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Click here to subscribeFleming (Ian) On Her Majesty's Secret Service, jacket spine lightly browned, spine ends and corners a little chipped, 1963; You Only Live Twice, a few spots, jacket with tape staining to flaps, light browning to spine, spine ends and corners a little chipped, 1964, first editions, original boards, dust-jackets, 8vo (2)
Fleming (Ian) The Man with the Golden Gun, first edition, ink ownership inscription to half-title, original first state boards with golden gun on upper cover, upper cover with patch of discolouration and 2 small bumps to foot but with the gun clean and bright, dust-jacket, very light toning to spine, minor rubbing and light creasing to spine ends and corners, but a near-fine example overall, 8vo, 1965.⁂ The rare first state, discontinued by Cape due to the prohibitive cost of stamping every copy in gilt. Around 940 copies were produced with this binding with the majority sent to Commonwealth countries.
NO RESERVE Greene (Graham) Brighton Rock, first edition, original cloth, bright and fine, dust-jacket priced at $2.50, light browning to spine, neat split to head of lower joint, light rubbing to head and foot, some splitting to head of fore-edges, but a bright and excellent example overall, [Wobbe A13b], 8vo, New York, The Viking Press, 1938.⁂ Precedes the first English edition.
Hines (Barry) A Kestrel for a Knave, first edition, signed by Ken Loach on title "with best wishes", original boards, dust-jacket, browning to spine, spine ends and corners a little chipped, light creasing to head and foot, light rubbing to extremities, an excellent example overall, 8vo, 1968.
Le Carré (John) The Looking-Glass War, first edition, double-signed by the author "David Cornwell alias John Le Carré" on title, original boards, minor bumping to spine ends, dust-jacket, very light sunning to spine, light rubbing to tips of spine and corners, a sharp and excellent example overall, 8vo, 1965.⁂ The author's fourth novel, difficult to find double-signed and in such condition.
Le Carré (John) [The Karla Trilogy], 3 vol., comprising Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, bookplate signed by Alec Guinness facing title, light sunning to jacket spine, light creasing to head, 1974; The Honourable Schoolboy, light toning to jacket spine, 1977; Smiley's People, 1980, first editions, all with bookplates signed by the author to titles, original boards, dust-jackets, light rubbing to tips of spines and corners, excellent or near-fine examples overall, 8vo.
Le Carré (John) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, first edition, signed by the author "best wishes David Cornwell" on title, compliments slip loosely inserted, original boards, slight shelf-lean, dust-jacket, spine sunned, some light rubbing to head and foot, but generally excellent overall, 8vo, 1974.⁂ Rare to find signed as David Cornwell directly to the title page.
Milne (A. A.) Success, first edition, presentation copy signed by the author on front free endpaper, original cloth, dust-jacket with a few tears, spine a little dulled, 1923; The Secret and other Stories, one of 742 copies, this marked "out of series", signed by the author on half-title, presentation copy signed by the author to Louis Goodrich "on his 22nd birthday from his friend" on front pastedown, original cloth, New York & London, 1929; Toad of Toad Hall, first edition, occasional spotting, original cloth, slightly soiled and chipped dust-jacket, 1929; and another by Milne, 8vo (4)⁂ The inscription in the author's hand reads: "To The Soldier and his Lady (because they liked it) from A.A. Milne. Sept. 1922". Beneath the inscription is the signature of Louis Goodrich, the "soldier" referred to in the inscription (see note to following lot).
Milne (A. A.) Winnie-the-Pooh, first edition, presentation copy signed by the author, illustrations by Ernest Shepard, pictorial endpapers slightly browned, original green pictorial cloth, gilt, t.e.g., dust-jacket slightly chipped and soiled, 8vo, 1926.⁂ Inscription in Milne's hand reads: "For Soldier from Christopher Robin and A.A. Milne, 14.xi.26" on front free endpaper. Beneath this inscription is the signature of Louis Goodrich, the "soldier" referred to in the inscription.
Milne (A. A.) When We Were Very Young, first edition, second issue with roman numerals 'ix' and 'x' to contents pp., illustrations by Ernest Shepard, lacking front free endpaper, light browning to endpapers and half-title, original pictorial cloth, gilt, spine a little darkened, light rubbing to tips of spine and corners, dust-jacket, spine browned, chipped at head with loss to first word of title, lacking lower half, lower panel with significant portion of loss to head, laid down, corners chipped, light marking and soiling to covers, rubbing to extremities, 8vo, 1924.
Pasternak (Boris) Doctor Zhivago, first trade edition in Russian, marginal toning, original green boards, lettered in black, dust-jacket with short tears at fold of inner flaps, otherwise fine, 8vo, Milan, Feltrinelli, 1957 [but 1958].⁂ An excellent copy of the first trade edition in Russian, published by Feltrinelli in late 1958, a year after he had published the first edition to appear in the west, an Italian translation of this celebrated novel, a manuscript version of which had been smuggled out of the USSR. Pasternak won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958.
Paton (Alan) Cry, the Beloved Country, first American edition, signed by the author on front free endpaper and dated 19/2/52, the odd marginal spot or light marking, ink gift inscription to endpaper, original cloth, light browning to spine, spine ends and corners a little rubbed and bumped, light discolouration to covers, dust-jacket, light sunning to spine, spine ends and corners chipped including 1" portion of loss to head of spine affecting first work of title, a few short tears and creasing to head and foot, light rubbing to panels, 8vo, New York, 1948.⁂ Paton's anti-apartheid classic, rare signed.
