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Click here to subscribeChina.- Fortune (Robert) A Residence among the Chinese..., first edition, half-title, wood-engraved frontispiece, 4 plates, and illustrations, light browning and soiling, a few plates frayed at edges, modern half calf, 8vo, 1857. ⁂ Fortune was a Scottish botanist sent to China by the Royal Horticultural Society in search of plants, particularly tea for cultivation in India.
Egyptology.- Champollion (Jean François) Grammaire Égyptienne, ou Principes Généraux de l'Écriture Sacrée Égyptienne..., first edition, half-title, lithographed hieroglyphs throughout, some printed in red, a few hand-coloured (causing light offsetting), occasional foxing or soiling, pp.11/12 torn affecting text but no loss, rather brittle and chipped at edges, ex-library copy with unobtrusive blind-stamp to title, modern calf, uncut, folio, Paris, Firmin Didot, 1836 [-41]. ⁂ Champollion's monumental work, published posthumously and edited by his brother Jacques-Joseph Champollion.
[Brontë (Charlotte, Emily & Anne)], "Currer, Ellis & Acton Bell". Poems, first edition, first issue, lacking errata slip, Westleys & Co. binders label to rear pastedown, light abrasion mark to upper hinge, original green ribbed cloth with harp design covers, spine lettered in gilt, spine slightly faded, minor bumping to spine ends and corners, some light marking to covers but an excellent example overall, preserved in custom morocco-backed drop-back box (spine a little faded), 8vo, [Smith 1 pp.5-6 & 12], [John Hasler, for] Aylott and Jones, 1846. ⁂ An excellent example of the scarce first issue of the Brontë poems in the rare intermediate state, Smith mentions only 7 copies with the Aylott and Jones imprint and the harp binding. Following the successes of the Brontë sisters in their publications of 1847 and 1848, Aylott and Jones wrote to Charlotte Brontë to ask her how they should proceed with regards to the unsold copies of Poems still in their possession. Charlotte in turn wrote to her current publishers, Smith and Elder, ostensibly to ask for their advice, but hinting that they might succeed in the sale of the volumes where Aylott and Jones had not. Smith and Elder decided to reissue the work under their own name and purchased the remaining 961 copies to be reoffered with a new title page and rebound in the green harp binding. Copies such as this one in the 1848 binding but with the Aylott and Jones title page likely exist because the binder either neglected or ran out of the new Smith and Elder title page. Provenance: H.Bradley Martin (auction ticket loosely inserted; sold his sale, lot 2658, Sotheby's New York, 30th April, 1990).
[Brontë (Charlotte, Emily & Anne)], "Currer, Ellis & Acton Bell". Poems, first edition, second issue, errata slip, advertisement f., Westleys & Co. binders label to rear pastedown, original ribbed green cloth with harp design to covers, light fading to spine and margins of covers, but an excellent, sharp example overall, preserved in custom slip-case, [Smith 1 pp.6-14], 8vo, Smith, Elder and Co., 1846 [but 1848]. ⁂ A superb example of the second issue, scarce in such immaculate condition.
China.- [Satow (D.)] An album of 50 views of the Shanghai Amateur Circus, albumen prints, mounted one to a page, some a little faded, light warping, light spotting, mostly to mounts, Shanghai Amateur Circus programme and playbill loosely inserted, ink stamp "D. Satow, Portrait & Landscape Photographer, P.851, Nanking Road, Shanghai" to pastedown, original calf-backed cloth, clown and horse illustration to upper cover, a little worn, oblong folio, 1901. ⁂ A very good album including images of the Big Top tent, a man with a group of boys wearing monkey masks (according to the programme named "Professor Pipelet with his troupe of trained monkeys"), a number of men and women on horseback and numerous images of performers in unusual animal costumes.
Brontë (Rev. Patrick) The Signs of the Times; or a Familiar Treatise of some Political Indication in the Year 1835, half-title, some light creasing and darkening to upper corners, original printed blue wrappers, stitched, small label with ink numbering to corner of upper cover, a few small chips and holes, some light surface soiling or patches of discolouration, 8vo, Keighley, R.Aked, 1835. ⁂ An exceptional rarity, COPAC lists only 1 copy (BL) and we can trace no copy at auction in the last 50 years. The Signs of the Times is essentially Patrick Brontë's attempt to defend the Church of England from the attacks of dissenters. Far from rigidly conservative in his arguments, Patrick in fact accepts the need for the reformation of the current tithe and church rates systems, he does however maintain his conviction that dissenters should not be educated in Church of England universities nor buried on Church of England ground.
Venice.- Audebert (Germain) Venetiae Ad Sereniss. Ac. Sapientiss. Venetiarum Principem Nicolaum Deponte..., collation: A-M8 N4, mostly italic type, woodcut portrait device of Aldus to title, woodcut, head- and tail-pieces and decorative initials, N4 blank, some light foxing and browning, contemporary limp vellum, later ink ms. author name / title to upper cover, lightly soiled, small 4to (202 x 145mm.), Venice, Aldus Manutius, 1583. ⁂ First edition of this poem in praise of Venice, handsomely, and aptly, printed by Aldus Manutius the Younger in Venice. Audebert also wrote poems in praise of the cities of Rome and Naples. Provenance: Landau-Finaly copy (bookplate). Literature: Adams A2122; Ahmanson-Murphy 955; Renouard, Alde, 233:6.
