Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Wilder, Thornton. The Bridge Of San Luis Rey. Albert and Charles Boni, 1927.
Price: US$300.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Eleventh printing from September 1928 signed by Wilder on the title page. Owners name and date inked on the ffe. A worn copy in a worn jacket with the original price of $2.50 on the flap. Later state jacket with loss to spine ends, tears, and chips. The spine of the book itself is worn and the cloth is moderately soiled.
Seller: Ink, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Price: US$650.00 + shipping
Description: Handsomely bound in finely woven brown cloth embossed in green on the front boards; and stamped brightly in black and green ink on the spine. Very clean and tight throughout. With the merest hint of wear to the extremities. In a striking pictorial dust jacket with the original price of $2.50 at the top of the front flap. With 2 pinky-sized pieces missing at the top left-hand corner of the front panel and at the bottom of the spine end. With a 3" loss of paper along the top of the rear panel taking out the word "Wilder". With a signed card: "Thornton Wilder (underscored) Milan. Italy. Feb. 1964." written in bold black ink. The Bridge of San Luis Reyis American authorThornton Wilder's second novel, first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. It tells the story of several interrelated people who die in the collapse of anInca rope bridgeinPeru, and the events that lead up to their being on the bridge. A friar who has witnessed the accident then goes about inquiring into the lives of the victims, seeking some sort of cosmic answer to the question of why each had to die. The novel won thePulitzer Prizein 1928, and was the best-selling work of fiction that year. Thornton Niven Wilder(1897 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won threePulitzer Prizesfor the novelThe Bridge of San Luis Rey, and for the playsOur TownandThe Skin of Our Teeth and a U.S.National Book Awardfor the novelThe Eighth Day. (Wikipedia) First Edition with matching dates of 1927 on the title and copyright pages; no subsequent printings listed.
Seller: Brainerd Phillipson Rare Books, Holliston, MA, U.S.A.
Wilder, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Albert & Charles Boni - New York, 1927.
Price: US$895.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Tan cloth on boards with stamped line drawing and titling in black and dark green to front and titling and publishers logo to spine. Book is tight, square, relatively sharp-cornered and free of major flaws or markings, inside and out, other than some very minor bubbling to spine. Book inside is spotless, other than the warm inscription from author - "To Margaret Beck, with all the best wishes of Thornton Wilder, Lawrenceville, June 1928" to title page. Top edge dyed gray, beautiful illustrations throughout including frontispiece by Amy Drevenstedt.
Seller: Barberry Lane Booksellers, Bar Harbor, ME, U.S.A.
WILDER, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey (w/Signed Bookplate). Albert & Charles Boni, NY, 1927.
Price: US$995.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: The true first trade edition with the title page printed in green and black. Books shows a bit of shelf wear to bottom edge. Fitted with a later state dustwrapper (published in 1928) that maintains the $2.50 price but has a list of four books on the back panel that were published by Boni in that year). The book is tight and clean and the dustwrapper shows well in mylar. Signed by the author on a bookplate that is laid in . . .
Seller: Michael J. Toth, Bookseller, ABAA, Springtown, PA, U.S.A.
Wilder, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Albert & Charles Boni, 1927.
Price: US$1000.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: SIGNED First Edition. (1st printing with title page dated 1927 and no additional printings on copyright page.) Inscribed by Thornton Wilder on title page inscribed to "Dorothy, with the friendship of her devoted neighbor [signed] Thornton Hemden [?]February 1958." Very Good+ in publisher's cloth with light shelf wear, hinge cracked but holding at p. 30. Lacking jacket. Rare as a signed first.
Seller: Singing Saw Books, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Wilder, Thornton. THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY. Albert & Charles Boni: NY, 1927.
Price: US$1150.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Illus. by Amy Drevenstedt, 8.25 x 5", pict cloth, 235pp, covers rubbed and finger soiled, extremities bumped and fraying, pp toned, a couple of tiny spots on edges of textblock else a decent copy of the FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING, SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR, THORNTON WILDER.
Seller: John K King Used & Rare Books, Detroit, MI, U.S.A.
Wilder, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Albert & Boni, New York, 1927.
