Abraham Lincoln; A life - Rare Book Insider
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Abraham Lincoln; A life

Two volumes (complete), quarto size, 2002 pp. A fresh look at one of the greatest of the American Presidents, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). This multi-volume biography has been awarded several prizes, including One of the 5 Best Books of 2009 by "The Atlantic", One of the 10 Top Lincoln Books by the "Chicago Tribune", 2008 PROSE Award for Best Book in U.S. History and Biography/Autobiography by the Association of American Publishers, and the 2010 Lincoln Prize from the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. From the web site of the publisher: "In the first multi-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln to be published in decades, Lincoln scholar Michael Burlingame offers a fresh look at the life of one of America's greatest presidents. Incorporating the field notes of earlier biographers, along with decades of research in multiple manuscript archives and long-neglected newspapers, this remarkable work will both alter and reinforce current understanding of America's sixteenth president." ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in green cloth over boards, gilt lettering on front covers and spines, each volume with a section of black and white photo reproductions; quarto size (10 1/8" by 7 1/4"), pagination: Volume One: [i-xvi] 1-942 pp.; Volume Two [i-x] 1-1034 pp. The two volumes housed in a sturdy cardboard slipcase, the outside covered with black cloth and the inside lined with black paper. ___CONDITION: Volumes both near fine, with clean boards, straight corners without rubbing, solid hinges, the interiors are clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; note that due to the weight of the books the textblocks show slight separation from the binding at the spines, however the hinges are solid and the books remain emminently readable. ___POSTAGE: Please note that this is an unusually large and heavy two-volume set and additional postage will apply; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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Histoire des Émotions

Three volumes (complete), quarto size, approx. 1620 pp., all text in French. Offering all three volumes of this set: Volume 1, "De l'Antiquité aux Luminières"; Volume 2, "Des Lumières à la fin du XIXe siècle"; and Volume 3, "De la find du XIXe siècle à nos jours". Per the web site of the publisher: "Alain Corbin, Jean-Jacques Courtine and Georges Vigarello direct this very ambitious 'History of Emotions' in three volumes.the history of mentalities and that of sensitivities, carried by the most recent historiographical renewals. It brings together for the first time the best French and foreign specialists in the history of emotions, all generations combined." ___DESCRIPTION: All three volumes bound in pictorial paper over boards, different illustrations on all three volumes, with several sections of reproductions of photographs and illustrations, both black-and-white and colour; quarto size (9 3/4" by 7 3/4"), pagination: Vol. 1, 541 text pages; Vol. 2, 470 pp., and Vol. 3, 609 pp. Please note that all text is in French. ___CONDITION: Volumes fine overall, with clean boards, straight corners without rubbing, strong, square text blocks solid hinges, the interiors clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; other than a light, stray mark or two this set is as new. ___POSTAGE: Please note that this set is extremely heavy and additional postage may apply; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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Of A Feather; Avian Collective Nouns & Terms of Assembly, Group Names & Associated Terms

One of 135 standard edition copies, folio size, 171 pp., with correspondence from the Press. Colin See-Paynton (b. 1946) spent more than four years extensively researching and writing the text, and creating the sixty-one new wood engravings for this illustrated lexicon of avian collective nouns: an unprecedented achievement. "The work of Colin See-Paynton is truly remarkable in its detail and beauty. His Wood Engravings, held in many major collections, display a love and understanding of nature as well as the skill of a master engraver" (n.b., quote from the web site of the artist). The entire work written, compiled, designed and illustrated by See-Paynton "In a critical essay David Alston, Arts Director of the Arts Council Wales, wrote: 'not since Thomas Bewick, who both wrote and engraved in the late eighteenth century, have both literary and pictorial aspects been found conjoined in the one talent as here in this work'. That the observation and study of the natural world has been a lifelong interest is evident both from the engravings and the enthusiasm revealed in the text. From 'Abandonment of Cuckoos' to 'Zephyr of Long-Tailed Titmice' it enriches our knowledge of avian nomenclature far beyond the well-known 'Gaggle of Geese' - though that, too, is included. Colin See-Paynton has researched the origin of the nouns drawing from sources as far back as the fifteenth-century, and gives some detailed insight into the species under discussion (n. b., from web site of the Press). ___DESCRIPTION: Quarter bound in navy blue leather, the title blind-debossed on the spine with two gilt decorations on either side, the boards covered with navy blue cloth, the front board with a blocked design mounted within a debossed area, fore- and bottom edges rough-cut, moss green laid paper endpapers, half-title with green lettering and a small engraving of a single feather, frontis engraving depicting multiple species of birds ("Mob"), the glorious title page with a large feather blocked in gold, above the title in green lettering bordered in black, each section opens with the title in green lettering with a small engraving, followed by one (or more) full-page engravings, a total of sixty-one wood engravings throughout of which thirty-one are full page, each of the illustrations are printed from the artist's blocks; Monotype Baskerville on a special making of T.H. Saunders Waterford mould-made paper, folio size (14 3/8" by 11 1/4"), pagination: [1-8] 9-168 [3]; no. 8 of 135 copies (there were also fifteen deluxe copies). The volume housed in a sturdy slipcase covered with blue cloth. Loosely laid in are two pieces of correspondence to the prior owner from the Press: the first a two-page manuscript letter dated 23 February [20]07 signed "David" (David Vickers, Controller of the Press, who printed the sheets), the letter stating, in part, ".'Of A Feather' is going to be a true 'magnum opus'," and mentioning other places and personages clearly of interest to both parties, and the second a typed letter dated 29th September 2008, apologizing for the delay in production. ___CONDITION: The volume fine; clean and as new, the pages of the book are crisp, entirely free of prior owner markings. The slipcase also fine, strong and sturdy, clean and free of tears, with no splits to the seams. Altogether a lovely production in fine condition. ___POSTAGE: Please note that this is an unusually large and heavy book and additional postage may apply; please contact us for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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Of A Feather [Custom Binding]; Avian Collective Nouns & Terms of Assembly, Group Names & Associated Terms

