Lucian of Samosata. Luciani Dialogi et alia multa opera quorum index est in proximis paginis. Imagines Philostrati. Eiusdem Heroica. Eiusdem vitæ Sophistarum. Imagines Junioris Philostrati. Descriptiones Callistrati. Venice: In aedibus Aldi, & Andrae Asulani soceri, October, 1522. Third edition in Greek and second Aldine edition of Lucian's Dialogues (the edition princeps was published in Florence in 1496, and the first Aldine edition was published in 1503) and second edition of the Philostratean texts and the Callistratus. Title and preliminaries in Greek and Latin, text in Greek. Greek and Roman letter. Aldine woodcut anchor and dolphin device on title and on verso of final leaf. Very rare to see the printer’s device twice. Capital spaces with guide letters. Imprint from colophon. With a preface by Franciscus Asulanus. At the demand of the Congregation of the Index Expurgatorius (otherwise known as the Inquisition) pages 385-92 and 435-440 were removed in order to destroy two passages, p. 386 and 436" (Ebert). Those pages are missing in this edition. Full early 17th century panelled brown leather binding. Raised bands and gilt titling on the spine. Speckled page edges. 55 lines plus pagination. 571pp. 4to. "The first of these Aldine editions...is very imperfect, and apparently taken from inaccurate MSS, without any collation of the edition princeps. The second is rather more valuable, and has served as the basis of many subsequent editions. It exhibits in some places a purer text than the Florentine edition" (Dibdin, Greek and Latin Classics II, pp. 190-191). Brunet III, cols. 1206-1207. Ebert 12374. Renouard, p. 95, 4.Approximate Dimensions:h. 12.25", w. 8.25", d. 2"Condition:Boards have wear, chipping, and loss to leather. End papers lightly browned at the edges from turn-in glue. Light foxing throughout and a few leaves with minor worming. Pages have some foxing, yellowing, and light staining. Some marginalia
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Dialogi de dignitate secerdote by Johannes Chrysostomus. Printed 1472, by Ulrich AEL, Cologne. First printed edition. Extremely rare incunable. Book has the same type faces as Gutenberg Bible. Re-bound in 20th century vellum and parchment. Pages in terrific condition. 8vo. H.C. 5048, Goff J 382, BMC 1187. 68 total pages.Approximate Dimensions:h. 8.75", w. 6", d. .75"Condition:No title page present. Much writing in multiple pencil and ink inside front cover and first free paper. Some edge toning and light foxing.
Proverbiorum Libellus by Polydore Vergil. Published 1498 by Magistru Christophorus de Pensis in Venice. A rare first edition of incunabula. Quarter bound in brown leather with brown boards. Gilt titling on the spine. 8vo. 70 leaves with one blank and 2 free papers at each endApproximate Dimensions:h. 8.25", w. 6", d. .5"Condition:Piece has been re-bound. Wear and rubbing to boards and leather, particularly at corners. Some light staining and foxing on pages.
Two volume set. An Introduction to the Knowledge of Rare and Valuable Editions of the Greek and Latin Classics; Including an Account of the Polyglot Bibles by Theo. Frognall Dibdin. Published 1808. Third edition. Books are fully bound in tan leather with the original boards used in a repair. Spine features gilt titling. Marbled end papers. Approximate Dimensions:Each book: h. 7.5", w. 5", d. 1"Condition:Book has been repaired and re-bound. Original leather boards are used. Scattered foxing and staining to pages.
Marcus Tulius Cicero and Cornelius Nepos. Epistolae ad Brutum, ad Quintum fratem, ad Atticum. Hoc in volumine haec continentur Epistola ad Augustinum Mapheum per Bartholmeum salicetu(m) Bononiensem: & Ludovicu(m) Regiu(m) Coreliensem. Published 1499, Phillipus Pincius, Venice. 132 leaves This is the rare second Pincius edition of Cicero�s "Epostolae ad Brutum," his "Letters" adding to his 1496 edition a note by Julius Pomponius Laetus, the Italian humanist and frequent commentator of classics. Edited by Bartholomaeus Salicetus and Ludovicus Regius. Cicero, the famed Roman orator and statesman, enjoyed a revival of thought in the early modern era; works by Cicero were amply reprinted in centers of print and study. The period of history covered by Cicero�s letters is one of the most interesting and momentous of all time; Venetian thinkers would have voraciously read the Ciceronian compositions. In this particular copy the Latin marginalia gives some primary source evidence of interaction with the principles and persons covered in Cicero�s letters. This text would form the foundation of other letter writing traditions such as Horace�s epistles, Ovid�s exile poetry, and the letters of Christian writers. Bound with a vellum spine and paper boards. This copy enhanced with contemporary annotations including a subject index and extensive Latin marginalia.ISTC ic00503000. Goff C503. Hain/Copinger 5217*. Pell 3628. IBE 1594. IGI 2805. IBP 1522. Saj--Solt�sz 992. G�nt(L) 3561. Walsh 2470. Sheppard 4409. Bodleian C286. Proctor 5322. BMC V 499. GW 6862. BSB C324.050. ISTC ic00503000. Schweiger I,164Approximate Dimensions:h. 12", w. 8.25", d. 1"Condition:Wear and scuffing to boards. Some pages have tears and damp stain, but overall looks clean with some staining to endpapers and marginalia present.
Dickens, Charles The Village Coquettes; A Comic Opera. Published by Richard Bentley, London, 1878, 69pp. A facsimile reprint of the rare 1836 first edition. Approximate Dimensions:h. 8.75", w. 5.625"Condition: This book has strong original paper covered binding with some foxing spots on the front cover and some on page 2 as well. Clean otherwise.
Sermones de Sanctis and Other Works by Francis of Meyronnes. Printed in 1493 by Peregrinus de Pasqualibus, Venice. First Venetian edition. 354 leaves ,Rare incunabula. Book has been bound in brown leather with raised bands on the spine. No titling on spine present. 8vo. H. 1031, BMC P. 392, Pellechet 4904, Polain B 1514, Goff M93Approximate Dimensions:h. 8.25", w. 5.75", d. 1.5"Condition:Book has been re-bound. Some wear on leather. Pages have very light staining and foxing. Some marginalia present.
