THE EXETER RIDDLE BOOK. Drawings by Virgil Burnett.
ANON. - Crossley-Holland, Kevin Translates and introduces. FIRST PRINTING OF THIS EDITION. 8vo. (8.8 x 5.7 inches). Finely illustrated by Virgil Burnett with full page frontispiece and 75 head pieces, printed in red. A fine copy in a fine unique leather craft binding. Full mid brown morocco. Front board with blue, tan, green and dark brown onlay letter Rs, each with a gilt dot in the round of the character. Rear board with four gilt dots. Plain brown endpapers with a hand painted design in green, blue, white, tan and gold to both paste-downs. Fine hand made rag paper blank endpapers front and rear. All edges gilt. The book is housed in a custom made clam-shell case with padded calico lining. Brown cloth on the boards of the box and the spine with a hand lettered title strip. The binding is unsigned but is certainly the work of a highly skilled bookbinder. A fine and beautiful example of this fascinating, bawdy, enigmatic book, the work of tenth century scribes and here translated from the original Anglo Saxon and with 35 pages of notes deciphering the riddles. -- More photos available on request.- $829
- $829
THE MALTESE FALCON.
HAMMETT. DASHIELL. FIRST EDITION. 8vo. (7.7 x 5.4 inches). viii,268pp. A few leaves spotted and a small area of loss to the bottom of one page, just on the margin and well away from the text. Feint mark to the top outer corner of the first dozen pages. Overall a very good copy in a fine recent leather binding. Full black morocco. Spine with raised bands. Compartments with gilt lettering and decoration. Top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. Original cloth front board and spine bound in at the rear. A very good copy in fine and attractive binding.- $2,330
- $2,330
THE SECOND WORLD WAR. The Gathering Storm; Their Finest Hour; The Grand Alliance; The Hinge of Fate; Closing the Ring; Triumph and Tragedy.
CHURCHILL. WINSTON. S. SIX VOLUMES. FIRST EDITIONS, 1st impressions. 8vo. (8.6 x 5.8 inches). Illustrated throughout with maps and plans, many folding. A near fine, bright set of books with some neat annotation to a handful of pages in volume one. Publishers black cloth with gilt lettering to the spines. Top edges dyed deep red, which is still a rich dark colour on all volumes. Patterned grey and white endpapers with rampant lion and Churchill's initials, designed by Lynton Lamb. Previous owner bookplate inside the first four volumes. In the publishers original dustwrappers with the same design background. Fine and clean wrappers with the spine lettering, including the red volume numbers and titles, vibrant and bright on all six volumes. Uncommon in such good condition. The red ink used for the volume numbers and sub titles is particularly prone to fading and copies without fading of the red, like this one, are hard to find. A superior set of first editions of Churchill's monumental history of World War Two.- $1,518
- $1,518
THE POETICAL WORKS. In Two volumes. To which is prefixed, a life of the Author.
MILTON. JOHN. -- Trinity College Dublin prize bindings. TWO VOLUMES. 6mo. (7.32 x 4.3 inches). Vol.1; xii, 287pp - Vol.2; iv, 275pp. Bound in contemporary full tree calf with gilt ruling and red morocco volume numbers and title labels to spines. Trinity College Dublin arms in gilt to all four boards. Copper engraved College prize labels mounted onto the front pastedown endpapers of each volume. The books were presented to Gulielmo (William) Spedding in 1830. --- Reverend William Spedding (24th March, 1803 - 14th June, 1870) spent 25 years as the Military Chaplain to the Artillery Garrison, co. Cork, and then became the Rector of Killencoole, co. Louth, Ireland. ---- Some foxing to many pages and area of loss to the outer corner of one leaf in volume one, otherwise text complete. Rubbing to edges and chipping to the spines of the bindings but overall a good set. -- More photos available on request.- $941
- $941
ALLAN QUARTERMAIN. Being an account of his further adventures and discoveries in company with Sir Henry Curtis, Bart, Commander John Good, R. N and One Umslopogaas.
