VICO, Giambattista.
First edition; 4to (25.9 x 19.7 cm); title printed in red and black, engraved portraits of Antonio and Adriano Carafa designed by Giovanni Stefano Maia and engraved by Giuseppe Magliar, engraved headpieces, tailpieces, and initials, scattered light foxing, slight offsetting, light marginal soiling; contemporary full vellum, spine lettered in manuscript, covers and spine slightly marked, light wear to extremities, blue speckled edges, overall a very good firm copy; [16], 501, [1]pp. First edition of this intriguing work by Vico that chronicles the deeds of one of the most famous Neapolitan men of arms of the seventeenth century. It was published in 1716 at the commission of Adriano Carafa (16961765). Antonio Carafa (1646-1693) was a General Commissary of the Imperial-Habsburg Armythe highest rank in the Austrian military hierarchy at the time. He also held various other high-ranking offices, including military governor of Upper Hungary and later royal commissioner of Transylvania. Croce & Niccolini I, 77-79.
SANDERSON, Arthur & Sons, Ltd.
4to (390 x 300); joint title title and index page, 28 numbered leaves of plates, some with a pair of folding plates, titled; Four Walls at a Glance', of numerous room interiors designed by Sanderson and featuring their wallpapers, paints and fabrics,minor marginal soiling to title-page, some occasional midl spotting or mark but not affecting plates, otherwise very good; original embossed 'wallpaper' wrappers bound with the original cord lace, dust-soiled, rubbed and slight chipped at extremities, otherwise very good indeed. 'The most recent wallpaper productions and some new methods of using them are shown in this collection of sketches', from the introduction. In 1860 Arthur Sanderson (18291882), founded his wallpaper company in Islington, by importing French wallpapers, until he established his own a factory in Chiswick in 1879. Following Arthur Sanderson's death, the business was taken over by his three sons, John, Harold and Arthur Bengough, the latter receiving a Royal Warrant as 'Purveyor of Wallpapers and Paints to King George V'. When Morris & Co. was dissolved in 1940, Sanderson and Sons bought its wallpaper business and rights to use the Morris name.
[SCOTT, Walter].
First edition, 9 vols; small 8vo (19 x 12 cm); armorial bookplates to front pastedown and front free endpaper of each vol., eratta slips to rear, light spotting throughout; half red morocco by Zaehnsdorf, gilt spine in compartments, marbled boards, top-edge gilt, corners and edges slightly bumped, the occasional scuff, overall a handsome set. The first edition of Sir Walter Scott's (1771-1832) Life of Napoleon Buonaparte, a handsome set in nine volumes bound by Zaehnsdorf in half red morocco. A well-researched account which drew upon non-publicly accessible material, including the archives dealing with Napoleon's exile in St. Helena. In addition, Scott visited Paris to speak to former colleagues of the emperor, and the Duke of Wellington himself provided Scott with a first-hand account of the Russian Campaign. It was produced during the spurt of literary output triggered by Scott's very public bankruptcy in 1826. Despite the lukewarm reviews it was immediately popular with the general public, and remains in print to this day. With provenance for the novelist Sir Hugh Walpole (1884-1941), son of the Bishop of Edinburgh, and the stockbroker and bibliophile Raphael Bauer (1864-1947). Todd & Bowden 200Aa.
[MANDRAKE PRESS]; STEPHENSEN, P.R.; Crowley, Aleister [et al.].
First editions, including 9 presentation copies, most inscribed by the publisher; 14 vols (complete), small 8vo (15.8 x 11.6 cm); slight age-toning, minor spotting and offsetting to endpapers, else unmarked internally; publisher's cloth-backed gold and black snakeskin-patterned boards, paper title labels to spine lettered in black, light shelf-wear, with the pictorial dustjackets, spines darkened, some soiling to panels, slight edge-wear, closed tear to front panel of Love One Another, else a very good set housed in a black cloth slipcase. The complete set of The Mandrake Booklets in the original dustjackets, published by the short-lived but notable Mandrake Press. The Mandrake Press was a small British press founded by Edward Goldston and P.R. Stephensen in 1929. In 1930 the company faced financial problems and a consortium led by Aleister Crowley formed Mandrake Press Ltd to take it over. The consortium was likewise unsuccessful, and the company was dissolved in 1930. During their short publishing run the press published over thirty items, including works by D.H. Lawrence, Giovanni Boccaccio, Cecil Roth, and more. Included in the fourteen-volume set are seven publisher's presentation copies inscribed in the hand of P.R. Stephensen: 'Sadie Carp with compliments from the publishers', and an advance copy of Thomas Burke's The Bloomsbury Wonder with a typed letter from the publisher loosely inserted. Additionally, The Smiling faces is inscribed by the author: 'To Sadie Carp from Brinsley Macnamara with very kind regards 17th Oct. 1929'. Further, there is an author's presentation copy of Love One Another inscribed thus: 'Sadie Carp. From Edgell Rickwood 29/10/29. Take his advice'.
