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WAUGH, Evelyn (1903-66). Remote People, London, Duckworth, 1931, 8vo, original burgundy buckram gilt, dust-jacket (jacket torn with loss). FIRST EDITION, IMPORTANT PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed, "For Gerald Duckworth with best wishes from Evelyn Waugh."WAUGH, Evelyn (1903-66).  Remote People. London: Duckworth, 1931. 8vo (220 x 140mm). Half title, monochrome frontispiece, 2 folding maps, 6 plates. Original burgundy buckram, the spine lettered in gilt, green dust-jacket lettered in black (lightly bumped and rubbed at edges, the dust-jacket torn with loss and fraying to corners, with a larger section lacking from the lower left corner of the upper wrapper, the loss not affecting letters to the upper wrapper but with the loss of the title at the head of the backstrip, although with a detached fragment bearing the word "People" preserved). FIRST EDITION of this "... diverting story of Mr. Evelyn Waugh's recent travels in Africa. After attending the coronation of the Emperor of Ethiopia in Abyssinia he visited Arabia, Zanzibar, Kenya Colony, The Congo and returned in the third class from Cape Town to Southampton" (from the front turn-in). It received uniformly positive contemporary reviews in the press. IMPORTANT PRESENTATION COPY, the front free endpaper inscribed, "For Gerald Duckworth with best wishes from Evelyn Waugh." In 1898, Gerald Duckworth (1870-1937) founded the London publishing company that still bears his name ("Duckworth") although it was originally called "Gerald Duckworth and Company Ltd." In addition to representing Evelyn Waugh (concentrating on his earlier non-fiction and travel writing), the firm published a diverse range of writers which reads like a 'Who's Who' of 20th-century literature including, inter alia, Hilaire Belloc, Anton Chekhov, John Galsworthy, Henry James, D. H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, Anthony Powell, Simone de Beauvoir and the Sitwells. Gerald Duckworth's mother - whose first husband and father of Gerald had died before Gerald's birth - went on to marry Sir Leslie Stephen (1832-1904), himself a notable author and critic, and their four children included Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell. Whilst this would have placed Gerald Duckworth in the orbit of 'The Bloomsbury Group', it was not a coterie with which Waugh would have found an instinctive sympathy. We have been unable to trace another example of a presentation copy from Waugh to Duckworth. RARE.

CONRAD, Joseph (1857-1924). The Mirror of the Sea, London, 1906, 8vo, original cloth. FIRST EDITION, IMPORTANT PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "To Miss Hallowes from her friend Joseph Conrad. 1906."CONRAD, Joseph (1857-1924).  The Mirror of the Sea. Memories and Impressions. London: Methuen & Co., 1906. 8vo (190 x 130mm). Half title, publisher's advertisement on the verso of the half title, the title printed in red and black, 40-pages of publisher's advertisements at the end dated August 1906 (the half title with short clean tear at the foot without loss, some light staining, more pronounced to the leaves at the front and the end, occasional spotting). Original green cloth, the spine lettered and decorated in gilt, top edges gilt, others uncut (the gilding on the spine faded, lightly stained, inner hinges weak). Provenance: The Property of a Collector. FIRST EDITION of this collection of autobiographical essays. IMPORTANT PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "To Miss Lilian Hallowes from her friend Joseph Conrad. 1906." The recipient of this presentation copy, and the following three lots, was Lilian Mary Hallowes (1870-1950) who, despite being Joseph Conrad's literary assistant and amanuensis from 1904 to 1924, remains a somewhat elusive and shadowy figure. As Borys Conrad noted of her in his memoir of 1970, "little or no mention has been made in the biographies of my Father of the lady who, after several unsatisfactory candidates, eventually occupied that post." See David Miller's article, "Amanuensis: A Biographical Sketch of Lilian Mary Hallowes, 'Mr Conrad's Secretary'," in The Conradian, vol. 31, no. 1 (Spring 2006), pp.86-103, in which he states, "That lady, invariably referred to in Conrad's letters as Miss Hallowes, will always be an incomplete figure, somehow very Conradian in the manner in which she can, and indeed does, disappear from view for long periods." See also Knowle and Moore's Oxford Reader's Companion to Conrad (London, 2000, pp.147-148) for a brief account of Hallowes' relationship with Conrad. Cagle A11a; Keating 67: "The book is scarce in untrimmed [i.e. uncut] state, by far the greater part of the edition having been issued with trimmed edges"; Smith 12; Wise 16: "Regarding the book Mr Conrad has remarked :- 'I have a special feeling for these pages. Twenty best years of my life went to the making of them. As for the rest I approached the task in the spirit best expressed by the quotation on the title-page [i.e. '... for this miracle or this wonder/troubleth me right gretly', from Boethius]. The text of The Mirror of the Sea comprises forty-six Sections, numbered in Roman capitals, and grouped under fifteen titles. The majority of these sections had appeared previously in serial form ..."

CHINA - Athanasius KIRCHER (1602-80). La Chine, Amsterdam, 1670, folio, additional engraved title, 2 maps, 22 plates, 61 illustrations (lacking the portrait, some spotting and staining), contemporary vellum. FIRST FRENCH EDITION.CHINA - Athanasius KIRCHER (1602-80).  La Chine ... Illustrée De plusieurs Monuments Tant Sacrés que Profanes, et de quantité de Recherchés de la Nature & de l' Art. A Quoy on à adjousté de nouveau les questions curieuses que le Serenissime Grand Duc de Toscane a fait depuis peu au P. Jean Grubere touchant ce grand Empire. Avec un Dictionaire Chinois & Franois, lequel est tres-rare, & qui n' a pas encores paru as jour. Traduit par F. S. Dalquié. Amsterdam: "Ches Jean Jansson a Waesberge, & les Heritiers d' Elizee Weyerstraet," 1670. Folio (366 x 245mm). Additional engraved allegorical title dated 1667, woodcut device on printed title, 2 double-page engraved maps, 22 engraved plates including 8 with engraved letterpress, one double-page, one folding, and 61 engraved illustrations, the text printed in double column, initials and ornaments (lacking the portrait of the author, some fraying to the engraved title without loss, some marginal staining to the printed title with closed repaired tear at foot and some minor fraying without loss, [?]printing flaw affecting the margin of one plate, one plate with piece of margin torn away, variable mainly marginal spotting and staining). Contemporary full vellum, the spine lettered and ruled in gilt, red edges (light stain to head of spine). Provenance: The Honourable Hugh Howard (armorial bookplate). THE FIRST EDITION IN FRENCH of this "important source of information on the beginnings of western sinology and sinophilism in Europe" (Szczesniak). First published in Latin in 1667, Kircher's hugely influential and ground-breaking work contains some of the earliest accounts of the geography, botany, zoology, religion, mythology and language of China. It was also the first western work to include a vocabulary of Chinese and the first to include reproductions of the Sanskrit alphabet and grammar. Brunet II, 771; Cordier Sinica I, 26-27; De Backer & Sommervogel IV, 1064; Lust 38; Morrison II, 38. See Baleslaw Szczesniak's Athanasius Kircher's China Illustrata (History of Science Society, 1952, 10: 385-411).

EUCLID (fl. 300 BC) & Christopher CLAVIUS (1538-1612). Euclidis elementorum libri XV, Cologne, 1591, 2 volumes bound in one, folio, 2 titles within elaborate woodcut borders, woodcut diagrams (some browning and staining), contemporary limp vellum.EUCLID (fl. 300 BC) & Christopher CLAVIUS (1538-1612).  Euclidis elementorum libri XV. [Second volume: Euclidis posteriores libri IX] Accessit XVI. de Solidorum regularium cuius libet intra quodlibet comparatione. Omnes perspicius demonstrationibus, accuratisque scholiis illustrati, ac multarum rerum accessione locupletati: nunc tertio editi, summaq, diligentia recogniti, atque emendati. Cologne: "Expensis Joh. Baptistae Ciotti," 1591. 2 volumes bound in one, folio (326 x 210mm). Two title pages within elaborate woodcut baroque borders incorporating the figures of Euclid and Archimedes, woodcut diagrams, tables, initials and ornaments (waterstaining throughout, including to both titles, with variable, and sometimes quite heavy, browning and other staining, a few leaves heavily browned, some wormholes and wormtracks mainly towards the end, occasionally affecting letters). Contemporary full limp vellum, title in old manuscript on the spine (heavy stain to lower cover, some other staining). Provenance: Professor Crivelli (his name inscribed on the front free endpaper and with his signature on the first title); Antonio Frigerio (ex-libris sticker); later library shelf-mark label at foot of spine; modern (cancelled) institutional library label on front free endpaper); later illegible stamps on front free endpaper and title. The first edition of this work was published in Rome in 1574. Known as 'The Euclid of the 16th-Century', Clavius was a German Jesuit mathematician and astronomer who was instrumental in the Vatican's adoption of the Gregorian calendar, a pioneer of the use of the decimal point, and, in his lifetime, the most highly respected astronomer in Europe. Despite the fact that, for most of his life, he was a proponent, albeit a conflicted one, of the geocentric model of the solar system, he was hugely influential as a writer and teacher and was much admired by Galileo, with whom he maintained a long correspondence. One of the largest crater formations on the moon is named after him. Adams E-988; Brunet II, 1089; Graesse II, 512; Poggendorff I, 455; Thomas-Stanford 23.