HAGGARD. H. RIDER. FIRST EDITION. 8vo. (7.6 x 5.2 inches). Illustrated with 20 mono plates engraved on wood by J. Cooper from drawings by C. H. M. Kerr. A very good copy bound in early twentieth century half dark green morocco, spine with raised bands, gilt. Compartments decorated and lettered in gilt. Green cloth on boards. Marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt. Previous owners armorial bookplate to the front pastedown endpaper. A very good copy in a fine leather binding.- $217
- $217
EVELINA. Or the history of a young lady's entrance into the world. Edited by Sir Frank D. Mackinnon.
BURNEY. FRANCES. NEW EDITION. 8vo. (7.9 x 5.4 inches). 22, 590pp. Colour frontispiece of Vauxhall, by Thomas Rowlandson, and 13 mono plates. A fine clean copy throughout. Finely bound in recent full tan morocco by Bayntun of Bath. Raised bands with gilt dotted lines on the spine. The compartments ruled, lettered and decorated in gilt. Boards with single gilt ruled border line. Board edges decorated in gilt. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Turn-ins with double ruled lines and gilt floral corner pieces, all in gilt. A fine copy of this classic work in an attractive leather binding. ------ This edition, with notes, indexes and illustrations including facsimiles of title pages and frontispieces from the original 18th century editions, was originally published by OUP in 1930. This reprint was issued in The Oxford Bookshelf series.- $615
- $615
JOCK OF THE BUSHVELD.
FITZPATRICK. SIR PERCY. FIRST EDITION. First printing. Large 8vo. (8.5 x 6.4 inches). Colour frontis, 22 full page mono plates and hundreds of small engraved vignettes to the margins of the text pages, all by E. Caldwell. This is the scarce first issue with the margin drawings of a dung beetle pushing his load with his front legs rather than his back on pages 65, 337 and 457. These were changed in later issues. Some feint offsetting to the blank endpapers and a few pages with some minor spotting but generally a very bright and clean copy throughout. Publishers original dark green cloth with gilt illustrations and lettering to the front board and the spine. The board edges are lightly rubbed and the gilt just a little dulled but overall a very good copy of this scarce first edition. -- More photos available on request.- $1,538
- $1,538
AN APRIL DAY. Manuscript copy with original watercolours.
LONGFELLOW. HENRY WADSWORTH. ILLUSTRATED MANUSCRIPT. Oblong 8vo. (9.4 x 5.5 inches). Longfellow's popular eearly poem, An April day, written in a neat hand on 12 thick paper leaves. Ten of the leaves are beautifully illustrated in watercolour by an unknown but very skilled artist. Bound in attractive nineteenth century full red morocco. Spine with multiple gilt ruled lines and three raised bands. Both boards have a highly decorative gilt roll and ruled lines border around a double ruled and corner decorated blind tooled panel. The front board has the title and author lettered in gilt. Gilt inner dentelles and yellow coated endpapers. All edges gilt. A little rubbing to the extremities but overall a beautiful volume in very good condition. --- More photos available on request.- $774
- $774
THE SELECTED NOVELS. Liza of Lambeth, Cakes and ale, Theatre, The moon and sixpence, The narrow corner, The painted veil, Christmas holiday, Up at the villa, The razor’s edge.
MAUGHAM. W. SOMERSET. FIRST EDITION. 3 VOLUMES. 8vo. (8 x 5.5 inches). Each volume with a new preface by Maugham, described by Raymond Toole Stott, Maugham's bibliographer, as containing 'important material of biographical and bibliographical interest'. Each volume comprises three of Maugham's most widely read novels. A very good set in publishers blue cloth bindings. Spines with two black block panels. Front boards and spines are lettered in gilt. School prize labels mounted onto the front paste down endpapers of each volume and the school crest stamped in gilt to the front boards. In the original dustwrappers which have a few minor chips to the edges but are generally in very good condition. A very good set of this important collection. Surprisingly uncommon in this 1953 first printing. --- Stott B21.- $496
- $496
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS. And what Alice found there.
