Austen, Jane
Five volumes complete comprising - Sense and Sensibility, First Thus, 1833, 6pp, [2] ads, [7], vi-xv, [1], 2-331pp, [1] (Gilson D1); Pride and Prejudice, First Thus, 1833, [4], 340pp (Gilson D5) ; Mansfield Park, Second Thus, 1837, [4], 424pp, [4]p ads (Gilson D7); Emma, First Thus, 1833, [4], 435pp, [1] (Gilson D2); Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, First Thus, 1833, 24p ads, [2], 440pp (Gilson D4). Original cloth, with original black labels to spines. Spines faded, one or two of the labels chipped with small amounts of loss, but with no loss of sense. Spine ends chipped, corners bumped, rubbed to extremities. Internally some light foxing, mainly to margins, but generally fairly clean. Sense and Sensibility with small holes to bottom margin of a few pages, not affecting text; Pride and Prejudice with small book label to front pastedown; Mansfield Park with inner joints strengthened with Japanese tissue, slightly loose in binding but holding; Emma with a small library stamp to front pastedown, and with a stain to top corner from signatures D to H, and a small piece missing from bottom margin of Y4; Northanger Abbey with small book label of Sarah Johnson to front pastedown. All except Northanger Abbey have the book plate of Chris Viveash (the partner of the Austen bibliographer David Gilson), to front pastedown or ffep. All volumes have the additional engraved title and frontispiece (those to Mansfield Park browned and foxed, others with some light foxing, but generally quite bright and clean). Now housed in a leather entry slipcase made by Temple Bookbinders. Scarce in the original cloth Size: 12mo
Austen, Jane
Three volumes complete - Volume One - [3], 2-360pp; Volume Two - [3], 2-294pp and Volume Three - [3], 2-354pp. Slightly later half calf and marbled paper over boards, smooth backs, spines in six panels divided by gilt single rule, title label to second panels, volume numbers lettered directly to fourth panel, remaining panels with central gilt roundel made up of small leafy stems. Outer joints slightly rubbed, rubbed to extremities. Internally some light foxing and browning, but generally fairly clean, in volume one D1 has paper repairs to small tears at fore edge margin and K9 and 10 have a stain to top right hand corner, in volume two D10 has a small closed tear to foot and signature K is lightly stained and in volume three there is a small repair to the foot of D12. Lacking the half titles, volume two lacks the final blank O4 and volume three lacks R4, the final advertisement leaf. With the bookplate of Chris Viveash (the partner of Austen's bibliographer David Gilson) to front pastedowns. Gilson A6 Size: 12mo
Wagner, Richard; Armour, Margaret (Trans.)
[6], vii-ix, [3], 3-159pp, [1], thirty-four plates. Publishers original vellum, with gilt design to spine and upper cover. Slightly rubbed, lacking ties. Internally the text leaves opposite to the brown paper upon which the plates are tipped in has browned, otherwise quite bright and clean. With thirty-four tissue guarded colour plates by Rackham as called for. Signed by Rackham to limitation leaf, one of one thousand one hundred and fifty copies, this being number nine hundred and eighty two Size: 4to
Austen, Jane
Three volumes complete - Volume One - [5], 2-306pp; Volume Two - [3], 2-278pp and Volume Three - [5], 2-294pp. Later half calf and marbled paper over boards, smooth backs, divided into five panels by gilt roll, title lettered directly to second panel, volume to fourth, remaining panels blank. A hint of fading to spines, otherwise externally attractive. Internally some browning and foxing throughout, signatures C & E off volume one, M & N of volume two and C of volume three very slightly sprung. B4 in volume two has a short ink mark across a few words but with no loss of sense. Lacking the final blanks to each volume O10, N8 and O4, and the half title in volume two. With the bookplate of Chris Viveash (the partner of Austen's bibliographer David Gilson) to front pastedowns. Gilson A2 Size: 12mo
Wilde, Oscar