One of 150 copies in a custom binding by Patricia Chupa, folio size, 171 pp., with prospectus and other related ephemera. Colin See-Paynton (b. 1946) spent more than four years extensively researching and writing the text, and creating the sixty-one new wood engravings for this illustrated lexicon of avian collective nouns: an unprecedented achievement. "The work of Colin See-Paynton is truly remarkable in its detail and beauty. His Wood Engravings, held in many major collections, display a love and understanding of nature as well as the skill of a master engraver" (n.b., quote from the web site of the artist). The entire work written, compiled, designed and illustrated by See-Paynton "In a critical essay David Alston, Arts Director of the Arts Council Wales, wrote: 'not since Thomas Bewick, who both wrote and engraved in the late eighteenth century, have both literary and pictorial aspects been found conjoined in the one talent as here in this work'. That the observation and study of the natural world has been a lifelong interest is evident both from the engravings and the enthusiasm revealed in the text. From 'Abandonment of Cuckoos' to 'Zephyr of Long-Tailed Titmice' it enriches our knowledge of avian nomenclature far beyond the well-known 'Gaggle of Geese' - though that, too, is included. Colin See-Paynton has researched the origin of the nouns drawing from sources as far back as the fifteenth-century, and gives some detailed insight into the species under discussion (n. b., from web site of the Press). This copy in a magnificent custom binding by Patricia Chupa of Olympia, Washington. Chupa's work focuses on the feminine: "My body of work is a meditation on the wisdom and power inherent in women. I seek to engage the observer by providing ways to enter into the piece, to explore what is beneath the surface; thereby gaining a depth of understanding of the subject and of my intent in the creation. I hope my work records in some small measure the ways in which the feminine principle has endured - despite all odds" (n.b., quote from the web sitew of the University of the West of England). For this work, Chupa has created a binding that that speaks of the natural world: wood, leather, and paper all contribute. The volume is bound in half black leather which covers the spine and half of each board, the fore-edge half of the boards being a piece of wood, perhaps walnut, which has been sanded to an incredibly smooth finish, the wood piece on the front board having been branded with the shape of a single feather, the endpapers being handmade paper of a rich chocolate brown. Housed in a drop-back box, the box covered with the same rich chocolate brown paper as the endpapers, the front of the box with a rectangle of black hand-made paper mounted in the center, on top of which Chupa placed a rectangle of wood matching the boards with a small feather also branded onto the wood, the box lined with marbled paper. A truly magnificent production. ___DESCRIPTION: Binding as described above, fore- and bottom edges rough-cut, half-title with green lettering and a small engraving of a single feather, frontis engraving depicting multiple species of birds ("Mob"), the glorious title page with a large feather blocked in gold, above the title in green lettering bordered in black, each section opens with the title in green lettering with a small engraving, followed by one (or more) full-page engravings, a total of sixty-one wood engravings throughout of which thirty-one are full page, each of the illustrations are printed from the artist's blocks; Monotype Baskerville on a special making of T.H. Saunders Waterford mould-made paper, folio size (14 3/4" by 11 1/4"), pagination: [1-8] 9-168 [3]; no. 133 of 135 copies (there were also fifteen copies in a deluxe binding). Housed in a custom box as described above. With the prospectus and three related pieces: (i) the invitation to the publication reception; (ii) announcement of the publication ("A New Publication from Stingwern Books"); and (iii) a small booklet, "Of A Feather - An Avian Alphabet" which "was published "to catalogue and accompany a major exhibition of Colin See-Paynton's wood engravings 2003-2007". ___CONDITION: The volume fine overall, the leather binding smooth and supple, the wood boards clean and without wear, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, entirely free of prior owner markings; some small, light indentations to the leather on the back board, else fine. The box near fine, strong and sturdy, clean, with some very light wear to the paper around the edges of the box. The prospectus and other three pieces all fine, clean, without wear. ___POSTAGE: Please note that this is an excessively heavy volume and additional postage may apply; please contact us for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling; A New Edition

Three volumes (complete), duodecimo size, 1024 pp., in a full leather Stikeman binding. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) is often viewed as one of the founders of the traditional English novel - and, as proof that there were many different sides to this fascinating man, he also was one of those who founded the Bow Street Runners, the first professional police force in London. "The History of Tom Jones" is considered Fielding's masterpiece; first published in 1749 it was an immediate best-seller, in the first year being printed four times. This work, stated on the title pages as "A New Edition", came out in 1792, with four illustrations engraved by Thomas Bonner, in an elegantly simple Stikeman binding. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound by Stikeman in full brown leather over boards, a narrow gilt double-ruled border on all boards, the spine compartments with the same ruled borders, title and volume number in two compartments and the other four with an elegant gilt decoration, publication date in gilt at the tails, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, all three volumes with a tasteful Ex-Libris, all three volumes with the half-title pages, four illustrations total (the frontis in each volume plus one in Volume I, facing p. 271); duodecimo size (7 1/4" by 4 1/4"), pagination: Vol. I, [i-v] vi-xxiii [1, blank] [1] 2-284; [i-v] vi-xii [1] 2-368; and Vol. III, [i-v] vi-xii [1] 2-324. ___CONDITION: Volumes near fine overall, with clean boards, the leather soft and supple, straight corners without rubbing, strong, square text blocks with solid hinges, the interiors clean and bright, collated complete, and other than the Ex-Libris referred to above free of prior owner markings; a hint of rubbing to the top joints and some old, light dampstains in the guttar margins of a a few preliminary/final leaves; overall a lovely set. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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Dracula; The Definitive Edition

First printing of this publication (with Gorey illustrations) in book form, large octavo size, 464 pp., in publisher's box, with separate lithograph in wallet, the litho also signed by Gorey. "In 1897, the English-speaking world began a monumental shudder which is still in progress. In that year, 'Dracula', the most bloodcurdling of horror stories, was published in England" (n.b., the opening lines of the books' Introduction, p. ix). This limited edition contains drawings by the inimitable illustrator Edward St. John Gorey (1925-2000), whose distinctive style is evocative of a mystical, gothic Victorian era; his vast body of work includes over one hundred books written by himself, as well as those by many well-known authors such as T. S. Eliot, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, H. G. Wells, and Virginia Woolf (n. b., info from the Edward Gorey House website). These illustrations originally appeared in "Dracula, A Toy Theatre"; this publication made special by Gorey's signature on the limitation page as well as on the separate print. ___DESCRIPTION: The volume bound in full black cloth over boards, silver lettering stamped on the front board and spine, small illustration of Count Dracula in red and black mounted onto the front board, two different illustrations taken from the stage setting serving as endpapers, limitation page tipped onto the FFEP with title in red and signed by Edward Gorey, this volume no. 552 of 750 numbered copies (plus 26 lettered), illustrated title page with red lettering, full number line on the copyright page, eight full-page illustrations by Gorey bound in throughout (all of characters in the story), red ribbon marker; large octavo size (9 1/2" by 7"), pagination: [i-viii] ix-xxxvi [1-6] 7-427 [1, colophon]. Separate illustraion (of Lucy Westenra) with the same limitation number, signed by Gorey, in a wallet bound in red cloth over boards and lined with black paper, the illustration contained within corners of black ribbon. Both housed within a drop-back box covered in black cloth and lined with black paper, secured with black ribbon ties. ___CONDITION: Volume fine overall, with clean boards, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, the ribbon tie securely in place, and entirely free of prior owner markings; a hint of rubbing to the illustration on the front board, else fine. The separate illustration and wallet also fine, clean and without wear. The box near fine, strong and sturdy, with some overall light dustiness and the ribbon ties a bit creased from having been tied. ___CITATION: This publication not in Toledano (having been published later), the original illustrations done for "Dracula, A Toy Theatre" being Toledano A73. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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Being the Exile and Death of the Sons of Usnech

