Welcome!
Bibliomania is an antiquarian book business located just outside Schenectady, NY. "Where browsers are always welcome" was our motto when we first opened our doors in September, 1981, and we extend this invitation to you, our online customer. Our site is updated almost every day, making a stop here the next best thing to visiting the shop, which was located on Jay Street for twenty-seven years before moving online. Our online sales, along with research and catalogs, takes up most of our time making our 35 years of experience in the book business now available to more readers. It is our goal to create an internet site that compares to a store experience. It's not the same, of course, but has its convenience, that in browsing our listings you are likely to find books that you have wanted for years, as well as treasures you never knew existed. We invite you now to check our highlights below, follow one of our many category links to see our listings, or visit our Blog, where our owner talks about books and collecting. If somehow you do not see what you were looking for, send an Email to Bill and we'll check the shelves for you. After many hours installing a shopping cart on this web site, we discovered it did not serve our needs or our customers to our satisfaction. We are setting up another system, but until it is complete, please check our "Ordering" page above for current ordering instructions.
Our new shopping cart is currently being installed. It may take several weeks, and as always, we are working a few bugs out as we go along. This shopping cart is operated through Google, which requires you to open a Google account, but we believe the added security will offset any extra effort with your initial order. New buttons will appear every day, and every item with a button can be ordered online and is ready for shipping. It has given us a chance to review our inventory, and you will find mew, lower prices on many items. We have worked our way through most of the autographs, and are working on books, photographs, and ephemera. In addition to ordering online, you can always contact us to order items without buttons, ask additional questions, or to reserve and pay by check or money order, Paypal, or another method.
Highlights from Our Inventory:
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ML-33. Irving, John. SETTING FREE THE BEARS. NY: Random House, 1968. 1st edition. 335 pp. The author= s first book, presenting some of the motifs which would continue in his later works. Price clipped on the dust jacket, which is lightly worn. Very good. $1,450.00
ML-35. Lomax, Alan. THE RAINBOW SIGN. NY: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1959. 1st edition. 209 pp., orange cloth. Stories of two singers, created from his taped interviews, that illustrate his "profound conviction that the Southern Negro folk singer stands at the creative center of American popular culture." Three stamps, on both endpapers and the outer edge, say "Women's Shelter Property," else very good in dust jacket. $50.00
ML-36. McMurtry, Larry. THE DESERT ROSE. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1983. First edition. One of 250 numbered and signed copies. Red cloth in a red cloth slip case. A fine copy, still in the original shrink wrap, with a tag from the Scribner Book Store. $195.00
ML-68. Vidal, Gore. IN A YELLOW WOOD. NY: E.P. Dutton, 1947. 1st edition. 216 pp., black cloth. Author= s second book. The half-title page bears an inscription from the author to New York critic and writer Walter Matthews (whose signature is on the front flyleaf): A Walt - this is my answer to our night-long talk - am I wrong? Gore 6-47" A very good copy in a worn and chipped dust jacket, with an excellent inscription and association. $325.00
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NH-24. Godman, John D. AMERICAN NATURAL HISTORY - PART 1: MASTOLOGY. Philadelphia: Key & Mielkie, 1831. 2nd edition. Three volumes, full calf. Illustrated with numerous engraved plates. An important early survey of North American mammals; about half of the third volume is devoted to the practice of whaling. Some foxing as usual. All three volumes have been competently repaired or rebacked on the spines, making a nice set. Very good. $300.00
NY-6. Chapin, Lt. L.N. TO SACRIFICE, TO SUFFER, AND IF NEED BE TO DIE: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE THIRTY-FOURTH REGIMENT N.Y.S.V. Little Falls, 1998. Reprint of the 1903 edition, made available by the efforts of the Capt. Henry Galpin Civil War Round Table. Includes a roster of all officers and enlisted men; the regiment fought in many battles including Antietam and Fredericksburg. New in dust jacket. $30.00
LA-71.
