LEOPOLD, DUKE OF AUSTRIA.
Venice: [Jacobus Pentius, for] Melchior Sessa and Petrus de Ravanis, 15 July 1520, 4to (210 x 150mm), Full Contemporary Calf, Gilt Device within gilt frame with ornate gilt cornerpieces, gilt border on upper and lower covers, rebacked replacing original spine, Large woodcut of an astronomer and Sessa's device on title, many woodcuts illustrating signs of the zodiac, gods of antiquity, celestial spheres, and astrological predictions, woodcut initials. A Fine Copy of the Second edition of the Compilatio by the 13th-century astronomer, Leopold of Austria. Primarily a work of astrology, the sixth book concerns meteorology both from a theoretical and a practical point of view, and thus includes, for example, folkloric methods of weather prediction. Although virtually nothing is known of the author, the work was influential in the late Middle Ages, being cited by the great astronomer, Pierre d'Ailly, and admired by Regiomontanus, who proposed to edit an edition of the work. Adams L-516; BLSTC Italian (assigning it to Pencio) p.375 (718.f.8); Sander 3948; Essling 2081; Houzeau and Lancaster 4783.
RONDELET, G.
Lugduni [Lyon], Matthias Bonhomme, 1554-1555. Two volumes in one. Folio (32.0 x 20.4 cm). Title page with an engraved allegorical vignette, [xiv], 583, [xxii] pp.; second title, [x], 242, [ix] pp., for a total of 880 pp., including two with an engraved (frontispiece) portrait of the author; ca 470 woodcut illustrations, including one mounted (as usual). Embossed vellum. Spine with five raised bands and script title. Boards richly blind-tooled, with rolled, floral borders and central oval cartouche with coat of arms dated 1676. Brass clasps. Edges speckled red. This is widely regarded as the most important of the three first works on fishes published almost simultaneously in the 16th century. It covers more species than the works of Belon (1553) and Salviani (1554-1557). As indicated by the Latin title, this work deals with real marine fish: the descriptions and illustrations are not fantasies. This mostly true, but the work does also contain some mythological sea creatures. All are represented in nice, detailed woodcuts. Apart from fishes, over a hundred molluscs and several other invertebrates, notably echinoderms and crustaceans are illustrated. A few shells are clearly from other locations, notably the West and East Indies. In the rear there is a section on freshwater fishes and invertebrates, as well as some terrestrial species, mainly amphibians and reptiles. "In his own day Rondelet was almost as well-known as an anatomist as a zoologist. A popular lecturer, Rondelet attracted scholars from all over Europe: . Gesner and Aldrovandi also studied briefly under him . For those fish he could inspect on the coast of Languedoc, Rondelet is thorough and usually accurate" (DSB). This work actually consists of two books; the second, which appeared a year later, is titled Universae aquatilium historiae pars altera cum veris ipsorum imaginibus. The second book includes a long poem and - again - Rondelet's portrait. Usually, these two books are found bound together, as in this copy. Here they are bound in reverse order. A replacement woodcut of a fish is mounted on page 238 of the first book (as usual). A fine, complete copy with strong impressions, in an attractive 17th century binding. The spine label is from a later date. Light damp-staining to the lower margin of the last few leaves, stronger on the rear free endpaper; a few, shallow, traces of worming in the inner boards; otherwise, surprisingly clean inside; no foxing and hardly any browning. Skilful repair to the clasps. Caprotti I, pp. 18-19; Dean III, p. 309; DSB XI, pp. 527-528; Nissen Schöne Fischbücher, 105; Nissen ZBI, 3475.
Doyle, Arthur Conan
The Strand Magazine, Original 9 Parts, a consecutive run from September 1914 to May 1915. Complete with all Wrappers and Adverts, with thirty-one illustrations by Frank Wiles internally clean and very good, complete, rarerarer in parts than any of the preceding Holmes stories in Strand (the publication numbers decreased drastically as the 20th century progressed). The First Appearance Anywhere of the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel, delving into American union activities, the Pinkertons and the conflicts between the two. Doyle crafted The Valley of Fear as "two parts and a coda". The novel has a number of major themes, including "problems of ethical ambiguity", and attempts to comment seriously on terrorist activity as profiled by American union struggles. Critics have shown how the American union struggles deal with similar issues in the contemporary political situation in Ireland.