Rilke (Rainer Maria) Duineser Elegien, first edition, one of 300 copies, printed in red and black, this one of 100 deluxe copies bound in full dark green morocco, gilt, t.e.g., 4to, Leipzig, 1923.⁂ A fine copy. The first 100 copies were specially bound in full morocco with geometrical gilt design, as here, with the other 200 bound in morocco-backed boards.
Verne (Jules) A Journey to the Centre of the Earth, first English edition, frontispiece, title-page vignette and 50 wood-engraved illustrations by Riou, 8-page catalogue at end, 1 corner repaired, neat early ink ownership inscription to endpaper, hinges neatly repaired, original blue pictorial cloth, gilt, neatly and expertly recased, spine a little dulled, neat repairs and restorations to to joints and spine ends, some light rubbing and a few marks to lower cover but in effect a bright and excellent example, 8vo, 1872.⁂ First English edition in book form of this early science-fiction title.
Wheatley (Dennis) The Devil Rides Out, first edition, signed presentation inscription dated Jan. 4th 1935 from the author, faint marginal spotting to first few leaves, very light toning to endpapers, advertisements at end, very slight bumping to spine extremities, dust-jacket, price 7'6 to spine, very light vertical crease to spine, lightly sunned spine, 3 small tears to extremities, otherwise a near fine copy, 8vo, [1934].⁂ Wheatley's occult classic, rare, especially so both signed and with dust-jacket. Title inscribed, "Being the further adventures of the devoted friends who figured in 'The Forbidden Territory'. For Dorothy Douglas Hamilton. One of the first friends of 'The Forbidden Territory' and a very good one indeed to the author too."
Binding.- Swinburne (Algernon Charles) Chastelard; a Tragedy, first edition, superb tan morocco, gilt, with single filet borders creating a perspective design to covers and spine, t.e.g., inner gilt dentelles, by Zaehnsdorf (dated 1902), circular red morocco bookplate of Paul Edward Chevalier, in fleece-lined modern morocco-backed cloth drop-back box, 8vo, 1866.
Binding & Calligraphic Manuscript.- Sangorski (Alberto).- Spenser (Edmund) Una and the Redcross Knight, from "The Faerie Queene", illuminated manuscript in red, black and colours on vellum, 14 leaves including blanks, title in red with large illuminated initial, full-page oval watercolour of the Redcrosse Knight and Una on horseback within illuminated floral frame in gold & colours, 7 large illuminated initials in gold & colours and 3 smaller initials in red, first leaf with decorative floral border incorporating coat-of-arms in red and silver, text written in black ink with leaf of biography and colophon at end stating "...designed, written out, and illuminated by Alberto Sangorski...with miniature...painted from an original design expressly for this work and will not be duplicated" and signed by him at end, ivory silk guard to watercolour, superbly bound in turquoise morocco elaborately tooled in gilt, by Rivière & Son, both covers with intricate design of trees, intertwining branches, leaves & flowers, 2 owls in upper branches in corners and shields with a red cross on trunks of trees at either side, all formed by onlays of green, brown, purple, fawn & burgundy morocco and outlined & elaborately tooled in gilt with leafy sprays against a background of dense pointillé, the whole within a gilt-tooled border edged by onlaid strips of black morocco, spine in six compartments with five raised bands, title and author in gilt in two compartments and date at foot, the others with leafy spray against pointillé in gilt, turn-ins repeating borders of gilt tooling edged by black morocco strips, doublures and endpapers of ivory watered silk, signed at foot of front turn-in, g.e., preserved in modern suede-lined turquoise morocco drop-back box with borders imitating those on the book, spine gilt in compartments, 8vo (c.200 x 150mm.), for Rivière & Son, [1916].⁂ A stunning binding with rich decoration covering the entire book. Alberto Sangorksi was the elder brother of Francis Sangorksi who established the famous bookbinding firm with partner George Sutcliffe. He worked for Sangorksi & Sutcliffe, who became known for their jewelled bindings, and also for Rivière & Son from 1910. He produced for both many such highly-decorated illuminated manuscripts, the most famous of which, "the Great Omar", was lost when the Titanic sank in 1912.
Förster (L.) & A.Demarteau. Beschreibende und Malerische Darstellung der K.K. Österreichischen Staatseisenbahn von Olmütz bis Prag, first edition, 40 tinted lithographed views on 20 sheets, 6 maps (4 folding) and 6 engineering plans, some foxing, modern half dark maroon morocco, t.e.g., 8vo, Vienna, 1845.⁂ Czech railway history began with this line, and this work is an attractive monument to the birth of the steam transportation age in central Europe.
Jewelled Binding.- Spenser (Edmund) Epithalamion and Amoretti, number 2 of 14 copies on vellum (limitation amended in manuscript from 12 copies to 14), etched portrait, engraved title-vignette, head & tail-piece, magnificently bound in tooled green morocco with onlays and opals, by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, covers with onlaid central Tudor rose in white and red morocco set with 6 small opals in bezel cups and ringed by 10 smaller Tudor roses in white and red all tooled in gilt, surrounded by swirling floral and leafy tendrils in gilt with small onlays of flowers in red and white, the whole within an intricately tooled border of flowers and leaves with dense pointillé background, spine in six compartments with five raised bands, one with title & author in gilt and date at foot, the rest with gilt leafy sprays around small onlaid rose in red or white, red morocco doublures and endpapers with gilt border, doublures with panel formed by gilt rule and 10 small white rose onlays, signed at foot of rear doublure, g.e., preserved in velvet-lined green morocco drop-back box, 8vo (c.245 x 155mm.), John & E.Bumpus, 1903.⁂ A superb binding recreating one of the first Sangorski & Sutcliffe jewelled bindings. The design is based on a 1903 photograph of George Sangorski's original binding and tooling pattern and was carried out by members of the present day firm using a 40-year old dark green Levant goatskin no longer available and new brass tools cut specifically for this piece. Dan Wray, Head of Restoration and Conservation at Sangorski & Sutcliffe, executed the gold tooling, which took five weeks and used 25 books of 22 carat gold leaf.