BUKOWSKI, Charles (1920-94). You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense, Santa Rosa, Black Sparrow Press, 1986, 8vo, boards. FIRST EDITION. NUMBER 66 OF 126 COPIES SIGNED WITH A SELF-PORTRAIT BY THE AUTHOR AND AN ORIGINAL COLOURED PRINT, SIGNED.BUKOWSKI, Charles (1920-94).  You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense. Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow Press, 1986. Large 8vo (228 x 155mm). Title printed in colours, monochrome photographed portrait of the author by Michael Montfort at the end. Original cloth-backed coloured decorated paper boards by Earle Grey, dark blue endpapers, original acetate wrapper (some very light spotting and staining to boards, edges spotted). Provenance: from the Collection of David Kotthoff. FIRST EDITION. NUMBER 66 OF 126 COPIES SIGNED AND WITH A SMALL SELF-PORTRAIT BY THE AUTHOR AND AN ORIGINAL COLOURED PRINT SIGNED "BUK". Krumhansl 100e.

CHINA - Picture Story of Preparing Tea, [no place, but printed in China: no publisher, n.d.], small 4to, 10 hand-coloured plates printed on silk on accordion leaf, text in English and Chinese, original wooden boards. FIRST EDITION. RARE.CHINA - Picture Story of Preparing Tea. [No place, but printed in China: no publisher, n.d. but first half of the 20th-century]. Small 4to (208 x 148mm). 10 hand-coloured plates printed on silk on an accordion leaf, text in English and Chinese, reading from right to left. Original wooden boards with a Chinese character stamped in pale blue on the upper cover. The plates are captioned "Transplanting", "Picking", "Sorting", "Drying", "Roasting", "Sieving", "Scenting", "Packing" and "Transporting" (one plate is not captioned). FIRST EDITION. RARE.

CHINESE IVORIES - S. E. LUCAS. The Catalogue of Sassoon Chinese Ivories, London, 1950, 3 volumes, 4to, coloured frontispiece, 224 plates, FINELY BOUND in original half vellum gilt. ONE OF 250 COPIES SIGNED BY VICTOR SASSOON AND SYDNEY EDWARD LUCAS. (3)CHINESE IVORIES - Sydney Edward LUCAS ([dates unknown], editor).  The Catalogue of Sassoon Chinese Ivories. London: Country Life Limited, 1950. 3 volumes, large 4to (380 x 280mm). Half titles, coloured frontispiece, titles printed in red and black, and 224 monochrome plates. FINELY BOUND in original half vellum and green buckram, the upper covers with Chinese characters stamped in gilt, the spines lettered, ruled and decorated in gilt, top edges gilt, others uncut, without the slipcases. Provenance: Han-Shan Tang Ltd. (bookseller's label on rear pastedown of the first vol.). FIRST EDITION. NUMBER 195 OF 250 COPIES SIGNED BY VICTOR SASSOON AND SYDNEY EDWARD LUCAS. (3)

[DEFOE, Daniel ([?]1661-1731)]. The Fortunate Mistress, London, 1724, 8vo, fine engraved frontispiece captioned "The Famous Roxana" (some spotting and staining), contemporary calf. THE VERY RARE FIRST EDITION of Defoe's last novel, published anonymously.[DEFOE, Daniel ([?]1661-1731)].  The Fortunate Mistress: Or, A History of the Life and Vast Variety of Fortunes of Mademoiselle de Beleau, Afterwards Call'd The Countess de Wintselheim, in Germany. Being the Person known by the Name of the Lady Roxana, in the Time of King Charles II. London: "Printed for T. Warner at the Black-Boy in Peter-Noster Row; W. Meadows ... W. Pepper ... S. Harding ... and T. Edlin," 1724. 8vo (192 x 118mm). Fine engraved frontispiece captioned "The Famous Roxana", title within double-rule border, woodcut headpieces, initials and ornaments to the Preface and the opening of the novel, woodcut ornament at the foot of the recto of the final leaf ([Dd4] (i.e. p.407) (some usual seepage of woodcut ornaments to their rectos or versos not affecting legibility, printer's crease to one leaf affecting a few letters [see illustration of p.399], occasional light spotting, staining and browning, more pronounced to the lower margins of the second half of the novel, a few darker spots, mainly at gutters, but the text generally crisp and clean). Contemporary polished panelled calf, the spine with five raised bands and red morocco lettering-piece (the left part of the lettering piece torn away with the loss of two letters, a small patch of abrasion to the upper cover with the loss of one blind-stamped fleuron, possibly re-backed at some point preserving the old spine and lettering-piece, but, if so, barely discernibly, some ink staining to the spine, some light rubbing to the extremities, some staining to the endpapers). FIRST EDITION of Defoe's last novel, a proto-feminist work which features one of "... the strongest and most important women characters in the history of literature" (DNB). It was first published anonymously, probably because of its scandalous nature, and was not widely attributed to Defoe until 1775; the present, first, edition was the only one published in the author's lifetime. "This purports to be the autobiography of Mlle. Beleau, the beautiful daughter of French Protestant refugees, brought up in England and married to a London brewer, who, having squandered his property, deserts her and her five children. She enters upon a career of prosperous wickedness, passing from one protector to another in England, France and Holland, amassing much wealth, and receiving the name Roxana by accident, in consequence of a dance she performs. She is accompanied in her adventures by a faithful maid, Amy, a very human figure. She finally marries a Dutch merchant and lives as a person of consequence in Holland, until he discovers her deceit. He shortly afterwards dies, leaving her only a small sum of money. She is imprisoned for debt, and dies in a state of penitence" (The Oxford Companion to English Literature, ed. Drabble, 1985). Furbank & Owens A Critical Bibliography of Daniel Defoe 218; Rothschild 780. ESTC lists only three copies in UK institutions. RARE.

ELIOT, T. S. (1888-1965). Marina, London, 1930, 8vo, 2 illustrations by E. McKnight Kauffer, original boards. FIRST EDITION, NUMBER 216 OF 400 "LARGE PAPER" COPIES SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. With 5 other books, including 2 duplicates, by the same author. (6)ELIOT, T. S. (1888-1965).  Marina. London: Faber and Faber, 1930. 8vo (216 x 140mm). 2 illustrations by E. McKnight Kauffer, one printed in colours (small spot on the limitation leaf). Original sky blue paper boards gilt (a few small yellow stains to the upper cover, black ink spot to the lower cover, spine split, some light staining). FIRST EDITION, published as No. 29 of "The Ariel Poems." NUMBER 216 OF 400 "LARGE PAPER" COPIES SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. Gallup A17a. With a part-set, including 2 duplicates, of the same author's "The Four Quartets" comprising Burnt Norton (London, February 1941, original wrappers, first separate edition, TWO COPIES), Little Gidding (London, original wrappers, 1942, TWO COPIES) and The Dry Salvages (London, original wrappers, September 1941), all FIRST EDITIONS (except where indicated) IN ORIGINAL PARTS (lacking East Coker). (6)

[IRVING, Washington (1783-1859)]. The Alhambra, London, 1832, 2 volumes, large 8vo, contemporary calf-backed blue paper boards. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION. With 4 other works by the same author in 6 vols. (8)[IRVING, Washington (1783-1859)].  The Alhambra. By Geoffrey Crayon. London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, 1832. 2 volumes, large 8vo (225 x 145mm). Half titles, one-page of publisher's advertisements inserted at the front of vol. II and 4-pages at the end (variable mainly light spotting and staining). Contemporary [?or probably the original publisher's] calf-backed blue paper boards, uncut (some ink stains to spines, head of spines of vol. one chipped, lacks lettering-pieces, extremities rubbed). Provenance: "Lady Brooke, Great Oakley" (old signature on the front free endpapers of each vol.); "Ladies' Society" (see "Notice" below). FIRST ENGLISH EDITION of this collection of nine supernatural tales, and the last work published under the author's pseudonym "Geoffrey Crayon". It preceded the first American edition by about three weeks. A contemporary printed "Notice" is pasted onto the front free endpaper of vol. one, stating, "Many complaints having been made respecting the irregular manner in which the Books belonging to the Ladies' Society are forwarded. [sic] It is particularly requested that the Members belonging to this Society will forward the Books in circulating, immediately after the time allotted for keeping them is expired; a compliance with which would tend greatly to keep up and restore the regularity of the Society. N.B. It is requested that each Lady will forward the Books to the next Member free of any expense." The front pastedown of the same volume contains an autograph list of ladies who have borrowed the book during 1832, and the day and month on which they did so, commencing with Lady Brooke on May 18th. Bleiler The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 886; Langfeld & Blackburn Washington Irving: A Bibliography p.32; Wright I, 1373. With 4 other works by the same author in 6 volumes, namely Bracebridge Hall; or, The Humorists (London, 1822, 2 vols., 8vo, attractively bound in contemporary half calf gilt, FIRST ENGLISH EDITION), Old Christmas: from the Sketch Book of Washington Irving (London, 1876, 8vo, illustrated by R. Caldecott, original blue pictorial cloth gilt, FIRST SEPARATE EDITION THUS, the text first appearing as part of the Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. in 1809), Knickerbocker's History of New York (New York, 1894, 2 vols., large 8vo, illustrations by Edward W. Kemble, original pictorial cloth gilt; first published in 1809) and The Alhambra (London, 1896, 8vo, illustrations by Joseph Pennell, original decorated cloth gilt, wear to upper cover, reprint). Provenance: The Property of a Collector. (8)