Scriptum super terito sententiarum edition a fratre ionne duns ordinis fractum doctre subtilissimo &c per excellentrissimum sacre theologie docterem magistrum thomam penketh anglicum ordinis fractum hehemitarum sancti augustini in famosissimo studio patuino ordinaire legentem maxima cum diligentia emendatum, by J. Scotus Duns. Edited by Thomas Penketh. Printed 1481 by Nicholas Jenson, Johannes de Colonia. A very rare first edition. Full leather binding containing 113 leaves Bands on the spine and titling on black. Pages feature two columns with 46 lines per column. Marginalia from a 15th century scholar present throughout, including numbering each leaf as a page, lettering on pages 107 through the last page. Approximate Dimensions:h. 8.5", w. 6.75", d. 1"Condition:Leather and boards have scuffing, edges chipped and worn. Four front and rear free papers of which one of each is original. Wear on pages, with some light staining and foxing. Wormholes lightly present in the front.
Propositiones ex omnibus Aristotelis libris philosophie. Moralis. Naturalis & prime. Published 1493. Venice: Johannes and Gregorius de Gregoriis for Alexander Calcedonius. The first scholar text focused on Aristotle. Early vellum boards, spine lacking. Large copy. Has 41 lines and headline; extensive red printing including headlines. 344 leaves. Median 4to. A rare edition of this comprehensive collection of excerpts from all of Aristotle's corpus. The compiler, Ferrariis, native of Cremona and later in Bologna, was a Dominican mentioned in documents of 1486-1490. He edited Thomas Aquinas's Commentary on Aristotle's Physics, but Benedictus Soncina's dedication of the present edition speaks of him as by then deceased. Various misregisters between the red and black printing show that the red-ink forms were printed first and the black second. Approximate Dimensions:h. 9", 2. 6.5", d. 2"Condition:Wear throughout. Boards have wear, spine lacking. Some staining and marginalia on pages. Spine lists 1492 when book was most likely published in 1493.
Phraseologia Generalis...A Full, Large and General Phrase Book by William Robertson, A.M. Published 1681 by John Hayes (Cambridge) and sold by George Sawbridge (London). First edition. Robertson was an important lexicographer and this is his sole foray into Latin and is designed for the more speedy and prosperous progress of students in their Humanities studies. A rare volume in this condition. Full leather bound. Raised bands on the spine with titling on a field of brown. Approximate Dimensions:h. 7.25", w. 4.5", d. 2.75"Condition:Chipping, scuffing, and wear on leather and spine, particularly at the edges and corners. Hinges have started to crack. Pages have some light yellowing from age.
Interprate Andrea Papis Gaudenfi by Dionysious Alexandrini, printed in 1575 by Christophe Plantin in Antwerp. A rare edition from the great Plantin family of printers. Full leather binding with raised bands on the spine. Tooling on the front and back boards. A bookplate from the Dukes of Arenberg at their Nordkirchen Castle in Germany is present. Approximate Dimensions:Condition:Boards and leather have bends, creases, chipping, and loss from age and wear. Hinges are cracking. Some light staining on the interior pages. Front free end paper is missing a corner. Previous owner's name is written on the front free end
Institutionum Primorum totius iurisprudentiae elementorum libri quatuor and volumen legum, by Justinian. Printed 1569 by Philippe Thinghi, Lugduni (Lyon). Two volumes bound together containing an early edition of an important codification and discussion of existing law. A scarce and rare volume. The book is wrapped in period vellum containing one front and verso free paper. Approximate Dimensions:h.12.75", w. 8.5", d. 2"Condition:Vellum has some cracking at the hinges, some wear to the head and foot at the spine with vellum missing from the top 20% There is wear to all the surfaces with some toned spots and a .25" round hole in the vellum on verso Ex libris bookplate
Apophthegmata by Plutarch, printed 1471 by The Printer of Basilius De Vita Solitaira in Venice. Translated by Franciscus Philelphus. Only 7 books were printed by this press and less than four copies of this book have been found in rare book collections. Book is bound with marbled boards and a red leather spine. Gilt titling on spine on a field of tan. containing 87 leaves and one free font paper. Hain 12129, Goff P-817, BMCV-187 Approximate Dimensions:h. 7.25", w. 5.25", d. .75"Condition:Wear and rubbing to boards and leather. From this copy the following folios are missing: d10 e1-11 g1 (g10 is misbound as g1)
Report of the Dinner Given to Charles Dickens, published by William Crosby and Company, Boston, 1842, February 1, 1842. 66 pages in the original wrappers. Reported by Thomas Gill and William English, reporters on the Morning Post. Most of the speeches revised by their authors. Here is an original example of this rare work, regarding a dinner hosted in Boston where Charles Dickens gave a speech on International Copyright. This work was published following Dickens' first trip to America. His visit brought him to such places as Virginia, Missouri,New York and Massachusetts. He particularly enjoyed the city of Boston, which is where this celebratory dinner was held. It is a faithful account of the speeches made that evening. In attendance at the dinner were Oliver Wendell Holmes, Washington Allston, George Bancroft, and Nathan Hale Jr among many noted literary figures. Dickens' personal speech is assigned to pages 10-15, where he introduces the subject of International Copyright. Provenance of H. Gardiner Esq, with respect of the publisher. BAL 4437, 633, 8735(n), etc. ECKEL, p.233. GIMBEL B112. WILSON II:480. CURRIER & TILTON, p.560.Approximate Dimensions:h. 6.75", w. 4.1325"Condition:This example is in its original wrapper ,which is uncommon to locate, wrapper exhibiting good color with some handling marks having the upper right corner with a small fold over affecting the cover and first page laying flat.