[HANETT, JOHN], PSEUD. ARNETT, JOHN ANDREWS
9 steel engraved plates (including frontispiece), slight spotting throughout, publishers decorative cloth, rebacked, original spine laid on, 12mo, London, Richard Groombridge, 1835. This was the sixth bookbinding manual to be published in England. Although this volume lacks the interesting trade lists and tables contained in Cowie's manual of 1829, it is the more significant, and it is interestingly illustrated. It was published at a time of many changes in the structure of the trade which were brought about by the introduction of new techniques and equipment, which in turn resulted from the rapid evolution of industry and society in general. Bibliopegia was the first English manual to carry illustrations of equipment, the frontispiece depicting the machine that led to one of the most significant changes in trade binding in the 19th century; the Imperial Arming Press. "The invention of the blocking machine in the 1830s made stamping into the cloth casing possible - the first blocked title appeared in 1832." The making of the cases became an operation of mass-production, and also of cost-reduction. "The effect of the new regime on working practices and conditions, and the bindings themselves, was profound. The development of the case binding market created within the bookbinderies a new class of work and a recomposition of labour, the skilled job of 29 forwarding in leather becoming marginalised in favour of the segregated mass-production of the simply constructed cloth cases." - Factory Manoeuvres Trade Binding and Labour in London: 1780-1850 - Dominic Riley and John DeMerritt. It is interesting to note that Arnett, an intelligent man of integrity and kindly disposition, appears to accept current practices without question, as did almost everyone else, at least in public. Changes were rapid and commercial pressures were very strong, so it was likely to be hazardous to demur, and it should be noted that Arnett was working for a large publisher at this time. The illustrations and fairly detailed descriptions of techniques makes this work a useful source of information about early nineteenth-century binding practices. It was reprinted several times, including in 1980, with an introduction by Bernard C. Middleton. [Bookbinder Vol. 19 Dominic Riley and John DeMerritt; Middleton, 17]
DARWIN, CHARLES
Autograph letter signed, concerning carnivorous beetles. Down, Beckenham, Kent, 13th September, 1881, 8vo (205 x 131mm), horizontal mailing folds, 1pp., in fine condition, signed Charles Darwin ; with retained copy of Harmer s letter to Darwin, Wick, near Arundel, 1881, 8vo (205 x 130mm), horizontal mailing folds, weak at folds. A fine unpublished letter to John Harmer, thanking him for his account of a beetle attacking a six-inch worm, and for the beetle itself, which Harmer had enclosed. Harmer had captured the beetle in Arundel Park in Sussex, after witnessing the beetle attack the worm he writes not having noticed any thing of the kind before I carried him home to satisfy myself whether such was his food or whether his appetite would be affected by captivity. He has since disposed of the fluids of two more which he cuts up in a very business like manner. Harmer fed it more worms, then sent it to Darwin in case there was an element of interest in the circumstance . Darwin s response reads I am much obliged for your kindness. I had read that beetles attacked worms, but did not know how far this was authentic. The beetle sent is Carabus Violaceus; & the genus may be considered as the tiger of the insect world. The posthumous revised edition of The Formation of Vegetable Mould, Through the Action of Worms (1882) notes that the larger species of Carabus and Staphylinus attack [worms] ferociously . This observation is absent from the first edition of 1881, so it seems Harmer s efforts were put to good use. Not in the Darwin Correspondence Project, but Harmer s letter to Darwin is (DCP-LETT-13332).
DANIELL, THOMAS & DANIELL, WILLIAM
FIRST EDITION, 50 fine hand-coloured aquatint plates on thick paper, each accompanied by explanatory text, at least 2 leaves watermarked "Whatman 1808', Introduction and Cape of Good Hope leaves printed upside down to versos, faint blindstamp to title, occasional light offsetting, photocopied bookplate of Thomas Bulkeley-Owen pasted to front endpaper, contemporary gilt calf, a.e.g., rebacked with original spine, hinges reinforced, boards a little rubbed, oblong folio, London, Thomas Davison for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and W. Daniell, 1810. 'A collection of beautifully coloured engravings illustrating places and scenes of interest on the voyage from Gravesend to China and India.' (Mendelssohn). Thomas Daniell had received permission from the East India Company in 1784 to travel to India, accompanied by his nephew, William, with their travels documented through these illustrations. The Daniells left England in April 1785 on board the Indiaman Atlas, going via Madeira, the Cape of Good Hope and Java, arriving in Whampoa, China, in August. Having spent several months in China they then sailed on to Calcutta. The journey, financed in part by the sale of oil paintings of their travels, was documented in William's journal and by the publication of Oriental Scenery in 1795-1808 and A Picturesque Voyage to India, by the Way of China in 1810. The album opens with the Indiaman's departure from Gravesend and includes, among others, depictions of the East Indies and the Straits of Malacca. The majority of the views depict native life in Java (including shark fishing) and nautical scenes along the Chinese coast and Canton River, with some scenes of Chinese dress and manners. "Thomas Daniell played an instrumental role in graphically documenting a wide geographical and cultural range of sites across the Indian subcontinent, travelling more extensively than any of his contemporary colonial artists, and earning him the title 'artist-adventurer'. Assisted by his nephew, Daniell made three tours: from Calcutta to Srinagar (1788-91), a circular tour from Mysore to Madras (1792-3), and in 1793 they visited Bombay and its temple sites-always sketching, drawing, and painting intensively as they travelled" (ODNB). The Daniells' original watercolours for the scenes depicted herein are now at the Yale Center for British Art, Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts, bound with a printed copy of the work Provenance: Radnorshire County Library blind stamp to title Bookplate of Thomas Bulkeley-Owen. [Abbey Travel 516; Colas 797; Lipperheide 1523; Mendelssohn I, p.413; Tooley 173]
GROSE, JOHN-HENRY
FIRST EDITION, xxiv, 407pp., handsomely rebound in full calf, red morocco label to spine, later end papers, London, for S. Hooper and A Moreley, 1757 A Scarce First Edition of John-Henry Grose's famous work. In 1750 Grose travelled to Bombay as a writer for the British East India Company. A Voyage to the East Indies is an account of his journey to India in the late Moghul period, with descriptions of 18th century India. He also writes an account of the war of 1756-63, in which the British East India Company largely eliminated France as a competitor for control of India and established the basis for British rule that lasted two centuries. A second expanded edition was published in 1766 but this first edition is scarce, there being only 95 names on the subscribers list. No copies online.