CARROLL. LEWIS. ; Tenniel. John. Illustrates. FIRST SIXPENNY EDITIONS. 8vo. (8.4 x 6 inches). Both volumes are the first printings of the Macmillan sixpenny series. Illustrated with forty two and fifty line illustrations, respectively, by John Tenniel. Publishers original red printed paper wraps. Page edges a bit chipped, as to be expected with the cheap paper used in production, and a little toned but overall these are very good internally. The front paper wraps for both volumes and only the rear for Alice are present. Both paper spines have perished. Ink stamp of previous owner to the front wrapper of each volume. While not the most attractive example, these two First printings of the sixpenny series are a rare survivor with their original fragile wraps and not in too bad condition for 1898 paperback Children's books.- $496
- $496
THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT.
POTTER. BEATRIX. FIRST TRADE EDITION. 16mo. (5.6 x 4.4 inches). First state of the text with 'wept big tears' on page 51. Illustrated with colour frontis, line vignette of a bunny on the title page and 30 fine colour plates by the Author throughout. A very good bright and clean copy. Original brown boards with white lettering (with a single dot in the centre of the 'o's in the title on the front board and the spine) and colour picture of Peter mounted to the blind stamped panel of the front board. Leaf patterned endpapers. Neat previous owner gift inscription, dated Xmas 1902, on the half title page. One small repaired tear (about a half inch), without any loss, to the lower inner margin of the frontispiece and some very minor thumbing to the bottom of the pages otherwise this is a lovely copy. Boards just a little rubbed and bumped to the extremities. Overall a superior copy of this famous title. The first edition to feature Beatrix Potter's beautiful colour illustrations. The book is housed in a felt lined clamshell box covered in dark green cloth. The spine lettered in gilt. -- More photos available on request.- $5,885
- $5,885
REWARDS AND FAIRIES.
KIPLING. RUDYARD. FIRST EDITION. 8vo. (8.1 x 5.6 inches). Illustrated with four full page mono plates by Frank Craig. Neat previous owner name and date Oct. 1910, the month of publication, on the top of the front free endpaper. A very good clean copy throughout. Publishers original burgundy cloth boards. Gilt lettering to the spine. Front board with raised circular Ganesha device in gilt. Top edge gilt. A small mark to the spine but overall a nice bright copy. -------- Contains the Poem 'If', Kipling's most enduring work of verse. A poll taken by the BBC in the UK in 2005 voted it as Britain's favourite Poem, polling twice as many votes as the number 2 choice, Lord Tennyson's The Lady of Shallot. Originally written in 1895, IF was inspired by the actions of Dr. Leander Starr Jameson, a British Officer whose forces were defeated by the Boers in 1895, but who was portrayed as a victorious hero by the British press, the poem is a powerful masterclass in maintaining the British stiff upper lip. Richards A242.- $403
- $403
POEMS OF SHELLEY. Selected and arranged by Stopford A. Brooke.
SHELLEY. PERCY BYSSHE. Reprint. 8vo. (6.2 x 4.2 inches). Contemporary fine binding, by Riviere and Son of full dark blue calf. Spine with five raised bands. Compartments double ruled and decorated in gilt. Burgundy title and dark brown author name labels, ruled and lettered in gilt. Double gilt rule line borders on boards. Board edges with decorative gilt roll. Gilt inner dentelles. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Housed in a blue cloth covered slipcase. A beautiful binding with a hint of fading to the spine otherwise in near fine condition.- $434
- $434
ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN GULLIVER. In a Voyage to Lilliput
SWIFT. JONATHAN. Small 8vo. (3.9 x 2.5 inches). 48pp, including the first and last blanks which are pasted directly onto the inside leaves of the printed wrappers. Sewn text pages. Illustrated with a full page wood-engraved frontispiece of Captain Gulliver and 12 smaller woodcuts within the text. Original blue printed paper wrappers with upside-down double face illustration on lower cover. Neat ink title written on the front panel otherwise a fine copy of this scarce little edition, issued in Ross's Juvenile Library. A remarkable survivor. The work is undated but the British Library catalogue suggests a publication date of either 1814 or 1815, while the Bodleian Library estimates 1815. -- More photos available on request.- $434
- $434
THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM. The Astronomer Poet of Persia. Rendered into English Verse. (Translated by Edward Fitzgerald).