MILNE, A. A. (1882-1956). Winnie-the-Pooh, London, 1926, 8vo, half title, illustrations by E. H. Shepard, some full-page, original green pictorial cloth gilt, dust-jacket. AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION.MILNE, A. A. (1882-1956).  Winnie-the-Pooh. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1926. 8vo (190 x 125mm). Half title, wood-engraved illustrations by E. H. Shepard, some full-page. Original green pictorial cloth gilt, top edges gilt, others uncut, pictorial endpapers, dust-jacket with "117th Thousand" above the advertisement for "When We Were Very Young" at the head of the rear turn-in (a few chips to the corners of the jacket, not affecting letters, very short closed tear to lower wrapper, a faint browned strip to the front and rear free endpapers, small pencil number at the upper edge of the front free endpaper). Provenance: The Property of a Collector. AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION. Grolier Club One Hundred Books Famous in Children's Literature 71.

WYATT, C. W. (1842-1900). British Birds, London, 1894-99, 2 volumes bound in one, 4to, 67 fine hand-coloured lithographed plates by C. W. Wyatt (some very faint spotting and staining), contemporary green half morocco gilt (spine faded). FIRST EDITION.WYATT, Claude Wilmot (1842-1900).  British Birds: Being Coloured Illustrations of all the Species of Passerine Birds Resident in the British Isles, with Some Notes in Reference to their Plumage [Volume II:]  British Birds: With Some Notes in Reference to their Plumage. London: William Wesley & Son, 1894-99. 2 volumes bound in one, 4to (322 x 270mm). 67 fine lithographed plates by Mintern Bros. after C. W. Wyatt, hand-coloured by "the Misses [Bowdler] Sharpe" (title to the first vol. lightly spotted and browned, some very faint mainly marginal spotting and staining to the plates). Contemporary green half morocco, the spine gilt in compartments, marbled endpapers (extremities rubbed, the spine faded, endpapers spotted). FIRST EDITION. "My thanks are due to the Misses Sharpe for the perfect way in which they have carried out the painting [i.e. hand-colouring of the plates] for me" (from Wyatt's Preface to the second vol.). Freeman 4170; Mullens & Swann p.667: "... probably the best 'working' book of illustrations ..."; Jackson Bird Illustrators: Some Artists in Early Lithography pp.100-102: "Wyatt's fine plates were enhanced by the work of Dr. R. B. Sharpe's daughters"; Nissen IVB 1027; Sitwell Fine Bird Books p.116; Wood p.638: "... fine hand-coloured plates ..."; Zimmer p.694.

CHINESE CERAMICS - R. L. HOBSON (1872-1941). Catalogue of the Leonard Gow Collection of Chinese Porcelain, London, 1931, 4to, 85 plates, some coloured, FINELY BOUND in full morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, box. ONE OF 300 COPIES SIGNED BY LEONARD GOW.CHINESE CERAMICS - Richard Lockhart HOBSON (1872-1941).  Catalogue of the Leonard Gow Collection of Chinese Porcelain. [London: George W. Jones], 1931. Large 4to (318 x 250mm). Half title, title within decorative border printed in orange and black, coloured initials and some text leaves within decorative borders, 85 plates, some coloured. FINELY BOUND in full terracotta polished morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe with Leonard Gow's armorial device stamped in gilt on the upper cover, the spine with five raised bands and lettered in gilt, top edges gilt, others uncut, original padded buckram book box. A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION. ONE OF 300 COPIES SIGNED BY LEONARD GOW, this copy unnumbered.

MILNE, A. A. (1882-1956). The House at Pooh Corner, London, 1928, 8vo, half title, illustrations by E. H. Shepard, some full-page, original pink pictorial cloth gilt, dust-jacket (some light staining to jacket, slight fraying to edges). FIRST EDITION.MILNE, A. A. (1882-1956).  The House at Pooh Corner. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1928. 8vo (188 x 125mm). Half title, wood-engraved frontispiece and illustrations by E. H. Shepard, some full-page. Original pink pictorial cloth gilt, top edges gilt, others uncut, pictorial endpapers, dust-jacket with the price of 7/6 on the backstrip (some light staining to the jacket, slight fraying to edges affecting one letter at the head of the backstrip, backstrip a little darkened, sections of endpapers lightly browned). FIRST EDITION.

CHRISTIE, Agatha (1890-1976). A Pocket Full of Rye, London, 1853, 8vo, original cloth, dust-jacket. A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION. With 2 other books by the same author, both FIRST EDITIONS in dust-jackets. (3)CHRISTIE, Agatha (1890-1976).  A Pocket Full of Rye. London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1953. 8vo (182 x 125mm). Half title. Original orange cloth, the spine lettered in black, the dust-jacket with price of 10s. 6d. unclipped (some light spotting to the lower wrapper of the jacket, a few very short closed tears without loss). Provenance: "To Des, Wishing you a very Happy Christie, from Gloria, Xmas 1953" (inscription on the front free endpaper). A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION and the author's sixth novel to feature Miss Marple. Hubin The Bibliography of Crime Fiction 1749-1975 p.80. With the same author's They Do It With Mirrors (London, 1952) and Destination Unknown (London, 1954, with a lengthy but not unsightly autograph poetic quote by the donor of the book on the front pastedown), both FIRST EDITIONS in the original cloth with dust-jackets. (3)

SUFFRAGETTES - Helen BLACKBURN (1842-1903). Women's Suffrage, London, 1902, 8vo, plates and tables, original buckram. FIRST EDITION. With another related (defective) book, a collection of 15 SUFFRAGETTE POSTCARDS, and a related badge. (18)SUFFRAGETTES - Helen BLACKBURN (1842-1903).  Women's Suffrage. A Record of the Women's Suffrage Movement in the British Isles with Biographical Sketches of Miss Becker. London: Williams & Norgate, 1902. 8vo (190 x 130mm). Half title, publisher's woodcut monogram on title, half tone plates, 3 folding tables (one folding table crudely repaired with adhesive tape). Original green buckram, the spine lettered in gilt, uncut (extremities lightly rubbed, some scratching to the lower cover, without a dust-jacket). Provenance: E. Vaughan (old signature on the front free endpaper). FIRST EDITION. With Hall Caine's Our Girls. Their Work for the War ... With 15 Illustrations from Photographs by the Ministry of Munitions (London, 1916, 8vo, full-page half tone illustrations, lacks all after p.126, original cloth, stained and spotted, without the dust-jacket, FIRST EDITION, including a printed presentation leaf bound in at the front stating "From One of Our Girls To One of Our Boys ... Wishing you a Happy Christmas And a Glad New Year", with a space for a photograph of the sender); with a collection of 15 monochrome and coloured SUFFRAGETTE POSTCARDS, some supportive, some disparaging to the cause; and a suffragette enamel badge worded "National Union of Womens [sic] Suffrage Societies Constitutional Non Party", with pin. (18) 

KNIGHT, Laura (1877-1970, artist). Laura Knight, London, 1923, 4to, frontispiece and 20 plates by Laura Knight, including 3 coloured, original paper boards (rather worn). FIRST EDITION, NUMBER 17 OF 500 COPIES SIGNED BY THE ARTIST.KNIGHT, Laura (1877-1970, artist).  Laura Knight. A Book of Drawings with a Foreword by Charles Marriott and Descriptive Notes. London: John Lane, The Bodley Head Limited, 1923. 4to (315 x 255mm). Half title, frontispiece portrait and 20 plates by Laura Knight, including 3 coloured, one-page of publisher's advertisements at the end. Original hessian-backed paper boards, printed label on spine (corners worn, quite heavily rubbed and stained, spine label torn with loss, inner hinges weak). Provenance: "October 27th 1942" (date written in pencil on the front free endpaper). FIRST EDITION. NUMBER 17 OF 500 COPIES SIGNED BY THE ARTIST.