SCOTT, WALTER AND CRUIKSHANK, GEORGE [ILLUSTRATOR]
FIRST EDITION, [4], IX, [1], 402p., engraved uncoloured frontispiece after J. Skene, extra illustrated with 12 plates by Cruikshank, light toning to plates and frontispiece, lacking half title, contemporary newspaper clippings of supernatural phenomena tipped in, slightly later dark green calf, boards ruled in gilt, spine gilt with morocco label, speckled edges, blue silk page-marker laid in, engraved bookplate of Henry Latham to front pastedown, bookplate of Micheal Ernest Sadler to flyleaf, 12mo, London, John Murray, 1830. First Edition of Walter Scott's popular work on witchcraft and the supernatural. A lifelong student of folklore, Scott had long harboured the idea of writing about witchcraft. He was able to draw on a wide-ranging collection of primary and secondary sources, including the large occult library at his stately home at Abbotsford. Empirical archivist, Robert Pitcairn, had been greatly influenced and inspired by the work of Sir Walter Scott and sent copies of the more dramatic cases to the author almost as soon as he found them. Pitcairn's private generosity with his research notes, and the public interest they generated through their serialised publication in popular literary magazines, ensured that there would be a ready market for a book on witchcraft by Scotland's foremost historical novelist. The resulting book, Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft, was written very quickly during the summer months of 1830 and published together with a series of illustrative plates by Cruikshank in time for Christmas. The work was a bestseller and exercised a significant influence in promoting the Victorian vogue for Gothic and ghostly fiction. The book takes the form of ten letters addressed to J. G.Lockhart, the epistolary mode permitting Scott to be both conversational in tone and discursive in method. In these, Scott presents a wide survey of attitudes to demonology and witchcraft from the Old Testament period to his own day. Scott's account is amply illustrated with anecdotes and traditional tales and may be read as an anthology of uncanny stories as much as a philosophical treatise. He also considers the topics of ghosts, fairies, brownies, elves, second sight and mythologies of the various Germanic peoples. Belief in these phenomena is presented as the result of ignorance and prejudice, which eventually dispersed by the rise of rational philosophy in the 18th century. Examining Scottish criminal trials for witchcraft, Scott notes that the nature of evidence admissible gave free reign to accusers and left the accused no chance of escape. Prisoners were driven to confess through despair and the desire to avoid future persecution. One trial which Scott had been quick to realise the importance of is that of Isobel Gowdie. Her confessions, rediscovered by Pitcairn in the archives of the Edinburgh High Court, became a sensational new source of Scottish witchcraft, bringing the term 'coven' - to denote a group of witches- into popular usage and attesting to a wealth of fairy lore in the highlands of Scotland, that was far removed from the traditional demonologists. Scott also observed that trials for witchcraft were increasingly connected with political crimes, just as in Catholic countries accusations of witchcraft and heresy went together. Throughout he treats his subjects in an analytical, rationalist manner, although pockets of superstition remain. Lockhart was Scott's friend, and later his son-in-law, and biographer. He was married to Scott's eldest daughter Sophia, and they settled on Scott's estate until he became editor of The Quarterly Review in London. His biography of Scott was his greatest book. Provenance: Bookplate of Henry Latham, a Cambridge priest and academic, and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1888 until his death in 1902. Bookplate of Sir Michael Ernest Sadler, father of the publisher, bibliographer and book collector Micheal Sadler. Sadler was a university administrator who stud
ROSSETTI, DANTE GABRIEL
limited to 316 copies, this copy one of 310 on paper, printed in red and black in Golden type, elaborated wood-engraved border and initials designed by William Morris, mostly unopened, very faint spotting to endpapers, original limp vellum, silk ties, light spotting as usual , 8vo,Kelmscott Press, 1894 [Peterson A20a]
STAUNTON, SIR GEORGE