OMAR KHAYYAM. ; FINE BINDING. Reprint of the 1899 Golden Treasury edition. Small 8vo. (6.1 x 4.1 inches). Finely bound, by Riviere and Son, in beautiful early full dark green morocco, extra gilt. The spine with raised bands, dotted in gilt. Compartments ruled, decorated and lettered in gilt, including floral centre pieces. Elaborate floral centre design to boards with gilt tooling over beige leather onlays. Inner Dentelles with ruled and dotted border lines and decorated flowers in the corners, all in gilt surrounding green Moire silk centre pieces. Silk endpapers. All edges gilt. A couple of small dents to the spine and corners. Some creasing to the very edges of one of the blank paper endpapers but otherwise the pages are clean and bright throughout and this is a beautiful copy.- $929
- $929
THE BOOK OF COSTUME: Or Annals of Fashion, From the earliest time to the present day. By A Lady of Rank. Illustrated with upwards of two hundred engravings on wood, by the most eminent artists.
A LADY OF RANK. -- (EGERTON. MARY. Countess of Wilton). EXTRA ILLUSTRATED. -- NEW EDITION. 8vo. (9 x 6 inches). Colour printed extra title page and 236 wood engravings throughout the text but the volume has been beautifully extra illustrated with 23 full page plates, three fold-out and six of these hand coloured, dating from the early 19th to early 20th century, bound in, each with a plain tissue guard. A fine, bright and clean copy in a fine early 20th century leather binding of full Salmon Morocco. Spine with raised bands, each decorated with gilt piping. Compartments ruled, lettered, and richly decorated in gilt. Gilt ruled and wavy line borders to the boards with elaborate gilt tooling to the corners. Board edges with gilt piping. Turn-ins have decorative gilt floral roll. Marbled endpapers All edges gilt. Two green silk page markers. Neat previous owner bookplate to the front pastedown endpaper. A fine copy with the bonus of the extrat plates and in a stunning fine leather binding. The binding is unsigned but is certainly the work of a master bookbinder. ---- More photos available on request.- $1,084
- $1,084
LE MORTE DARTHUR. The history of King Arthur and of his Noble Knights of the Round Table.
MALORY. Sir THOMAS. ; Russell Flint. William. Illustrates. FIRST 2 VOLUME EDITION. Small Crown 4to. (9.3 x 6.8 inches). xxx, 439; xxii, 531 pp. Originally issued as four slim quarto volumes in a limited edition in 1910-11, this is the first issue in this format and is complete in 2 thicker volumes. Beautifully Illustrated with 36 fine full colour plates by Russell Flint. Publishers green cloth with elaborate blind tooled decoration to the front boards and spines, which are also ruled and lettered in gilt. In the original scarce dustwrappers with colour plates mounted onto the front panels. The cloth boards are a bit dulled and there is a near one-inch tear, without loss, to the top of the spine of volume one, but the gilt is still strong and bright. The dustwrappers are faded to the spines, which have a few very minor chips to the extremities, but are generally in very good condition and sets with them present are uncommon. Overall a very good set of this interesting and beautiful edition, which includes a Bibliographical Note by the editor, A. W. Pollard, Caxton's preface to the original edition of 1485, a glossary, and an index. -- More photos available on request.
THE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN STORY BOOK. From When we were very young – Now we are six – Winnie the Pooh – The house at Pooh corner.
MILNE. A. A. --- Shepard. Ernest H. Illustrates. SECOND EDITION. Published just weeks after the First edition which was issued on October 31st 1929. 8vo. (7.5 x 5.1 inches). Illustrated throughout with beautiful line drawings by E. H. Shepard. A clean and bright copy internally, bound in Publishers special delux full dark blue leather binding. Spine double ruled to the top and bottom, decorated with an illustration of Christopher Robin and lettered in gilt. Double ruled border on front board with illustrations of Christopher Robin (twice), Pooh Bear, Owl, Tigger, Eeyore, and Mary Jane, and lettered with author and title, all in gilt. Original decorative endpapers. Top edge gilt. The pages are a bit loose in the binding but still all is intact. The binding has some rubbing to the edges but overall is still an attractive example of this uncommon publishers delux leather binding.