Kelmscott Press.- Morris (William) Corrected proof sheet for Poems by the Way, sheet f2 (p.67) printed on recto only, on wove paper, with markings in red ink to indicate lines to be printed in red and one or two others in black, initialled by Morris in purple ink at head, pencil note at foot, spotting and light soiling, small tear to upper edge repaired, tipped to stub and bound in blue boards, gitl-stamped morocco label to upper cover, bookplate of Freeman Bass (co-founder and Honorary Treasurer of the William Morris Society), spine faded, [cf.Peterson A2], 4to, Kelmscott Press, [1891].
Trollope (Anthony) Lord Palmerston, from ''English Political Leaders' series, first edition, first issue with title dated 1882, light spotting at beginning and end, original brown cloth lettered in black, a little rubbed, small stain to lower edge of upper cover, Wm. Isbister, 1882; Thackeray, from 'English Men of Letters' series edited by John Morley, first edition, first issue with advertisement leaf at end listing 9 titles as "Ready" and Spenser as "In the Press", half-title, light staining to upper margins of pp.116-117, hinges cracked, original red cloth lettered in black, rubbed, spine browned and slightly worn at head, Macmillan & Co., 1879; An Autobiography, 2 vol., first edition, half-titles, mounted photogravure portrait frontispiece (lightly foxed), 4pp. advertisements and 24pp. publisher's catalogue at end of vol.2, damp-staining to endpapers, original red cloth, rubbed, spines faded, one corner bumped, 1883, [Sadleir 63, 54 & 67]; and 3 others by the same including 2 "yellowbacks", 8vo (7) ⁂ The first is scarce. It was one of only three titles issued in the English Political Leaders series, Isbister's imitation of Macmillan's English Men of Letters series.
Kelmscott Press.- Syr Perecyvelle of Gales, edited by F.S.Ellis, one of 350 copies on Flower paper, printed in red and black in Chaucer type, wood-engraved frontispiece designed by Edward Burne-Jones and borders and initials by William Morris, with A.N.s. from Edward Burne-Jones to Robert Catterson Smith "...could you come on Monday - instead of tomorrow - tomorrow is awkward for me...E.B.J." loosely inserted, very light spotting to first two leaves, bookplate of Harry Currie Marillier, original holland-backed boards, upper cover titled in black, uncut, a little rubbed and marked, lower corners bumped and worn, [Peterson A33], 8vo, Kelmscott Press, 1895. ⁂ Robert Catterson-Smith (1853-1938), artist, socialist and principal of the Birmingham School of Art. He worked with William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones on the Kelmscott Chaucer, preparing Burne-Jones's original drawings for engraving.
Apocalyptic fall of the Ottoman Empire.- Louisino (Marco Antonio) Espositione Dell'XI et XII. Cap. Del. IIII. Lib D'Esdra sopra gli accidenti passati, presenti, & futuri della Revolutione del grande, & tremendo Imperio dell' Aquila: quarta, & ultima Monarchia nel Mondo, collation: †4 A-Z a-c4, title with woodcut printer's device, woodcuts in the text (some repeated), some water-staining, mostly at end, some light browning, occasional spotting, contemporary limp vellum, lacking 2 of 4 ties, lightly stained, small 4to (203 x 146mm.), Venice, Matteo Bosello, 1571. ⁂ Only edition of this work, which prophesies the downfall of the Turkish Empire using the Apocalyptic vision as a basis. Literature: Adams L1539.; EDIT 16 CNCE 27062.
Bailey (Nathan) A New Universal Etymological Dictionary, edited by Joseph Nicol Scott, engraved frontispiece ( frayed at edges and laid down), double column, ink signature on title, light soiling, bookplate of Charles Ekins, contemporary calf, rubbed, corners worn, rebacked, folio, T.Osborne...J.Buckland..., 1764.
Aesop. Esopi appologi sive mythologi cum quibusdam carminum et fabularum additionibus Sebastiani Brant, collation: a8, b-p8.6, q-s6; A-B8, C6, D-I6.8, K6, L4, M6 (lacking final blank M6), 2 parts in 1, woodcut portrait of Aesop to verso of first title, woodcut illustrations and initials, small portrait to verso of A1 in part 2, repairs to some leaves with occasional loss to text or image, a few leaves remargined, C4 with hole affecting woodcut to recto and text to verso, with the blank leaf s6 present at end of part 1, a few leaves with ink annotations, underlining or scoring out of text, a couple of leaves misbound, some light browning, good margins and apart from the faults and repairs mentioned generally a clean copy, 19th century dark blue straight-grain morocco, gilt, g.e., folio (297 x 201mm.), Basel, Jacob Wolff de Pfortzheim, 1501. ⁂ A handsome copy of the first edition with Brant's new section of 140 fables. The woodcuts which accompany Brant's part are richer and more sophisticated than the rather naïve illustrations to the first part, which were based on Zainer's cuts for the first illustrated edition (printed in Ulm, c.1476). Literature: Adams A291; Fairfax Murray German, 20
Bewick (Thomas).- Aesop and others. The Fables..., with Bewick's signed thumb-mark receipt before title, wood-engraved illustration to each fable and vignette tail-pieces by Thomas Bewick, occasional spotting or light soiling, contemporary calf, borders in gilt and blind, rubbed, rebacked, [Roscoe 45c; Tattersfield TB 1.35], Demy 8vo, Newcastle, 1818.
Italy.- Merigot (James) A Select Collection of Views and Ruins in Rome and its vicinity, 2 parts in 1, first edition, aquatint pictorial additional title and 61 plates, good dark impressions, light marginal foxing to plates, contemporary diced russia, gilt, rubbed at edges, rebacked, [cf. Abbey, Travel 178, large paper coloured issue], 4to, 1797-99.