Doves Press.- Cobden-Sanderson (Annie) How I became a Vegetarian, first edition, one of a small number of copies printed for private distribution, sewn into contemporary pasteboards [by the Doves Bindery], covered with copies of 'List 4 ... June 1905', gilt edges, boards lightly spotted and marked, late 20th-century green morocco box by James Brockman, titled in gilt on the upper panel, 8vo, Hammersmith, Doves Press, 1908.⁂ Rare. Tidcombe locates only five copies, including the present one. This copy is particularly remarkable as an unfinished Doves Bindery binding: the sheets have been sewn onto 5 cords with green silk threads and the cords inserted in boards covered with copies of 'List 4', which have been marked up in pencil. 6 blank leaves of Doves paper have been bound in before and after the text and single leaves of thinner paper have been inserted between these blanks and the boards, presumably to protect the bookblock during binding and to be discarded later.Provenance: [Thomas and Annie Cobden-Sanderson, by descent to their son -- Richard Cobden-Sanderson (1884-1964; one of two included in lots 252-253, Sotheby's, 24 July 1995).]. This copy last appeared at auction in 2005.
Binding.- The Holy Bible, superb metal gilt binding for the Earl de Grey, elaborately sculpted covers with two cherubs holding a coronet of five balls above the monogram of the Earl de Grey and leafy sprays surrounding, the spine in five compartments with various fruits and leaves etc., clasps decorated with figures, fine gilt gauffered edges, yellow watered silk doublures within border of red velvet, matching yellow watered silk endpapers, preserved in red velvet-lined morocco-backed cloth drop-back box, 8vo (190 x 127mm.), Oxford, 1839.⁂ Thomas Philip de Grey (1781-1859), First Lord of the Admiralty (1834-35), Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1841-44) and first President of the RIBA.
Calligraphic manuscript.- Omar Khayyam. Rubaiyat, illuminated calligraphic manuscript by Alberto Sangorski, 32pp., 24 lines (3 verses) in red and black ink, title in blue and red with large decorated initial 'R' in blue, red and green on a gold background, first page of text with opening word 'Awake!' in gold on an illuminated border of grape vines and clusters with oval vignette of gold sunrise over middle-eastern city, initials in red, blue, green, violet and gold, 2 of which are more decorated, floral tail-piece on gold background, slight foxing to one leaf, original limp vellum with green braided silk ties, lettered in black on upper cover, preserved in modern silk-lined gilt-stamped green morocco drop-back box, with gilt peacock design to front cover using blue morocco onlay (by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, dated 1999), 8vo (185 x 135mm.), 1906.⁂ Charming illuminated manuscript by the master, Alberto Sangorski. This is one of several copies of Edward Fitzgerald's translation of The Rubaiyat executed by Sangorski, the most famous of which was that encased in a fabulous jewelled binding which was lost when the Titanic went down.
Gauge Controversy.- Cundall (Joseph, editor) Pamphlets in support of National Uniformity of Gauge and the Report of Her Majesty's Gauge Commissioners collected, bound and sold by Joseph Cundall, a bound volume of 13 pamphlets by William Harding and others, title in red & black, some maps, contemporary russia, spine worn and defective, Cundall, [1846] § Sidney (Samuel) Gauge Evidence. The History and Prospects of the Railway System, first edition, folding colour map, original pictorial cloth, gilt, with elaborate border in blind, a little rubbed, spine slightly faded, 1846, 8vo (2)⁂ The Gauge wars lasted throughout the years following the 1846 Railways Act which recommended the adoption of the narrow gauge. The GWR marshalled a powerful lobby defending Brunel's broad gauge. The last train to leave Paddington on the original track left in 1892. The author of the second item, Samuel Sidney, was a leading opponent of the broad gauge. The folding map shows the ten points where the GWR broad gauge met the standard narrower gauge.
Pyne (William Henry) The History of the Royal Residences of Windsor Castle, St. James's Palace, Carlton House, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court, Buckingham House, and Frogmore, 3 vol., first edition, 100 hand-coloured aquatint plates, many heightened with gum arabic, occasional faint off-setting from plates to text, scattered faint marginal spotting, cracked hinge (vol. 2 only), bookplates, contemporary straight grain morocco, large gilt architectural device to boards, elaborate gilt borders, spines richly gilt in compartments, aeg, gilt dentelles, housed in modern slipcases, all but 1 vol. with accompanying chemise, 4to, [Abbey Scenery 396], 1819.⁂ Provenance. Bookplate of Neil Benjamin Edmonstone (1765-1841), civil servant for the East India Company. William Henry Pyne (1770-1843) was an artist and printmaker, who commissioned the artists and engravers of these plates, to show an exact record of the interiors of royal residences. The illustrations have been consulted by art historians, curators and archivists at the royal collection to research interior schemes and decorative fashions, down to such details as the arrangements of hanging pictures.