Price: US$1250.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First Edition, First Printing SIGNED by Thornton Wilder on the front free endpaper. The book is bound in the publisher's cloth and is in great shape with minor wear to the boards. The pages are clean, with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A lovely copy SIGNED by the author.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.
WILDER, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Albert & Charles Boni, New York, 1927.
Price: US$2200.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First edition. Boards with some overall uniform light soiling and edgewear, thus very good or a bit better in good only dustwrapper with amateur tape repair to the inside of the jacket, toning and moderate edgewear. Housed in an older worn drop front custom case. Inscribed by the author: "For Dick - With all the best wishes of Thornton Wilder." Wilder's best-known novel, a carefully interwoven story of a priest's attempt to find divine providence in the collapse of an 18th century Peruvian bridge. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. The first edition is uncommon inscribed.
Seller: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, U.S.A.
Price: US$2500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Illustrated cloth with lettering and detail stamped in green and black on spine; illustrated dust jacket. Inscribed and dated (March 1929) on the title-page, from Wilder to Ashton L. Carr. Boards faintly rubbed; very light scuffing at spine tips and corners. Dust jacket sunned along spine and edges; some light chipping and creasing along edges; closed tear on rear panel. In custom chemise and slipcase. The Bradley Martin copy, with his bookplate.
Seller: Sanctuary Books, A.B.A.A., New York, NY, U.S.A.
Wilder, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey.. Albert & Charles Boni, New York, 1927.
Price: US$2800.00 + shipping
Description: First edition of the author's masterpiece and winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated by Amy Drevenstedt. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author, "For Rufus H. Hathaway with all the regard of Thornton Wilder Tornoto March 1929." Near fine in a good jacket reinforced to the verso. Illustrated by Amy Drevenstedt. Housed in a custom chemise jacket with red morocco spine label. "Few novels identify their basic plotline as succinctly and forthrightly as the opening line of Thornton Wilderâs 1927 novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey: âOn Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below.â The novelâs conceit is this: a certain Brother Juniper was himself about to step out onto the bridge when it broke and subsequently witnessed the plunge of five people into the abyss below. Brother Juniper wonders if the tragedy happened according to a divine plan or was simply a random instance of misfortune. His curiosity leads him to investigate the lives of the five victims to prove that the bridge collapse and the resulting deaths were indeed divine interventionâ"that God intended for them to die then and there. But, of course, the point of the novel is that there is no commonality among them, other than the fact that they are all simply human, with their own frailties. Wilder ends his at-once urgent and serene novel with this haunting passage: âBut soon we shall die and all memory of these five will have left the earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning" (Brad Hooper). "One of the greatest reading novels in this century's American writing.Wonderfully lucid reading" (Edmund Fuller). Named by Modern Library as one of the 100 greatest novels of the 20th century and named by Time Magazine as one of its 100 Best English-language novels from 1923-2005.
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.
Wilder, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey.. Albert & Charles Boni, New York, 1927.
Price: US$3800.00 + shipping
Description: First edition of the author's masterpiece and winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers. Inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "For Milton J. Lesser with the regard of Thornton Wilder New Haven March 1930." Also laid in is a signed handwritten letter to the recipient from Wilder. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Illustrated by Amy Drevenstedt. A superior example of the dust jacket, which is prone to wear. "Few novels identify their basic plotline as succinctly and forthrightly as the opening line of Thornton Wilderâs 1927 novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey: âOn Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below.â The novelâs conceit is this: a certain Brother Juniper was himself about to step out onto the bridge when it broke and subsequently witnessed the plunge of five people into the abyss below. Brother Juniper wonders if the tragedy happened according to a divine plan or was simply a random instance of misfortune. His curiosity leads him to investigate the lives of the five victims to prove that the bridge collapse and the resulting deaths were indeed divine interventionâ"that God intended for them to die then and there. But, of course, the point of the novel is that there is no commonality among them, other than the fact that they are all simply human, with their own frailties. Wilder ends his at-once urgent and serene novel with this haunting passage: âBut soon we shall die and all memory of these five will have left the earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning" (Brad Hooper). "One of the greatest reading novels in this century's American writing.Wonderfully lucid reading" (Edmund Fuller). Named by Modern Library as one of the 100 greatest novels of the 20th century and named by Time Magazine as one of its 100 Best English-language novels from 1923-2005.
