Stark Freya
First Edition. With a map by H.W. Hawes and 22 illustrations from photographs on glossy double-sided plates. 8vo, publisher's original green cloth, the upper cover with Stark's facsimile signature in gilt, the spine gilt lettered, and in the original dustjacket printed in red and yellow. xii, 297 pp. A very pleasing copy indeed, the book fine, fresh, clean and unworn, the jacket with only the very mildest evidence of age or use, essentially bright, clean and very well preserved. FIRST EDITION OF THIS WORK DESCRIBING THE AUTHOR'S TRAVELS THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND SPECIFICALLY ABOUT HER EFFORTS TO THWART FASCIST INFLUENCES IN THE REGION THROUGHOUT WORLD WAR TWO. Dame Freya Stark (1893-1993) dared to go where very few men would. Born in Paris and educated in London, she invested a great deal of time and money learning Arabic and other languages, which would be her tools of discovery. Living to the age of 100, she devoted her life to the art of solo travel, writing two dozen highly personal travel books. In 1928, at age 35, Stark established herself at the forefront of exploration with an audacious journey into forbidden territory of the Syrian Druze. While there, she was thrown in a military prison, but not before a trek across the infamous 'Valley of the Assassins'. She was an early traveler to many parts of the Middle East previously unknown to Europeans. The photographs are by the author as is true for many of her works. "Stark's genius for describing people and places and her stimulating sese of historical perspective turn an autobiography into a picture of heroic times."
Stephens John L.
2 volumes. Early Edition, in the same formatting as the first. With a vast profusion of engravings and maps throughout, including 65 engraved plates and a folding map. The engraved plates were made from daguerreotype views and drawings by Frederick Catherwood. 8vo, publishers original brown cloth lettered and decorated in gilt on the spines. viii, 424; vii, 474 pp. A nice set of these fragile books. Internally, unusually bright and clean, there is only a touch of the usual spotting or mellowing, the bindings have only very light evidence of use or age, virtually no wear, except at the tips from shelving. A very pleasing set, unusually well preserved. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND CLASSIC WORKS ON CENTRAL AMERICA AND A LANDMARK OF MESOAMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY. Stephens was the first westerner to penetrate the jungles of Central America and explore the ruins of the Mayan civilization. William Catherwood's drawings of stelae and other monuments and buildings contribute enormously to the importance of the work. Stephens work inspired generations of Mesoamerican scholars to preserve and explore these remarkable ruins. Catherwoods illustrations set the standard for archaeological illustration and in this case are the earliest and sometimes the only record these monuments. Stephens had been sent, in 1839, by President Martin Van Buren to Central America on a confidential diplomatic visit. He was accompanied by Frederick Catherwood, an English artist with archeological experience. Together, they recorded teir observations on the ancient ruins in words and sketches, publishing INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL IN CENTRAL AMERICA, CHIAPAS AND YUCATAN in 1841. In the same year they returned to the region for a more comprehensive study and in 843 published their second collaborative effort INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL IN YUCATAN. In these works, "the wonderful structures of the race of Indians which once inhabited the peninsula of Central America are here described by pen and pencil with great clearness and minuteness" (Field, 379). Stephens wrote "with a quick and keen observation, an appreciative and good-natured sense of the ludicrous, and a remarkable facility of retaining vividly to the last the freshness of first impressions" (DNB). As a result of his extensive travels and popular narrative accounts, Stephens quickly became known as "the American traveler" (DNB).
[Bull, Rene Illustrator]
The first reprint of the publisher's second edition. With tipped-in colour frontispiece and six tipped-in colour plates by Rene Bull, and a profusion of black & white illustrations all throughout the text. Tall 8vo, publisher's original green cloth, decorated and lettered in black on the upper cover and spine, the upper cover also featuring a colour pastedown by Bull. x, 299 pp. A handsome copy, espcially so for this war time issued work. The green cloth bright and unfaded, just a little mellowing, the hinges firm, the colourplates all very fine, the text clean. AN ELUSIVE AND RARELY SEEN PRINTING OF THIS BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED CLASSIC. With the wonderful illustrations of Rene Bull. Among all the early printings this is one of the most difficult of Bulls books to obtain. Bull's ARABIAN NIGHTS provides us with a timeless classic married to exquisite illustrations in both colour and black and white. Many of the fine black and white illustrations are very large and nearly full-page.