Woman author.- Pilkington (Mrs. [Mary]) New tales of the castle; or, the noble emigrants, a story of modern times, first edition, engraved frontispiece with later naive hand-colouring, D6 small section of lower corner torn away, touching catchword, Q1 neat short tear at foot, without loss, occasional spotting, a few small stains, contemporary green vellum-backed marbled boards, corners worn, rubbed, [Roscoe J284A], 12mo, Printed for Vernor and Hood, 1800.⁂ Scarce, with ESTC recording only six copies.
Aviation.- Johnston (C., airman) First World War Photograph Album belonging to an intelligence/ picture interpreter apparently based at Farnborough school of Aerial Photography, c.50 large photographs c.190 x 240mm. and 23 smaller mounted on 39 leaves, some neatly captioned in white ink or with pasted-in labels in ink and pencil, a few loose, one or two damaged at corners, contemporary cloth, paper label to upper cover, rubbed, spine faded, oblong 4to, 1918.⁂ A fascinating record of a new form of warfare. The images depict the domestic arrangements in Farnborough, a few of personnel, fleets in action, trench warfare interpretation, the trench school in Hyde Park from above, dazzle ships, warplane portraits, blimps and airships, camera equipment and field practice camera-craft etc.
Jones (Barbara) Twit & Howlet & the Balloon, first edition, illustrations by the author, printed in orange, yellow and black, ink signature to front free endpaper, original pictorial glazed boards, a little rubbed and soiled, spine slightly faded, still a good copy, oblong 8vo, 1970.⁂ Scarce.
Jones (Harold, British artist, illustrator and writer of children's books, 1904-1992) Three original illustrations for 'Tales from Aesop', including 'The Dog in the Water', 'Sourgrapes', and 'The boy who cried wolf', pen and ink with watercolour over pencil, some white correction fluid, each signed in pencil, on cream wove papers, various sizes between 190 x 160 mm (7 1/2 x 6 1/4 in) and 215 x 310 mm (8 1/2 x 12 1/4 in), under glass, some minor surface dirt, framed, [1981] § [Dodgson (C.L.)], "Lewis Carroll". The Hunting of the Snark, number 24 of 750 copies signed by the artist, full-page illustrations by Harold Jones, prospectus and flyer for exhibition of the original drawings loosely inserted, original cloth, gilt, t.e.g., others uncut, slip-case, Andoversford, Whittington Press, 1975 § Atkinson (M.E.) Mystery Manor, first edition, signed and inscribed by the author to the artist "H.J. with much gratitude M.E.Atkinson" on half-title, pictorial title and illustrations by Jones, some full-page, pictorial endpapers, original cloth, a little rubbed, dust-jacket by Jones with price unclipped, rubbed and browned, split at upper joint and frayed at edges, 1937; and a reprint of C.S.Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet in a Jones dust-jacket, v.s. (9)Provenance:Acquired directly from the estate of the artist.Provenance: Acquired directly from the estate of Harold Jones.
Photography.- Urbanova (Alexandra) Abeceda Dusevniho Prazdna [Alphabet of Spiritual Emptiness], first edition, photographic illustrations by Zdenek Tmeje, half-title becoming loose, original limp card wrappers, facsimile dust-jacket, 4to, Prague, Nakladatelstvi Zadruha, 1946.⁂ The photographs document Tmej's forced conscription at a German Army Camp in 1942.
Pyle (Howard) Book of Pirates, first edition, additional vignette title, colour frontispiece, plates and illustrations, some colour, some tipped-in, original pictorial cloth-backed boards, very slight bumping to spine head, price-clipped dust-jacket, housed in original box, printed paper label to lid, a little sunned, 4to, New York and London, 1921.
Gordon (Alexander) An Historical and Practical Treatise upon Elemental Locomotion, by means of Steam Carriages on Common Roads, first edition, lithographed frontispiece and 13 plates, some folding, one torn and rather crudely repaired, water-stained, modern cloth-backed marbled boards, 1832; and a copy of the second edition of 1834 in original cloth, 8vo (2)⁂ An early treatise on steam carriages, and their usage, with the engineers of the day reporting to the select committee trusted with examining the matter, and its ramifications. The high turnpike penalties dealt a lasting blow to this fledgling industry which was quickly overtaken by the spread of the railway network. Gordon states in his preface to the second edition, "I have added so largely to some parts of my work, and have made such changes in its arrangement, - advisable at this more advanced period of locomotive science.... that this edition may almost be considered a new book".
Piper (John) & others.- Cunard (Nancy) & others. Salvo for Russia, [one of 100 copies], 4pp. letterpress poems, 10 etched/engraved plates by John Piper, John Banting, Julian Trevelyan, John Buckland Wright, Buckland Wright after Roger Penrose, Mary Wykeham, Ithell Colquhoun, Dolf Reiser, C.Salisbury and Geza Szobel, the Piper also with aquatint, on laid paper with "Hand Made" watermark, sheets c.230 x 160mm., all signed in pencil by the artist, most numbered HS or AP/14, some also titled, all but the Trevelyan and Szobel with light marginal foxing, tissue guards (foxed), text a little spotted and soiled at upper edge, loose as issued in original cloth-backed board folder with ties, blue printed paper label on upper cover, spine a little rubbed and faded, small 4to, [1942].⁂ Scarce and important British Surrealist portfolio produced in aid of the Comforts Fund for Women and Children of Soviet Russia. It includes John Piper's first published etching and John Banting's only etching.