Caesar's military tactics.- Ramus (Petrus) Liber de Cæsaris militia, collation: à a-o8 P4, Roman type, title with woodcut printer's device, final errata f., à4 and P4 blank, some staining and light foxing, 17th century calf, richly gilt spine in compartments, rubbed and scuffed, 8vo (157 x 97mm.), Paris, Andreas Wechel, 1559. ⁂ First edition of this treatise on Caesar's military tactics., which is rare at auction. Literature: Adams R102.
Hardy (Thomas) The Hand of Ethelberta. A Comedy in Chapters, 2 vol., first edition in book form, [one of 1000 copies], half-titles, wood-engraved frontispieces and 9 plates by George du Maurier, vol.1 with *B4 & *F1 cancels, advertisement leaf at end of each vol., X1 in vol.1 with short tear to fore-edge, O2 in vol.2 torn across text and rather crudely repaired, foxed (particularly vol.1), vol.2 with light water-staining to lower edge of a couple of plates and with central portion (signatures I-S) quite severely damp-stained (mostly to margins), original red-brown cloth, upper covers and spines blocked in gold and black (primary binding), rubbed (particularly vol.2, ?mixed set), slight traces of labels to upper covers, corners and spine ends worn, recased, new endpapers (with later ownership signature), preserved in modern cloth drop-back box, [Purdy p.20], 8vo, Smith, Elder, & Co., 1876. ⁂ One of Hardy's scarcest titles, first issued in monthly instalments in the Cornhill Magazine, from July 1875 to May 1876.
British Isles.- Lewis (Samuel), publisher. A Map of England and Wales, Divided into Counties, Parliamentary Divisions, & Dioceses, presented in four sections, covering the North East, South East, North West, and South West of England, with large decorative title upper right in the North East section, and large engraved view of The General Post Office London upper left in the North West, the view by Griffiths after Allom, engraved folding maps, drawn by R. Creighton, and engraved by J. Dower, each dissected and mounted on linen, all with hand-colouring, each approx. 1060 x 880mm., occasional surface dirt and spotting, folding into original green straight-grain morocco, gilt decorated borders, 8vo., edges rubbed, scuffs, spines worn, S. Lewis & Co., 1840; A Map of Scotland, Divided into Counties Shewing The Principal Roads, Railways, Rivers, Canals, Lochs, Mountains, Islands, &c., presented in three sections, covering the Northern, Central, and Southern Divisions, engraved folding maps, drawn by Carrington, engraved by Dower and etched by Hower, all with hand-colouring, each approx. 1350 x 640 mm. (53 1/4 x 25 1/4 in), dissected and mounted on linen, surface dirt and browning, the southern division with loss to lower left extremity, folding into original green straight-grain morocco, gilt decorated borders, 8vo., edges rubbed, scuffs, spines worn, S. Lewis & Co., [circa 1840]; and with A Plan of London and its Environs, Shewing the Boundaries of the Cities of London and Westminster, showing from Stoke Newington to Dulwich, and from Hammersmith to Greenwich, with some railway lines included, and showing Victoria Park, decoratively lettered title and compass rose upper right, within an ornate border, engraved map by J. Dower, with early hand-colouring, 960 x 1140 mm. (37 3/4 x 44 7/8 in), dissected and mounted on linen, overall light even browning, folding into original green straight-grain morocco, gilt decorated borders, rubbed, spine splitting, worn, [circa 1850].
Themistocles. Epistolae ex Vetusto Codice Bibliothecae Vaticanae, woodcut arms of Pope Urban VIII on title, some light foxing and browning, some minor worming, mostly marginal, modern vellum, 4to, [Hoffmann III, 472; Schweiger I, 308], Rome, Lodovico Grignani, 1626. ⁂ First edition of the collected Epistolae by the brilliant Athenian general and controversial politician Themistocles, the hero of the battle of Salamis in 480, edited by Giovanni Matteo Cariofilo or Cariophyllis from Crete.
Middlesex.- Rocque (John) A Topographical Map of the County of Middlesex, titled also in French, showing from Richmond Park to Rickmansworth, and Stoke Heath across to Waltham Abbey, with decorative title cartouche upper right, engraving, with some hand-colouring, 975 x 1415 mm. (38 3/8 x 55 3/4 in), dissected and mounted on linen, minor surface dirt and light browning, presented in early but badly damaged slipcase, 1754.
[Evans (Arthur Benoni)] The Cutter, in Five Lectures upon the Art and Practice of Cutting Friends, Acquaintances, and Relations, first edition, with initial imprint (otherwise blank) leaf, hand-coloured etched frontispiece and 5 folding aquatint plates by and after John Augustus Atkinson, 8pp. publisher's catalogue at end, some light soiling and browning, modern calf-backed marbled boards, roan label (original paper label mounted on front pastedown), uncut, joints a little rubbed, 8vo, for J.Carpenter, 1808.