CONRAD, Joseph (1857-1924). The Secret Agent, London, 1907, 8vo, half title, 40-pages of publisher's advertisements at the end dated September 1907 (some spotting and staining), original red cloth gilt (extremities rubbed). FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE.CONRAD, Joseph (1857-1924).  The Secret Agent. A Simple Tale. London: Methuen & Co., 1907. 8vo (190 x 125mm). Half title with publisher's advertisement on the verso, preceded by a blank leaf, 40-pages of publisher's advertisements at the end dated September 1907 (some spotting to the first few leaves including the title, marginal stain to two leaves, occasional light spotting and staining). Original red cloth, the spine lettered and decorated in gilt (extremities rubbed, some light scuffing and staining, some light abrasion to endpapers, possible signifying the removal of a label or signature, lower inner hinges split). Provenance: The Property of a Collector; some inconspicuous pencil annotation to endpapers. FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, with "be be" in the final line of p.117, "Whpt" on p.397 and "himsel" on p.426. The book was issued without a dust-jacket. Barzun & Taylor 903 A Catalogue of Crime: "... the earliest and best novel portraying the character and fate of a double agent ..."; Cagle A12a; Connolly The Modern Movement 15: "The Secret Agent depicts the atmosphere of Edwardian London in a psychological thriller of the anarchist underworld. Conrad's wit and chivalrous magnanimity are at their airiest in this novel (beloved of Dr Leavis) which is more influential though less grandly Flaubertian than Nostromo" ... [I]t contains Conrad's greatest heroine ..."; Ehrsam p.304; Hubin Crime Fiction IV, p.332; Keating 73; Modern Library Top 100 46; Smith 13; Wise 17: "In a copy of the First Edition of The Secret Agent Mr. Conrad has written the following interesting note:- 'This novel, suggested by the well-known attempt to blow up the Observatory in Greenwich, is based on two pieces of information: one that the perpetrator was a half-witted youth, the other that his sister committed suicide some time afterwards. As literary aim the book is an attempt to treat consistently a melodramatic subject ironically'."

KING, Stephen (b.1947). Christine, London, 1983, large 8vo, original black cloth, dust-jacket. A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST U.K. EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "To Dave - Be well, Stephen King, 5/14/83."KING, Stephen (b.1947).  Christine. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1983. Large 8vo (232 x 145mm). Half title. Original black cloth, the spine lettered in gilt, the dust-jacket designed by Ian Hughes with a coloured illustration by Gerald Grace on the front cover and a monochrome photographed portrait of the author on the rear wrapper with the price of £8.95 unclipped. A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST U.K. EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "To Dave - be well, Stephen King, 5/14/83." "Stephen King needs little introduction, for he is today's leading horror book writer. His previous bestselling novels include Carrie, 'Salem's Lot, The Shining, Fire Starter and The Stand, and many have been made into highly successful films" (from the rear turn-in). The recipient of this presentation copy was David Baldock who worked for the "Forbidden Planet" bookshop in London for many years and was well-known to the writers who launched their books there throughout the 1970s and into the early 1990s. Loosely-inserted is a promotional flyer for the Christine signing event dated Saturday 14 May [1983], the same date of the author's inscription.

[PYNE, James Baker (1800-70). The English Lake District, London, 1853]. Folio, 24 lithographed plates by Pyne, one coloured by hand, disbound in contemporary half morocco (very worn). Sold as a collection of plates, not subject to return.[PYNE, James Baker (1800-70).  The English Lake District. London: Thomas Agnew & Sons, 1853]. Folio (625 x 445mm). 24 plates lithographed by William Gauci after James Baker Pyne, the plate of Windermere COLOURED BY HAND (lacking the lithographed title, some mainly marginal staining and spotting, more pronounced to one plate). Disbound, with some conjugate text leaves present, in contemporary red half morocco (very worn). FIRST EDITION. Abbey Scenery 196; Bobins 1702; Tooley 387; not in Brunet or Hardie. Sold as a collection of plates, not subject to return.

LINSCHOTEN, Jan Huygen van (1563-1611). Histoire de la Navigation ... Aux Indes Orientales, Amsterdam, 1638, 3 parts in one volume, folio, 3 engraved titles, portrait, 6 maps, 33 plates (?only of 36), contemporary calf (re-backed). Third French edition.LINSCHOTEN, Jan Huygen van (1563-1611).  Histoire de la Navigation de Jean Hugues de Linschot Hollandois: Aux Indes Orientales. Contenant diverses Descriptions des lieux iusques à present descouverts par les Portugais: Observations des Coustumes & singulaitez de del, & autres declarations. Avec annotations de B. Paludanus, Docteur en Medecine sur la matiere des Plantes & Especeries: Item quelques Cartes Geographiques, & autres Figures. Troixiesme edition, augmentee. Amsterdam: "Chez Evert Cloppenburgh, Marchand libraire, demeurant sur le Water a la Bible Doree," 1638. 3 parts in one volume, folio (297 x 192mm). Elaborate engraved allegorical title incorporating two baroque cartouches, with 2 further engraved part-titles, namely, "Le Grand Routier de Mer" and "Description de l' Amerique & des parties d' icelle, comme de la Nouvelle France, Floride, des Antilles, Iucaya, Cuba, Jamaica, &c.", engraved three-quarter length portrait of the author within baroque cartouche on the verso of the "index" leaf, large folding twin-hemisphere map of the world by Petrus Plancius ("Orbis Terrarum Typus de Integro Multis in Locis Emendatus") dated 1595 [Shirley 187] and 5 other folding maps, 33 engraved plates (?only, of 36), of which 30 double-page and three folding (small stain on the first engraved title, two maps torn and repaired with slight loss, some plates and maps mounted on later hinges, some leaves lightly stained or browned with some minor mainly marginal worming, some darker spots, final text leaf of last part torn and neatly repaired affecting a few letters). Contemporary speckled calf gilt (re-backed in old-style with 5 raised bands and preserving the original red morocco lettering-piece, some rubbing and repairs at edges of boards, inner hinges inconspicuously reinforced). Provenance: Earl of Roden (armorial bookplate and old label); "Biblioteca de Agustin Edwards" (library label); "3 plates are missing but it possesses two which are not listed" (later pencil inscription on the front free endpaper, seemingly erroneous). THE THIRD FRENCH EDITION of this highly influential work - the most comprehensive illustrated travelogue of its time - containing all the knowledge and learning relating to the East and West Indies at the beginning of the 17th-century, in addition to describing, in the second part of this edition, the navigation of the coasts of West Africa around the Cape of Good Hope to Arabia, and, in the third, the coasts of Florida, the Caribbean and Brazil. Through its various editions, the book served as a direct stimulus to the building of the English and Dutch trading empires, and it was so highly esteemed as a functional navigational aid that a copy was given to each ship sailing for the Indies, a fact that accounts for the generally poor condition of many copies, unlike the present one, which is remarkably well preserved. The work has a complicated publishing history. It was first published in a Dutch edition in 1595, followed by Latin and English translations in 1598. The first French edition appeared in 1610, but with plates which were reduced versions based on those of De Bry. The second French edition, of 1619, and the present third one of 1638 - with commentaries by the physician and collector Bernard Paludanus (1550-1663) - returned to the original folio-sized plates of the Dutch edition, and, for this reason, are considered the most desirable. These last two French editions also include, for the first time, the two additional parts described above. The present copy comprises a total of three engraved titles, an engraved portrait, six folding maps and 33 double-page or folding plates. All of the plates are in the first part. Three of the six folding maps are in the first part and three in the second part. The third part contains no plates or maps, only its engraved title. The list of plates calls for a total of 36, suggesting that the present copy is lacking three. However, plate and map counts vary in other copies, and collating the work against its own list of plates has its own pitfalls since the plates are unnumbered and are rarely placed at the page numbers indicated. In addition, the titles of the plates in the list usually bear little relation to the captions on the plates themselves, or are open to interpretation: this is not helped by the fact that the titles in the index are in French, whereas the captions beneath the plates themselves are in Latin and Dutch. It seems quite possible that some of the plates are counted as two or more, since they have two or more subjects. On the list of plates, plate numerals 18 - 22 are omitted, although their plate titles remain, unnumbered, in sequence [see illustration]: it is unclear what this signifies, if anything, but it could suggest that the subjects are compressed onto fewer separate sheets, which would then reduce the overall apparent plate count when counting the sheets alone rather than relying on the numbering. The list also calls for only five maps, and not six, as are included here. Please see further illustrations of the lot provided in the link below. Alden 638.67; Borba I, 490; Brunet III, 139: "Cette traduction [française] [included in the 1610, 1619 and 1638 editions] est plus recherchée que l' édition latine"; Palau 138584; Penrose Travel and Discovery in the Renaissance 1420-1620 p.311; Sabin 41373; Tiele 686-88.For more images of this lot please click here

MITFORD, Nancy (1904-73). The Pursuit of Love, London, 1945, 8vo, original blue cloth, dust-jacket by Roger Furse with price unclipped (jacket torn with slight loss). FIRST EDITION.MITFORD, Nancy (1904-73).  The Pursuit of Love. A Novel. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1945, 8vo (184 x 120mm). Half title, title printed in red and black (printing crease to pp.61/62 only very slightly affecting legibility, a few isolated spots, very lightly browned throughout consistent with "War Economy Paper"). Original sky blue cloth, the spine lettered in gilt, blue dust-jacket by Roger Furse with the price of 8s. 6d. unclipped (some spotting to the front pastedown, the jacket torn at the head and foot of the backstrip with slight loss, corners frayed, a long tear to the fold of the turn in with only very slight loss, a few short tears or nicks, some repairs with adhesive tape to verso). Provenance: P. J. Armstrong (old signature on front free endpaper); some minor pencil bookseller's annotation. FIRST EDITION of the first novel in "The Radlett Trilogy" which was followed by Love In a Cold Climate (1949) and Don't Tell Alfred (1960). "[Nancy Mitford] published three novels before her first popular success, The Pursuit of Love (1945), in which the sensible Fanny, daughter of the irresponsible Bolter, describes the affairs of her six Radlett cousins, and in particular the progress of the lovely Linda through several marriages and passions to a premature death" (The Oxford Companion to English Literature, ed. Drabble, 1985).