Byron George Gordon, Lord
Together 2 volumes. First Collected Edition of "Poems", First Editions of "The Corsair", "Hebrew Melodies", "The Siege of Corinth" and early editions of a number of the other works including "Child Harold's Pilgrimage", "The Giaour", "The Bride of Abydos", "Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte" and "Parisina". Illustrated with a folding manuscript leaf in fine facsimile. 8vo, very handsomely bound at the time in full polished speckled calf, the spines gilt tooled with wide gilt tooled bands separating the compartments, two compartments lettered in gilt green labels, others with central gilt ornamental device, edges of the boards diced in gilt, fine period marbled endleaves xii, [2], 300, folding manuscript leaf; [2], [4], 66, [4], 71; xi, 100; 17; [6], 53; [2], 89, [2] pp. An unusually handsome and well-preserved set, internally clean and in a very handsome period binding. Beautifully preserved, and an excellent example. RARE AND UNIQUE WITH A NUMBER OF FIRST EDITIONS INCLUDED. A beautifully bound collection of Byron first editions with additional poems and printings included. A very early and scarce collection of Byrons works, a number of the poems published for the first time and added to this grouping. The collection was originally produced in 1815 in two volumes as stated on the title pages of Volumes I and II. A very pleasing and excellent example of this rare collection.
[Criminals, Robbers, Captain Smith; History of the Highwaymen]; Hayward Arthur L. (Editor)
First Edition. Illustrated throughout on full-page plates from original period engravings. 4to, publisher's original black cloth the spine lettered and pictorially decorated in gilt, the upper cover with gilt pictorial device, in the scarce dustjacket printed and decorated in gilt. xv, 640 pp. A very fine and bright copy, beautifully preserved, the text-block largely unopened, the dustjacket is mellowed. A BEAUTIFUL COPY OF THIS REMARKABLE WORK. It follows chronologically Captain Smith's HISTORY OF THE HIGHWAYMEN, but is considered more authentic. Most of teh material from which it has been compiled is tken from the papers of the Newgate Chaplains. Many of the criminals whose lives are given are of historic interest, including Jack Shepard, Jonathan Wild, Catherine Hays, Kennedy the Pirate, Blueskin, Captain Gow and others. The book is also a serious attempt to depict life among the criminal populace of the early eighteenth century. A poem illustrates the context of the work:To close the scene of all his actions heWas brought from Newgate to the fatal tree;And there his life resigned, his race is run,And Tyburn ends what wickedness begun.
[England] Allingham, Helen and Huish Marcus B
LIMITED DE LUXE FIRST EDITION, one of only 750 hand-numbered copies SIGNED by the illustrator, artist Helen Allingham. With portrait frontispiece of the artist from a black and white photograph and 80 beautifully produced colour plates from her paintings, each with a captioned tissue guard. 4to, large paper, very handsomely bound by Bumpus in polished, strong, mellow-red cloth. The spine with gilt ruling and gilt lettering, the upper cover blocked in gilt with double gilt fillet rules at the borders, creating a double ruled frame, lettered in gilt at the center, all edges gilt. xi, 204 pp. A very pleasing and handsome copy, some spotting to the two free-flies as is typical, otherwise the text-block and illustrations are all in bright and very fine condition, some minor cosmetic wear at the back join of the free-fly and paste-down. A very well preserved copy of this iconic work. IN THE MOST RARE OF THE BINDINGS, THE LIMITED SIGNED FIRST EDITION OF THIS SCARCE AND LOVELY WORK. The artist, who previously worked under the name Helen Mary Elizabeth Paterson,started to paint the beautiful countryside around her in watercolours after retiring from a career illustrating periodicals. She particularly loved the picturesque farmhouses and cottages of Surrey and Sussex for which she became famous. She went on to paint rural scenes in other parts of the country Middlesex, Kent, the Isle of Wight and the West Country and abroad in Venice, Italy. It is notable that other then a handful of paintings from Venice she never painted outside of England, never in Scotland, never in Wales. Many years of her paintings were collected into this publication, appropriately named HAPPY ENGLAND. While Vincent Van Gogh was developing as an artist by studying English illustrated journals he was struck by her work in 'The Graphic'.