Gray (Thomas) Observations on a General Iron Rail-Way, or Land Steam-Conveyance; to supersede the necessity of horses in all public vehicles..., fifth edition, half-title, with folding engraved frontispiece, 2 plans and 2 plates, one folding, 1825 § Wood (Nicholas) A Practical Treatise on Rail-Roads, second edition, folding lithographed frontispiece, 10 plates, 7 folding, light foxing, 1831, both modern half dark maroon morocco, t.e.g., spines slightly faded, 8vo (2)⁂ The first was the final edition of Gray's work but the first to be published under his name. Gray was an enormously influential proponent of railways as a means of public transport and his work was held in high esteem, especially in the new state of Belgium where an integrated system of national railways was instituted using Gray's ideas. There is a street named after him in Brussels. This expanded fifth edition includes the only known appearance in print of Josias Jessop's two reports on the intended railway from the Cromford Canal to the Peak Forest Canal.Wood's work was also much expanded from the first edition as that offering had become completely out of date since its publication in 1825. It includes discussions on all the trials that had been held in the intervening period, and much else besides. Wood was a colleague of Stephenson and one of the foremost engineers of the first era of steam locomotion.
Fréart de Chambray (Roland) A Parallel of the Ancient Architecture with the Modern, 2 vol. in 1, translated by John Evelyn, first title in red and black with woodcut vignette, numerous full-page engraved illustrations, 2 smaller illustrations, engraved and woodcut head- and tail-pieces, pp.65/66 with small hole affecting bottom of engraved surface, some marginal soiling, generally a crisp copy in contemporary sprinkled calf, gilt, red morocco spine label, folio, by T.W. for J. Walthoe [& others], 1733.
Guide (A) to the Norfolk Railway from Yarmouth to Ely..., first edition, folding lithographed map, modern half dark maroon morocco, with original printed green upper wrapper bound in (light soiled, slightly chipped at fore-edge), Norwich, Stevenson & Matchett, 1845 § Linton (John) A Handbook of the Whitehaven and Furness Railway, first edition, engraved plates, folding map at end (tear to inner edge repaired), original cloth, gilt, spine rubbed and faded, small stain to lower cover, London & Whitehaven, 1852 § Vale of Neath Railway. Rules and Regulations, third edition, original cloth, rubbed, spine faded, Neath, 1866, 8vo (3)⁂ The Norfolk line opened in 1845, this is therefore a very rare survivor from Norfolk's first railway connection to Ely, Cambridge and London. WorldCat lists just two copies, one in America and a sole defective example in the UK.Those who worked on the Vale of Neath Railway were obliged to sign a declaration printed at the end of the Additional Instructions, which is dated 1865. The first edition of the rules was printed when the line opened 1851 and changed again in 1855. It was a Brunel-designed broad gauge line later becoming mixed gauge when a third rail was added.
Herapath (John) & Effingham Wilson. The Railway Magazine, First Series, 10 issues in 1 vol., 16 engraved or lithographed maps, some hand-coloured in outline and most folding (some large), and 11 engraved or lithographed plates, 6 folding, some soiling, a few tears and repairs, p.335-336 lacking and supplied in typescript, bookplate of Arthur Elton, contemporary half calf, spine worn and defective, upper cover detached, Effingham Wilson, May 1835-February 1836 § Herapath (John) The Railway Magazine, and Annals of Science, New [Second] Series, 5 vol. in 6 (Nos.I-XXXVI), 23 folding lithographed maps and plates bound in one volume, some with hand-colouring in outline, some spotting or soiling, one or two tears, Arthur Elton's set with his bookplate, contemporary half blue calf, rubbed, Wyld and Son, 1836-39; The Railway Magazine, and Steam Navigation Journal, vol.6 (Nos.XXXV-XLII), without map and illustrations as advertised on title but possibly not issued, first and last few leaves stained at inner margin and becoming loose (frayed at fore-edge), contemporary red morocco, gilt, G.A.Sekon's copy with his name in gilt to upper cover, g.e., spine slightly rubbed and faded, 1839, 8vo (8)⁂ The railway periodical takes its first confident steps, at first under the joint editorship of the physicist Herapath and Wilson. The lot includes a complete run of the periodical in its second guise, running from March 1836 to February 1839 when it became the Railway Magazine and Steam Navigation Journal, with Herapath taking overall editorship. All are a mine of information during this period of intense railway mania, including many important railway maps of the various intended and completed lines throughout the UK and interesting articles with extensive working diagrams for the Pinkus pneumatic system, and a proposal with a folding map for an Indian railway between Calcutta and Saugur on the coast. Despite the relatively austere tone of this scientific journal a few flights of fancy sometimes intrude: "...Let the reader fancy himself flying over the country at the rate of 120 or 140 miles an hour, or starting from Edinburgh at five in the morning and being comfortably seated at breakfast in London at half past eight...".
[Bake (W.A.)] Berigt wegens den Spoorweg tusschen Amsterdam en Keulen, errata leaf at end, with original pictorial green wrappers bound in, Amsterdam, 1834 § Oeynhausen (Carl von) & H. von Dechen. Ueber Schienenwege in England, 6 folding lithographed plates, Berlin, 1829 § Poppe (J.H.M.) Populärer Unterricht über Dampfmaschinen..., 4 folding lithographed plates, Tübingen, 1826, first editions, all modern half dark maroon morocco, g.e., spines slightly faded, 8vo et infra (3)⁂ Bake was the first to suggest and plan a railway in Holland, but his project came to naught as the canal and river systems already in place were considered sufficient for the transport of goods. Bake's employee however was the first entrepreneur to successfully establish a railway. Oeynhausen was a wealthy German geologist and patron who popularised the salt baths (and gave them his name) at the now famous spa, Bad Oeynhausen. Poppe was a professor of mechanical engineering at Tübingen, and his work is one of the earliest European works to discuss steam-powered locomotion.