One of 225 copies, octavo size, 40 pp. This story "Being the Exile and Death of the Sons of Usnech", a portion of the "Book of Leinster", an Irish manuscript compiled in the middle of the twelfth century. The work translated by Thomas Kinsella (1928-2021), a university professor and poet whose first work was published by The Dolman Press, founded in 1951 specifically to publish Irish poetry, including works by Yeats. The illustrations by Mia Cranwill (1880-1972), "one of the leading artists of the Irish Celtic Revival." She created numerous pieces of metalwork, most of original design, many pieces for high churchmen; George Bernard Shaw referred to her as "the Irish Benvenuto Cellini" (n.b., quotes from Wiki). A scarce publication, as of this writing we see only one other copy in the online marketplace; our search of OCLC finds no copies, as does our seach of the British Library online (which, as of this writing, is still experiencing problems from the cyberattack). ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in decorated tan paper (the decoration based on the illustration found on p. 18) over boards, parchment shelfback with brown lettering, frontis and two other full-page black-and-white illustrations bound in throughout with an additional six smaller illustrations (chapter headpieces and in-text), illustrated title page, each section opens with a three-line red initial capital; octavo size (8 7/8" by 5 3/4"), pagination: [1-8] 9-32 [33-40], limited edition of 225 copies, this being no. 224. ___CONDITION: Near fine, with clean boards, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; some light rubbing to the decorated front board, light dustiness to the parchment shelfback, and very light toning to the endpapers; altogether a lovely copy. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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Alice in Wonderland

One of 790 copies, oblong quarto, 123 pp. This publication of "Alice" by The Black Sun Press; formed by Harry and Caresse Crosby (1898-1929, 1891-1970, respectively) the Press continued under the operation of Caresse Crosby after Harry's death. "Harry and Caresse Crosby were a glamorous, wealthy and well-connected couple enmeshed in the fabric of Paris's avant-garde explosion; yet they are all but forgotten today. What emerges from the literature of those who knew them is that the flamboyant Crosbys were trailblazers, who had an enormous impact on both friends and strangers.They published some of the greatest literary giants of 1920s Paris, held riotous parties, smoked opium and flouted just about every convention of society during the eight years of their open marriage. They travelled to North Africa and Egypt on holiday before it was fashionable and were obsessed with ancient rites and rituals" (n.b., quotes from the web site of France Today). Wonderfully illustrated by Marie Laurencin (1883-1956), a French painter and an important figure in the Parisian avant-garde. She was a member of the circle which included Pablo Picasso and other cubists, and is known as one of the few female Cubist painters (n.b., above info from Wiki). The lithographs in this volume are more traditional, being lovely portraits of Alice and some of the people, or situations, in which she finds herself. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in the French style in paper wraps over cardboard, lettering on the front wrap in red and black, imprint of the press on the back also in red and black, title page in red and black, the six full-colour lithographs by Laurencin bound in throughout (five still with tissue guards); oblong quarto size (11 1/2" wide by 9 5/8" tall), pagination: [i-vi] 1-114 [2, blank] [1, colophon], limited edition of 790 copies total, this no. 162 of the "European Edition". With the original publisher's chemise covered in pink paper, housed in a new slipcase covered in tan cloth. ___CONDITION: Volume near fine, the wraps mostly clean with a few very light, stray spots and a few spots of foxing on the back, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges (we had a professional re-sew the binding, name available upon request), the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; some overall very light wear to the wraps, the aforementioned light foxing on the back wrap, with two of the five tissue guards creased. The chemise good only; it has been professionally repaired and is now complete and sturdy, but has overall soil and old dampstains. Note that the original slipcase is lacking, we had a new case made to protect the work. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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The Catcher in the Rye [with] Nine Stories [and with] Franny and Zooey [and also with] Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction; Centennial Edition

Boxed set of four volumes, octavo size, in slipcase and with original shrinkwrap. In advance of the centennial of Salinger's birth on January 1, 2019, Little Brown and Company honored the author with a reissue of his work, including "The Catcher in the Rye", "Nine Stories", "Franny and Zooey", and "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction". Of the writers in Salinger's generation, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist John Updike attested that "the short stories of J. D. Salinger really opened my eyes as to how you can weave fiction out of a set of events that seem almost unconnected, or very lightly connected" (n.b. quote from Wiki). ___DESCRIPTION: Volumes bound in brightly coloured red, blue, green and yellow cloth with silver lettering on spines, octavo size (set measures 8 1/4" by 5 3/4" by 3 1/2"), housed in a slipcase covered with natural linen cloth, note that the original shrinkwrap is intact, we have opted to leave it to the new owner to open. ___CONDITION: Volumes still in the original shrink-wrap and appear to be fine and without defect; slipcase and shrinkwrap without any bumps, tears or sunning. ___POSTAGE: Please note that this is a multi-volume set and additional postage may apply; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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A Tramp Abroad [FORE-EDGE PAINTING]

