La Pérouse (Jean-François Galaup, comte de). A Voyage Round the World, in the Years 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788, 3 volumes, London: for J. Johnson, 1798, complete with engraved portrait frontispiece and 41 maps, charts and plates, many folding, some with a tear or a split fold (one long tear pinned and one split fold neatly stitched), a couple guarded-in, nautical charts at rear of final colume, variable spotting and toning, occasional minor dampstain to some lower blank corners, each title blank verso with ink library stamp, volumes 1 & 3 front free endpapers each with library slip, 20th century cloth-backed boards, rubbed and a trifle soiled, some wear to extremities, volume 3 joints cracked, 8voQty: (3)NOTESHowes L93; Sabin 38963. See also Hill (1974) p.174 for the supposition that this Johnson edition slightly preceedes the Stockdale edition published in the same year, making this the first edition in English.
We found 165598 price guide item(s) matching your search
There are 165598 lots that match your search criteria. Subscribe now to get instant access to the full price guide service.
Click here to subscribe- List
- Grid
-
165598 item(s)/page
* Machell (Thomas, 1824-1862). Two autograph letters signed, 1850 & 1851, both written to Mrs John Ditmas, from Rooderpore Factory, Bongong: the first dated November 12th 1850, apologising for tardiness in writing, reminiscing that it was 2 years to the day since the writer was staying with Mrs Ditmas on his birthday, mentioning the enduring of trials, disappointments, and being "neglected and almost insulted by those at whose hands I had a right to expect at least courtesy", before detailing a change of fortune whereby "I am again an Indigo planter and have just been given the charge of six factories", going on to paint a picture in words of the remote terrain of plains, swamps, howling jackals, native huts, rice and indigo crops, with details such as a grim looking old alligator eyeing up the local children, and describing in detail the lonely life of the "much abused Planter" and his numerous responsibilities and yearnings for home, first page with border of vignettes in brown ink, depicting various sights pertaining to the writer's travels, including a tiger, a whale, elephants, a view of Tenerife, a large sailing ship in the Bay of Bengal, stormy seas at The Cape of Good Hope, etc., mostly captioned beneath, e.g. '"Adieu my native Land"', 'Land ho! Maderia', 'Round the Cape', etc., written in black ink to all 4 sides of a bifolium, several folds, with address 'Minster Yard, York, England' on final page, accompanied by various indistinct ink postal stamps, first leaf splitting slightly at one fold, second leaf with several small holes, and subsequent loss of a number of letters, leaf size 24.8 x 20cm, the second undated, but with ink postal stamp 'Bongong' dated 1 Decr 1851 in manuscript, and reference made to the letter again being written on 12th November, the writer's birthday, followed by childhood memories of "the young Machells" visiting the "little Miss Ditmases", and their antics in the nursery, e.g. hanging "their playfellows dolls out of the window", going on to write of the onerous duties of supervising a mixed race of "Mohammedans and Hindus" - "exercising an almost patriarchal sway over them I find myself in the position of Father Priest and Physician", and describing the widely varied nature and attitudes of his fellow Planters, first page headed with a pen, ink, & wash sketch of a large 2-storey thatched building with verandahs, beside a tree, written in brown ink to most of the 4 sides of a bifolium, with oval blindstamp 'Rolland Frères Fabr. Bordeaux', several folds, with address on final page as above, and ink postal stamps, including Calcutta and York, some small splits in folds, leaf size 26.6 x 21.2cmQty: (2)NOTESProvenance: Mrs Mary Ann Ditmas (born circa 1802), wife of John Ditmas; passed to her daughter Georgiana Townesend née Ditmas, wife of George Fyler Townesend; and thence by descent. These two interesting letters give a fascinating insight into the period explorer Thomas Machell spent as manager of the Rooderpore indigo estate in India in the middle of the 19th century. The British Library holds a collection of letters, many of them illustrated, written by Machell to his