Brontë (Charlotte) Jane Eyre ou les Mémoires d'une Institutrice, translated by Mme. Lesbazeilles-Souvestre, 2 vol., first French edition, half-titles, light foxing, contemporary morocco-backed boards, spines gilt, a little rubbed, Paris, D. Giraud, 1854; and 2 others, French editions of Wuthering Heights, 8vo (3)
Brontë (Rev. Patrick) Cottage Poems, first edition, presentation copy inscribed by the author to J. E. Greenwood on front free endpaper, half-title, some light marginal browning, very occasional spotting, original printed boards, spine worn but holding firm, upper joint a little weak, light marking and surface soiling to covers, extremities rubbed, preserved in custom drop-back box, 8vo, Halifax, P.K.Holden, for the Author, 1811. ⁂ Scarce, this appears to be the only known presentation copy in commerce. Patrick Brontë's first collection of poems, these were chiefly intended to be read by his parishioners and reflect the author's somewhat austere outlook. The identity of the recipient here is difficult to confirm, however it is tempting to speculate that it was Joseph Greenwood (1786-1856), chairman of the Church trustees at Haworth and a friend of the author.Saleroom Notice: The presentation inscription is not in Patrick Bronte’s hand, but probably in that of the recipient J.E. Greenwood
[Brontë (Charlotte)], "Currer Bell". The Professor, first American edition, 1p. advertisements at front, 6pp. advertisements at rear, light foxing, original cloth, spine slightly faded, spine ends and corners a little bumped, a little rubbed and marked, still very good overall, [Smith 7 pp.172-173], 8vo, New York, Harper & Brothers, 1857.
Mendoza Binder.- Cicero (Marcus Tullius) Rhetoricorum..., collation: *8, **8, a-k8, l4, m-z8, A-G8, H10; [16], 245, [1] ff., complete with blank leaf **8 blank, Aldine device on title and at end, blank spaces for capitals with printed guide letters, some light foxing, title slightly water-stained, early Latin and Greek marginalia, contemporary Venetian binding by Andrea di Lorenzo, known as the Mendoza Binder, of brown morocco over pasteboards, covers within multiple blind and gilt fillets, rosettes at each corner, central gilt corner-pieces and large fleuron, upper cover lettered in gilt 'm.t.c. rhetoricor.', spine with three double raised bands alternated with four single bands underlined by dotted fillet in gilt (widely restored), compartments decorated with blind-tooled floral frieze, 19th-century endpapers and pastedowns, blue edges, 4to (212 x 123mm.), Venice, Aldus Manutius's heirs and Andrea Torresano, October 1521. ⁂ The second Aldine edition of the rhetorical writings of Cicero, in a copy with a distinguished provenance, and marvellously bound by one the best and most sought after Venetian binders, Andrea di Lorenzo, known as the 'Mendoza Binder' after his principal client Diego Hurtado de Mendoza. He was active in Venice between 1518 and 1555, and his decorative patterns and innovative style were very influential, inspiring generations of binders in France and Germany. The binding can be dated back to the Mendoza Binder's first years of activity and the decoration is identical to another copy of the Aldine Cicero of 1521, now preserved in the John Rylands Library in Manchester. This is a binding with a decorative scheme used by the Mendoza Binder almost exclusively for editions issued by the Aldine press between 1518 and 1526, "made either for display and sale in the bookshop employing him or to be ordered through it" (A. Hobson, Renaissance Book Collecting, p. 99), most of them commissioned by Jean Grolier, the 'Prince of Bibliophiles'. "The commonest pattern [...] consists of a gilt rectangular frame, rosettes and leaves at the corners, often a smaller leaf in silver at the outer corners, with the title gilt at the headcap of the upper cover. Customers might have their name or initials added at the foot of the same cover. Other stock patterns involved massed arabesque leaves, fleurons, bud-tools, large open fleurons, or a circle containing a title. Of the fifty-two recorded instances of these stock bindings on books printed before 1526, all but five, or over 90 per cent, are on Aldine Press books, mostly printed by Aldus Manutius' successor" (ibid.). Literature: Renouard 93.13; Ahmanson-Murphy 207; A. Hobson, Renaissance Book Collecting. Jean Grolier and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, their Books and Bindings, Cambridge 1999, pl. 48 (for an identical binding). Provenance: Joaquim Gomez de la Cortina, Marquis de Morante (1808-1868; Hans Fürstenberg (1890-1982), Charles Filippi (ex-libris of each on recto of front endpaper).
Eliot (T.S.) The Cocktail Party, first issue with typographical error on p. 29, signed by the author on title with printed name crossed through, 2 dust-jackets, light browning to jacket spine, some minor chipping and creasing to head and foot, 1950; The Confidential Clerk, first issue with typographical error on p. 7, signed presentation inscription to P. T. R. Gillett from the author to title, dust-jacket, spine slightly faded with small internal chip, minor chipping to spine ends and corners, 1954, first editions, original cloth, [Gallup A55a & A64a]; and 4 others, plays by the same, 8vo (6)
China.- Davis (John Francis, translator) Han Koong Tsew, or The Sorrows of Han: A Chinese Tragedy, subscriber's copy, with 2 decorative subscriber's leaves printed in lilac and red, blue & black at beginning, light spotting, bookplate of Richard Gregory, contemporary diced calf, gilt, rubbed and marked, two worn patches to upper cover, 4to, Oriental Translation Fund, 1829.
Morris (William).- Magnusson (Eirikr) and William Morris, translators. The Story of the Volsungs & Niblungs..., first edition, one of 750 copies, with 1 ½pp. A.L.s. from Philip Webb (who designed the binding) to Charles Canning Winmill tipped in at beginning, half-title, 2 advertisement leaves at end, occasional light soiling, original dark green cloth elaborately decorated with birds and flowers in gilt, designed by Philip Webb, uncut, slightly rubbed at corners and spine ends but a good bright copy, 8vo, 1870. ⁂ Philip Webb (1831-1915), architect, regarded as the father of Arts & Crafts architecture. He was a close friend of William Morris and designed the Red House at Bexleyheath for him in 1859. Webb and Morris were the main founders of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877. Charles Canning Winmill (1865-1945) was an Arts & Crafts architect greatly influenced by Webb.