2 vols. plus Atlas. Lond: Printed by W. Bulmer, 1797. Text vols. in 4to. full diced calf, hinges repaired, Atlas folio, matching half calf over marbled sides, rebacked to match text. Spines uniformly gilt, with 2 engraved frontispieces, 26 engravings in text, and 44 plates & maps in Atlas some of which are folded. On September 21, 1792, Lord Macartney set sail from Spithead charged with Britain's first official embassy to China. The embassy was conceived on a grandiose scale for the aim was to break down the aged Emperor Chien-Lung's disdain and suspicion of Europeans; he was to be dazzled by the grandeur of the British delegation and the cargo of rich presents. Staunton, a medical doctor and friend of Dr Johnson, had already served in many diplomatic posts, some as aide-de-camp to Lord Macartney, when governor of the Caribbee Islands in the West Indies. When Macartney was appointed governor at Madras, Staunton accompanied him as secretary. After a period of retirement he was again called to serve Macartney, as secretary to the embassy to China. He compiled this book chiefly from the papers of the Ambassador and his fellow envoys. His work was remarkably successful: fifteen editions were issued in seven countries in thirty years. The account of this famous Embassy was prepared at Government expense. Apart from its Chinese importance, it is of considerable interest owing to the descriptions of the various places en route which were visited, including Madeira, Teneriff, Rio de Janeiro, St. Helena, Tristan d'Acunha, Amsterdam Island, Java, Sumatra, Cochin-China etc.
2 vols., FIRST EDITION, 1 engraved folding map, 21 engraved plates, ownership inscription to front free endpaper of vol. 1, without half titles, occasional light foxing, contemporary polished calf, ruled in gilt, rebacked, original red morocco label, 8vo, for G. Robinson, 1782 FIRST EDITION OF A RARE UNAUTHORISED ACCOUNT OF COOK'S LAST VOYAGE by the surgeon's mate (not assistant surgeon, as claimed on the title-pages), on both Discovery and Resolution, published two years before the official account. Although Ellis was not an eyewitness to Cook's death (nor were Rickman, Ledyard or Zimmermann), Beaglehole writes in his edition of the voyages that "the most reliable tradition, on the Hawaii side, is probably that incorporated in Ellis's narrative." He assumed the naturalist's duties after the death of Anderson and his plates are especially interesting. The attractive engraved plates, after the author's drawings, include eight of Hawaii, two of Alaska, and three of the Northwest Coast. The plates show Ellis to have been a talented amateur artist, and represent a significant contribution to the graphic record of the voyage. They 'are among the earliest published on the Hawaiian Islands, Alaska, and the Northwest' (Hill). Choris's famous views did not appear until almost forty years later. Ellis' views of Hawaii provide the first general depictions of the islands, as Rickman's book, published in the previous year, showed only the death of Cook, while Zimmermann's account was not illustrated. He also provides the earliest published description of Hawaiian natives riding surfboards. Since the word surfboard did not exist, he decided to call them sharkboards. Ellis' narrative contains much valuable information on Alaska and the Northwest Coast. There is a chapter devoted to their visit to Van Diemen's Land in January 1777, in the course of which Ellis painted a famous watercolour view of Adventure Bay, now in the National Library of Australia. Returning to England and in financially-strained circumstances, Ellis sold his Narrative to a bookseller for fifty guineas. By publishing it against the instructions of the Admiralty which required the surrender of all records of the voyage, he ruined any prospects he had in the Navy. Banks responded to his publication by saying, "I fear it will not in the future be in my power to do what it might have been had you asked and followed my advice." Ellis died in 1785 after a fall from the main mast of a ship lying at Ostend. Provenance: Claude Benezet (Bookplate): Claude Benezet and his father, James, were descendants of Huguenot refugees who had made a considerable fortune as merchants in London. During the mid-18th century, they remained active in mercantile pursuits, establishing trading connections with British colonial possessions in south Asia and the Far East. Today, however, the family is best remembered through a first cousin of Claude's, Anthony Benezet, who converted to the Society of Friends, emigrated to America, and became one of the earliest and most successful antislavery and antiwar activists. Harry Iain Martin, 1856 [Beddie 1599; Forbes 41; Hill 555; Holmes 42; Sabin 22333; Lada-Mocarski 35; Mitchell Library Cook 1599.]