TENNANT, Stephen (1906-87) & Pamela GREY (1871-1928). The Vein in The Marble, London, 1925, 4to, 32 plates by Tennant, original boards. FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed by Pamela Grey to Clare Mackail. With 3 other related books. (4)TENNANT, Stephen (1906-87, illustrator) & Pamela GREY (1871-1928).  The Vein in the Marble. London: Philip Allan & Company, 1925. 4to (245 x 190mm). Half title, illustrations on the title and on the verso of the final leaf, 32 mounted monochrome plates by Stephen Tennant (some browning to the verso of the dedication leaf and the contents leaf, some lighter mainly marginal browning). Original cloth-backed marbled silk boards, printed label mounted on upper cover, pictorial endpapers by Stephen Tennant, two additional printed labels tipped-in at the end (spine detached, edges rubbed and frayed). FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed on the half title, "For Clare Mackail from Pamela Grey, 1926." Pamela Adelaide Genevieve Grey, Viscountess Grey of Fallodon, was an English writer and the mother of Stephen Tennant, the (in)famous socialite and one of the so-called "Bright Young Things", who illustrated the book in his distinctive fin-de-siècle style. Clare Mackail (1896-1975), who led an altogether more low-profile life, was the grand-daughter of Edward Burne-Jones. With 3 other related books, namely Rose Henniker Heaton's The Perfect Hostess ... Decorated by Alfred E. Taylor (London, 1931, 8vo, original decorated cloth-backed boards), the same author's The Perfect Christmas ([London], 1932, 8vo, illustrated by Daphne Jerrold, original coloured decorated cloth-backed boards) and Giovanni Quaglino's The Complete Hostess ... Edited by Charles Graves ([London], 1935, illustrations printed in black and green by Anna K. Zinkeisen, original pictorial cloth, dust-jacket, jacket frayed with slight loss), all FIRST EDITIONS. (4)

CHINESE CERAMICS - D. HOWARD & J. AYRES. China for the West. Chinese Porcelain & other Decorative Arts ... illustrated from the Mottahedeh Collection, London, 1978, 2 volumes, folio, illustrations, buckram, dust-jackets, slipcase. PRESENTATION COPY. (2)CHINESE CERAMICS - David HOWARD ([dates unknown]) & John AYRES ([dates unknown]).  China for the West. Chinese Porcelain & Other Decorative Arts for Export illustrated from the Mottahedeh Collection. London: Sotheby Parke Bernet, 1978. 2 volumes, folio (328 x 240mm). Titles printed in blue and black, coloured and monochrome illustrations. Original dark blue buckram gilt, top edges gilt, dust-jackets (short tear to upper edge of dust-jacket to vol. one), slipcase. FIRST EDITION. PRESENTATION COPY, the front free endpaper of vol. one inscribed, "Cecil & Muriel Bullivant, With my best wishes, David, March 1978"; and further SIGNED by David Howard and John Ayres on the title. (2)

CONRAD, Joseph (1857-1924). Chance, London, 1913, 8vo, original green cloth gilt. FIRST EDITION. Please see the extensive notes regarding the edition below.CONRAD, Joseph (1857-1924).  Chance. A Tale in Two Parts. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1913. 8vo (190 x 125mm). Half title, publisher's advertisement on the verso of the title, title with "First Printed in 1913" on the verso, uncancelled and not mounted on a tab, 8-pages of publisher's advertisements dated "Autumn 1913" at the end, followed by 31-pages of publisher's advertisements dated "September 1913" (half title spotted, title cleanly torn at the lower gutter without loss, some other mainly marginal light spotting and staining, more pronounced towards the front, ink spot on page 377). Original green cloth, the spine lettered and decorated in gilt with "METHVEN" at the foot of the spine. Provenance: The Property of a Collector; Ryan Campbell, followed by a third, illegible, name (later pencil signature on front free endpaper); Tauchnitz flyer loosely-inserted. FIRST EDITION, with "First Published in 1913" on the verso of the title and "Colonial Library" stamped in purple ink in small letters beneath the imprint on the front of the title. "Moral isolation is ... the theme of Chance (1914) [sic], which is, again, a very different kind of book - different from Under Western Eyes and from the other novels ... The technical distinction of Chance has not lacked recognition. That no doubt is because Chance invites the description 'technical triumph' in a way which Nostromo and The Secret Agent do not ... The genius is amply apparent in Chance. It is most apparent in the force of realization with which the characters are evoked, and which has led above to the mention of Dickens. That which suggests Dickens in Chance - and there is a great deal of it - is all strongly characteristic of Conrad ... [Chance] is certainly a remarkable novel" (F. R. Leavis, The Great Tradition). "Few 20th-century books have a more complex publishing history than Chance, and even fewer, it would seem, have been the subject of as much bibliographical gossip and conjecture." So opens William R. Cagle's article "The Publication of Joseph Conrad's Chance" in the Autumn 1967 issue of The Book Collector (pp. 305-322) in which the bibliographer identifies no less than 12 different issues of the first edition. The present copy seems to conform most closely to the fourth of these and a pencil note on its front free endpaper [illustrated], which also suggests the numbers of copies printed, would seem to bear this out. Cagle describes this variant as follows: "4. First impression, colonial issue, second state: Issued with a cancel conjugate half-title and title with 'First published in 1913' on the verso of the title. The cancel was supplied when it was decided to issue these colonial copies domestically for which reason they were also bound in the 6s binding. When this decision was reversed and these copies were transferred back to the colonial issue they were rubber stamped 'Colonial Library' on the title-page beneath the imprint. Published as part of the colonial issue at least six weeks before the domestic issue. Two copies examined (Berg Collection, New York Public Library; University of Texas)." Two other issue points in the present copy are the "battered type" (Cagle's term) found at the foot of pages 294 and 299 and "Narcissus" having both sets of quotation marks in the list of the author's works on the verso of the half title, both of which Cagle claims to be indicators of first impressions. However, he also states that in the first impression the "motto" (i.e. the epigram) appears 44mm below the author's name on the title page, whereas in the present copy it appears 49mm beneath, and 5mm might as well be a mile in bibliography. A further article by Donald Rude which appeared in the 1978 Autumn issue of The Book Collector (pp. 343-347) entitled "Joseph Conrad's Chance. An Anomalous Copy of the First Impression of the First British Edition" starts with a similar warning to Cagle's by stating, "... the publication history of Chance ... may well be more complex than that of any other major 20th-century literary work," a conviction he then goes on to exemplify at some length. Cagle A17a; Keating pp.217-219; Smith p.58; Wise 22: "The actual princeps may be readily identified by a reference to the note which stands upon the reverse of the Title-page. In the First Issue this note reads 'First published in 1913'; in the second Issue this note reads 'First published in 1914.' In the case of this book the publishers' advertisement list bound up at the end of the volume may be of service. In some copies of the First issue this list extends to 31 pages dated 'July 1913'; in others the list consists of 8 pages dated 'Autumn 1913'. In the Second issue the 8 page list only is to be found. The binding of both issues is identical." It is interesting to note that the present copy contains both sets of publisher's advertisements. Neither Wise, or his correspondents at Methuen quoted in his bibliography, make any mention of the 'Colonial Library' stamp present in our copy, and recorded in a few others.

CHEVREUL, M. E. (1786-1889). The Laws of Contrast of Colour, London, 1859, 8vo, 17 plates, all but one printed in colours by Edmund Evans (some spotting), original coloured decorated cloth (neatly rebacked). New Edition.CHEVREUL, Michel-Eugène (1786-1889).  The Laws of Contrast of Colour: and their Application to the Arts of Paintings, Decoration of Buildings, Mosaic Work, Tapestry and Carpet Weaving, Calico Printing, Dress, Paper Staining, Printing, Illumination, Landscape, and Flower Gardening, &c. ... Translated from the French by John Spanton. New Edition, With Illustrations Printed in Colours. London: Routledge, Warnes, and Routledge, 1859. 8vo (163 x 105mm). 17 plates, all but one printed in colours by Edmund Evans, the uncoloured plate with an onlay (some light spotting and staining to plates). Original coloured decorated cloth gilt (neatly rebacked, some bumping to edges). Provenance: from the Collection of the late John Anthony Benjafield (1938-2023); bookseller's blindstamp to front free endpaper. One of the most important treatises on colour written during the 19th-century. "... the most influential of his many books. [It] was the outcome of [Chevreul's] discovery that the apparent intensity and vigour of colours depended less on the pigmentation of material used than on the hue of the neighbouring fabric. After many experiments on colour contrast Chevreul formulated for the first time the general principles and effects of simultaneous contrast, the modification in hue and tone that occurs when juxtaposed colours are seen simultaneously" (DSB). The author was one of 72 distinguished French scientists to have their names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower. Cf. Birren Yale Collection 147; Norman 468 (citing the first [French] edition of 1839).