First UK one-volume edition, with fore-edge painting, in a custom binding, duodecimo size, 587 pp. One of America's most esteemed writers Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his pen name of Mark Twain, created classic characters and stories that have endured for generations; his writing is characterised by his wit and humour, evident in both his fiction and nonfiction. "A Tramp Abroad" was published in 1880, about fifteen years after Twain's first published work, and is a mixture of autobiography and fictional events as the author and his companion (the Reverend Joseph Twichell, named Harris in the book) make their way across 19th-century Europe. Rife with typical Twain humor, the narrator "believe(s) that he understands all that he sees, but in reality understand(s) none of it" (n.b., above info from Wiki). This volume embellished with a fore-edge painting taken from the illustration found on p. 111 depicting two boys floating down a river on a raft (umbrellas aloft above their heads), and a circle to the right with a head-shot portrait of Twain. The original cloth from the front board serving as the front paste-down, in a custom leather binding. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full brown leather (no binder's stamp), gilt decorative border on both boards, author's name in gilt on the front board, spine with gilt lettering and three compartments richly decorated in gilt, all edges gilt, fore-edge painting (n.b., this appears to us to be fairly recent), original cloth from the front board mounted and serving as a front pastedown, the other endpapers marbled, "Titian's Moses" the frontispiece, title page dated 1880 (see note below under "Citation"), with (according to the title page) "Three Hundred and Fourteen Illustrations"; duodecimo size (7 3/8" by 5 1/8"), pagination: [i-vii] viii-xxii [1, blank] [1] 2-564. ___CONDITION: Fine, with clean boards, the leather smooth and supple, the gilt bright and unrubbed, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; some light scattered foxing on a few pages, else fine. Note that this copy lacking ads at the rear. ___CITATIONS: BAL, no. 3386; Johnson, p. 35. According to the BAL, this London one-volume edition (ca. August, 1880) was published subsequent to the London two-volume edition (ca. April, 1880). ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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In Defence of Woman

One of 100 special copies, octavo size, 28 pp., in slipcase. We cannot do better than to set forth here the comments in Cock-a-Hoop: "Cynwal was a sixteeth century poet, a serious man who was more vexed than amused by the widely circulated satire 'Against Women'. Skirmishes of wit between the sexes were all the fashion at this time, and the earnest Cynwal rushed to take arms in love's 'merry war', penning this somewhat over zealous panegyric on feminine good nature." (Cock-a-Hoop, p. 43). This one of the 100 special copies bound in full leather by Hiscox and with one extra engraving, in the publisher's slipcase. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full blue morocco with gilt decoration on the front board, gilt lettering on the spine, top edge gilt, colour frontis, colour title page, plus nine colour wood-engravings bound in throughout; octavo size (9" by 4 5/8"), pagination: [1-4] 5-28, limited edition, this no. 56 of 100 special copies (total edition 500). In the publisher's slipcase of thin pink cardstock, with the same limitation number (56) as the book in pencil at the head of the spine. ___CONDITION: Volume near fine, with clean boards, the leather smooth and supple, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; sunning to the spine and some offsetting to the free endpapers, else fine. Slipcase also near fine, remarkably free of wear or creases for such a thin case; sunning at the top and along one side, else fine. ___CITATION: Cock-a-Hoop, no. 210. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe

First printing of the first US edition, octavo size, 160 pp. Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) is perhaps best known for his fantasy series "The Chronicles of Narnia" which opens with this volume. Adapted to both stage and screen, most recently in 2005, which (similar to the Tolkien movies) brought a fresh audience to Lewis and the land of Narnia. Loved by many, the book "was ranked ninth on the BBC's The Big Read poll.Time magazine included the novel in its list of the 100 Best Young-Adult Books of All Time, as well as its list of the 100 best English-language novels published since 1923" (n.b., quote per Wiki). This the first printing (stated on the copyright page) of the first US edition, which was published the same year as the true (British) first edition (Geoffrey Bles), with the same cover illustration by Pauline Baynes. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full blue cloth over boards, vignette stamped in yellow and dark blue onto the front board of a deer leaping through some trees, dark blue lettering stamped onto the spine with the title over a yellow rectangular "label", title page vignette, black-and-white illustrations throughout, both full-page and in-text; octavo size (8 1/4" by 5 1/2"), pagination: [i-vi] 1-154. In the original dust jacket of blue with a vignette on a white ground on the front panel in green, black, and tan, blue lettering above and below, blue lettering on the spine, summary of book on the front flap with the printed price of $2.50 at the bottom (top corner clipped), one of the illustrations (the children having tea with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver) on the back panel with a quote below. ___CONDITION: Volume is near fine, with clean boards, straight corners with minimal rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; a hint of sunning along the top and bottom edges of the boards and light residue (glue) along the joints, else fine. The dust jacket very good, clean, printed price present, with sunning to the spine, light sunning to the front panel, perimeter sunning to the back panel, overall edgewear including a half-inch closed tear at the bottom of the front joint and a small chip out of the head of the spine (just touching the "C" in the author's name), note that a prior owner affixed cello tape to the verso at the head of the spine, the tape now gone. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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The Chester Play of the Deluge

One of 250 copies, folio size, 45 pp., with dust jacket. From the web site of PB Press Books: "The 'Chester Mystery Plays' is a cycle of mystery plays originating in the city of Chester, England and dating back to at least the early part of the 15th century ('Chester Mystery Plays').The plays are based on biblical texts, from creation to the Last Judgement. They were enacted by common guildsmen and craftsmen on mounted stages that were moved around the city streets, with each company or guild performing one play." This book presents ten stunning wood engravings by David Jones (1895-1974), who was both a writer and an artist. As a writer, he was one of the first-generation British modernist poets and was highly regarded by both T.S. Eliot and W.H. Auden. As an artist, he learned wood and copper engraving from Eric Gill, providing illustrations for the Golden Cockerel Press, for which he engraved the Cockerel itself in 1925. Jones' wood engravings accompany the third of the cycle (24 total) which presents the story of Noah and the flood. The engravings are incredibly rich and complex, from the first cut which depicts "[God's] people, in deede and thought.sett fowle in sinne", the second which depicts the beginning of the building of the ark (complete with an angel showing the plans), the animals entering the ark, the dove plucking an olive leaf, the final cut showing Noah making a sacrifice to God surrounded by both his family and the animals, all kneeling. One must see these cuts in person to truly appreciate them. The play, with David Jones' blocks, was initially published by The Golden Cockerel Press in 1927 (Chanticleer, no. 52) but the results were dissatisfying (".the engravings in this book are the greatest graphic achievement of the Press. They are, however, very poorly printed in the book"). Fortunately the wooden blocks survived (there is a story to that which is laid out in the Publisher's Note which opens the book) and the engravings in this publication were printed directly from those original blocks, fully showing the glory of David Jones' work. ___DESCRIPTION: Marbled paper over boards with a tan linen shelfback, gilt lettering on the spine, fore-edge uncut, bottom edge rough-cut, title page in red and black, sectional title also in red and black; Golden Cockerel type on Barcham Green mould-made paper, folio size (13 1/8" by 10 1/8"), pagination: [i-x] [1-2] 3-30 [5], this no. 6 of 250 copies (total edition 337). In a heavy paper jacket of orange, brown lettering on the spine and front panel. ___CONDITION: Volume fine, with clean boards, the linen shelfback without wear, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; clean, crisp, and as new. The dust jacket near fine, clean and without rips or tears; a modicum of edgewear and sunning to the spine, else fine. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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Sun and Shadow