A grouping of nine books by or about Charles Dickens: Charles Dickens Rare Print Collection. Edited by Seymour Eaton. Published for Private Circulation by R. G. Kennedy and Company, Philadelphia. 1900. Contains prints in 10 sections, for 75 plates. All appear to be present. Bound in original boards with cloth ties. Some chipping and loss to covers. Interior plates look good with some light tearing and chipping at the edges. Brown section folders are chipping from age. Front cover has some splitting at the spine. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Published 1926 by J.M. Dent. Everyman's Library edition. Bound in red leather with gilt decoration.12mo. 823pp. Wear on boards and light marking on the interior. The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens. Published 1934 by Associated Newspapers, London. Early edition. Bound in blue leather boards with gilt titling on the spine. Dust jacket present. 4to. 127pp. Light wear and foxing observed. Otherwise a very nice example. Christmas Stories From All The Year Round by Charles Dickens. Published at 26, Wellington Street, Strand. Undated. Most likely from 1860s. Original green boards with blind stamping on the front and back and gilt titling. 4to. Some wear on boards, chipping on pages. Light marking and foxing present. Drawn from Life by Charles Dickens. Published 1875 by E.J. Hale and Son, New York. Bound in green boards with gilt decoration on the front and gilt titling on the spine 8vo. 320pp. Wear on boards and some light wear on the interior. Some foxing and yellowing observed. Pencil marks may be present at the front. Charles Dickens's Letters to Charles Lever. Edited by Flora Livingston with an Introduction by Hyder Rollins. Published 1933 by Harvard University Press. Bound in brown boards with gilt decoration and titling. 8vo. 65pp. Very good condition with light wear. A printed letter is present on the front free endpaper. Dombey and Son Part 1 by Charles Dickens. Published 1848 by Bradbury and Evans. First edition. Early printing. Only volume 1 of this work. 8vo. 230pp. Bound in olive colored leather with marbled boards. Wear on boards and light foxing on pages. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Household Edition. Published 1850s by D. Appleton and Company, New York. 4to. 204pp. Bound in green boards with gilt titling and decoration on the front. Book has been repaired with a green spine with gilt titling. Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens. Published by New World Press in 1840s. Large edition. 4to. 190pp. Leather spine with dark brown boards. Gilt titling on the spine. Approximate Dimensions:Martin Chuzzlewit in New World Press: h. 11.5", w. 7.75", d. 1.25"Condition:Wear throughout. Some pencil marks present on pages.
HERMES, A RARE PINK FRAY BIRKIN 35 BAGCondition grade A (box fresh).Produced in 2021. 35cm long, 30cm high. Top handle drop 11cm. Canvas bag with pink toned smooth Swift leather trims, shiny palladium hardware, top handles. Zippered inner pocket, metal feet. Includes original dust bag, box, felt, booklet, rain coat, clochette, lock, and keys.
HERMES, A RARE ORANGE H AND ÉBÈNE SWIFT LEATHER QUELLE IDOLE KELLY DOLL BAGCondition grade B.Limited edition.15.5cm wide, 12.5cm high. Top handle drop 5cm. Orange H smooth swift leather with ébène brown toned details, shiny palladium hardware, top handle, Kelly turn lock closure. Designed to look like a doll; with protruding arms and feet, and eyes and eyebrows.
HERMES, A RARE VINTAGE BLACK BOX LEATHER MINI KELLY 20Condition grade B-.19.5cm long, 15cm high. 43cm removable shoulder strap drop. Black ‘Box’ leather with gold toned hardware, Kelly turn lock closure, metal feet. Black leather lined interior, inner slip pocket. Includes original dust bag, box and shoulder strap.
Cartier. An unusual and very limited edition 18K gold manual wind wristwatch made as part of the Paris 1991 editionCartier. Surprenante et rare montre bracelet en or jaune 18K (750) en édition très limitée Paris 1991 mouvement mécaniqueModel: CrashDate: Circa 1991Movement: 17-jewel Cal.160 manual windDial: Silvered, black Roman numeral hour markers, secret signature at 7, blued steel pointed baton handsCase: Brushed and polished 18K gold Crash form, back secured by 4 screws to band, cabochon set crown, No.043-91 A108339Strap/Bracelet: Brown Cartier alligator leatherBuckle/Clasp: Signed 18K gold folding claspSigned: Case, dial & movementSize: 24mm x 39mm Weight: 42,07gFootnotes:Cartier started to produce wristwatches in their London workshops in the 1960s at the absolute height of the 'swinging sixties' when London's influence and creativity was reverberating around the world. At this time, under the oversight of Jean-Jacques Cartier, Cartier created some of the most interesting and now sought after designs of the vintage watch world including the Crash.The first Cartier Crash models were produced and sold exclusively at the Cartier Boutique London in 1967. Since then, just a small number of variants were produced over the following decades. The present watch was part of a limited edition that Cartier's Paris boutique released in 1991. Just 400 pieces were made and it is individually numbered on its case back and Paris printed on the dial.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the EU, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Ls. Duchene & Fils. An unusual and rare gilt metal and enamel decorated key wind open face pocket watch with continuous automatonLs. Duchene & Fils. Rare et insolite montre de gousset à cadran ouvert en métal doré et décor en émail avec automate en continu remontoir à clefDate: Circa 1810Movement: Fusee vergeDial: White enamel with painted figures of cupid and Chronos in a boat, black Arabic numerals, black outer minute track, power reserve indication above 12, winding aperture at 4, gilt handsCase: Consular form, enamel decoration to reverse depicting a temple scene and drinking fountain, aperture to upper half with automaton figures including a pair of kite fliers, a musician with two dogs and further figure leading a dogSigned: DialSize: 51mm Weight: 93,60gFor further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Artus à Geneve. A rare and unusual silver open face key wind pocket watch enamel sceneArtus à Genève. Rare et insolite montre de gousset à cadran ouvert en argent (800) avec scène érotique dissimulée en émail remontoir à clefDate: Circa 1780Movement: Gilt full plate fusee verge, pierced and engraved balance bridge, silver regulationDial: White, black Roman numerals, black outer minute divisions, winding aperture at 2, hands AFCase: Polished consular, concealed erotic enamel scene to cuvetteSigned: MovementSize: 52mm Weight: 90,20gFor further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Patek Philippe. A fine and rare stainless steel manual wind wristwatch retailed by Hausmann & Co.Patek Philippe. Belle et rare montre bracelet en acier distribuée par Hausmann & Co. mouvement mécaniqueModel: CalatravaReference: 96Date: Circa 1935Movement: Jewelled manual wind, Seal of Geneva, No.826720Dial: Champagne, black baton hour markers with polished quarters, black outer minute divisions, engine turned subsidiary dial at 6 for running seconds, polished leaf handsCase: Brushed round form, snap on back, No.15130/1907Strap/Bracelet: Black lizard leatherBuckle/Clasp: Steel buckleSigned: Case, dial & movementSize: 31mmFootnotes:In 1932, the year the Stern Family became the owner's of Patek Philippe, the ref. 96 was launched. With its timeless proportions that pay homage to the era's Bauhaus, Art Deco, and Modernism styles the watch remains as stylish today as when it was first designed. It is quintessentially 1930s and yet effortlessly contemporary.Patek Philippe produced the reference 96 for four decades from 1932 to 1973. It was not only the first of the well loved Calatrava line of dress watches, but was also the first model to be marked by a numbered reference by Patek. The model was later replaced by the reference 3796.Only around 95 timepieces were manufactured in stainless steel.