Edition corrigee, 108pp., hand coloured figure of Pope Leo III to title, 7 hand coloured wood engraved plated, wood engraved floriated initials, modern half calf over marbled boards, red morocco label to spine, 12mo, Paris, Jules Bonaventure, [c.1850s] (reprint with title showing Rome, 1740). Enchiridion Leonis Papae is one of the most popular and influential grimoires. It contains simple healing charms, a version of the apocryphal Abgarus letter, and a set of rather handsome colour engravings of talismans and instructions on constructing pentacles. Its defining content though, is its series of protective prayers. The prayers had nothing to do with the Roman Catholic Church, as the Enchiridion is concerned more with worldly, rather than spiritual, empowerment. Instead, the prayers could protect against all the dangers that could do one harm - poison, fire, wild beasts and tempests. It was not only purchased by magical practitioners, and those who were merely curious. The mere possession of non-diabolic grimoires was thought to have some protective function. A herbal healer was found with a copy of the Enchiridion when he was arrested for practising false medicine. He said he had bought it from a soldier who assured him that it would shield him from falling ill or being killed. Despite the vigilance of the Paris police, France became the centre of grimoire production. The Bibliothèque bleue, similar to the English chapbook, started being produced at the beginning of the 17th century as a low cost and small form book that appealed to all levels of french society. As one of the Bibliotheque blue grimoires, its influence spread throughout the globe. Despite well known witch hunters, like Bodin and Boguet, denouncing the Enchiridion, it was often found alongside the works of demonologists. This work, as well as other Bibliotheque bleue grimoires, migrated to the French Caribbean colonies, becoming the foundation of that region's literary magical tradition. It has been pseudepigraphically attributed to Pope Leo III. Its magical virtue rests on a supposed letter from Charlemagne to Pope Leo, in which the former states that since receiving the Enchiridion he has never ceased to be fortunate. However, no such letter appears to be in the Vatican library, where it was supposedly consigned. It is improbable that this book is the work of Pope Leo and is more likely a compilation by a printer during the height of grimoire publication. [Grimoires: a history of magic books, Davies, 1969]
FIRST EDITION, disbound, engraved title, aquatint vignette to title, 35 engraved hand coloured views, 2 additional aquatint vignettes, list of subscribers, occasional light spotting only affecting margins, housed in a red portfolio and slipcase, folio, London, F.C. Lewis, June 1 1821 Rare in an unbound state, this is a beautiful series of plates on the River Dart, which flows in the English county of Devon. Frederick Christian Lewis (1779-1856), engraver of drawings to Princess Charlotte, Prince Leopold, George IV, William IV, and Queen Victoria, also painted landscapes. He mainly produced paintings of Devonshire scenery and this work is the first of several volumes of plates depicting the Devonshire rivers between 1821 and 1843. Lewis's skill as an engraver led him to contribute to J.M.W. Turner's Liber Studiorum, a collection of seventy-one etchings with mezzotint, greatly influencing landscape painting. [Abbey, Scenery 118]
FIRST EDITION, (16), 347, 39 pp, 10 page list of subscribers, occasional light toning and spotting, contemporary calf, rebacked in calf, spine gilt, red morocco label, 8vo, S. Birt, J. Newbery, and J. Collyer, 1745. Pascoe Thomas, a mathematical teacher on board the Centurion on George Anson's circumnavigation, like many travellers before and after him, Thomas sought to capitalise on what he had seen by publishing his experiences by subscription, thereby increasing both his risk and profit in publishing. A scarce account of Anson's voyage to harass Spanish shipping along the west coast of South America in 1740-43, concluding with the capture of a Manila galleon carrying £400,000 in treasure. Includes general historical accounts of Chile, Peru, Mexico, and China. "Pascoe Thomas kept a full and faithful daily journal of the incidents of this important four-year voyage. Included are a very interesting list of subscribers names and an appendix giving an account of the treasure taken from the 'Nuestra Signora del Buono Carmella'. This account of the voyage preceded the publication of the official account of Lord Anson's voyage by three years" Hill. The final sentence concludes dispassionately that 'the Sight of so many dead Men and their Blood is a very great Discouragement to the Survivors'. Given that Anson's voyage was tragic in many ways (the loss of all but one of the six ships, and of more than half of his men), the account called for a restrained narrator. As well as the account of the treasure, the appendix discusses the dimensions of the ships, the motions of a comet seen on the coast of Mexico and tables of longitudes and latitudes. [Sabin 95437. Hill 1693. Cox I, pp.48-49. Palau 331781.]