Hill (David Octavius) Views of the Opening of the Glasgow and Garnkirk Railway, also, An Account of that and other Railways in Lanarkshire. Drawn up by George Buchanan, Esq., Civil Engineer, first edition, engraving of locomotive on verso of title, 4 superb lithographed plates by Hill, lithographed map at end, Lanarkshire Railways section with 7 lithographed illustrations on india paper mounted in text, erratum slip tipped in at p.9, plates very slightly creased and frayed at edges, text and map with very light foxing, short insect track to lower margin of plates repaired, later half red morocco, spine gilt, original grey printed wrappers bound in, boards slightly rubbed and stained, rubbed at edges, [Abbey, Life 403, coloured copy], large oblong folio, Edinburgh, Alexander Hill, 1832.⁂ Scarce work rarely found complete and with the original wrappers, with superb lithographed plates by the Scottish landscape painter and early photographer. It depicts an early railway mainly for the transport of coal, at first using horse power but quickly adapting to steam using an early Stephenson Planet type engine. On the opening day "the one engine, the St Rollox, conveyed the directors and a number of ladies and gentlemen, to the amount in all of nearly 200; the other, the George Stephenson, drew a train of thirty-two waggons loaded with coal...". (p.8) "The book was issued plain and coloured, and can be claimed as one of the rarest and most attractive of railway items". (Abbey)
House of Commons. Proceedings...on the Liverpool and Manchester Railroad Bill. Sessions 1825, 11 hand-coloured lithograph plans only (of 12, lacking a map of Manchester), most folding, folding engraved view of Black Brook House (a villa endangered by the railway), 2 folding warehouse plans, errata slip, modern half dark maroon morocco, t.e.g., others uncut, spine a little faded, folio, 1825.⁂ The Liverpool & Manchester railway was the first intended for passenger as well as goods traffic. The establishment forces of peers and vested turnpike interests combined to defeat this bill, and in so doing George Stephenson was to some extent damaged by the severe grilling he received under cross examination. Issues of access, denied to him by dissenting landowners, led to the submission of inaccurate surveys; these and other matters led to the bill's downfall. The Company reassigned the survey to George Rennie and his brother, and the bill, with a few changes mollifying the noble landlords, achieved Royal Assent in 1826. The company then took no time, to Rennie's chagrin, in reappointing Stephenson as the engineer to build the line.
House of Commons. A collection of Railway Acts and Reports, comprising: An Act for Making a Railway from London to Southampton, 1834; London to Brighton, 1836; Birmingham to Gloucester, 1836; London to Brighton, 1837; Bolton-le-Moors to Preston, 1837; London and Brighton (Stephenson's Line), 1837; Manchester to Grand Junction, 1837; Bolton and Preston, 1838; Manchester to Birmingham and Derby, 1837; Regulating Railways, 1840; Brighton, Lewes and Hastings, 1844; London & Brighton to Lewes and Hastings, 1844; Brighton, Lewes and Hastings. 1845; Trent Valley, Midlands and Grand Junction, 1846; Extension London and South West, 1847; London and South Western Amendment, Extension, Deviation, 1847-48, together 16 vol., some spotting, uniformly bound in modern half dark maroon morocco, t.e.g., spines slightly faded especially the second; with a further 9 volumes of acts & reports, folio (25)⁂ The additional acts and reports are as follows:1. 1835 Bristol to London. 1836 Alter GWR Line. 1837 Alter the GWR Line. 1837 Extend the GWR Line. 1839 GWR Raise more money, contemporary half calf, rubbed.2. 1839. First Report on Railways, modern blue cloth.3. 1839. Second Report, modern blue cloth.4. 1840 Report, modern blue cloth.5. 1841 Report, modern blue cloth.6. 1841. London Edinburgh Glasgow. Plans and sections, 59 folding illustrations, many coloured, contemporary half calf, a little worn.7. 1846. Report of the Gauge Commissioners, contemporary calf, joints rubbed and a little worn.8. 1877 Employers Liability, contemporary half green morocco.9. 1878. Continuous Brakes, contemporary half green morocco.
Humber (William) A Practical Treatise on Cast and Wrought Iron Bridges and Girders, as applied to Railway Structures, first edition, half-title, lithographed tinted frontispiece, 58 lithographed plates, many double-page, ink signature to head of title, some foxing, contemporary half calf, rubbed, spine and corners worn, 1857 § Fairbairn (William) An Account of the Construction of the Britannia and Conway Tubular Bridges, first edition, presentation copy inscribed "To John Fred. Bateman with the author's affecte. regards" on front free endpaper and his bookplate, folding frontispiece, plates, most folding, some a little frayed or chipped at edges, original roan-backed cloth, spine ends worn and chipped, 1849; and 5 others, 4to & 8vo (7)⁂ The fine lithograph frontispiece of the first shows the Crumlin Viaduct in all its magnificence, one of the engineering marvels of the age, and in 1857 just commissioned. The work examines several projects in detail including designs by Joseph Cubitt (Great Northern Railway), Gardner (Reading, Guildford & Reigate Railway), Ashcroft (SER), Liddell & Gordon (Crumlin Viaduct) and Page (Chelsea Bridge).John Frederick Bateman (1810-79), civil engineer and son-in-law of Sir William Fairbairn.