[HONG KONG]. HAZELL, Denis H. (photographer).
Landscape folio (28.5 x 21 cm,) [iii] (preface) pp., title with tipped-in photograph, 26 tipped-in sepia photographs on 24 leaves, captioned below image, each with accompanying leaf of descriptive text, original buff card wrappers with large photographic image to upper cover, a very good example. A very attractive series of photographs displaying Hong Kong in the colonial era. 'Denis Henry Hazell (1897-1970) was a British businessman. Some of his photographs were published in Picturesque Hong Kong (Ye Olde Printerie Ltd., Hong Kong), in approximately 1925. Hazell was born in Clevedon, Somerset, the son of local photographer Edwin Henry Hazell. He moved to Hong Kong in 1923 to take up a position in business there and lived in the colony until his death'. (Historical photographs of China, University of Bristol).
CUMBERLAND, Richard.
First edition; 8vo (20 x 13 cm); armorial bookplate to front pastedown, ownership blindstamp to first few ff., woodcut initials, head and tailpieces; contemporary calf gilt, red morocco lettering piece, lightly rubbed, upper joint slightly cracked, otherwise very good; xxxiii, [7], 480, [8]pp. A posthumously published compilation of 'loose tracts' by Richard Cumberland (1632-1718), the bishop of Peterborough, tracing the origins of mankind 'into the remotest Antiquity' (Preface). The work is illustrated with 'A Chronological Table for the Ages succeeding the Flood', dated by the author to 2348 BC, with cross-comparisons of biblical, Assyrian, Egyptian and Greek historical events. Thus, the Tower of Babel is built at the time of Prometheus; Isaac is born as the Phoenicians enter Europe; and Moses dies when Thyosimares sits on the throne of Thebes. ESTC T129071; Bowyer Ledgers 1042.
17 volumes (from a set of 33, volumes numbered 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14, 18, 20-22, 24-26, 28, 29, 33), folio (430 x 301mm.), a total of 1983 watercolour botanical drawings, some drawings double-page, some plates on shorter paper with extended margins, manuscript contents page at the start of each genus with the reference to Willdenow's edition of Series plantarum (whose publication dates between 1797 and 1805 are noted in the top left-hand corner, with the entry number from Willdenow given in the top right), contemporary quarter morocco over cloth boards bound by E.L. Geyer of Vienna (with tickets), flat spines elaborately gilt, leaves uncut, marbled endpapers, some light foxing at margins (not affecting illustrations), spines and boards lightly discoloured, extremities rubbed TBC his unique collection of fine botanical watercolours follows the Linnaean system. The manuscript heading for each genus and species indicates where in Karl Ludwig Willdenow's comprehensive and influential revision of Linnaeus's Species plantarum (Berlin, 1797-1805) each plant appears. Willdenow revised some of Linnaeus's classifications and the contents leaves note these changes. The Linnaean class numbers are labelled on the spines, as follows: 3.2; 5.1; 5.2; 5.4; 7-8-9; 10.1; 11; 14.2; 16.1; 16.2; 17.1; 19.1; 19.2; 19.3; 21.1; 21.12; 24.2. The final volume in this set contains fungi, though without any Willdenow references as his revision of Linnaeus was not completed. The fine watercolour drawings all contain the details of their sources, with the name of the original artist in the lower left corner and the printed source in the lower right hand corner; a few also have manuscript notes on the verso indicating if, for example, the seed pods are not shown. The artist of these exceptional drawings is unknown. Lot 373 Jacquin's Icones plantarum rariorum, where a number of the plates are taken from The bulk of the plates are taken from Jacquin's numerous works, in particular Icones plantarum rariores (1781-1793), Florae Austriacae (1773-1778) and Plantarum rariorum Horti Caesarei Schoenbrunnensis (1797-1804), along with Aiton's Hortus Kewensis (1789), Curtis's Botanical Magazine and Flora Londinensis, Oeder's Flora Danica, Scopoli's Deliciae florae et faunae insubricae (1786) and Cavanilles's Monadelphiae classis dissertationes decem (1790). Other significant botanical works are also mentioned, including Besler's Hortus Eystettensis, Rheede tot Drakenstein's Hortus Indicus Malabaricus, Roxburgh and Banks's works on the plants of Coromandel, Waldstein and Kitaibel's Descriptiones et icones plantarum rariorum Hungariae (1802-1812), and Pallas's Flora Rossica. The paper is all Dutch and datable to the late eighteenth-early nineteenth century, with various watermarks from the makers C&J Honig, J. Kool, J. Villedary and D. & C. Blauw.