9 steel engraved plates (including frontispiece), slight spotting throughout, publishers decorative cloth, rebacked, original spine laid on, 12mo, London, Richard Groombridge, 1835. This was the sixth bookbinding manual to be published in England. Although this volume lacks the interesting trade lists and tables contained in Cowie's manual of 1829, it is the more significant, and it is interestingly illustrated. It was published at a time of many changes in the structure of the trade which were brought about by the introduction of new techniques and equipment, which in turn resulted from the rapid evolution of industry and society in general. Bibliopegia was the first English manual to carry illustrations of equipment, the frontispiece depicting the machine that led to one of the most significant changes in trade binding in the 19th century; the Imperial Arming Press. "The invention of the blocking machine in the 1830s made stamping into the cloth casing possible - the first blocked title appeared in 1832." The making of the cases became an operation of mass-production, and also of cost-reduction. "The effect of the new regime on working practices and conditions, and the bindings themselves, was profound. The development of the case binding market created within the bookbinderies a new class of work and a recomposition of labour, the skilled job of 29 forwarding in leather becoming marginalised in favour of the segregated mass-production of the simply constructed cloth cases." - Factory Manoeuvres Trade Binding and Labour in London: 1780-1850 - Dominic Riley and John DeMerritt. It is interesting to note that Arnett, an intelligent man of integrity and kindly disposition, appears to accept current practices without question, as did almost everyone else, at least in public. Changes were rapid and commercial pressures were very strong, so it was likely to be hazardous to demur, and it should be noted that Arnett was working for a large publisher at this time. The illustrations and fairly detailed descriptions of techniques makes this work a useful source of information about early nineteenth-century binding practices. It was reprinted several times, including in 1980, with an introduction by Bernard C. Middleton. [Bookbinder Vol. 19 Dominic Riley and John DeMerritt; Middleton, 17]
Hammersmith, Kelmscott Press, 1895, 4to, Original full limp vellum; title gilt on spine,brown ties. One of 300 copies on paper, of a total edition of 308 (8 on vellum). 29.4 x 21.8 x 1.7 cm; pp. viii + 120. Troy type (shoulder and side-notes, argument, list of persons and places, and glossary in Chaucer type) on Batchelor hand-made paper with the Perch watermark. Two full-pages woodcut borders and title, half and three-quarter woodcut borders, and numerous woodcut initials; section titles and shoulder and side-notes in red. For Morris Beowulf was "the first and the best poem of the English race". His translation was based on a prose rendering by the Anglo-Saxon scholar Alfred J. Wyatt of Christ's College, with whom he consulted over a two year period. Peterson A32.
FIRST EDITION, xvi-384p., text block clean, 44pp catalogue dated Jan 1870, publishers green cloth, blind toppled, title gilt to spine, 8vo, London, Macmillan and Co., 1870 Alfred Russel Wallace was a naturalist who independently proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection. Like fellow naturalist and colleague Charles Darwin, Wallace travelled the world, observing and collecting samples of species. Wallace's thesis argues that natural selection alone is unable to account for human intellect and consciousness and therefore cannot fully explain the evolution of man. Prior to this work, Wallace's independently proposed theory of natural selection prompted Darwin to publish his own earlier than intended. In 1858, he sent Darwin a letter outlining his ideas about evolution. Darwin sought the advice of his friends, who determined that the ideas of both men would be presented at a meeting of the Linnean Society.The two collaborated on a scientific paper, discussing their evidence for natural selection and evolution. Darwin's masterpiece, The Origin of Species, came out the following year. From that time on, Darwin overshadowed Wallace and it has usually been his name alone associated with the theory of evolution by natural selection. Wallace expressed no resentment at this - in fact the scientific friendship between Wallace and Darwin has become one of the most famous relationships in the history of science. His role in the matter, and Darwin's support, ensured his entry to the highest ranks of the scientific establishment.
2 vol., engraved frontispieces, 8 engraved plates (including folding map of the Amazon), title vignettes, 33 text illustrations, later quarter calf over marbled boards, speckled edges, text block corners rounded, 8vo, London, John Murray, 1863 "One of the finest scientific travel books of the 19th century" - DSB English naturalist and explorer, Henry Bates (1825-1892) is most famous for his two year expedition through the Amazon rainforest with his friend and colleague Alfred Russel Wallace. Bates returned to England in1859, after eleven years in South America. He supported his own entomological collecting interests by supplying specimens for public and private collections. Bates sent back over 14,712 species (mostly of insects) of which 8,000 were, according to Bates, new to science. He was encouraged to write his account by Darwin, with whom he frequently corresponded, and who recommended Bates to his own publisher, John Murray. The resulting work became "a major contribution to the knowledge and literature of Amazonia" and "an immediate success and travel classic" (ODNB), selling successfully throughout the 19th century and being translated into numerous languages. Darwin described it as "the best work of natural history travels ever published in England" (Life and Letters, p. 381). The wood engravings in the text are after several leading natural history illustrators, including E. W. Robinson, Joseph Wolf, Josiah Wood Whymper, and Johann Baptist Zwecker. [Borba de Moraes p.91; Sabin 3932a; Troelstra, Natural History Travel Narratives, pp. 55-56.]