[Western Americana] Young Otis E
First edition. With illustrations from contemporary sources, these being two portraits, a military scene, a facsimile from Riley's journa,l and a fold-out map of the Santa Fe Trail. Tall 8vo, in the publisher's original red cloth, the spine gilt lettered. 222pp. A very fine copy but for a little cosmetic scarring to the endpaper along the front fold line, otherwise pristine. FIRST EDITION OF THIS FINE ACCOUNT OF EARLY TRAVELS ON THE SANTA FE TRAIL. An often overlooked aspect of American History, the trail was one of the first major route west; connecting Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Beginning in 1822, the trail was used to take advantage of new trade opportunities with Mexico, which had just recently won its independence from Spain. This caught unwelcome attention from the Plains Indians. By 1829 it was decided the caravans needed a military escort, a decision which was extremely controversial at the time. The escort consisted of four companies of the Sixth United States Infantry commanded by Captain (brevet Major) Bennet Riley, after whom Fort Riley of Kansas is named. Major Riley had fought as a young officer in the War of 1812. While well intentioned, the military escort, and a number of armed clashes along its route, complicated United States relations not only with the Plains Indians, but also with the Republic of Texas and with Mexico. This work is drawn directly from the journals of Major Riley and the reports of Lieutenant George Cooke; very early and important accounts of Americans in regions previously controlled by Spain.
Beeton Mrs. [Isabella]
A New Edition. With 32 plates in colour and nearly 700 illustrations on double-sided black and white plates. Thick 8vo, publishers original olive -tan cloth backed in polished red cloth embossed in blind in an elaborate dentil manner with gilt lettering, the end-leaves, both pastedowns and flies with colourful advertisements for soaps and sauces, peas, appliances, sardines, and etc., in the rarely seen dustjacket. xvi, 1680 pp. An unusually bright and attractive copy, if this was ever used at all it was certainly by the tidiest cook imaginable, the paper is fresh, clean, unsoiled and with no spotting, the plates are all quite fine, the hinges strong, rare for such a massive textblock and the binding in excellent state of preservation. The rare dustjacket shows a bit of wear at the edges, but is remarkably well preserved. ONE OF THE MOST AMBITIOUS PRODUCTIONS OF "THE FINEST HOUSEKEEPER IN THE WORLD" - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This whooping tome of well over 1500 pages features not only countless recipes but general tips on food buying and preparation, table-setting, housework, servants, laundry, etiquette, decorating and a whole lot more. If you want to be sure you're folding those napkins properly, laying out the correct china and trussing that roast right you really need to get this book.
Catlin George
2 volumes. The second printing of Volume I and the third printing of Volume II. The same format, contents and appearance of the first printing, and in the same year of publication. Most probably the same text-blocks as the first printing with the title-pages having the added slug denoting another printing. With 24 full page plates after drawings by the author. 8vo, very handsomely bound in three-quarter fine polished calf over marbled paper covered boards, the spines with raised bands gilt stippled, the compartments of the spine fully gilt decorated with elaborate panels incorporating border and central ornamental tooling, two compartments lettered in gilt, marbled endleaves and top edges gilt. xvi, 296 [including Opinions, Appendix and Catalogue of the Collection; xii, 336 pp. A very handsome and pleasing copy. A fine copy internally, the bindings fresh and bright and clean and with virtually not evidence of age or use, an excellent set. A FINE SET OF CATLIN'S IMPORTANT INDIAN COLLECTION WHICH HE TOURED EUROPE PRESENTING. Printed at a later date as ADVENTURES OF THE OJIBBEWAY AND IOWAY INDIANS IN ENGLAND, FRANCE, AND BELGIUM. The publishing of these volumes celebrated the opening of Catlin's Indian Gallery in London. " Catlin visited forty-eight tribes in the Mississippi and Missouri valleys and on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains during his eight years' travel. His object was to paint portraits of men and women in every tribe, together with views of villages, games, etc." The work was published as in 1841 as THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS: Being Letters and Notes on Their Manners, Customs, and Conditions, Written During Eight Years Travel Amongst the Wildest Tribes of Indians in North America, 1832-1839. One of the most famous of all books on the North American native Americans, it was reprinted throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and like the present work remains highly collectable and a cornerstone work in American history.