CONRAD, Joseph (1857-1924). The Secret Agent, New York, 1907, 8vo, some staining, original cloth. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, IMPORTANT PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "Miss Hallowes from her friend the Author. 1907."CONRAD, Joseph (1857-1924).  The Secret Agent. A Simple Tale. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, [September] 1907. 8vo (187 x 125mm). Title printed in orange and black in single rule border with orange printer's device, "half title" following the title (some heavy staining to the endpapers and preliminaries including the page with the presentation inscription, light stain to corner of p.352, occasional light mainly marginal spotting and staining). Original pale blue decorated cloth (faded, some staining including darker stain to the upper cover, spine discoloured, inner hinges broken, shaken). Provenance: The Property of a Collector. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, with "Printed in U. S. of America" stamped on the verso of the title beneath the copyright panel. IMPORTANT PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "Miss Hallowes from her friend the Author. 1907." [Please see the note relating to Lilian Hallowes in the previous lot.] "The Secret Agent ... is ... indubitably a classic and a masterpiece ... [It] is truly classical in its maturity of attitude and the consummateness of the art in which this finds expression ... The irony of The Secret Agent is not a matter of an insistent and obvious 'significance' of tone, or the endless repetition of a simple formula. The tone is truly subtle - subtle with the theme; and the theme develops itself in a complex organic structure. The effect depends upon an interplay of contrasting moral perspectives, and the rich economy of the pattern they make relates The Secret Agent to Nostromo: the two works, for all the great differences between them in range and temper, are triumphs of the same art" (F. R. Leavis, The Great Tradition). Barzun & Taylor 903 A Catalogue of Crime: "... the earliest and best novel portraying the character and fate of a double agent ..."; Cagle A12b; Connolly The Modern Movement 15: "The Secret Agent depicts the atmosphere of Edwardian London in a psychological thriller of the anarchist underworld. Conrad's wit and chivalrous magnanimity are at their airiest in this novel (beloved of Dr Leavis) which is more influential though less grandly Flaubertian than Nostromo ... [I]t contains Conrad's greatest heroine ..."; Ehrsam p.304; Hubin Crime Fiction IV, p.332; Modern Library Top 100 46; Smith 13; Wise 17: "The First American Edition of The Secret Agent was published by Messrs. Harper & Brothers in September 1907. The novel was serialised in America in Ridgeway's Weekly from October 6th, 1906 to January 12th, 1907, inclusive, but did not appear serially in this country [i.e. the UK]."

BINDING - André FRÉNAUD (1907-93). Soleil Irréductible, Neuchatel, 1946. 4to, FINELY BOUND BY DANIEL KNODERER in abstract multi-coloured free-form boards in bold relief (extremities lightly rubbed). FIRST EDITION. NUMBER 463 OF 1,057 COPIES.BINDING - André FRÉNAUD (1907-93).  Soleil Irréductible. Neuchatel & Paris: Ides et Calendes, 1946. 4to (252 x 190mm). Printed in red and black, printer's device at the end. FINELY BOUND BY DANIEL KNODERER in abstract multi-coloured free-form boards in bold relief, with some highlighting in gold, sky blue endpapers (extremities lightly rubbed). FIRST EDITION. NUMBER 463 OF 1,057 COPIES. A characteristically striking avant-garde binding by Daniel Knoderer (b.1948). "I bind only books that I have read, that I like, that interest me. It is when I understand the book and what it contains in text and illustration that my work can begin. [My bindings are] almost completely improvised, like a piece of modern music. The technical and plastic choices - colours, materials - naturally impose themselves on me, so that I do not feel that I am responsible for the choices. It's always the book that inspires me to take this or that direction; without the book, I can do nothing!" (Daniel Knoderer, Arts et Metiérs du Livre, 2005).

"MAC ORLAN, Pierre" (1882-1970). Boutiques, Paris, 1925, coloured lithographed frontispiece, title and 36 fine plates by L. Boucher, FINELY BOUND BY GEORGES LEROUX. FIRST EDITION, NUMBER 169 OF 520 COPIES. With another BOUND BY LEROUX. RARE. (2)"MAC ORLAN, Pierre" (pseudonym of Pierre DUMARCHEY, 1882-1970, writer), Lucien BOUCHER (1889-1971, illustrator) & Georges LEROUX (1922-99, binder).  Boutiques. Paris: Editions Marcel Seheur, 1925. 4to (226 x 190mm). Half title, coloured lithographed frontispiece, title and 36 fine coloured lithographed plates of Parisian shopfronts by Lucien Boucher (plates lightly offset onto the text). FINELY BOUND BY GEORGES LEROUX in full polished fuschia morocco, 2 motifs of 4 and 6 circles of onlaid brown marbled calf on each cover, onlaid title to spines, gilt edges, felt-lined chemise, original wrappers bound in, stamped "Leroux ... 1990". FIRST EDITION. NUMBER 169 OF 520 COPIES "SUR ARCHES". "Boutiques paired the jewel-like illustrations of Lucien Boucher with the surreal text of Pierre Mac Orlan. Snapped up by collectors, Boutiques sold out on publication and is a classic of the art deco period. The book was also coveted by artists, including Eric Ravilious, whose High Street (1938) owes a great debt to Boucher's style" (from the introduction to Mainstone Press's 2023 facsimile reprint of the present first edition). With the same author's, artist's and binder's Boutiques de la Foire (Paris, 1926, 4to, coloured lithographed frontispiece, title and 36 fine coloured lithographed plates of Parisian fairground rides and stalls by Lucien Boucher, FINELY BOUND BY GEORGES LEROUX in full polished blue morocco, with an identical design to the first named work, stamped "Leroux ... 1990" (both chemise spines lightly rubbed and scuffed). FIRST EDITION, NUMBER 373 OF 545 COPIES. These companion works, contained in a double slipcase, bring together the varied talents of the French novelist, surrealist and song-writer "Pierre Mac Orlan" (one of many pseudonyms of Pierre Dumarchey); French artist, cartoonist and writer Lucien Boucher; and Georges Leroux, one of the most accomplished and original French bookbinders of the 20th-century. BOTH WORKS ARE RARE. Talvart & Place Bibliographie des Auteurs Modernes de Langue Française (1801-1975) XII, p.363. (2) 

BERLESE, Abbé Laurent (1784-1863). Iconographie du Genre Caméllia, Paris, 1843, vol. III only (of 3), folio, 74 hand-coloured plates only (of 100, some spotting and browning), calf-backed boards. Sold as a collection of plates, not subject to return.BERLESE, Abbé Laurent (1784-1863).  Iconographie du Genre Caméllia ou Description et Figures des Camellia les Plus Beaux at les Plus Rares Peints d' après Nature dans les Serres et sous la direction de M. L' Abbé Berlèse par M. J.-J. Jung. Paris: H Cousin, 1843. Volume III only (of 3), folio (347 x 265mm). Half title, 74 fine engraved and stipple-engraved plates of camellias printed in colours, and finished by hand, by Auguste Duménil, Gabriel and Oudet after Johann Jakob Jung (only, of 100 in vol. III, lacking plates numbered 203, 208, 212, 214, 215, 216, 218, 220, 226, 232, 237, 239, 241, 244, 247, 249, 251, 253, 254, 261, 267, 268, 269, 278, 280 and 294 [i.e. 26 plates lacking from the sequence which is numbered from 201-300], some plates browned and/or spotted, plate 263 torn without loss and repaired on the verso, text leaves spotted throughout). Later calf-backed marbled boards, spine gilt. Provenance: Domingo Bezanilla, Santiago (stamp on title and first plate). FIRST EDITION. Brunet II, 744 (listed under Jung); Dunthorne Flower and Fruit Prints of the 18th and Early 19th Centuries 30; Sitwell Great Flower Books p.50; Nissen BBI 150. Sold as a collection of plates, not subject to return.

