragon don’t ...
12/04/2022

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. Viking, 1987. First edition.⁠

$95⁠

Copies this nice of Eyes of the Dragon don’t come along too often. For whatever reason, this is one of those King titles that is always beat to hell. ⁠

Here is a list of sequels I would like to see Steve do:⁠

The Nostrils of the Serpent ⁠
The Forehead of Pennywise⁠
Stephen King Reveals His Weird Feet⁠
Molly the Corgi and Her Terrifying Toe-Beans⁠
Cujo The Good Boi⁠

Book: Near fine. Dust jacket: Very good. Jacket is protected in archival sleeve but has some shelf wear around the edges and two open tears to top edge of back cover. Boards are straight and clean, binding is tight, and all pages are clean and unmarked.⁠

Comment sold, DM, or checkout on sparrowsbookshop.com. Free US shipping on $30+.⁠

———⁠

Animal Farm by George Orwell. Harcourt, Brace & World, 1963. Illustrated by Joy Batchelor & John Halas.⁠⁠$75⁠⁠Do you lik...
12/02/2022

Animal Farm by George Orwell. Harcourt, Brace & World, 1963. Illustrated by Joy Batchelor & John Halas.⁠

$75⁠

Do you like talking animals? What about thinly veiled allegories to the Russian Revolution and Stalinism? Well, have we got a book for you! ⁠

No, no… it isn’t The Chronicles of Narnia 🤣 ⁠

Animal Farm is one of those books we’re all forced to read at one point or another in school, thus catapulting it into the collective public zeitgeist forever. Even if you haven’t read the book (what were you, homeschooled?), you’re at least familiar with the overall themes of the novel or have seen them parodied in other media.⁠

Book: Good. Dust jacket: Very good. Later printing of this edition first published in 1954 ("1.10.63" on copyright page seems to imply the print date). An ex-library copy with stamp on copyright page and crossed out markings on top edge of text block. Jacket was taped to boards/endpapers with related damage. Remnants and damage from removed lending slip to rear endpaper. Discoloration and shelfwear to boards. Corners and spine ends bumped and worn. Some sparse tan discolored areas to a few pages. Binding remains strong and spine is straight.⁠

Comment sold, DM, or checkout on sparrowsbookshop.com. Free US shipping on $30+.⁠

———⁠

The Lays of Beleriand by J.R.R. Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1985. First American edition. Volume three in The His...
12/01/2022

The Lays of Beleriand by J.R.R. Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1985. First American edition. Volume three in The History of Middle-Earth series, edited by Christopher Tolkien.⁠

$145⁠

The Lays of Beleriand is an intimate look at the earliest drafts of the lyrical poetry of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world. The two main stories contained in the tome are The Children of Hurin and Beren and Luthien, both later released separately in their final forms by Christopher Tolkien in 2007 and 2017 respectively.⁠

These volumes are becoming increasingly difficult to find in collectible condition. This would be a wonderful place to start for anyone embarking on their journey to complete The History of Middle-Earth set. ⁠

Book: Very good. Dust jacket: Near fine. Jacket is protected in archival sleeve but with some very faint shelf wear around the edges and slight tanning to liner flaps. Boards are straight and clean with gilt lettering to spine being bright and crisp. Binding is tight and spine is straight. Small inscription from previous owner on reverse side of front free endpaper, otherwise all pages are clean and unmarked though tanned.⁠

Comment sold, DM, or checkout on sparrowsbookshop.com. Free US shipping on $30+.⁠

———⁠

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (and edited by Christopher Tolkien). Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977. First American e...
11/30/2022

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (and edited by Christopher Tolkien). Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977. First American edition, first printing, first state with "Father Giles" misprint on bibliography page and broken type point of issue on page 229.⁠

$150⁠

Despite the tepid reception of The Rings of Power on Amazon, the Tolkien interest still remains 🔥h o t🔥⁠

Take a trip to Valinor. Learn about the island of Numenor. Discover the beginnings of the world of Middle-Earth. It may read like a textbook or those chapters in the Bible that are just lists of names, but it's a worthy endeavor.⁠

Book: Very good. Dust jacket: Very good. Some curling, chipping and small tears to top edge of jacket, faint chipping to bottom edge of jacket spine. Slightly tanned and rubbed around the edges. Boards are straight and clean with bright lettering and design. All pages clean and unmarked though there is some very faint foxing to bottom and fore edge of text block. Ever so slight spine lean, but binding is quite strong on the whole.⁠

Comment sold, DM, or checkout on sparrowsbookshop.com. Free US shipping on $30+.⁠

———⁠

The Stand by Stephen King. Doubleday & Company, 1978. First printing of the book club edition with a gutter code of “T45...
11/29/2022

The Stand by Stephen King. Doubleday & Company, 1978. First printing of the book club edition with a gutter code of “T45" indicating a print date of November 1978, the same year as the first trade edition.⁠

$75⁠

King doesn’t stick around long around here 👑⁠

Many regard The Stand as the best Stephen King novel. Whether you agree with that sentiment or not, it is undeniably one of his longest! ⁠

This novel hits a bit different coming out of a global pandemic. Do you think that COVID sullied the enjoyment of The Stand, or did it somehow enhancing it by being thankful it wasn’t worse? Also, do you prefer the original edit or the 1990 uncut version? ⁠

Book: Very good. Dust jacket: Good. Jacket is protected in archival sleeve but with creases, small tears, chipping and general wear around the edges. Jacket is tanned. Boards are straight and clean and with spine ends bumped and worn. Sagging to text block though binding remains fairly strong on the whole and hinges are intact. Faint spotty discoloration to top edge of text block, otherwise all pages are clean and unmarked though tanned.⁠