STEVENSON, Robert Louis.
First illustrated edition (second overall) 8vo (222 x 142 mm), 16 pp. publisher's catalogue to rear dated 1895, the odd, random spot, browning to extreme edges, otherwise very good; publisher's gilt-decorated green cloth, top edge gilt, others untrimmed, offsetting and the a couple of spots to endpapers, dust-jacket with a few chips to extremities, spine-panel toned, front flap largely replaced but still a notably early example of the dust jacket. A first illustrated edition and still second only to the first edition, published in 1885 in the exceptionally rare, early state dust-jacket.
CHURCHILL, Winston.
First edition; 8vo (222 x 150 mm); photographic illustrations of each subject preceding each chapter, slight toning to paper extremities, otherwise fine, modern full morocco, gilt Churchillian devices to spine, marbled endpapers and all edges gilt; 335pp. Churchill's collection of essays about 21 leading personalities of his day - including T. E. Lawrence, The Ex-Kaiser, George Bernard Shaw and Adolf Hitler, which is particularly salient given the outbreak of the Second World War two years later. Woods, A43(a).
First edition, 2 vols, 4to, half-title in volume 2 (not called for in volume 1), 2 engraved folding maps and 88 plates (engraved or aquatint), some folding, 5 coloured by hand, illustrations in text, executed in different media (aquatint, line-engravings, stipple-engravings); contemporary sprinkled calf, gilt borders to covers, spine in five compartments, morocco labels to second and fourth, others richly gilt, broad gilt dividers, marbled edges, neat repairs to joints and spine extremities, usual offsetting to colour plates, light foxing to frontispiece vol. ii and occasionally elsewhere, a very good clean, fresh copy. Having been a court painter in St. Petersburg, Porter (1777-1842) decided to undertake these travels for the purpose of archaeological investigation. One of his aims was to correct errors in the drawings of earlier travellers such as Chardin and Le Bruyn. His work therefore contains many archaeological plates, as well as scenic views and (coloured) costumes. From Russia, Porter travelled to Tabriz. Here he met Abbas Mirza, with whom he spent considerable time. The two then travelled on to Tehran, where Porter was granted an audience with Fath Ali Shah, whom he found to be very impressive. Porter then travelled to Esfahan, Persepolis, and Shiraz. 'An intelligent and readable book' (Ghani). Abbey (Travel), 359; Atabey 976; Ghani p.304; Weber I, 104; Wilson p.177.
First edition in English. 2 volumes, 8vo, [iv], 273; [iv], 303 pp., complete with half-titles to both volumes, 6 engraved plates, 2 folding (lightly foxed), contemporary mottled calf, spines gilt, green morocco lettering pieces, a fine copy. Grandpré was a French army officer who made an extensive tour of the Indian Ocean region in 1789-90. This account of his voyage is an English translation of the original French version, which was published in Paris in 1801. Grandpré began his voyage in the French-controlled Île de France (Isle of France), as Mauritius was called, passed by the Maldives, and visited the Seychelles, India, Cochin China (Vietnam), Yemen, and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), where he toured the fortress of Trincomale on the eastern coast of the island. Grandpré was very much concerned with the relative influence of the different European powers in the places he visited, especially India. His work includes a detailed analysis of the position of the French at Pondicherry (Puducherry), the main center of French influence in India. With provenance for Jonathan Pytts Esq. The Pytts family owned large estates in Worcestershire and Herefordshire. During the seventeenth century, members of the family sat for various Herefordshire constituencies. Jonathan Pytts inherited a large fortune from his maternal grandfather, Admiral Jonathan Collett who died in 1742. He succeeded his brother Edmund to the Kyre estate in 1781, became Sheriff in 1783, and died without issue in 1807. Not located in the standard bibliographies (Toussaint, Cordier, Hill, etc.); Mentioned in Howgego I, P84.