[36]p, original publishers decorative vellum with monograms of Charles Ricketts (CR - designer) and Henry Leighton (HL - binder). Limited edition, one of 25 deluxe large paper copies; printed in green, red and black, illustrations by Charles Ricketts, some minor spotting to extremities and frontispiece tissue-guard, otherwise very good original cloth ties (lightly spotted), uncut edges, covers a little bowed, spine a little darkened, otherwise, also very good; preserved in a custom-made cardboard slip case. From the library of Laurence W. Hodson, with his book label to front pastedown. Hodson inherited Compton House in Wolverhampton and an interest in the Springfield Brewery (Butlers), on the death of his father in 1890. Hodson junior was a patron of the arts and a famous collector of pre-Raphaelite paintings. He was an acquaintance of William Morris, from whom he commissioned the Compton pattern wallpaper, the last wallpaper designed by Morris. Presumably Hodson did this at the same time as he engaged William Morris and Company to redesign the interior of Compton House in 1895-6. These decorations are still largely in place. In 1902 Hodson served as Chairman of the Fine Art Committee for the Wolverhampton Art and Industrial Exhibition. The most exquisite of all Wilde's first editions.so beautiful that, read in any other format, it seems to lose half of its power (Wright, Oscars Books, 2008). Overseen at Wildes request by his friend the artist, designer and typographer Charles Ricketts, The Sphinx is pre-eminent amongst the precursors to Ricketts and Shannons Vale Press, simultaneously a masterpiece of baroque poetry and of book-production. It perhaps best enshrines the spirit of the aesthetic movement, entirely artificial in conception, a work of beauty almost for beautys sake. Ricketts considered the designs for the illustrations and for the original vellum binding amongst his best work. The total print run comprised two hundred and twenty-five copies, this is good example of one of the rare twenty-five large paper copies, the other two hundred were on small paper, of which a considerable number were destroyed in a fire at the Ballantyne Press where the unsold copies were stored (Rickets, Recollections of Oscar Wilde, 1932) Size: 4to
Austen, Jane
Three volumes complete - Volume One - [7], 2-322pp; Volume Two - [5], 2-351pp, [1] and Volume Three - [5], 363pp, [1]. Early twentieth century full calf by Sangorski, raised bands, spines in six panels, title lettered direct to second panel, author and volume to third, date to foot, two line border in blind to covers, gilt roll to edges, two line inner border with small fleuron corner pieces, top edge gilt. Slightly rubbed to extremities, especially upper joints but all holding well, slight loss to head cap of volume one, small nicks to head cap of volume two, with repair to head of upper joint. Edges of free endpapers browned from calf turn-ins, light browning to text with occasional foxing and occasional light staining. Bookplate of Sir Harry Newton (by A. Airy) to front pastedowns, with two small book labels. With the uncommon half-titles, the half-title in the second volume with a difference in the length of the rules from that shown in Gilson (ie. the rules are shorter, as per the first volume half-title, rather than matching the half-title in the third volume, so it is possibly supplied from another copy of volume one, the imprints to the reverse of all three are correct, see Gilson page 78). Now housed in a leather backed drop back box, made by Temple Bookbinders. Gilson A8 Size: 12mo
Forrest, Captain Thomas
[5], vi-xxiii, [2], 2-388pp, [1], 2-13pp, [3]. Contemporary tree calf, recently rebacked with original label, smooth spine in seven panels divided by a gilt roll, gilt roll to borders of covers. Slightly rubbed, corners worn with slight loss to calf. Internally very lightly browned, some off setting from plates, light stain to margin of I2, but generally clean. Several small nicks and tears to top margin of several signatures, with occasional small amounts of loss (never affecting text). Folding plates have been guarded, occasional creasing to edges from folding. Armorial bookplate of Arthur W. de Capell Brooke to front pastedown. With an engraved portrait frontispiece engraved by Sharp after Sherwin, large folding map (with small hole to joint) drawn by Forrest and engraved by Fran.[cis] Vivares, with another thirty-one views, maps and charts by various hands but mainly engraved by Vivares after Forrest. For Vivares see Worms and Baynton-Williams, 'British Map Engravers', page 687. Brunet II:1345; Cox II:301; Lowndes 819, noting that it is "full on the physical and moral character of the inhabitants, and on their language, mode of life and trade" and Hill 623, noting that Captain Forrest "sailed in the 'Tartar', a native boat of about ten tons burden, with two English officers and a crew of eighteen Malays. He pushed the expedition as far as Geelvink Bay in New Guinea. The voyage was one of examination and enquiry rather than of exploration, and the additions made to geographical knowledge were corrections of detail rather than startling discoveries, but the tact with which he conducted his intercourse with the natives, and the amount of work done in a small boat, deservedly won him credit as a navigator" Size: 4to
