"There is no friend as loyal as a book."
— Ernest Hemingway
Illustrated & Plate Books
The New Testament, Of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. With Engravings on Wood from Designs of Fra Angelico, Pietro Perugino, Francesco Francia, Lorenzo Di Credi, Fra Bartolommeo, Titian, Raphael, Gaudenzio Ferrari, Daniel Di Volterra, and Others.
London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, and Green, 1865. BOUND BY FAZAKERLEY. Post Quarto. pp. xvi, 540. With 60 wood engravings by the named artists, as well as ubiquitous marginal ornamentation. In full black morocco with raised bands and gilt titles to spine. Blind decoration to spine and boards. All edges..... More
Naval Tactics and Trials of Sailing. Illustrated by Diagrams of the Several Evolutions. To which are added: The Established Plan of Lights for Steam Vessels, and Regulations to avoid Collision.
London: Charles Wilson, 1850. First Edition. Illustrated with a fronstispiece of H.M.S. St. Vincent, 4 plates of the Trials, tables, and numerous battle plans heightened in blue and red. With the original Protractor housed in a pocket to front paste down. Publisher's embossed green cloth with gilt titles to spine..... More
State of the Nation: British Theatre since 1945.
London: Faber and Faber, 2007. [Theatre] INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.viii; 435; [5]. With a suite of four double-sided colour photographic plates. INSCRIBED by the author in blue ink to title page: "For Edward | Best Wishes | Michael Billington | 19th November 2007". Publisher's orange cloth..... More
The Blackbird's Nest. A Tale for Youth.
Philadelphia, PA: Johnson and Warner, 1812. [Children's Antiquarian]. EARLY EDITION. Vigesimo-quarto (13 x 9cm), pp.36. With occasional vignette wood engravings. Recently re-backed in matching grey card with original grey illustrated paper covers laid over. Remarkably crisp and clean, with some wear to original cover edges. Very good. A fine wholesome..... More
The Debt We Owe: The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund 1919-1989.
Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 1989. INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.[8], 216. With a colour frontispiece portrait of Viscount Trenchard, and 12 double-sided black and white plates. INSCRIBED by the author to Guy Huntrods, a prominent Tunbridge Wells based veteran, for his 75th birthday, in bright blue ink to title page. Also..... More
The Romance of St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
London: Raphael Tuck and Sons, 1933. [Architecture]. INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.78 [2]. With 12 photogravure illustrations and a chromolithographic frontispiece. INSCRIBED by the author in black ink to front free endpaper: 'F. M. Bridge / from / H. W. Blackburne. / august 1933.' Publisher's blue cloth..... More
Lorna Doone. A Romance of Exmoor.
London: Sampson Low, Marston and Co. for Boots Pure Drug Co., no date [circa 1930]. [Illustrated Literature] RARE DUST-JACKET, a later edition. Small quarto (26 x 20cm), pp.x; 520. With 16 tipped-in chromolithographic plates after illustrations by Brittan and Brock, including a frontispiece. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles and..... More
An Elegy on the Glory of Her Sex.
London: Frederick Warne and Co., Ltd., c.1900. AN ILLUSTRATED PICTURE BOOK. Slim oversized octavo, pp.22. Bound in publisher's decorated paper-covered boards, depicting two men in Georgian attire holding a portrait of a lady in side profile. Front and rear pastedown illustrated with full colour plates. Publisher's advertisement to rear. A...... More
Peter Blake.
London: Tate Gallery Publications, 1983. [Exhibition Catalogue] INSCRIBED COPY, First edition, second impression. Octavo (21 x 21cm), pp.136. Illustrated in colour and black and white. INSCRIBED by the artist in black ink to half-title: 'For Edward | Peter Blake.' Publisher's black soft covers. Corners lightly bumped; very light wear to..... More
China Under the Empress Dowager, Being the History of the Life and Times of Tzu Hsi. Compiled from State Papers and the Private Diary of the Comptroller of Her Household.
London: William Heinemann, 1911. [China] VINTAGE COPY, a later impression. Octavo (26 x 17cm), pp.xxviii; 525 [3]. With 26 black and white photographic plates, including a frontispiece, and a map of Peking. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine, and black titles and a red device to upper. Fore..... More
Nouvelle Maniere de Fortifier Les Places.
The Hague: Arnout Leers, 1684. EARLY EDITION. Foolscap octavo, pp.[10], 96 [2]. All text in French. With 12 folding plans and tables at rear. In later mottled full calf with raised bands, gilt titles to red label on spine and further gilt decoration to spine. All edges flecked red. Armorial..... More
The Principles of Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture. With an explanation of technical terms, and a centenary of ancient terms.
London: David Bogue, 1846. [Gothic Architecture] VINTAGE EDITION, the eighth, with illustrations. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.xii; 330 [2]. With an eight-page publisher's catalogue tipped onto the flyleaf. With 228 in-text wood engravings. Publisher's blind-decorated green cloth with gilt titles to spine. All edges untrimmed; yellow-coated endpapers. Rear hinge split;..... More
The Fourth Holiday Book.