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.
Wilder, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Albert & Boni, 1927.
Price: US$4500.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First Edition, First Printing SIGNED by Thornton Wilder on laid in signature. A spectacular dustjacket that is vibrant in colors with no chips or tears. This original first issue dustjacket has benefitted from professional restoration. The end result is a stunning copy seldom seen in this nice of condition. The book is in great shape. The binding is tight, and the boards are crisp with minor wear to the edges. The pages are exceptionally clean, with no writing, marks or bookplates in the book. Overall, and ideal copy SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.
WILDER, Thornton. THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY. Albert & Charles Boni, New York, 1927.
Price: US$5625.00 + shipping
Description: First Trade Edition, with title page printed in green and black. Preceded by the "preliminary issue" of 21 copies and the London edition by a few days. Illustrated by Amy Drevenstedt. Winner of Wilder's first of three Pulitzer Prizes, this copy is INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author on the half-title page to "Dr. Samuel Rosenfeld/with the regards of/Thornton Wilder" and dated "New Hope, Penn./July 1948." The book is slightly cocked. The dustwrapper has mild chipping to the spine tips and the upper front corner. Near Fine in a Very Good dustwrapper
Seller: Charles Agvent, est. 1987, ABAA, ILAB, Fleetwood, PA, U.S.A.
Wilder, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Albert & Charles Boni, 1927.
Price: US$6000.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First Edition, First Printing SIGNED by Thornton Wilder. An attractive First Issue dustjacket with the minor wear to the edges. This original unsophisticated dustjacket has the $2.50 price present on the front flap. The book is in nice condition. The binding is tight, with light wear to the spine. The pages are clean with no marks or bookplates in the book. Overall, a lovely copy SIGNED by the author housed in a custom clamshell slipcase for preservation and presentation. We buy Wilder First Editions.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.
Price: US$6500.00 + shipping
Description: First Printing. Octavo (21cm); powder grey cloth, with titling and pictorial elements stamped in black and hunter green on spine and front cover; lime green topstain; map endpapers; dustjacket; [14],15-235,[3]pp, with frontispiece and nine illustrations by Amy Drevenstedt. This copy belonged to American magazine magnate Henry Robinson Luce (1898-1967), with his ink ownership signature on the preliminary blank, and a March 24, 1928 inscription from Wilder to he and his wife, Lila, on the title page: "For Lila and Harry / With all my best / Thornt." Light wear to extremities, some softening to spine ends, spine gently sunned, with a 3/4" split to cloth at lower front joint, and some mild dust-soil to cloth; Very Good+. In a supplied dustjacket, unclipped (priced $2.50)gently spine-sunned and lightly dust-soiled, with some modest external wear, several tiny nicks and tears, a few shallow losses to spine ends, and a stain at upper rear panel; Very Good or better. Housed in a custom folding case. Wilder's second and best-known novel, centered around the inter-related histories of five people who plunge to their deaths in 18th century Peru, when an Inca rope bridge breaks. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1928, ranked as No.37 on The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels list, and basis for four film adaptations between 1929-2004. An excellent association copy, inscribed by Wilder to Henry Luce, whom he first met as a classmate at Yale. The men had a close but complicated lifelong friendship. Wilder introduced Luce to his first wife, Lila Ross Hotz, while they all attended Yale; Henry and Lila married in 1923, and had two children together. It was Amos Parker Wilder a journalist, diplomat, and Thornton's father who pulled Luce aside during his senior year and told him: "Harry, don't. Don't go into journalism. It will turn you into a cynic. It will turn your wine into vinegar. You will lose your soul" (Morrow, Lance. "Lost Souls: Reflections on the White House Correspondents' Dinner, by way of Henry Luce." May 1, 2018). Goldstone & Anderson B.i.2.
Seller: Captain Ahab's Rare Books, ABAA, Stephenson, VA, U.S.A.