"Books are a hardbound drug with no danger of overdose. I am the happy victim of books."
— Karl Lagerfeld
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American Prince: My Autobiography.
London: Virgin Books, 2008. SIGNED LIMITED EDITION. Octavo, pp.xv [3], 364 [2]. With occasional in-text photographic illustrations, and two sections of colour plates (eight double-sided plates in total). SIGNED by the author in blue ink to half-title, and hand-numbered 582 of 1000 copies produced in this special edition. In publisher's..... More
Quarrels of Authors; or, Some Memoirs for our Literary History, Including Specimens of Controversy to the Reign of Elizabeth.
London: John Murray, 1814. FIRST EDITION. In three volumes. Crown Octavo. pp. xv, 308; i, 316; i, 320. With a contents page and index to each vol. In publisher's original quarter oatmeal cloth with grey paper boards. Blue paper pasted over spines and hand-written titles to labels on each spine..... More
Boy.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1984. FIRST EDITION, a nice association copy, WARMLY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR shortly after publication. Octavo, pp.160. Publisher's cloth in original dustwrapper, pictorial endpapers, numerous black and white photographs and sketches throughout. The first volume of Dahl's fascinating autobiography. Edges a little dusty, one neat production crease..... More
Virginia Woolf.
London: Editions Poetry London, 1945. [Literary Biography] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.151 [1]. With a black and white photographic frontispiece portrait of Woolf. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the red typographic dust-jacket, priced at 7/6. Gently toned to wartime economy paper. Bumping to corners..... More
Dulwich: A Place in History.
London: William Darby, 1967. [Topography] INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.102 [2]. INSCRIBED by the author in blue ink to front free endpaper: 'To | the Estates Office Staff | with the author's compliments | William Darby | August 1967'. Illustrated with occasional black and white plates. Publisher's..... More
Terence Rattigan: The Man and His Work.
London: Quartet Books, 2010. [Literary Biography] INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR, revised third edition. Octavo (24 x 15cm), pp.[2] 534. INSCRIBED by the author in black ink to title page: 'For Edward | with best wishes | Michael Darlow | 1st August 2011. Publisher's soft covers priced at £22.50. Light wear..... More
British Clubs.
London: William Collins, 1943. [Social history] FIRST EDITION. Slim octavo (23 x 17cm), pp.48. Publisher's blue and white paper covered boards with matching dust-jacket. With eight plates in colour and twenty illustrations in black and white. Ownership to flyleaf, some light spotting throughout. Binding lightly handled. Wrapper a little toned..... More
War on the Line: The Story of the Southern Railway in War-Time.
London: The Southern Railway Company, 1946. [Railway History] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.215 [1]. With four colour plates and 14 double-sided black and white photographic plates, as well as a folding map at rear. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine. Top edge green. With the colour-illustrated..... More
Solution Du Probleme De La Navigation Dans L'Air. Par La Direction Des Aerostats. Expose D'un Nouveau Systeme De Direction.
Librairie De Frederic Henry, Paris, 1864. 6mo., pp. 83 + 5 wood engraved plates. Publisher's paper covers, uncut. Extremities lightly frayed; general age toning. An early study on "... not only the possibility, but also the ease in piloting a balloon in flight." More
A Memoir of the York Press, with notices of Authors, Printers, and Stationers, in the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Centuries.
London: Nichols and Sons, 1868. [Printing History] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (23 x 16cm), pp.[2] vi; 397; [3]. Publisher's blind stamped maroon cloth, with gilt titles to spine. Armorial bookplate of Henry Peckitt to front pastedown. A few splits to weak binding; some gatherings starting to come loose. Head and tail..... More
"Castelli Romani", an account of certain towns and villages in Latium, with an appendix containing short notices of Tivoli, Anzio, and Nettuno, illustrated with original sketches by Roman artists.
Florence: Alinari Brothers, 1904. FIRST EDITION. Small quarto, pp.158 [2]. With many monochrome reproductions of paintings by various artists. In publisher's cream cloth with red titles to upper board and significantly raised relief-decoration. Top edge green, others untrimmed. Some marks to boards and bumped corners, otherwise very good... More
Tales of the Castle. Or a Course of Morality for the Improvement of the Youthful Mind.
London: James Cundee, 1806. UNCOMMON EDITION. Four volumes, 6mo, pp.xlviii; 232; [11 of notes, 1 of adverts]; pp.221; [25 of notes, 6 of adverts]; pp.217; [35 of notes]; pp. 198; [46 of notes, 4 of adverts]. Frontispiece engraving to each volume. Bound in contemporary dark brown mottled calf, gilt titles..... More
The Age of Churchill. Heritage and Adventure 1874-1911.
London: Thames and Hudson, 1961. [Politics]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (25 x 18cm), pp.[10];627; [1]. Publisher's blue cloth, gilt titles to spine, blue top edge, photographic dust-jacket. Some marks to the top centimetre or so of the cloth, a couple of patches of tape burn to free endpapers, very slight bowing..... More
Philosophical Dissertations on the Egyptians and Chinese.