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the EU, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Patek Philippe. A rare stainless steel manual wind wristwatchPatek Philippe. Rare montre bracelet en acier mouvement mécaniqueModel: CalatravaReference: 96 Date: Circa 1935Movement: Jewelled manual wind, Seal of Geneva, No.826588Dial: Silvered, polished pointed baton hour markers, gilt outer dot minute divisions, engine turned subsidiary dial at 6 for running seconds, polished lance handsCase: Brushed round, snap on back, inside back stamped FB for François Borgel, No.610105/27Strap/Bracelet: Black lizard leatherBuckle/Clasp: Gold plated buckleSigned: Case, dial & movementSize: 31mmFootnotes:In 1932, the year the Stern Family became the owner's of Patek Philippe, the ref. 96 was launched. With its timeless proportions that pay homage to the era's Bauhaus, Art Deco, and Modernism styles the watch remains as stylish today as when it was first designed. It is quintessentially 1930s and yet effortlessly contemporary.Patek Philippe produced the reference 96 for four decades from 1932 to 1973. It was not only the first of the well loved Calatrava line of dress watches, but was also the first model to be marked by a numbered reference by Patek. The model was later replaced by the reference 3796.Only around 95 timepieces were manufactured in stainless steel.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the EU, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Cartier. A fine and rare 18K gold manual wind wristwatchCartier. Belle et rare montre bracelet en or jaune 18K (750) mouvement mécaniqueModel: Vendôme Bi-PlanReference: 2200Date: Purchased 8th March 1998Movement: 18-jewel Cal.9P2 manual wind, adjusted to 5 positions and temperature, No.9311636Dial: Sunburst silvered guilloché, black Roman numeral hour markers, black inner minute divisions, blued steel pointed baton handsCase: Brushed and polished round, back secured by 8 screws, cabochon set crown, No.CC19341Strap/Bracelet: Cartier black alligator leatherBuckle/Clasp: Signed 18K gold folding claspSigned: Case, dial & movementSize: 32mm Weight: 58,02g Accompaniments: Travel pouch, International Guarantee card dated 08/03/1998This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the EU, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Jaeger-LeCoultre. A rare luminous keyless wind world globe desk clockJaeger-LeCoultre. Rare pendule de bureau en forme de globe terrestre lumineuxModel: Mappemonde lumineuseReference: 163Date: Circa 1930Movement: Cal.201 keyless wind 8 daysDial: Disc dial on baseCase: Octogonal base, chromed-brass cover to the annular dial, glass globe with paper world map, scale 1/65,000,000, map realised by Girard et Barrères geographers in Paris, 17 rue de l'Ancienne Comédie, single centre light bulb, No.113619/41Signed: Case, dial & movementSize: 25cm x 20 cm Accompaniments: Service receipt dated 28/11/2023For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Facsimile of Abraham Ortelius:- 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum': Fo in slip case plus Worms (Laurence) Baynton-Williams (Ashley). British Map Engravers. Rare Book Society, London 2011 plus three 20th century associated titles (5)A used condition with some marks to the covers however internal pages generally clean. Please see new condition report photos.
A rare set of six Peninsula War Fan Papers, unmounted including C Sloper, Lambeth Road, London with portrait of Ferdinand VII plus J Hadwen Cheapside, London, A coloured engraving of three figures 'La Espana Triunfara' plus three further monochrome street skirmish scenes by Behrmann & Collman, London 1813 plus one other dated 1808, (approximately 520 x 280mm) (6)
Rare Yugoslavian 1924/40 Chetnik Kindjahl Bayonet, made for the Czetnik Royal Guards of the King, made for the short Mauser carbine M1924ČK, with 9.5inch double edged fullered blade, the ricasson stamped with triangle makers mark Vojno Tehnicki Zavod (Military Technical Institute), the guard stamped with serial number 1645, the wood faced grip with twin rivets, the pommel with bayonet fittings filled in with solder. The scabbard bears a matching serial number 1645 and makers mark and is applied with a brass skull, and crossbones unit symbol device. Buyer must be over the age of 18. Age verification ID will be required if this lot is to be posted out. 39cm long
Exceptionally rare BSA Lee Speed .303 bolt action rifle from a 'Sub Target Rifle Machine', the rifle of standard Long Lee Enfield specifications with 30 inch barrel, but fitted with a metal arbor allowing the rifle to be connected to the Sub Target machine, Birmingham proof marks, serial number 19277. Together with a photocopy of the original instructions.The Sub Target Rifle Machine was an invention by the American Henry Havelock Cummings of Boston. It was built under licence in Britain as an instructional aid to improve the accuracy of shooting, and was part of a larger plan under Lord Robert's supervision to improve general marksmanship upon fighting age adults, based on lessons learned during the Boer War. Upon squeezing the trigger, the hammer of the bolt moves forward in a normal manner, depressing a plunger mounted to the side of the action triggering an electronic signal as well as firing the cartridge. This signal transmits to the Sub Target machine placing a pointer mark on the target to illustrate the correlation between point of aim and impact.UK SECTION 1 FIREARMS LICENCE WITH .303 RIFLE VARIATION OR RFD REQUIRED. 126cm long
Rare Lee Enfield .303 No.4 MK1 bolt action trials rifle, 25inch barrel with aperture sight graduated to 1300 yards, the action fitted with magazine cutoff catch, the bolt with early style cocking knob, early style shaped foresight protectors, the receiver with milled pocket for the safety catch, the wrist joint stamped with a crown and GR Enfield 1933 No.4 MkI, the receiver stamped with sold out of service arrows along with 'Fultons Regulated', the butt stock fitted with brass disk, serial number A0846 to wrist joint, bolt and forend, Birmingham proofs. Fitted with a period leather sling.UK SECTION 1 FIREARMS LICENCE WITH .303 VARIATION OR RFD REQUIRED. 112.5cm long The rifle is in fair condition showing the signs of a working life and military usage. The bore is good no pitting or damage and a reasonably crisp rifling that is just starting to soften around the edges, especially at the the throat. The crown is in good order with no damage. The action works correctly with a strong spring. The forend has two spliced in armorer repairs, the upper hand guard is a little loose probably due to wood shrinkage. The rest of the woodwork has some knocks dents and marks but no other repairs or faults. The metal finish is reasonable and mostly present, just fading in usual wear spots. The leather sling, whilst usable, has surface cracking and wear.