LEPIDOPTERA AND REPTILES [JAPAN - MEIJI PERIOD] Manuscript, 12pp. of gouache paintings, on fine cloth pages, calligraphic labels in Japanese next to each specimen, tipped into a modern binding with a gilt appliqué border, 150 x 230mm, c.1880 This album contains illustrations of moths, butterflies , dragonflies, a spider, a stag beetle, a lady bird, a wasp, lizards, frogs and toads, cicadas, grasshoppers, hornets, a cockroach, a centipede, and the full life cycle of a silkworm, executed by a skilled artist in gouache. This was produced during the Meiji period, an important time for Japanese art. In 1868 the restoration of imperial rule in Japan brough the Edo shogunate to an end, and marked the start of the Meiji era, which would last until the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912. During this brief period Japan transformed itself from an isolated feudal nation to a world power. The historic skills of Japan's traditional arts played a vital part in the struggle to compete in international markets. The masterpieces of Meiji art, in a unique style blending the best of traditional design with prevailing international taste, are unrivalled in the quality of their craftsmanship and were avidly sought by Western collectors. The blending of styles can be seen in this album of illustrations which were most likely produced for export. The addition of the european-style gilt border exemplifies this.
FIRST EDITION, xxxix, 231pp, copper engraved folding map, tear along fold line, light foxing throughout, half calf over marbled boards, spine gilt, corners and hinges repaired, 4to, London, John Murray, 1816 Robert Adams, real name Benjamin Rose, was taken prisoner after his ship was blown off course and wrecked on the West Coast of Africa, where the crew were enslaved by Arabs and both the Captain and Mate were killed. He was fortunate to survive his experiences as a slave, but after three years the British consul at Mogador, Joseph Dupuis, managed (via an agent) to buy back Rose from his then owners and sent him on to the American consul-general at Tangier. Supposed to have travelled back to America from Cadiz, Rose somehow contrived to miss the boat and took a British vessel bound for Liverpool instead. He eventually was found begging on the streets of London by Simon Cock, secretary to the committee of the Company of Merchants Trading to Africa. Cock was eventually convinced of the veracity of his tale and arranged for its publication. This book was the first to describe Timbuktu as a dull squalid place, boasting none of the glories of old, creating controversy around the validity of his account. Prior to its 1816 publication, Adam's account was verified by both Banks and Barrow and some members of parliament with a vested interest in Africa. There is also a suggestion that Cock, a former agent for slave traders, was using this book to revive his own reputation and that of his African Company. The Narrative was the inspiration for Anglo-Afghan author Tahir Shah's novel Timbuctoo (2012). [Howgego II, R24]
FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, FIRST STATE, Heliotype portrait frontispiece, text illustrations by Edward W. Kemble, early ownership signature (Lawrence Green, April 6th 1885), original green pictorial gilt cloth, 8vo, New York, Charles L. Webster & Company, 1885, preserved in a solander box. In this copy, the title-page bears the copyright notice date 1884; frontispiece is in the first state with the table cloth visible and unsigned on the finished edge of the bust; on page 13 the illustration 'Him and another Man' is wrongly assigned to page 88; page 9 carries the uncorrected '- Huck Decided to Leave', page 57 has the misprint 'with the was'; page 143 omits 'I' in the illustration; page 155 has no final '5' in the pagination; and on page 161 the signature mark '11' is absent. These points do not have bearing on priority of issue, nor does the binding (other copies being bound in leather, and in blue cloth), with the whole of the first and second printings issued on the same day in February 1885. The UK edition was published first, for copyright reasons, in December 1884. [BAL 3415; Grolier, 100 American, 87; Johnson, pp. 43-50; Kevin MacDonnell, "Huck Finn among the Issue-Mongers", Firsts; The Book Collector's Magazine, Volume 8, Number 9 (September 1998), pp. 28-35.]
Vol., FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, advertisements dated November 1858, the letter 'p' in 'place' missing in line 3, p. 99, vol. 2 (an issue point) supplied in manuscript, rebound, half red morocco over decorative boards, 8vo, London, Smith, Elder & Co., 1857. While The Professor was the first novel Brontë completed, it was the last to appear in print. Jane Eyre, Shirley, and Villette were published during Brontë's lifetime; The Professor did not appear until 1857, two years after the author's death.