[New Hampshire; Portsmouth Imprint Laws and Acts]
VERY RARE FIRST EDITION OF THE WORK , and an extremely early New Hampshire publication, printed by the state's first printer. Sometimes called "Fowles Second Edition" in reference to a 1761 compilation of laws with almost precisely the same title. This however is the first edition of the 1771 publication. Title-page within woodcut border, woodcut lines of various figures used for head- and tail-pieces throughout. Folio, bound in contemporary reverse calf, the spine with raised bands blind ruled, the boards framed in blind. 8, 5, iv, 1-272, 1-51, xiii, pp., 21ff (blank) pp. An extremely well preserved copy, about as fine as could possibly be expected, the volume especially rare in this condition. The provincial paper used in this very early Portsmouth imprint has rendered extant copies toned or spotted to such an extent as to make them nearly unusable. This copy has only light toning and some minor spotting along the margins and prelims, with some leaves occasionally more affected. This rare folio volume is complete, strong, solid and sturdy and its contemporary binding in especially pleasing and well preserved condition. A FASCINATING VIEW INTO NEW ENGLAND LAW AND LIFE IN THE PERIOD LEADING UP TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Arguably unparalleled in detail and completeness for a colonial work of this kind, it provides extensive information concerning the typical social and political topics of the period. The work begins with the Commission by Charles the Second appointing John Cutts to be the first President of the Province of New Hampshire and the Commission by George the Third appointing Sir John Wentworth the (then) current Colonial Governor. The Perpetual Laws follow. These included everything from responsibility for damages done by horses to laws relating to Indians, Marriages, Births, Burials, fornication, cornfields, mills and vagabonds. This is followed by a fifty-one page collection of temporary laws and lastly a table of contents. A very rare important and early work published in colonial America.
Nansen Fridtjof
2 volumes. The first edition in this format. With a great number of illustrations throughout, both full page and within the text, including one plate in full colour and a large folding colour map. 8vo, publisher's original turquoise blue cloth lettered and decorated in gilt and silver on the spine panels, the upper covers are decorated in an all-over design with beautiful pictorial illustrations of the Fram on its journey through the drift-ice beneath a shining northern star all bordered in rope in gilt, red and silver. xv, 480; viii, 456. Index. A fine set, unusually well preserved, very bright, clean and sturdy, the hinges are strong, the text-blocks in excellent condition. An uncommonly bright copy of this edition, which was published one year after the first in the same format but for the binding, which is far more decorative than that of the first edition. Nansen undertook this highly important journey to prove his theory that a drift-current moved across the polar regions from Bering Strait and the neighborhood of the New Siberia Islands towards the east coast of Greenland. Nansen's theory was based on a number of indications, not the least of which was the discovery of portions of the wreck of the "Jeannette," which had been lost off the New Siberia Islands in 1881, that were found on drift ice off the south-west coast of Greenland. Early whaling experience and the traverse of Greenland on snow-shoes ad sleighs in 1888-9, convinced him that Arctic exploration was feasible on revolutionary lines. He set himself to design a ship that, by its shape, would evade the crushing pressure of the ice. The idea was to deliberately allow the ship to be frozen into the ice-pack and then to drift across the Arctic region. His ship, the "Fram" was specially built in a Scottish yard of extraordinarily strong materials with a design that would enable it to be lifted by rather than crushed by the ice. Nansens design, sailed from Norway in June 1893 and in the following September rode triuphantly above the ice at the appointed spot. In August 1896 she reached Norway once more. Nansen, with one companion and three sledges drawn by huskies, had left the ship in March 1895 and within a few weeks reached the farhest north latitude yet attained by man. Nansen had hoped to reach the Pole, but the condition of his dogs warned him to turn back.His great journey received world-wide acclaim and brought him many international honours. The success of the theory, the expedition, and the sled journey northward over the ice on foot to a point farthest north are related in these two fine volumes. The text is accompanied by a profusion of fine illustrations of which many are executed in color.