Huskisson (William, as Chairman of the Board of Trade, politician, the first fatality of the railway age, 1770-1830) Autograph Letter signed to an unnamed committee member of the Liverpool & Manchester railway consortium, 4pp., sm. 4to, Somerset Place [London], 2nd December 1825, advising on tactics for the second attempt to get their railway bill through parliament; and 4 other manuscript pieces relating to the railways, comprising: 2 documents concerning the original Liverpool & Manchester subscribers "in Mr Sandar's hand", partial draft minutes kept by the board in 1825, referencing the establishment of a secret committee of influence, slightly browned, v.s., v.d. (5 pieces).⁂ A follow up to the first parliamentary attempt to get an act for the establishment of the Liverpool & Manchester railway. The first had failed due to inaccurate surveys carried out by Stephenson who was hampered by local opposition. A new route avoiding Lords Derby and Sefton's estates was surveyed and a new report prepared. The second attempt was successful and the act was passed in 1826. The L&MR was opened in 1830 and was the first inter-city railway in the world.At the opening of the railway Huskisson was hit by Stephenson's Rocket engine and died that evening of his injuries.
Laurence (Edward) The Surveyor's Guide, third edition, 6 folding engraved plates, tables of logarithms, contemporary ink inscription "George Saxy 1742 cos. 3s 6d" to front and rear free endpapers, contemporary sheep, a little worn, later label, James, John, & Paul Knapton, 1736 § Love (John) Geodaesia: or , the Art of Surveying..., eleventh edition, diagrams, contemporary sheep, rebacked preserving old spine, G.G.J. & J.Robinson, 1792 § Davis (William) A Complete Treatise on Land Surveying, third edition, 7 folding engraved plates, Kenney copy with label, later half calf, 1804 § Dix (Thomas) A Treatise on Land-Surveying, sixth edition, folding hand-coloured engraved plan, illustrations and diagrams, 4pp. advertisements at end, contemporary tree sheep, rebacked, 1835, all rubbed; and 9 others on surveying, levelling, mining etc., 8vo & 4to (13)⁂ The first item was first published as The Young Surveyor's Guide in 1716; it was the first original treatise on the subject printed in England in the eighteenth century. All editions are scarce with only a handful of copies in British libraries. George Saxy was a subscriber of seven copies of a description of the Bristol Exchange printed in 1745.
Linde (C.) Brasil Estrada de Ferro de D.Pedro II: Vistas dos pontos mais importantes..., first edition, lithographed title in Spanish, English, French and German with 5 vignettes, 29 lithographed plates by C.Linde including 15 fine tinted views, with chromolithographed decorative upper wrapper and list of plates, both trimmed and mounted on or tipped into blank leaf, modern half dark maroon morocco, t.e.g., slight rubbing to upper cover, large oblong folio, Rio de Janeiro, Imperial Instituto Artistico, 1865.⁂ A superb copy of this railway rarity which has not appeared at auction since 1975.
London and Brighton Railway. Monthly Account of Work on the London & Brighton Railway, volume of printed tabulated forms completed in neat manuscript, 366ff., a few manuscript items bound in at end, slight worming to upper outer corner of first few leaves, bound in modern half dark maroon morocco, g.e., spine faded, folio, 1839-41.⁂ Divided into 5 contracts numbering 7, (Worth), 9 (Balcombe), 10 (Ouse Viaduct), 11 (Cuckfield) and 12 (Vale bridge). The monthly expenditure is carefully recorded. The sums for the time are large, for example well over £50,000 is spent on the Worth contract alone between January 1839 and May 1841.
Bourne (John C.) Drawings of the London and Birmingham Railway, with An Historical and Descriptive Account by John Britton, first edition, tinted lithographed pictorial title and 34 fine tinted lithographed views and architectural details on 29 sheets, 2 engraved maps on one sheet, paper guards, modern half dark maroon morocco, g.e., spine faded, [Abbey, Life 398; Ottley 6465], folio, Ackermann & Tilt, 1839. ⁂ An excellent copy of one of the great illustrated railway books, showing the construction methods of the railway.
Measom (George) The Official Illustrated Guide to the London and North-Western Railway, first edition, wood-engraved frontispiece and illustrations,numerous advertisements, original pictorial wrappers, a little rubbed and soiled, corners slightly frayed but a good copy, preserved in modern half dark maroon morocco, spine faded, 1856; The Official Illustrated Guide to the Brighton and South Coast Railways and their Branches, wood-engraved frontispiece and illustrations, contemporary half morocco, rubbed, [c.1851-2]; and a map of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway of c.1884, 8vo (3)⁂ The first is the one shilling (?now preferable) printed wrapper version, for 2s. it came in cloth with gilt edges. A rare survivor, by 1864 it had grown to 723 pages, and it stayed in print for over fifty years. There were various editions of the second work dated 1852, '53 & '54. This undated edition does not have the folding plate or map seen in others.
Moreau (P.) Description Raisonnée et Vues Pittoresques du Chemin de Fer de Liverpool a Manchester, edited by Auguste Notré, first edition, half-title, folding engraved map, 2 folding engraved plates of rails and locomotives and 9 engraved views by Ollivier on india paper and mounted, light foxing, bookplate of J.J.Haut, handsome contemporary dark maroon boards with elaborate foliate border in gilt and "A Son Altesse Le Prince Royal" to upper cover, spine gilt, uncut, a little rubbed, spine faded, 4to, Paris, 1831. ⁂ A lovely copy of this attractive book, which demonstrates how quickly British advances in railway science were appreciated on the continent. This copy with a bold inscription to the popular Prince Royal, the young and dashing Ferdinand-Philippe d'Orléans.
