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Burnside Rare Books

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A Spaniard in the Works

A Spaniard in the Works

Lennon, John; [Victor Spinetti] First edition, first printing, an association copy signed by John Lennon on the front free endpaper. From the library of Victor Spinetti, with his initials in ink to the last page. Spinetti was a Welsh actor, author, poet, and raconteur. He appeared in dozens of films and stage plays throughout his 50-year career, including the three 1960s Beatles films, A Hard Day's Night, Help!, and Magical Mystery Tour having the distinction of being hte only non-Beatle to appear in all three films. He also appeared on the Beatles' 1967 Christmas recording, released to members of their fan club. The best explanation for this long-running collaboration and friendship might have been provided by George Harrison, who told Spinetti, "You've got to be in all our films . if you're not in them me Mum won't come and see them - because she fancies you." Paul McCartney once described Spinetti as "the man who makes clouds disappear".Spinetti was particularly close to Lennon, and co-authored In His Own Write, the play adapted from a book by Lennon with the Beatle which he also directed at the National Theatre, premiering on 18 June 1968, at the Old Vic Theatre. Spinetti and Lennon appeared together in June 1968 on BBC2's Release and during the interview, Spinetti said of the play, that "it's not really John's childhood, it's all of ours really, isn't it John?" to which Lennon replied, assuming a camp voice, "It is, we're all one Victor, we're all one aren't we. I mean 'what's going on?'" Bound in publisher's original glazed illustrated boards; lacking the dust jacket. Near Fine with light wear to extremities, sporadic foxing and an occasional age related stain to pages, pages tanned and with an occasional crease. Lennon's second book of nonsense poems, whimsical stories and surreal cartoons; rare signed and with a close association.
  • $12,500
  • $12,500
The Birds of America

The Birds of America, from Drawings Made in the United States and Their Territories

Audubon, John James First Octavo Edition. Complete in seven volumes. Bound in contemporary half green morocco and marbled boards, spines lettered and decorated in gilt, top edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Half titles present in all volumes, lists of additional subscribers at front or rear of volumes 1, 3, 4 & 5. With 500 beautiful hand-colored lithographed plates. Very Good+ with shelf rubbing to boards and a little chipping to leather, slightly different color leather used by binder for Vol. II, Vol. I rebacked with original spine strip laid on. Contents generally bright with very little reading wear, single ink checkmark spotted in margin of one volume, occasional offsetting and foxing to the tissue guards, and just a touch of foxing some plates and text leaves. An exceptional set of the first octavo edition of Audubon's ornithological masterpiece, perhaps the paramount American color-plate book of the 19th century. This copy has an important provenance, formerly belonging to Thomas Mayo Brewer, with "T.M. Brewer, Boston" in gilt at the foot of each spine. Brewer (1814-1880) was a Boston-born naturalist, specializing in ornithology and zoology. According to the Linda Hall Library "He became a friend of John James Audubon in the 1830s, when Audubon did not have a lot of friends, and sent Audubon descriptions and specimens, usually of birds but sometimes mammals, as they came to him. Audubon rewarded Brewer with several eponyms. Brewer had sent Audubon a collection of small rodents from New England, and one, a mole from Martha's Vineyard, turned out to be a new species." Information provided to another former owner of this set is that it was presented by Audubon to Brewer, although we are unable to confirm this. For this octavo edition, the plates, accompanied for the first time by the text, were reduced and modified from the original Havell engravings for the London double-elephant folio. The plates were reduced by camera lucida and some of the backgrounds entirely changed or greatly modified. To the original plate count included in the double-elephant folio edition, the octavo edition adds 65 new images for a total of 500 plates, making it "the most extensive color plate book produced in America up to that time" (Reese). Included for the first time are seven new species and seventeen others, previously described in the Ornithological Biography but not illustrated, are also shown for the first time. The original compositions were altered so that only one species is depicted per plate. The text itself is a revision of the Ornithological Biography, rearranged according to Audubon's "A Synopsis of the Birds of North America" (1839). Audubon writes in his introduction to this edition that it is his wish that a work similar to his large work should be published "at such a price, as would enable every student or lover of nature to place it in his library." Bennett p.5; Nissen IVB 51; Reese 34; Sabin 2364; McGill/Wood p.208; Ayer/Zimmer p.22.
  • $75,000
  • $75,000
book (2)

Les Hindous, ou, Description de leurs moeurs, coutumes et ceremonies

First edition. Complete in four volumes, including all 288 colored plates, four frontispieces, and half titles. Bound in contemporary boards, sympathetically rebacked recently with gilt stamping, morocco labels, touch-ups to corners. Large folios, measuring 17.5" x 23" x 2", with wide margins. Text in French and English. Near Fine, sturdily bound and contents generally bright. Former owner's bookplates to paste downs as well as non-circulating library bookplates and deaccession stamps; limited perforation to margins of around three to four pages per volumes (always in margins of plates when applicable), small ink numbers written on first page of text. Limited foxing. Tissue guards present in Vol. I only, occasionally creased and foxed. Two plates in Vol. I have heavy foxing. A few tiny wormholes to last few dozen pages of Vol. II, mostly marginal. A lavishly illustrated look at India by a Flemish author and artist: its people, their customs, and the subcontinent's flora and fauna. The first volume is devoted to professions; the second to dance, music and customs; the third volume depicts transportation, smoking, and entertainment, and the fourth looks at native flora and fauna. Each plate is accompanied by French text, as well as an English translation by Solvyns' wife, Mary Anne Greenwood. One of the first books printed in color, supplemented by hand coloring. This copy is uncommon for having every single one of its prized plates.