Rare Eley Johns Patent shot concentrator 12 bore cartridge. Known as Johns Sporting Shrapnel. Pat 5101 19/3/1884, it comprises two brass hemispheres filled with bird shot mounted on a pin attached to the driving wad. On firing the two halves separate having held together long enough to concentrate the shot dispersal. The separation range can be controlled by trimming the pin. UK SECTION 2 SHOTGUN LICENCE OR RFD REQUIRED. FACE TO FACE HAND OVER, THIS LOT CANNOT BE POSTED.
Traill, George William A Monograph of the Algae of the Firth of Forth Illustrated with Herbarium Specimens of some of the Rare Species. Edinburgh: printed for the author by the Edinburgh Co-Operative Printing Company, Limited, 1885. 2 copies, both first and only editions, 4to (30.6 x 22.6cm), original cloth-backed printed boards, 16 [2] pp., each with mounted albumen-print photograph of the Lady's Tower, Elie and respectively containing 7 and 8 original algae specimens (on mounted slips, annotated), first copy inscribed 'Spencer C. Thomson Esq, with kind regards from the author' on front board (covers rubbed and darkened, shallow chipping to corners), second copy inscribed 'To the Royal Society of Edin[burgh] from the author', with ink-stamps of the Royal Society of Edinburgh to front board and title-page (front board with a few splash-marks to head and a little wear to corners)(2) Uncommon: no other copies traced in auction records; Library Hub cites six copies in British and Irish institutional libraries. The algae specimens in each copy are from different species. The recipient of one of these copies, Spencer Campbell Thomson (1842-1931), was manager of the Standard Life Assurance Company, where the author, Traill, was employed as a clerk.
![Sutherland, Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, Duchess of (1765-1839) Views on the Northern and Western Coasts of Sutherland [London:]](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/460eb7d6-a172-4efe-854a-b0fc00a88668/98b663e5-2e66-4ac0-b245-b0fc00a98dd8/468x382.jpg)
Sutherland, Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, Duchess of (1765-1839) Views on the Northern and Western Coasts of Sutherland [London:] Engraved by Mr. F. C. Lewis, c.1833. Engraved title-page with list of contents, engraved map, 22 hand-coloured aquatints after Sutherland by F. C. Lewis (on wove paper, J. Whatman watermarks, 25 x 17cm, tipped to card mounts, 44.5 x 28 cm, a few aquatints mounted at all four corners, mounts with contemporary manuscript numbering), all loose as issued in cloth portfolio inscribed on inside front cover 'For Wm Mackenzie Esqr, with the Duke of Sutherland's kind regards, S.', title-page and map slightly spotted, title-page with a few small nicks to edges [Bobins supplementary list 08/14; S. P. Lohia collection 5560] First and only edition. Very rare on the market: while eight copies of the work are confined to the National Library of Scotland as part of the Sutherland Estate Papers (Acc.13290), no other copy appears to have been offered at auction. The Duchess Sutherland was the driving force behind the modernisation of her family's vast estate and the associated clearance of tenants from highland to coastal areas. A talented watercolourist, she also published a collection of etchings titled Views in Orkney and on the North-Eastern Coast of Scotland, which appeared in 1807.Provenance: 1) With Charles J. Sawyer (bookseller, London), catalogue 280, 1969; 2) Acquired by the vendor from John Grant (bookseller, Edinburgh) in 1979 (typescript catalogue description included: '[...] Such is the high quality in the faithful reproduction of the artist's work that these subjects have been mistaken for original watercolours').
![[Venette, Nicholas de] Mysteries of Conjugal Love Reveal'd London: John Chomley, 1703. First edition in English, 8vo, collat](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/460eb7d6-a172-4efe-854a-b0fc00a88668/4f5f6bef-0b9e-4d22-86ea-b0fc00aa3e08/468x382.jpg)
[Venette, Nicholas de] Mysteries of Conjugal Love Reveal'd London: John Chomley, 1703. First edition in English, 8vo, collates: [8], 496, with several annotations, previous ownership signature cut from title-page, dampstaining and spotting, text block split and leaves loose, old repair to the binding Rare. The first English edition of Nicolas de Venette's Tableau de l’amour conjugal, ou l'Histoire complète de la génération de l’homme, considered to be the first treatise on sexology in the West. The work covers sex, conception and foetal development, before addressing issues such as divorce and whether the application of charms can cause impotence or infertility. Written from a clearly male perspective (although not completely diminishing female pleasure), the annotations in the text, written in an early hand, seem to be agreeing with and refuting de Venette's writing from a female perspective, such as page 26, noting that "women have so much more pleasure than men..." Clearly a well read and used volume.
Bevis, John Group of star charts c.1750 6 hand-coloured engraved pictorial star charts comprising plate numbers 5 (Boötes), 9 (Cygnus, Vulpecula and Lyra), 12 (Auriga) 16 (Aquila), 30 (Sagittarius), 36 (Orion and Canis major pursuing Lepus), mounted, framed and glazed, mount apertures 32 x 38cm, spotting, tanning along edges of mounts (not detectable when mounts in situ), Aquila and Sagittarius with worming to left-hand margins and Auriga with shallow loss to right-hand edge (all concealed by mounts)(6) John Bevis's grandly conceived Uranographia Britannica, intended to contain 51 star charts with accompanying text, ‘might well have become one of the classic great star atlases of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries’ (Kilburn et al., ’The Forgotten Star Atlas', JHA xxxiv, 2003). In the event his publisher went bankrupt in 1750, apparently having succeeded in printing only a small number of trial copies, and the copper plates were sequestered by the court of chancery, never to be released. Bevis died in 1771, and in 1785 his library and effects were sold at auction. The following year bound composite sets of his star charts appeared on the market with a new title-page giving the title as Atlas Celeste. Sets of Bevis's star charts in either incarnation remain very rare.