One of 90 copies (unnumbered), first state, sixmo size, 21 pp., printed for the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco. Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) wrote in many different genres including the New Wave science fiction of the mid-twentieth century, which saw a burgeoning in the genre of science fiction, with authors such as J. G. Ballard, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Michael Moorcock creating works in an experimental style and emphasising social commentary and literary merit. Bradbury's debut book was a collection of short stories, called "Dark Carnival" (1947). He would go on to write such seminal works as "Martian Chronicles" (1949) and "Fahrenheit 451" (1953), and was a versitile author, writing not only SciFi and Dystopian Literature, but also memoirs and novels. He was the winner of many awards, including the National Medal of Arts in 2004 and a Pulitzer Prize Citation in 2007. This story, "Sun and Shadow", was originally published in Bradbury's "Golden Apples of the Sun" (Doubleday, 1953). This the first separate publication, by The Queninan Press, a small private press in Berkeley, California, the imprint of Kenneth J, Carpenter, a member of The Roxburghe Club of San Francisco from 1957 to 1966. In the colophon Carpenter states: "Printed (a page at a time) for members of the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco and other friends. Printed largely because I can't keep on giving away Bradbury's 'Golden Apples of the Sun'.in which the story appeared. On the other hand, I cannot refrain from insisting that my friends have a copy of what I consider one of the happiest short stories of our time." A lovely small book and somewhat scare in the online marketplace; as of this writing we see only a single other copy online. ___DESCRIPTION: String-bound in grey heavy paper wraps with yapped edges, small figure on the front in dark grey with the title in red above, title page with the same figure in black and the title also in red, the story's initial capital in red, press device at the colophon; sixteenmo size (6 1/8" by 4 5/8"), pagination: [i-ii] [1] 2-19 [20, copyright page] [21, colophon]. ___CONDITION: Near fine, the wraps clean (other than a few very light, stray marks), the string binding strong, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; the wraps with light wear and sunning along the perimeter (due to the yapped edges), else fine. ___CITATION: Nolan, p. 134 which provides the limitation; this copy the first state (per the web site of the Internet Speculative Fiction Database) with the text ending on page 19, the copyright notice on p. [20], and the colophon on p. [21] (n.b., they credit [Lloyd] Currey for this information). ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
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The Shirley Letters; From California Mines in 1851-52

Dame Shirley (Mrs. Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe); Thomas C. Russell (Editor); Mrs. M.V.T. Lawrence ("An Appreciation") First edition in book form, octavo size, 405 pp., signed by Thomas Russell. This the first edition in book form of the letters of Dame Shirley, in which she recounts her experiences living in a mining camp in California in the mid-nineteenth century. The letters tell of life in the mining camp in rich detail and offer a unique perspective from an intellectual New England woman, and form a personal picture of the hardships and innovation during the California Gold Rush. The sources wax rich with praise: per Howes, the work is "a vivid and unexcelled picture of everyday life in the mines." Gary Kurtiz ("The California Gold Rush") has a wonderful short essay on both the author and the various early publications, saying in part: "The 'Shirley Letters' have received the highest possible praise. The important of her letters was recognized early on and influenced the views and writings of Josiah Royce, Hubert Howe Bancroft, Bret Harte, and possibly, Samuel Clemens" (p. 133). With eight hand-coloured prints and signed by Thomas C. Russell at the limitation page, in the original jacket, tipped in at the rear is a spare paper spine label. An outstanding production of an important work in the history of California written by a female author. ___DESCRIPTION: Quarter bound in coarse white/brown linen with a paper spine label, the boards covered with plain brown paper, endpapers of the same brown paper, top edge gilt, limitation statement on the verso of the half-title page, this no. 224 of the total edition (450) and one of 50 printed on California bond-paper and with hand-coloured plates, signed by the publisher, tissue-guarded frontispiece one of eight bound in throughout, an extensive forward written by "the Printer", each section of the book with an intricately detailed chapter headpiece and opening in-text decoration, these both in blue; octavo size (8 5/8" by 5 5/8"), pagination: [2, blank recto with publisher's ad on verso ("Other Reprints Issued"), [i-iv] v-l [2, half-title with blank verso] 1-350 [1, printer's statement]. In the publisher's jacket of plain brown paper, gilt lettering and vignette on the front. ___CONDITION: Volume fine overall, the cloth spine and paper over the boards without wear, perfectly straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, all tissue guards present, the colour on the illustrations deep, and entirely free of prior owner markings; a hint of a spot of soil towards the bottom edge of the front board, a few spots of foxing to the fore-edge of the text block, and a few dark spots along the front hinge (likely from the glue). The dust jacket near fine, clean, remarkably free of edgewear, with just a few few spots of wear including a short closed tear at the top of the back joint. ___CITATION: Kuritz, no. 133; Wright-Howes (Final Edition), no. 433; Zamorano 80, no. 69: "Originally published in monthly instalments in 'The Pioneer; or, California Monthly Magazine', San Francisco: January, 1854-December, 1855.Not until 1922 were the letters reprinted in book form.[by] Thomas C. Russell.1922, illustrated with eight tinted plates from old prints." ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
  • $750
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The Wayfarer

Hutton, Barbara; Dulac, Edmund (Frontis Portrait) First (and only) printing, octavo size, 66 pp., inscribed by Barbara Hutton. Barbara Woolworth Hutton (1912-1979) achieved fame - or notoriety - due to the immense wealth into which she was born, coupled with a "troubled private life" (n.b., quote from Wiki). Married seven times (one of her husbands being Cary Grant), losing her only son in a plane crash, she died at age 66 on the verge of becoming bankrupt. She became known as "the poor little rich girl" and her life has been portrayed in film several times. This slender volume of poetry tells us some of the places Hutton visited (the Taj Mahal, Thebes, etc.) and people she knew, but mostly are poems of of yearning. Inscribed by Hutton on the front free endpaper, "To dearest Mrs Hill / with all [?] of love, / Barbara" (undated). With a frontis portrait of the author by the well-known Edmund Dulac (1882-1953), the only illustrator of his day on a par with Arthur Rackham, known for his exquisite colours, oriental influence, and the versatility of his artistic endeavors. Per Hughey ("Edmund Dulac - His Book Illustrations"), "Dulac's three quarter portrait depicts her in her younger years, leaning into green pillows and attired in a purple dress, a beige jacket, and holding a white flower.His serious portraits, like this one, are remarkable likenesses of his subjects." ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full white vellum over boards, stamped in gilt on both boards with an all-over design of fleurs-de-lis centered in diamonds with a ruled border, gilt lettering on the spine, all edges gilt, inscription on the front free endpaper in black ink, the reproduction of the Dulac portrait in full colour facing the title page; octavo size (9" by 5 1/2"), pagination: [1-10] 11-66. Housed in a slipcase of sturdy cardboard covered in blue paper. ___CONDITION: Volume fine overall, with clean boards, the gilt on the covers bright but lightly rubbed, the gilt edges blindingly bright, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and other than the author's inscription entirely free of prior owner markings; but for the light rubbing to the gilt designs on the board (the slipcase fits a bit too snugly) it is as new. The slipcase near fine to fine, sturdy, without splits or tears, no wear at the opening, with perhaps a very light smudge on one side. Overall a stunning volume. ___CITATION: Hughey, no. 104. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
  • $1,000
  • $1,000
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Europäische Musikgeschichte