Soane (Sir John) Designs for Public and Private Buildings, first edition, half-title, engraved title with vignettes and 55 plates, one misbound, list of plates at end, plates foxed, some light damp-staining at beginning affecting lower inner margin of title and first few leaves and plates, modern boards with contemporary morocco spine (repaired), recased, [Fowler 338], folio, 1828.
Soldier in India.- Langford (Frank, of 85th Light Infantry, fl. 1872-80) Diary, autograph manuscript, 79pp. excluding blanks, in ink and pencil, some ff. excised, a few ff. loose or working loose, a few cut, slightly browned, inner hinges split, original blind-stamped calf, rubbed, original brass clasp, upper cover corner creased, edges and corners worn, 155 x 90mm., 1872-80; and an oil on board portrait of Langford, v.s., v.d. (2). ⁂ "May 12 Wed [1880] Went for a walk after breakfast as far as the village with Sitwell a Joori thief shot at the fort": "Jan 13 Thurs [1880] Reached Lahore 5 am very cold had some tea and bread, went on by train to rest camp, very down all day called on the 8th, all were out, drove to fort in the evening &c... ." Notes on life as an officer in the British Army in India, with some notes from a correspondent in British Columbia, Canada. Devlali, or Deolali, Nashik district, Maharashtra. Deolali was a British Army camp, the original location of the Army Staff College. It is also the source of the British slang noun doolally tap, loosely meaning "camp fever", and referring to the apparent madness of men waiting for ships back to Britain after finishing their tour of duty.
Japan.- Silk.- Sira-Kawa de Sendai (Osyou) Traité de l'Éducation des Vers a Soie au Japon, translated by Léon de Rosny, 22 lithographed plates, most chromolithographed, some tinted, one with folding flap, light spotting to text, original printed wrappers, uncut and unopened, rubbed and soiled, slightly frayed at edges, 8vo, Paris, 1868. ⁂ Rare work on silk and its production, with attractive plates; the first edition in translation. COPAC lists only 5 copies.
Brontë (Rev. Patrick) Brontëana: his Collected Works and Life, edited by J.Horsfall Turner, [one of 50] large paper copies, plates and illustrations, prospectus and facsimile Patrick Brontë letter loosely inserted, A.L.s. dated Dec.18th, 1916, writer and recipient unknown, mentioning Brontëana loosely inserted, loosely inserted, original blue cloth, spine slightly darkened, spine ends and corners a little bumped, light rubbing and discolouration, 4to, Bingley, printed for the Editor by T.Harrison & Sons, 1898. ⁂ Volume two of a projected four volume set, the rest of which were never published, the large paper copy is rare and not recorded by Wise.
Bodoni.- Gray (Thomas) Poems, [one of 100 large paper copies], light foxing at beginning and end, bookplate, contemporary tan morocco, elaborately gilt with gilt crest in centre of both boards, g.e., a little rubbed and spotted, corners slightly worn, skillfully rebacked preserving old gilt spine (a little faded), [Brooks 501], 4to, Parma, Bodoni, 1793.
Alberti (Leon Battista) The Architecture...Of Painting...Of Statuary, edited by James Leoni and translated into Italian by Cosimo Bartoli, 3 vol. in 1, second edition, engraved allegorical frontispiece by B.Picart, titles and text in English and Italian with woodcut device, printed in double column, 75 engraved plates, some by Picart, contemporary ink signature at head of title, frontispiece defective at inner edge and laid down with ink hatching filling missing area, ex-library copy with unobtrusive blind stamp at head of title and first leaf of each vol., some light spotting and browning, modern half calf, [Harris 14; Millard, British 5], folio, Thomas Edlin, 1739.
[Brontë (Emily)] Wuthering Heights. A Novel. By the author of "Jane Eyre", 2 vol., first American edition, foxed, occasional creasing and chips to margins, vol.1 first gathering damp-stained at top corner, original printed wrappers, cocked, vol.1 spine chipped and worn with loss to some text and lacking lower cover, vol.3 spine a little worn and chipped at ends, ink ownership inscription to upper cover, light marking to covers, creasing and some wear to extremities, [Smith 3 pp.73-74], 8vo, New York, Harper & Brothers, 1848. ⁂ By far the scarcer of the two first editions, the wrappered issue appears to have been prepared in haste: vol.1 breaks off mid-sentence and vol.2 was printed without its own title page. Provenance: Philip Wells (ink ownership inscription to upper covers).
Japan.- Netto (C.) Papier-Schmetterlinge aus Japan, first edition, chromolithographed additional pictorial title, plates and illustrations by Paul Bender, one chromolithographed, 3 etched, light spotting at beginning and end, original half morocco over pictorial boards, g.e., slightly rubbed at edges, with the original dust-jacket printed in gold (a little stained, frayed at edges), 4to, Leipzig, 1888.
Austen (Jane) Pride and Prejudice, illustrated by Hugh Thomson, light foxing at beginning and end, 1894; Emma, later ink inscriptions to front free endpaper, bookplate, 1898; Sense and Sensibility, half-title browned, 1899, all with plates and illustrations, those in the last two by Chris Hammond, all original pictorial dark green cloth, gilt, the first with peacock design on upper cover, the other two with floral designs, spines gilt, g.e. or t.e.g., all slightly rubbed but bright copies, the last a little spotted by damp and with small gouge to upper cover, [Gilson E78, 92 & 94], 8vo, George Allen (3) ⁂ Only these three Austen novels were issued in this format by George Allen. Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey & Persuasion were both illustrated by Hugh Thomson and published in similar style in 1897, but by Macmillan and Co.