![Brent-Dyer, Elinor The School at the Châlet London: W. & R. Chambers, Limited, [1925]. First edition, first impression, 8vo,](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/460eb7d6-a172-4efe-854a-b0fc00a88668/331905bc-0f81-4826-a792-b0fc00aa782f/468x382.jpg)
Brent-Dyer, Elinor The School at the Châlet London: W. & R. Chambers, Limited, [1925]. First edition, first impression, 8vo, original orange-brown cloth with pictorial blocks in red to spine and front cover, dust jacket (backed on paper), frontispiece and 3 plates by Nina K. Brisley, school prize plate dated 1927 to front pastedown, light spotting to endpapers and outer leaves The first book in the immensely popular Chalet School series, which would go on to comprise 59 books in total. Very rare in commerce.
Eminent Victorians – Nonconformists – Anti-Slavery Activists Collection of letters to and from members of the Read, Rawson, and Wilson families of Sheffield, 19th century-early 20th century Approx. 90 in total, all autograph unless otherwise stated, a few items mounted in 20th-century 4to blue half calf album, the rest loose, with quarter morocco solander box. Letters include:William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879), American abolitionist and journalist, Birmingham, 1877, 3 pp., to Mary Anne Rawson, arranging to visit her at Wincobank Hall, Sheffield (‘It is rare indeed that friends are permitted to see each other, after so long a separation, especially if an ocean intervene … You speak of your advanced age. But I have kept step with you, and we shall meet relatively as to our years as we stood in 1840 …’), the letter mounted in album opposite an albumen print photographic portrait of Garrison;George B. Cheever (1807-1890), American abolitionist minister, 2 letters, 1886, both to ‘My dear Sir’, 3 pp. and 2 pp., recalling a visit to ‘your dear and honoured aunt’, i.e. Mary Anne Rawson (‘We can never forget her kindness, and the charm of her household circle’), mentioning abolition (‘With what exceeding pleasure you must all have looked back upon your own God-guided efforts in behalf of the millions of slaves, by God’s great mercy and Divine Providence as free as ourselves, and needing only to be educated and trained in the knowledge and grace of the blessed, gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’), enclosing photographic carte-de-visites of Cheever and his wife (both present), etc.;William Booth (1829-1912), general of the Salvation Army, to Mr Wilson, 1902, 2 pp.;Evangeline Booth (1865-1950), daughter of William and his successor as general of the Salvation Army, 1896, To Mr Wilson, typed letter signed, 1 p.;Agnes Weston (1840-1918), philanthropist to sailors, 1 p., 1895, to Mr Wilson, declining an invitation;Newman Hall (1816-1902), nonconformist divine, 2 letters, 1863 and undated, the first to Mary Anne Rawson, 6 pp., the second to ‘Dear Madam’, concerning an invitation to Sheffield from Mr and Mrs Wycliffe Wilson;W. E. Nightingale (1794-1874), father of Florence Nightingale, 1843, ‘My dear Sir, Many thanks to you and to Miss Read for your most liberal invitation to stay at Derwent Hall …’, 2 pp.;Thomas Raffles (1788-1863), Congregational minister and abolitionist, 2 letters, to Joseph Read, 1827, 1 p., and to Mrs Read, undated, 2 pp., on preaching and social engagements;Thomas Rawson Birks (1810-1883), Church of England clergyman, theologian and opponent of Darwinism, 9 letters, all to members of the Read family, 1820s-60s, on religion, family matters, etc. With 2 letters from Agnes and Anna Birks;Thomas Barnardo (1845-1905), philanthropist and founder of Dr Barnardo’s Homes, 1877, to Mary Anne Rawson, regarding her gift of a parcel of cloth jackets for Barnardo’s children;Richard Winter Hamilton (1794-1848), Congregational minister, 3 letters, all to Joseph Read, 1827, 1833 and undated, 1, 2, 1 pp.;and numerous others, including from John Pye Smith (Congregational minister and abolitionist), Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury (as Viscount Cranborne, 1936, on Foreign Office stationery), Thomas Binney (Congregational minister and abolitionist, to Mrs Rawson), Constance, Lady Battersea, George Rawson (hymn-writer, a bifolium of hymn lyrics), Goldwin Smith (historian), Nathaniel Micklem (Congregational minister and principal of Mansfield College, Oxford), J. Rendel Harris (biblical scholar, 2 letters), politicians, divines, etc. Together with a selection of relevant engraved portraits, cartes-de-visite and printed ephemera, and an ambrotype apparently showing Mary Anne Rawson seated among family members The John Rylands Library (University of Manchester) holds a related collection of papers bequeathed by a member of the Wilson family in 1923 and catalogued as the ‘Rawson/Wilson Anti-Slavery Papers’ (GB 133 Eng MSS 414-415, 741-744). Their description summarises the lives and activities of successive members of the Read, Rawson and Wilson families: ‘Mary Anne Rawson, née Read (1801-1887), of Wincobank Hall, Sheffield, was a noted campaigner against slavery. She was the daughter of Joseph Read (1774-1837) and his wife Elizabeth, both prominent Nonconformists and philanthropists. Joseph Read controlled the company which became the Sheffield Smelting Company. Mary Anne's sister, Elizabeth Read (1803-1851), was married to William Wilson (1800-1866), and was the mother of Henry Joseph Wilson (1833-1914). Sometime in the late 1820s, Mary Anne Read married William B. Rawson, a banker of Nottingham. The marriage however was very short-lived, as William Rawson died sometime during the 1830s … Henry Joseph Wilson (1833-1914) was born in Nottingham, the son of William Wilson (1800-1866) and Elizabeth, née Read (1803-1851), Nonconformist radicals; his father was the chairperson of the Nottingham Anti-Slavery committee … In 1866, after the death of his father, Wilson joined his brother at the Sheffield Smelting Company. The success of the business enabled Wilson to pursue a career in politics, championing ultra-progressive Liberalism … Wilson's son, Alexander Cowan Wilson (1866-1955), was a well-known Quaker philanthropist. Alexander Wilson moved to Manchester in 1916 where he continued in the family tradition of campaigning against slavery and conscription’.Provenance: By descent to David R. Wilson (1926-2020), bookseller and ornithologist (obituary: British Birds, vol. 113, issue 9, pp 560–561).