Ehrmann-Herfort, Sabine Octavo size, two volume set, 1396 pp., all text in German. A European history of music in two volumes, all text in German. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in maroon paper over boards, illustration on front cover and smaller one on spine with title printed in white, summary of book bulleted on back cover, replete with both black and white and color illustrations; octavo size (9 3/5" x 6 4/5"), pagination: Vol I [1-8] 9-665 [3 pages of advertisements]; Vol II [669-679] 680-1392 [4 pages of advertisements]. Maroon slipcase with color illustrations on front and rear and white printed lettering on three sides. ___CONDITION: A solid very good set, with clean boards, two corners slightly bumped with the others perfectly straight, all without rubbing, strong, square text blocks with solid hinges, the interiors clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; the aforementioned two bumped corners, light bumping to the head and tails of the spines, and the rear joint cracked at the top several inches on Volume I. Slipcase is very good, the colours bright, without sunning; all component parts present and attached, with light overall wear including some creasing and small tears at the opening. ___POSTAGE: Please note that this is a large and heavy two volume set, and therefore additional postage will apply. We are happy to ship at cost to both domestic and international customers, please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
  • $50
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Of Human Bondage

Maugham, W. Somerset; Schwabe, Randolph (Illustrations) The first illustrated edition, one of 751 copies, quarto size, 698 pp., signed by both Maugham and Schwabe, with publisher's slipcase. William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) became a renowned author and playwright; this work, "Of Human Bondage", is now regarded as his masterpiece. The novel was made into a film on three separate occasions: in 1934 starring Bette Davis; in 1946; and again in 1964 starring Kim Novak. First published in 1915, this the first illustrated edition, issued as a limited edition (this no. 578 of 751 copies) signed by both the author and illustrator. The illustrations by Randolph Schwabe (1885-1948), a recognized British painter and etcher who, among many other achievements, was the Slade Professor of Fine Art at University College, London, for eighteen years. Schwabe also worked as a draughtsman, and his attention to detail and lines are apparent in the evocative illustrations. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full tan linen cloth over bevelled boards, publisher's device in gold and brown stamped onto the front board, stamped brown spine "label" with gilt lettering, top edge gilt, fore- and bottom edges uncut, limitation page preceeding the half-title with the signatures of both Randolph Schwabe and W. Somerset Maugham, this no. 578 of this first illustrated edition, monochrome (in sienna) frontis one of twenty-four bound in throughout, title page in brown and black; quarto size (9 3/4" by 7 1/8"), pagination: [2, limitation page with blank verso] [i-iv] v-x [2, half-title with blank verso] 1-684. Housed in the original publisher's slipcase of sturdy cardboard covered in brown paper, frontis illustration reproduced on one side with title, author and illustrator; note that this copy is lacking the scarce dust jacket. ___CONDITION: Volume near fine, with clean boards, three corners straight (the top front corner bumped) and all four without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; toning to the endpapers and the aforementioned bump to one corner, else fine. The slipcase a bit better than good; all component parts present and attached, although with evidence of a prior owner gluing some of the seams, with overall soil and wear. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
  • $750
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The Faerie Queene [The Fairy Queen]; Disposed into Twelve Bookes Fashioning XII Morall Vertues

Spenser, Edmund; Hayward, John (Introduction); Austen, John (Decorations); Parker, Agnes Miller (Illustrations) One of 1500 copies, two volumes (complete) with original dustjackets and slipcase, quarto size, 1018 pp., signed by Agnes Miller Parker. Edmund Spenser (ca. 1552-1599), often considered one of the best poets in the English language, penned this homage to Queen Elizabeth I in the form of an epic poem, his greatest work. John Austen (1886-1948), a well-known illustrator in his own right, was heavily influenced by Aubrey Beardsley and the Art Deco movement; for this lovely production of Spenser, Austen provided the pen decorations which open the Introduction, Contents, list of Illustrations, and each "Booke", with lovely chapter headpieces, rubricated initials, and an elaborate marginal decorative border. The illustrations themselves by Agnes Miller Parker (1895-1908) are simply stunning; a celebrated painter and wood-engraver, Parker was known for collaborations with several fine letterpress studios at the height of her career. Her distinctive modernist style is associated with the cubist movement, and she was at one time a member of the Chiswick group. Parker illustrated nearly fifty books, exhibited prints with the English Wood Engraving Society, 1926-31, with the Society of Wood Engravers until 1956, and was elected an associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers in 1939. Her illustrations have both a sharp and fluid effect, combining traditional forms with the hard edges of cubism, and forking like lightening across the pages; her style is distinctive for its fine cross-hatching and stippled dots, which gave subtle tones to her work. Overall, an incredibly lovely set of a seminal work of Elizabethan England. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full green linen cloth over boards, gilt lettering on the front surrounded by an oval gilt decorative border, gilt lettering on the spines, fore- and bottom edges uncut, decorative endpapers in green and grey, title page with a small decoration by Austen, nine illustrations by Parker in Volume I and ten in Volume II; set in monotype Garamond on William Nash rag paper, quarto size (11 9/16" by 7 7/8"), continuously paginated, Volume I, [i-v] vi-xviii, [1]-511, Volume II, [i-vii], [512-513] 514-992 [993, colophon]; limited edition of 1500 copies, this set no. 1128. Publisher's dust jackets of heavy green paper, the illustration "Una and the Knight of the Red Crosse" (found opposite p. 2) on the front panels with black and blue lettering, black and blue lettering on the spines, back panel and both flaps blank. The volumes are housed in the publisher's slipcase of sturdy cardboard, the inside partly lined with white paper, the outside covered with decorated paper matching the endpapers, white paper spine label with black and blue lettering. ___CONDITION: Both volumes fine, with clean boards, straight corners without rubbing, strong, square text blocks with solid hinges, the interiors are clean and bright, and the set is entirely free of prior owner markings; clean and as new. The dust jackets both solid very good copies; the front panels and flaps clean (other than a stray spot or two) and with minor edgewear, the spines both sunned with heavier wear at the head and tail and some light spotting, most visible on Vol. II. The slipcase also better than very good, strong and sturdy with no breaks to the seams, with light overall dustiness, a bit of a bow to the top edge, and minor soiling to the spine label. ___CITATION: LEC Bibliography no. 234. ___POSTAGE: Please note that this is an exceptionally heavy set and additional postage will apply; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
  • $200
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Vanity Fair; A Novel Without a Hero