Austen, Jane
Four volumes complete - Volume One - [5], vi-xxiv, [1], 2-300pp; Volume Two - [5], 2-331pp, [1]; Volume Three - [5], 2-280pp and Volume Four - [5], 2-308pp. Early twentieth century full calf by Sangorski, raised bands, spines in six panels, title lettered direct to second panel, author and volume to third, date to foot, two line border in blind to covers, gilt roll to edges, two line inner border with small fleuron corner pieces, top edge gilt. Slightly rubbed to extremities, especially upper joints but all holding well. Edges of free endpapers browned from calf turn-ins, light browning to text with occasional foxing. Bookplate of Sir Harry Newton (by A. Airy) to front pastedowns, with two small book labels. With the uncommon half-titles (bound after the postscript and before the advertisement leaf in volume one, and bound after the titles in the other three volumes), without the two terminal blanks in volume four as often. Now housed in a leather backed drop back box, made by Temple Bookbinders. Published posthumously in an edition of 1750 copies. Gilson A9 Size: 12mo
Nattes, John Claude; Le Clerc, Sebastien
[5], vi-x, [1], 2-98pp, plates. Slightly later half calf and marbled paper over boards, smooth back divided into six panels by gilt rolls, lacking title label to second panel, remaining panels with indistinct fleuron tool in gilt. Heavily rubbed to extremities, upper joint split but holding, marbled paper covering boards is chipped to edges with some loss. Internally the text is browned and occasionally foxed throughout, plates are brighter and cleaner, though plate twenty-three has a damp stain just catching the vignette. Long inscription in pencil to second front free endpaper. With additional engraved title page by William Henry Pyne after Nattes which has been bound after the letterpress title, and forty-five plates (numbered 1-44 with two plate 23's). The 'problems' are engraved by T. King (mentioned briefly in Alexander, 'A Biographical Dictionary of British and Irish Engravers 1714-1820', page 524), and nearly all of the 'problems' have a vignette to the foot by Pyne (Ibid, pages 724-725). Adapted from Le Clerc's 'Geometrie Pratique'. Abbey, 'Life' 160 for a coloured second edition of 1819 Size: 8vo
Lang, Andrew (Ed)
[7], vii-xiii, [2], 2-350pp. Original brown decorative cloth with gilt title and designs to spine and upper cover, a.e.g. Very slightly rubbed to extremities. Name and place in a neat hand to head of half-title, two further names and an 'in memorium' note to head of dedication page, small ink mark to fore-edge of pages 96-99, otherwise quite bright and clean. With eight full page colour and twenty-two full page black and white illustrations by H.[enry] J.[ustice] Ford, (1860-1941), a friend of Burne-Jones and influenced by him (see Houfe, 'The Dictionary of 19th Century British Book Illustrators', page 140) Size: 8vo
Lang, Andrew (Ed)
[7], viii-xx, [1], 2-351pp, [1]. Original blue decorative cloth with gilt title and designs to spine and upper cover, a.e.g. Slightly rubbed to extremities. Gift inscription to head of half-title, otherwise quite bright and clean. With twelve full page illustrations by H.[enry] J.[ustice] Ford, (1860-1941), a friend of Burne-Jones and influenced by him (see Houfe, 'The Dictionary of 19th Century British Book Illustrators', page 140) and Lancelot Speed (1860-1931), see Houfe, pages 308-9 Size: 8vo
Lang, Andrew (Ed)
[9], x-xvi, [1], 2-424pp. Original blue decorative cloth with gilt title and designs to spine and upper cover, a.e.g. Rubbed to extremities, corners lightly bumped. Previous owners name in felt pen to head of title, one or two instances of minor finger marking to margins, but otherwise fairly bright and clean. With a frontispiece and thirty-two full page illustrations by H.[enry] J.[ustice] Ford, (1860-1941), a friend of Burne-Jones and influenced by him (see Houfe, 'The Dictionary of 19th Century British Book Illustrators', page 140) Size: 8vo