Herodotus. (c. 490-c. 425 B.C.). (Rawlinson George, Translator)
4 volumes. Very scarce early printing and early edition of Rawlinsons translation. Extensively illustrated throughout with drawings, woodcuts, charts, tables and maps,of which are number are folding. 8vo, in very attractive and handsomely bound three-quarter dark-green morocco over green cloth covered boards, the spines with raised bands between double gilt fillet framed compartments, two compartments lettered in gilt. xvii, 568, folding map; large multi-folding map, xvi, 508, folding map; folding map, viii, 455; multi-folding map, viii, 457, [1] pp. A very handsome set All volumes are clean and tight inside and out, an excellent set of this masterwork in especially pleasing condition. A VERY HANDSOMELY BOUND AND QUITE SCARCE ANTIQUARIAN EDITION of Herodotus translated into English and an ambitious translation of the great Greek historian and father of history by George Rawlinson, Professor of Ancient History at Oxford and his brother Henry the prominent Assyrian Scholar. Each of Herodotus "Books" are followed by a thorough appendix with the latest research on the background and linguistics of the subjects. This is the first translation to make use of the new thinking and methods developed during this heady age of archaeology and exploration. Herodotus, the Greek historian was often called the "father of history" due to his systematic collection of sources and his attempt at intellectual rigor. His merits were ".the diligence with which he collected his materials, the candour and impartiality with which he has placed his facts before the reader, the absence of party bias and undue national vanity, and the breadth of his conception of the historians office." While he was not especially critical, his writing was romantic and he depicted events vividly and without pretension. Other writers (e.g. historians) lauded his polished and yet simple and harmonious style. His work represents the first significant Greek writing and covers the struggle between Asia and Europe, ending in the Persian invasion of Greece (490 to 479 BC). With the growth of Persia into an empire, Herodotus takes into account the histories of Lydia, Assyria, Egypt and Scythia, for example. His descriptions include migrations, colonization, business, revolutions and religion of the various geographical sites. His account of the war itself "forms the basis of all modern histories; and, more than that, it is the stuff of legends." Because Herodotus recounting of these tales is quite dramatic, he "is far more than a valuable source: always readable, his work has been quoted and translated ever since." (PMM)
Jekyll Gertrude
First Edition. With 50 beautiful colour plates after watercolours by Elgood. Folio, in the publishers original polished blue buckram, the spine and upper cover lettered and ruled in gilt, t.e.g. xii, 131 pp. A very handsome and bright copy, internally especially fine and fresh, the binding very attractive with just a touch of age or evidence of use. A very pleasing copy indeed. AN IMPORTANT BOOK AND THE FIRST EDITION OF THIS MASTERPIECE OF THE GARDENING GENRE, AND A VERY BEAUTIFUL ONE TOO. This is far and away one of the most famous, and beautiful works in the gardening genre. The first issue, such as this one, has become quite elusive. A horticultural tour through Edwardian England, with notes by the preeminent Ms. Jekyll, who has been described as a premier influence in garden design by English and American gardening enthusiasts. She created over 400 gardens in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States, and wrote over 1,000 articles for magazines such as 'Country Life' and 'The Garden'. The book is equally well known for the wonderfully reproduced garden paintings by George Elgood, a member of both the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters.
Scott Captain Robert F.