Thackeray, William Makepeace; Chesterton, G. K. (Introduction); Austen, John (Illustrator) Two volumes (complete), one of 1500, quarto size, 798 total pp., signed by John Austen, with slipcase. This Limited Editions Club publication of William Makepeace Thackeray's (1811-1863) best-known work, "Vanity Fair", contains line drawings by English illustrator John Austen (1886-1948), who illustrated many books such as "Hamlet", "Tristram Shandy", and "Madame Bovary"; his style was at first influenced by Aubrey Beardsley and was later shaped by the Art Deco movement. Austen visualises the delicate relationships between the characters in these ethereal drawings, each hand-coloured by Daniel Jacomet. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936), an inimitable man of letters who wrote on a variety of subjects from Christian apologetics to detective novels, provides the introduction to this edition of Thackeray's work, examining the different readings of Thackeray over time, as well as the use of satire to shed light on various aspects of society. ___DESCRIPTION: Quarter magenta cloth with patterned paper boards in orange, green, and black, gilt lettering on the spine, fore- and bottom edges uncut, endpapers with the same pattern as the boards, frontispiece a line drawing in black by John Austen, with hand-colouring by Daniel Jacomet, title page with black-and-white illustration by Austen, full-page line drawings in black by Austen, with hand-colouring by Jacomet, throughout both volumes; monotype Baskerville, Arches mouldmade paper, quarto size (11.75" by 7.75"), pagination: Volume One: [i-v] vi-xx [1] 2-365; Volume Two: [i-v] [366-367] 368-772 [1 colophon], one of 1500 copies, this number 563, signed by John Austen on the colophon in Volume Two. In a patterned paper dust jacket matching the boards, with a grey paper label with line drawing in black by Austen on the front panel, and grey paper spine label with black lettering and illustration. Housed in a slipcase covered in papter with the same pattern as the boards, with a beige paper spine label with black lettering and yellow and pink embellishments. ___CONDITION: Volumes fine overall, with clean boards, straight corners, strong, square text blocks with solid hinges, the interiors are clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; both volumes with minor off-setting to the free endpapers, else fine. The dust jackets very good, unclipped (no printed price present), clean with bright colours, with overall light edgewear, minor wear to the heads and tails of the spines, and both spines sunned with some very light spotting. The slipcase very good, strong and sturdy with any tears to the seams, clean overall with some overall dustiness, sunning to the spine, and minor wear to the edges of the opening. ___CITATION: LEC no. 22. ___POSTAGE: Please note that this is a large and heavy set, and therefore additional postage will apply; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
  • $300
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The Ladies’ Pocket Book of Etiquette

By A[rthur] F[reeling]; Hester Sainsbury (Illustrations) One of 500 copies, duodecimo size, 67 pp., with original dust jacket. We find etiquette books such as this a delight to read, providing as they do glimpses into a world long gone. This book, for example, contains a chapter on the then-new "waltzing" with a warning to parents about the perils of unmarried couples touching. The Contents lists such topics as "Introductions", "Visitors and Visiting", "Waltzing", "Marriage", "Servants", and "the Philosophy of certain Fashionable Observances". This charming publication by the Golden Cockerel Press contains four engravings on copper by Hester Sainsbury (1890-1967) who, although apparently had no formal art training, provided the illustrations for the first book of the Favil Press, a small collection of Sainsbury's poems, among many others (see Horne p. 381). She "became a successful artist and print-maker in the 1920s, being known among other things for using an engraving tool that cut multiple parallel lines rather than the usual one. She made fine art prints and illustrations by engraving both copper and wood. The author Philip Neil describes her engravings as 'fresh, supple, and irresistibly charming' " (n.b., quote from Wiki). Arthur Freeling, although having penned several books on etiquette including this work, as well as a "Railway Companion", never earned an entry into the DNB (Dictionary of [British] National Biography) and therefore we are unable to shed any light on his life. ___DESCRIPTION: Quarter bound in parchment with special printed boards, gilt lettering on the shelfback, fore- and bottom edges uncut, "Publisher's Note" dated 1928 setting forth the hope that "despite the passage of time and the inevitable slight variation of manners" the book would still prove worthy, followed by the author's "Preface to the Edition of 1838", four copper engravings throughout the text, original pink ribbon marker; Caslon O.F. type on hand-made paper, duodecimo size (7" by 4.75"), pagination: [i-x], 1-55, blank [56], colophon [57]. Dust jacket of rose-coloured paper with black lettering and decorative border around title on the front; unclipped although no price printed; the volume sold new for 15 shillings in 1928. ___CONDITION: Volume could almost be deemed fine, the parchment shelfback without wear (although with light dustiness), the paper boards clean (having been protected by the dust jacket), the text block strong and sturdy with solid hinges, the interior clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; light foxing to the text block edges, light offsetting to the front endpaper, the ribbon marker still attached but frayed at both the top, where it is attached to the book, and at the bottom. The unclipped dust jacket a bit better than good, slight overall edgewear and light dustiness, sunning to the spine, and a prior owner affixed cello tape at the head and tail of the spine (both recto and verso) as well as at the bottom of the back panel (verso only) where there is a smal chip with a short closed tear. Even with these minor issues still a lovely copy of a charming publication, done in the seventh year of the Golden Cockerel Press. ___CITATION: Chanticleer no. 56. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard shipping charge does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
  • $250
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Last Poems