CHINESE CERAMICS - H. MOSS (b.1943). By Imperial Command. An Introduction to Ch'ing Imperial Painted Enamels, Hong Kong, 1976, 2 volumes, folio, 87 fine coloured plates, original buckram, slipcase. FIRST EDITION. NUMBER 495 OF 1,000 COPIES. (2)CHINESE CERAMICS - Hugh MOSS (b.1943).  By Imperial Command. An Introduction to Ch'ing Imperial Painted Enamels. Hong Kong: Hibiya Company Limited., 1976. 2 volumes, folio (380 x 255mm). Titles printed in blue, grey and black, 87 fine coloured plates. Original dark blue buckram, dust-jackets, contained in common slipcase, publisher's "Notes" slip and a small erratum slip loosely-inserted. FIRST EDITION. NUMBER 495 OF 1,000 COPIES. (2) 

Muybridge, Eadweard -- Animal Locomotion. An Electrophotographic Investigation of Consecutive Phases of Animal Movements. 1872-1885. Bound volume with a total of 21 collotypes on plates. Each circa 46 x 60 cm. Each with printed caption, number and Muybridge's copyright on plate. Title page with dedication by Muybridge to "Sir Fredk Leighton Baron P.R.A. with the homage of the author June 1889" and later dedication by Lord Leighton "To Linley Sambourne from an old friend. July 22, 1896" in pencil. Bound in half morocco, cloth-covered album (corners rubbed, some scratches) gilt morocco cover label "Animal Locomotion. By Eadweard Muybridge. 1872-1885. Plates. University of Pennsylvania". University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1887.Grolier, Truthful Lens, 123. Parr/Badger, The Photobook I, 52. This album features an important collection of Eadweard Muybridge’s groundbreaking “instantaneous photography,” a self-developed technique that enabled high-precision stop-motion images using an early rapid-acting shutter. Initially focusing on horses, Muybridge expanded his repertoire to include athletes, birds, lions, and camels, famously capturing the first image of a galloping horse with all four hooves off the ground in 1872. By 1885, he had amassed over 20,000 photographic negatives, comprising 781 sequential photo plates taken from multiple cameras positioned at carefully planned locations and angles, each illustrating a subject in continuous motion.Muybridge’s handwritten dedication on the title page to Frederic Leighton, one of Victorian England’s celebrated artists, underscores the influence of his movement studies on contemporary artists such as Thomas Eakins, Frederic Remington, Ernest Meissonier, Edgar Degas, and the French inventor Étienne-Jules Marey. Notably, Leighton passed away in 1896, the same year he gifted this particular copy to his “old friend,” the renowned Punch cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne.The complete eleven-part work Animal Locomotion contains 781 numbered plates. The accompanying Author’s Edition, offered here, featured a removable subscription leaf that allowed subscribers to choose their preferred plates, resulting in varied content across different sets. This copy includes plates 3, 133, 152, 174, 187, 214, 279, 289, 347, 408, 465, 471, 565, 616, 626, 647, 659, 710, 721, 739, and 755. The exceptionally fine collotypes were printed by the Photo-Gravure Company in New York. – Edges of plates time-stained and with some moisture staining, images not affected, images very finely printed and in very good condition.

Ogawa, Kazumasa -- Some Japanese Flowers. 1892-1896. 4 albums, containing a total of 36 collotypes on album pages (some loose). Each between 22 x 22 cm and 28 x 24 cm or reverse (40,5 x 27,5 cm). With printed title on interleaf or below image on mount. Bound in original album with silk cord binding (soiled, some creases and tears). Kelly and Walsh Edition, Yokohama. Kazumasa Ogawa was a key figure in Meiji-era photography and printing, establishing Tokyo’s first photographic studio in 1884 and founding Japan’s leading collotype printing business in 1889. Renowned for his technical innovations and editorial contributions to photography journals, Ogawa gained particular acclaim for his botanical photography. His collotypes of flowers, characterized by meticulous detail and artistry, demonstrate a profound appreciation for floral subjects. Complete albums of Ogawa’s flower photographs, such as these four, are exceedingly rare. – Some scuff marks, small hole on one print, otherwise all in good to very condition.

Tolkien, J.R.R. - 'The Adventures of Tom Bombadil', first edition illustrated by Pauline Baynes, published George Allen & Unwin Ltd 1962, decorative boards

After Ernest Clegg (British 1876-1954): 'Yorkshire East Riding', colour pictorial map pub. 1946 (first dated edition) pub. John Waddington Ltd Leeds 1946, 43cm x 56cm

WELLS, H.G. The Shape of Things to Come, the Ultimate Revolution. London: Hutchinson & Co. Ltd., 1933. First edition, 8vo (216 x 149mm.) 12pp. publisher’s catalogue to rear. (Mild toning.) Original blue cloth (light spotting to spine), dust-jacket (chipping and small tears to extremities). Note: Wells’ dystopian novel where several of his short-term predictions came true, including the destruction of cities by aerial bombing. The prophetic vein in Wells’ work influenced many writers in the growing genre of sci-fi writing in the 1940’s and 50’s. – And a further five volumes by H.G. Wells (including ‘The Bulpington of Blup’, [1932], 8vo, and ‘The Autocracy of Mr. Parham’, 1930, 8vo) (6).

[GRIMALDI, Stacey.] A Suit of Armour for Youth. London: by the Proprietor [R. Ackermann], 1824. First edition, 12mo (179 x 100mm.) Engraved hand-coloured frontispiece by Cosmo Armstrong after William Grimaldi, 11 hand-coloured engraved plates with movable flap overlays showing a symbolic illustration of armour. (Offsetting to text, mild toning, blanks replaced.) Near contemporary Spanish calf bound by Root & Son with two black morocco pieces to the spine, gilt fillet borders, g.e. (rebacked, endpapers replaced, crease to covers).

COLLINS, Wilkie. The Life of William Collins, Esq. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1848. 2 vols., first edition, 8vo (198 x 123mm.) Engraved portrait, 2 additional engraved titles, 32pp. publisher’s catalogue to the rear of vol. 1. (Lacking front endpapers and preliminaries to both volumes, adhesive remains to pastedowns, spotting to additional titles.) Original brown blind-stamped cloth (fading and wear to spine ends, staining). Note: Wilkie Collins’ first book. Provenance: Elisabeth Smart (ink name to title of vol. 2). – And a further ten volumes by Wilkie Collins (including ‘The Moonstone’, [lacking preliminaries], 1890, 8vo) (12).

WELLS, H.G. After Democracy. London: Watts & Co., 1932. First edition, 8vo (196 x 125mm.) (Mild toning.) Original purple cloth, gilt lettering to upper cover and spine, dust-jacket (slight rubbing at top of spine panel).

[DODGSON, Charles Lutwidge.] ‘Lewis Carroll’. The Hunting of the Snark… an Agony in Eight Fits. London: Macmillan & Co., 1876. First edition, 8vo (183 x 119mm.) Frontispiece, 9 illustrations by Henry Holiday, advertisement leaf to rear. (Toning, occasional finger-mark, light spotting to title.) Original pictorial cloth, g.e. (some wear to spine panel, joints splitting). Note: ‘baker’ for ‘banker’ on p.83. Provenance: T.H. Wheeler (ink name inscribed to half-title).

CHILDREN’S BOOKS. – Rumer GODDEN. The Story of Holly and Ivy. London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1958. First edition, 8vo (233 x 151mm.) Illustrated by Adrienne Adams. (Toning.) Original red cloth, dust-jacket (a stain and slight chipping to top of spine panel). – And a further two first editions by Rumer Godden (‘Impunity Jane’, 1955, 8vo, and ‘Miss Happiness and Miss Flower’, 1961, 8vo) (3).

WELLS, H.G. The Open Conspiracy, Blue Prints For a World Revolution. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1928. First edition, 8vo (182 x 120mm.) (Browning to endpapers.) Original black cloth, dust-jacket. – And a further eight volumes by H.G. Wells (including ‘Washington and the Hope of Peace’, [1922], 8vo, and ‘Brynhild’, 1937, 8vo, and ‘The Brothers’, 1938, 8vo, ‘The Croquet Players’, 1936, 8vo, and ‘Apropos of Dolores’, 1938, 8vo, and ‘The Open Conspiracy’, Revised Edition, 1930, 8vo, and ‘A Modern Utopia’, [circa 1910], 8vo) (9).

GÖDEL, Kurt. On Formally Undecidable Propositions Of Principia Mathematica and Related Systems… translated by B. Meltzer. London: Oliver & Boyd, 1962. First English edition, 8vo (194 x 123mm.) Introduction by R.B. Braithwaite. (Mild toning.) Original grey cloth (some discolouring), dust-jacket (slight chipping, small closed tears at top of spine panel). Note: rare. Gödel first expounded his ideas on decidability in mathematics in 1934 in a series of lectures at Princeton’s Institute of Advanced Study. It’s now considered the most significant contribution to logic since Aristotle.

SUPERNATURAL. – Harry PRICE. Stella C. An Account of Some Original Experiments in Psychical Research. London: Hurst & Blackett Ltd., 1925. First edition, 8vo (183 x 116mm.) 16 black and white plates. (Toning, occasional light spotting.) Original blue cloth, dust-jacket (minor loss to extremities and top edge of upper panel). – And a further seven volumes by or about Harry Price and Borley Rectory (including Harry Price’s ‘Search for Truth’, 1942, 8vo, and ‘The End of Borley Rectory’, 1947, 8vo, and Harry Price and R.S. Lambert’s ‘The Haunting of Cashen’s Gap’, 1936, 8vo, and Harry Price’s ’50 Years of Psychical Research’, 1939, 8vo) (8).