THE COLLECTED EDITION and COLLECTED ESSAYS. Volume 1, Brighton Rock; 2, It’s a Battlefield; 3, England Made Me; 4, Our Man in Havana; 5, The Power and the Glory; 6, The Heart of the Matter; 7, The Confidential Agent; 8, Collected Stories; 9, A Gun for Sale; 10, The Ministry of Fear; 11, The Quiet American; 12, Stamboul Train; 13, The End of the Affair; 14; A Burnt-out Case; 15, The Man Within; 16, The Third Man and Loser Takes All; 17, The Comedians; 18, Journey without Maps; 19, The Lawless Roads; 20, Travels with my Aunt; 21, The Honorary Consul; 22, The Human Factor. Plus; The Collected Essays.
GREENE. GRAHAM. 23 Volumes - Complete. A mixed set of 13 First printings and 10 reprints. --- Collected essays and Volumes 8 to 10 and 14 to 22 are all First printings, the others are reprints dating from 1975 - 1984. Publishers dark green cloth bindings with gilt ruling and lettering to the spines and grey endpapers. A fine set of books in very good dustwrappers, designed by Michael Harvey with some toning to the spines and a small amount of rubbing to extremities. The dustwrappers in some volumes have been price clipped and new price labels attached. Volume 19 has a small tear to the top front hinge of the wrapper. Overall a very good set. Collected essays was issued in 1969, before the rest of the volumes, and is a little larger although the wrapper style is similar so it doesn't look out of place on the shelf with the set. ---- Greene wrote a new introduction to each of the volumes for this edition.
THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM.
DULAC. EDMUND. Illustrates. ; Fitzgerald, Edward. Renders into English Verse. FIRST DULAC EDITION. 4to. (10.8 x 8.6 inches). 20 mounted colour plates on thick art paper, framed with decorative border design. Each plate covered with printed tissue paper guard. Finely bound in early full white vellum binding. Spine with elaborate gilt tooling and red morocco label, lettered and decorated in gilt. Front board lettered in dark brown in English and Arabic and with decorative outer corners in brown, within gilt ruled lines. Marbled endpapers printed in gold and brown on white paper. Etched illustrated bookplate, dated 1931, to the front pastedown. Some toning to the vellum but overall a very good and attractive copy of this beautiful book. The binding is unsigned but is certainly the work of a skilled binder. ----- Hughey. Edmund Dulac. His book illustrations. A Bibliography; 21a.
THE TIGER WHO CAME TO TEA.
KERR. JUDITH. Writes and Illustrates. FIRST EDITION. 4to. (10.3 x 7.6 inches). 32pp. Illustrated in colour by the Author. Original colour illustrated boards and in the rare original dustwrapper. Two pages with minor blemishes but overall a bright and clean copy in the original colour printed dustwrapper, which reproduces the board illustrations and lettering. Some minor bumping to the board edges. One small closed tear (less than 1 inch) to the bottom front hinge of the wrapper, which also has some light creasing to the edges but overall this is a superior copy of the notoriously rare book. ---- A better than very good First edition of Judith Kerr's first, and most beloved book. Never out of print and with sales exceeding 5 million copies, it has been animated for television and adapted into a hugely successful stage play. The first edition is rare, especially so in the original dust-jacket. --- More photos available on request.
CHARLES RICKETTS. Sixty-Five illustrations.
MOORE. T. STURGE, Introduces. FIRST EDITION. 4to. (10 x 7.6 inches). Illustrated with colour frontispiece and sixty four mono illustrations on 60 pages, plus decorative endpapers illustrated in red on cream paper. Publishers blue cloth with gilt lettering to the spine. In the original plain brown paper dustwrapper, lettered in black to the front panel and spine. A fine copy in a near fine dustwrapper with some abrasion to the bottom of the front panel but overall in bright and clean condition.