2 volumes. First edition, second impression. 260 full-page and smaller illustrations, including photogravure frontispieces, 12 color plates, a profusion of other illustrations, 5 folding panoramas, and 2 maps. Royal, thick 8vo, publisher's original blue ribbed cloth, spines gilt lettered and decorated with fine gilt medallions of the Royal Geographical Society on upper covers, t.e.g. xx, 556; xxi, 508 pp. A handsome set with some of the light aging typical to these bindings, the giltwork still quite bright. SCARCE FIRST EDITION, SECOND IMPRESSION OF THE WORK THAT SOLIDIFIED SCOTT'S REPUTATION CONCERNING ANTARCTICA. Till then they had deemed that the Austral earthWith a long unbroken shoreRan on to the Pole Antarctic,For such was the old sea lore. Rennell Rodd [Chapter 1] From 1900 to 1902, Sir Robert Scott commanded the National Antarctic Expedition and discovered King Edward VII Island. This is the standard account of the first expedition to undertake extensive overland investigations. Over the course of two years, Scott and his men followed the Ross Ice Shelf to its eastern extreme, discovered King Edward VI Island, found a range of mountains stretching southwards toward a vast plateau, trekked to within 500 miles of the South Pole, and amassed a huge collection of scientific data. With regard to scientific accomplishment, this was the more important of Scott's two expeditions, although historically it is overshadowed by his tragic second journey, during which he perished. The first edition, whether in first or second impression is now quite scarce, especially in nice condition.
Layard Austen Henry
2 volumes. First Edition, slugged "sixth thousand", but first edition sheets. Extensively illustrated with approximately 100 full-page, folding, double-page and other fine engravings, building plans and maps. 8vo, publisher's original rose cloth with black Assyrian decorations and title designs on the covers and spines in an all-over pattern. xxx, 399; xii,495, 16 ads. dated October 1849. An unusually well preserved set, internally nearly as pristine. The rose cloth bindings are age mellowed slightly, but have survived quite beautifully, the spine panels still essentially without fading or mellowing. In two separate trips, Layard was the first to discover and excavate the ancient city of Ninevah. This volume is the record of the initial discovery and excavation of the site. Layardsexcavations would bring a greater understanding of the origins of civilization. An extensive and detailed description and interpretation of Layards excavations and Ninevah. Maps and engravings illustrate not only the physical site and remains, they also illustrate the excavation itself. Layards work is of special interest for he translated the cuneiform script of the region-- a very new area of study at the time and still subject to argument and revision. Translation of the cuneiform text would open up a new understanding both in the archeology of the region and its importance to ancient classical scriptures.
Milne A.A
Early edition, printed within 15 months of the first, preceding the release of the fourth volume in the series, and in the same format and with the same dustjacket as the earlier printings. Illustrated by E.H. Shepard. 8vo, publisher's original dark green cloth lettered in gilt on the spine and pictorially decorated in gilt on the upper cover , t.e.g., illustrated endpapers, in the scarce dustjacket, illustrated and printed in . [xvi],158 pp. A lovely, clean and handsome copy, very well preserved, essentially fine with only minimal evidence of age or use. EARLY ISSUE, 1928 OF A.A. MILNE'S MOST FAMOUS BOOK. A bright, clean copy of the most famous of the four Pooh books. Milne's classic story, all about Christopher Robin, Winnie-The-Pooh, and their friends Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, and Baby Roo. Dense with wonderful poems and illustrations, Winnie The Pooh includes some of the most memorable characters in all of children's literature. The themes of these stories and the gentle kindness of the characters are forever endearing.
Tyndale Walter
First Edition. Illustrated with 26 very beautiful tipped in full-page coloured plates from the paintings of Walter Tyndale. 4to, publishers original navy-blue cloth, the best of the bindings, with lettering and elaborate all over pictorial designs and border decorations in a Venetian motif done in vivid gilt on the spine and the upper cover, pictorially decorated endpapers, t.e.g. 307 pp., plus 26 coloured plates with tissue guards. A very handsome and fresh copy of this beautiful book, the blue cloth especially bright with no fading, the gilt as vivid and bright as could be, the wonderful colourplates all fine and pristine, as are their tissue guards, the text-block clean and free of foxing or spotting, some of the usual mellowing to the paste-downs and free-flies as is usual. FIRST EDITION 0F THIS EXCEPTIONALLY BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATED BOOK. AN ARTIST IN ITALY is one of the finest examples of the decorative travel gift books of the period. Tall and handsome with extensive text and reminiscences it is none the less best loved for the absolutely marvelous colour plates. They portray not only natural and man-made beauties but also capture the spirit, the "feel", of this timeless sea-bound peninsula. Tyndales work is to do chiefly with Venice and the hill towns of Tuscany, high among the most beautiful areas in all of Italy, or for that matter, in all of Europe. The paintings, reproduced so competently in this large volume, are a record of those places and of the treasures they contain in the way of architecture, art and environment.