James VI and I (1566-1625), King of Scotland, England and Ireland Autograph letter signed to George Keith, 4th Earl Marischal, [Edinburgh], 28th September [1589] 7 lines plus signature ‘James R’ and 7-line autograph postscript, reading:‘My littill fatt porke, the contineuall langoure I have had of your companies delaye in cumming & the feare I have of langer protracting of time yete throuch the contrairiousness of the windes hes at last constrained [me] to post away the bearere heirof to seike in qwhat ever parte of the warlde ye be in, als weill to bring me certaine novelles of youre estate as to informe you of sum thingis concerning youre cumming, qwhom willing you to credit & praying God to speid weille youre voyage, I bidd you hairthe fairweill, in haist this last sondaye of September, James R. I pray you excuse to the embassadouris my not writing to thaim at this tyme sen youre presence thaire may suplee that default & besydis I knaw not thaire names & styles’.Verso with James’s red wax seal, contemporary manuscript endorsement in secretary hand (‘To .. The Erle Mareshall & Ambassador’), additional later inscription (late 18th/early 19th century). Old folds, damp-staining, paper disruption along folds partially obscuring a few words in middle of second and third lines, marginal seal tear. Repaired, mounted and framed in 1999 by Mette de Hamel James, writing in broad Scots to the magnate charged with securing his marriage to Anne of Denmark, seeks urgent news of the negotiations, the embassy’s return to Scotland having been held up by recurrent storms, which the following year would be found to be the work of a treasonous coven of witches, setting in train ‘the most famous witch-hunt in Scottish history’ (ODNB).A Danish match for James had been suggested as early as 1581, and, receiving strong support from parties including Edinburgh’s merchant community, eventually prevailed over the alternative proposal of Catherine of Bourbon, sister of the future Henri IV of France, whose demands for support in his struggle for the French throne James would or could not meet. ‘On account of his rank and learning Marischal was chosen to lead the embassy sent to arrange James VI's marriage to Anne of Denmark. His great wealth must also have influenced the decision, for he bore most of the initial cost of the embassy’ (ibid.). The embassy sailed from Leith in early June 1589, and after Marischal received permission to reduce the exorbitant dowry initially demanded, the wedding was celebrated on 20th August at Kronburg castle with Marischal acting as James’s proxy. The Scots and their new queen set sail for Scotland early in September, but their passage was held up by persistent bad weather, and eventually the decision was made to winter in Oslo. In an act of now semi-legendary gallantry, James decided to travel to Norway and retrieve his bride himself, setting sail in October and marrying Anne in person on 24th November. He spent the next five months in the country, travelling about, meeting Scandinavian theologians and scientists, and falling in love with his new wife.Soon after the royal party’s return to Scotland in April 1590, James was confronted with the discovery of a coven of witches from Haddingtonshire, east of Edinburgh, who had allegedly conspired to assassinate him and his wife by raising the storm which had beset their return voyage. Though James was at first sceptical about the claims, one of their number convinced him of their powers by reporting a conversation he had had with Anne on their wedding night in Oslo. In the following months dozens of alleged witches were tortured, tried and executed, in what was the first major series of witchcraft trials under criminal law.Letters entirely in James’s hand are very rare. An autograph draft sonnet was sold as part of the Robert S. Pirie collection in 2015; otherwise the only fully autograph letter traced in auction records is one offered at Sotheby’s, 1st-3rd March 1965, concerning hunting horses.George Keith is styled in sources including the ODNB as the fourth earl Marischal, but in others as the fifth: the confusion may be due to the fact that his predecessor in the position was his grandfather, William Keith (c.1510-1581), rather than his father, also William, who died in 1580 and was known as the master of Marischal.Provenance: John Wilson, Autographs, Documents, Manuscripts: Catalogue Twenty-Four (1976), item 2. Published: G. P. V. Akrigg (ed.), Letters of King James VI & I, 1984, pp. 94-5.
Caird, Mona and other Henryson Cairds A collection, including a rare triple-decker Caird, Mona. The Wing of Azrael. London: Trübner & Co., 1889. First edition, 3 volumes, 8vo, original cloth gilt with printed 'wings' motif to upper and lower covers, volume 1 title-page with ownership signature of James A. Caird, spines discoloured, some soiling to covers;Idem. Romantic Cities of Provence. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1906. 8vo, original green cloth gilt, Henryson Caird bookplate and signature, some soiling to cloth;Caird, James. The Landed Interest and the Supply of Food. London: Cassell Petter & Galpin, [n.d.] 8vo, contemporary calf, inscribed to the title-page: "James A. Caird, from his Affectionate Father, the Author";Idem. English Agriculture in 1850-51. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1852. Second edition, 8vo, original brown cloth gilt inscribed to the title-page: "James A. Henryson Caird, from his Affectionate Father, the Author Aug 8. 1863";Idem. High Farming... Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1850. Seventh edition, 8vo, original wrappers;and another work with a homage from the author to Mr Caird(8)
Première Exposition d'Art Photographique, Paris 1894 Paris: Photo-club de Paris, 1894. First edition, one of 470 numbered copies on papier blanc du Marais from the total edition of 500, folio (40.2 x 28.2cm), original wrappers, [10] pp., 66 heliogravures on 56 sheets, printed in various colour tints, with captioned tissue-guards tipped in, wrappers spotted, tissue-repairs to spine, small abrasion to front wrapper, stitching strained in places, plates 2 and 3 loose, spotting to text-leaves, light spotting to plates margins, tissue-guard for plate 28 loose Founded in 1894 by Robert Demachy and Constant Puyo, the Photo-club de Paris was the French equivalent of the Camera Club of New York and the Linked Ring in London, associations of photographers dedicated to the emergent philosophy of pictorialism, which promoted photography as a fine art rather than purely as a means of documenting reality. This overview of their first exhibition includes photographs by leading figures including Alfred Stieglitz, James Craig Annan and Rudolf Eickemeyer Jr, and numerous others. Rare in commerce.