Merrill, James; McClatchy, J.D. (Introduction); Cook, Mariana (Photographer, Frontis) One of 185 copies, quarto size, [50] pp., signed by J.D. McClatchy and Mariana Cook. James Merrill (1926-1995), known as one of the leading poets of his generation, won nearly every major award for poetry - including two National Book Awards, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry awarded by the Library of Congress, and the Bollingen Prize in Poetry and the Pulitzer Prize. Praised for his stylish elegance, moral sensibilities, and transformation of autobiographical moments into deep and complex meditations, Merrill's work spans genres, including plays and prose, but the bulk of his artistic expression can be found in his poetry (n.b., from Poetry Foundation web site). This work, published posthumously, contain the last seven poems Merrill worked on prior to his death (and which can be considered "finished"), here printed for the first time. "Nearly all of these seven poems begin with a sensation - a color, say, or a glimpse of weather.a sense of possiblility. Each poem then moves through a series of implications, a collage of circumstances, towards some larger idea of itself." (n.b., from the Introduction). Masterfully printed by the Thornwillow Press, the frontis photograph taken in April of 1992, with specially-designed endpapers by Irena Martens. ___DESCRIPTION: Half-leather over textured paste paper boards, gilt lettering on the spine, top edge gilt, the special endpapers with small decorations of various sea-creatures over paste paper, title page in red and black, Introduction with a three-line red initial capital; quarto size (11 1/8" by 7 7/8"), unpaginated with twenty-five printed leaves, no. 62 of 185 copies, signed at the colophone by J.D. McClatchy and Mariana Cook. ___CONDITION: Near fine, the leather smooth and supple, clean boards, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, and entirely free of prior owner markings; some scattered foxing and a few light marks which appear to be in the paper (not soiling on the surface), else fine. Lacking the slipcase. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
  • $900
book (2)

Odes Horace [with] The Continuity of Horace

Horace [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]; Taylor, Michael (Translator) "Odes" no. 121 of 250 copies, "Continuity" one of 500 unnumbered copies, the two volumes in a slipcase, folio size, 96 pp. and 32 pp., "Odes" signed by Jack Stauffacher. Quintus Horatius Flaccus (known simply as "Horace", 65-8 BCE), is acknowledged as "the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus", whose "Odes", a collection of four books of poetry, have been studied through the centuries. Covering a wide range of subjects, Alfred Lord Tennyson spoke of the Odes as "jewels five-words long, that on the stretched forefinger of all Time / Sparkle for ever" (n.b., quotes from Wiki). This publication of the "Odes" was displayed in the member exhibition of the Pacific Center for the Book Arts in 1992. In his comments regarding the publication, Jack recalls that it was in 1979 that Michael Taylor sent him (Jack) his (Michael's) translation of Book One of the "Odes"; Michael wrote to Jack: "Strangely, my 'vision' of Horace has always been linked in my mind with the feeling for typography I picked up at the Greenwood Press - so it is only right that the translation should come back to you, for you" (n.b., Jack Werner Stauffacher and Glenn Humphreys, "A Typographic Journey, The History of the Greenwood Press", p. 209). Included (placed into the slipcase by the prior owner) is a booklet published by The Greenwood Press, this being a reprint of a book review written by Fernand Baudin, on a book published in 1983 entitled "NIcholas Kis, A Hungarian Punch-Cutter & Printer, 1650-1702", by Gyorgy Haiman. The book (and review) focuses on Nicholas Kis, "known to his European contemporaries as the outstanding punchcutter of the day" whose "name and fame.became extinct for more than a century" (n.b., from p. 1 of the review). The type used for "Odes", "Kis-Janson", was based in large part upon Kis's types and his story is fascinating. As of this writing there are no copies of "Odes" available online and we see only two auction records (RBH); this set a fine example of a publication surprisingly scarce in the marketplace. ___DESCRIPTION: Two volumes published as companions, both with mylar coverings on the wraps and housed in a slipcase of white cardstock. "Odes" bound into textured white cardstock covers with a dust jacket of plain white, the front and back with portions of the "Odes" presented in Latin, the spine with "Odes Horace", title page simply with title and author ("Odes Horace"), each poem presented with the first line in blue, in Latin, followed by the English translation by Taylor; handset Stempel Kis-Janson on Mohawk Superfine paper, binding by Klaus-Ullrich S. Rötzscher, folio size (12 1/8" by 7.5"), unpaginated with 96 pages; at the rear is bound in a page acknowledging Michael Taylor as translator, followed by a page with the dates of birth and death of Horace, this followed by the Contents page, this followed by the colophon page, signed by Jack W. Stauffacher in pencil; interestingly, the colophon page states "printing completed January 1990" while the Bibliography has 1992 as the publication date. "The Continuity of Horace" bound into pictorial wraps, consisting of forty illustrations followed by notes of the editions of Horace, both manuscript and printed, which Stauffacher studied in preparation for the printing of "Odes"; Janson (digital) type on Mohawk Superfine paper, folio size (12" by 7.5"), 32 pp. The publisher's slipcase of textured white cardstock. ___CONDITION: Both volumes fine, the wraps clean and without wear, straight corners, the bindings strong, the interiors clean and bright, and both volumes entirely free of prior owner markings; clean, crisp, as new. The cardstock slipcase near fine, entire and still strong, with minor traces of light soil and a bit of wear around the opening. ___CITATION: Greenwood Press Bibliography p. 261. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
  • $500
Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Orwell, George; Gunn, James (Introduction); Freas, Frank Kelly (Artwork) Octavo size, 328 pp. George Orwell (born Eric Arthur Blair, 1903-1950) is renowned for his works "Animal Farm" and "1984" and his outspoken criticism of totalitarianism and authoritarian social practices. Many of the words and expressions used in his work, including "Big Brother", "Thought Police", "doublethink", and "thoughtcrime" have entered the popular culture and are routinely used today. This work, "Nineteen Eighty-Four", was published shortly before Orwell's death of tuberculosis. Made into films at least twice, it is, along with Huxley's "Brave New World", one of "the century's most famous English-language Dystopia.It is a book of hectic, devilish, claustrophobic intensity." (n.b., quote from "The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction" by John Clute and Peter Nicholls, p. 896). ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full leather by The Easton Press, this noted on the title page as the "Collector's Edition", with gilt images and lettering on both covers and the spine, all edges gilt, white satin ribbon marker, patterened endpapers, the frontis illustration in full colour by Frank Kelly Freas (note that this version is without the interior illustrations by Alan Clark); octavo size, pagination: [i-ii] iii-xiii [1, blank] [1-2] 3-314. ___CONDITION: Fine, the leather covers supple, clean and unworn, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; clean, crisp, and as new. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
  • $200