father over the course of his eventful lifetime of travel. These "Talking Papers" as Machell called them, totalling almost 3000 pages, describe such exploits as: witnessing the first Opium War in Hong Kong; a narrow escape from the wrath of a Polynesian cannibal whose daughter he had seduced on the Marquesas Islands; presiding over coffee plantations; travels with Muslim merchants; and managing bullock trains transporting goods across Central India. In these two letters to an old family friend, as well as describing details of the surrounding terrain and his occupation, the explorer writes sensitively about the indigenous people amongst whom he works, and wistfully of the people back home. Mrs Ditmas had two daughters who never married, Mary Henrietta and Fanny, both of whom lived with her all their lives as did her servant Mrs Radcliffe. All three are mentioned by Machell in his letters, and he seems to make especial mention of Fanny in particular. Thomas Machell would no doubt be delighted that these two letters have come to light; he had aspirations to be a travel writer, and had planned to write a book on indigo as well an autobiographical novel. Presciently, in 1851 he wrote: "…mayhap the words carelessly written at Rooderpore factory will be lighted upon in some musty library in the twentieth century". (Jenny Balfour-Paul, Deeper Than Indigo: Tracing Thomas Machell, Forgotten Explorer , 2015)
A Royal Doulton figure HN1843 'Biddy Penny Farthing', green stamp to base, another figure HN1890 'Lambing Time', black mark to base, a quantity of other figures including a Country Artists resin model of a farmer and his cow, two Staffordshire flatbacks, 19th century Continental figures, etc (13).
George Harrison Beatles related lot to include US pressing of 'All Things Must Pass', boxed and 'Concert for Bangladesh', boxed, also US pressings of 'Let it Be' and 'Help'. CONDITION REPORT Vinyl mostly very good, 'Concert for Bangladesh' has the word 'Bullshit' stamped on the front of the box seven times. The stamp 'Bullshit' has been added later and was not on the original issue.
A vintage 9ct gold oval double locket with chased scroll decoration to the front on 9ct gold chain, height of locket 4.8cm, width 4cm, length of chain 42cm, approx 23.7g. CONDITION REPORT The locket is hallmarked the chain has a partial 9ct stamp, the reverse of the locket shows signs of wear and small indents, front is concave, it closes ok and stays closed.
Philately. A Simplex Stanley Gibbons stamp album, containing a collection of predominantly GB George VI Empire and Commonwealth stamps, including Aden, Ascension, Bahamas, Barbados, Basutoland, Bechuanaland Protectorate, Gold Coast, Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, Somali Land, St Vincents, Virgin Islands, etc., and a Simplex album with a small collection of QEII Coronation stamps, Bahamas and Antigua.
AFTER CECIL ALDIN "Goodwood from Trundle Hill" colour print signed in pencil, bears Fine Art Trade Guild stamp 32 cm x 57 cm together with AFTER JAMES POLLARD "The Derby Day - Tits and Trampers, on the road to Epsom" colour engraving 30 cm x 39 cm CONDITION REPORTS Basically sound with no areas of damage though the paper slightly browning with some areas of paler blotches, particularly top right - see image for further detail
A late Victorian mahogany and inlaid writing slope (parts missing), together with a Chinese vintage style mantel clock inscribed "Fossil American Classic" , a Guinness ashtray with integral match holder of barrel form numbered GA/A/254 to base. Some chipping to paintwork on top, a vintage pottery brandy barrel with crazing, a special 1994 edition 21st Anniversary Northern Group of Motoring Writers figure as a seated newspaper salesman, maker stamp "M.C." within a round "L", pair of Ross of London binoculars and another pair both boxed, three various modern Balinese grotesque masques and a shooting belt, a modern Brexton cane picnic basket
A circa 1900 walnut double pedestal desk by Maple & Co. of London, the top with chamfered edge over a central drawer and kneehole flanked by two banks of four drawers, the right and left top drawers bearing stamp "Maple & Co.", the drawers with acorn drop brass handles in the Aesthetic style, raised on plinth bases, 153 cm wide x 69.5 cm deep x 78 cm high
Loading...-
165598 item(s)/page