London: Printed by T. Chapman for J. Edwards, 1795. [Ethnography] FIRST EDITION. Complete in two volumes. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.xxiv; 339 [3]; pp.[6] 320 [2]. With the folding map of Egypt to volume I and the folding map of China to volume II. Recently bound in brown half calf..... More
An Historical Topographical and Descriptive Account of the Weald of Kent, With Eight Engravings and a Map.
Cranbrook: Printed for and sold by S. Reader, 1814. Octavo, pp.lvi,277, [1] blank; [5] index; [1] advertisements. Hand coloured map of the Weald, eight hand coloured aquatint views. Together with a loosely inserted aquatint addition copy of one of the prints in the book, printed on letter paper, presumably for..... More
The Assassination of President Kennedy.
London: Jackdaw Publications, 1967. [Historical Dossier] FIRST EDITION. A blue card wallet (23 x 36cm), complete with all 18 documentary items and the contents pamphlet. Light handling and creasing to wallet. Missing a couple of small pieces of the Dealey Plaza model. Near fine. 'This Jackdaw — originally published in..... More
Battle of Britain.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1980. [Second World War] FIRST EDITION. Small quarto (26 x 20cm), pp.224. Illustrated throughout in colour and black and white. Publisher's blue cloth with silver titles to spine. With the dust-jacket illustrated by Frank Wootton, priced at £8.50. Jacket sunned to spine and back panel. Near fine..... More
Les Peuples De L'Orient Mediterraneen.
Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1948, 1952. Third Edition. Two vols. Octavo. Bound by Bayntun in recent green half morocco over green cloth boards, with raised bands and gilt titles to spine; top edge gilt, marbled endpapers. French language. With Avant-Propos by S. Charlety. Binding shows well, with only minor..... More
A Bibliographical Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany.
London: Printed for the author, by W. Bulmer and W. Nicol, Shakspeare Press, and Sold by Payne and Foss, Longman, Hurst and Co., 1821. [Bibliographical Travel] FIRST EDITION. Complete in three volumes. Octavo (27 x 18cm), pp.[6] xxxii; 462; lxxx [2]; pp.[6] 555 [3]; pp.[6] 622; lxii [2].With a total..... More
A Bibliographical Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany.
London: Printed for the author, by W. Bulmer and W. Nicol, Shakspeare Press, and Sold by Payne and Foss, Longman, Hurst and Co., 1821. [Bibliographical Travel] FIRST EDITION. Complete in three volumes. Octavo (26 x 17cm), pp.[8] xxxii; 462; lxxx [4]; pp.[8] 555 [5]; pp.[5] 622; lxii [4]. With a...... More
The Last Governor: Chris Patten and the Handover of Hong Kong.
London: Little, Brown, and Company, 1997. [Politics] SIGNED FIRST EDITION, Ex Libris Lord Moynihan. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.xvi; 461; [3]. With three suites of four double-sided photographic plates. Publisher's red cloth lettered in gilt to spine. With the photographic dust-jacket priced at £22.50. Bookplate detailing provenance to flyleaf. Jacket..... More
A View of Ancient Laws Against Immorality and Profaneness; Under the following Heads; Lewdness; Profane Swearing, Cursing, and Blasphemy; Perjury; Prophanation of Days devoted to Religion; Contempt or Neglect of Divine Service; Drunkenness; Gaming; Idleness; Vagrancy, and Begging; Stage-Plays and Players; and Duelling. Collected from the Jewish, Roman, Greek, Gothic, Lombard, and other Laws, down to the middle of the Eleventh Century.
Cambridge: Printed for Corn. Crownfield, 1729. [Law] FIRST EDITION. Folio (39 x 28cm), pp.[34] 351 [3]. Printed with very generous margins, and the original Latin or Greek of the Laws discussed on the right-hand side of the commentary. Recently re-bound in brown speckled half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles..... More
P.G. Wodehouse: A Biography.
London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1982. [Literary Biography] UNCORRECTED PROOF. Octavo (26 x 18cm), pp.xviii; 399 [7]. With two suites of four double-sided black and white photographic plates. With a 'Proof Copy' statement pasted to half-title stating probable price and publication date. Publisher's completely blank white soft covers, titled by hand..... More
Three Women of Herat.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1988. [Middle East Travel] INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION, with personal letters. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.xii; 225 [3]. With illustrated head pieces by the author, and six double-sided colour photographic plates. INSCRIBED by the author in black ink to fly-leaf: 'Teo Best wishes | love Veronica. | October..... More
Travels In North-Western Arabia and Nejd.
Published for the Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society by Edward Stanford, 1884. [Arabia] FIRST PUBLISHED APPEARANCE of Doughty's own account of his travels in Arabia, read at the evening meeting of the RGS, November 26th 1883. Pp.381-408, Extracted from the above Proceedings, with large fold-out map printed in colour..... More