London: Sampson Low, Marston and Co., no date [1949]. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST EDITION. Small quarto (25 x 20cm), pp.192. With two double-sided colour plates by Eelco van der Beeke, and frequent in-text illustrations by various artists. Publisher's red quarter cloth with gilt titles to spine, and also to green paper..... More
The Third Holiday Book.
London: Sampson Low, Marston and Co., no date [1948]. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST EDITION. Small quarto (25 x 20cm), pp.192. With four double-sided colour plates by Boswell, and frequent in-text illustrations by various artists. Publisher's green quarter cloth with gilt titles to spine, and also to orange paper over boards. Red..... More
The Malta Grand Harbour and its Dockyard.
Zabbar: Privately printed for the authors by the Gutenberg Press, 1994. [Maltese Naval Architecture] SIGNED FIRST EDITION. Quarto (31 x 22cm), pp.480. Heavily illustrated throughout with black and white photographs. SIGNED in blue ink to the half-title, and dated 19/08/97. Publisher's blue leatherette with blue titles to spine. With the..... More
Ian Botham: My Illustrated Life.
London: Cassell Illustrated, 2007. [Cricket]. INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. Small quarto (26 x 20cm), pp.256. Illustrated in colour throughout. INSCRIBED by the author 'To Max', in black ink to front free endpaper. Publisher's glossy paper-covered illustrated boards with matching dust-jacket. Illustrated endpapers. A fine copy. More
The History of the Valiant Knight Arthur of Little Britain. A Romance of Chivalry. Originally Translated from the French by John Bourchier, Lord Berners. A New Edition. With a Series of Plates, from the Illuminated Drawings contained in a valuable Ms. of the Original Romance.
London: Printed for White, Cochrane and Co., 1814. Limited Edition to 175 regular copies. Quarto; pp: half title page, frontispiece, title page, (12), (1), vi - xxvii, (1), iv, 544. Illustrated with black and white plates based on drawings from the original manuscript. Complete. This edition is edited by Edward..... More
Bengal Fairy Tales.
London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, 1920. [Children's illustrated] FIRST TAGORE ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Small quarto (26 x 20cm), pp.[2]; x; 209; [3]. With six chromolithographic illustrations including a frontispiece. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine and gilt decoration debossed to upper board. With the original blue dust-jacket. Top..... More
The Art of the Illustrator. W. Hatherell; Bernard Partridge; Lawson Wood; Bert Thomas; Cyrus Cuneo; Frank Reynolds; Balliol Salmon; Harry Rountree; W. Heath-Robinson; C.A. Shepperson; E.J. Sullivan; F.H. Townsend; H.M. Bateman; C.E. Brock; Spencer Pryse; Warwick Reynolds.
London: The Press Art School, no date [1918]. [Art Reference] ORIGINAL PORTFOLIOS. Fifteen parts out of twenty. Folio (41 x 28cm), each part having a letter-press text of six leaves, including a half-tone photographic portrait of the illustrator tipped in as a frontispiece, as well as six mounted half-tone illustrated..... More
Peking: A Historical and Intimate Description of its Chief Places of Interest.
Shanghai: Kelly and Walsh, 1931. [China] REVISED THIRD EDITION. Octavo (23 x 16cm), pp.xvi; 571 [3]. With 29 black and white photographic plates, including a frontispiece, and seven folding maps and plans. An appendix and index at rear. Publisher's yellow cloth with gilt titles to spine. Fore and lower edges..... More
British Design from 1948: Innovation in the Modern Age.
London: V and A Publishing, 2012. [Art and Design] FIRST EDITION. Quarto (30 x 26cm), pp.400. Illustrated in colour throughout. Publisher's purple paper-covered boards with white titles to spine. Gold endpapers. With the illustrated dust-jacket priced at £40. A fine, as-new copy. From the library of the writer, media and..... More
Face of Fashion.
London: The National Portrait Gallery, 2007. [Exhibition Catalogue]. FIRST EDITION. Quarto (31 x 26cm), pp.232. Illustrated with colour and black and white images throughout. Publisher's photographic paper-covered boards with white and pink titles. Near fine with minor marks to boards. More
A History of English Costume.
London: Methuen, 1937. [Historical Costume]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.xii; 227 [1]. With numerous in-text illustrations by the author. Publisher's red cloth with blue titles to spine. With the white illustrated dust-jacket. Light spotting throughout. Slight reading lean. Chipping to jacket edges; light toning to jacket spine. Very..... More
Beasts in Heraldry.
Brattleboro, VT: The Stephen Greene Press, 1974. [Heraldry] FIRST EDITION. Square octavo (22 x 22cm), pp.96. Containing twenty colour illustrations by Marie Angel (1923-2010). Publisher's cream vegetable parchment with gilt titles to spine, presented in the original blue paper-covered box, with a cream insert and a tri-fold flier for the..... More
Rab and His Friends.
Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas, 1862. [Illustrated] FINE COPPER ENGRAVINGS, later edition. Slim quarto (26 x 21cm), pp.34. With seven fine copper engravings after George Harvey, R.S.A., including a frontispiece. Recently re-backed using original white glazed paper-covered boards, with black titles printed to upper board. Black ink gift inscription to half-title..... More