Little brown Bessie. - Rare Book Insider
Little brown Bessie.

Ware, F. E. [pseud. of L.D. Shears]; Frank Beard, illus.

Little brown Bessie.

A. Burdette Smith's World of Fashion, New York: 1876
  • $125
First novel-form edition: Complicated romance set in a Massachusetts village, with plot threads involving a lost baby, a mysterious artist, a celebrated tenor plus a jealous soprano, and the Cinderella figure of the title, who rescues herself by running away to Boston ? among other excitements! The author originally published the piece in 1874 as a four-act drama; in the preface to this reworked novel version, she claims that the titular plotline was based on her own experiences growing up along "the old Housatonic" in Sheffield, MA. The tale is => illustrated with 16 engravings by influential cartoonist Frank Beard (once dubbed "the father of the American cartoon"), some full-page and some in-text. This first edition is intriguingly uncommon in libraries: A search of WorldCat finds => only two U.S. institutions reporting hard-copy holdings. The short-lived publisher was known not for books but for issuance of => a ladies' fashion magazine offering both style tips and patterns! Provenance: Front fly-leaf with 19th-century pencilled inscription of Guilford D. Eggleston. 4to (19.2 cm,7.55"). [2], 174 pp.; illus. Not in Wright, American Fiction. Bound as above; slightly cocked, spine and outer edges darkened, extremities rubbed. A handful of scattered small spots of foxing, pages otherwise clean.
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Dandyism displayed

Dandyism displayed, or, the follies of the Ton; humbly dedicated (without permission) to a lord of the Willow-Boys; to the noble Sham-Peter & his white charger, prince of the dandy blood royal; and to that renowned son of Mars and Venus, the great captain . To which is added, What is a dandy?

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  • $450
Biblia sacra veteris et novi testamenti

Biblia sacra veteris et novi testamenti, iuxta vulgatam editionem maiori qu?m antehac unquam doctorum studio, ad veritatem Hebraicam & probatiss, exemplarium fidem emendata.

Bible. Latin. 1574. Vulgate. Pierre Saint-Andr? gave this reissue of Fran?ois Estienne's 1567 edition a new title-page; the separate title-page of the New Testament bears both the original imprint, "Ex Officina Francisci Stephanj. M.D. LXVII," and the => Stephanus woodcut device. F. Estienne II, son of Robert I, seems to have been left wealthy by his famous father; he printed a small number of items from 1562 onward, apparently as the mood struck him, with one gap of more than ten years. The date of his last imprint was 1582, and he left Geneva sometime thereafter. The text of the present production, which makes use of Robert Estienne's verse divisions, is printed in double columns with decorative headpieces and capitals and is => illustrated with 22 in-text vignettes (although the folding map is not present here), including Noah's ark and the tabernacle with its furnishings. Binding: Contemporary calf, covers framed and panelled in gilt-stamped beaded rolls surrounding a central gilt-tooled diamond-shaped medallion; corners with gilt fleurons, spine with gilt-stamped beaded bands and compartment decorations. All edges gilt, and remants/evidence of clasps present. Provenance: One leaf with early inked inscription reading "ex dono Joseph Rowens"; later bookplates of the James Buckham Memorial and Charles Holbrook libraries at the Pacific School of Religion (Berkeley, CA). Evidence of Readership: Title-page with traces of mostly effaced early inked inscription; blank leaf between Old and New Testaments with one small early inked word, lined through; occasional early marks of emphasis and underlining in red, one early marginal note. 8vo (16.7 cm, 6.57"). [8], 435, [1], [1]?131 (i.e., 113), [27] ff.; illus. (fold. map lacking). Darlow & Moule 6160. N.T.: Adams B1075; Renouard (2nd ed.), Annales de l'imprimerie des Estienne, p. 159. Bound as above, with most gilt significantly rubbed and dimmed; rubbed and scuffed overall but solid. Endpapers refurbished some time ago; front pastedown and free endpaper with PSR bookplates affixed as above, these bearing small rubber-stamps affirming the volume's proper deaccession. First few leaves crumpled, final leaf rumpled and partially adhered to rear free endpaper; one leaf with small hole affecting a few letters; some upper edges trimmed closely, touching headers and leaf numbers; a handful of corners torn away not touching text. Old waterstaining affecting the text block?s final third, very light to begin with, darkens significantly across the last portion with the last few leaves and rear endpapers showing onetime action of mold long since stabilized; otherwise only the light soil as of ordinary use is occasionally apparent, with a few scattered small ink stains. A volume that obviously has seen much service and is priced accordingly, while yet => a sturdy, usable, and interesting copy of a noteworthy Bible.
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Paraguay

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  • $650