Second edition; (840 x 830 mm); engraved map dissected into 24 parts and laid onto linen as issued, original hand colouring, lightly toned, minor offsetting to margins, old mapseller's label for C. Smith to verso; housed in brown paper slipcase with printed label 'Environs of London', case inscribed in pen 'North to Mill Hill - Colney Hotel - Edmonton - Chingford - Woodford - Chigwell. 1810'. An interesting snapshot of London and its environs in the pre-industrial age, extending from Edmonton in the north to Beckenham in the south, and from Chiswick in the west to Plumstead in the east. In addition to the usual hand colouring highlighting county limits, the major road networks in and out of the city have also been coloured red. Finely engraved with topographical details. William Faden (1749-1836) served as geographer to George III and George IV. 'A gold-medalist of the (Royal) Society of Arts in 1796, he assembled an unrivalled stock of the large-scale maps of the British counties, and became a logical commercial partner for the Ordnance Survey Faden publishing the first published OS map in 1801. Some of his plates were later acquired by the Admiralty and re-issued as official Admiralty charts. He retired in 1823, the business passing to his former apprentice James Wyld' (BME). Scarce. COPAC and OCLC record no copies in institutional collections outside of the British Library. Howgego 250(2); BLMC 3479.(29).
First and only edition; large quarto (310 x 310 mm); Foreword by Glenn O'Brian, 18 scarce colour and black & white photographs including 4 larger ones in folding format; publisher's pictorial boards with original red acetate dust-jacket, title in white with the Ray-Ban logo and 'Genuine Since 1937', below, a fine copy; 83pp. A rare, commemorative book, celebrating the 75th anniversary of Ray-Ban, featuring many of the 'legends' who have worn the iconic sunglasses; including Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Arthur Miller, John F. Kennedy, Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Madonna, Michael Jackson and more.
First edition, 4to, contemporary brown cloth embossed boards with gilt title to spine, rebacked, red-stained edges, with many b/w illustrations and facsimiles within text, with one folding faximile chart (with two closed tears), occasional foxing to some pages. [8], 201 pp. Dr Moses Gaster (1856-1939) was a Romanian-born British scholar, the Hakham and Chief Rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish congregation of Maida Vale, a Hebrew and Romanian linguist and an active Zionist leader in London.
First edition of the Peacock edition; 8vo (185 x 125 mm); frontispiece, title vignette and illustrations by Hugh Thomson, the usual offsetting from frontispiece the age-toned tissue-guard, slight toning to extremities of remaining leaves and a few minor spots to verso of to endpapers and half-title but unusually clean otherwise; publisher's dark green cloth cloth with the stunning gilt depiction of a peacock on an urn to upper cover and related gilt decoration to spine, gilt edges, slight shelf-lean, toning to spine, mild bumping to extremities and mottling to rear board (as is common), otherwise a very good-plus copy. The 'Peacock Edition' of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, with the stunning gilt cover designed by Hugh Thomson; this copy in the finest condition we have ever encountered. Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) was a renowned illustrator, in pen and ink, of classic titles. Born in Ireland his skills as an illustrator were recognised while still a teenager. Consequently Thomson was trained by John Vinycomb, the head designer at Marcus Ward & Co., a prominent Belfast publishing house. He subsequently moved to England, working from 1883 for MacMillan & Co., illustrating all six of Jane Austen's novels and other literary classics. By 1900 he had become one of the most popular illustrators of his time. However, during the First World War there was less demand for his style of work and he took a job with the Board of Trade until his untimely death from heart disease.
First edition in this form; 8vo (190 X 120 mm); colour frontispiece, decorative title-page, a further 22 colour plates, the odd random spot, mostly to balank versos of some plates, otherwise near-fine; later full, maroon polished calf by Bayntun-Riviere, with green and black lettering pieces gilt tooled spine double gilt-panelled boards, gilt dentelles, marbled endapers and all edges gilt, otherwise very good. This delightfully illustrated and much sought-after edition of Jane Austen's most popular novel, is further enhanced with a beautiful binding by the renowned binder, Bayntun-Riviere of Bath.