Dalzell, (Private) James M. (1838-1924) "The Blue and the Gray -
Revised 1917" Manuscript poem, 3 pp., Washington, DC, May 30, 1917. Three 8"x13"
lined sheets. "Private Dalzell" was a prolific writer, orator, and champion of
the Civil War soldier, perhaps best known for organizing reunions of veterans,
holding the first in Caldwell, Ohio, in 1873. This revision of his
original 1864 poem consists of eight stanzas written on three pages, signed at
the end with the note: "Copied in my own hand from the published poem in my 80th
year." Apparently revised to be given at a Memorial Day event, with some
additional references to the conflict at the time (WWI). Neatly written and well
preserved, with only a couple small chips along the edges. $500.00
TE-1. American Express Co. Engraved Merchandise Bill, 1856. 6.75" x
8.5", this printed bill is filled in on March 8, 1856. General form used for
forwarding merchandise, valuables, jewelry, and money. Printed by Baker &
Duyckinck, NY. Previously folded, minor overall wear. Very good. $45.00
TE-2. Erie Canal Pass. Canal Pass to
Salt River, via the river and the Erie Canal. Ca. 1968, engraved by Hall,
printed on yellow stock, 3 1/8" x 5 1/4". Not canceled or marked, but lightly
worn. An authentic pass from an old ephemera collection that is in very good
condition overall.
$250.00
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AD-46. Healy, Bill. THE ADIRONDACKS: A SPECIAL WORLD. Utica: North
Country Books, 1986. 1st edition. One hundred full page color photographs of the
Adirondacks, showing sights throughout the park. Signed by the author, of course.
Near fine in dust
jacket. $45.00
AD-47. Healy, Bill (ed.) & O.S.
Phelps. THE HIGH PEAKS OF ESSEX: THE ADIRONDACK
MOUNTAINS OF ORSON SCHOFIELD PHELPS. Fleischmanns: Purple Mountain Press, 1999. 2nd
printing. "Old Mountain" Phelps, the noted Keene Valley guide to Seneca Ray
Stoddard, Verplanck Colvin, Charles Dudley Warner, and many others ‑ this is
his story of the Adirondacks, taken from a manuscript written by Phelps
probably in the early 1870s. After guiding many writers, Phelps wanted to put
his own ideas on paper, and this work offers not only the noted guide's unique
perspective of early Adirondack history, but as far as I can tell it is the only 19th century writing
by an Adirondack resident. A few pieces
of the manuscript were published in the early Stoddard guides, but the entire
work was never published in his lifetime, and disappeared in the years
following his death. It was originally recovered by an Albany book collector and
eventually brought to the attention of the editor in the early 1990s, to
finally be first published in 1993. NEW, in paperback. $12.50
AD-48. Healy, Bill (ed.) & O.S. Phelps. THE HIGH PEAKS OF ESSEX: THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS OF ORSON SCHOFIELD PHELPS. Fleischmanns: Purple Mountain Press, 1992. 1st edition. One of copies in quarter leather and marbled boards, bound by Starr Bookworks in Stevenson, Ct., numbered and signed on the colophon, and with a facsimile of an 1873 Colvin map laid in. One small spot on the outer edge. Fine. $350.00
AD-63. Merriam, Clinton Hart.
THE VERTEBRATES OF THE ADIRONDACK REGION,
NORTHEASTERN NEW YORK (Mammalia).
In Transactions of the Linnaean Society of New York, Vols. 1 & 2. NY: L.S.
Foster, 1882 & 1884. This pioneering study of Adirondack mammals was later put
into a single volume by the author, but first appeared in this form. Plum
3705. This is the set you need to have the true first edition of this
essential
Adirondack book. Wrappers chipped, with most of the spines gone, but a good set with some
professional repairs, housed
in a new custom clamshell box. $300.00
AD-86. Sylvester, Nathaniel Bartlett. HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF
NORTHERN NEW YORK AND THE ADIRONDACK WILDERNESS. Troy: William H. Young,
1877. 1st edition. 316 pp., decorated red cloth. Another cornerstone of any
Adirondack library. This copy is faded on the spine and edges, and has a chip in
the spine cloth, with a 3" split on the front joint. Nevertheless, a clean and
tight copy, and very good w.a.f. $100.00
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AM-73. Nott, Eliphalet. MISCELLANEOUS WORKS. Schenectady: Ryer
Schemerhorn, 1810. 280pp., marbled paper wrappers. Six sermons and addresses
delivered by the longtime President of Union College, including one occasioned
by the death of Alexander Hamilton, with additional material on the
Hamilton‑Burr duel. An early Schenectady imprint, no. 26 on Douglas McMurtrie's
checklist. Wrappers chipped on the spine; very good. $100.00
AM-106. Wallace, Ed. R. PARSON HANKS... FOURTEEN YEARS IN THE WEST.
Arlington: Journal Print, 1950. 2nd edition; a reprint of the original 1906 edition.