Nichol (Andrew) Five Views of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, first edition, 5 superb hand-coloured aquatints by J.Harris after Nichol, 8pp. publisher's catalogue tipped inside rear wrapper, sewn in original printed wrappers, a little spotted and soiled, slight fraying to spine, preserved in modern half dark maroon morocco portfolio, spine slightly faded, [Not in Abbey], 4to, Dublin, William Frederick Wakeman, [plates dated and water-marked 1834].⁂ A superb copy of this great rarity, with only a handful of copies recorded at auction, the most recent being in 1980. The first railway in Ireland had difficulties to overcome. One opponent, Mr. O'Hanlon, told a Railway Committee of the House of Commons in 1833 that it "would be a monstrous thing that the solid advantages of commerce, manufactures, and all the blessings resulting therefrom, should he sacrificed to a few nursery maids descending from the town of Kingstown to the sea at Dunleary, to perform the pleasures of ablution." Storms also caused a delay as a vital bridge was destroyed. It was finally opened in December 1834 with two engines, the Vauxhall and the Hibernia, which were able to reach speeds of over thirty miles an hour.
Parry (Edward) Railway Companion from Chester to Shrewsbury, first edition, large folding engraved map (torn), 10pp. advertisements, Chester, 1849; Parry's Railway Companion from Chester to Holyhead, first edition, folding map, 26pp. advertisements, 1848 § Cornish (J. & S.) Cornish's Guide and Companion to the Grand Junction and the Liverpool and Manchester Railways, third edition, folding hand-coloured map, folding table, 40pp. advertisements, 1838 § Sidney (Samuel) Rides on Railways leading to the Lake & Mountain Districts of Cumberland, North Wales..., first edition, folding map, 24 plates, 6pp. advertisements, [1851], all original cloth, a little rubbed and faded, 8vo et infra (4)
Peepshow.- Faber (G.W., publisher) Deutschland's erste Eisenbahn zwischen Nurnberg und Fuerth, hand-coloured etched scene of railway with title in German, French & English and train & carriages running along top, mounted on board with three holes for viewing through 5 hand-coloured etched sectional plates and background mounted on rear board, joined and folding concertina style into viridian glazed boards, with original card slip-case with engraved label to upper cover (slightly rubbed), preserved in modern half dark maroon morocco slip-case with pull-off top, spine faded, oblong 8vo, Nuremberg, G.W.Faber, [1835].⁂ Charming and scarce peepshow of the first German railway, in excellent condition. The title/cover illustration shows the maiden journey of the Eagle, a Stephenson train, pulling a tender, 4 coaches for passengers and a couple of goods waggons, on the six kilometre journey from Nuremberg to Fürth, amidst much wonder and merriment from the many onlookers. A horse-drawn carriage to the foreground neatly illustrates the march of time.
Photographs.- An extraordinary collection of c.500 photographs of steam engines, many large format images as produced by many manufacturers throughout the second half of the nineteenth century and first half of the twentieth, depicting mostly nineteenth century engines, many albumen prints, most c.300 c.220 x 370mm. (or larger) or c.200 c.220 x 32mm. (or slightly smaller), loose in 4 old cloth portfolios with ties, arranged by railway line rather than manufacturer (LMS, LNER, Southern), rubbed, folio, [c.1859-1950].⁂ The original collector appears to have been a senior officer of Beyer and Peacock, and many of the images bear their design studio stamp on the reverse, sometimes dated many years after the photograph was taken, but nevertheless these are vintage prints clearly held in stock by the firm. The noted Manchester photographer James Mudd was the house photographer, many of the enclosed are from his studio. The collection has many quirky and interesting engines and some of the Beyer-Garratt type, and many that were sent overseas to all corners of the globe, especially to Australia.
Bourne (John C.) The History and Description of the Great Western Railway, including its Geology..., second issue, additional pictorial lithographed title, lithographed dedication leaf and list of plates with vignette, 47 fine lithographed views and architectural details on 33 sheets, most tinted, paper guards, 2 hand-coloured maps and a hand-coloured geological cross-section at end, with lithographed vignettes of Paddington Station at end of Preface and Bathampton church at end of Appendix A, both on india paper and mounted, some foxing, modern half dark maroon morocco, t.e.g., fading to spine and head of upper cover, [Abbey, Life 399; Ottley 5930], folio, Bogue, 1846. ⁂ Second printing of the first edition of 1843. Although the work is commonly known as Bourne's the informative text was actually written by George Thomas Clark, an engineer and respected geologist, who worked with Brunel on two sections of the line and was responsible for the Basildon and Moulsford bridges. Probably the grandest work from the early days of railways, containing many iconic images familiar because of their use in later works.
Photographs.- Lord-Castle (Arthur) Photograph Album of Palestine during and after the First World War, c.100 postcard size photographs mounted on 25 leaves, a few captioned in ink on the photograph, with original manuscript map of Palestine 1916-22 drawn in ink and colours on graph paper and loosely inserted, a few photographs loose, contemporary cloth-backed boards, rubbed, small 4to, [1916-22].⁂ The collection was formed at the time by an enthusiast or professional, at one time stationed at Kantara. There are many scenes of damaged rail stock, bridges, accidents. etc. and two possibly suggesting that the collector was one of the military district engineers. After the Armistice there are several pictures of Palestine and Jerusalem in particular.
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