[Brontë (Charlotte)], "Currer Bell". Jane Eyre: an Autobiography, 3 vol., third edition, half-titles, vol.1 with 2pp. advertisements to front and 16pp. publisher's catalogue dated September 1849 to rear, vol.3 with 8pp. Opinions of the Press to rear, some occasional light spotting and marginal finger-soiling, ink ownership inscription to head of vol.1 title, bookplates to pastedowns, original cloth, spines faded, spine ends and corners a little bumped, rubbed, recased and hinges strengthened, [Smith 2 pp.29-30], 8vo, Smith, Elder and Co., 1848. ⁂ For the third edition the publishers asked Charlotte if she would like to contribute some illustrations of her own; she declined the offer but elected instead to include a note to the reader in the hope of dispelling the rumour that Currer had written all of the Bell novels to date: "If, therefore, the authorship of other works of fiction has been attributed to me, an honour is awarded where it is not merited; and consequently, denied what is justly due." Provenance: George Treweeke Scobell (ink ownership inscription to title and bookplate to pastedowns).
London.- Regent's Park.- House of Commons. First [-Fifth] Report of the Commissioners of His Majesty's Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues, 10 folding hand-coloured engraved plans, some light offsetting, 1812-26; The Reports of the Surveyor General of His Majesty's Land Revenue, reprints of First-Fourth Reports (1797-1809) with Index, 2 folding engraved plans, one with partial hand-colouring, 1812, together 6 works in 1 vol., modern half calf, folio ⁂ Concerning improvements on the Crown Estates, proposing development along Piccadilly, Hyde Park, Park Lane, and Regent's Park by John Nash.
Austen (Jane) [Novels], introductions by Austin Dobson, 6 vol. in 5, "Peacock Series", frontispieces and full-page illustrations by Hugh Thomson and Charles E.Brock, original red "cloth elegant", upper covers and spines with elaborate floral designs by A.A.Turbayne in gilt, endpapers with peacock design in yellow, g.e., light stain to lower covers of 'Sense and Sensibility' and 'Mansfield Park', spines a little faded, [Gilson E79, 82, 86 & 88 & 89], 8vo, Macmillan and Co., 1897-98. ⁂ Macmillan started to issue the Austen novels in 1895 in their 'Illustrated Standard Novels' series, with Pride and Prejudice illustrated by Brock and the others by Thomson. Apart from Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, which is the first Macmillan edition of 1897 (Gilson 89), the others in the set are all reprints of 1898. From 1896 the volumes were also issued in this "cloth elegant" Turbayne binding with the peacock endpapers, hence known as the 'Peacock Series'.
[Brontë (Charlotte)] Jane Eyre. An Autobiography. Edited by Currer Bell, first American edition, advertisement f. with Webster's Dictionary to recto and Harper's New Catalogue to verso, occasional foxing or spotting, light damp stain to foot, modern calf-backed boards, [Smith 2 pp.41-45], 8vo, New York, Harper & Brothers, 1848. ⁂ The rare first American edition, the first of three to be rushed out by separate publishers in the space of a year.
[Brontë (Emily and Anne)], "Ellis and Acton Bell". Wuthering Heights; Agnes Grey, together 3 vol. (as issued), first editions, a mixed set, some light soiling and creasing to corners (heavier to Agnes Grey), Agnes Grey with marginal browning to title, C7 and O5 with neatly repaired tears to margins and E2 with closed tear to foot, vol.1 & 2 contemporary half calf, rebacked preserving original backstrip, extremities rubbed, vol.3 modern antique-style half calf to match, spines gilt, [Smith 3 pp.60-63], 8vo, Thomas Cautley Newby, 1847. ⁂ The rare first editions of the two sisters' first novels. Wuthering Heights is one of the great romantic works and remains one of the most popular novels in the English language. Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey were written during the remarkable 1846-47 period that also saw Charlotte write The Professor and Jane Eyre. These two novels, along with The Professor were sent as a trio to publishers from July 1846, meeting with uniform rejection until around a year later the publisher Thomas Cautley Newby expressed an interest in the novels of Emily and Anne. The terms offered to the sisters were poor: between them they had to raise £50 to cover publication costs, to be repaid if and when the novels raised enough money through sales (neither sister saw a penny). Nevertheless the sisters accepted, however Thomas Cautley Newby, essentially a one-man operation, moved slowly and their novels were not published until two months after Jane Eyre (despite this , and even then filled with the errors the authors had hoped would be expunged at the proof stages. The exact number of copies printed is unclear although Charlotte would later mention in a letter of September 1850 that Newby had undertaken to print 350 copies before subsequently declaring that he had printed only 250.