OCCULT. – Anna B. KINGSFORD. Astrology Theologized. The Spiritual Hermeneutics of Astrology... London: George Redway, 1886. First edition, 8vo (210 x 160mm.) Illustrations. (Toning.) Original white cloth, gilt lettering to upper cover and spine (spine browned, covers finger-marked). Note: rare. An active theosophist, Kingsford founded the Hermetic Society in 1884. She was a vegetarian, feminist and an anti-vivisectionist who founded the Food Reform Society in 1881.

WELLS, H.G. World Brain. London: Methuen & Co. Limited, 1938. First edition, 8vo (187 x 120mm.) (Mild toning.) Original orange cloth (lightly bumped spine ends), dust-jacket (rubbing to extremities, minor dust-soiling to lower panel, small repair verso).

SEWELL, Anna. Black Beauty, the Autobiography of a Horse. London: Jarrold and Sons, 1894. First illustrated edition, inscribed by L. Edith Sewell, 4to (248 x 141mm.) Illustrations by John Beer, tipped-in portrait frontispiece. (Toning, occasional finger-mark.) Original pictorial blue cloth (fading to spine and upper cover, extremities rubbed). Note: ‘Black Beauty’ was Anna Sewell’s only novel. She died in 1878, five months after publication. After a lifetime of fitful poverty she lived long enough to see her novel become a success. Anna had no children but her brother, Philip, had seven and Lucy Edith Sewell was one of her five nieces. Provenance: ‘Benny’ (gift inscribed to in ink on the half-title by L. Edith Sewell).

SCI-FI. – Arthur C. CLARKE. Childhood’s End. London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1954. First U.K. edition, 8vo (187 x 121mm.) (Toning, endpapers browned, spotting to fore-edge.) Original yellow cloth, dust-jacket after Deborah Jones (toned to lower panel).

SIGNED BOOKS. – Candace BUSHNELL. Trading Up. London: Little, Brown, 2003. First U.K. edition, signed by the author, 8vo (215 x 131mm.) (Toning.) Original purple cloth, dust-jacket (price-clipped). – And a further twenty-nine volumes of fiction, all signed (30).

LEWIS, C.S. Broadcast Talks, Reprinted with some alterations from two series of Broadcast Talks… given in 1941 and 1942. London: Geoffrey Bles, July 1942. First edition, 8vo (180 x 120mm.) (Toning.) Original white cloth, lettered in red (extremities slightly dust-soiled), dust-jacket (minor loss and abrasions to spine panel, finger-marked and toned). – And a further six miscellaneous volumes (including Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass’, 1898, 8vo, and George Seaver’s ‘The Faith of Edward Wilson of the Antarctic’, 1948, 8vo) (7).

ORIGINAL ART-WORK. – Paul JAMES (editor). Birds of Sussex. Sussex: Ornithological Society, 1996. First edition, 8vo (228 x 149mm.) Photographic illustrations, black and white illustrations by John Reaney. (Mild toning.) Original brown cloth, dust-jacket, original box. – And with 7 original black and white drawings by John Reaney that are published in the book, framed and glazed (two panes cracked) (8).

JAPAN. – Basil Hall CHAMBERLAIN (editor). The Classical Poetry of the Japanese. London: Trübner & Co., 1880. First edition, 8vo (210 x 131mm.) 8pp. publisher’s advertisements to front, and 79pp. publisher’s catalogue to rear. (Toning) Original tan cloth (browned to spine, slightly finger-marked). – And a further fifteen volumes, mainly relating to China and Japan (including Florence Ayscough’s ‘Travels of a Chinese Poet, Tu Fu Guest of Rivers and Lakes’, 1934, 8vo) (16).

PRINTING. – James DOYLE. A Chronicle of England B.C. 55- A.D. 1485. London: Longman, Green, et al., 1864. First edition, 4to (270 x 194mm.) Title in red and black, numerous wood-engraved colour illustrations printed by Edmund Evans. (Small mark to half-title, toning.) Near contemporary green straight-grain morocco bound by Riviere with gilt fillet borders, the spine in five compartments with double raised bands and red morocco onlays between, gilt turn-ins, g.e. (minor scuffing and staining to upper covers, rebacked with original spine laid-down). Note: with each illustration printed in up to ten colours, Evans considered this ‘the most carefully executed book I have ever printed’.

MUSIC. – Henry ROBERTS. Calliope or English Harmony. A Collection of the most Celebrated English and Scots Songs Neatly Engrav’d and Embellish’d with Designs. London: Henry Roberts, 1739. Vol. 1 [only, of 2.] First edition, 8vo (224 x 139mm.) Engraved title and frontispiece, engraved 4pp. ‘Index’, and 200pp. of engraved musical scores with engraved vignettes to each. (Toning, slight marginal loss to p.113, pp.78-81 misbound.) Contemporary calf (extremities rubbed, lacking lettering piece, slight losses to spine panel). Note: composers include Handel and Purcell. A second volume was issued but the first volume is often found alone. Provenance: Mary Coot (ink name inscribed verso frontispiece).

WAITE, Arthur Edward. Prince Starbeam, a Tale of Fairyland. London: James Burns, 1890. First edition, 4to (187 x 135mm.) 7 plates by Evelyn O. Stuart-Menteath. (Toning, spotting to endpapers, one plate loose.) Original cloth, pictorial gilt to upper cover (browned to spine, some dust-soiling and staining). Note: one of two allegorical fairy-tales written by A.E. Waite, the other being ‘The Quest of the Golden Stairs’, published in 1927. Rare. The only recorded copy in the U.K. is at The National Library of Scotland.

METCALF, John. The Life of John Metcalf, Commonly Called Blind Jack of Knaresborough. With Many Entertaining Anecdotes of his Exploits in Hunting, Card-Playing, &c. Some Particulars relative to the Expedition against the Rebels in 1745… And also a Succinct Account of his various Contracts for Making Roads, Erecting Bridges, and Other Undertakings in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, and Cheshire. York: E. and R. Peck, 1795. First edition, 12mo (165 x 95mm.) Engraved portrait frontispiece by J.R. Smith. (Marginal loss to frontispiece affecting image, some loss to B6 text affected, tear to G1, browning and spotting throughout, lacking blanks.) Contemporary half calf (worn). Note: the extra-ordinary autobiography of John Metcalf who was rendered blind by smallpox at the age of six but who went on to become an expert horseman, soldier, cock-fighter, card-player and musician, as well as building over 180 miles of road. – And to include a lead plaque of John Metcalf (2).

MACHEN, Arthur. The Terror. London: Duckworth, 1917. First edition, 8vo (183 x 122mm.) (Browning throughout, creasing to p.146, inner hinge cracked, spotting to blanks.) Original boards (extremities browned), dust-jacket (loss and tape repair at top of spine, dust-soiled). – And a further nineteen volumes by Arthur Machen (including ‘The Autobiography of Arthur Machen’, 1951, 8vo, and ‘The Green Round’, 1933, 8vo, and ‘Dreads and Drolls’, 1926, 8vo, and ‘The Bowmen’, 1915, 8vo) (20).

WELLS, H.G. The New Teaching of History. With a Reply to some Recent Criticisms of The Outline of History. London: Cassell & Company, Ltd., 1921. First edition, 8vo (216 x 134mm.) (Toning, occasional light spotting.) Original printed wrappers (toned). – And a quantity of approximately fifty-five volumes by H.G. Wells (including ‘The Wealth, Work & Happiness of Mankind’, 1934, 8vo, and ‘The Mind at the End of Its Tether’, 1945, 8vo, and ‘The Camford Visitation’, 1937, 8vo, and ‘What Are We To Do With Our Lives’, 1931, 8vo, and ‘Guide to the New World, A Handbook of Constructive World Revolution’, 1941, 8vo) (a quantity).

PYROTECHNICS. – W.H. BROWNE. Practical Firework-Making For Amateurs. London: ‘The Bazaar’, [1884.] First edition, 8vo (194 x 123mm.) Half-title, wood-engraved frontispiece and illustrations in the text, 32pp. publisher’s catalogue to rear. (Toning, lacking blanks?) Original maroon cloth, pictorial gilt to upper cover (rebacked with original spine laid-down, endpapers replaced, lightly rubbed extremities). Note: scarce. – And a further three volumes related to fireworks (including A. St. H. Brock’s ‘Pyrotechnics: the History and Art of Firework Making’, 1922, 8vo) (4).

[ROSS, Violet and E.O. SOMERVILLE.] Through Connemara in a Governess Cart. London: W.H. Allen & Co., Limited, 1893. First edition, 8vo (189 x 129mm.) Half-title, plates. (Toning, spotting to half-title and last leaf, lacking publisher’s catalogue.) Original pictorial red cloth (minor damp-stain to lower cover). – And a further twenty-nine literary volumes (including Edith Somerville and Violet Ross’ ‘In the Vine Country’, 1893, 8vo, and James Thurber’s ‘Is Sex Necessary?’, 1929, 8vo) (30).