Gibbon, Edward
Six volumes complete, 1781-1788 - Volume One, pub. 1782 - [3], iv-vii, [13], 704pp; Volume Two, pub. 1781 - [10], 640pp, [2]; Volume Three, pub. 1781 - [10], 640pp; Volume Four, pub. 1788 - [2], [i]-viii, [8], [1]-620pp; Volume Five, pub. 1788 - [10], [1]-684pp and Volume Six, pub. 1788 - [12], [1]-646pp, [52]. Contemporary full tree calf, later rebacked with original backstrips laid on, smooth backs with spines in seven panels, title label to second panel, volume label to fourth, panels one five and seven with central lozenge shaped tool and roundel corner pieces in gilt, panels three and six with fleoron roll in gilt, Greek key roll to board edges of covers, rope roll to board edges. Spine labels chipped, partially obscuring one or two, corners bumped and worn, a few minor bumps and scrapes to covers. Internally generally lightly browned, some light foxing and some staining to margins, light damp stain to fore edges of text block. The folding map and the first two signatures of volume two are foxed, closed tear to foot of N2 catching text but with no loss and signatures 3H and 3I are lightly foxed; in volume three there is a small nick with loss to top margin of a4 and a stain to Nn1 catching text but with no loss of sense; and volume four with light water staining to signature O, catching text but with no loss of sense. Lacking half-titles. Portrait frontispiece, engraved by Hall after Reynolds, and folding map to volume one and two folding maps to volume two. See Norton 26, with the misprint on page 624, which Norton notes probably means that this edition was set up from a copy of the fourth, and that volumes two and three (called the second edition), are really a reissue of the first with cancel titles and half titles (Norton, page 53) Size: 4to
Bruce, James
Five volumes complete - Volume One - [16], [i]-lxxxiii, [1], [1]-535pp, [1], eight plates and a folding map; Volume Two - [4], [i]-viii, [1]-718pp; Volume Three - [4], [i]-viii, [1]-759pp, [1], two folding maps and four plates; Volume Four - [4], [i]-viii, [1]-695pp, [1], three plates and three explanatory leaves and Volume Five - [4], [i]-vi, ix-xiv, [1]-230pp, [10], forty-three plates. Original marbled paper over boards, later rebacked in half calf, smooth back with spines in six panels, title label to second panel, volume number in gilt to third. Spines slightly rubbed and faded, paper covering boards rubbed and chipped with some loss, corners bumped and worn. Volume one with a small hole to A4 catching a couple of letters but with no loss of sense, plate of 'Arab Shekh' lacks top right hand corner, but outside of plate mark and not affecting image; volume two with some light foxing, a small piece is missing from the top margin of Aa1, bottom corner of 4A4 missing not affecting text, a small tear to 4H3 and a piece missing from the bottom margin of 4Q2; volume four has small tears to bottom margin of 4O2-4P3 and in volume five U1and FF2 both lack bottom corner though not affecting text. Inner joints strengthened with Japanese tissue paper. Volume five also lacks the list of plates to rear (as often). Armorial bookplate of W. Scafe to front pastedowns. With all maps and plans called for (two of the folding maps reattached), a total of fifty-eight plates and three folding maps. Bound at the start of the first volume is the rare separately published 'Ode to James Bruce Esq. by an Unknown Hand' and a small portrait of Bruce on a separate leaf. The 'Ode' is believed to be by Fanny Burney (see Rothschild 553 - smaller than the one mentioned, so presumably this one cropped to fit in the binding). James Bruce (1730-1794), African traveller, the DNB notes that these volumes are "most fascinating . [including] a full narrative of his travels from the beginning; a valuable history of Abyssinia . and disquisitions on the history and religion of Egypt, Indian trade, the invention of the alphabet, and other subjects, evincing that the great traveller was not a great scholar or a judicious critic . [however] few books of equal compass are equally entertaining; and few such monuments exist of the energy and enterprise of a single traveller . he will always