Grey, Elizabeth, Countess of Kent A choice manuall or rare and select secrets in physick and chyurgery collected and practised by the Right Honourable the Countesse of Kent... whereon are added several Experiments of the Virtues of Gascon pouder and Lapis contra Yaruam by a Professor of Phisick. As also most exquisite ways of Preserving, Conserving, Candying, &c.; London: printed by G.D. sold by William Skears, 1653. 2 volumes in one, second edition, 16mo, [16], 1-206; [16], 140, lacking the first leaf (frontispiece) of part 1, page 1 of part 2 somewhat soiled; a little light worming to a few leaves in part 2, occasional loss to a letter of fore-margin, a few headlines shaved, some light soiling or spotting A hugely popular work of medicinal receipts that went through 22 editions between 1653 and 1728. Especially popular was the Countess of Kent's receipt for a ‘cure-all’ powder, ‘good against all malignant and pestilent Diseases, French Pox, Small Pox, Measles, Plague, Pestilence, malignant or scarlet Fevers, [and] good against Melancholy, dejection of Spirits’:Take the Magistery [essence] of Pearles, of Crabs eyes prepared, of white Amber prepared, Hartshorn, Magistery of white Corral, of Lapis contra Parvam of each a like quantity, to these pouders infused put of the black tips of the great clawes of Crabs, to the full weight of all the rest, beat these all into very fine pouder, and searce [sieve] them through a fine Lawn Searce, to every ounce of this pouder adde a drachm of true Oriental Bezar …An explanation of each of these ingredients – all chosen for their supposed curative powers – would require an essay in itself. ‘Crabs eyes’, for example, were small stones composed mostly of lime found in the stomachs of crayfish, which were powdered for medicinal use.Such ‘cure-alls’ were immensely popular at the time, and ‘The Countess of Kent’s Powder’ received consistently good reviews, the 17th century diplomat Sir William Temple declaring that ‘Of all Cordialls, I esteem my Lady Kent’s Powder the best, the most innocent, and the most universal’.
![“Randall, Anne Frances” [Mary Robinson] A Letter to the Women of England on the injustice of Mental Subordination… London: T](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/460eb7d6-a172-4efe-854a-b0fc00a88668/eb3a3f9d-33d7-4b8b-acbc-b0fc00aa4480/468x382.jpg)
“Randall, Anne Frances” [Mary Robinson] A Letter to the Women of England on the injustice of Mental Subordination… London: T.N. Longman, and O. Rees, 1799. First edition, 8vo, contemporary quarter calf over limp boards, ownership signature cut from free-endpaper, lacking half-title, a little dust-soiling and spotting, upper cover detached SALEROOM NOTICE - FRONT COVER NOW DETACHEDAn exceptionally rare first edition of an early feminist textRobinson was all too familiar with the patriarchal constraints that prevented women from success in her era. During her time as an actress, Robinson caught the attention of the Prince of Wales, future George IV, who offered her twenty thousand pounds to become his mistress. After spoiling her reputation and ending her career in theatre, he refused to pay the promised amount and she was forced to rely on her own ingenuity to survive. The challenges faced by Robinson fueled her fire: she became known as “the English Sappho” for her writings. She was a prolific poet, an eight-time novelist, a playwright, and a political activist. In A letter to the women of England, Robinson argues for the intellectual liberation of women across England. She asks of the reader: “is not woman a human being, gifted with all the feelings that inhabit the bosom of man?” She lists important women in history to highlight how key women were in making England and finishes her Letter with an index of contemporary authoresses to prove that women authors are as successful as men. In this first edition, we see an interesting piece of this text’s history still remaining: the pseudonym. In the second edition, Robinson used her own name and placed an advertisement at the start revealing she was Anne Frances Randall all along. Once she had been assured of her book’s popularity to the point where it had merited a second print run, she claimed her work. In this edition, Robinson deliberately misled readers by placing herself in the index of authoresses and took great pains to hide her identity. [ESTC N033704]Only 5 known copies, 2 of which are in the UK.
Gordon, James, of Rothiemay (1617-1686) Civitatis regiae, antiquissime et nobilissime Edinodunensis tabulam [Probably Amsterdam: F. de Wit, c.1690]. Bird's-eye view of Edinburgh from the south incorporating royal arms of Scotland top left, dedication to provost of Edinburgh Archibald Tod within decorative cartouche lower left, and large panel containing key to street and place names lower right, hand-coloured engraving on two sheets, mounted, framed and glazed, mount aperture 42.5 x 108cm [Cowan/Watson, Maps of Edinburgh 4a] The first properly cartographic printed view of Edinburgh, preceded only by the highly stylised depiction of the city in Braun and Hogenberg's Civitates orbis terrarum, published in the late 16th century and bearing little relation to the actual layout of the city except for the castle. Together with his father, Robert Gordon of Straloch, James Gordon drew up the maps of Scotland used by Johannes Blaeu in the Scottish and Irish volume of his Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, which appeared in 1654. In 1647 he was employed by Edinburgh town council to draw up a plan of the city, being rewarded with 500 merks and election as a burgess and guild brother for his efforts. Jeffrey C. Stone in ODNB states that ‘the plan was engraved and published in a rare first edition by Blaeu about 1650 and then by De Wit about 1695’. Cowan's Maps of Edinburgh does not cite a Blaeu edition; the present copy, however, lacks the imprint ‘F. de Wit Excudit Amstelodami’ next to the dedication cartouche mentioned in Cowan's description. There was an engraved facsimile published by R. Kirkwood in 1817, but this can be identified by its misnumbering of Tinnis Court as 51 instead of 31 in the key, and in any case contains a new title in the lower margin, not present here.
Goddard, Robert H. A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes City of Washington: The Smithsonian Institution, 1919. First edition, 8vo, 10 photographic plates, original wrappers bound into modern blue boards, a few stamps and markings to upper wrapper and title page including the Imperial College of Science and Technology and a 'withdrawn' stamp and the numbers '2734' in red biro, modern ownership signature to free-endpaper A rare, early work on space travel.Robert Hutchings Goddard (1882-1945) was an early pioneer in the theory of space travel. He posited that rockets may be capable of extra-terrestrial travel in a time when most scientists believed that no rocket was capable of travelling beyond Earth’s upper atmosphere.Working at the Worchester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, Dr Goddard developed a mathematical theory of rocket propulsion, before receiving patents for rockets in 1914 and 1915. Despite stringent disagreement from many of his peers, in 1915 he stated publicly that space travel was possible.In 1916, Goddard was granted research funding by the Smithsonian Institution – work which supported the development of weapons during the First World War. The funding enabled Goddard to pursue his great interest – space travel. Goddard published A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes in 1919, exploring rocket propulsion using gasoline and liquid oxygen. Goddard’s theory stated that a rocket would have to travel at the speed of 6.95 miles per second in a vacuum to overcome the pull of Earth's gravity and reach space, and predicted that human beings could reach the moon.
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