Comment sold, DM, or checkout on sparrowsbookshop.com. Free US shipping on $30+.⁠

———⁠

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Scribner, 2014. First edition.⁠⁠$125⁠⁠✨ Back again by popular demand ✨ ⁠⁠T...
11/28/2022

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Scribner, 2014. First edition.⁠

$125⁠

✨ Back again by popular demand ✨ ⁠

This book has been reprinted so many times in the last seven years, featured on countless book club reading lists and recommended in articles across the internet. All that to say, a first edition in this condition is incredibly uncommon. The hype had to start somewhere for a title this beloved, which leaves most first printings in tatters, as they were most likely passed around, highlighted, or hit the Library circuit. ⁠

This one won’t be here long 🥵⁠

Book: Very good. Dust jacket: Very good. Jacket is protected in archival sleeve though with some very mild shelf wear around the edges and rubbing to back cover. Corners and spine ends very faintly bumped but boards remain otherwise straight and clean. Very slihtly split binding at half title page, otherwise binding remains strong and spine is straight. All pages are clean and unmarked though slightly tanned.⁠

Comment sold, DM, or checkout on sparrowsbookshop.com. Free US shipping on $30+.⁠

———⁠

Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Albert Pike. The Supreme Council of the Sou...
11/27/2022

Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Albert Pike. The Supreme Council of the Southern Jurisdiction, 1963.⁠

$95⁠

Back in stock by 🔥popular demand🔥 this esoteric text of 32 philosophical and religious essays provides the outline of & reasoning behind the belief system of the Freemasons.⁠

One of the most prominent and widely reprinted texts of Freemasonry, Morals and Dogma details the degrees of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, while not revealing it’s closely guarded secrets. ⁠

A perfect choice for someone who might be looking to brush up on their history of Masonic secret societies or if you’re looking into absconding with a certain founding American document from 1776.⁠

Book: Very good. Dust jacket: None. 1963 printing (not numbered) containing the contents of the 1950 revised edition. Mild rubbing to boards with bumps and wear to corners and spine ends. Marks in margins of page "v" in Preface, otherwise all pages are clean and unmarked though faintly tanned. Binding beginning to loosen with slightly sagging text block but hinges remain intact and binding is fairly strong on the whole.⁠

Comment sold, DM, or checkout on sparrowsbookshop.com. Free US shipping on $30+.⁠

———⁠

Fine medieval woodcut from the 1502 first Sebastian Brandt edition of Virgil's Aeneid, printed by the renowned German pr...
11/26/2022

Fine medieval woodcut from the 1502 first Sebastian Brandt edition of Virgil's Aeneid, printed by the renowned German printer Johannes Gruninger in Strasbourg. With later hand color.⁠

$325⁠

We just can’t stop sharing these antiquarian woodcuts and manuscript pages with you 🥹

Here we have a medieval Arcadian landscape scene with battle knights in armor marching up to Troy AND an animal sacrifice in the background. What more could you want? 👀

From one of the great German woodcut books of the Renaissance, this edition of Virgil’s Aeneid is rightly acclaimed for its magnificent series of illustrations. While the specific artist who created this stunning woodcut illustration is unknown, scholars have named him the "Late Master of the Gruninger Workshop".⁠

Condition: As shown, on paper in good condition with full margins trimmed close to woodcut borders, Latin text to verso and minor signs of aging. 24.4 x 16.5 cm.⁠

Comment sold, DM, or checkout on sparrowsbookshop.com. Free US shipping on $30+.⁠

———⁠

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925. First edition, second state with all points of i...
11/25/2022

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925. First edition, second state with all points of issue corrected, Scribner's seal and 1925 date on copyright page with no statement of later printings.

$2,000

Ooooh baby. Are you ready? 🔥

Today we have a fantastic second state copy of one of the most famous classics of American literature. While it doesn’t have its especially scarce and delicate dust jacket, this copy is in incredible condition and should be a no-brainer at this price to any budding collector. I’d be shocked if this one lasted very long with us…. 👀

Considered Fitzgerald’s best work, The Great Gatsby is a picture of the prohibition era and the success and failure of his third-rate protagonist. The novel was inspired by his rise in fame and relationship with his wild socialite wife, Zelda, to whom the story was dedicated. The Great Gatsby was initially a commercial failure, receiving mixed reviews and selling less than 25,000 copies by Fitzgerald’s death in 1940.

It wasn’t until the WWII era when the novel was revived with a mass audience. The Red Cross started a program to send pocket-sized books to US soldiers stationed abroad and over 100,000 copies of The Great Gatsby were shipped out. The story of unrequited love and the failure of the American Dream resonated with the young men fighting abroad. The novel suddenly became widely popular and attracted more attention from literary critics. And, well.... you know the rest!

Book: Very good. Dust jacket: None. Bound in publisher’s original dark green cloth with titles stamped in blind on front board and in gilt on spine. Very faint liquid staining to front board with corners and spine ends mildly bumped. Slightly slanted spine with intact hinges but a few instances of mildly split binding throughout. Small area of discoloration to rear endpapers from removed tape, otherwise internally clean and free of any writing or bookplates. Gilt lettering to spine remains bright and crisp.

Comment sold, DM, or checkout on sparrowsbookshop.com. Free US shipping on $30+.

———

Address

2171 South Trenton Way #207
Denver, CO
80231

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Sparrow's Bookshop posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Share

Category