remain the poet, and his work the epic, of African travel" (DNB) Much of Bruce's book was thought to be fanciful, he was satirised by Peter Pindar in the 'Complimentary Epistle to James Bruce Esq.', with Pindar noting similarities between Bruce and Boswell. Despite this, the publication of Mansfield Parkyns's 'Life in Abyssinia' in 1853 was "more sensationally, a vindication of the observations of James Bruce's travels in the region, the Scot having earlier been defamed for what were thought to be fantastical claims about the people and their culture" (Keighren, Withers and Bell, 'Travels Into Print - Exploration, Writing, and Publishing with John Murray, 1773-1859', page 153. The 'Ode to James Bruce' is found at only Trinity Cambridge in JISC. Cox I:388-389 and Ibrahim-Hilmy I:91 Size: 4to
Burton, Richard F. (Trans.); Smithers, Leonard C. (Ed)
Twelve volumes in the original box - Volume One - xxxii, 416pp; Volume Two - viii, 431pp, [1]; Volume Three - x, 444pp; Volume Four - x, 420pp; Volume Five - viii, 400pp; Volume Six - [10], 408pp; Volume Seven - viii, 406pp; Volume Eight - xii, 424pp; Volume Nine - xiii, [1], 444pp; Volume Ten - xix, [1], 479pp, [1]; Volume Eleven - ix, [1], 495pp, [1] and Volume Twelve - xxiv, 399pp, [1]. Publishers half morocco and cloth, raised bands, spine in six panels, title lettered directly to second panel, translator and volume to fourth, arabic script to first and sixth panels with knot work tool to third and fifth, t.e.g., marbled endpapers in original box. Spines very slightly faded, some spines very slightly discoloured, some light foxing to edges of text block. Internally some light foxing to endpapers and occasionally to text, but generally clean. Housed in the publishers original drop front box, or 'casket' (somewhat faded with minor repairs and with a replacement key). See Penzer, pages 120-124 Size: 8vo
Fitzgerald, Edward (Trans.)
Unpaginated. Full vellum, gilt title to spine, elaborate gilt and blue design to upper cover. Covers very slightly soiled, with some minor black marking to foot of lower cover, hint of foxing to spine, lacks ties. Fore-edge foxed, spilling over on to the margins of most text pages, though the plate pages are generally clean, and the actual images are all clean and bright, half-title foxed. Complete with ten tipped-in plates by Bull. Limited edition of 250 copies, this being number 2, signed by Bull to the limitation leaf. Now housed in a cloth, velvet-lined, drop back box, title in gilt to spine. Potter 99 Size: 4to
Burton, Richard F.
Three volumes complete - Volume One - [7], viii-xiv, [3], 2-388pp; Volume Two - [5]-iv, [1]-426pp and Volume Three - [9]-x, [3], 2-448pp. Half calf and marbled paper over boards, later rebacked, raised bands, spine in six panels, title label to second panel, author/volume panel to third, 'Signet Library' lettered in gilt to first panel, remaining panels with central floral spray, covers with gilt device of the 'Society of Writers to the Signet' to centre, card endpapers. Rubbed to extremities, map to volume one a little grubby and creased, otherwise internally fairly bright and clean. With a frontispiece, folding map and two plates to the first volume; a frontispiece, two plans (one folding) and three plates to volume two and a half-title, frontispiece, folding plan and six plates to the third volume as called for, bound without the adverts. Penzer, pages 49-50; Ibrahim-Hilmy I:111 and Abbey 368 Size: 8vo
[4], i-lxxix, [5]. Publishers quarter vellum and boards, title and author in gilt to spine. Slightly rubbed to extremities, especially top edge of lower board, internally lightly browned, signature G with light foxing, and one or two other pages also with light foxing. Authors name added to title, with a manuscript poem by Thomas Hutchinson (a previous owner) to Robert Bridges, and another manuscript poem by Hutchinson to rear endpapers. With an autograph letter, signed by Robert Bridges to Hutchinson, tipped in after the title page, thanking him for a book. One of a hundred copies, this being number twenty-four. The second, corrected, Daniel Press edition, after the first of 1876 (containing only twenty-four sonnets, with this edition containing seventy-nine), and an earlier Daniel Press edition of 1889. Madan 20, noting this is the first Daniel book entirely in black letter and is well printed. See Franklin, pages 32-33 Size: 8vo