First edition. With 24 plates of landscapes painted by James Faed, Jr. beautifully reproduced in colour and with one 19th century portrait by the elder James Faed reproduced in black and white. Small 8vo, in the publisher's original denim blue cloth, the spine and upper cover gilt lettered and decorated in a handsome archetectural style in black and navy. In the scarce original dustjacket which repeats the binding design in black on olive paper. viii, 311pp. A very handsome copy, the cloth looks virtually as new, fresh and rich with bright gilt, a hint of trivial bumping only to the tips, the textblock with spotting to the fore-edges as is common which only on a few rare occasions finds it way on the pages themselves, otherwise very clean, hinges and gutters all fine and firm, the plates fine, the dustjacket, which is very scarce, remains both attractive and useful, there is a little rubbing and chipping at the fold lines and spine tips and the blank rear panel has a more significant chip about 7 by 5 cm. A VERY HANDSOME COPY OF ONE OF THE MORE SCARCE ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK ILLUSTRATED TRAVEL BOOKS. One of Scotland's picturesque regions is given fine treatment in both paint and pen by native sons James Faed, Jr. and J. M. Sloan. James Jr. was the fourth artist of the Faed family to be settled in bonnie Galloway.
The First Trade Edition of Rockwell Kent's famously illustrated classic. With beautiful reproductions of Rockwell Kent's artwork, which originally appeared in the now very scarce Lakeside Press Limited Edition. 8vo, very handsomely bound in Bath, England by the Period Binders in three-quarter dark-blue crushed morocco over navy cloth-covered boards, the corner pieces and turnovers gilt ruled, the spine with raised bands creating compartments, four of which are decorated with a gilt tooled spouting whale, the remaining two gilt lettered, t.e.g. Preserved and bound in at the end of the book are the publisher's original silver-decorated black cloth covers. xxxi, 822, + epilogue pp. A very attractive copy of this great illustrated novel. The binding is in very fine condition and preserves the original cloth within, the text is fresh and clean. THE FIRST TRADE EDITION OF THIS CLASSIC WORK, ILLUSTRATED BY ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST FAMOUS ARTISTS, Herman Melvilles classic nineteenth century whaling story and Rockwell Kents definitively twentieth century artistic style might strike one at first as an odd juxtaposition. The end-product speaks for itself however and this truly handsome book has become a classic in it own right. Fantastically rendered, it ranks among the finest of illustrated novels. "As Queequeg and I are now fairly embarked in this business of whaling," Melville's narrator begins, "and as this business of whaling has somehow come to be regarded among landsmen as a rather unpoetical and disreputable pursuit; therefore, I am all anxiety to convince ye, ye landsmen, of the injustice hereby done to us hunters of whales." Melville points out the historical accomplishments of whalers ("Often, adventures which Vancouver dedicates three chapters to, these men accounted unworthy of being set down in the ship's common log") and the traditional homage paid to whales ("In one of the mighty triumphs given to a Roman general upon his entering the world's capital, the bones of a whale, brought all the way from the Syrian Coast, were the most conspicuous object in the cymballed procession"), and in general does a fine job of vindicating his profession. "Oh, the rare old Whale, mid storm and gale In his ocean home will be A giant in might, where might is right, And king of the boundless sea." Rockwell Kents vivid and artistic illustrations make this one of the most attractive editions of Melvilles classic American novel.