Austen (Jane).- Horatius Flaccus (Quintus) Opera, 2 vol., second issue with "potest" on p.108 of vol.2 and without 'List of Antiques' in vol.1 as usual, engraved throughout with frontispieces, vignette titles, dedications, several lists of subscribers, portraits & illustrations (some full-page) and numerous head- & tail-pieces and initials, titles with faint inscription to Haggerston Robertson dated 1860 at head, one or two pencil annotations, some very light offsetting (mainly in vol.1), bookseller's ticket of R.D.Steedman of Newcastle upon Tyne, fine contemporary red morocco, gilt, spines gilt in compartments with morocco labels, g.e., turquoise silk endpapers, a little rubbed, light mottling to upper cover of vol.2, spines very slightly faded, a very good copy, [Cohen-de Ricci 498; Ray, England p.3; Rothschild 1548], 8vo, John Pine, 1733-37. ⁂ A lovely copy of Pine's magnificent work, beautifully balancing the text with the numerous engraved illustrations and Rococo ornaments. Ray describes it as "the most elegant of English eighteenth-century books" and "a high point of Augustan taste". John Pine (1690-1756) started his career as a goldsmith and became one of the finest English engravers of the first half of the 18th century. He was close friends with William Hogarth, and both were Freemasons which assisted in making connections for his expensive publications, financed by subscription. The extensive lists of subscribers include Continental buyers as well as British and feature George II, the Prince of Wales, various royals and nobles (British and foreign), and notable literary and artistic figures such as Lord Burlington, Colley Cibber, James Gibbs, G.F.Handel, Edmond Halley, Hogarth, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift and Horace Walpole. Also included in the subscribers is "Mr. John Gowland, Apothecary to his Royal High. the P. of Wales". John Gowland (d.1776), who attended Handel in his last illness, was the inventor of Gowland's lotion which is mentioned by Jane Austen in Persuasion chapter XVI, when Sir Walter Elliot recommends it to his daughter Anne on the grounds that it had improved Mrs.Clay's freckles.
Kelmscott Press.- Coleridge (Samuel Taylor) Poems chosen out of the Works..., edited by F.S.Ellis, one of 300 copies on Flower paper, printed in red and black in Golden type, wood-engraved borders and initials designed by William Morris, occasional light foxing, original limp vellum with silk ties, yapp edges, spine titled in gilt, uncut, lacking ties, covers a little yellowed, spine lightly soiled, [Peterson A38], 8vo, Kelmscott Press, 1896.
δ Bell (Vanessa, 1879-1961) 'Charlotte Brontë', plate design for Kenneth Clark, 1932, watercolour over graphite, heightened with white, on wove paper, signed and titled lower centre, diameter: 255 mm. (10 in.), horizontal crease to upper quarter, pin hole in centre, minor even browning, light surface dirt, [1932]. Provenance: Abbot & Holder, London (label on reverse); From whom acquired by the present owner. ⁂ The present work was a design for the large dinner service commissioned by Kenneth Clark in 1932-33, from the artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. The theme was "Famous Women" and ranged from Sappho to Greta Garbo. Another example of a design by Bell for a plate from the dinner service, illustrating Queen Christina of Sweden, is held in the Victoria & Albert museum (see: acc. no. E.1052-1992). Spink held an exhibition in 1991, which also featured six other examples from the dinner service, including portraits of George Eliot and Elizabeth Tudor, amongst others (see: Spink, Duncan Grant & Vanessa Bell: Design and Decoration 1910-1960, 1991, nos. 64 to 69. δ This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.
Demosthenes. Olunthiakos logos protos [-trìtos], text in Greek, title with large woodcut printer's device and small floral ornament, initial spaces with guide-letter, lacking final blank, some mostly light spotting, 18th century red morocco, gilt, spine in compartments, g.e., [Not in Adams; EDIT 16 CNCE 16737], 8vo, Rome, [Antonio Blado], 1545. ⁂ The Chatsworth copy of a rare and charming edition of some of the author's most famous speeches, including 'On the Peace'. EDIT 16 records only three copies.
London.- Lewis (Samuel) A Plan of London and its Environs, Shewing the Boundaries of the Cities of London and Westminster, showing from Stoke Newington to Dulwich, and from Hammersmith to Greenwich, with some railway lines included, and showing Victoria Park, decoratively lettered title and compass rose upper right, within an ornate border, engraved map by I. Dower, with early hand-colouring, 960 x 1140 mm. (37 3/4 x 44 7/8 in), dissected and mounted on linen, overall light even browning, folding into original red morocco gilt boards, rubbed, spine splitting, worn, [circa 1850].
Slavery.- Clarkson (Thomas) The History of the Rise, Progress, and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade by the British Parliament, 2 vol., first edition, presentation copy from the author " To Wm. Wilberforce Esqr. M.P., an unwearied Fellow-Labour[er] and the parliamentary Leader in the great Cause of the Abolition of the Slave-Trade this work is affectionately present[ed]" inscribed on title of vol.1, 3 engraved plates, 2 folding, inscription very slightly cropped with loss of a couple of letters, a few markings and numberings in ink or pencil to vol.1, some foxing and soiling, a few light stains to text and marginal defects, plates with a little offsetting, one folding plate frayed at edge, the other (plan of slave ship) torn and repaired at edge, modern half calf (in style of previous binding), with Wilberforce's engraved bookplate on preserved front pastedown tipped in at beginning of vol.1, [Goldsmiths' 19725; Kress B.5319; Sabin 13486], 8vo, 1808. ⁂ A superb association copy, between two of the leading lights in the campaign against slavery. Thomas Clarkson (1760-46) devoted most of his life to fighting for the abolition of slavery and toured the country assembling evidence, interviewing 20,000 sailors and acquiring equipment used on the slave-ships. He persuaded Wilberforce (1759-1833) to take up the cause in Parliament and in 1807 the Slave Trade Act was passed, banning the transportation of slaves in British ships. Eventually the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 abolished slavery in most parts of the British Empire, being passed three days before Wilberforce died.
