BLACK MISCHIEF.
FIRST EDITION. 8vo. (7.6 x 5.1 inches). Illustrated frontispiece of a map of the Azanian Empire. A fine clean and fresh copy in original black and red snakeskin patterned cloth, with the spine lettered in gilt. Some very minor rubbing to the extremities of the cloth and a hint of fading to the red of the spine but overall a near fine example with the gilt still very bright and vibrant.
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THE MALTESE FALCON.
FIRST EDITION. 1st printing. 8vo. (7.7 x 5.4 inches). viii,268pp. A bright clean copy internally in the publishers original grey cloth with Falcon design in black to the front board, within a single black ruled line border. Blue and black lettering and symmetrical design to the spine. Publishers Borzoi books logo on rear board in black. Cloth a little toned and faint stain to the bottom of the front board. The spine is slightly darkened but overall a very good copy of this classic detective novel, featuring Hammett's San Francisco private detective Sam Spade. ARIEL.
FIRST EDITION. 1st impression. 8vo. (8.8 x 5.7 inches). A little foxing to the blank endpapers otherwise generally a clean, bright copy. Red cloth with gilt ruled lines and lettering to the spine. The gilt is bright and gleaming. In a very good original colour dustwrapper. Spine a little darkened. Some light stains to the front panel. Some very minor chipping to the spine tips. Overall a very good book in a very good dustwrapper. Only 3100 copies printed. WINNIE THE POOH.
EARLY PRINTING. Ninth edition. 8vo. Same format as the first edition of 1926. Illustrated throughout with wonderful line drawings by E. H. Shepard. Decorative map endpapers printed in black on green paper. Top edge gilt. A very good, bright copy in the original green cloth, with gilt stamped decorations of Christopher Robin and Pooh to front board. Gilt still very bright. Cloth is marked to the top of the front board and a few spots to the rear but is generally very clean and fresh. A remarkable tight, fresh clean and unmarked copy throughout. The book looks unread. A lovely copy in original illustrated better than very good dustwrapper showing some minor creasing to the top edge but overall a verry clean and bright example. A superior early copy of this classic. WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG. With decorations by E. H. Shepard.
EARLY PRINTING. Eleventh edition. 8vo. The same format as the 1924 First edition, with the addition of decorative endpapers. This is a fine copy of Milne's first children's book in the publishers blue cloth with gilt lettering and illustrations. Illustrated endpapers. Top edge gilt. The book looks unread. In a very good original illustrated dustwrapper which has some chipping to top and tail of spine, which is also a little toned. Overall a highly desirable copy of Milne's children's classic. SIXTEEN SCENES TAKEN FROM THE MISERIES OF HUMAN LIFE. By one of the Wretched.
FIRST EDITION. Oblong 8vo. (7 x 8.8 inches). Title page with hand coloured vignette and 16 full page hand coloured plates by Atkinson (one folding), each with an accompanying page of text opposite. The text consists of excerpts from James Beresford's The Miseries of human life (1806). An uncut copy in the original brown paper covered boards with a printed paper label to the top board. Expertly re-cased with a new spine. Boards rubbed, stained and chipped to edges. Internally a few marks to a handful of pages but generally very good. --- R. V. Tooley: English Books with Coloured plates, #89. --- More photos available on request. SUNG TO SHAHRYAR. Poems from The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night.
LIMITED EDITION. 8vo. One of 50 copies, this out of series but inscribed by the author to, and with two letters to, the writer Carl Eric Bechhofer Roberts (known as Ephesian) and with his bookplate to the front pastedown endpaper. Two letters relating to black masses are loosely inserted, one is hand written and simply signed A, and another, typed on two sheets, is signed by Mather's wife Rosamond. A very good copy in the marbled paper covered boards with black letering to the spine. In the original dustwrapper which is darkened to the spine but has done its job of keeping the book in nice condition. --- More photos available on request. THE COMMANDMENTS.
BRABY. DOROTHEA. Arranges and Illustrates. FIRST EDITION. Tall 8vo. (10.6 x 7.3 inches). 44pp. Illustrated with 12 striking full page wood engraved plates, comprising the title, the ten commandments and the greatest commandment, by Braby. Limited edition of 1025 copies on mould made paper, with only 1000 for sale. Finely bound by Bayntun-Riviere in attractive full red polished calf binding. Spine with two raised bands, each decorated with a gilt dot. Compartments lettered, ruled and decorated in gilt. Single gilt ruled border on boards. Turn-ins with decorative floral gilt tooling. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. With the leather Beeleigh Abbey bookplate of W. A. Foyle on the front pastedown endpaper. Some cracking to the hinges, both still firm and tight, and minor rubbing to the extremities, but overall a lovely, highly attractive volume. --- More photos available on request. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. Printed complete from the text of Sam. Johnson and Geo. Steevens, and revised from the last editions. 1785. —- Bound with; Annotations by Sam. Johnson and Geo. Steevens and the various commentators, upon Midsummer Night’s Dream, written by Will. Shakespeare. 1787.
SHAKESPEARE. WILLIAM. Two works in one volume. Early and first edition. 8vo. (5.8 x 3.6 inches). First work; 90pp. second work: 99pp. Some brown offsetting from the glue used in the binding to the first and last couple of leaves, otherwise generally very good copies in an attractive late 18th century leather binding of half dark brown calf. Spine with decorative gilt bands. A new red leather title label, lettered in gilt, has been added to replace the missing original. Marbled paper on the boards. Some rubbing to the edges and the top hinge cracked but holding firm. Overall a pretty little volume. -- Early printing of Johnson & Steeven's Midsummer Night's Dream and First edition of their Annotations. POEMS. With an introduction by Alice Meynell. – The Red Letter Poets.
BROWNING. ROBERT. Early reprint. 8vo. (6 x 4 inches). Mono portrait frontis, from a photograph by J. Caswall Smith. xi, 277pp. Text in red and black and decorated with small floral head pieces in red. Attractive early leather binding of full dark green morocco, although much of the leather has now toned to a pleasing dark brown colour. Both boards with double ruled gilt borders, each corner with a red morocco heart onlay. The centre of the boards are decorated with multiple gilt flowers. the front board has the authors name in gilt to the top and bottom of the board. Spine with raised bands. The compartments are ruled, lettered and decorated in gilt, and three of the panels have red morocco hearts to the centre. Board edges ruled in gilt. Turn-ins with triple gilt ruled lines and floral corner pieces. Plain green endpapers. All edges gilt. A stain to the bottom of the frontispiece that has offset to the title page, but to a much lesser degree, otherwise a very good and highly attractive volume. The binding isn't signed but is clearly the work of a skilled amateur bookbinder. -- The book isn't dated but the British Library shows the publication date as 1903 and this is certainly an edition from around that time.