3 volumes. An early edition retaining the original format but in smaller size and with the prefaces to the first and third editions. With a total of 54 finely engraved plates, several of which are in colour, and several others are in sepia, the remainder in black and white, all of which based on Ruskin's own drawings and sketches, and with further illustrations throughout the text 8vo, handsomely bound in very tasteful antique three-quarter honey-brown morocco over leaf-patterned textured tan paper-covered boards with matching endpapers, the corner pieces and backs trimmed with gilt rules, the spine with gently raised bands separating the compartments framed in gilt, gilt lettered in two of the compartments and at the tail of the spines, t.e.g. [xvi], 414; xv, 397; vii; 538. A fine set in handsome bindings, the text-blocks are very clean with only a few very light and occasional signs of age, primarily confined to the prelims, the bindings well preserved and attractive, a touch of rubbing to the paper of the boards and minute mellowing to the edges, prize bookplates to the front pastedowns. A BEAUTIFULLY PRESERVED SET OF THIS CLASSIC WORK IN HANDSOME CONTEMPORARY BINDINGS. PMM stated the this work was "a revolutionary success". The Stones of Venice is the three-volume treatise on Venetian art and architecture by the great English art historian John Ruskin. "The Stones of Venice examines Venetian architecture in detail, describing for example over eighty churches. He discusses architecture of Venice's Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance periods, and provides a general history of the city. As well as an being an art historian, Ruskin was a social reformer. In the chapter "The Nature of Gothic" (Volume 2), Ruskin gives his views on how society should be organised. Ruskin set out to prove how Venetian architecture exemplified the principles he discussed in his earlier work, The Seven Lamps of Architecture. Ruskin had visited Venice before, but he made two visits to Venice with his wife Effie specially to research the book. The first visit was in the winter of 1849-50. The first volume of The Stones of Venice appeared in 1851 and Ruskin spent another winter in Venice researching the next two volumes. His research methods included sketching and photography (by 1849 he had acquired his own camera so that he could take daguerrotypes). It aroused considerable interest in Victorian Britain and beyond. The chapter "The Nature of Gothic" was admired by William Morris, who published it separately in an edition which is in itself an example of Gothic revival. The book inspired Marcel Proust (the narrator of the Recherche who visits Venice with his mother in a state of enthusiasm for Ruskin) and in 2010 Roger Scruton wrote that the book was, "the greatest description in English of a place made sacred by buildings."
First Edition, first single volume printing of the English edition, with the August ads, the earliest of the issue criteria. Illustrated with a facsimile page of manuscript from Twains notebooks. 8vo, publishers original red cloth, decorated in black and gilt on the spine and upper cover, patterned end-leaves. xxiii, [2], 564 pp. + 32 ads. A very bright, handsome and beautifully preserved copy with just a touch of mellowing to the binding, a very clean and solid copy. THE FIRST ENGLISH EDITION ISSUED IN ONE VOLUME. The seemingly formless form of Twains most typical work is both that of storytelling and travel; for like storytelling, travel is made up of episodic events and encounters." In A TRAMP ABROAD, Twain is discovering himself as a new man in a new place in time, "just as in ROUGHING IT, in its drive West, reveals its protagonist in a series of apprenticeships until he finds himself to be none other that the author in his achieved identity of Mark Twain, so HUCKLEBERRY FINN.reveals its protagonist in a series of initiations until he finds himself to be none other than.Tom Sawyer." Of these journeys, Twain was the master, seemingly never in doubt of himself or where he was going. He had been a riverboat captain and could steer a boat up or down the river through snags or chutes, around islands and bends. And so steering his imagination and ours was somehow no difficulty for this giant of the prose form. This book is an experience in time travel and a splendid read for any of us serious about finding something special in the reading Mark Twain and great American literature.
Early issue in one volume. beautifully illustrated with many elegant steel engraved full-page plates, and more than two hundred and fifty wood engravings, from original designs. Thick 8vo, bound ln the publisher's original red-brown polished cloth, with gilt lettering to the spine panel and gilt pictorial device and lettering to the upper cover, both covers blocked and decorated in blind. 766 pp. A fine copy, clean and bright, with strong hinges., the issue guards are still intact, some light mellowing to the spine panel and a bit of shelving evidence. A very handsome and well preserved copy indeed. FIRST EDITION THUS OF THIS IMPORTANT WORK. Doctor Kane had been the ship's surgeon on the First Ginnell Expedition of 1850 and upon that mission's unsuccessful return he immediately set out in command of the Second. That mission was also a failure in that no trace of the lost Franklin Party was ever found, but these missions did achieve many important geographical and map-making successes.
