A Beautiful first printing of Buckminster Fuller’s first book, Nine Chains to the Moon (1938), in the original dust jacket with a rare small archive of Fuller material from the estate of renowned architect Arthur Cort Holden (collaborator with Frank Lloyd Wright on The Guggenheim Museum). A standout pairing for collectors of Fuller, modern architecture, or 20th‑century design history.
Book Details
- First Edition, First Printing — J.B. Lippincott, 1938
- 8vo 408 pp. + appendix
- Two-fold‑out charts at rear (present and intact)
- Publisher’s copper metallic cloth with black lettering
- Map endpapers
Condition:
- Book: Very good or better. Light edgewear, bumped corners, soft spine ends. Pages lightly tanned; heavier toning on pp. 52–53 from removed clipping.
- Dust Jacket: Very good. $4.00 price intact. Small chips at folds/spine ends; closed tear on front panel neatly repaired. Light foxing/toning to rear. A strong example of a scarce jacket.
Included Archive (Holden Estate)
A bound group of Fuller‑related material assembled by architect and author Arthur Cort Holden, a longtime friend of Fuller. Holden’s papers are held at Princeton and Cornell—this small group “slipped through the cracks,” per Holden’s signed memo included here.
Contents include:
- 1944 handwritten letter from Fuller to Holden (ALS) re: speaking at the Association of Federal Architects conference
- Typed transcript of Fuller’s 1944 lecture at the National Archives Auditorium: The Trend in World Housing Affairs
- Seven typed letters (unsigned) from Fuller to various executives/institutions
- Newspaper clippings (Fuller's Obituary)
- Holden’s signed, dated memorandum describing his friendship with Fuller and the provenance of this material
- All bound by Holden shortly after Fuller’s death in 1983
Why This Matters
A strong first printing of Fuller’s debut—paired with a unique, provenance‑rich archive documenting his mid‑century architectural and housing advocacy. Material connecting Fuller and Holden is rarely available on the market. A compelling offering for serious collectors.