2 vols.,[2], V-XXXVI, 471, [4], 476-494; [2], 478, [1], 494, [1]pp., 2 folding maps, small repair to folding map, contemporary polished calf, board ruled in gilt, spine gilt, black morocco labels on spines, matching circular number pieces, hinges repaired, marbled endpapers, 4to, London, printed for John Stockdale, 1793 First Edition of Edwards most popular work, an ambitiously wide-ranging survey of the British Colonies. The History describes the indigenous people of the Caribbean, as well as the ancient geography, climate and ecology of the islands. Edwards also provides the early colonial history of the Caribbean, detailing in particular Anglo-Spanish relations and a history of the transatlantic slave trade. He provides details of the recent history of political and economic relations between Britain and the newly independent United States, and he uses his description of modern slavery to advance his argument against abolition. Bryan Edwards (1743-1800) was a British born politician, who lived much of his life in Jamaica, where he owned a number of plantations. It is estimated that his labour force consisted of around 1,500 slaves. His reflections on the system of slavery make this an important text for the study of colonialism and the evils of the Slave Trade.
Second edition, [8], 149 [i.e.151], [1], title within woodcut interlaced strapwork border, printers device, title trimmed along outer margin, reinforced, decorative headpieces, woodcut floriated and historiated initials throughout, occasional light spotting and staining, modern calf, boards ruled in gilt, new endpapers, 4to, [London], John Charlewood and W. Jaggard, 1620 Second edition of Howard's book against prophecy and attack on judicial astrology. Northampton went through periods of disfavour in the court of Elizabeth I due to his links with Catholics. He was imprisoned five times, including for the publication of this work. In 1571 Northampton was arrested due to his brother, Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk's involvement in the Ridolfi plot - the plot to put Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne. Norfolk was executed the following year, and it has been suggested that this is part of the reason for Northampton's book. Evidence was given that the Duke of Norfolk had been misled by a prophecy about a lion (Norfolk) and a lioness (Mary, Queen of Scots), who would overthrow a lion (Elizabeth I). Northampton attacks prophecy and criticises the authority of "old painted bookes, expositions of dreames, oracles, revelations, invocations of damned spirits, judicials of astrologie, or any other kinde of pretended knowledge whatsoever." He was also prompted by the fantastic prognostications of Richard Harvey from the preceding April. Despite being dedicated to Sir Francis Walsingham, 'Spymaster' for Elizabeth I, on publication the book was regarded as heretical and treasonable and Northampton was sent to the Fleet Prison for about a year. Though Lord Henry Howard seems to have been in political difficulties during the latter part of Elizabeth's reign, under James I he became a member of council and Earle of Northampton. Provenance: From Dr. Michael Stone's Psychiatry Collection. (STC 13859; ESTC S104250; Lowndes IV 1703; Not in Pforzheimer)
FIRST EDITION, 428pp., map frontispiece, 20 tinted lithograph plates, tissue guards, publishers blue cloth, title in gilt to spine, Royal 8vo, London, Richard Bentley, 1851 Edward Lear describes the mysterious country of Albania "There is luxury and inconvenience on the one hand, liberty, hard living and filth on the other". In 1836 Edward Lear, the British poet and painter known for his absurd wit, decided to devote himself exclusively to landscape painting, leaving behind bird painting, from which he gained high recognition. Between 1837 and 1847 he travelled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. Lear travelled to Albania on an originally unplanned journey. His initial route was blocked due to an outbreak of cholera. It was the British ambassador in Constantinople who managed to get the requisite papers for him to travel through what was then considered the wilds of the Ottoman Empire. The meticulous journals offer a unique insight into the Balkans in this period; the difficulties and romance of travelling in Albania - especially as an Englishman, visiting places never previously seen by foreigners; and the profound effect of the landscape and its people on the artist's mind. Starting from Salonica, he arrived in Monastir (Bitola) on 20 September 1848. From there, he continued on to Ohrid, Struga, Elbasan, Tirana, Kruja, Lezha and Shkodra, which he reached on 2nd October. After several days in Shkodra, he returned to Tirana and Durres and continued southwards to Berat (14-18 October), Ardenica, Apollonia, Vlora, the coast of Himara (21-30 October), Tepelena, Gjirokastra and on to Janina (5 November). He describes in detail the architecture, traditional costumes, the hundreds of pelicans of Zverneci, the strange fashion of women in Gjirokastra, and much more. After his return to England, Lear's travel journals were published in several volumes as The Illustrated Travels of a Landscape Painter. Popular and respected in his day, Lear's travel books have largely been ignored in the twentieth century. These Journals offer an intimate portrait of a wild yet captivating corner of Europe.