162 pp., printed gray wrappers. Howes W50.The author's story of his life in the Texas Panhandle from the 1890s to the turn of the
century. A fine, unopened copy, obtained from a relative of the author. $60.00
MP-3. Weiman, Christopher (1946-1988). Large
Flower with a Clear Background. 9 1/4"x 12 1/4". Weiman was a
great authority on marbled papers, particularly those in India, and made a few
papers to test his theories. This is a truly unique piece of art Originally sold by Dawson's Book Shop in Los
Angeles. Secured with mounting corners to a sheet of mat board. Background
has a bit less blue than shown in the illustration. Near Fine. $250.00
Check our Online Inventory:
BOOKS Books in more than twenty categories
AUTOGRAPHS Signatures, letters, and documents, American & international
MAPS American and foreign historical maps
ART Original paintings, prints, drawings, and posters
PHOTOGRAPHS Historical images of the Adirondacks and elsewhere
EPHEMERA Historical and cultural paper items, advertising, sheet music, broadsides, and unusual paper items
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Guitars, mandolins, violins, and other stringed instruments for sale
CURRENT CATALOG
View our current mail-order catalog online
What's New?
After many hours installing a shopping cart on this web site, we discovered it did not serve our needs or our customers to our satisfaction. We are now setting up another system, but as before, it will take a while to complete. You may use the checkout buttons currently on this site. Please contact us to order items without buttons. Please check our "Ordering" page above for current ordering instructions.
For years we have sold books in our shop, by mail-order catalogs, at shows, and on this web site, but we have finally faced the modern era and started listing some of our books on Abebooks.com. Check our listings at www.abebooks.com/home/bookhunter52 Those listings will include some books not found on this web site. It's another way to serve our customers.
Would a picture help? Many
customers have requested scans or photos of items listed on our site when
considering a purchase. If you haven't thought of it, please ask; we can
usually e-mail a photo or scan of almost any item to you in a day or so.
What is my old book worth? We get that question a lot, and while we do not appraise items we cannot personally examine, we can try to answer some of your questions. If you live near Albany, NY, Bill Healy, Bibliomania's owner, periodically gives a one-night seminar on that subject for the Knowledge Network (www.knowledgenetwork.org). Check their web site for enrollment information.
Serving the book community
Last September
we celebrated our 27th year in business - we never doubted it
would happen when we opened, but our business has developed over the years in
ways we never imagined. One of my first
equipment purchases was a good typewriter to produce catalogs. I never dreamed
of using a computer, and could not even conceive of the internet or a web site.
We still think of ourselves as a real book shop, though, even though we are no
longer open to customers at the moment. You can view some of our best offerings on this site. These are only some of our better items; in the evening, when I
update the site, I am surprised at the number of good books we have sold that do
not appear on these pages. I'm working as fast as I can.
We were once featured in an article in
The Capital District Business Review,
where an editorial called us "the internet done
right." As I struggle with computer
glitches and other problems I have my doubts,
but we will try to make your internet experience with us as pleasant as
a visit to our shop.
CATALOG No. 109 will soon be available!
If you are not on our mailing list or do not receive one
in the next few days, please e-mail us to receive a copy -
or click here to view our last catalog now. In addition to this
site, we issue fairly regular catalogs in various
subjects. In 2002, we reached our longtime goal of issuing one per month, and
have mostly continued the practice in 2003, 2004, and 2005. To request a copy, please e-mail your address to
us at info@rare-books.com
We may still have copies of some past catalogs available on request. Many
items have been sold, of course, but some very fine ones are still in stock. You
will usually find them on this web site, since available items are listed in
their appropriate subject categories.
What we sell
Bibliomania offers a wide selection of good used books in
most fields, as well as first and rare editions of literature and
Americana. Bibliomania is particularly
well known for its books and materials on the Adirondack Mountains and New York
State history. We usually have strong
holdings in literature, photography, music, biographies, and books about books.
In the past few years this store has also acquired some interesting autographs,
trade cards, photographs, pamphlets, prints, bookplates, illustrations, and
other antiques & ephemera. Our stock changes daily, and while more of our
offerings will appear online, it will be a while before most of our items appear
online. Only a small portion of our stock is available here, but we try to add new
items every day.
Bill
Healy, the owner, is the author of two books, The Adirondacks: A Special World (Utica: North Country Books, 1986, 1993) and The High Peaks of Essex: The Adirondack Mountains
of Orson Schofield Phelps (Fleischmanns: Purple Mountain Press, 1992, 1998).
THE STRING DUSTERS
American acoustic music; bluegrass, country, and more. Check our schedule and
other musical activities. Always up-to-date.
In the Moment Photography For portraits and weddings
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We update and refresh our pages daily:
03/05/10
Thank you for visiting!