Brontë (Charlotte, Emily & Anne) [The Novels], edited by Temple Scott, 12 vol. including Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Brontë, Memorial edition, number 1 of 5 extra-illustrated and specially-bound copies, with Charlotte Brontë A.L.s. laid in to Shirley vol.1, original watercolour frontispieces and numerous marginal decorations, numerous additional engraved and photolithographed plates, captioned tissue-guards, silked endpapers, handsome original crushed blue morocco, spines gilt in compartments with thistle motifs. covers with thistle centrepieces and thistle cornerpieces, all within double fillet borders, red morocco doublures with thistles and floral decorations in gilt and green morocco, with central monogram in gilt, spine of "Life of Charlotte Brontë" incorrectly titled "Life of Agnes Brontë", spines slightly faded, some light rubbing to extremities, t.e.g., others uncut, 8vo, [c. 1910]. ⁂ A handsomely bound grangerised set of the novels, the letter is to W.S.Williams regarding proof sheets, most likely for Villette.
Stevenson (Robert Louis) A Child's Garden of Verses, first edition, issue with smaller "of" in title on spine but rounded apostrophe, no mention of 'Two Series' in advertisement leaf at beginning, half-title, occasional light soiling, ink ownership signature to front free endpaper, endpapers browned, original blue cloth, gilt, bevelled edges, t.e.g., others uncut, a little rubbed, light staining to edge of upper board, some fading to spine, corners slightly worn, 8vo, 1885.
Austen (Jane).- Austen-Leigh (Rev. James Edward) A Memoir of Jane Austen, first edition, engraved portrait (foxed, tissue guard), title in red and black, 3 wood-engraved plates, facsimile autograph leaf, contemporary ink inscription on front free endpaper, light spotting at beginning and end, handsome dark blue morocco, gilt, by Hatchard & Co., boards with central gilt coronet above initials "S.P.H." on upper cover and "A.F.H." on lower, spine gilt in compartments, g.e., joints a little rubbed, spine very slightly faded, [Gilson M125], 8vo, Richard Bentley, 1870. ⁂ The first biography of Jane Austen, written by her nephew who was vicar of Bray, Berkshire.
Eliot (T.S.) Four Quartets, first English edition, signed by the author on title, Typed Letter signed by the author apologising for mis-sending another signed copy of this book loosely inserted, light creasing to head of text, original cloth, cocked, dust-jacket, a little cockled (as often), spine slightly browned, light surface soiling, [Gallup A43b], 8vo, 1944. ⁂ "It was sent by an odd mistake to a man I know slightly, and though no doubt he was surprised at receiving a signed copy of my book, I think he might be rather hurt by being told that it was not intended for him!"
Atkinson (John Augustus).- Beresford (Rev. James) The Miseries of Human Life; or The Groans [and Last Groans] of Samuel Sensitive, and Timothy Testy..., 2 vol., eighth edition of vol.1, second edition vol.2, 2 folding stipple-engraved frontispieces by Edward Scriven after Beresford (short tears repaired), folding playbill (torn at fold), woodcut illustrations, extra-illustrated with 17 folding hand-coloured aquatints by John Augustus Atkinson (vignette title and 16 plates), light offsetting, occasional spotting, contemporary half mottled calf, rubbed, rebacked, 8vo, 1807. ⁂* Comprising Beresford's original text with the addition of Atkinson's separately-issued Sixteen Scenes taken from The Miseries of Human Life. By one of the Wretched, [Abbey Life 259].
Wales.- Donovan (Edward) Descriptive Excursions through South Wales and Monmouthshire, 2 vol., first edition, 31 hand-coloured aquatint or stipple-engraved plates, some light foxing and soiling, a few minor marginal defects, engraved bookplates of Mathew Wilson and Frances Mary Richardson Currer, contemporary mottled calf, gilt, spines gilt but a little rubbed and faded with splits to joints, marbled edges, [Abbey, Scenery 518], 8vo, for the Author, 1805.
δ Freedman (Barnett, 1901-1958) Test sheet of 16 proof book illustrations for Wuthering Heights, colour lithograph on wove paper, 945 x 580 mm. (37 1/4 x 22 3/4 in), under glass, minor surface dirt and light browning, [published by The Heritage Press of New York, printed by the Curwen Press, 1940]. δ This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.
Austen (Jane) Mansfield Park: A Novel...By the Author of "Pride and Prejudice", 3 vol., second edition, lacking all half-titles and final blanks from vol. 2 & 3, light foxing, vol.3 with small hole to M1 causing loss of a couple of letters, contemporary half calf over marbled boards, rubbed, rebacked preserving old spines, corners repaired, new endpapers, [Gilson A7], 12mo, J.Murray, 1816. ⁂ First published in May 1814 by Egerton, in an edition of possibly as few as 1250, and sold out by November of that year. This second edition was entrusted to John Murray and 750 copies were printed but it did not sell well and in 1820 it was remaindered. The text was revised by Austen and changes made, particularly regarding the nautical details and terminology, probably on the advice of one of her sailor brothers.
Eliot (T.S.) The Idea of a Christian Society, light spotting to endpapers, spine ends and corners a little bumped, 1939; Notes Towards the Definition of Culture, light browning to endpapers, light fading to spine and upper cover, dust-jacket, spine slightly browned, minor chipping and creasing to spine ends and corners, 1948, first editions, signed by the author on titles with printed name crossed through, original cloth, [Gallup A35a & A51a]; and 2 others by the same, 8vo (4)
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